Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Orthopedics

The morning light was brilliant, and the old doors of the breakfast shop stood wide open. A cool, comfortable breeze cut through the billowing white steam, surging into the kitchen.

Lu Ning stood right behind Mu Qiuyu, her tall silhouette enveloping the girl’s slender frame. She held her phone, the light from the screen reflecting off her fingers—each one distinct, long, and fair like scallion stalks, flashing vividly in Mu Qiuyu’s line of sight, impossible to ignore.

Lu Ning’s voice was also something Mu Qiuyu had specifically chosen. Yet despite having the same vocal range, the voice Mu Qiuyu had heard through headphones during testing was worlds apart from the one Lu Ning used now. That voice, which had completely shed any adolescent awkwardness, was pitched low, sounding as if it were pressed right against her ear.

It was impossible to tell if it was Lu Ning’s breath or the heat of the breakfast shop, but it brushed against Mu Qiuyu’s ear, making her heart skip a beat. The usually calm and indifferent girl was stunned. In the shadows, her expression was a rare sight of daze: “Okay.”

As the culprit behind this reaction, Lu Ning was completely unaware of how ambiguous her actions were. She had simply rushed over out of a desire to fulfill her promise of “treating Mu Qiuyu to a meal.” A System cannot break its word. She wanted to be an adult who followed through on her promises in front of Mu Qiuyu.

Thus, hearing Mu Qiuyu’s nod of agreement, she nimbly pulled up her payment code to scan. During the process, she didn’t forget to proudly tell Mu Qiuyu: “I’m an adult, I have money.”

The sun suddenly flashed into Mu Qiuyu’s eyes as the girl behind her tilted her head up. Seemingly reminded by the sunlight, Mu Qiuyu quietly regained her senses. She looked at Lu Ning, who had moved to stand beside her, and asked in her mind: Where did your money come from?

“Exchanged with points, of course!” Lu Ning took the receipt from the waiter, explaining the internal rules of the System to Mu Qiuyu without any guard. “When the Host does missions, we Systems get a commission. The exchange mechanism in the System Mall is very convenient—real-time arrival. One point can be exchanged for a thousand yuan.”

Despite her experiences from her previous life, this was the first time Mu Qiuyu had heard of this rule. She looked at the guileless person before her and suddenly smiled: “Then your points are quite valuable.”

Leaning against the checkout counter, Lu Ning returned the smile proudly: “Of course.”

The noisy bustle of the bun shop couldn’t drown out the conversation between Mu Qiuyu and Lu Ning; a pleasant atmosphere enveloped them both. However, since their dialogue existed only in their minds, to outsiders, it looked like these two had started staring at each other for no reason and then, a moment later, inexplicably started smiling at one another.

The early morning light seemed to have a white haze over it as it fell between the two locking eyes. The golden pen of sunlight traced their profiles with distinct lines, painting a layer of ambiguity over the scene.

Li Xiang froze with a bun still in her mouth, her gaze dazed as she watched them for a long while. For some reason, she felt that the relationship between Lu Ling and Mu Qiuyu didn’t look like cousins. It was a bit more like…

The word “Orthopedics” (a slang term for incestuous romance) didn’t quite make it out of Li Xiang’s head; she shook her head to toss the thought away. The young girl hurriedly stuffed the bun into her mouth as if trying to physically swallow the idea. Simultaneously, she severely condemned the wicked thought that had flashed through her brain. What am I thinking? That’s impossible. “Orthopedics” plots should stay in novels; they don’t work in reality.

Wait… do they?

This was Lu Ning’s first day observing the world as a human, and time flew. She held her phone and photographed everything in the club—the classmates, the teachers—but mostly, she took photos of Mu Qiuyu shooting, recording her brilliant moments. Mu Qiuyu would never guess that by the end of the club session, Lu Ning had taken over a hundred photos of her.

The sun hung at the very edge of the sky as evening bridged the gap between day and night. The crimson sky rested against the windows, a perfect backdrop for the band setting in the small auditorium. Guanghua was indeed one of the top private schools in Wucheng; the students’ extracurricular lives were incredibly vibrant.

Lu Ning had thought Li Xiang’s band performance was just a casual thing—a few friends coming to show support for a small gathering. She never expected the sizeable auditorium to be packed. By the time Lu Ning and Mu Qiuyu arrived, Li Xiang and her band had already started warming up the crowd.

Sitting in the booth Li Xiang had reserved specifically for them, Lu Ning’s curious eyes never stopped moving. The place even had bartenders; the bar at the entrance was definitely not just for show, even though there was a “No Alcohol for Minors” sign hanging above it. As a teacher, Lu Ning nodded in approval when she saw the sign. She scanned the area, and seeing nothing that violated middle-school conduct, she returned her gaze to the stage.

Li Xiang’s band was truly expressive. The bass swept through like an electric current, igniting the atmosphere, while drumbeats were rhythmically interspersed with the keyboard. The lead singer’s voice was full of adolescent vitality. As the bassist who could roam the stage, Li Xiang would occasionally lean into the lead singer’s microphone to sing along. This girl’s stage presence was incredible; the star sequins at the corners of her eyes sparkled, making her shine like starlight.

Who would have thought this was the same sneaky girl who dozed off in class and secretly read manga? Thinking of the contrast, Lu Ning couldn’t help but smile. This is probably what youth is like, she thought. She wondered what Mu Qiuyu’s contrast would look like…

“Li Xiang is inviting us.”

Just as Lu Ning was thinking this, Pei Yinyue, sitting on the outside, looked at Mu Qiuyu. On stage, the warm-up had ended, and Li Xiang was excitedly waving toward their booth. In such an atmosphere, it was indeed better to go up and join the fun. Children this age need to integrate into the collective to have vitality.

But Mu Qiuyu was an exception. She looked at the waving Li Xiang and still refused Pei Yinyue: “No thanks. You guys have fun.”

“I see…” Pei Yinyue sounded a bit disappointed, yet it was expected. She shifted her eyes toward Lu Ning, who was sitting on the inside. “Does Sister want to come? Xiang knows every song.”

“Huh?” Although Lu Ning loved watching band performances, she was hesitant about going on stage. Last time she went to a live house with her childhood friend Ji Xiao, she had been momentarily bewitched by a pretty girl’s invitation and went on stage to interact. The result? She was tone-deaf and completely lost herself; she didn’t catch the pretty girl, and Ji Xiao mocked her for a year. She didn’t know how this body’s musical sense was. If she embarrassed herself in front of everyone again… Lu Ning felt she might as well stop being human.

But if Mu Qiuyu didn’t go, would Li Xiang feel let down? Out of long-standing habit, Lu Ning tended to put others’ feelings before her own. As she hesitated about whether to try, Mu Qiuyu’s voice rang out again: “She knows every song?”

“Yes,” Pei Yinyue nodded, her gaze shifting back to Mu Qiuyu.

“Then let’s go.” Mu Qiuyu stood up.

The blanket that had been draped over the girl’s legs slid onto Lu Ning’s knees, the soft coral fleece carrying the warmth of another person. The rotating disco lights swept past Lu Ning’s eyes, dazing her. Then she saw Mu Qiuyu look at her and heard the instruction in her mind: If you don’t want to, say no. Don’t wander off, and watch our things.

Hearing this, Lu Ning felt a momentary daze. She thought she had hidden her hesitation well; how did Mu Qiuyu see through it? Relieved that she didn’t have to worry about Li Xiang being disappointed and that someone was covering for her, Lu Ning let out a sigh of relief. The oldest person in the auditorium happily hugged Mu Qiuyu’s small blanket and agreed readily: “Got it, Host.”

Dim shadows stretched across the floor following the girls’ footsteps as Mu Qiuyu and Pei Yinyue walked forward side-by-side. Pei Yinyue looked at Mu Qiuyu and said proactively: “Xiang will be so happy to see you on stage.”

Mu Qiuyu looked indifferently at Pei Yinyue: “I know your goal was me.” The words were blunt, an open challenge.

There was no pause on Pei Yinyue’s face. She looked at Mu Qiuyu and tilted her head with a smile: “But you came anyway.”

True. She came anyway. This person was simply too smart. That was why she didn’t like her—not in this life, and not in the last. Mu Qiuyu looked at Pei Yinyue; that familiar smile was eyesore-inducing. Yet, it was nowhere near as antagonistic as the last life. Perhaps that silly System was right to work so hard to make them friends. So, helping her this time was a way of paying her back. Nothing more.

The sun had completely sunk below the horizon; evening was swallowed by night. The frantic lights in the auditorium suddenly dimmed. On stage, the bass Li Xiang was holding turned into a guitar. The audience below was bustling. She sat on a high stool with the microphone and said to everyone: “Next, my two new friends and I will perform an English song for you, ‘Everything’s Alright’.”

The opening had already set the mood perfectly, and the audience was very supportive of Li Xiang. As she finished, a round of cheers and applause broke out, and countless eyes looked curiously at Li Xiang’s new friends.

A dim spotlight snapped onto the microphone stand, and a hand with distinct bone structure grasped it. The old, hollow wooden floor echoed with footsteps as a girl strolled out and stood before the mic.

“Mu Qiuyu?”

“Holy crap, it really is her.”

“Can she sing?”

“I only know she plays the violin beautifully.”

Mu Qiuyu’s arrival undoubtedly made the already hot venue even more eye-catching. Whispers of discussion rippled through the crowd. But Mu Qiuyu was entirely unaffected. Her calm gaze swept over the audience and stopped at the booth not far away. Lu Ning sat on the sofa, excited yet obedient, waving her arm at her. Those apricot eyes were wide like nuts, golden and brilliant in a way that was hard to resist.

In the dim light, Mu Qiuyu’s lips curved into a smile. No one knew why she smiled, but the smile blooming on that cool face made hearts race and was impossible to forget.

Ping.

An electronic keyboard simulating a piano sounded, and Pei Yinyue’s fingers nimbly leaped across the keys. Li Xiang followed with a tacit chord, and the prelude to a song slowly rose. Clear, shallow breaths drifted through the microphone over the auditorium. Mu Qiuyu held the mic and began to sing softly.

“Short steps, deep breath, Everything is alright…”

It wasn’t a frantic song; the slightly rhythmic words were drawn out long by the melody. Mu Qiuyu’s voice was cold and ethereal, instantly calming the restless crowd. The girl’s singing drifted over the booth, and Lu Ning’s excited, wide-eyed gaze involuntarily grew quiet. She sat in the best spot in the booth, looking up at Mu Qiuyu.

The dim lighting obscured many details, but her youthful awkwardness was entirely replaced by elegance. Mu Qiuyu stood before the mic stand, her lips slightly parted, her long, thick lashes like raven feathers shining in the darkness. She didn’t need many movements; just standing there singing a serene song was enough to capture everyone’s gaze.

“Miss, the drinks for your table.”

Lu Ning was so entranced she didn’t even notice the waiter placing drinks in their booth. “Thanks,” Lu Ning snapped back to reality, nodding to the waiter who had already set the drinks down. Her attention was still on Mu Qiuyu. By the time she smelled the slight scent of alcohol in their drinks, the waiter was long gone.

However, thinking that many drinks these days contain alcohol and that “the dose makes the poison,” Lu Ning didn’t take the slight alcoholic scent to heart. She picked it up and drank. It was thanks to the waiter’s interruption that Lu Ning finally broke her stare at Mu Qiuyu. She finally remembered to take out her phone to record this moment of Mu Qiuyu’s life.

In the dim light, the lens was clearer than the human eye. The straight, long hair was slightly lifted by the stage fans, revealing the girl’s clean, translucent cheek. Mu Qiuyu’s singing flowed like a stream, cold yet gentle. It felt unforgettable, yet brought a pang of regret that this result would ultimately belong to no one.

Lu Ning truly hadn’t expected Mu Qiuyu to sing so well; she wanted to turn this video into audio and use it as her alarm clock.

“Everything’s alright—”

A long-drawn note came through the screen, and applause hit like a tide. Lu Ning felt her nerves were a bit sluggish. Amidst the applause, she was still dazedly holding her phone when she saw the person in the video walking toward her.

“Mu Qiuyu?” The girl’s slender legs swept past Lu Ning’s vision, making her look up unsteadily.

The moment Lu Ning put down her phone, she suddenly felt the world outside the screen was spinning. The surrounding lights became grotesque and kaleidoscopic. “Mu Qiuyu… I think something is wrong with me…” Lu Ning raised her hand to steady her head.

“You’re drunk,” Mu Qiuyu said in a low voice, watching Lu Ning calmly through her blurred vision.

Hearing this, Lu Ning found it absolutely absurd. The rebuttal slipped out: “How is that possible! I have a very high tolerance!”

“Is that so? Since when have you had a high tolerance?” Mu Qiuyu’s eyes held a hint of a smile, looking at Lu Ning with an ambiguous gaze.

Lu Ning didn’t know. When Mu Qiuyu had set her body’s data, she had set her alcohol tolerance to zero.

Support