Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: She Likes It When Lu Ning Does This

The wind picked up, and a flurry of tree shadows swayed outside the window. Falling cherry blossoms looked like specks of light, branding a mottled and chaotic pattern onto the wooden floorboards. Within the shooting range, where one could hear a pin drop, Mu Qiuyu and Gao Yuan stood facing each other.

The girl’s long hair was casually tied back, with a few stray silken strands draping over her shoulder. Her dark hair looked like satin, accentuating her casual yet noble aura. Even though they were standing on the same floor, and Mu Qiuyu was not taller than Gao Yuan, she gave everyone the illusion that they had to look up to her.

A sense of pressure flowed down from her shoulders; the scent of gunpowder still lingered on her fingertips. It felt as if she truly could settle the person in front of her with a single glance, without ever needing to shed blood.

Gao Yuan’s throat moved involuntarily. His pulse throbbed at his temples; he sensed things were going south.

“Don’t dare?” Mu Qiuyu asked again, her eyes lifting to meet his when he failed to respond.

The empty shooting range wasn’t exactly huge, but it was just the right size to comfortably fit Gao Yuan’s circle of “fair-weather friends.” Seeing the eyes of everyone gathered on him—including his own brothers—Gao Yuan felt that even if he had to fake it, he had to maintain his dignity.

“Are you joking? Me, not dare?” After a brief stammer, Gao Yuan forced a contemptuous look back at Mu Qiuyu.

“Exactly. Do you even know that Yuan-ge won the gold medal in the 10m air pistol at the provincial high school games last year?”

“I’m warning you, as a newcomer, you shouldn’t try to show off in front of an expert.”

“Gold medals aren’t just handed out to anyone.”

Having received Gao Yuan’s affirmation, the three boys who had entered with him began to flatter him shamelessly. Every word was dripping with disdain for Mu Qiuyu, the “overconfident” challenger.

Faced with this belittlement, Mu Qiuyu remained unmoved. She casually picked up the gun she had just set down and spared a glance at the group boasting about Gao Yuan’s achievements.

“What was his best score?” Mu Qiuyu asked tonelessly.

The girl’s voice lacked emotional fluctuation, yet it carried an irresistible pressure. Under Mu Qiuyu’s expressionless gaze, the boy froze for a moment before answering: “10.9.”

Unable to tell if his heart was racing from fear or from being captivated by Mu Qiuyu’s face—exquisite down to every eyelash—the boy hesitated before adding kindly: “That’s the best possible score for a single shot. You won’t beat it.”

Mu Qiuyu ignored this “kindness.” She picked up a piece of suede cloth from the table and began wiping her gun. She was nonchalant and unhurried, leaving only a silent, indifferent silhouette in the eyes of the others.

Often, knowing too much is not a good thing. As the club leader, Pei Yinyue knew everyone’s scores all too well. She watched Gao Yuan, who had just pushed open the door to the armory to get his gun, and felt uneasy about Mu Qiuyu’s true level.

“Are you sure you want to compete?” Pei Yinyue walked over to Mu Qiuyu and whispered near her side. Though saying this might make Mu Qiuyu uncomfortable, Pei Yinyue proactively offered: “If you didn’t mean it, or if you have concerns, I can help you out of this.”

At those words, Mu Qiuyu’s hand stopped wiping the gun. She looked up indifferently, her grey eyes meeting Pei Yinyue’s. “Pei Yinyue.”

That single call made Pei Yinyue snap out of it. Looking at Mu Qiuyu’s detached and calm gaze, she suddenly felt she had let her concern cloud her judgment. She gave a self-deprecating smile and apologized: “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that to you.”

Pei Yinyue stopped trying to dissuade her. Instead, she placed a hand on Mu Qiuyu’s shoulder and said, “You can hit a 10.9. I believe in you.”

“Thanks.” Mu Qiuyu’s lips quirked slightly. As she looked at the distant target, a layer of playfulness began to emerge in her eyes.

Gao Yuan hadn’t returned yet; there was still some time. Mu Qiuyu finished cleaning her gun and turned to look at Lu Ning, who had been standing aside silently. The boys close to Gao Yuan were chatting about something again, their clamor drifting from a distance. The surroundings were simultaneously noisy and quiet.

Mu Qiuyu’s ears were filled with too much “nutritional-less” chatter. Looking at Lu Ning, she spoke directly in her mind: Do you have nothing to say to me?

The air was silent; no words were spoken aloud. Mu Qiuyu saw the person in her vision suddenly snap out of a daze, looking at her with a sluggish gaze.

Having stood for quite a while, Lu Ning felt her legs were tired. With a weary voice and exhausted patience, she said to Mu Qiuyu: “You don’t think this guy ran away, do you?”

Lu Ning had never even considered the possibility of Mu Qiuyu failing, let alone being defeated by someone like Gao Yuan. Thus, from the moment Gao Yuan agreed to the match, her thoughts had drifted miles away. Freshly steamed buns, fragrant and delicious, were floating in a loop through her mind.

“Host, once we beat him, let me treat you to breakfast. The xiao long bao at that shop by the school gate smells so good.” Lu Ning was starving; she hadn’t eaten a bite since becoming human.

The light in the shooting range was washed clean by the sun. Mu Qiuyu’s fingers traced the outer ring of the trigger as her gaze remained fixed on Lu Ning. This person looked incredibly lazy and hadn’t said a single word of encouragement, her brain entirely filled with food. Yet, it was precisely her whose every unspoken thought radiated the certainty that Mu Qiuyu would win.

Mu Qiuyu had heard far too much comfort and “advice to quit” before this. It was this person’s consistent trust that felt truly comfortable to hear. Suddenly, Mu Qiuyu felt an interest in those xiao long bao Lu Ning mentioned. She crinkled her eyes slightly and readily accepted the invitation: “Sure.”

Perhaps to put on a grand show, Gao Yuan took an agonizingly long time to retrieve his gun. Twenty minutes later, he finally sauntered back with his weapon. Under Pei Yinyue’s supervision, he took his position.

“Time is limited. We will follow the rules for the first stage of a match,” Pei Yinyue said as she skillfully reset the system, replacing the paper targets with electronic ones. “Five shots each, 250-second time limit. Highest score wins.”

“Fine,” Gao Yuan spoke before Mu Qiuyu could, raising his gun to go first. He had plenty of bravado, and his posture was indeed standard. Legs apart, holding the gun one-handed toward the electronic target.

“Bang!”

At the twentieth second of the countdown, he fired his first shot. The bullet hit the electronic target, and the large screen immediately displayed: 10.8.

“A great start!”

“Nice one, Yuan-ge!”

“Badass!”

Gao Yuan’s three brothers tilted their heads proudly toward Mu Qiuyu, making Lu Ning want to roll her eyes. During the chatter, Gao Yuan fired his second shot. Perhaps jinxed by his friends’ praise, he only hit a 9.9.

“…”

The air suddenly became silent enough to hear a pin drop. The expression on Gao Yuan’s face soured visibly. He turned to look at his three brothers without a word; the boys immediately held their breath and shut up, each becoming quieter than the last.

Then Gao Yuan fired his third shot: 10.1. Then the fourth: 10.4. Overall, it was a good score—provided he could stay steady for the final shot.

“Bang!”

“10.5”

The moment the shot rang out, the display showed the result. Gao Yuan was fairly satisfied with this score; his tense expression relaxed, and his friends let out a sigh of relief.

“Legend, man.”

“Steady as always. Truly a gold medalist!”

“I knew Yuan-ge would be fine. No one can beat you.”

As they spoke excitedly, the voices praising Gao Yuan were all deliberately thrown behind Mu Qiuyu as they ran toward him. Mu Qiuyu said nothing, only sparing a faint glance at the four of them huddled together.

In her peripheral vision, Gao Yuan had his chin tilted high, looking at her as if she were a joke. Mu Qiuyu simply picked up the gun, her arm level and pointed straight at the electronic target. She fired the first shot without hesitation.

“Bang!” 10.8

“Bang!” 10.5

“Bang!” 10.7

“Bang!” 10.9

“Bang!” 10.9

The continuous gunshots gave those around her no time to prepare. The electronic screen updated the scores rapidly before everyone’s eyes. Mu Qiuyu held the gun and quickly concluded the boring match at a pace of one shot every ten seconds.

The girl’s arm was raised; her slender bones looked as if they couldn’t support the weight of a single bullet. Yet shot after shot, she never let a single one fall out of the ten-ring. This wasn’t just a victory. It felt like a total slaughter.

“Is this… still human?” The tall boy looked at Mu Qiuyu’s scores in disbelief, completely stunned.

“Not anymore,” the boy who had “kindly” warned Mu Qiuyu earlier shook his head, feeling like a clown for his earlier worry. “Feels like she could join the provincial team.”

The short-haired boy who had mocked her was even more bewildered. “Then why did she hit a 7 earlier? Was she playing with us?”

Following that question, a raised arm appeared in their vision. Lu Ning’s eyes held a mix of “embarrassment” and mockery. She let out a scoff and looked at the three boys: “Exactly. Before you start mocking, shouldn’t you ask whose score that was? What if I was the one who hit that?”

Hearing this, the three fell into a dead silence. One rubbed his nose, one wiped his shoes, and one kept opening and closing apps on his phone. Lu Ning had now seen it with her own eyes: when people are embarrassed, they truly do pretend to be very busy.

Several club members who had arrived late saw Mu Qiuyu’s results and pulled out their phones to take photos. Mu Qiuyu simply looked at the electronic screen with a calm expression. This was the discipline a qualified shooter should possess; she had known this in her previous life.

“Still want to compete?” Mu Qiuyu set down the gun and turned to Gao Yuan.

So-called “presence” isn’t determined by height. Gao Yuan looked at the girl watching him, gripped his gun tightly, and didn’t dare utter a single word. He had nothing to say, but Mu Qiuyu did.

She unhurriedly looked up at Gao Yuan’s scores and recited his second shot: “9.9.”

“I didn’t realize you were still looking for your mommy at your age.”

Mu Qiuyu let out a mocking laugh, returning every word Gao Yuan had said earlier right back to him. She had important things to do and no time for such trash. She put down the gun and turned to leave. Sunlight fell on her retreating back, gold light draping over her shoulders like a general’s cloak—the glory and favoritism bestowed by the Creator.

“So cool.”

“Is she our new member?”

“Someone needed to take Gao Yuan down a peg for a long time. He’s so annoying.”

“Exactly, acting like he owns the place just because of those scores. In reality? Pfft.”

Hearing the discussions around her, a wave of satisfaction washed over Lu Ning. But as she watched Mu Qiuyu’s back, she felt this wasn’t enough.

“Hey. You were the one who talked trash about our Qiuyu last time, weren’t you?”

Amidst his frustration and dejection, a shadow fell over Gao Yuan. His mood was already at rock bottom. He was about to snap, but as he turned, he saw the woman who had come with Mu Qiuyu playing with his gun. The silver-and-black muzzle was pointed directly at him.

Gao Yuan’s heart nearly stopped. He was forced to look up at Lu Ning; behind the gun grip were her lazy yet ruthless eyes.

“Don’t you dare mess with Mu Qiuyu ever again,” Lu Ning said, leaning down slightly and pressing the gun against Gao Yuan’s temple, warning the boy who had provoked Mu Qiuyu twice. “Next time I hear you can’t control your mouth, believe me, I’ll blow your head off.”

Tiny dust motes danced in the sunlight. The muzzle, having just fired, still carried the scent of gunpowder. Something that Gao Yuan usually viewed as a symbol of honor and pride was now pressed, piping hot, against his heart. Gao Yuan had to use all his strength just to keep his legs from giving out. He was forced to lock eyes with Lu Ning through the gun. It took a while before he could pry open his frozen mouth: “I… I understand.”

“You better.” Lu Ning’s eyes remained full of suspicion as she glared at the nasty boy.

The light and shadows parted the crowd, tracing an indifferent yet pleased gaze in the distance. Mu Qiuyu was leaning against the doorframe, watching Lu Ning hold the gun against Gao Yuan. Her calm gaze followed Lu Ning’s finger on the weapon, silently tracing the scene.

The phone in her hand flickered with a camera flash. This was a habit Mu Qiuyu had developed at some point. She felt that memories could be unreliable, so she photographed anything she wanted to remember.

Whether in the past or the present, Mu Qiuyu had never intended for anyone to stand up for her.

But she liked it when Lu Ning did this.

Because she had just told her: Never point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy.

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