Did I Succeed in Redeeming the Villain Today? - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Rebirth

How could anyone say Lu Ning did this on purpose?

She was filled with a thousand—no, ten thousand—grievances. That damn system mission had been issued to Mu Qiuyu directly without even seeking her confirmation first.

She wanted to find the Main System and ask if it was doing this on purpose, or if it simply didn’t trust her at all!

The sunset was spread thinly across the window side of the classroom. Under the swaying shadows, the light of the small ball seemed to fluctuate between brightness and dimness.

Suddenly, Lu Ning realized the benefit of pretending to be a system.

Having just been “adjusted” by Mu Qiuyu, she didn’t need to explain or clarify. She only had to fly to Mu Qiuyu’s side and tell her: “Host, please do not misunderstand. This is a main mission generated by the system based on the Host’s current situation. It is the standard for the Host to reach the goal of a complete life.”

However, despite Lu Ning’s notification about the mission’s importance, the coldness on Mu Qiuyu’s face didn’t fade one bit.

She stared at Lu Ning, her indifferent gaze carrying an inexplicable firmness: “I won’t do it.”

“The Host will be punished,” Lu Ning reminded her, pointing to the line of text at the bottom of the mission box.

“Then tell me, what kind of punishment will I receive?” Mu Qiuyu countered. “No matter the punishment, my life won’t be in danger, right?”

“Your mission is to make my life ‘complete.’ If I die accidentally before reaching that goal, it would run completely counter to the mission’s original purpose.”

“Since my life isn’t at risk, why should I listen to you?”

The last rays of the sunset hung at the back door of the classroom, clearly outlining Mu Qiuyu’s slightly upturned chin.

Her voice carried a sense of absolute certainty. Disdain and indifference were interwoven in her eyes. When she looked at the system—represented by Lu Ning—it was as if she were looking at something so tiny it was beneath notice.

Mu Qiuyu didn’t give Lu Ning a chance to argue; she turned and left the classroom immediately.

The sunset chased after the girl’s straight silhouette, but ahead of her lay a vast expanse of darkness.

The hallway lights flickered on one by one following her footsteps. As Mu Qiuyu walked through the boundary of light and shadow, Lu Ning watched her from behind and felt that, at this moment, she finally looked a bit like a girl her age.

Except, that “look” was the one she dreaded most: a rebellious teenager.

Lu Ning was choked up by Mu Qiuyu’s logic. Her entire ball-self was wrapped in distress, but more than that, she admired her.

This girl thought exactly like a student looking for loopholes; she had managed to hamstring the system with just a few sentences.

Lu Ning was incredibly envious. She wished she had a brain like Mu Qiuyu’s so that when she returned to her original world, she could shut down all those annoying people and regulations.

But admiration aside, she still had to convince Mu Qiuyu to do the main mission.

The moment they stepped out of the school gates, chaotic sounds flooded in from all directions.

Traffic flowed endlessly on the streets. Groups of boys and girls in school uniforms walked together, while Mu Qiuyu stood alone at the bus stop, waiting for her specific bus.

Lu Ning stayed quietly by her side. Watching the tide of cars, she began to understand why the system set this mission.

Everyone’s life is composed of one bond after another. Mu Qiuyu had very few bonds right now, and the ones she did have were negative. She needed positive bonds; she needed a good friend.

The wind blew through the cherry trees on the street, and a few petals brushed against Mu Qiuyu’s skirt. She looked down at the fallen petals, but before she could do anything, her bus arrived.

She stood up to queue. The petals on her skirt couldn’t stay; they were swept away by the wind.

The peak after-school hour had passed, so the bus wasn’t crowded. The on-board TV played advertisements, flickering intermittently due to a poor signal.

Mu Qiuyu seemed to have nothing to do, so she leaned back against the seat and gazed out the window.

Lu Ning felt this was an opportunity. She gathered her courage and hovered close to Mu Qiuyu, trying to “sell” the idea: “Host, I think you should reconsider the mission. Putting aside the benefits of making friends, the mission reward is 1000 points. You can exchange them for many items in the Mall.”

“Do you want to see what you can get with those points?”

Lu Ning watched Mu Qiuyu’s face tentatively.

The girl’s thin lips remained closed. Her dull gaze shifted unhurriedly toward the ball. She didn’t speak, but it seemed like a silent permission.

Lu Ning couldn’t fully read her, but she figured opening the Mall for her wouldn’t hurt. It was just a catalog page; there wouldn’t be anything scary inside.

Taking this as a “yes,” Lu Ning opened the Mall.

A crystal-blue light filled their vision. Lu Ning looked at the items displayed and felt a sense of vertigo.

Everything a human could want was there: from houses and cars to pets and companions…

This wasn’t just a store; it was a collection of human desires!

“Holy cow, is this heaven?” Lu Ning couldn’t help but exclaim.

Finally, a spark of emotion appeared in Mu Qiuyu’s eyes. However, she wasn’t looking at the Mall page, but at the ball glowing with surprise: “You didn’t know?”

“I…” Lu Ning froze.

She hadn’t expected herself to be so unrefined, nor had she expected Mu Qiuyu to be so sharp.

She couldn’t let herself hinder the mission. If she explained, the topic would definitely go off track. After a struggle, she used the most direct method of distraction, pointing at a row of unreleased gray icons: “Wow! Host, look! There’s a Reality Alteration Card here!”

She pulled up the description of the card and read it in her best saleswoman voice: “With this, you can change things that have already happened in reality! This is easily the most practical item currently shown in the Mall.”

The transition was incredibly clunky. Mu Qiuyu watched Lu Ning’s exaggerated performance expressionlessly.

Yet, for some reason, she paused for a second and played along, shifting her gaze to the card.

Lu Ning was right. This card was indeed the most useful thing in the Mall. But the points required were also the highest: exactly 1000 points. And the condition was completing “Main Mission 1.”

This meant that if she wanted this high-level item, she had to make a friend.

“Host, care to consider it?” Lu Ning saw Mu Qiuyu’s gaze linger on the card for a long time and felt she was making progress.

The setting sun finally dropped below the horizon, and the world was shrouded in a heavy gloom. But the ball remained bright, hanging in Mu Qiuyu’s sight and flickering with earnest expectation.

She wants me to accept this mission.

Mu Qiuyu thought silently, yet the usual resistance didn’t appear. She stared at Lu Ning with cold eyes—looking as if she might toss her out of the bus at any second—before withdrawing her gaze. Then, she showed Lu Ning what a real subject change looked like: “Why did your settings jump back again?”

Lu Ning froze.

Crap. Her “System Persona” had slipped.

Mu Qiuyu saw the reaction and slightly curled her lips. Her hand, resting on her knee, lifted and tapped rhythmically on the halo beneath the ball. “So, do you need to disappear for a while to recalibrate?”

Lu Ning didn’t expect Mu Qiuyu to give her an out. She nodded immediately: “Yes! There must be a bug in the settings. Sorry, Host, I’ll be gone for a bit!”

As her voice fell, the halo wrapped around Mu Qiuyu’s finger vanished.

Mu Qiuyu watched the hurried light return to her own chest. The stray sparks that fell from the ball gathered in her eyes. They were bright and clear, contrasting with the murky depth of her gaze.

Without the talking ball chattering in her ear, Mu Qiuyu’s world went silent.

The bus stopped near the villa district. Mu Qiuyu walked back unhurriedly. The massive villa was pitch black; no lights were on. The electronic lock played a short melody upon opening, as if welcoming the owner home.

Mu Qiuyu entered expressionlessly. She didn’t like the music; her aunt, Mu Jingqin, liked it and had it installed specifically.

The brief piano melody ended, and the sudden silence made the house feel even more desolate. A dim light finally sensed her presence and flickered on slowly. Mu Jingqin wasn’t home; her slippers were at the entrance.

Mu Qiuyu glanced at them and sat on the shoe-changing stool. She was in no hurry to turn on the lights; she didn’t even have the intention to. She changed her shoes in the dark and returned to her second-floor room in the dark.

The evening was somber, and the unlit room felt like it was filled with a dark mist. When the sound of slippers hitting the old floor echoed twice, Mu Qiuyu had already changed and was lying in bed.

Perhaps because she had experienced too much today, the moment her face touched the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.

It had been a long time since she had slept well.

The moon rose into the night sky, hanging half-curved outside the window. A layer of silvery light covered the sleeping girl’s face, making her look peaceful.

But this peace didn’t last. Mu Qiuyu’s brows soon furrowed deeply.

She was dreaming again.

Or rather, she was remembering the past in her dreams.

The midnight sky was as black as ink. There were no stars, only a massive net covering the city. Countless skyscrapers stood crowded on the most expensive land in Wucheng. In the tallest building, a dim light traced a lonely silhouette.

Mu Qiuyu was sitting in her top-floor office. On the computer was her stolen data. Silence crouched in the darkness behind her, monstrous and vast, as if ready to swallow the night whole.

In the cold silence, a voice echoed in her head: “Host, I don’t think you’re doing the right thing. Please forgive me.”

Raindrops splattered against the window; the storm that had been waiting all day finally broke. The system that had claimed it would be loyal forever had betrayed her.

Forgiveness? Impossible.

Mu Qiuyu stared at her computer records without a word, hatred consuming her.

Just as she was about to lose control, a small ball floated into her vision. The ball had come from nowhere, glowing with a light that didn’t belong to this world. It flew around her; its halo seemed to reflect her emotions—flickering, intense, and dazzling.

“I’m really not anything strange. I’m here to help you. Truly, please believe me.” … “The temperature is still too cold. If you catch a cold, I will be very worried.” …

Mu Qiuyu didn’t like such volatile emotions, but the hand she originally reached out to swat it away turned into a grip. Even though both were “systems,” this glowing ball made her feel more relaxed than the formless voice in her head.

The first meeting didn’t feel like a first meeting.

The storm outside raged, extinguishing the warmth of autumn. Yet, Mu Qiuyu’s palm was warm. That bundle of light was held in her hand, emitting a temperature that shouldn’t exist.

In the dream, Mu Qiuyu tightened her grip and tried to pull the ball into her embrace.

Whoosh—!!

A window that hadn’t been closed tightly was blown open by the storm, and a gale swirled through the quiet office. Her long hair was blown into a mess, sticking to her face.

Mu Qiuyu snapped awake, her expression turning cold as she looked at the ball in her hand.

She couldn’t trust a system.

Even if this system looked different now, it wasn’t worth her trust. She only relied on herself. She could live perfectly well on her own.

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