Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: “Lu Ling, Where Did You Go?”

Lu Ning had no idea she had a habit of talking in her sleep, and the kitten’s dream-talk wasn’t recorded by the system’s monitoring.

The days that followed passed steadily and peacefully. Lu Ning encountered a few more people who came to confess to Mu Qiuyu—both boys and girls—but all were rejected by Mu Qiuyu with an even colder attitude.

Lu Ning felt a swell of pride, believing this was the hard-earned result of her “sacrifice” that night. Every time she returned to the Inner World, she would brag to the Inner World’s Mu Qiuyu about it for a long time.

However, Lu Ning noticed that the Mu Qiuyu in the Inner World didn’t seem particularly interested in these stories. Whenever Lu Ning reached an exciting part, this person would stuff something into her mouth. Yesterday it was a honey peach, the day before it was fried rice cakes, and the day before that, water chestnuts.

The food was delicious, but the intent to shut her up was a bit too obvious.

Lu Ning chewed on the orange Mu Qiuyu had just fed her, thinking exactly that. She watched Mu Qiuyu unhurriedly peel the other half of the orange and asked again, “So, have you thought of your name yet? It’s been a week.”

There was no complaint in Lu Ning’s voice, just a bit of worry, which Mu Qiuyu heard clearly. So, she remained her usual gentle self, smiling and shaking her head at Lu Ning: “Not yet.”

“Then when will it be?” Lu Ning pressed.

She really couldn’t understand why picking a new name took so long. If she were picking a name for herself, she’d call herself “Lu Joy,” and hesitating for even a second would be a sign of disrespect to the name. Though, her own name was something she and Ji Xiao had spent a long time thinking of back in middle school. Maybe she shouldn’t rush Mu Qiuyu.

“In two more days, the flowers will bloom.”

Lost in thought, Mu Qiuyu’s voice drifted into Lu Ning’s ears. Hearing this non-sequitur, Lu Ning looked up blankly only to see that Mu Qiuyu had finished peeling the orange and picked up her tea again. She took a slow sip, her moistened lips a shade of cherry pink. “When that time comes, I’ll tell you the new name I’ve chosen for myself.”

When an event is given a specific meaning, the anticipation becomes much richer. Lu Ning nodded immediately, sealing the pact: “Then it’s a deal. You can’t say you haven’t decided when the time comes.”

“Mhm,” Mu Qiuyu nodded. Then she asked, “What do you want for dinner? Shall we prepare it together?”

“It’s dinner time already?!” Lu Ning’s nerves snapped tight.

She glanced down at the system clock. It showed that the outside world was already at 10:50 AM. Why hadn’t the damn system alarm reminded her! Today was the day of the real-world Mu Qiuyu’s midterm exams!

Lu Ning scrambled up from her chair, her leisure gone. She gulped down the rest of the orange and bid a muffled farewell to the Inner Mu Qiuyu: “No time! I’m go-ing! See you nex’ time!”

The bushes rustled as Lu Ning leaped through with practiced agility. Mu Qiuyu watched Lu Ning leave, her dim eyes staring at the spot where the figure had vanished for a very long time. She was envious, even jealous. How she wished that one day, this person would run toward her just as urgently.

Because of limited classroom space, Guanghua’s midterm exams for each grade were staggered. Just as Lu Ning returned to the real world, she heard the rhythmic sounds of reading from the 10th and 12th-grade buildings, while the 11th-grade building was silent.

The exams had begun. The desks that were piled high with books yesterday were now spotlessly clean. The examinees stared intently at their papers, pens flying—especially Mu Qiuyu’s classmates.

Since the students were seated in a “snake” arrangement based on grades, there weren’t enough rooms in the 11th-grade building. As a new transfer student with no previous grades, Mu Qiuyu was placed in the very last exam hall for the lowest-ranking students, located in the lab building behind the 12th-grade block.

Lu Ning was about to rush over to Mu Qiuyu when she saw a note Mu Qiuyu had left for her. The girl had written in powerful, sharp strokes: Why couldn’t I reach you again? I need a reasonable explanation. If you arrive early, do not disturb my exam.

Although Mu Qiuyu used the word “please,” Lu Ning felt her icy fury. This wasn’t the first time Mu Qiuyu couldn’t contact her, and Lu Ning found it strange too. She had reported the bug to the system several times, but the reply was always: “No errors found. System programs operating normally.”

“Normal my foot!” Lu Ning fumed. She was also increasingly worried. How was she going to explain this to Mu Qiuyu?

The kitten felt like crying, walking dejectedly away from the teaching building. Yes, even as a class pet, she wasn’t allowed to stay in the room during exams.

The April sun was growing more intense, piercing through the lush leaves and making things a bit dazzling. Guanghua was an excellent private high school, with much better greenery than the school where Lu Ning used to work. New flower buds were ready to bloom; the kitten’s nose twitched as she caught various scents.

In the past, Lu Ning would have enthusiastically studied these flowers to see if she could plant them in Mu Qiuyu’s Inner World. But now, she had no interest. She just hung her head, her tail dragging on the ground.

Right then, Lu Ning heard a girl’s surprised voice nearby: “Kitty!”

Cat? Is she talking to me?

Lu Ning looked up blankly and realized she had walked near the sports field. A few girls sitting by a flowerbed playing cat’s cradle were looking at her with interest.

“It really is!”

“What a cute little cat.”

“So black, and so round!”

The young girls immediately dropped their strings and gathered around in groups of two or three. These were the fresh faces of 10th graders who hadn’t yet been drained by exams. Many hands reached out, and some even had snacks.

Surrounded by these kids, Lu Ning didn’t think of running. She submissively flopped over: “Meow~ (Come pet me.)”

“I think this is the cat from one of the 11th-grade classes.”

“Class 11-13. She has a tag on her neck.”

“She’s so well-kept, her fur is so glossy.”

“Meow~”

Amidst the constant praise, Lu Ning’s cries grew sweeter. Every girl was a source of love, and Lu Ning had so much love in front of her right now. The kitten’s mood suddenly improved. She basked in the affection, her tail swishing against the tiles.

As she chewed on a milk tablet someone fed her, she remembered Mu Qiuyu’s warning. How could Mu Qiuyu doubt this? The more people there are, the more love there is!

The assembly whistle blew earlier than the bell, and the girls bid her goodbye. In just half a class period, Lu Ning was full and satisfied. She rolled over to watch them leave. A shadow fell over the flowerbed, and the kitten stretched lazily.

Lu Ning didn’t want to leave; she wanted to stay here and wait for the next class. Maybe the next group would bring cat treats. She lay comfortably in the shade to digest, a satisfied smile on her face. She planned to rest here for a bit.

Then, a pair of long, straight legs appeared in front of her.

“Kitty.”

Hearing the familiar address, Lu Ning looked up abruptly. But the person in front of her wasn’t Mu Qiuyu; it was a beautiful girl she didn’t recognize.

“Meow? (Who?)” Lu Ning tilted her head.

“So cute.” The girl squatted down. She scratched Lu Ning’s chin and pulled a cat treat—exactly what Lu Ning had been wishing for—out of her pocket. “Want some?”

“Meow! (Eat, eat, eat!)” It was like a dream come true. Lu Ning nodded happily, watching the girl tear open the treat.

This treat was different from the ones Lu Ning had eaten before; it seemed to contain catnip, making it addictive. Lu Ning focused entirely on eating, enjoying the girl’s caresses, feeling like the luckiest cat alive.

“Meow meow~ (God finally opened her eyes!)”

Lu Ning chattered away, completely failing to notice a crisscrossed shadow falling over her head. It was a net several times larger than the kitten, coming down to cover her. Before Lu Ning could react, her vision went black.

The hanging bag buckled and moved wildly as the kitten struggled frantically inside. But no matter how she fought, she couldn’t escape. In the darkness, she heard a conversation outside, and things sounded very bad.

A boy chuckled. “That easy to catch?”

The girl who had just enticed Lu Ning tossed the empty treat wrapper aside disdainfully. “Hmph, just a greedy cat. Of course it’s easy.”

“Is it the one from that class? Don’t get the wrong one,” the boy asked, though he didn’t seem to be asking the girl.

Then, another voice appeared near Lu Ning’s ear: “That’s the one. It sticks to Mu Qiuyu every day. Mu Qiuyu treasures it.”

The voice was very familiar.

“I really want to see the ‘beauty’ burst into tears.”

“Beauty my foot, she’s an eyesore.”

“Kill me, I couldn’t remember the last question to save my life.”

“Don’t think about it. Ace the math exam this afternoon—for the cat!”

“Mhm! For the cat!”

The Chinese exam ended, and many students returned to the classroom to pack for the afternoon. Mu Qiuyu was among them. She packed unhurriedly, but her gaze kept drifting to the cat bed.

Lu Ling was gone.

“Lu Ling.”

“Lu Ling, you can come back now.”

“Lu Ling, where are you?”

A heavy cloud drifted past the window, blanketing the sun. Mu Qiuyu stared at the hairball in her hand, her gaze dark. She had received news of this person returning to school during the latter half of the exam, but now she couldn’t reach her again. In her vision, the notification box popped up again, showing that the system was unreachable.

“D*mn it.”

Mu Qiuyu’s brow furrowed, her expression gloomier than ever. She felt her fury clearly, but there was also another sensation: a feeling of losing control. This feeling made her realize that she was actually panicking.

Just then, an excited shout came from the back door.

“Qiuyu, were you waiting for me?!”

Heaven knows how happy and moved Li Xiang was to see Mu Qiuyu still in the classroom. Her exam hall was also in the far-off lab building; she had taken her time packing, thinking she’d be too late and Mu Qiuyu wouldn’t wait for her.

“No.” Mu Qiuyu was blunt, pouring a bucket of unnecessary cold water on Li Xiang. Instantly, Li Xiang’s face fell. She wanted to act spoiled, but she noticed the expression on Mu Qiuyu’s face—it looked like something had happened.

“Qiuyu, what’s wrong?” Li Xiang asked cautiously.

“Lu…” Mu Qiuyu’s voice hitched. For the first time, she used the nickname the class had given Lu Ning. “The kitty is missing.”

“Huh?” Li Xiang looked around, not thinking it was a big deal. “Maybe there were too many people and she found somewhere else to hide? Doesn’t she do that often?”

Yes, the class often couldn’t find Lu Ning in the past. But that was always when Mu Qiuyu could still “see” her. Li Xiang wanted to comfort her, but seeing Mu Qiuyu’s prolonged silence, she gradually sensed that the situation was serious.

Suddenly, a frantic set of footsteps echoed in the hallway. Shi Jin grabbed the doorframe, looking at Mu Qiuyu at the back of the room. “Mu Qiuyu!”

Li Xiang immediately switched from worry to defensive mode. “Shi Jin, what are you up to now!”

“None of your business.” Shi Jin bypassed Li Xiang and walked straight to Mu Qiuyu. “I just heard some 10th graders say they saw Gao Yuan bringing a group of people from First High into the school. It looks like they took the cat.”

“Gao Yuan went out of town for a competition yesterday, stop talking nonsense,” Li Xiang retorted. After several clashes, she didn’t trust Shi Jin. She even suspected Shi Jin was directing this whole thing. “I knew it, you kidnapped the cat! You’re trying to frame someone else!”

“Are you insane, Li Xiang!” Shi Jin snapped. “I just didn’t want that annoying cat in the class, I never wanted it dead!”

She knew who she had to convince, so she turned to Mu Qiuyu. “Those people are famous cat abusers at First High. Because their grades are good, the school won’t punish them. Everyone at First High knows about them.”

When Mu Qiuyu heard those words, her lowered eyes snapped up. She stared into Shi Jin’s anxious eyes for a moment, then grabbed her bag from her locker and walked out.

Li Xiang froze. “Qiuyu, the next exam starts in half an hour!”

Mu Qiuyu didn’t look back.

“I’m not taking it.”

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