Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Playing Ambiguously with Her Knuckles

Beyond the boundary marked by the thickets lay a pitch-black, dim night.

The moon hung lonely in the night sky; its cold, clear brilliance could not penetrate the lush woods. Thus, one could not see the land surrounded by white light, nor the girl sitting regally beneath the falling blossoms.

This was a Mu Qiuyu that Lu Ning had never seen before.

A soft white light draped over her, exuding a faint layer of tenderness. Her eyes held a suppressed, chilly darkness, but seen up close, they were exceptionally clear. Her thick eyelashes were distinct and slightly curved, casting a layer of joy over the depths of her gaze.

Lu Ning could never have imagined such a gentle and peaceful scene while reading the original novel.

This is too out of character (OC)!

Lu Ning screamed this phrase incredulously in her mind, then stared at Mu Qiuyu with even more disbelief: “Mu Qiuyu… why are you here? Isn’t this your inner world?”

As she spoke, Lu Ning’s throat bobbed. She was already prepared to have her cover blown in front of Mu Qiuyu, but she saw the radiant expression on Mu Qiuyu’s face suddenly fade.

As if realizing something, the girl slowly turned to face Lu Ning and explained, “This is Mu Qiuyu’s inner world, but I am not her. I am merely the emotions and memories she has deliberately hidden. Because these emotions and memories became too vast, they took on a physical form.”

Mu Qiuyu’s voice was very thin, offering a brief explanation of her existence.

Lu Ning felt her brain couldn’t quite keep up. She blinked, and after a long while, let out a sigh of realization: “So that’s how it is.”

In this world, where a human like her could become a “System,” it wasn’t so strange for Mu Qiuyu to develop another self in her heart because her life was too oppressive.

Thinking of this, Lu Ning abruptly looked up and posed a question to the Mu Qiuyu before her: “This… you don’t have multiple personality disorder, do you?”

Mu Qiuyu looked at the startled person in front of her and shook her head gently. She maintained a faint smile at Lu Ning, lifting her skirt slightly to show her: “I am not her personality; I am a part of her.”

Amidst the sound of clashing chains, the feet hidden by the skirt were exposed to Lu Ning’s sight. She saw a pale silver shackle fastened around Mu Qiuyu’s slender ankle. The metal material looked heavy, repeatedly chafing the girl’s delicate skin.

The crimson color, like a dye made of congealed blood, was exceptionally piercing against the surrounding pure white.

Lu Ning finally realized that the chains she had seen weren’t meant to lock the chair beneath Mu Qiuyu, but to lock the person herself.

“So that’s it.” Lu Ning gazed at that smear of red with obscure eyes, finally understanding why such a place existed within this wasteland.

—This was likely the only pure land left in Mu Qiuyu’s heart. —She rejected it, yet she could never erase it.

Mu Qiuyu didn’t seem to like seeing Lu Ning wear such an expression. She let down her skirt and beckoned Lu Ning: “You must be tired from walking all this way. Would you like to sit down and have a cup of tea?”

Although Lu Ning understood that the person before her wasn’t the real Mu Qiuyu, she was puzzled by the familiar tone the girl was using: “You… know who I am?”

“Aren’t you her System?” Mu Qiuyu replied nonchalantly.

Then, she expressed a bit of distress to Lu Ning: “But why would you become her System? I thought…”

She stopped there. This kind of “riddle-speak” was quite frustrating. Lu Ning couldn’t help but press: “So why?”

“So, have some tea.” Mu Qiuyu was still Mu Qiuyu; if she didn’t want to speak, she wouldn’t.

She smiled easily at Lu Ning and gave a wave of her hand. Out of thin air, another white bronze garden chair and a matching garden table appeared.

Lu Ning watched in a daze while Mu Qiuyu unhurriedly picked up the teapot. She sat upright, her slender figure leaning against the back of the chair, her profile clear and the bridge of her nose elegant. Steam slowly drifted out with her movements, white mist surrounding her fingertips, every gesture exuding a lingering elegance.

At this moment, Lu Ning felt as if she were seeing Mu Qiuyu standing on a stage playing the violin.

In other words, Mu Qiuyu had sealed away everything she considered beautiful. The reason this Mu Qiuyu could manifest these things out of thin air was because the “Owner” Mu Qiuyu had abandoned her pure land, allowing this place to fall under this Mu Qiuyu’s jurisdiction.

Thinking of this, Lu Ning’s heart sank. But immediately after, a thick, mellow fragrance wafted over.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Mu Qiuyu pushed the poured tea toward Lu Ning, her crisp voice wrapped in a layer of sweetness.

This sweetness was physical.

Lu Ning sniffed the air and discovered that the cup in front of her didn’t contain traditional tea, but milk tea with floating pearls.

Classic Pearl Boba. The flavor she loved most in middle school.

Lu Ning could hardly believe her sense of smell. She picked up the cup and took a sip. The milk tea, with its hint of low-quality artificial flavoring, rushed over her taste buds, making her eyes light up—this was exactly the taste from her middle school days! It had been out of print for years.

“How did you make this?” Lu Ning looked up excitedly, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling excessively.

Seeing Lu Ning like this, the smile in Mu Qiuyu’s eyes deepened. She unhurriedly set down her cup and said with a laugh: “As long as the corresponding memory is in the mind, I can create it. But as for the specific recipe, I am not sure.”

“I see.” Lu Ning felt a bit of regret.

But it made sense. Mu Qiuyu had just waved her hand and the milk tea appeared; there was no preparation process. But why was the memory of the milk she drank stored in Mu Qiuyu’s mind? Did the elegant, high-class Young Lady also drink low-quality beverages blended with artificial flavors?

While Lu Ning was brainstorming, Mu Qiuyu’s voice came from her ear: “If you want to drink it in the future, I can make it for you anytime.”

“Then I won’t be polite.”

Thinking that she could have free milk tea while reclaiming the wasteland in the future, Lu Ning was exceptionally happy. Moreover, she was helping Mu Qiuyu’s inner world find new life; drinking a bit of milk tea wasn’t really taking advantage of her.

“It is only right.” Mu Qiuyu nodded with a smile, her gentle gaze always resting on Lu Ning.

The wind pushed the branches of the blooming trees to sway, their blossoms falling lightly under the warm white light. The quiet fragrance of the flowers unconsciously made Lu Ning, who had been tense all day, relax.

The mellow aroma of the milk tea lingered in Lu Ning’s mouth. She peeked at the figure across from her, thinking that this Mu Qiuyu was so gentle. None of that gloomy or cold emotion existed in her; talking to her didn’t produce fear, but rather made one want to get closer.

Even though she was in an emotional realm she should be cautious of, Lu Ning still thought of the Mu Qiuyu in the outside world.

She swirled the cup in her hand and spoke somewhat shyly to the Mu Qiuyu opposite her: “Um, I have a question I want to ask you.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Qiuyu immediately retracted the gaze she had fixed on Lu Ning. She tucked her hair behind her ear, acting as if she didn’t care, and nodded calmly: “Just say it.”

“Does the Mu Qiuyu outside know you exist?” Lu Ning asked curiously.

Mu Qiuyu shook her head: “She doesn’t know I exist, and I cannot let her know.”

“Why?” Lu Ning was puzzled.

“I would disappear,” Mu Qiuyu answered simply, yet ambiguously.

“So you are a part of Mu Qiuyu, but she can’t know you exist.” Lu Ning found it a bit confusing, slowly untangling her thoughts. “It sounds like the relationship between the eyes and the brain.”

“You could understand it that way.” Mu Qiuyu nodded and took a sip of her tea.

Lu Ning looked thoughtful, then, as if realizing something, she suddenly looked at the person who looked exactly like Mu Qiuyu: “Then do you also know what Mu Qiuyu likes and what she loathes?”

“Yes,” Mu Qiuyu nodded.

She seemed to understand Lu Ning’s purpose for asking, and followed up by proactively asking: “You want to know some things about her, don’t you?”

Lu Ning took a mouthful of milk tea and gave a muffled “Mhm”: “She’s a bit repelled by me right now. I want to get closer to her to complete my task—which, of course, is for her own good.”

Fearing Mu Qiuyu might doubt her motives, Lu Ning looked straight through the white mist at her: “And if she gets better, she won’t reject you anymore. You won’t have to wear these chains, and you can merge with her and gain freedom, right?”

Meeting the girl’s fervent gaze, the Mu Qiuyu before her let her eyes flicker away for a moment. The clear tea reflected her gentle expression. After a long while, she spoke slowly to Lu Ning: “If you want to know, I can tell you.”

Hearing this, Lu Ning thought it was wonderful. The word “thanks” was on the tip of her tongue, but it was immediately covered by a slightly cool palm.

At some point, Mu Qiuyu had raised her hand to prop up her chin, looking at Lu Ning with eyes full of smiles. She reached her hand toward Lu Ning, ambiguously playing with her knuckles: “But if I tell you these things, shouldn’t you give me some benefits?”

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