Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: She Wanted So Badly To Be With Mu Qiuyu…

The bright glass refracted the sunlight, casting long shadows across the counter.

A half-finished coffee cup sat on the table, its handle angled directly toward the laptop. Such an angle was peculiar; if two strangers were sharing a table, the cup wouldn’t be oriented toward the other person’s workspace.

This was a flaw Wutong had intentionally left for Mu Qiuyu. She didn’t care if it brought trouble to Lu Ning; she carried a gentle malice, relentlessly provoking the one who could move freely in the outside world.

And Mu Qiuyu walked right into the trap.

The moment the coffee cup entered her field of vision, Mu Qiuyu realized someone had sat here. That person had held this cup, conversing happily with Lu Ning. The sun had warmed the world into fluffiness, seemingly trapping the person’s scent in this small area. Mu Qiuyu caught a faint but strong fragrance, like Wutong leaves in midsummer.

The shadows of the trees across the street followed the light, sweeping over Lu Ning. Mu Qiuyu sat at the same angle Wutong had, feeling an unprovoked sense of being challenged rise from her heart. Her intuition told her that the person who had been sitting here felt something ambiguously flirtatious toward Lu Ning.

You see, they were the people in the world who understood each other best—even if Mu Qiuyu didn’t yet know Wutong existed.

But Lu Ning was no mind-reader. She was surprised and confused; how could a single cup of coffee lead to the conclusion that she had been sitting with someone else?

Lu Ning didn’t realize how much of a trail Wutong had left. She skillfully adopted a roundabout strategy, asking Mu Qiuyu back: “Why do you ask that?”

As the words fell, Mu Qiuyu’s calm pupils remained fixed on Lu Ning. She said nothing, only feeling that the phrase was all too familiar. Every time this person felt guilty, she would use this method of questioning back, trying to shift the topic.

Only this time, Mu Qiuyu lacked her usual patience. She didn’t want to go in circles; she urgently wanted to know who that person was. “Because this coffee is too close to you. If it were a stranger, the handle wouldn’t be pointed toward your computer.”

“Oh, right!” Lu Ning exclaimed upon hearing the reasoning. She was instantly floored by Mu Qiuyu’s deduction and annoyed that she hadn’t noticed the placement of the cup herself. The evidence was glaringly obvious! Fortunately, she hadn’t flat-out denied it yet, or she’d be finished.

“Oh… right?”

Mu Qiuyu looked at the person in front of her, who seemed a bit oblivious to the gravity of the situation, and tapped the coffee cup. She repeated Lu Ning’s seemingly excited exclamation, the gloomy emotions in her eyes becoming increasingly complex.

One second Lu Ning was floating in relief, and the next, she was jerked back by Mu Qiuyu’s emotionless repetition. Guilt spread through her mind like ripples in a pond. But then, her unreliable brain sparked with inspiration, prompting her to speak: “Does that mean someone touched my computer after I stepped away for a moment?!”

Perhaps due to her recent contact with Wutong’s exposed data, Lu Ning’s acting skills had improved. Her expression of shock was played with startling realism as she hurriedly opened her laptop.

Mu Qiuyu silently watched Lu Ning’s panicked expression, saying nothing. Realizing Mu Qiuyu’s gaze was fixed on her, Lu Ning felt a surge of nervousness. But she felt her explanation was reasonable enough and braced herself to keep acting: “If system secrets were leaked, I’d be in deep trouble. I have to do a self-check first.”

The keyboard clattered. Watching Lu Ning’s flying fingers, Mu Qiuyu only felt that the attempt to cover it up was glaringly obvious. She was indeed nervous—but not about a data leak.

“Then do your check. I’m going to order a coffee,” Mu Qiuyu said, standing up from the high stool.

“You can order on your phone,” Lu Ning tried to stop her, reaching for her own phone to place the order.

Mu Qiuyu refused coldly: “No need.” She looked calmly into Lu Ning’s eyes and told her, “I’m going to order at the counter.”

Those words struck Lu Ning’s heart, making her pulse race. She felt that Mu Qiuyu didn’t believe her deduction and feared she was going to the counter for more than just an order. But what could she ask? Did you see anyone else with her? What did they look like?

The people of this world didn’t know Wutong existed. They were two identical people. Thinking of this, Lu Ning’s typing slowed down. Her racing heart settled slightly; the dark computer screen reflected her face, which now held a hint of a smile at the realization she could bluff her way through with a “witness.”

“I see. Thank you.” Mu Qiuyu nodded to the server, her voice far from cheerful.

It went exactly as Lu Ning suspected; Mu Qiuyu had gone to the counter to probe. But the server naturally shook his head at her question, answering: “I only saw you with that lady.”

This wasn’t the answer Mu Qiuyu wanted. She didn’t think her judgment was wrong. If no one else had been with Lu Ling, why had she acted so guilty? The steam from the coffee wove a white barrier over Mu Qiuyu’s eyes. Her drink was ready; she took the tray and turned away indifferently.

Consequently, she failed to notice the server’s confused look after she left.

Wasn’t it just her who came in to find the girl in the beanie earlier? Why come back and ask if anyone else was looking for her? And for some reason, her expression earlier was much gentler than it is now—those dark eyes are so cold, I didn’t dare say much.

Maybe a couple’s quarrel. No wonder she left in such a hurry.

The server thought to himself, planning whether to send over a small dessert later to ease the atmosphere between the “young couple.”

While he was still choosing a dessert, the music in the cafe switched to a gentle jazz. The saxophone played a lingering tune as Lu Ning watched Mu Qiuyu walk back unhurriedly. The gloom on the girl’s face had lightened slightly.

Lu Ning proactively pulled out the chair for her. “See? No one else, right?”

Mu Qiuyu looked up at her. This person really couldn’t hide her emotions; the way the beanie over her ears twitched was the signature move of a “bad cat.”

“You look very happy,” Mu Qiuyu pointed out flatly.

“Of course,” Lu Ning nodded candidly. She didn’t fear Mu Qiuyu’s gaze as the server did; facing that black glacier, she smiled brilliantly.

“If you have a clear conscience, be more composed next time,” Mu Qiuyu said, sitting down.

“Oh,” Lu Ning nodded, her voice lacking the resonance it had a moment ago. Hearing those words, Lu Ning was suddenly reminded of the famous line: “What if I don’t have a clear conscience?”

The “bad cat’s” ears drooped inside her hat. Guilt began to grow wildly after the narrow escape. Although Lu Ning had a thousand reasons to justify her behavior—like Wutong’s claim that she would vanish if caught, or the need to maintain the hard-won trust between her and Mu Qiuyu—the essence of the matter remained. She had lied.

The smile on Lu Ning’s face, born from Mu Qiuyu’s trust, seemed to dry up in the sun, gradually hardening. She remembered the system manual stating that a system must be unconditionally honest and transparent with its host. She had failed. She had made a mess of it.

But she wasn’t a submissive system by nature. Why did she feel so guilty? Perhaps “deception” was simply inherently wrong. She had gone to great lengths to gloss over the truth, even using the server as an unwitting accomplice because Mu Qiuyu didn’t know the full story.

What was there to be happy about? It was wrong.

But could she stand by and let Mu Qiuyu erase Wutong? Wutong was the accumulation of the positive emotions Mu Qiuyu had suppressed. Lu Ning believed Mu Qiuyu needed her. She would help Mu Qiuyu accept those emotions and lead a better life.

And… she didn’t want to be ignored or abandoned again. She needed to be needed.

“Are you listening to me?” Lu Ning heard Mu Qiuyu’s voice through her inner struggle.

“Huh?” Lu Ning snapped her head up, her eyes blank.

“You’re spacing out,” Mu Qiuyu saw through her instantly and reminded her softly.

Lu Ning scratched her nose guiltily. “Um… the signal is bad. The system lagged for a second.”

Mu Qiuyu watched the gesture in silence, then asked, “Do I need to repeat what I just said?”

Lu Ning looked apologetic. “Sorry.”

“I’ll keep it simple then.” For some reason, Mu Qiuyu was in a rare good mood. She took a breath and summarized: “Li Xiang applied for a make-up exam, and the Principal agreed. Tomorrow, Saturday, we’ll take the exam with the international class.”

Lu Ning’s eyes lit up. “That’s great!” Then, her mind reacted quickly to even better news: “In that case, was the system’s punishment a mistake? Doesn’t it have to compensate you?”

Mu Qiuyu’s expression remained calm. Her throat, warmed by the hot drink, still sounded cool as she asked, “Is that so? Can the high-and-mighty system actually admit it made a mistake?” Her voice held a playful, mocking tone, showing her complete lack of trust.

Lu Ning knew Mu Qiuyu hadn’t trusted the system from the start, but she was different; she was a “lucky” human chosen by the main system. “Because you have me. I’ll help you.”

Lu Ning puffed out her chest in guarantee. After some clicking on the laptop, the screen showed she was drafting a document for her superiors. The action was swift and decisive. Through both words and actions, Mu Qiuyu felt validated by Lu Ning.

However, as she watched Lu Ning act so immediately for her sake, Mu Qiuyu habitually felt the urge to withdraw. She remembered her previous system saying similar things—crying “I’m your only one” and “Please trust me”—only to betray her without hesitation.

Was this person different? Even though she was clearly hiding something just now?

Mu Qiuyu thought that if she wanted to trust Lu Ning, she could simply forget what happened earlier. But the more she sought security, the more she chose to doubt once she found it. Then she would verify it over and over, tirelessly, until she reached a negative result—and finally drowned in the bathtub.

“Shall I ask for a bit more compensation for you?” Lu Ning’s voice rang out as Mu Qiuyu was about to sink into her self-destructive tendencies. Her eyes were sparkling with a mischievous glint. “We need to leave some room for negotiation. If the system rejects it, I can submit a new request.”

It was a basic negotiation tactic. Listening to her, Mu Qiuyu’s obscure emotions were slowly pulled back into reality. She looked at Lu Ning, who she thought wouldn’t know such things, and said, “You seem to suddenly understand these things quite well.”

“Because I’ve been reading books on game theory and psychology lately,” Lu Ning said with a bit of pride, her imaginary tail wagging.

Mu Qiuyu didn’t understand. “Why read that?”

“Because I want to help you,” Lu Ning said candidly, a trace of dissatisfaction on her face. “Last time, because I didn’t know anything, you got kidnapped and had to work so hard to escape. It was so embarrassing for a system.”

Lu Ning always brushed over unpleasant things. She tapped the computer and invited Mu Qiuyu warmly: “So, is there anything you want? I’ll definitely get it for you.”

Anything I want…

Perhaps Lu Ning’s invitation was too warm; Mu Qiuyu’s thoughts slowly gathered. She still felt the person was hiding something, and a voice in her mind began to clamor.

—”She doesn’t belong to you. She will leave sooner or later.”

—”You don’t even know her name. Why do you think you can possess her?”

The voice drew closer, scratching at her ears like long fingernails on glass. The girl’s calm brow suddenly furrowed, and the possessiveness she had experienced during the system punishment returned with a vengeance.

Once again, Mu Qiuyu reached across the table. But this time, she followed the hand Lu Ning was using to type and gripped her slender fingers. “You.”

The action was so abrupt that the ambiguity didn’t have time to climb; it was frozen by Lu Ning’s stunned expression. She didn’t understand what Mu Qiuyu meant and waited blankly for an explanation.

But then, something faster than Mu Qiuyu’s explanation appeared between them. Sunlight hit the counter as a heart-shaped mousse cake was placed down.

The server who had served Mu Qiuyu earlier stood before them, looking at the two holding hands with a polite and enthusiastic smile. “Hello, this is a new product developed by our shop. It’s on the house for a tasting. I wish you both a long life together and an everlasting love.”

Support