Villainous Singer (14)
Even though Song Xu Yi was convinced in her heart that Lin Ruoyu was joking, her cheeks couldn’t help but turn red.
“Is what’s inside this box a robot?” In order to avoid embarrassing herself in front of Lin Ruoyu again, Song Xu Yi cleared her throat and forcibly shifted her attention to look behind Lin Ruoyu.
Behind Lin Ruoyu were a few conspicuously large boxes. Amid Lin Ruoyu’s teasing voice of “You’ll know when you look,” Song Xu Yi ran over to unpack them. She then saw several of the latest model robots inside. Whether it was the sensors or various components, these robots were made of the most advanced materials, clearly indicating their significant value.
“How much did you spend on these again?”
Song Xu Yi furrowed her brows and couldn’t help but glance at Lin Ruoyu. Carefully and cautiously, she opened her mouth. Initially, she thought that the money she had saved over the years would be enough to cover Lin Ruoyu’s expenses. However, upon seeing these robots, Song Xu Yi deeply felt the weight of an economic crisis.
“Not much,” Lin Ruoyu looked at Song Xu Yi’s nervous expression. The smile at the corner of her lips deepened as she gazed at Song Xu Yi. She reclined lazily on the sofa and casually mentioned a number. As expected, in the next instant, she heard the distinct sound of Song Xu Yi inhaling sharply.
“I won’t back down. If I do, wouldn’t I lose face?” Lin Ruoyu seemed to know what Song Xu Yi was about to say and preemptively interrupted her. She glanced at Song Xu Yi, as if she suddenly remembered something. While taking out her light-brain and starting to operate it, she looked at Song Xu Yi with a sidelong glance. “Besides, this is a graduation gift from big sis to you.”
Song Xu Yi hadn’t expected to be cut off before she even finished speaking. She could only stand there with a red face. After a while, she remembered what she should do and quickly took out her light-brain to transfer the money to Lin Ruoyu. However, for some reason, no matter how many times she tried, she couldn’t complete the transfer. Song Xu Yi thought it might be due to the large amount, so she furrowed her brows, sat down on the carpet, and studied the minimum transfer amount. She made a few attempts but didn’t notice that Lin Ruoyu had also sat down beside her.
After seeing Song Xu Yi’s attempts, Lin Ruoyu couldn’t help but laugh and collapsed onto Song Xu Yi’s shoulder. She raised the light-brain in her hand and pointedly showed it to Song Xu Yi. Song Xu Yi looked up and realized that Lin Ruoyu’s light-brain displayed their communication interface. At the forefront of the light-brain was a record of an operation a few minutes ago with a few big words written on it — “Transfers to oneself are prohibited!”
Song Xu Yi widened her eyes, finally understanding why the transfers were failing. She glared at Lin Ruoyu and thought about trying to change the settings on Lin Ruoyu’s light-brain. However, even though Song Xu Yi frequently engaged in physical training, while Lin Ruoyu appeared delicate and frail, Song Xu Yi found herself unable to wrest Lin Ruoyu’s light-brain away…
Even later on, Lin Ruoyu played a little trick. She lay back and ended up on the carpet. Song Xu Yi didn’t think too much of it and tried to reach over Lin Ruoyu to grab the light-brain that Lin Ruoyu had placed above her head. However, Lin Ruoyu took advantage of the opportunity to release the light-brain, and her hands wrapped around Song Xu Yi’s waist, causing Song Xu Yi to fall onto the carpet.
Song Xu Yi wanted to break free, but Lin Ruoyu increased her strength, burying her head in Song Xu Yi’s neck and mumbled unclearly, “Let me lean on you.” It seemed like she thought Song Xu Yi might mind her wasting study time, so she added, “I know you’re pressed for time, just for a little while…”
Lin Ruoyu’s tone sounded as usual, but Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but feel that Lin Ruoyu’s mood seemed a bit down. The unique fragrance from Lin Ruoyu surrounded her, and in this atmosphere, Song Xu Yi’s cheeks involuntarily turned red. However, thinking that Lin Ruoyu couldn’t see her at the moment, Song Xu Yi hesitated for a moment and then relaxed her body. Blushing, she softly said, “You… what you said, just for a little while…”
With a soft sound, Lin Ruoyu burst into laughter.
“Xu Yi, has anyone ever told you that you’re truly adorable?” Lin Ruoyu’s tone carried an openly affectionate sigh.
Song Xu Yi pursed her lips.
They had been apart for a long time, and Song Xu Yi could clearly feel Lin Ruoyu’s body trembling slightly from her laughter. At the beginning, Song Xu Yi felt extremely embarrassed and kept counting in her heart, planning to push Lin Ruoyu away after a short while. However, gradually, Song Xu Yi noticed something unusual: a period of time had passed, and Lin Ruoyu’s body was still trembling slightly, and there was warm liquid that slowly dampened Song Xu Yi’s neck…
Was Lin Ruoyu crying?
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Song Xu Yi widened her eyes, torn between whether to push Lin Ruoyu away and see her current state. The system considerately spoke up, “Xu Yi, the little villain is crying! She’s crying so sadly…”
Song Xu Yi’s mind was in chaos. She had no idea how to comfort Lin Ruoyu. She could only bite her lower lip and awkwardly reach out to hug Lin Ruoyu, gently patting her back, while trying to think of the reason for Lin Ruoyu’s tears.
Not wanting to remain ignorant, after a moment of contemplation, Song Xu Yi realized that there could be several reasons for Lin Ruoyu’s tears: Lin Ruoyu had been away from her hometown and lived in a foreign place all alone for so many years; she had just lost a large amount of money, and now her management company was still considering countermeasures…
“It’s okay,” Song Xu Yi could only clear her throat and softly speak, “You’ve terminated the contract, and everything will get better.”
However, Lin Ruoyu remained silent and tightened her hold on Song Xu Yi’s arm.
The room fell into silence, but suddenly, there was a ‘click’ sound. The humanoid robot, about half the height of a person, turned around in the corner of the room. Its lifeless eyes stared at Lin Ruoyu in silence, and at first glance, it looked remarkably lifelike —
“Ruoyu, we have our responsibilities and missions,” the robot’s voice was gentle yet firm, “If we don’t protect our homeland, then for the rest of our lives, we’ll need to fight for our Ruo Shui.”
Song Xu Yi widened her eyes in astonishment. She was amazed by the robot’s words, and what puzzled her even more was — any robot would require activation. Lin Ruoyu hadn’t given any command, so why did this robot move and speak on its own?
However, Lin Ruoyu didn’t explain the reason behind the robot’s movements.
She waved her hand, and the robot turned back to face the wall. Only then did Lin Ruoyu lift her head to look at Song Xu Yi. The reddish birthmark at the corner of her eye seemed more vivid against her slightly teary and misty eyes.
“Today is the anniversary of my mother’s passing, Xu Yi. Thank you for being here with me,” Lin Ruoyu spoke softly, gazing at Song Xu Yi. “I know you have a lot of questions.”
“But now is not the time,” her voice sounded gentle, yet her gaze held emotions that Song Xu Yi couldn’t quite decipher. Meeting Lin Ruoyu’s eyes, Song Xu Yi’s heartbeat once again quickened. She couldn’t help but bite her lower lip tightly. Lin Ruoyu’s eyes dimmed slightly, her hand at her side tightened, and her gaze lowered. “After your exams are over, I will tell you everything I can.”
On that afternoon, there was another news from Proxima Centauri that nearly caused everyone to be excited — Mr. Xu was about to become a judge and participate in the upcoming robot testing.
Mr. Xu was a titan in the robot industry of Proxima Centauri. He had an eccentric temperament and dedicated his life to researching robots. He made significant contributions to the development of the robot industry on Proxima Centauri and could be credited with propelling its advancement.
In recent years, due to health reasons, Mr. Xu rarely appeared in public. His sudden appearance naturally stirred up a commotion on Proxima Centauri.
Among those who were in the same graduating class as Song Xu Yi and also participating in the final exams, several students with consistently excellent performance had begun to dream of catching Mr. Xu’s attention and becoming his disciples…
At this point, Song Xu Yi also felt a bit of pressure. She didn’t want to indulge in the daydream of being recognized by Mr. Xu for her talents and becoming his disciple. Moreover, with so many judges, there was no guarantee that Mr. Xu would be assigned to her examination room. However, considering Mr. Xu’s extensive experience, if he happened to be in her exam room, he would surely have stricter expectations from the students. Song Xu Yi could only strive to perform even more outstandingly.
However, Song Xu Yi didn’t notice the subdued expression in Lin Ruoyu’s eyes as she looked at Mr. Xu’s photo on the light-brain.
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Both Song Xu Yi and Lin Ruoyu understood that this exam was of paramount importance to Song Xu Yi.
In the days that followed, Song Xu Yi dedicated herself tirelessly to prepare for this exam. She disassembled the latest robots that Lin Ruoyu had brought, and she was filled with astonishment: these robots completely surpassed Song Xu Yi’s existing understanding. Different from the curriculum at Colin Academy, the technology applied in these robots brought by Lin Ruoyu had almost transcended the current era.
Lin Ruoyu no longer concealed her proficiency in robot technology. She openly disassembled these robots in front of Song Xu Yi, answering her questions.
The more Song Xu Yi delved into it, the more she felt the mounting pressure. Clearly, Lin Ruoyu hardly had time to practice robot technology, but the skills she displayed were far more proficient than Song Xu Yi’s. Compared to experienced engineers with many years of experience, she was not far behind. Song Xu Yi even started to think that if Lin Ruoyu were to take the graduation exam, she would undoubtedly secure the first place in the entire nation of Proxima Centauri.
Can a person’s talent really be this strong?
But since Lin Ruoyu had promised to reveal her secret in the future, Song Xu Yi wasn’t demanding an immediate answer. She focused on learning the knowledge Lin Ruoyu taught her and immersed herself in training.
Soon, the day of the test arrived.
Song Xu Yi initially thought she would feel nervous, after all, this exam was no small matter. However, when the day actually came, she realized that she couldn’t summon even a hint of nervousness. There were no ripples in her heart: she had done everything she could, and from this point on, she could only leave it to fate.
Early in the morning, Lin Ruoyu left the house, and Song Xu Yi had no idea what she went out to do.
Song Xu Yi went to the examination room alone.
She had previously been at the bottom of the scores, and her assigned seat was toward the back. The examination room was already set up, and the surveillance in the room left no blind spots, showcasing the conditions inside to the spectators.
Due to Song Xu Yi’s identity as a Ruo Shui native, many spectators tuned into the live broadcast to watch her. Song Xu Yi didn’t anticipate that Mr. Xu happened to be one of the judges for the Colin Academy’s section. His presence caused the viewership in the live stream where Song Xu Yi was to multiply several times over.
It’s for the best this way!
As Song Xu Yi watched the display screen at the front of the classroom that showed the increasing number of online viewers, she could only console herself: the more spectators there were, the better she needed to perform. This way, the people from Colin would be less likely to backtrack on their promises.
After the bell signaling the start of the exam rang, the new model robot, used for the test, was placed in front of Song Xu Yi.
Song Xu Yi took a deep breath, blocked out all external distractions, and focused her gaze on the robot. She began disassembling it swiftly…
In these past few days, with Lin Ruoyu’s training, Song Xu Yi’s understanding of robots had grown significantly. In the past, she might not have noticed, but this time, she distinctly observed that the robot she had received had suction cups beneath its feet, allowing it to walk upside down on ceilings for high-altitude tasks…
This should be another scoring point.
Song Xu Yi deliberately marked the suction cups and proceeded to disassemble the other components.
She immersed herself in the world of disassembling the robot, her speed increasing rapidly, completely unaware of the astonishment shown by the Proxima Centauri spectators observing her speed —
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“Am I seeing this correctly? This Ruo Shui native girl’s speed is actually the fastest!”
“Is she even human? Her hands look like robotic arms!”
“Oh my goodness! Wasn’t she known for having poor grades in the past? But none of her high-achieving classmates are as amazing as her…”
……
Amidst a wave of discussions, even Mr. Xu, who was a judge, squinted and sized up Song Xu Yi…
As he observed Song Xu Yi’s busy figure, after a while, a glint of clarity flashed through Mr. Xu’s otherwise cloudy eyes, and a smile curved on his lips. “This young girl is arguably the most outstanding among this year’s students!”
“I’m even tempted to take her as my student —”