Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: “Who Were You With Just Now?”

Can I have one last kiss?

When Lu Ning heard Wutong say this, her mind went into a total freeze. A flurry of thoughts rushed into her head like tumbleweeds racing across a withered wilderness, crashing straight into her uncontrollably accelerating heartbeat.

Lu Ning didn’t quite understand why Wutong would make such a request. This wasn’t a life-or-death parting; they would see each other again in the inner world. Besides, who knew if the system would glitch again one day, allowing her to come back here?

Most importantly… why did she want her kiss?

Back at the coffee shop counter, regardless of whether Wutong had tried to approach her by pretending to be Mu Qiuyu, it was the “kiss” issue that had exposed her identity. Was a kiss something Wutong felt she absolutely had to have?

As the sun reached the highest point of the sky, dividing the day into morning and afternoon, the blinding light flickered through the swaying willow leaves and fell upon Wutong’s lips. This person had a face identical to Mu Qiuyu’s—thin and angular—which looked cold and distant in the tree shadows.

Ordinarily, Wutong looked healthier than Mu Qiuyu, but now her naturally full, cherry-colored lips were becoming as pale as Mu Qiuyu’s because she was about to vanish. For a fleeting second, Lu Ning looked at Wutong and felt as if the two versions were overlapping.

But when had Mu Qiuyu ever looked at her with such a fragile, pitiable gaze? Even when she was mocked or had cold water thrown on her, Mu Qiuyu would only respond with cold-faced retaliation without making a sound.

At this thought, Lu Ning watched Wutong’s lips press together slightly. Her hand betrayed her; she wanted to release Wutong’s wrist and step back to refuse.

“If the person asking this today was her, would you give it to her?”

Wutong’s voice came before Lu Ning could act. She kept her eyes fixed on Lu Ning, her fading gaze hiding emotions no one could decipher.

Lu Ning snapped her eyes up, feeling as if her innermost thoughts had been pierced. “Wh-what are you joking about?” she denied instinctively.

It seemed that denying it to a “third party” made it easier. And yet, this denial was also a rejection of Wutong. Hearing this answer, Wutong’s eyes dimmed. “I see.”

Her hand gripped the arm Lu Ning had tried to pull away. A weak smile was squeezed onto her pale face. “The flowers in the inner world have bloomed. You must come back quickly. If you’re too late, you’ll miss the season. I’ll wait for you with the flowers.”

In her fading voice, Wutong’s eyes never left Lu Ning’s. No one would doubt the sincerity of her gaze; that gentle, silent expectation was something that couldn’t be faked. Crystal-blue light points continuously drifted from her body. The girl’s face began to reveal the same data structure Lu Ning had shown before—but even more severe—making her look like a broken mechanical doll.

Turning a seemingly emotionless machine into something full of human emotion pulled people back into a familiar environment. Wutong simply spoke softly of the inner world, but Lu Ning’s mind filled with images of those budding plants and Wutong waiting for her day after day among those flowers.

Lu Ning’s heart trembled, as if a small marble had been tossed into her body, making her turn incredibly soft-hearted. A thought suddenly popped into her head—it’s just a kiss, what does it matter where I kiss her!

The wind blew, lifting Wutong’s long hair. Just as she was quietly waiting to be erased by the world’s program and sent back to the inner world, she suddenly felt her arm being pulled by a force. A tall, familiar shadow loomed over her, and a warm, moist sensation pressed against the girl’s forehead, which was already exposing raw data.

Cold mechanical components pressed against another non-human girl; a tremor of electricity created a strange sense of fusion. Wutong’s eyes widened as Lu Ning leaned in. A profound sense of satisfaction appeared on her pale, weak face.

She had done it. She had obtained Lu Ning’s kiss before the other one, even if it was merely born from a meticulously planned moment of pity. But Lu Ning should be hers.

The weeping willows hid the girls’ figures in the shade as a fine electric current spread across Lu Ning’s lips. She thought she was simply giving Wutong a fleeting “dragonfly touching the water” farewell, nothing more.

But before she could pull away, the person standing before her vanished abruptly. The hand that had been holding hers was now gripping empty air. The final crystal-blue electronic particles swirled around Lu Ning’s fingers—Wutong’s last attachment—remaining there until the wind scattered them into the sunlight.

Lu Ning looked down at her now “clean” hands, a look of daze slowly appearing in her eyes. She suddenly felt as if she had forgotten something from a long, long time ago.

Perhaps in celebration, the midday sun was excessively bright. The police station lobby was illuminated brilliantly as a group of four emerged from the building.

Mu Jingqin had been summoned on short notice, and company matters were still piled on her desk. After handling things here, she didn’t offer the girls a ride and drove off alone. Li Xiang watched the red Mercedes merge into traffic with a look of regret.

They had missed the English exam that morning, but they still had the comprehensive science exam in the afternoon. She had wanted the “pretty aunt” to give them a lift, but it seemed the relationship between Mu Qiuyu and her aunt wasn’t great.

Shi Jin’s family car had arrived, and she got in after the driver opened the door. However, the car didn’t leave immediately. “Are you coming?” Shi Jin held the door, looking at Li Xiang and Mu Qiuyu.

Li Xiang didn’t stand on ceremony and answered loudly, “Coming!” Shi Jin’s family car was nice; no point in wasting a ride.

But as Li Xiang was about to get in, she noticed Mu Qiuyu still standing in place. “Qiuyu, aren’t you coming with us?”

“No,” Mu Qiuyu said flatly, offering no response to Shi Jin’s boastful yet expectant gaze. Li Xiang knew Mu Qiuyu was very independent; if she didn’t want to do something, she wouldn’t. But she was still worried and reminded her: “Remember to show up for the afternoon exam.”

“Don’t worry.” Mu Qiuyu nodded, politely watching Li Xiang get into the car before she left.

A gentle breeze crossed the road. Mu Qiuyu’s hair fluttered. Then, she suddenly raised her hand and touched her forehead. Without warning, she felt her forehead was warm—as if it had been kissed by something.

Mu Qiuyu frowned, finding the sensation very strange. The feedback from her brain was especially odd. The wind swept past and didn’t look back. Mu Qiuyu didn’t feel it again, so she quickly brushed aside the inexplicable feeling.

The traffic light turned from red to green. The flow of people crossed the zebra lines from both ends. As the crowds merged and split, Mu Qiuyu crossed the busy intersection and headed toward the coffee shop opposite the police station.

Mu Qiuyu had intended to communicate with Lu Ning in her mind to tell her to come out and meet her. However, just as she neared the coffee shop entrance, a familiar figure appeared before her.

“Lu Ling.”

The girl’s voice was cold and clear, cutting through the passing pedestrians to ring precisely in Lu Ning’s ear. At that moment, Lu Ning’s action of pushing open the coffee shop door froze. She looked up and saw Mu Qiuyu standing on the sidewalk nearby.

Or was it Wutong? Lu Ning felt a bit confused. She watched Mu Qiuyu walk over unhurriedly, her gaze moving from the girl’s cheeks to her neck. Sunlight filtered through her loose hair; her pale neck had a porcelain glow. There were no bandages and no red marks like Wutong had described.

It’s Mu Qiuyu… right? Lu Ning had an answer, but it didn’t feel quite real.

Mu Qiuyu noticed Lu Ning’s gaze. She stopped in front of her, frowning at the scrutiny. “What are you looking at?”

The cold air cut through the mild early summer sun without mercy—and it made Lu Ning feel elated.

That’s the cold feeling! It’s Mu Qiuyu for sure!

Lu Ning instantly brightened and shook her head with a smile. “Nothing, nothing. I’m just happy to see you back.” With that, Lu Ning eagerly held the door open for Mu Qiuyu. “Come in, I saved a spot inside.”

Chime!

The doorbell rang clearly through the coffee shop’s light music. The server looked up, but since he recognized Lu Ning and the girl with her, he simply nodded without coming over. Lu Ning acknowledged the polite, familiar greeting and led Mu Qiuyu to the counter where her laptop was.

She had left in a hurry, but the laptop remained where it was. Seeing it unharmed, Lu Ning couldn’t help but marvel: “The security here is great. I left my laptop here and no one stole it.”

Mu Qiuyu was unimpressed and gave her a look. “Why don’t you look at what’s directly across the street before you speak?”

Lu Ning followed Mu Qiuyu’s gaze to the police station directly opposite and laughed sheepishly. “Forgot, forgot.”

The constant flow of cars swept past, but the police station sat across the street like a stabilizing force, discouraging any thoughts of crime.

Thinking of this, Lu Ning turned to Mu Qiuyu. “Is everything finished? Was Cen Qin expelled?”

“Expelled.” Mu Qiuyu nodded indifferently. “Some of the things he used were contraband, and they found firearms and ammunition provided by Gao Yuan. Both he and Gao Yuan are being sent to a juvenile detention center for a while.”

“Now that is satisfying!” Lu Ning thought back to the vague protection offered by the Cen family and the No. 1 Principal at the start; this ending was a relief. As she spoke, she habitually picked up her half-finished coffee and took a sip.

This action prompted Mu Qiuyu to say: “Lu Ling.”

Lu Ning, unaware of what was about to happen, held her cup and gave a questioning “Hmm?” Her gaze was as innocent and unguarded as her voice.

But just as she spoke, Lu Ning suddenly noticed that in front of Mu Qiuyu sat the half-drunk coffee that Wutong had been having. Obviously, Mu Qiuyu had noticed it too. She looked at Lu Ning coldly.

“Who were you with just now?”

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