Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Kitten’s Bed-Sharing Service

Outside the window, the cherry trees toyed with the light, swaying back and forth. There was no wind in the classroom, and the afternoon sun spilled evenly across the back of the room, outlining the figure of the girl holding the cat.

The halo of sunlight made Mu Qiuyu’s figure seem ethereal, carrying a natural sense of detachment that dispelled the warmth in the air. She stood there, her silhouette holding the kitten tall and slender—like the bamboo planted in the school courtyard, coaxed into green buds by the spring, thin yet resilient, yielding nothing to the pines and cypresses.

Perhaps thanks to the kitten, Mu Qiuyu didn’t seem as unapproachable as she did during morning study. The students gathered around, watching in a bit of a daze.

“I’m a little envious.”

“Do you mean of the person, or the cat?”

“I think both.”

A few people whispered to one another, and Mu Qiuyu’s reputation continued its reversal. As the last comment was made, everyone nodded in frantic agreement while secretly plotting their own little schemes.

Mu Qiuyu was so beautiful, her grades were excellent, and the photo of her playing the violin remained at the top of the school forums. If she were responsible for the cat, it would be a perfect opportunity to get closer to her.

Eventually, someone started it, suggesting Mu Qiuyu take charge of Lu Ning: “I think we should let Mu Qiuyu be in charge of our class pet.”

Someone immediately chimed in: “Yeah, it seems especially close to her.”

In the crowd, a boy couldn’t help but crack a joke: “If a beauty stood up for me like that, I’d be especially close to her too.”

But the moment he finished, his friend ruthlessly exposed him: “Bin-ge, that’s just being a ‘simp’.”

The whole class erupted in laughter. Amidst the drifting conversation, the girl who first proposed making Lu Ning the class pet walked up to Mu Qiuyu: “Qiuyu, what do you think? Look, she chose you. Do you want to be responsible for taking care of her?”

The blackboard, once covered in math formulas, had been wiped clean by the student on duty, leaving the classroom tidy. Sunlight enveloped the group of teenagers in their Western-style uniforms, their unified gaze creating a sense of order. They all looked at Mu Qiuyu, their eyes filled with something called “earnest expectation.”

In her previous life, Mu Qiuyu had seen all sorts of scenes—grand, solemn, decadent, and oppressive. But she had never seen such fervent expectation. It felt as if she had never been expected of by anyone before.

Regarding her high school life in her past life, Mu Qiuyu couldn’t remember many details. She only remembered that due to the changes at home and the ridicule of those around her, she had chosen to actively block and alienate everyone.

And now, because of this little kitten—this System that had once betrayed her—she had actually taken a step into this class community.

Her first reaction to the idea of being responsible for Lu Ning was to refuse. She didn’t need this System. She shouldn’t get too close to it.

But just as she was about to open her mouth to decline, Lu Ning’s voice rang out in her mind: “Host, don’t you want to take care of meow?”

Lu Ning saw Mu Qiuyu hesitating and gave a soft turn in her arms. The kitten leaned against her dependently; the palm-sized “coal ball” was fluffy and light, smelling of the sun. She looked at Mu Qiuyu with gem-like eyes, her bright crystal-blue pupils changing with the light, filled with hope.

She wanted Mu Qiuyu to take care of her. She needed her.

These two thoughts suddenly popped into Mu Qiuyu’s head. The kitten’s light paws kneaded against her heart, stroke by stroke. She glanced at everyone around who had expressed a desire to care for Lu Ning, and her expression grew colder.

“Lu Ning, I think you’ve misunderstood something,” Mu Qiuyu said coldly. “You can never leave me. You are my subordinate.”

So, besides herself, who else did she think would take care of her? She belonged to her.

Thinking this, Mu Qiuyu didn’t hesitate further. She held the cat—who had proactively run into her arms—more securely: “I have no problem with it.”

“Yay! Our class got two new classmates at once!”

“My Qiuyu-jie is truly extraordinary—descending to earth with her own spirit pet.”

“Hahahaha, Li Xiang, you’re going to be the death of me.”

Among the crowd excited to finally have a class pet, Li Xiang was undoubtedly the most thrilled. She was Mu Qiuyu’s desk-mate, meaning she could use her geographical advantage to pet and bond with the kitten.

Amidst the heated discussion, only Mu Qiuyu remained cold. The excitement didn’t bring her joy; instead, she found it noisy. She didn’t like it, so she turned to leave with Lu Ning.

However, leaving wasn’t so easy this time. The crowd hemmed her in. By the time she regained her senses, she was surrounded. Mu Qiuyu had intended to stand on the edge of the crowd’s noise and leave, but Lu Ning had stepped in.

It had to be this System.

Lu Ning’s day could be described as a rollercoaster.

The school had always supported classes adopting pets; it not only fostered compassion in teenagers but also effectively reduced the probability of “puppy love.” Cheng Juan had originally wanted to find a kitten herself, so this was a perfect opportunity with no reason to object.

However, after being appointed the class pet, Lu Ning was greeted by a continuous stream of students all afternoon. Human hands came in all varieties—some skilled, some incredibly clumsy—and Lu Ning was extremely uncomfortable.

By the time school ended, Lu Ning heard a group huddling together to discuss her name; options like “Little Black”, “Dazhuang”, and “Fugui” (Wealthy) were all tossed around. The kitten was horrified—she didn’t want to be called that at all!

“Eh? Where’s the kitty?”

“I don’t know, she was just here.”

“Kitty?”

“Mimi~”

Suddenly, the group realized that Lu Ning, who had been licking her fur on the windowsill, had mysteriously vanished. They stopped discussing names and began searching high and low.

Meanwhile, Mu Qiuyu, sitting in the back, unhurriedly picked up her bag to go home. She walked past the group with a faint, mocking smile in her eyes.

“Is this really okay?” Mu Qiuyu tilted her head slightly. The “missing” black cat was walking right beside her.

“I don’t want to be called Fugui,” Lu Ning stated miserably, following Mu Qiuyu as she strode through the people looking for her. She had hidden herself; only Mu Qiuyu could see her.

“I actually think that name is quite good,” Mu Qiuyu chuckled, leading Lu Ning out of the classroom.

Guanghua was located on the outskirts of Wu City’s wealthy district. The bus wove through the prosperous areas and dropped Mu Qiuyu at home.

Melodic piano music echoed in the villa’s foyer once again. Mu Qiuyu pushed the door open to a warm, bright welcome. Today, Mu Jingqin was home.

As Mu Qiuyu changed her shoes, she saw Mu Jingqin leaning sloppily against the sofa watching TV. An old black-and-white movie was playing; on the screen, a pair of sisters ran playfully across a lawn, catching Mu Qiuyu’s attention for a moment.

“You’re back,” Mu Jingqin said without looking up. “Yes,” Mu Qiuyu replied, quietly withdrawing her gaze. Mu Jingqin kept her eyes on the film. “Food’s in the pot.”

“Thank you,” Mu Qiuyu said softly, neatly putting her shoes away.

The girl’s footsteps were light and efficient as she headed to the dining room. Then, the house fell silent. Lu Ning followed like an observer, feeling the stark contrast to the lively school. She had fully adapted to the warmth of the classroom; this silence felt uncomfortable, and the laughter of the children on TV felt strangely disjointed.

But Mu Qiuyu didn’t seem to mind. She opened the pot to find spaghetti bolognese. Lu Ning hopped onto the counter and sniffed; the heavy scent of tomatoes seemed to overpower the meat sauce. Having read the original novel countless times, Lu Ning knew: Mu Qiuyu hated tomatoes.

Was this Mu Jingqin doing this on purpose, or on purpose?! Lu Ning frowned and nimbly jumped onto the cabinet. She gazed at Mu Jingqin and pulled up her personal file in the interface.

Mu Jingqin was the illegitimate daughter of Old Master Mu. Her mother had died during childbirth, and Mu Qiuyu’s grandmother had raised her out of pity. She grew up with Mu Qiuyu’s mother, Mu Jingyi; they were close and both were top students. Originally, Mu Jingqin was meant to be Mu Jingyi’s best assistant, but after Mu Jingyi got engaged, she moved out. Since then, she had somehow become estranged from the family, running her own small company and not seeing Mu Jingyi for over a decade.

So why, out of all Mu Jingyi’s old friends and relatives, was it Mu Jingqin who became Mu Qiuyu’s guardian? And if the system evaluated them as having a deep bond, why couldn’t she love the child for the mother’s sake?

Lu Ning couldn’t figure it out. But her intuition told her there was a story here. She had to help her Host uncover it.

While Lu Ning was secretly assigning herself a new task, her Host finished dinner and prepared to retire to her room. Seeing Mu Qiuyu move, Lu Ning immediately jumped down and followed her, tail wagging.

The night grew still, and outside the window was an endless starry sky. The sound of a shower was like indoor rain. Steam drifted through the door crack, warming the curled-up kitten.

Yes, Lu Ning remained in her cat form instead of returning to Mu Qiuyu’s inner world as a ball. It wasn’t because she loved the look, but because the cat form cost points and wasn’t permanent—she wanted to save points for more milk tea later. Besides, she was now the class pet and could appear in the classroom legitimately. Keeping this form wasn’t an issue.

Lu Ning relaxed on the carpet, her black fur puffing out like a little sesame cake. Cats sleep longer than humans, and after a day of providing emotional support, she was exhausted. She closed her eyes and drifted off.

But in her hazy sleep, she felt her body being lifted. Warm, damp air clung to her thick fur—warm yet slightly wet. The kitten thought the bathroom had flooded and snapped her eyes open.

She saw Mu Qiuyu had emerged from the shower. Her nightgown hung loosely on her, and her pale collarbones were tinged with a clear pink.

“Host, what are you…” Lu Ning’s cheeks heated up uncontrollably as she stared innocently at Mu Qiuyu.

Mu Qiuyu moved efficiently, sitting on the bed with Lu Ning in her arms. She pulled back the covers and tucked the kitten into her embrace: “Sleep with me.”

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