Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Lu Ning Suddenly Had The Guilty Feeling Of Being Caught “Cheating” Outside…

The pendant light above the counter refracted the sun from outside, shining directly into Lu Ning’s eyes. Her gaze held a sharp certainty, complementing the coldness of the metal fixtures.

Watching Lu Ning’s eyes fixed upon her, the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu felt a flash of a certain emotion—gratification—in the depths of her calm, deep eyes.

She really can recognize me.

But this emotion only flickered for an instant before being expertly hidden away. She watched Lu Ning’s current expression intently, then suddenly lowered her gaze, her eyes brimming with a touch of pitiable sorrow: “Are you angry?”

The moment Lu Ning saw the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu look at her with such an expression, the guard in her eyes dropped instantly. The light in the real world was vivid and lifelike, yet the real-world Mu Qiuyu was always cold, rarely showing such emotionally rich expressions.

Lu Ning had long thought that Mu Qiuyu had the most beautiful eyes in the world; with just a slight furrow of her brow and a look of aggrieved innocence, she looked so delicate and pitiable that it made one’s heart ache. Any thought of blaming her for the deception vanished.

Thus, Lu Ning retracted her aggressive gaze and shook her head repeatedly in denial: “No, no, I just didn’t expect it to be you.”

Lu Ning was genuinely worried she had scared the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu with her reaction, so she cautiously voiced her guess: “How did you get out? Does this mean you’ve… occupied Mu Qiuyu’s body?”

The “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu shook her head gently, her innocent eyes drooping along with a sigh. “I don’t know how I came to this world either. I just opened my eyes and I was standing on the sidewalk.”

“And this is my own body, not hers,” she added, her frail voice carrying a hint of stubbornness, placing a deliberate emphasis on the word “hers.”

Hearing her emphasize the distinction between herself and the other Mu Qiuyu, Lu Ning’s eyes filled with disbelief. She turned her head toward the police station across the street, her gaze habitually landing on the conference room where Mu Qiuyu had been earlier.

Without the shouting and excuses, the station had returned to its original solemnity. The clean windows framed the interior scene; scattered light and shadow outlined the backs of the young girls. Even without seeing her face, Lu Ning recognized Mu Qiuyu at a glance. She wasn’t sitting in the middle; the upright figure on the left was her. Her slender back pressed against the chair like a bamboo sword, her hair dark as ink, sharp and crisp.

The three girls were huddled together as if looking at something; Li Xiang was holding up a phone in the middle. Shi Jin, lacking any sense of personal space, was squeezed tight against Li Xiang. It seemed her arm had grown tired, as Li Xiang’s hand tilted slightly.

The phone screen was revealed; it was a video just sent by the vet. The kitten that had shared a cage with Lu Ning had woken up from anesthesia and looked to be in good condition. Its little orange head was buried in a food bowl, devouring kibble with a powerful appetite.

Seeing this, Lu Ning couldn’t help but feel relieved. She had been worried the kitten wouldn’t survive the surgery. Fortunately, Heaven loves all living things; to survive a great disaster is to be blessed thereafter.

Just as Lu Ning was silently thanking the heavens, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared in her vision. Mu Qiuyu, sitting in the conference room, suddenly turned her head as if sensing Lu Ning’s gaze and looked toward the coffee shop. Those pitch-black pupils stared straight ahead; though they held no discernible emotion, they were like a pool of stagnant water. No one could see what was inside, and fear often stems from such depths.

Lu Ning snapped her gaze back. Her heart hammered wildly, thumping rhythmically against her chest. In that split second, Lu Ning suddenly had the guilty feeling of being caught “cheating” outside, nearly being spotted by her wife. She even forgot that at such a distance, a regular human like Mu Qiuyu couldn’t possibly see into the coffee shop.

It took a while for Lu Ning to regain her composure before she turned back to the Mu Qiuyu beside her. So, in this world right now, there were two Mu Qiuyus?

Lu Ning struggled to process this conclusion, her expression one of undisguised confusion. But why? Why had the situation become like this?

Lu Ning picked up her cup and took a sip of coffee. The bitter taste hit her taste buds but failed to settle her chaotic thoughts. As a former teacher forced to become a system, she felt this system world—which seemed almost identical to her original world—was exceeding her understanding.

Something must have gone wrong! Right. This was a program bug!

Lu Ning felt a moment of enlightenment. She searched her memory and found only one thing out of the ordinary: “Is it because of the punishment the system gave Mu Qiuyu?”

Listening to Lu Ning’s mutterings, the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu’s eyes, hidden beneath a calm surface, shifted slightly. She thought, My Lu Ning really is smart enough.

“Did you feel anything wrong while you were in the inner world? For example, body stiffness or falling into a coma?” Considering that time flows differently in the inner world compared to reality, Lu Ning looked at her and asked carefully.

“Yes,” the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu nodded as if remembering, then brushed the hair away from the side of her face with an effortless motion.

In that unintentional movement, her neck was revealed. Around her slender neck was a circle of bandage that wasn’t easily noticed, pressed white against her skin. Though it was subtle, Lu Ning caught it immediately.

Lu Ning’s gaze paused. She vaguely recalled that when the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu had walked through the door earlier, she hadn’t noticed any bandage on her neck. What on earth was happening to this world?

Lu Ning fell into a deep suspicion of this world but proceeded to ask: “What happened to your neck?”

Hearing this, the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu brushed her hand over her neck. She seemed to be deliberately avoiding something, her explanation not entirely clear, yet sufficient: “It’s nothing. It might be a side effect of coming to this world. There are two red marks here; they hurt quite a bit.”

Lu Ning then did as she always did in the inner world, offering: “Do you want me to help you apply medicine?”

“Let’s do it when we go back,” the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu replied. She was someone who excelled at leaving “futures” for herself. She then looked out the window at the street scene, appearing very reluctant to leave this world, her eyes shining: “I want to stay here a little longer.”

“Do you know? This is the first time I’ve touched such real sunlight.”

The honest admission came unexpectedly, and Lu Ning felt as if she had been pricked by something. As she spoke, the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu reached out toward a beam of light projected through the window. Her sincere eyes were like two glowing jewels, filled with a novel desire to explore this world.

Watching from the side, Lu Ning couldn’t help but feel pity. Seeing her gaze at this world—which was brand new to her—Lu Ning scanned a code to order her a cup of coffee she had never tasted in the inner world.

Soon, the server brought a steaming cup, white mist spreading along the window. The summer heat became more apparent. The world traced a tiny leaf on the glass following the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu’s finger. It was nameless, yet exceptionally gentle.

“By the way.” Suddenly, the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu seemed to remember something. Clutching the coffee Lu Ning had bought her, she looked over. “Do you want to hear my new name? I said I would tell you the next time we met.”

“Sure.” Lu Ning nodded. Just now, while analyzing the situation in her head, her brain had almost started smoking trying to distinguish her from the other Mu Qiuyu. Even though Lu Ning had read Dream of the Red Chamber many times in her original world, she had never admired “Xiao Hong” as much as she did today.

“Wutong.”

The “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu parted her lips, sending two words into Lu Ning’s ears.

“Wutong?” Lu Ning repeated after her, then asked: “Like the Wutong tree?”

The “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu nodded and told Lu Ning: “It’s the nickname my mother gave me.”

“Wutong tree, at the third watch, the rain falls; unaware that the grief of parting is at its peak.”

“A poem by Wen Tingyun.”

Mu Qiuyu’s voice was pleasant, and reciting ancient poetry gave it an even deeper flavor. Lu Ning blurted the line out instinctively, but then she realized something.

—So this person had decided on her name long ago. But why did she insist on waiting for Lu Ning to ask her for the time before she would finalize and tell her the name?

Lu Ning was puzzled. But looking at the eyes of the “Inner World” Mu Qiuyu—no, looking at Wutong’s eyes as she gazed out the window—she seemed to understand. She was too lonely.

Thinking this, Lu Ning added a compliment: “His poems are all quite beautiful.”

But this particular poem was really unsuitable. This poem was about “sorrow.” Lu Ning didn’t understand why Mu Qiuyu’s mother would choose a name for her child from such a verse. Don’t all mothers want their children to grow up happy?

At this thought, Lu Ning’s mind stalled. She thought of herself and felt her habitual way of thinking was somewhat laughable. Not all mothers in the world protect their children unconditionally. Did Mu Qiuyu’s mother have some other reason?

“Lu Ning…”

At that moment, Lu Ning heard a familiar call. Instantly, Lu Ning’s eyes filled with astonishment. She was astonished that Wutong knew her name. Even more astonishingly, Wutong’s fingers were beginning to shimmer with floating, crystal-blue spots of light.

Her body was de-materializing.

“What should I do… the system has detected my existence.” Wutong looked at Lu Ning with a panicked gaze, her voice laced with longing and reluctance.

It was true; Wutong did not belong to this world. Although this system was full of loopholes, the system program maintaining world stability would immediately erase her upon detecting an “illegal signal.”

“We can’t stay here.” Seeing this, Lu Ning stood up immediately. It would be too abrupt for someone to suddenly vanish in a place with significant foot traffic.

Time waited for no one. Lu Ning grabbed “Mu Qiuyu’s” hand, even forgetting her laptop and coffee on the counter, and strode out of the shop.

Right next to the coffee shop was a small alley. The moss, cooled all winter, had been driven back to the foot of the wall by the sun, and the willow trees peeking out from the neighbor’s yard shielded them. Perhaps because they had walked too fast, Wutong’s breathing was ragged.

Lu Ning turned back and saw that Wutong’s body was de-materializing rapidly. The crystal-blue light was stripping the color from her face; she was as pale as a cloud on the horizon, seemingly on the verge of vanishing.

“I’m really happy I could come out this once, but I really don’t want to leave here. Because I don’t know when I’ll be able to come out again.”

The girl’s voice was slow and soft, lacking strength. The reluctance in her words caused a slight tremor in her voice, which pricked Lu Ning’s heart.

But that was the reality. She was an incarnation formed from Mu Qiuyu’s countless repressed emotions; unless Mu Qiuyu accepted these emotions, she would be trapped in that white world.

Wutong looked at the world with longing, then transferred that look to Lu Ning. She saw the obvious pity in Lu Ning’s eyes, so she proactively asked: “Can you give me one last kiss?”

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