Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: This Body Mu Qiuyu Gave Her Seems…

Silence.

At eight o’clock, there wasn’t a third person in the shooting range; the entire hall was perfectly still. The sunlight brushed past Lu Ning’s eyelashes, casting the gentlest glow into her line of sight.

Caught off guard in Mu Qiuyu’s embrace, she had nowhere to escape. She stared blankly at Mu Qiuyu’s hand resting over the back of her own. Her heart beat so fast it felt like it would drop right out of her throat.

Being a human was different from being a cat, or even a floating System sphere. When she was a cat or a ball, Lu Ning could interact with Mu Qiuyu without restraint—rolling around and acting cute without a single thought about social distance.

But now, she was a person. She was of the race she was meant to be—a role she had used to experience the world for over twenty years of her life.

The sun drew two shadows on the ground, slanting and leaning together so closely they seemed to merge into one. Mu Qiuyu was pressed against Lu Ning’s back. Her sight and touch were on high alert, everything reminding her of how intimate they were currently being.

A human nose is far less sensitive than a cat’s, yet Lu Ning could sense the rich scent of Mu Qiuyu more clearly than when she was a feline. It was a faint floral scent, like dew that had clung to petals all night. Mu Qiuyu’s sudden proximity activated every organ in Lu Ning’s body. Smelling that scent, she suddenly thought of the white tree growing in Mu Qiuyu’s Inner World domain. A gust of wind seemed to blow, and white petals fell on her fingertips—like a blank space left unpainted, or a punishment deliberately erased.

“It should be here.”

At that moment, Mu Qiuyu’s fingers slid through the gaps of Lu Ning’s fingers. A cool voice blossomed right by her ear. The girl’s breath carried a warmth that shouldn’t have existed, brushing directly against Lu Ning’s earlobe.

“Bang!”

Just as Mu Qiuyu’s fingers corrected Lu Ning’s trigger pull, the sound of a gunshot exploded in the range. Two shell casings clattered to the floor by Lu Ning’s feet. Her finger had twitched uncontrollably, pulling the trigger by mistake.

Such an un-aimed shot was destined to miss. The bullet slammed into the white area outside the target rings; it was an undeniable miss.

Lu Ning’s heart rate was in total chaos. Unable to see Mu Qiuyu’s expression behind her, she stared unnaturally straight ahead, waiting for Mu Qiuyu to comment on her behavior as she usually would.

But Mu Qiuyu didn’t. She simply stood behind Lu Ning, looking at the target expressionlessly.

“Do you know the shooting range safety principles?” Mu Qiuyu asked.

Lu Ning felt she should know. After all, the moment Mu Qiuyu asked, her internal system provided the answers. But Mu Qiuyu didn’t seem to care if she knew or not, continuing to speak into her ear:

“First, always treat every firearm as if it were loaded.” “Second, never point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy.” “Third, keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you are ready to shoot.” “Fourth, be sure of your target and what is beyond it.”

The girl’s cool voice sounded like glacial ice. Yet, it was already spring. The glaciers were melting; all things were reviving. The flowing glacial water brushed over Lu Ning’s heart, pressing down her frantic heartbeat layer by layer.

Just as Mu Qiuyu finished speaking, another sound rang out: “Bang!”

Lu Ning felt her finger pull the trigger again under Mu Qiuyu’s guidance. As a System, her vision was many times better than a normal human’s; she practically chased the bullet with her eyes. She saw the shot Mu Qiuyu fired using her hand pierce right through the seven-ring.

For a shooting novice, this was already something to be happy about. Lu Ning looked at the small bullet hole and almost jumped in Mu Qiuyu’s arms. “Mu Qiuyu! I hit a seven!”

But Mu Qiuyu’s face didn’t change at all. She kept the gun and Lu Ning’s hand in a straight line and said: “Again.”

Saying this, Mu Qiuyu voluntarily released Lu Ning’s hand. The back of her hand, which had been covered by a palm, suddenly felt empty. Lu Ning felt the gun in her hand grow heavy. The sun was scorching, baking a layer of undeniable heat into Lu Ning’s memory.

She tried her best to remain calm, attempting to find the sensation Mu Qiuyu had just given her. She pulled the trigger.

“Bang—”

The bullet streaked across her vision, carving a fleeting arc in the light. This time, it was a nine.

“!”

Seeing the result, Lu Ning was beyond excited. She was about to turn around to show off her score when Mu Qiuyu’s voice came first, right against her ear: “Again.”

Clearly, she wasn’t satisfied with the score. Lu Ning felt a momentary pang of disappointment. But then, her gaze toward the sights grew steady. The empty shooting range was purely quiet. Lu Ning knew what Mu Qiuyu wanted, and she felt she could do better. She didn’t want to disappoint Mu Qiuyu. Even more, she didn’t want to disappoint herself.

A faint mist exhaled from the girl’s parted lips, quickly vanishing into the air. Lu Ning took a deep breath, adjusting her overly excited state. A ten. She could do it.

Looking down the barrel, Lu Ning’s gaze locked onto the target. Perhaps because her desire to hit a ten was so strong, her heart was thumping hard.

“Don’t focus on the target. Just think about how to release this shot.”

The sun falling from above shone into Lu Ning’s eyes, and Mu Qiuyu’s voice seemed to soften. Her tone was still cool and flat, but there was something more—it pressed against Lu Ning’s ear, perfectly comfortable.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Lu Ning heard her heartbeat once more. But this time, it seemed to have escaped the control of her emotions, gradually slowing down. The paper target was no longer excessively sharp in her vision; she looked at the front sight, and in the second she felt it was right, she pulled the trigger.

“Bang!”

The bullet was fired from the chamber once more. It was smooth and sharp, breaking through the wind, trailing a tail of light straight toward the center of the paper target. In a mere second, the immovable small black dot in Lu Ning’s vision was pierced through.

A ten!

Lu Ning had never been this happy. Her frustration and anticipation were instantly filled. Finally, her excitement didn’t need to be suppressed; the momentum accumulated from the previous two shots burst forth.

“Mu Qiuyu! Did you see that!”

Lu Ning turned around excitedly, looking at Mu Qiuyu with thrill. Sunlight shone between them. They were already standing together, and now they were locked eye-to-eye with zero distance.

The frozen glacial water no longer worked; Lu Ning’s heart came alive again from its peace. It thudded like a drumbeat, like popping candy, or perhaps like another, more meaningful name. Time seemed to slow down; the flickering shadows in her peripheral vision felt like the frame-skipping of an old movie.

Lu Ning looked down at Mu Qiuyu. Perhaps because they were so close, the sense of distance that usually kept people a thousand miles away didn’t feel so heavy. Those thick lashes filtered the sunlight falling into her pupils; her dark eyes held the cleanest colors in the world. This was her capital, the gift the Creator gave her, giving her the right to be aloof and cold. A bit more or a bit less would not be who she was now.

So beautiful. Truly worthy of being the… character she liked.

Lu Ning’s thoughts floated outside the world, failing to notice that Mu Qiuyu’s pupils also paused as she looked at her. She was watching Lu Ning just as seriously. The shadow that was half a head taller than herself blocked some of the light; sunlight brushed Lu Ning’s profile and fell on Mu Qiuyu’s shoulder. Even with a limited field of vision, Lu Ning’s superior physique couldn’t be hidden. Her features were deep, and her nose was sleek. Her eyes were like apricots; when she smiled, they were golden and brighter than the spring sun.

This was the human she had personally crafted. She should feel satisfied and proud. Yet, beyond that, there was a trace of a trance in Mu Qiuyu’s expression that shouldn’t have been there. Lu Ning’s features were exquisite, yet vague. Through these eyes, she seemed to see someone else.

How could I have such a thought…

“Knock, knock.”

Suddenly, several crisp knocks sounded from the entrance of the range. Like a startled rabbit, Lu Ning immediately withdrew her gaze and stepped back, looking perfectly nonchalant—and perfectly guilty.

The shadow in front of her suddenly retreated, and the sun slashed into Mu Qiuyu’s eyes unexpectedly. She frowned and turned toward the door with an expression that was far from peaceful. At the junction of the corridor and the shooting range, Pei Yinyue stood in the dim light. She held a clipboard, smiling slightly despite Mu Qiuyu’s unfriendly gaze.

“I heard a new member was coming today; I didn’t expect it to be you,” Pei Yinyue said, walking in proactively.

“Mm,” Mu Qiuyu grunted. She took the gun from Lu Ning’s hand and placed it on the table. “A senior was practicing just now and had to step out for something.”

That was Mu Qiuyu’s explanation. Pei Yinyue nodded slightly, indicating she understood. Who would have thought the kitten who went home with her yesterday would become a human today?

Pei Yinyue looked at Lu Ning standing behind Mu Qiuyu and tilted her head. “And this is?”

“Hello, I am Mu Qiuyu’s cousin. My name is Lu Ling,” Lu Ning said, seeing the tension pass. She stepped past Mu Qiuyu to introduce herself.

“Hello, sister,” Pei Yinyue greeted politely, then introduced herself. “I am a friend from Mu Qiuyu’s previous class. My name is Pei Yinyue.”

Under this introduction, Mu Qiuyu looked at Pei Yinyue coldly. She didn’t think she and Pei Yinyue were “friends” before. A sudden sense of wariness arose for no reason, making Mu Qiuyu turn to Lu Ning: “Since everything is settled, you can go back now.”

As she spoke, Mu Qiuyu noticed a look of confusion in Pei Yinyue’s eyes. To Pei Yinyue, the way Lu Ning and Mu Qiuyu interacted did look like an elder and a junior, but Mu Qiuyu was the one playing the elder role.

Both realized this almost simultaneously, so Mu Qiuyu turned to Lu Ning and called out: “Sister.”

The girl’s voice was cold and clear, a short syllable carrying a word that was hard to define. Lu Ning was stunned and blinked. It wasn’t for any other reason than the fact that Mu Qiuyu calling her “sister” felt entirely different from Pei Yinyue calling her “sister.”

But if you asked Lu Ning to say how it was different… she didn’t know. She only knew that the body Mu Qiuyu gave her seemed to have a problem. Her heart kept racing for no reason, and she seemed unable to control it.

“Creak—”

“Oh man, I’m gonna show off my skills today!”

“Haha, look at you getting all anxious after not touching a gun for a week. Isn’t gaming enough for you?”

“Of course not!”

Before Lu Ning could figure out the difference between the two “sisters,” the door to the shooting room was pushed open. Several boys with backpacks walked in, laughing and chatting. They looked up at the display screen as they spoke.

“Whoa, 7, 9, 10. Who shot these? Not bad.”

“That nine is a pity, though. Almost a ten.”

“Impressive, impressive.”

“Yuan-ge, what do you think? Can they compete with you?”

As they spoke, a cold laugh came from among them. The one called “Yuan-ge” sneered, looking at the target data on the screen. He pointed disdainfully at the left side: “Someone who missed the target entirely isn’t fit to be compared with me.”

The voice was inexplicably familiar. Lu Ning’s ears, hidden under her hair, twitched like a cat’s. She frowned and looked over. The one called “Yuan-ge” had his head held high, his open shirt collar giving him a defiant look. Whether it was the voice, the attitude, or the stature, this person stood out among the group.

Lu Ning quickly recognized him. This “Yuan-ge” was none other than the boy who had mocked Mu Qiuyu last time.

Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan clearly saw Mu Qiuyu standing to the side as well. He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking at the target on the screen with cold sarcasm. “Someone who shoots like this dares to come to the advanced range? If you’re a total klutz, I suggest you go back to your mommy; don’t come here to be a joke.”

He put a deliberate emphasis on the word “mommy.”

This kid was definitely doing it on purpose. Lu Ning’s fist tightened; she was about to step forward and use her adult status to teach this kid a lesson.

To her surprise, a figure beat her to it. A cloud drifted past the window, blocking most of the sun. The ethereal shadow outlined the girl’s straight figure, dropping the temperature in the hall by more than a degree.

Mu Qiuyu stared coldly into Gao Yuan’s eyes and asked expressionlessly, “Do you dare to compete?”

Support