Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 27

 

| PN | 27

The atmosphere was tense.

Qi Chao pressed his lips together and sat down on the sofa. Since the auction ended, his emotions had been unstable. Earlier, he had planned to go to his room to calm down alone, knowing that if he stayed, he might say something hurtful. 

But now that the words were out, he could only wait for the Doctor’s response.

Qi Chao considered the Doctor a friend. Over the past few days, he had come to trust him, but his doubts were not baseless.

Shen Yuxi still stood by the coffee table, his head slightly bowed, the loose braid of his scorpion tail falling and covering his profile. 

From Qi Chao's angle, he could only see Shen Yuxi's tense jaw and delicate chin.

Qi Chao's fingers kneaded the spot between his thumb and index finger, his expression complex.

The system silently hid within his consciousness, reflecting on the villain's previous behavior. Given how the villain had acted before, the host was likely still useful and wouldn't be killed... probably?

This...it's hard to say.

The system was on the verge of tears, worried about the potential consequences of Qi Chao's question. Finding a suitable explanation was challenging, and if the villain became enraged, anything could happen. It anxiously watched Shen Yuxi.

The next second, Shen Yuxi moved!

Both Qi Chao and the system tensed up instantly, but Shen Yuxi merely glanced at Qi Chao before turning to head towards the stairs, seemingly ready to go to bed.

No explanation?

Qi Chao was taken aback. His initial guilt for doubting his friend was pushed aside. He smiled slightly and said, “Brother Shen, are you just going to leave like that?” His tone carried a hint of amusement, but his displeasure was evident.

Shen Yuxi paused on the first step of the staircase. He turned around, his face as stunning as ever, but his usually gentle blue eyes had grown colder. He gazed steadily at Qi Chao, then turned and walked back towards the sofa.

Qi Chao didn’t move, his gaze fixed on Shen Yuxi, determined to get an answer.

“What do you want me to say?”

Shen Yuxi’s cultured, melodious voice reached Qi Chao’s ears. Qi Chao opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Shen Yuxi was already standing in front of him, looking down with an unreadable expression in his cool blue eyes.

“Say whatever you want. I’m all ears.” Qi Chao leaned back against the sofa, his deep brown eyes meeting Shen Yuxi’s without a trace of fear. His reply was flippant.

He could see that the Doctor was displeased, but so what? Qi Chao wasn’t in a good mood either. How hard was it to give a reason?

Qi Chao lowered his head and tugged at the corner of his mouth, feeling frustrated. After a few seconds of silence from the Doctor, he was about to speak when suddenly a pulling sensation on his scalp made him involuntarily tilt his head back to face the man.

“What are you doing?”

His scalp tingled uncomfortably as Qi Chao felt the icy touch of the hand gripping his hair. Looking up, his eyes narrowed slightly, feeling uneasy with his head tilted back and his soft blonde hair falling across his face, tickling him.

Qi Chao felt like the Doctor was breaking character. Wasn’t he supposed to be gentle and kind? 

How did he become like this when he was angry? Lost in thought, the next moment, a droplet landed on his face. Qi Chao blinked in surprise, looking at the Doctor.

The golden-haired man seemed to just realize he was crying. He looked at Qi Chao, his left hand moving to his face, and upon seeing the tears on his fingers, hesitantly released his grip on Qi Chao’s hair. His voice trembled, returning to its usual softness, “I’m sorry. I lost my composure.”

Qi Chao froze as soon as he saw the Doctor cry. Hearing those words, all his pent-up frustration melted away, replaced by a twinge of guilt. His lips moved stiffly, and he managed to say, “It’s okay.”

The tense atmosphere was broken by the Doctor’s tears, leaving an awkward silence, mainly felt by Qi Chao.

After all, he hadn’t expected his question to evoke such a strong reaction from the Doctor, as if he had touched on the most painful scar.

A scar?

Qi Chao paused, his expression darkening. Could it be that putting the puppets up for auction wasn’t the Doctor’s decision?

He glanced at the Doctor who had already sat down beside him. The man always gave off an aura of gentleness and tranquility, like a peaceful lake in a quiet forest. Even now, it was easy to overlook his emotions if one wasn’t paying attention.

Could it be that pulling his hair earlier was the most outrageous thing this gentle man had ever done? Would someone like him really auction off the dolls just for star coins?

Qi Chao pursed his lips, realizing he had been too impulsive earlier.

“If you can’t talk about it, forget it,” Qi Chao said dryly, feeling that his words might have been ambiguous. He quickly added, “I’m sorry for upsetting you like this.”

Shen Yuxi quietly listened, the corner of his eyes showing a hint of redness, though otherwise his tears were not visibly apparent. He shook his head slightly, a small smile flickering momentarily on his lips before fading, as if he wanted to laugh but couldn’t. 

His voice was subdued as he spoke: "I should apologize. I let my past emotions affect me and I took it out on you. I’m truly sorry for pulling your hair."

There was a subtle fluctuation in the expression in his blue eyes, his slightly pale lips pressed together. Interlacing his fingers, he lowered his head. Just witnessing this scene made it clear how guilty he felt.

"It was my fault for directing my anger towards you," Qi Chao responded, reframing his apology.

Normally, he wouldn’t have been so blunt. If his suspicions turned out to be true, it would be one thing, but if they were wrong, it would definitely hurt his friend. This time, due to the matter with Double Mirror, Qi Chao blamed himself on one hand and couldn’t help but harbor suspicions towards the puppet masters of the Blue Star. 

Although he had been quite restrained in his emotions, Qi Chao had indeed transferred his anger at the doctor.

Hearing his apology, the doctor smiled faintly. "You're not at fault. It was indeed me who put the puppets up for auction in the first place."

With these words, he also addressed Qi Chao's initial question. However, the emotions and context of his response were different, altering the way it felt.

Qi Chao had already become convinced that the doctor had been forced to put the puppets up for auction, or that there was some other reason behind it. His expression darkened slightly, and he didn't press further. 

Those were the doctor's private matters. 

Instead, he chuckled lightly and said, "Yeah, and then I ended up buying Lan Luo."

Shen Yuxi chuckled softly in response, nodding gently. Then, seeming to remember something, his gaze turned worried as he asked, "Did something happen today?"

Qi Chao remained silent for a moment, briefly recounting the events of the evening without mentioning the existence of the diamond.

When Shen Yuxi heard about the deformed puppet, his expression shifted slightly. He seemed shocked by the puppet masters of the association, but upon closer inspection, his eyes remained indifferent. 

The existence of the deformed puppet did not seem to move him.

"Qing Yu was the champion of the previous competition held by the association," Shen Yuxi said to Qi Chao. "Originally he was a Level 4 puppet master, but after winning the championship, the association promoted him vigorously, and within a year, he became a Special-Level Puppet Master."

Qi Chao smiled and nodded. "That's impressive."

However, Qi Chao was curious. "Brother Shen, how do you know so much about this?"

As far as he knew, the doctor had not joined the puppet master association, so why would he know so much about them?

"Because I dislike the association," Shen Yuxi replied, his eyes narrowing. This was the first time he had expressed such a clear like or dislike in front of Qi Chao. Compared to before, he seemed more vibrant.

Qi Chao didn't think much about it. He simply followed the doctor's words and thought for a moment. If the doctor disliked the association, then they must be really unpleasant.

"Why would the association bid for Double Mirror?" Qi Chao was puzzled. "Aren't they all part of the same organization?"

"Just because they belong to the same organization doesn't mean they belong to the same faction. There are many factions within the association," Shen Yuxi gently explained, each of which was disgusting enough to disgust people.

This statement was very straightforward. Simply put, the association's acquisition of Double Mirror at the auction was the result of factional strife. 

Qi Chao's face turned ugly. What were they going to do to that puppet? They wouldn't be thinking about giving them good food and drinks, would they?

Shen Yuxi noticed Qi Chao's perplexed expression, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. 

He expressed concern, "Qing Yu's rapid promotion to Special-Level within a year might prompt other factions to study his puppets and uncover the reasons behind his advancement."

The birth of Double Mirror itself implied hardships, and if what the doctor said was true, Double Mirrior’s fate certainly wouldn't be favorable.

When the system saw this scene in Qi Chao's sea of ​​consciousness it couldn't help but applaud the villain.

Impressive, really impressive.

The system had finally figured it out completely.

First, he deliberately left to provoke the host, then shedding tears to make the host lose his temper, alternating between tightening and loosening, and now, pulling the rug from under the host, making him believe there were reasons behind his actions and not daring to question them. It was a series of linked tactics.

 Moreover, it was surprising that he could shift the blame onto the association, and the implicit meaning behind each sentence was that the association was dark and awful.

Who said that acquiring puppets might be done by hostile factions? Maybe it was some puppet master in the association who pitied Double Mirror?

Even more frightening for the system was that in just a few days, the villain had completely figured out the host's thoughts. Every word hit the mark, and the system knew that the villain was purposefully degrading the association!

Sure enough, in the next moment, the system heard the villain using rhetoric to encourage the host to participate in the puppet master association's competition.

Although the competition was never mentioned throughout, it was miraculously tied to this matter.

While revealing the association's darkness, the villain was also inciting the host to participate in the competition, implying that gaining attention after winning the competition, he might be able to get the Double Mirror back.

This operation made the system more and more confused, but it knew that the villain was setting a trap for the host. What was more outrageous was that its naive host actually started considering it!

There is no doubt that Qi Chao wants to save Double Mirror. If the Double Mirror was truly in danger, he couldn't just stand by and watch a puppet who had endured suffering since birth fall into an abyss.

As Qi Chao pondered over what to do, the doctor kindly suggested a solution: the association favored outstanding puppet masters. If Qi Chao could gain their recognition, the higher-ups might agree to entrust Double Mirror to him.

There were two ways to gain the association's recognition. First, he could participate in the Puppet Master Association certification. With his A-level spiritual power and his status as the son of a wealthy man, the association would likely discuss Double Mirror’s situation out of respect for his father.

For the second option, he could enter the Puppet Master Competition. Winning the championship would qualify him for negotiations with the association, even without becoming a certified puppet master.

Qi Chao shared the doctor's dislike for the association and ruled out the first option. He knew that association members might try to leverage his position and negotiate terms with his father if he worked under them.

Now, he began contemplating the second option.

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