The reason Sylvia believed Robin had already lost her voice was this: after checking recent activity records, she noticed Robin hadn't held any public live performances for quite some time.
In the past, Robin's live shows had been remarkably frequent.
The explanation given by Robin's studio was that her intensive performance schedule had strained her voice.
To rest and recover, and also to prepare for the Charmony Festival on Penacony, Robin had temporarily suspended all in-person performances, focusing instead on preparing for the Family's events.
Taken on its own, that explanation was perfectly reasonable.
Everyone knew Robin held a fairly high status on Penacony. With the Charmony Festival approaching, it made sense for her to shift her focus there.
But to someone like Sylvia, who was privy to certain inside information, Robin's behavior seemed… rather thought-provoking.
With that in mind, Sylvia first replied to Robin's studio via email.
In the message, she introduced herself as a fan of Robin and naturally agreed to the cover song request, quoting a very low fee.
She also mentioned her plan to purchase a ticket to Penacony and attend the Charmony Festival in person—all to come across as approachable and easy to work with.
Then, almost casually near the end, she inquired when Robin might resume activities after the festival.
--+--
Meanwhile, on the other side, Robin soon received the forwarded reply from Sylvia, courtesy of her manager.
Reading the initial response, Robin smiled with satisfaction.
A good singer deserves good songs.
Even if the other party might not have the ideal conditions to perform them, she herself could deliver their music flawlessly.
In Robin's eyes, that was a win-win situation.
"She's charging far too little—we should raise the rate. Can't let a fan feel unappreciated."
Robin had no intention of taking advantage of a fan's goodwill.
Fair price for fair work—that was the attitude of any true musician.
"Still… paying her own way to Penacony, especially during the festival… that can't be cheap."
Even if the other party could afford a hefty promotion fee, the cost of a ticket to Penacony during the Charmony Festival was on another level entirely.
Robin stared at the email, blinking a few times, but didn't seriously consider offering an invitation.
Invitations carried significant weight—it wasn't something to hand out lightly.
Just then, a new friend request popped up.
It was from the account Sylvia was using.
--+--
After sending her email reply, Sylvia had also sent a friend request to the social account provided by Robin's studio.
What she never expected was that the account linked in the email was actually Robin's own work account.
So when the friend request was accepted, and she sent a simple, "Hello, nice to meet you," the reply that came back— "Nice to meet you, I'm Robin." —left Sylvia utterly speechless.
A major studio like that wouldn't use such a cheap trick to mess with her, right?
Besides, what would they gain from pretending to be Robin now?
They'd used the studio's official email earlier—suddenly claiming to be the star herself felt just plain weird.
[Sylvia: Hello, I'm Sylvia.]
[Robin: Well then, I'll be direct—the rate you've set is far too low, well below market standard. That's not a good practice. I'll revise the price to match industry rates and send the contract over afterward.]
[Sylvia: ?]
Robin couldn't help but laugh at the question mark Sylvia sent back.
"Pfft… How amusing. What's wrong with earning more?"
[Robin: By the way, all of your songs are quite good—so why haven't you performed them yourself?]
The question caught Sylvia off guard. She hadn't anticipated this at all.
Who even asks something like that?
Since Sylvia had never been involved in this world's music scene, she had no idea how much could be accomplished with AI in music production here.
[Sylvia: No particular reason. But are you really Robin? Or is this a studio staff account?]
Robin blinked, a little surprised to find herself being doubted.
After a moment's thought, she picked up her phone, snapped a quick selfie, and sent it over.
The moment she saw the photo, Sylvia let out a soft, "Oh ho."
This wasn't the formal gown from the official artwork—instead, Robin wore loose, comfortable loungewear. Yet paired with that breathtakingly beautiful face, it gave off an unexpectedly charming, approachable vibe.
No wonder she's an interstellar star—stunningly gorgeous, the kind that really shines.
And she carried a uniquely captivating aura.
"Brilliant and radiant" was Sylvia's first impression of Robin.
Compared to her, someone like Tingyun would come across as much more reserved.
To be honest, even with a photo, Sylvia couldn't be completely sure it was really her.
After all, any studio would have access to unreleased selfies—faking one would be child's play.
Seemingly anticipating that doubt, Robin added:
[Robin: Still not convinced with just a photo?]
[Sylvia: Pretty much. It's normal for a studio to have unpublished photos of you. That said, I don't think they'd go so far as to impersonate you.]
Robin nodded in satisfaction. Why would her studio pretend to be her? That'd be just pointless.
[Sylvia: But just in case, I'd like to ask one more question. As an apology, you can have these three songs to cover for free. Of course, it's totally fine if you'd rather not—this is just my own unreasonable request, after all.]
Robin raised an eyebrow slightly. The person on the other side was… a bit unusual.
[Robin: What's the question?]
Robin braced herself for some typical fan curiosity, mentally preparing responses for all sorts of questions.
But when Sylvia's message finally came through, Robin's expression shifted dramatically.
She tensed up instantly, rising from the sofa, her gaze locked intensely on the screen. The hand holding the phone trembled faintly from the strain.
There, at the bottom of the screen, in Sylvia's message bubble, were words that pointed directly to the secret Robin guarded most closely.
[Sylvia: It seems there's a slight dissonance in the Harmony over at Penacony—is your voice still holding up, Miss Robin?]
Lying on her bed, Sylvia imagined the look on Robin's face right now.
It wasn't that she enjoyed dropping bombshells like this—it was just that their lives had no natural overlap. And she still had her sights set on getting an invitation from Robin.
Sometimes, you just have to stir the pot to get things cooking.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.