Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Tasting It For Oneself Is More Beautiful Than Tasting It In Memory…

Looking at the person holding her in their palm, Lu Ning felt as if her pressure points had been struck. “Mu Qiuyu’s” voice wasn’t loud, but it hit the little hedgehog right in the forehead.

—This person is not Mu Qiuyu.

—This is Wutong!

After freezing for a long moment, Lu Ning finally regained her ability to move. She looked at Wutong, who had appeared in the real world, in disbelief and asked, “How did you get out?”

“Not welcome?” Wutong asked back gently. The girl’s clean eyes were smiling as she appraised the little hedgehog in her hand, finding the situation of talking to an animal quite novel. It was as if the story she had told had truly become reality.

Faced with such a question, how could Lu Ning say she wasn’t welcome? She was just worried; the last time Wutong came to this world, it was because Mu Qiuyu was suffering from a system punishment. This time…

“She’s fine,” Wutong said coldly, as if sensing the worry on the little hedgehog’s face. “I simply discovered a passage from the Inner World to here.” Despite her reluctance to explain, Wutong told Lu Ning how she managed to arrive.

Hearing this, Lu Ning felt relieved. Since the system was unreliable, bugs were common—as long as Mu Qiuyu was okay. Thinking of this, another concern popped into Lu Ning’s head: “Let me see your leg.”

“There’s… nothing to see.” Wutong grew guilty and closed her hand slightly around the hedgehog to stop her.

But Lu Ning wasn’t a real hedgehog; her movements were much more agile. With a few twists, she escaped Wutong’s palm, leaving behind a few perfectly tart-and-sweet wild berries.

The hot summer wind swept across the wild fields. Despite Wutong’s attempts to hide it, Lu Ning smelled the scent of rust as she neared the hem of the skirt. As a small hedgehog, Lu Ning’s vision was limited; when the skirt fluttered in the wind, her world was shrouded in white.

For a second, Lu Ning was lost, but the scent of blood guided her. She noticed the blood-drenched ankle. The shackle that used to be fixed there was gone, making the wound look even more gruesome. Lu Ning raised a paw to check but stopped, realizing her claws were too sharp for such a task.

“Did you walk all this way like this?” Lu Ning looked up at Wutong.

“It’s fine,” Wutong pretended to be relaxed, gently stroking Lu Ning’s face. “It only looks scary; I don’t feel pain at all.”

Lu Ning wasn’t stupid; such a claim could only be a lie. “It’s not worth it,” she shook her head, her face full of annoyance. “The thing you should cherish most is your own body. You shouldn’t hurt yourself like this, no matter who it’s for.”

Faced with this fierce scolding, Wutong’s gaze remained tender. Instead of feeling regret, she actually looked happy. “Does A-Ning feel sorry for me too?”

Wutong knelt on the ground. She opened her hand, still holding the berries, and offered a treat to the angry Lu Ning. “I thought you only cared about her.”

“I worry about both of you, okay?” Lu Ning resisted the temptation of the berries, turned her head away solemnly, and stated her stance.

Satisfied with the answer, Wutong stuffed a berry into Lu Ning’s paw and said with a smile, “Fine, I’ll be more careful next time, A-Ning.”

Lu Ning didn’t think the promise was sincere. She pawed at Wutong’s finger and pressed further: “Tell me, what did it feel like walking here?”

“It hurt a lot at first, then I got used to it,” Wutong recalled, her gentle eyes on Lu Ning. “And the thought that I would see A-Ning once I reached the real world made the pain disappear.”

Few people had ever said such things to Lu Ning. Wutong’s directness left her unsure of how to react.

“Don’t be like that,” Wutong said, stroking Lu Ning’s face. She didn’t want Lu Ning to worry. “It really doesn’t hurt. I’m used to it, A-Ning.”

Under the girl’s soothing touch, Lu Ning’s guilt softened slightly. Then she noticed the new nickname: “Can I ask… why do you call me A-Ning?”

“Did the… old me tell you to call me that?” Lu Ning guessed.

Wutong froze. A flicker of something like guilt flashed in her eyes before she suppressed it. “Yes. I call you A-Ning, and you call me Xiao Tong.”

“Xiao… Tong.” Lu Ning repeated the name softly. It felt awkward and unfamiliar, not like something she would usually say. Does the disappearance of memory also take away the sense of familiarity?

“The berries A-Ning picked are sweet. Can I have more?” Wutong interrupted her thoughts “timely.” Her eyes were bright as she enjoyed the tart fruit. Coming from the sterile white world of Mu Qiuyu’s memories, she was curious about everything.

Lu Ning pulled out a mulberry. “Try this.”

Wutong took the tiny grape-like fruit. “Mulberry?” The delicate fruit stained her fingers and the corner of her mouth purple-red. Lu Ning was about to tell her to wipe it, but Wutong’s tongue darted out and licked the color away, turning the messy purple into a crystal-clear sheen.

Was it intentional? Lu Ning didn’t know, but Wutong smiled at her slowly.

“It tastes better than it does in memory,” Wutong said softly. “The coffee, the jujubes… everything. I’ve found that eating it myself is much more delicious than tasting it in a memory.”

“Really?” Lu Ning bit into a jujube, thinking it wasn’t as good as she remembered.

“Of course.” Wutong nodded, her gaze meaningful. Seeing Lu Ning run toward her in person was much more beautiful than seeing her through Mu Qiuyu’s eyes. “Can I have some more?”

“Eat up!” Lu Ning wasn’t stingy. She pulled out a handful from her system space. “Plenty more where that came from.”

“Thank you.” Wutong took three berries, their red color reflecting the greed in her eyes. She loved the idea of sharing what was supposed to belong exclusively to Mu Qiuyu. “A-Ning, can you show me around this world?”

Lu Ning hesitated. “Didn’t you say you can’t let Mu Qiuyu realize you exist?”

“A-Ning, I won’t get caught.” Wutong used Mu Qiuyu’s face to look at Lu Ning, her cold expression identical to the real Mu Qiuyu. “I’ve never left the Inner World all these years. Last time I came out, I didn’t get to look around. I dream of A-Ning taking me out to play every night, but I always wake up to a hollow world.”

Lu Ning realized this was the biggest difference between Wutong and Mu Qiuyu. Mu Qiuyu would never show such vulnerability, but Wutong could.

“Fine, we’ll look around nearby. Mu Qiuyu has practice at 3:00, I have to be back by then.”

Wutong’s face flashed with momentary dissatisfaction, but it vanished instantly. She beamed and scooped Lu Ning up. “Thank you, A-Ning!”

Cunning seemed to be a core skill of every Mu Qiuyu. Despite agreeing to stay nearby, Wutong used Mu Qiuyu’s ID to walk straight into the Youth Games venue.

“Wu—” The hedgehog poked its head out to protest but was pushed back. “Be good. Pets aren’t allowed inside.”

Wutong smiled at the security guard and handed back the pen. Since her ID matched, they let her into the shooting range.

“Wutong, what are you doing?” Lu Ning struggled out of her pocket once they were in the corridor.

“I want to try the things you’ve done with her,” Wutong answered calmly, winking. There was no fear of being discovered; instead, there was a playful sense of defiance.

Wutong brushed Lu Ning’s face. “A-Ning will cover for me, won’t she?”

The shooting hall was quiet since most students were still settling in. Wutong skillfully used Mu Qiuyu’s ID to check out a gun and walked to the range. She held the gun with a gaze parallel to the sights. Her usual tenderness was replaced by a familiar, expressionless focus.

“BANG!” 10.7

“BANG!” 10.7

“BANG!” 10.8

“BANG!” 10.9

Lu Ning was stunned by the increasing accuracy. “Have you practiced this?”

“Am I good?” Wutong smiled at her.

“Very good. Honestly, Mu Qiuyu might not even beat you in terms of accuracy.”

This seemed to please Wutong immensely. “Of course.” Then she pouted. “What do you mean ‘in terms of accuracy’? Is there something else she’s better at?”

“She doesn’t pause when she shoots,” Lu Ning answered honestly. Wutong had paused for about twenty seconds between shots.

Wutong’s eyes flared with a childish competitiveness. “A-Ning, next time I’ll be faster than her.”

Lu Ning tried to diffuse the tension. “You don’t have to be better at everything. Are you going to build a simulated shooting range in the Inner World now?”

“If you’ll visit often, I don’t mind turning my domain into a shooting range,” Wutong said softly. “Would you like that?”

“I still like the telescope you gave me better,” Lu Ning said, climbing onto Wutong’s shoulder.

“Because you can see the stars and the flowers?”

Lu Ning shook her head. “Because you gave it to me.”

Wutong’s heart began to pound rapidly. She fell silent for a long time before saying, “You said that to me before. You said I don’t have to compare myself to others; as long as I do my best, you’ll treasure it.”

Lu Ning felt a swirl of emotion. She was now desperate to find those lost memories. Maybe if she found them, Mu Qiuyu would change. She would accept Wutong and her own emotions. Saving Mu Qiuyu was Lu Ning’s task—and her will.

Suddenly, crystal-blue electronic particles began to drift in the air. “Are you… leaving again?” Lu Ning gripped the girl’s shoulder.

Wutong gently placed Lu Ning on a table. Her lips were pale as she whispered, “Will you come back to the Inner World soon?”

Before Lu Ning could answer, Wutong vanished. Only her voice remained: “A-Ning, I had a very happy day today.”

The sound of girls talking came from outside. Mu Qiuyu was coming!

Lu Ning immediately went into crisis mode. She cut the power to the electronic scoreboard to clear the record of Wutong’s shots. Then, she spent one point to black out the security cameras and scurried back to the armory to return the gun.

“Much easier than clearing coffee cups,” Lu Ning sighed as she walked out. She bumped into the real Mu Qiuyu on her way out of the range.

“…Host.” Lu Ning called out cautiously.

Mu Qiuyu picked up the little hedgehog. “Who else would it be?”

“No one! I would never misidentify my Host!” Lu Ning shouted.

Mu Qiuyu frowned at the overly intense reaction and lifted the hedgehog’s face. “Are you drunk from eating berries?”

“No!” Lu Ning shook her head.

“Good. Were they tasty?”

“Yes! Host, try some.” Lu Ning offered a red jujube.

Mu Qiuyu looked at the silly hedgehog with her white belly exposed and felt her heart soften. “Are they sour?” She popped it into her mouth. It was very sour and astringent, even a bit bitter, but she loved it. “We should pick more before we leave.”

“I can go many times! I’ll make sure Host eats delicious fruit every day,” Lu Ning said excitedly.

Mu Qiuyu poked her belly. “Lu Ling, do you want to pick fruit for me, or do you just want to play outside?”

Lu Ning curled into a ball in embarrassment. “Host!”

“Cute,” Mu Qiuyu laughed.

The two chatted as they entered the shooting range. Mu Qiuyu went to scan her card to open the door. Lu Ning pointed to the slot. “There’s a card slot here, Host. It also supports facial recognition~”

“Good job,” Mu Qiuyu praised and swiped her card.

“Welcome to the shooting range. We wish you a good score.”

The mechanical voice rang out. But before Mu Qiuyu could look away from the machine, a row of scores appeared in the info box below her photo:

“10.7, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.9.”

“Time: 13:26.”

Just twenty minutes ago.

The scores, which clearly didn’t belong to her, felt like a provocation. Mu Qiuyu’s gaze darkened instantly. She looked at the little hedgehog.

“Lu Ling, pull up the usage logs for my ID card. Now.”

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