Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: “You Are Mine.”

The sunset enveloped the room with its massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows, bathing the teenagers’ laughing faces in a rosy glow. The vitality of youth diluted the lingering smell of disinfectant in the pet hospital. The little orange kitten was no longer afraid; under Lu Ning’s encouragement, she had even mustered the courage to interact with the humans.

Hearing the laughter echoing from the ward, Shi Jin, sitting in the lobby, cast a few glances toward the sound. Even though the Golden Shaded cat she had brought for neutering had already been taken to her car, the girl hadn’t left. In fact, bringing her own cat for surgery was secondary; visiting the kitten here was her primary goal.

Shi Jin listened to the soft voices from the ward, her expression slightly agitated.

—These people are constantly surrounding the kitten. Who knows when they’ll leave?

—Honestly, don’t they know a kitten needs quiet space to recover?

As she was thinking, a shadow fell over her head. She looked up sharply and saw Mu Qiuyu standing beside her. The girl didn’t look like she was in a good mood; she stood there with a cold, expressionless face, staring down at her.

Shi Jin swallowed hard. The memory of being dominated and crushed by Mu Qiuyu rushed back to her. But this time, Shi Jin felt that Mu Qiuyu’s displeasure wasn’t directed at her.

Mu Qiuyu stared at Shi Jin in silence for a while before speaking in a level tone: “You want to adopt this cat, don’t you?”

Surprise flickered in Shi Jin’s eyes. Not just because Mu Qiuyu hadn’t mocked her, but because she had seen right through her heart. Mu Qiuyu didn’t like beating around the bush, especially today.

Watching the girl’s expression, Mu Qiuyu continued: “It’s largely thanks to you that this cat survived. You rescued her. Don’t you want to keep her?”

How could Shi Jin not want to? She had sent her Golden Shaded for neutering precisely to prepare the household for a new arrival. What Mu Qiuyu and Li Xiang had said before was right, though it had taken her a while to realize it. The kitten had suffered too much; from the moment she pulled her out of that cage, she had wanted to protect her.

But did she have the right? The usually arrogant girl had lost her edge. Shi Jin’s gaze wavered as she looked up at Mu Qiuyu tentatively: “I… can I?”

Shi Jin sought affirmation, but Mu Qiuyu didn’t give her a definitive answer: “I don’t know.”

She looked at the girl expressionlessly, then asked coldly: “I didn’t see this reaction from you before. Why have you suddenly become so timid and fearful?”

This successfully stung Shi Jin’s pride. She lifted her head again, looking straight into Mu Qiuyu’s eyes, and shot back: “Who’s timid and fearful!”

Mu Qiuyu suddenly understood the meaning of the word “nostalgia.” Looking at the current Shi Jin, she suddenly let out a small laugh.

Despite the lack of verbal affirmation or comfort, Shi Jin suddenly understood Mu Qiuyu’s meaning. The girl’s eyes dazed for a moment under the senior’s scoff; then, she reined in her arrogance and nodded to Mu Qiuyu: “Fine, I know what to do.”

Then, speaking quickly and with a hint of tsundere pride, she said: “Thank you, Mu Qiuyu.”

Mu Qiuyu waved her hand dismissively: “Don’t mention it.”

She wasn’t some saint who believed in redemption and universal salvation. She simply had her own selfish reasons.

First love. Innocent playmates. Childhood sweethearts.

That cat was the one who told her minors aren’t allowed to date; why should the cat be the one to break that rule? Mu Qiuyu didn’t even realize that her mind was uncontrollably spawning some rather unreasonable thoughts.

Just as she let these thoughts spread, a cheerful compliment rang in her head: “This is what a qualified leader looks like—possessing a broad and forgiving heart.”

It was Lu Ling’s voice.

Mu Qiuyu frowned slightly. She looked down to see the black cat, who had been “lovey-dovey” with the kitten in the ward just moments ago, sauntering over with her big tail swaying, showering her with sweet flattery.

Mu Qiuyu remained unmoved. Her expression grew even colder than before as she looked at Lu Ning and hummed: “Don’t think too highly of me. I don’t have such a broad heart.”

Based on this morning’s lesson, Lu Ning could clearly tell that Mu Qiuyu was angry. But she didn’t understand why. Was it because she flattered her? She had flattered her before without this reaction.

The kitten’s tail swayed slower and slower, eventually standing straight up like an exclamation point—or a question mark. Her small brain couldn’t figure it out; she just felt that the Host’s heart was truly hard to read…

But Lu Ning didn’t have to worry for long. Her Host quickly gave her an answer: “Why can the words that kitten says also be translated into human language?”

Mu Qiuyu’s voice was cold, her gaze sharp. Lu Ning’s pupils dilated instantly. She suddenly realized that the function she had enabled for the kitten was meant to assist the Host.

“Because… to prove I could save her, I gave her that golden finger,” Lu Ning explained.

She should have mentioned this when Mu Qiuyu was checking the accounts. But at the time, Mu Qiuyu had discovered that her points didn’t balance, making Lu Ning feel guilty and forgetful.

This explanation did not thaw the ice in Mu Qiuyu’s eyes; instead, it made them deeper: “Why?”

“Because she has a psychological shadow regarding humans. You saw it,” Lu Ning reminded Mu Qiuyu of how the kitten had puffed up earlier. “So I enabled this function. She can understand humans and communicate with me in human speech. It also solidified my status as the ‘Kitten Immortal.’ It killed several birds with one stone.”

“Kitten Immortal?” Mu Qiuyu had heard the kitten call Lu Ling that earlier and couldn’t help but frown.

“Yeah.” Lu Ning hadn’t realized the point of Mu Qiuyu’s anger yet, assuming she just found the name childish. She laughed sheepishly. “I had to give her a reason to believe why I could speak human, right?”

Listening to Lu Ning’s explanation, a layer of a smile finally floated into Mu Qiuyu’s lowered eyes: “I see. You are quite the liar.”

Being praised for being a good liar is never a good thing, especially when it comes from Mu Qiuyu. Lu Ning’s heart skipped a beat. Realizing why Mu Qiuyu was upset, she scrambled to explain: “It’s not like that! I really just have no concept of money. I’m a spendthrift, so I don’t remember where it all goes…”

“And if I were really good at it, how would you have found out?”

Mu Qiuyu remained silent for a long time, but the pressure around her was no longer as heavy. Although Lu Ning’s words were a bit forced, the fact remained: this person’s acting was terrible. Let alone telling a sophisticated lie.

“Besides, if it weren’t for the Host, I wouldn’t be able to give the kitten such skills.”

“Without the Host, I wouldn’t make progress. It wasn’t me who saved the kitten; it was the Host.”

After finishing her explanation, she didn’t forget to end on a note of flattery. Mu Qiuyu watched the big tail swaying at her; the displeasure in her brow flickered but wasn’t heavy anymore. She still disliked being deceived—especially when someone used her own resources to deceive her.

But this kitten… somehow always managed to make her let it slide once or twice. Even Mu Qiuyu didn’t know what was wrong with her; whenever those crystal-blue eyes looked at her pleadingly, her heart softened with ease.

And yet, when she first returned to this world, the thing she hated most was that very spark of crystal-blue light.

Mu Qiuyu’s gaze was deep and obscure. She looked at the kitten for a long time before slowly asking: “Lu Ling, do you know the meaning of the phrase ‘artful words and an insinuating countenance’?”

How could Lu Ning not know? That was exactly what she was doing right now. But how could a kitten admit to being crafty? She only said: ” I only know that a system should unconditionally satisfy the Host’s requirements.”

Perhaps the word “unconditionally” was too tempting. Every time she heard Lu Ning say it, Mu Qiuyu’s brow would relax. Though, to think that a single promise could make her feel so much better was a bit pathetic.

Mu Qiuyu found a seat and sat down, saying meaningfully to Lu Ning: “That mouth of yours really should have been used when I was kidnapped.”

Lu Ning jumped onto the sofa and looked up at Mu Qiuyu. Mu Qiuyu’s tone was teasing, but through those smiling eyes, the kitten saw the lingering hatred regarding the kidnapping.

Lu Ning didn’t know why Mu Qiuyu hated that event so much, given that it hadn’t caused major lasting harm. But she also felt a sense of dissatisfaction and guilt, lowering her head: “I’m sorry, Host. The cat was too useless.”

“Was it that you were useless, or was I simply not worth mentioning to you back then?” Mu Qiuyu’s thoughts seemed to wander far, yet stayed fixed on one question. She asked softly, her voice cold and sharp. Like a madman, wanting to verify her concerns a thousand times over.

“How could you say that!” Lu Ning protested loudly, as if tossing the madman’s knife far away.

“Host, can you get your priorities straight? You are my Host, not some random kitten or puppy.” Lu Ning placed a paw on the back of Mu Qiuyu’s hand and told her seriously: “I can give my all to protect a kitten I barely know, let alone you.”

Lu Ning paused. The kitten held her head high, the silhouette cast by the fluorescent lights falling over Mu Qiuyu: “Besides, I truly did die for you once, didn’t I?”

In the kitten’s questioning voice, a tiny bell jingled. It was the small gold lock Mu Qiuyu had hung around Lu Ning’s neck. Mu Qiuyu, who had been trapped in a petty psychological state, froze.

The kitten before her was healthy and strong, with no trace of her former battered state. Having lived these peaceful days for so long, it seemed even Mu Qiuyu had forgotten how this kitten had once cast everything aside—before even figuring out how to use her “golden fingers”—to risk her life to protect her.

It was truly “groaning without being ill.” This was just a kitten; why did she feel that Lu Ling would be snatched away? What Lu Ling did for her was more than just shallow cuddling.

What was wrong with her? She had lost even her basic rationality.

“Heh.” With a scoff, Mu Qiuyu laughed. Deep darkness settled in the girl’s eyes, but there was a hint of a smile in the gloom. It was a look Lu Ning had never seen before.

The kitten looked up at this scene and was scared half to death, stammering: “Ho… Host…”

But Mu Qiuyu didn’t respond to the call. Instead, she said: “Lu Ling.”

“Yes, Host?” Lu Ning looked at her cautiously. She noticed the atmosphere around Mu Qiuyu was no longer as heavy as before.

“You aren’t a kitten, are you?” Mu Qiuyu asked.

Lu Ning found the question strange coming from Mu Qiuyu, but she nodded nonetheless: “Right, I’m your system.”

But as soon as the words left her mouth, Mu Qiuyu shook her head: “No. You aren’t a system either.”

“Then… then what am I?” Lu Ning’s heart hammered at the statement.

Mu Qiuyu said calmly: “You are mine.”

With that, she pulled the obedient kitten into her arms. The girl’s fingers combed through the cat’s fur, white skin overlapping black fur. If she were humming music right now, Lu Ning felt it would be something bright and cheerful.

But why? Lu Ning didn’t understand. Whether it was Mu Qiuyu’s sudden change in mood or that string of questions, Lu Ning found it all very strange. Why did she stop teasing her about being “human-like”?

As the kitten leaned confusedly yet obediently in her owner’s arms, her eyes suddenly widened. A sudden realization struck her—

Oh no. Her Host was pushed over the edge by her twice today. She’s gone crazy.

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