Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: She Was Jealous. Yet, She Was Indeed Pleased.

Winter nights come earlier than at any other time, and the world is soon swallowed by darkness.

The temperature of Mu Qiuyu’s palm was tinged with a chill; compared to Lu Ning’s warm wrist, it felt as though she had just stepped in from the biting cold outside. Lu Ning looked down at Mu Qiuyu sitting in the chair, feeling a cold wind at her back.

To be honest, Mu Qiuyu’s intuition was too accurate. Or was it that, just as Wutong could sense Mu Qiuyu’s actions, Mu Qiuyu could sense Wutong’s?

Lu Ning was right, but only partially. Mu Qiuyu couldn’t sense Wutong’s specific actions, but she could sense her emotions.

Earlier, while she was dining with high-level officials discussing the business at hand, a sudden surge of pleasure had bubbled up in her heart. She was too skilled at such social scenes; any stray emotion appearing at that time was abnormal. Mu Qiuyu quickly realized it wasn’t her own feeling. It was Wutong’s.

What did that person do to Lu Ning behind my back!

Until the deal was finalized and throughout the drive home as Mu Jingqin praised her, Mu Qiuyu’s face remained expressionless. After realizing Wutong’s existence, Mu Qiuyu experienced a very peculiar sensation for the first time. She thought this must be how Wutong felt in the inner world whenever Mu Qiuyu interacted with Lu Ning.

She was jealous. Yet, she was indeed pleased.

Even though she hadn’t had physical contact with Lu Ning herself, the pleasure of the kiss was clearly etched on the tip of her tongue. Her lips licked the champagne; floating bubbles burst one by one against her tongue, fine and dense, keeping her possessiveness in a strange state of equilibrium. Mu Qiuyu knew that Lu Ning still belonged to her.

“Are you angry?” Lu Ning noticed the change in Mu Qiuyu’s eyes and took the initiative to move closer, cupping Mu Qiuyu’s face with warm hands.

“I only understood today why you said she is me.” Mu Qiuyu rested her cheek in Lu Ning’s hand. She reached out to wrap an arm around Lu Ning’s waist, telling her pointedly: “I’m not angry. Just… not satisfied enough.”

Lu Ning was puzzled by the first sentence, but the second confirmed her earlier deduction. She had the “correct answer” now and followed the lead smoothly, leaning down to kiss Mu Qiuyu.

The girl’s knee rested on the chair, pressing her warmth against the inside of Mu Qiuyu’s leg. The moment their lips touched, Mu Qiuyu’s “appetite”—which had been hollowed out by a desire she could feel but not taste—was filled by Lu Ning’s initiative.

Perhaps because she had suppressed it for too long, a tiny spark sent Mu Qiuyu’s blood boiling. She tilted her head back to accept Lu Ning’s soft pecks. She felt lucky she was sitting down; the moment Lu Ning’s tongue touched hers, Mu Qiuyu uncontrollably tightened her grip on Lu Ning’s waist.

The quiet night held no sound save for the rhythmic drip-drip of melting snow outside. But kissing has a sound of its own. After their lips had been rubbed together for a good while, Mu Qiuyu was still craving more, but Lu Ning ended it early.

As if for the sake of fairness, Lu Ning looked at the dissatisfaction hidden in Mu Qiuyu’s misty eyes and told her: “Only this much. You left her so much homework that she spent the whole day writing; she didn’t have time to play with me at all.”

Hearing this, a hint of a smile finally broke through the dissatisfaction in Mu Qiuyu’s eyes. She felt smug and satisfied, saying: “I know.”

However, even though Mu Qiuyu had pranked Wutong, Lu Ning still added: “But I think she was still very happy. After all, she’s been in the inner world for all these years. Today was likely the most contact she’s ever had with people.”

Mu Qiuyu lowered her gaze. She could also sense Wutong’s yearning for the world because she felt that same lightness in her own heart. It was a sensation she had never felt before—the whole person felt buoyant. Mu Qiuyu hadn’t expected to experience such a feeling through another version of herself.

She paused for a moment, as if thinking deeply, then said to Lu Ning: “You can ask her. If she wants, she can come out again and attend school in my place.”

“Really!” Lu Ning was surprised.

“You’re that happy?” Mu Qiuyu watched Lu Ning’s reaction and lowered her eyelashes.

“Don’t be jealous of everyone, okay?” Lu Ning touched Mu Qiuyu’s face, tracing her earlobe down to her neck. “I’m just happy for Wutong. You don’t know—her space in there is tiny.”

“Oh,” Mu Qiuyu replied, still sounding cold.

Seeing this, Lu Ning shifted the focus back to Mu Qiuyu: “And this makes things a lot easier for you, right? If you’re both happy, I’m even happier.”

Lu Ning understood Mu Qiuyu more and more and knew how to coax her. Mu Qiuyu looked at Lu Ning’s “kindergarten teacher” act and didn’t really want to play along. But after a thought, she rested her face in Lu Ning’s embrace, as if “recharging”: “Mm, things have been busy lately. It would be easier if Wutong came out. Keep an eye on her for me; don’t let her cause trouble.”

“Mission accomplished!” Lu Ning promised, her voice full of joy—though whether it was for Mu Qiuyu learning to share her burdens or for Wutong being able to enter the real world was unclear. That lack of clarity left Mu Qiuyu feeling slightly unsatisfied.

Lu Ning was tucking a strand of hair behind Mu Qiuyu’s ear when she was suddenly pulled down by the neck. Though they were the same person, Mu Qiuyu’s kiss was more mature than Wutong’s. Before prying open Lu Ning’s teeth, she liked to nip at Lu Ning’s upper lip; every time her teeth grazed the lip, a current of electricity shot down Lu Ning’s spine.

But lips are soft. After the tiny sting, Mu Qiuyu would follow up with a gentle kiss. Her lips were moist, enveloping Lu Ning as if savoring a most cherished delicacy. Lu Ning felt her face burning up layer by layer, feeling as if she were about to be devoured whole.

As a car’s headlights flashed outside the window, Lu Ning—dizzy from the kiss—turned back into a cat in Mu Qiuyu’s arms.

Drip, drip.

Late at night, all was silent. Mu Qiuyu heard the sound of dripping water and opened her eyes. In her dream, she had returned to the pitch-black world she had walked through before.

This darkness was so familiar that she felt no panic. She easily realized what was happening, stood up, and walked toward the depths of the void. After a short walk, a line of white light appeared in the darkness, just as she remembered. Mu Qiuyu walked over and saw the white world beyond the light.

The “other her” was sitting opposite. She wore the same dress as last time, but instead of a cat, she was holding a textbook. She was boredly flipping through the Chinese book she had brought from school. Based on the page count, she had been waiting a long time.

The first thing Wutong said when she noticed Mu Qiuyu was: “You’re late.”

Mu Qiuyu remained expressionless, giving a faint “Mm,” and said: “I was delayed being with Lu Ning.”

There was no need for excessive explanation between them. Wutong knew exactly what “delayed” meant. However, just as Mu Qiuyu was displeased by Wutong kissing Lu Ning, Wutong felt the same.

She remarked: “I’m going to merge with you sooner or later. Don’t be so stingy. And by targeting me like this, you’re only making things hard for Lu Ning.”

Mentioning Lu Ning made Mu Qiuyu’s heart soften. She suddenly realized she now had a weakness in this world that could actually restrain her. Mu Qiuyu lowered her gaze. She knew this would be an endless debate; neither of them loved Lu Ning less than the other.

Mu Qiuyu changed the subject, going straight to the point: “Why did you want to see me today?”

“Nothing special. Since you know I exist, shouldn’t we meet and talk?” Wutong said gently, without any confrontational edge.

“True,” Mu Qiuyu agreed. She looked at the scene, identical to the last time, and asked: “So, did you manipulate things to make us meet last time too?”

Wutong shook her head: “That time, a passage appeared in the Main System. I just followed its instructions. However,” Wutong gave a proud smile, “I quickly learned the principle behind it.”

“You’re smart,” Mu Qiuyu offered a rare positive evaluation.

“So are you,” Wutong returned the compliment, saying in a gentle voice, “It’s been hard work running around lately. You’ve done very well this time.”

Mu Qiuyu knew Wutong was comparing her current progress to her previous life. She had indeed realized her past shortcomings and arrogance during recent social interactions.

But… Mu Qiuyu narrowed her eyes and said: “Stop looking at me with that scrutinizing gaze.”

Wutong couldn’t help but smile and asked: “Is there anything you need my help with?”

The conversation finally hit the main track. Mu Qiuyu said directly: “Go to school disguised as me to mislead Su Qinghang.”

“And?” Wutong prompted.

Mu Qiuyu thought to herself that Wutong truly was her. She added: “Help me protect Lu Ning.”

Even though Lu Ning was a system, Mu Qiuyu wasn’t at ease. Su Qinghang was no ordinary opponent; he was insane and lacked all humanity. She had only recently discovered that Uncle Chen, who had kidnapped her before, had actually been instructed by someone else. That person was Su Qinghang. Mu Qiuyu didn’t keep Lu Ning by her side because she feared a repeat of the past.

“Did that banquet make Su Qinghang notice A-Ning?” Wutong asked.

Mu Qiuyu showed a rare moment of oversight: “It was my mistake.”

“But we can’t just watch A-Ning get bullied,” Wutong comforted her. “Leave it to me.”

“Thank you,” Mu Qiuyu said quietly, feeling a sense of relief.

At that moment, Wutong reached across the boundary of black and white and placed her hand on Mu Qiuyu’s head: “Being so polite? I’m almost not used to it.” Her boldness was identical to Mu Qiuyu’s, her tone teasing as if speaking to a child.

Wutong was still teasing when Mu Qiuyu suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. At the intersection of black and white, two identical faces were reflected. Mu Qiuyu studied Wutong’s face, appraising the reflection: “You really do look exactly like me.”

Surprise flashed in Wutong’s eyes, but it soon turned into the same expression as Mu Qiuyu’s. She broke into a slow smile: “Because I am you.”

Eyes locking, Mu Qiuyu gave a cold, final instruction: “Protect her.”

Wutong replied with equal seriousness: “Don’t worry.”

“I think A-University’s Science and Engineering department is good too.”

“But their score threshold dropped last year. I wonder if more people will apply this year.”

“It should be fine. Fill it in first and see.”

“You’re definitely going abroad, right?”

“Yeah, the preparations are almost done.”

On the way home from school, Li Xiang pulled Wutong and Pei Yinyue into a discussion about the class meeting where they had to report their university preferences. After playing Mu Qiuyu for several days, Wutong was already well-versed in the role. She chatted smoothly with Li Xiang and Pei Yinyue; even Pei Yinyue didn’t realize Mu Qiuyu had been replaced.

Lu Ning, nestled in Wutong’s arms, listened to the discussion and couldn’t help but imagine everyone’s future. With Li Xiang’s personality, she would do well anywhere. She wondered if Li Xiang would keep playing music—she was so suited for the stage. And Pei Yinyue was going abroad; would she meet the original male and female leads there? Mu Qiuyu’s story had been moved up, and she wasn’t at odds with Pei Yinyue anymore—surely she wouldn’t become Mu Qiuyu’s enemy again? Would Mu Qiuyu recruit her and make her a capable assistant?

All the question marks about Pei Yinyue floated in the future, naturally leading Lu Ning to think of Mu Qiuyu. Now Mu Qiuyu had clear goals and plans. Lu Ning knew she wouldn’t walk toward the ending of the original text—her previous life. If she chose to cooperate with Pei Yinyue, it would surely be a perfect partnership.

It seemed everyone’s future was worth looking forward to…

With this thought, Lu Ning looked at Wutong. Wutong didn’t show much enthusiasm for the topic. She listened to the others without offering her own thoughts, her cold demeanor identical to Mu Qiuyu’s.

Right. She had no choice. Wherever Mu Qiuyu went, she would go.

Sensing Wutong’s mood, Lu Ning rubbed her head against Wutong’s chin. The kitten’s furry face shielded the human’s face from the cold wind, helping her relax.

“Tongtong, I want fried mushrooms.”

Steam wafted from a snack stall—a classic winter sight. Lu Ning saw the cozy scene and wanted Wutong to experience it. Diverted by Lu Ning, Wutong looked at the stall with empty seats. She was clearly more interested in something she actually had the power to choose: “Let’s sit down and talk.”

“Sure!” Li Xiang agreed; she was already hungry.

They picked up baskets and began selecting skewers. Li Xiang and Pei Yinyue naturally gravitated toward each other. Lu Ning took the initiative to go to the other side with Wutong, gossiping in her mind: “Youth is so great. I wonder when they’ll get together? Graduation?”

Thinking of this, Lu Ning thought of her own career and sighed: “I didn’t expect the first student I’d truly lead to graduation would be Tongtong.”

The mission had progressed to 50% of the final main quest. Lu Ning felt her “Reforming the Villain” plan was very successful.

“Teacher Lu has done a great job,” Wutong scratched Lu Ning’s chin, praising her affectionately.

Lu Ning accepted the praise, tilting her head up: “I feel like I could leave now and be at peace.”

Lu Ning spoke happily, then realized what a jinx she was being. She curled into Wutong’s arms and spat three times to ward off bad luck: “I don’t want to leave! I haven’t seen you go to college yet, or seen you escape the ending of your previous life.”

However, whether because the topic was unlucky or not, an inexplicable sense of unease rose in her. When the mission hadn’t progressed before, she worried about the mission and wanted Mu Qiuyu to finish it quickly so she could go back. But now that the end was in sight, she worried the Main System would force her to leave.

“I still want to stay in this world a bit longer,” the cat thought, leaning into Wutong’s warm embrace with reluctance.

The kitten’s breath was heavy, curling around Wutong’s fingers. Wutong sensed the anxiety and gently patted Lu Ning’s head: “Don’t be afraid. We will protect you.”

Wutong didn’t want Lu Ning to worry, so she quickly changed the subject: “Don’t worry about things that haven’t happened. A-Ning, tell me what your university life was like.”

“Mine?” Lu Ning followed the lead into her memories. “My university life was pretty ordinary. I got into a normal university with friends, joined campus activities to earn credits, and then interned at the high school where my father taught during my senior year.”

“Did A-Ning really want to be a teacher?” Wutong listened to the mundane story, an unreadable emotion in her eyes.

“Why ask that?” Lu Ning looked at her, then remembered: “Did I tell you before? That I hated my dad, hated the teaching profession, thought it was too preachy, and didn’t want to be like that?”

Wutong nodded.

“So we met at that time,” Lu Ning realized. That was what she always said in her first year of high school. Back then, she was in a rebellious phase; her mother’s absence and her father’s rigidity made her desperate to escape that home and the path her father had meticulously paved for her.

Her voice filled with deeper realization: “So… that’s how it was.”

“How what was?” Wutong looked into the cat’s deep crystal-blue eyes, even more puzzled.

Lu Ning looked up at the girl with excitement, seeing the face that was becoming clearer in her own memory: “Later, the reason I wanted to be a teacher was that I had a thought deep in my heart—that I wanted to save someone. But I could never remember who that person was. I only knew that since I couldn’t be her family, I had to be her teacher.”

As Wutong heard this, fragmented memories flashed in her mind. She realized it wasn’t just her who had been waiting; Lu Ning had been walking toward her all along.

“So, meeting you was always destiny,” Wutong said softly, hugging Lu Ning as if trying to merge her into her own body.

“Yeah,” Lu Ning nodded, her heart full. She loved the feeling of one person threading through her entire life. She used to think she had no past with Mu Qiuyu, but that wasn’t true; she had participated in and influenced the important turning points of her life.

But then, Lu Ning grew confused again: “But why did I want to save the ‘you’ of that time?”

Wutong took a deep breath, struggling against the system’s constraints, and forced out three words: “Su. Qing. Hang.”

Lu Ning was stunned: “Didn’t he always pretend so well in front of you?”

Wutong shook her head: “No. I saw it. I saw the scene where he killed the little black cat.”

The girl’s eyes held emotions she didn’t want to recall, mixed with messy memories that caused her pain. Mu Qiuyu’s memories weren’t continuous in Wutong’s mind. These were fragments that had escaped the system’s deletion; the deeper she went, the more it hurt.

Lu Ning quickly reached out with her paws and head, gently brushing Wutong’s cheek, trying to soothe her pain with animal tenderness. The cat’s wet, warm nose did indeed make Wutong feel better. She looked at Lu Ning’s worried expression and curled her pale lips into a smile: “Little cat, thank you.”

“You said it yourself, no ‘thank you’ between us,” Lu Ning said, playfully pawing at Wutong’s fingers.

“Then how about two orders of fried mushrooms?” Wutong gestured with the skewers.

Lu Ning was delighted, rubbing against Wutong’s face: “Meow~”

Wutong picked many things Lu Ning liked, and the small basket soon became a mountain. Lu Ning was salivating at the food, but her mind—running a separate thread—was still thinking about a problem.

“I just don’t understand. When Su Qinghang was abusing the cat, weren’t you only in primary school? But I met you when you were in your second year of high school…”

Lu Ning was utterly confused, feeling as if the space-time memories between her and Mu Qiuyu were misaligned. But before she could reach a conclusion, her vision was snatched away by a sudden flash of light.

“SCREEECH—!!!”

Amidst the sharp, piercing sound of tires skidding, a silver-gray private car was careening out of control toward them.

The people at the snack stall hadn’t even realized the accident was coming when Lu Ning leapt from Wutong’s arms. The kitten’s instinctive reaction was swift; she jumped down to stand in front of her mistress.

Lu Ning reacted even faster than the system prompt. The moment she saw the car, she knew it was targeting Wutong. No—it was targeting Mu Qiuyu.

That scum Su Qinghang was willing to sacrifice innocent children on the scene just to kill his daughter.

Lu Ning urgently mobilized the internal system programs to stop the car. She had to protect her host. She had to protect her lover.

But just as Lu Ning activated the protection protocol, a prompt popped into her vision:

[The protection shield can protect all humans on the scene, but it is estimated that it will consume ALL of the system’s (your) energy. Do you wish to proceed?]

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