Chapter 22: Let’s Go To Earth!

Main star of the Resonance System, First Hospital, Short-Life Disease Ward.

Yuhui walked slowly into the inpatient ward, carrying a Wither-Prosper Fruit that had just been delivered yesterday.

Everyone living in this ward was a patient with short-life disease. Perhaps because they all knew their days were numbered, a sense of resignation permeated the entire ward. Even though the Resonance System was renowned throughout the Interstellar Federation for its unique healing abilities, it remained helpless in the face of short-life disease.

Yuhui, familiar with the place, made her way to Room 4. She gathered her emotions, pushed open the door, and said cheerfully, “Qing Lan, look what I’ve brought you!”

The girl called Qing Lan was sitting by the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, beyond which a simulated starry sky rotated slowly.

Hearing Yuhui’s voice, she turned, a faint smile appearing on her pale face. “What is it?”

“A specialty from the Wither-Prosper System—Wither-Prosper Fruit. This fruit has become especially popular lately, and I’ve heard it’s good for your health. Here, try it.” Yuhui took out one of the fruits and handed it to Qing Lan.

Qing Lan accepted the crystal-clear green fruit and set it aside casually. “What difference does good health make to me now?”

·

Yuhui turned her head, blinking hard to hold back the tears threatening to fall. She took a deep breath, trying to make her smile look more natural. “Right, why don’t we watch that popular talent show together? You know, my teacher is a fan of Earth culture and has told me all sorts of interesting things. Shall we watch it together?”

In the end, Qing Lan couldn’t bring herself to refuse her friend’s kindness. She nodded. “Alright, let’s watch.”

Yuhui projected a virtual screen in front of them, which happened to be playing the latest episode’s behind-the-scenes footage.

“…But we Earthlings only live less than two hundred years. If I could live five hundred years, taking each decade as a chapter, I could travel to fifty star systems, make friends in fifty star systems, and create five hundred years of memories with them. That’s something we can’t even dream of.”

“Five hundred years… of memories…?” Qing Lan repeated the words softly, and tears instantly welled up and spilled over, followed by uncontrollable sobbing.

“Qing Lan?” Yuhui hurried forward, but before she could react, Qing Lan pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I’m sorry… Yuhui… I’m so sorry…” Qing Lan wept uncontrollably, apologizing to Yuhui over and over.

Yuhui was stunned for a moment, then hugged her back tightly, her own tears falling in silence.

·

After this long-suppressed emotion had finally been released, the numb despair that had always clung to Qing Lan faded away, replaced by a rekindled hope.

“Yuhui, I want to leave the hospital.”

“Alright, then let’s go home right away,” Yuhui replied instinctively.

“No, I don’t want to go home. I want to visit that planet where people live less than two hundred years, to experience their culture, to feel their passion for life.”

Qing Lan raised a hand—her skin was fair and smooth, the hand of a young woman. “Short-life disease has only taken away my years, not my health. It has only set the time of my death, not decided what I do while I’m alive.” Her eyes shone bright, filled with anticipation for the future. “I want to experience that civilization, brilliant even in its brevity. I want to record everything I see with my paintbrush.”

Seeing her friend return to her old self, Yuhui no longer forced a smile, but instead beamed with genuine joy.

“No problem!” Yuhui opened the ticketing interface on her terminal. “But right now, Earth only has a temporary major route open, with a limited number of ships each day. Let me see when the next available flight is.”

At that moment, Yuhui’s mental tendrils darted into the ticketing system with a speed invisible to the naked eye. In the span of a single breath, the terminal displayed a successful booking.

“Got it! Tickets for next week on the interstellar calendar,” Yuhui said excitedly.

“What kind of strange date is that—interstellar calendar and next week? You’re all mixed up,” Qing Lan laughed, unable to stop.

“I forgot, ‘week’ is an Earth term. It should be seven days from now, interstellar time.” Seeing Qing Lan’s unclouded smile, Yuhui laughed along with her. “It’s all my teacher’s fault. Ever since she started watching the talent show, she’s switched to Earth’s schedule, and now I’m used to using Earth time too.”

“Does the Director know you’re badmouthing her behind her back?” Qing Lan laughed even harder at that.

Yuhui’s eyes darted mischievously. “If you don’t tell her, she’ll never know.”

After a round of laughter, they remembered there was still business to attend to. Yuhui immediately set off to handle Qing Lan’s discharge paperwork. Meanwhile, Qing Lan packed her things in the ward, turning to gaze out at the simulated starry sky.

“Earth, huh? What an exciting journey this will be.”

·

Noble Star System.

In the villa of the Shida Chunlu family, Wo Shida Chunlu was watching the group formation night video of “Interstellar 101” on a virtual screen, his gaze filled with malice.

When he heard the host loudly announce the formation of the Interstellar Girls group and that they would soon embark on a star system tour, he suddenly smiled.

“A star system tour…” Wo Shida Chunlu’s face bore a confident, victorious smile. “Autumn Whisper, this time I’ll show you what I’m capable of. The humiliation you gave me—I’ll repay it double!”

·

“Achoo!” Feng Jingyu let out a huge sneeze.

“What’s going on? That’s your seventh sneeze today. Are you actually coming down with something?” Cen Lan had the smart butler run a check on Feng Jingyu, but the result was that everything was normal.

“It’s nothing. Probably just fans drawing circles to curse me,” Feng Jingyu said, unconcerned.

Cen Lan couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s not much of a comfort, you know.”

“With group formation night successfully completed, I’ve given everyone three days off. We can finally have a good rest for a while.”

At Feng Jingyu’s reminder, Cen Lan suddenly felt all the exhaustion in her body come rushing in.

“True, especially the data team. Their prediction of the voting for group formation night was spot on—Senyu really surged to second place, and Cheng Wangshu ended up third.” Like Feng Jingyu, Cen Lan slumped on the sofa, her mind drifting.

“Mm, so I gave them all bonuses too. The fans worked hard, and so did we.” Feng Jingyu closed her eyes, her voice growing faint.

Just as Cen Lan was about to let her consciousness drift away, she suddenly remembered something. “Wait, Jingyu, what about the girls who were eliminated? I remember the company signed them all.”

Feng Jingyu didn’t even open her eyes. “Simple—put them all in a travel variety show and let them have fun.”

“Travel… variety?” Cen Lan’s tired mind worked quickly, soon grasping Feng Jingyu’s idea. “That’s good. Let them travel around Earth first, show the interstellar community a real, three-dimensional home… then visit our allied star systems. It’s not just a variety show—it’s a profound dialogue between civilizations.”

She turned to share her excitement with Feng Jingyu, only to find she had already fallen asleep.

A smile tugged at Cen Lan’s lips. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep beside Feng Jingyu.

·

Elsewhere, with the talent show over, the mentors’ work was done as well.

Yu Huaiyin and S-77 were at Cangwu Spaceport, seeing off Qing Wu and Le Huan.

“Mr. S-77, Mr. Yu, are you really not coming to see the Dawn System?” Le Huan asked, reluctant to part.

“I still have work to do here, so I can’t leave Earth just yet. Once I’m free, I’ll definitely visit the Dawn System.” Yu Huaiyin turned to Qing Wu. “And the Wither-Prosper System, I’ll be sure to visit when I have the chance.”

Qing Wu smiled. “Then I’ll be waiting for both of you to visit.”

Le Huan and Qing Wu boarded the ship, and only after the hatch closed did Yu Huaiyin and S-77 leave.

On the way back, Yu Huaiyin glanced at S-77 and asked, “77, have you really decided to stay on Earth for a while?”

“Yes,” S-77 nodded. “I want to spend more time with you, so we can make more memories together.”

Yu Huaiyin’s heart softened, and he replied gently, “That’s good. My mother really hopes you’ll stay. If you ever feel uncomfortable, just tell me.”

“I won’t,” S-77 shook his head. “Your family is wonderful, your parents are wonderful. I have nothing to get used to.”

“From now on, this is your home on Earth.” Yu Huaiyin reached out, his smile gentle. “77, welcome home.”

S-77 was taken aback for a moment, then a pure, quiet smile appeared on his face, his golden eyes brimming with joy.

He took Yu Huaiyin’s hand and said, “Yes, I’m home.”