Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: In This Second, The Distance Between Her and Her Was Only a Few Micrometers…

The rain from last night was still falling, and the early cherry blossoms were shrouded in the silent drizzle.

Drenched petals were ruthlessly crushed by the morning rush hour traffic, clogging the drainage inlets.

The sun shone brightly, yet the spring chill was biting.

Threads of rain tangled in Mu Qiuyu’s long hair, brushing past Lu Ning’s body along with it.

The scent of freshly washed hair, soaked in rainwater, exuded a pleasant fragrance—reminiscent of the dew-covered flowers Lu Ning had passed in someone’s courtyard earlier.

The floral scent was light and fleeting.

The scene Lu Ning had imagined of the system and host meeting not only failed to materialize, but she also discovered that her host seemed unable to see her.

The wind suddenly turned cold, making Lu Ning shiver.

No way, she couldn’t be this unlucky, right?

But given everything that had happened until now, it was truly difficult for Lu Ning to feel any sense of security regarding her role as a system.

She hurried to catch up with Mu Qiuyu’s pace. The rainwater she had just shaken off clung to her little spherical form again; light refracted through the droplets, flickering in front of Mu Qiuyu.

“Host, it’s me! I’m your system. Can’t you see me?”

“Can you hear me? Hello! Moshi moshi! Konnichiwa!”

“Can you really not see me, or do you just think I’m weird?”

“I’m really not some strange thing. I’m here to help you, really—believe me.”

At first, Lu Ning thought Mu Qiuyu truly couldn’t see her. Later, she worried that the girl might be ignoring her because she thought she was some freakish object. Thus, she flew beside Mu Qiuyu, using her most gentle tone to repeatedly explain that she was a “good ball.”

Yet, no matter what Lu Ning said, Mu Qiuyu’s expression never changed.

Unhurried and methodical, she walked across the bluestone slabs of the courtyard toward the gate.

Her hood couldn’t hide her long, thick eyelashes; a few droplets of rain clung to them, radiating the chill of spring.

Lu Ning floated in the air, the rain making her body feel heavy.

She still didn’t believe Mu Qiuyu couldn’t see her. Clenching her “fist,” she decided to go for broke: “If the host does not accept her system, she will receive the following punishment—”

“Awooo!”

Lu Ning spoke with mock seriousness and then suddenly lunged in front of Mu Qiuyu.

She didn’t believe Mu Qiuyu could anticipate her test. If she could see her or hear her, she would surely dodge seeing this light ball charging at her so recklessly.

Even if it was just a slight flinch.

A sudden gust of wind blew from nowhere, lifting the long hair framing Mu Qiuyu’s face.

The glowing small ball expanded and distorted, pressing right against Mu Qiuyu’s eyes.

Time seemed to freeze.

In this second, the distance between her and her was only a few micrometers.

Lu Ning stared straight at Mu Qiuyu. Sunlight filtered through Lu Ning’s body and fell into Mu Qiuyu’s eyes; her dilated pupils looked like ice cracking from the center—exquisite and brilliant.

Lu Ning felt these were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen: as large as apricots and as black as the night sky.

The golden sunlight traced a halo along the contour of her eyeballs, like a gemstone meticulously carved by the Creator, yet lacking a soul because it was too precious to be touched.

Lu Ning was a system and didn’t need to breathe, but Mu Qiuyu was human.

The girl slowly exhaled through her thin lips. The white mist of her breath drifted squarely into the small ball’s transparent body; the warm current, tinged with a hint of sweetness, filled the chill of the spring rain.

Thump-thump.

Even though she was the one who staged the scare, the person opposite her wasn’t frightened at all.

Instead, it was Lu Ning’s own heartbeat that went out of sync, pounding incessantly.

What a strange feeling.

This sensation crowded out her sense of frustration, which struggled for several seconds before resurfacing in her heart.

Lu Ning had hoped that when their eyes met, she would expose the fact that Mu Qiuyu was pretending not to see her.

But those raised eyes were so calm and rippleless, looking straight through the little ball. Much like the cyclist Lu Ning had encountered earlier, Mu Qiuyu continued toward the street at an unhurried pace.

Lu Ning watched the departing Mu Qiuyu, her disappointment visible to the naked eye.

Her drenched body drooped like a puppy forgotten by its owner. She muttered softly, “So you really can’t see me…”

A system can only talk to its host. A system that cannot contact its host feels like it has been abandoned by the world.

Moreover, if Mu Qiuyu couldn’t see her, how was she supposed to clear this…

Perhaps this was the only thing that made Lu Ning happy since arriving in this world:

The prompt box that had been hovering in front of her eyes had disappeared at some point.

Without the obstruction, Mu Qiuyu appeared fully in Lu Ning’s sight, and information about her followed.

Mu Qiuyu, 17 years old. Birthday: November 16. Height: 165cm. Weight: 48kg. Guardian: Mu Jingqin…

Lu Ning was completely captivated by this sci-fi-esque system panel, carefully studying the data presented before her. She didn’t notice that right after she finished her sentence, Mu Qiuyu’s pupils flickered slightly.

…Personality: BZZZT. Hobbies: BZZZT. Dislikes: BZZZT. Skills: BZZZT…

Her joy was short-lived.

One second Lu Ning was praising the high-tech panel, and the next, it was cut off by blurred information.

What was with this unstable signal?

Height and weight were in the original novel; the details not in the novel were the important part!

Even teachers believe in “teaching according to the student.” Without knowing these things, how could she build trust with Mu Qiuyu right away?

This system is so useless.

Not only is the host invisible to it, but it also knows nothing about her.

Lu Ning looked up at the sky, wanting to cry but having no tears.

Seeing Mu Qiuyu get further and further away, she had no choice but to trot after her, trying to figure out how to report a bug to the higher-up system.

By late February, Wucheng had warmed up slightly, and the cherry blossoms in the campus were in full bloom.

The drizzle had stopped by the time Mu Qiuyu got off the bus. The wind swayed through the lush cherry trees, and drifting petals intimately brushed against the girl’s cold cheeks.

Guanghua Private High School was far larger than the public high school where Lu Ning used to work. She floated beside Mu Qiuyu; greenery surrounded the various teaching buildings of different heights, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Fortunately, after “linking” with the host, Lu Ning didn’t have to follow Mu Qiuyu manually. The program automatically locked her position to float beside her. Otherwise, she would definitely get lost trying to find Mu Qiuyu in this complex of buildings.

Just as Lu Ning was feeling relieved, a burst of laughter passed through her body.

The voices of the teenagers were as crisp and pleasant as copper bells. At this hour, the campus was filled with students arriving for school, walking in groups of two or three toward their classrooms.

But none of this had anything to do with Mu Qiuyu.

Since it was no longer raining, she had taken off her hood.

The spring light was no longer obstructed, sweeping over her thick long hair and casting a golden brightness upon her.

Yet her thin face remained devoid of life, showing instead a layer of cold pallor.

Even the duffle coat with horn buttons didn’t make her look particularly “good” or compliant. The post-rain air was humid; the lively laughter only lingered on her for a second as students brushed past before vanishing without a trace.

Loneliness enveloped Mu Qiuyu like a massive monster—huge and decaying.

Even though they were only a step apart, it felt as if they were separated by an entire world.

Lu Ning’s heart suddenly grew heavy. She watched Mu Qiuyu walking alone; the sun stretched her shadow long, then short, then long again—a repetitive torture.

The scroll of youthful beauty and vitality ceased to belong to Mu Qiuyu the moment she became solitary.

Lu Ning followed Mu Qiuyu into the largest building in the school. At the end of the first-floor corridor hung the sign for the Grade 11 International Class.

She remembered what Mu Jingqin had mentioned at the dinner table; this might be the last time Mu Qiuyu returned to this class.

The noisy morning classroom fell dead silent the moment Mu Qiuyu stepped inside.

Students in the International Class were all sons and daughters of prominent families in Wucheng. News of what happened to Mu Qiuyu’s family had spread throughout the winter break. They whispered among themselves, constantly casting sideways glances at her as if observing an anomaly.

Mu Jingqin had already mentioned the class transfer to the Dean, but she was too lazy to handle the paperwork for Mu Qiuyu. It was up to Mu Qiuyu to finish the process upon her return today.

School had been in session for a month. The class wouldn’t wait for her; her desk was piled high with various materials and papers.

Mu Qiuyu calmly scanned the stacks on her desk. After clearing a space large enough to write, she looked toward the front of the classroom.

Instantly, the dead silent room filled with a rustling sound.

It was like mice hiding in a corner who, upon realizing they’ve been spotted, scramble to hide.

Mu Qiuyu wasn’t interested in the commotion. She shifted her gaze upward to the wall clock.

The Dean usually arrived right at the start of morning self-study to check the discipline of each class. There were still ten minutes left, so Mu Qiuyu decided to head to the restroom first.

On Monday mornings, everyone was busy catching up on or copying homework. The restroom was unusually quiet.

The newly replaced aromatherapy gave off a scent that wasn’t too unpleasant. Just as Mu Qiuyu’s hand touched the lock of the stall door, a set of casual footsteps echoed from outside.

“I heard Mu Qiuyu is back.”

“Yeah, a lot of people saw her at the school gate today.”

“Tsk tsk, it’s been over a month since school started. I thought she wasn’t coming back.”

“How is that possible? Even if the ‘Great Young Lady’s’ parents died, it’s not like she’s out of money.”

“I heard her parents left her nothing. She’s a pauper now.”

The large restroom was empty of others, so the discussion among the girls was exceptionally clear.

It was that kind of piercing commentary again. Lu Ning, floating beside Mu Qiuyu, frowned deeply as she listened.

Not long after, the scent of mint-flavored cigarette smoke drifted into the stalls.

A curly-haired girl in the lead leaned by the window, took a long drag, and smiled: “This is getting interesting.”

“What, A-Yuan, you have another idea?” another girl asked curiously, seemingly understanding the implication.

But as soon as she finished, she was nudged by the person next to her: “Idea my ass! Did you forget? Last year A-Yuan confessed to Mu Qiuyu in public and was ignored completely. She was laughed at on the school forum for over a month.”

“Oh—ouch!”

“Ow!”

The two were gossiping openly when each received a smack on the head from A-Yuan.

The curly-haired girl’s face turned green with annoyance. She gritted her teeth and declared: “I must have been blind back then. So what if she was the Mu Group’s heiress? She’s just ‘whatever.’ Who is she acting tough for? Just you wait; I’ll let her know how severe the consequences are for rejecting me.”

“Sooner or later, I’ll make her cry and kneel, begging me for mercy.”

The girl sneered, her spiteful gaze fixed on the burning cigarette as if a plan were already forming in her mind.

Based on her instincts as a teacher, a “school bullying” alarm immediately went off in Lu Ning’s head.

In the original novel, after Mu Qiuyu lost the protection of her family and parents, she became a target for those who were once jealous, envious, or had unrequited feelings for her. Thus began her seventeenth year of senseless humiliation and persecution.

And in the text, the system seemingly appeared much later than Lu Ning had. It only arrived when Mu Qiuyu was at her most desperate. It was like the apple thrown by Satan; Mu Qiuyu easily accepted the system that could help her. By completing tasks for a better life, she came to view the system as her most trusted partner.

But in the end, she was betrayed by that very partner.

Thinking of this, Lu Ning’s “fists” hardened again.

You think you can bully Mu Qiuyu just because she has no one?

“Let me see which class you students are from! If I don’t give you a lesson today, you won’t know the standards of being a student!”

Lu Ning spoke as she prepared to fly out to vent some steam on Mu Qiuyu’s behalf.

However, just as she was about to take off, a sensation of restraint—one she couldn’t escape—covered her from behind.

Mu Qiuyu reached out a single hand and effortlessly grasped Lu Ning’s ethereal body.

There was no extra emotion in her dark, gloomy eyes. She looked down coldly at the impulsive glowing ball and said:

“Don’t cause trouble for me.”

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