Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Mu Qiuyu Reaches Around from Behind Her…

This day was filled with bright spring light, the sun outlining a running figure.

The wind pressed against Lu Ning’s forehead, lifting her stray bangs. The early morning air carried a scent of being freshly washed. The clothes Mu Qiuyu had prepared for Lu Ning fit perfectly: crisp, washed denim jeans that accentuated her superior physique.

A gunmetal-grey denim jacket puffed out in the wind as she ran, revealing a low-collared sweater beneath. Her long hair, draped over her shoulders, couldn’t quite hide her fair neck and the delicate lines of her collarbones, which peeked out shyly. The decorative necklace around her neck leaped with every step of her jog, making her look full of human vitality.

If only this person could truly be human.

“Mu Qiuyu.”

Just as greed began to sprout in Mu Qiuyu’s heart, a shadow fell by her side. The sunlight flashing in Mu Qiuyu’s vision was no longer piercing; this person seemed to provide the shade of a sheltering tree.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Ning stood beside Mu Qiuyu. But even though there was only a three-centimeter height difference between them, why did this person look so tall?

Watching the person standing next to her, Mu Qiuyu’s eyes were momentarily dazed, and then her brow furrowed as if she were slightly annoyed. She quietly withdrew her thoughts and searched Lu Ning’s person for the cause, eventually noticing the unfamiliar shoes on Lu Ning’s feet. “Did you exchange those from the Store?”

“Yeah!” Lu Ning smiled radiantly, showing off her Dr. Martens boots to Mu Qiuyu like a prize. “Five centimeters high! You can’t tell, can you?”

“I can’t tell,” Mu Qiuyu replied coldly, then retracted her gaze and looked toward the road.

A cold wind brushed past Lu Ning’s cheek, making her blink in confusion. She didn’t know what she had done wrong, but Mu Qiuyu seemed slightly unhappy again.

“That sister is actually really pretty.”

“Go ask for her WeChat.”

“I don’t dare.”

“Oh, come on, what’s there to be afraid of?”

The hushed voices of some girls nearby reached Lu Ning, secretive yet failing to control their volume. But Lu Ning didn’t notice these voices at all. She was still revelling in the joy of breathing fresh air in this world as a human.

The sun hung brightly in the sky, warming the air so it was no longer the cold, raw current of the Inner World. Lu Ning felt the ground beneath her boots; even a bus stop without rotting silt felt incredibly real. Lu Ning took a deep breath of the warm air. She tilted her head and squinted her eyes, enjoying the rare sunbath.

However, after a short while, the excitement in Lu Ning’s eyes dimmed. Looking at her body bathed in direct sunlight, she suddenly thought of the Mu Qiuyu inside the Inner World. I wonder how that Mu Qiuyu is doing right now? What does she do there when I’m gone? Plant flowers, tend to trees? Or develop new teas?

“Excuse me…”

“The bus is here.”

In her daze, Lu Ning thought she heard a girl’s voice. But before she could react, she was pulled by Mu Qiuyu. A cool breeze drifted from a distance as the bus pulled up, arriving both punctually and abruptly. Lu Ning felt herself led by a tugging force, following Mu Qiuyu onto the bus.

Yet her head remained turned. As she climbed the steps of the bus, her line of sight was raised level by level. From a distance, Lu Ning saw a girl hesitantly clutching her phone to her chest, looking as if she wanted to ask her something. For a split second, Lu Ning and the girl locked eyes.

Mu Qiuyu’s voice cut through Lu Ning’s gaze just in time.

“What are you looking at?” Mu Qiuyu looked at Lu Ning.

Lu Ning, pulled back by Mu Qiuyu’s gaze without realizing it, explained blankly, “I thought I heard someone talking to me just now.”

“You misheard.”

Compared to Lu Ning’s hesitation, Mu Qiuyu’s certainty was much more direct.

“I don’t think so, I…” Lu Ning still felt she hadn’t misheard. She was about to explain when she saw Mu Qiuyu let go of her hand and head toward the back row.

The loss of the warmth on her wrist was sudden and obvious. Lu Ning looked down at her empty hand, realizing one thing in hindsight.

—Wait, were we holding hands the whole time?

At this thought, Lu Ning’s heart skipped two beats. The residual warmth on her wrist was fading with the wind, yet inexplicably, it felt more and more distinct. Lu Ning stared at her wrist, feeling as though that patch of skin was hot enough to burn. Why did she feel this way? She was just touched by someone; it wasn’t even interlaced fingers.

“!”

Suddenly, Lu Ning was jolted. The bus had started moving, and the inertia pulled the daydreaming girl back to reality. Beams of morning sunlight skipped over the sparsely occupied seats, finally landing on the girl in the back row. Lu Ning looked in Mu Qiuyu’s direction and walked quickly toward her.

She quite liked this body Mu Qiuyu had given her. Being human meant she didn’t have to scramble her limbs like a kitten; she sat down beside Mu Qiuyu with long strides. However, she didn’t know why Mu Qiuyu chose this seat—the one inside was right over the wheel well. Having worn platform boots, her visually long legs became a bit of a burden; she couldn’t stretch out and sat there awkwardly.

After a brief struggle with her legs, Lu Ning finally got settled. The bus passed by several red-roofed buildings, and in the distance, a familiar figure walked unhurriedly.

Pei Yinyue.

As if remembering something, Lu Ning turned sharply to Mu Qiuyu. “Host, I remember Li Xiang and Pei Yinyue both have club activities today. Why didn’t you wait for them?”

Mu Qiuyu turned to look at Lu Ning, inevitably seeing Pei Yinyue as well. Her expression was calm, her voice even colder than it had been at home this morning: “I forgot.”

As she spoke, Mu Qiuyu took out her phone to send a message to the small group chat Li Xiang had created. Li Xiang was a girl of her word; over the past week, the three of them had always commuted together. To accommodate Li Xiang’s difficulty waking up, Mu Qiuyu and Pei Yinyue would even intentionally wait for a later bus. This habit had lasted over a week—how could she suddenly forget?

Lu Ning found it strange and peeked at Mu Qiuyu. To be honest, Mu Qiuyu didn’t know why she was willing to commute with Pei Yinyue and accommodate Li Xiang, either. Perhaps she had grown used to the chattering in her ear. Perhaps she had learned a bit of compromise. But since she had learned and grown used to it, why was she unwilling to wait today?

The sun filtered through the branches of a cherry tree, splashing light onto the girl’s cheek. Mu Qiuyu’s gaze moved indifferently toward the platform they had just left. The girl who had wanted Lu Ning’s contact information was standing in her original spot, looking sad as she leaned against her friend.

The spring air was chilly. Cherry blossoms fell silently into a roadside puddle, creating faint ripples. Mu Qiuyu watched the scene outside the window until the bus drove far away, only then withdrawing her gaze.

She didn’t know. She had no answer.

Just as Mu Qiuyu had informed the Dean about her transfer in advance, she had also contacted the Shooting Club’s faculty advisor, Li Aining, about joining without Lu Ning’s knowledge.

As a non-student, Lu Ning’s entry into the school was very smooth; Li Aining came out to meet her personally. “You must be Mu Qiuyu’s sister. I’ve heard her mention you.” Li Aining seemed to have a very good impression of Mu Qiuyu, looking at Lu Ning with a beaming smile.

And why wouldn’t she? Who wouldn’t welcome a beautiful, top-performing girl who had just won an award for the school?

“Hello, Teacher Li. I’ve heard our Qiuyu mention the Shooting Club as well. I’m here today to take a look, so we can all feel at ease, right?” Lu Ning spoke to Li Aining with the polished social skills she had from her original world.

“Yes, yes. It’s better for the child if the guardian is informed.” Li Aining nodded repeatedly. She really wanted Mu Qiuyu in her club, so she added: “Our Shooting Club participates in competitions over the summer. Getting a ranking is very beneficial for independent recruitment or applying to schools abroad.”

Lu Ning was familiar with this and confidently said to her peer: “After all, modern education emphasizes the all-around development of students.”

“Exactly.”

Looking at the young person before her who spoke so sophisticatedly, Li Aining felt an unexpected resonance with Lu Ning. She had been a bit nervous when Mu Qiuyu mentioned her cousin was coming. Meeting her today not only put her at ease but gave her a sense of “meeting an old friend late.” She chatted with Lu Ning all the way to the office.

The office door clicked open, and a dim light flickered at the entrance. Seeing the three silhouettes on the floor, Li Aining finally remembered Mu Qiuyu was there. She looked up and said apologetically, “Look at my memory!”

“Qiuyu, we have practice today. You can wait at the range and try the feel of the gun later.”

“Okay.” Mu Qiuyu nodded slightly.

Having watched Lu Ning chat with Li Aining the whole way, she was fairly confident in her. Lu Ning, however, didn’t seem confident in her, hurriedly reminding Mu Qiuyu as she left: “Be careful.”

“You too.” Mu Qiuyu looked up, speaking to Lu Ning through the channel only they could hear.

Their eyes met as the dim light at the door grew brighter. Looking at Mu Qiuyu’s blunt gaze, Lu Ning’s eyes were full of defiance. She didn’t think there was anything she needed to be careful about.

After Mu Qiuyu left, she and Li Aining got along famously. Soon, the documents were signed, and she left the office. Although Lu Ning didn’t have a phone yet, she didn’t need one to find Mu Qiuyu. She followed the red dot representing “Mu Qiuyu” jumping on her map and walked with long strides toward the shooting range.

The long, quiet corridor was covered in soft carpet, absorbing all sound. A few scattered lights spread out in her vision, pointing toward a closed door. The red dot stopped pulsing just as Lu Ning reached the door. As she pushed it open, she heard several crisp gunshots.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The best of the morning sunlight streamed through the high windows, bathing the shooting range in light. Under the shimmering golden beams stood a girl, straight and tall. Mu Qiuyu held the gun, her line of sight and arm forming a single straight line.

Her stance was very formal, yet she wore no special protective gear—not even the goggles Lu Ning usually saw in shooting competitions. Yet, even so, after those three shots, the large screen displayed three tens. She was casual and unrestrained, yet sharp and decisive.

Her low ponytail brushed against her neck, outlining her shoulders. Her fair skin was her least notable virtue; the composure radiating from her bones carried an elegance that easily imprinted itself into Lu Ning’s mind. This was exactly as Lu Ning had imagined it when she read about her executing a traitor in the original text.

Lu Ning’s heart skipped; it felt as if the ejected shell casing hadn’t hit the floor, but her own heart. She watched Mu Qiuyu, her breathing slowing down as if everything around her had gone still.

At that moment, the figure in Lu Ning’s vision moved. After seeing the results of her final shot, Mu Qiuyu turned to look at Lu Ning. “Done talking?”

The smell of gunpowder hadn’t dissipated yet; Mu Qiuyu’s voice sounded as if it were emerging from a hail of bullets. Lu Ning snapped back to reality, surprised by the question but stepping forward without hesitation. “Mm.”

“When did you know I was here?” Lu Ning couldn’t hide her curiosity.

“I heard you the moment you walked in.” Mu Qiuyu leaned over to put the gun down, glancing at Lu Ning casually.

“Incredible.” Lu Ning looked at Mu Qiuyu’s stature and gaze, offering a sincere compliment.

“Want to try?” Hearing this, Mu Qiuyu picked the gun up again before she could set it down, asking Lu Ning invitingly.

“I don’t know how.” Lu Ning was expectant but a little hesitant. She didn’t have Mu Qiuyu’s level of skill. But then again, she was supposed to be an omnipotent System.

“Try it, it’s simple.” As Mu Qiuyu spoke, she stepped aside to let Lu Ning stand where she had been.

The silver-bright gun landed in Lu Ning’s hand, its weight pressing heavily into her palm. Theoretical knowledge about firearms flooded into Lu Ning’s mind via the System. But she didn’t want to “win” over Mu Qiuyu like that. So, Lu Ning suppressed the programs loading into her body and, as a human, raised the gun.

“That’s not right.”

Suddenly, the girl’s cool tone cut through the bright sunlight. Lu Ning’s body stiffened as she saw Mu Qiuyu reach around from behind her, grasping her hand that held the gun.

Thump, thump, thump.

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