Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: “My Heart Will Always Belong To You, Host…”

Lu Ning’s voice made Mu Qiuyu feel grounded.

However, when she habitually glanced toward her side, no shadow appeared. Lu Ning had not turned back into a small orb, nor had she temporarily returned to Mu Qiuyu’s body. This body was newly repaired by Mu Qiuyu, and Lu Ning couldn’t bear to part with it. Despite being reminded just last night to save money, the girl had already redeemed a new function for herself.

With a chime of the door chimes, Lu Ning pushed open the door to the coffee shop across from the police station. She simulated her database into a laptop, sat by the window with a coffee, and easily blended into the crowd of weary office workers toiling away on a weekend.

Lu Ning wasn’t a real corporate slave, nor was she truly human. She multi-tasked: one thread processed gathered data, while another thread watched through the police station window as Mu Qiuyu and Mu Jingqin entered the lobby.

The two were led to a second-floor mediation room. Lu Ning hoped their meeting was in a room facing the street so she could monitor the situation and help Mu Qiuyu to the greatest extent.

Perhaps when you are doing something right, even luck assists you. Soon, Lu Ning caught a glimpse of Mu Qiuyu’s profile through one of the glass panes.

“Host, I see you!” Lu Ning announced excitedly.

Mu Qiuyu heard the voice and looked out the window. Her calm gaze fixed on the clean glass. Though she couldn’t see the other person like Lu Ning could, her eyes seemed to meet Lu Ning’s gaze directly.

Thump-thump.

Lu Ning’s heart skipped a beat as she stared at this eye contact that only she was aware of.

“Where are you?” Mu Qiuyu’s inquiry echoed plainly in her mind.

Lu Ning snapped out of it and told her: “I’m in the coffee shop across the street, disguised as a poor office worker working on the weekend.”

Even though they were far apart, Lu Ning’s voice remained lively right in Mu Qiuyu’s ear. Hearing that vibrant tone, Mu Qiuyu thought that real overtime workers definitely didn’t have such abundant energy. Before she could say it, however, she was interrupted by the door opening.

This was no small gathering; the police had specifically used a large conference room. As the officer opened the door for Mu Jingqin and Mu Qiuyu, the sounds of an argument drifted out.

“But what he did is truly despicable!” Shi Jin shouted indignantly, glaring at Cen Qin, who sat opposite her with a look of indifference.

Li Xiang was equally, if not more, agitated: “Do those little animals deserve to be tortured to death by him?!”

In contrast, the Principal of No. 1 High School, sitting in the center, gave a faint smile: “Students, don’t get so worked up. Whether Cen Qin is wrong or should be punished is not for you students to decide. The teachers are all here; you should just listen to us.”

The man’s tone was excessively flat and condescending, effectively stripping Li Xiang and Shi Jin of their right to speak with just a few sentences. The two girls were instantly choked up, speechless with frustration.

Before they could argue back, a scoff came from behind them: “Children, you’ve never seen someone so shameless, have you?”

Li Xiang and Shi Jin turned their heads sharply at the sound, and everyone’s eyes fixed on the doorway. Standing there were Mu Jingqin and Mu Qiuyu, the two late but crucial figures.

While Mu Qiuyu stood straight and cold, Mu Jingqin leaned lazily against the door. She looked at the gazes fixed on her with a smile that couldn’t hide her “don’t mess with me” aura.

The meeting was chaired by the policewoman who had visited Mu Qiuyu yesterday. Seeing them arrive, she gestured: “Miss Mu, you’re here. Please, have a seat.”

Mu Jingqin nodded and walked over, placing her hands on Li Xiang and Shi Jin’s shoulders. “Sit right here. I’d like to see who dares kick you out.”

These words weren’t for the policewoman, but for the Principal of No. 1 High School. Mu Jingqin’s gaze was blatant, practically plastering the words “I’m talking about you” onto the man’s face.

The Principal’s hand tightened. He glanced at Mrs. Cen, but seeing her offer no reaction, he deflated. He pursed his lips and leaned back in silence.

Mu Jingqin had a bad first impression of the man. As soon as she sat down, she asked the police: “Why did the meeting start before I arrived? Making two children face an old, shameless man—quite a creative idea you had.”

“It’s not like that, Miss Mu. These two children spoke up first,” a male officer beside the policewoman explained, trying to cover for the Principal.

“And?” Mu Jingqin interrupted, her protectiveness on full display. “If the children are immature, are the adults immature too?”

She was targeting everyone on the opposite side. The faces of those people, including Mrs. Cen, turned various shades of green, yet no one spoke up against her. Everyone knew Mu Jingqin was not to be trifled with—especially after she acquired the Chen family’s company last month.

The head of the Chen family had died suddenly and suspiciously, shortly after kidnapping the Mu family orphan. Insiders speculated that the death, ruled as a revenge killing by enemies, might have been Mu Jingqin’s doing. To pull off something so seamless required not only high-level tactics but also a powerful network. The mystery surrounding the Mu family’s fall became even more convoluted, and as a result, many felt a mix of respect and fear for the notoriously difficult Mu Jingqin.

However, Mu Jingqin herself was a bit confused. She knew she hadn’t done anything, but she was happy to accept such fear and use it wantonly. Like now. The previously unequal atmosphere was instantly seized by her.

Li Xiang and Shi Jin, listening from the side, were starstruck by how cool she was. Meanwhile, Lu Ning, the “outside personnel,” had a newfound appreciation for Mu Jingqin after hearing her initial intimidation: “Host, is this what they call ‘a sharp tongue but a heart of gold’?”

Mu Qiuyu watched everything in silence, flashes of memories from her previous life sparking in her mind. In her last life, her relationship with Mu Jingqin hadn’t been great. she lived at her aunt’s house but had little communication until she moved out as an adult. When did the plot start deviating so much from the previous life?

Mu Qiuyu didn’t have an answer, nor did she respond to Lu Ning’s question. Golden light fell across the girl’s hair through the window. Lu Ning watched her, thinking that it wasn’t just Mu Jingqin—Mu Qiuyu was the same. A “sharp tongue and soft heart” was practically an ancestral skill in their family. She wondered if Mu Qiuyu’s mother was like that too. What kind of person was she?

“Since everyone is here, let’s begin,” the policewoman said, starting the meeting.

She turned on the projector screen and addressed the principals, parents, and students: “Regarding yesterday’s animal abuse incident, these are the photos we obtained from the scene and the injury assessments of the surviving animals.”

In the dim room, the screen was the only light source. Under that light, the cruel images of animal corpses were everywhere. Photos couldn’t transmit smell, but a sense of rotting blood seemed to fill the room. Mrs. Cen glanced coldly at her son, her expression darkening. Mu Jingqin knit her brows and looked away for a moment to steady herself.

As she did, she noticed Mu Qiuyu remained as calm as before. Mu Jingqin’s frown deepened. She disliked Mu Qiuyu’s cold, almost inhuman indifference and instinctively looked for an excuse for her: “You saw all of this yesterday?”

“Mm.” Mu Qiuyu nodded, not disappointing her. She kept her eyes on the abuse tools shown in the pictures. While Mu Jingqin was trying to recover her mood, Mu Qiuyu even added: “He also has a set of very precise surgical tools that can be used to sew wounds…”

“Please do not slander my client, Student Mu. If you have no evidence to prove the purpose of the surgical tools, I can sue you for defamation.”

The Cen family’s attorney interrupted Mu Qiuyu loudly. His expression was full of righteous indignation, as if Mu Qiuyu had committed a grave error.

Mu Jingqin’s temper, which she had just calmed, flared again. she snapped at the man: “Go ahead and sue. Stop using these underhanded tactics, thinking our child is young and doesn’t understand anything.”

“Was she talking to you? She was talking to me. Do you have any manners?”

The attorney hadn’t expected his usual intimidation tactics to fail against Mu Jingqin. He softened his tone slightly and said to her: “Miss Mu, I am simply stating my opinion based on facts. There is no need for such harsh language.”

“Our child is also stating her opinion based on facts. There is no need for you to be so harsh,” Mu Jingqin threw his words right back at him.

The atmosphere turned freezing. The attorney wanted to speak again, but Mu Jingqin crossed her arms and said to the policewoman: “Sorry, please continue.”

The policewoman nodded, giving the lawyer no room to save face, and continued displaying the scene photos. They became increasingly cruel. After seeing all the evidence, everyone looked distressed.

“Alright, I’ll speak first,” the Principal of Guanghua, who had been silent, spoke up. “This matter is grave; our school will not tolerate it. Once verified, any students involved will be expelled, and they will have to write a confession to be kept in their permanent files.”

Lu Ning felt this was the best solution. In this world, animal abuse was not yet codified in law; such matters relied on the moral constraints of schools, companies, and society. And human conscience is the one thing that cannot be weighed on a scale.

“We have never believed that a school is only responsible for teaching students. Guiding their thoughts and cultivating good character is also the school’s responsibility,” the Principal of Guanghua lectured. Lu Ning didn’t know how much of this he truly believed, but she knew he was holding the moral high ground, looking at the Principal of No. 1 High School as if watching a joke: “I truly don’t understand what kind of school could produce such a student.”

“Principal Wang, I’ve heard from many students at No. 1 that this isn’t the first time Student Cen Qin has behaved like this.”

The Principal of No. 1 heard his rival’s jab and gave a fox-like smile: “Whether it is or isn’t is an internal matter of our school. No need for Principal Li to worry.” He then turned to the police: “We will conduct a series of educational rectifications when we return to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

The focus of the two principals was completely different. The No. 1 Principal made no mention of punishment or permanent records; he clearly intended to protect Cen Qin.

“Indeed. After all, the school’s responsibility is to give children a chance to reform, wouldn’t you say?” the attorney echoed.

The policewoman felt a sense of powerlessness. Animal abuse wasn’t illegal, so their ability to punish this depended entirely on the schools.

As if seeing her frustration, the Guanghua Principal spoke again: “However, if the school allows an animal abuser to go unpunished, it might be hard to explain to the parents of other students.”

“Principal Li worries too much. Student Cen simply has too much academic pressure and demands perfection of himself. Here is his psychiatric evaluation: moderate anxiety.” The attorney was well-prepared, pushing copies of a psychiatric report to everyone. “He needs an emotional outlet. It seems he hasn’t chosen his outlet well, but as teachers, how can you just give up on a student? We can guide him to find a different outlet.”

The attorney spoke eloquently about Cen Qin’s “condition.” Regarding his crimes, he brushed them aside: “We are, of course, very sympathetic to the kittens, but Cen Qin has excellent grades—he is a rare candidate for Tsinghua or Peking University. In comparison, it’s obvious which is more important.”

The so-called “obvious” choice was to use a “top university candidate” to lightly brush away dozens of lives.

Mu Qiuyu’s expression grew darker and darker. She called out in her mind: “Lu Ling.”

“I’m here,” Lu Ning replied cooperatively. This time she didn’t play games. She brought up several documents: “I’ve gathered evidence of the No. 1 Principal’s corruption and his affair. Also, the Cen family’s relationship network—tip: it’s incredibly scandalous! And surveillance footage of Cen Qin cheating on exams. Which files does the Host need?”

Hearing this, Mu Qiuyu couldn’t help but smile. She hadn’t expected that she and her system would actually share such a rapport. This girl was much more reliable than before.

Lu Ning’s progress didn’t stop there. Before Mu Qiuyu could speak, she rareley offered her own suggestion first: “Host, I have a recommendation.”

“Speak.” Mu Qiuyu was willing to listen.

“The No. 1 Principal is definitely in league with the Cen family. Exposing Cen Qin’s cheating might not be enough. It’s better to hold the Principal’s secrets over his head and force him to punish Cen Qin.”

Lu Ning analyzed the situation and whispered some scandalous Cen family gossip: “And once Cen Qin is expelled, the Cen family will be easier to deal with. Cen Qin’s father had an illegitimate daughter before marriage who is waiting for this sole heir to mess up. That’s why Mrs. Cen had to be here today.”

Saying this, Lu Ning felt a bit immoral: “Is this a bit mean?”

But thinking of the innocent kittens killed by Cen Qin and how the Cen family dismissed those lives, she became firm again: “But that’s how many things are! If we can’t negotiate, it comes down to who has the bigger bargaining chips. Besides, I don’t think your Principal can really help us; he’s just here to see his rival’s embarrassment. Gao Yuan has no background, and being caught with a gun outside school is enough to get him expelled.”

Lu Ning spoke seriously, unconsciously drawing on things she knew from her original world: “The No. 1 Principal surely knows about the bribery; they just have a tacit understanding, holding each other’s secrets to survive.”

Mu Qiuyu was familiar with these tactics; she had used them effortlessly in her previous life. But she hadn’t expected Lu Ning to know these things and be so savvy about the principals’ behavior. Looking through the sunlit window at the system that used to want her to be good, Mu Qiuyu’s eyes held a hint of mischief: “Lu Ling, you are tempting me to commit a crime.”

Lu Ning disagreed. She rested her chin on her hand, looking at Mu Qiuyu inside the police station like a tyrant’s most loyal sycophant: “How can what the Host does be called a crime? Relationships built on shared interests are never stable. We are simply accelerating the collapse of theirs.”

Mu Qiuyu paused. She parted her lips and whispered “Lu Ling,” then asked: “What about us?”

“We are different from them, of course.”

Lu Ning’s crisp voice was like sun-drenched chocolate. Her unhesitating answer was like a program etched into her system’s body: “My heart will always belong to you, Host.”

But Lu Ning was not a program. So she didn’t know that the words she repeated over and over—that she belonged to Mu Qiuyu—were the real crime.

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