Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 51

 

| PN | Boyfriend | 51

“Did you see the expressions on those two beastwomen’s faces?” Agu laughed, clutching his stomach. He even pulled the corners of his eyes to make a funny face. “Their faces turned into this—hahaha.”

Both Shen Yuxi and Moss ignored Agu, who seemed oblivious to their disregard and continued to laugh heartily.

“Did he die?” Moss’s voice was hoarse but carried a hint of anticipation.

Shen Yuxi glanced up at the question, while Agu, leaning against a tree trunk with his hands behind his head, scoffed. “You know he wouldn’t die, right, Father?” He cast a meaningful glance at Shen Yuxi.

“Hmm.”

Shen Yuxi gave a gentle laugh without refuting the statement.

Moss’s lips, hidden beneath the bandages, pressed together, revealing his displeasure.

In the distance, the faint sounds of human screams of terror echoed, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the cold moonlit night. However, neither Shen Yuxi nor the two puppets showed any change in their expressions.

This was the trial ground.

Death and fear were merely condiments for the trials here.

Agu yawned, looking somewhat drowsy, his blue earrings shimmering with beautiful light in the moonlight.

“I wonder how brave those four or five new humans are. If they get scared to death in one night, it’ll be boring,” Agu complained to Moss and Shen Yuxi, his green eyes curving with a mischievous gleam.

“They mustn’t die.”

Moss looked at Agu. The rules of the trial ground were set by his father, and the rules currently prohibited death, so Agu couldn’t let anyone lose their life.

Agu, uninterested, pouted and hummed a self-composed tune. It wasn’t pleasant, but Agu hummed it with great delight.

Shen Yuxi quietly listened to the conversation between the two puppets. He cleaned the bloodstained dagger, then smiled gently and said in a soft voice, “Agu, be a good guard for the trial ground. Moss and I will be leaving now.”

Upon hearing his father’s words, Moss touched the bandages on his wrist, and the air began to slowly twist, forming a vortex.

Agu, who had been humming a tune, suddenly stiffened. He immediately ran to Shen Yuxi, clinging to his arm and pleading, “Father, I don’t want to stay here. Can I come with you?”

He then turned to Moss and added, “You’re not allowed to throw me away once you’re done. I want to go with you too!”

Upon hearing this, Moss's lips, hidden beneath the bandages, tightened, clearly displeased. His dark eyes fixed intently on Agu.

Moss didn't know much about Qiao Sheng. However, every time his father met with Qiao Sheng, his mood would become unstable, which was something Moss could not tolerate.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Agu was very clever. To prevent his father from being affected emotionally after meeting Qiao Sheng, Moss had taken the initiative to suggest bringing Agu along.

In reality, his father hadn't been influenced by Qiao Sheng this time and even issued a warning to him. Moss thought that if he didn’t use Agu, he could have handled the two beast-women on his own, and bringing Agu along wouldn’t make much of a difference.

“Father wants you to stay here.”

Moss’s lips moved slightly, his voice hoarse yet firm.

Agu had never pinned his hopes on the obedient puppet who listened to his father. He turned to Shen Yuxi and, like a black panther, and began to snuggle up and act cute.

Agu was the puppet most like Shen Yuxi. Although he was a highly dangerous beast, he didn’t mind hiding his fangs to achieve his goals.

“No.”

Shen Yuxi gently stroked Agu’s ear pendant, his voice as soft and graceful as a piano piece, yet carrying an icy undertone. “Agu mustn’t be willful.”

Agu’s eyes darkened at the reprimand. He took a few steps back and jumped up into the tree. “Then you can go. I’ll find the new arrivals to play with.” Without another word, Agu leaped to another tree, quickly vanishing into the jungle under the moonlight, like a nimble black panther.

Shen Yuxi watched Agu disappear into the distance with a slight smile, then turned to Moss. “Let’s go.”

Moss nodded and followed his father into the vortex. In the blink of an eye, they returned to the bedroom. Upon seeing the doll on the desk, Moss’s dark eyes seemed to flicker with a hint of a smile.

Having prepared for the meeting with Qiao Sheng, Moss had placed the doll in his father’s room to keep it clean. He picked up the puppet from the desk and gently squeezed its cotton-made little hands, a small curve forming on his lips beneath the bandages.

“Father, I’ll head back to my room now.”

Moss said, glancing at Shen Yuxi, who was sitting under the moonlight with his lashes lowered.

“Alright, good night.”

Shen Yuxi spoke gently to Moss, his fingertips gliding over the cover of the book, seemingly indicating that he had no intention of sleeping. 

Moss hoarsely wished him goodnight but stopped just before passing through the spatial vortex. He tightened his grip on the soft doll and turned around to ask, "Father, was it Qiao Sheng who injured Lan Luo’s master?"

Shen Yuxi's fingertips paused slightly as his blue eyes looked at Moss. He tilted his head and gave an ambiguous nod. 

Moss nodded in return, not pressing further. He hugged the puppet and stepped into the vortex.

Moss didn’t like to interfere with the trial grounds, but he thought that if his father ever threw Qiao Sheng into the trial grounds, he wouldn’t mind acting like Agu.

The spatial vortex slowly disappeared.

Shen Yuxi watched the place where Moss had left, his blue eyes darkening. He pressed his thin lips together and put the dagger into the drawer. This was the same dagger that had previously injured Qi Chao and was also the tool he planned to use on Qiao Sheng.

Shen Yuxi valued fairness above all else; he would inflict the same amount of harm on Qiao Sheng as Qiao Sheng had inflicted on Qi Chao, not more, not less.

His reflexes weren’t as sharp as they used to be. Shen Yuxi looked down at his hands, thinking that perhaps he shouldn’t act personally this time. He thought calmly, the feeling of having his chess pieces coveted wasn’t pleasant.

Zhang Ya’s decision to send puppets to assassinate Qi Chao seemed foolish at first glance, but a closer examination reveals something odd. 

The Qi family holds significant power, and as a member of the Puppet Masters’ Association, Zhang Ya would surely understand the consequences if Qi Chao were to die at his hands. Shen Yuxi’s suspicion is deep. 

While it’s not impossible that Zhang Ya is simply foolish, Shen Yuxi tends to be cautious about such unlikely scenarios. Qi Chao is a crucial part of his plan, and if it is disrupted, the most pleased party is clear. 

Shen Yuxi’s eyes darkened with a sinister intent; if there were another such incident, he would definitely kill Qiao Sheng, regardless of his status as his teacher’s son.

The next morning, Qi Chao woke up with significantly reduced chest pain but found it difficult to get out of bed and walk. 

Li Bai and Lan Luo had been up early, hovering around him as if afraid Qi Chao might die while they weren’t watching. 

Moss wasn’t as concerned, but he did come by in the morning. When Qi Chao complimented the hairstyle of the doll Moss was holding, Moss seemed satisfied and left the room.

Qi Chao understood that the children were showing concern, which warmed his heart a little. He smiled and said, “Li Bai, could you get me a glass of water?”

Li Bai’s eyes brightened, and he eagerly nodded before running off.

“Lan Luo, could you peel an orange for me?”

Lan Luo, who had been watching Li Bai run out, immediately turned his head and stared at Qi Chao. After two seconds, a radiant smile appeared on his face. “Sure!”

Qi Chao smiled in return. After the two children completed their tasks, he generously praised Li Bai and Lan Luo. The two children, as if they had found their purpose in life, buzzed around the room like bees, eager to take care of him.

So adorable.

Qi Chao sighed, appreciating their efforts.

A knock sounded at the door, and Shen Yuxi quickly entered, gently saying, “Your two younger brothers have arrived.”

Two younger brothers?

Qi Chao was taken aback by this news.

Qi Feng and Qi Ye had come home for the break. Upon hearing from their father that their older brother had been injured, they hurriedly made their way to the villa. 

The two brothers were furious. Their older brother was such a good person, and that foolish puppet master had dared to incite the puppets to hurt him. 

How dare he! They were livid!

The two brothers had been cursing all the way, but when they saw their older brother still smiling in the hospital bed, they finally felt relieved.

“Big Brother, does it still hurt?”

As soon as Qi Feng asked this question, he felt a bit embarrassed by his own clumsiness. With such severe injuries, how could it not hurt? Even with the advanced medical technology on Blue Star, it could only help him recover faster, but the pain was unavoidable.

“Not much anymore,” Qi Chao replied with a smile to his two younger brothers.

Qi Feng and Qi Ye looked at their older brother’s somewhat pale lips and felt a pang of discomfort. 

They still remembered how, when they had been taken to the police station and left isolated and helpless, it was their older brother who came to bail them out. At that time, he had smiled a bit rakishly and said nothing, but just standing there made them feel supported.

Before that incident, their relationship with their older brother had been quite distant. Although he was outstanding, it felt like there was a barrier between them. 

After the police station incident, that invisible wall seemed to break down, and their feelings of admiration for their older brother grew significantly.

Although their older brother was still smiling, the two brothers couldn't shake their uneasy feelings.

Qi Chao noticed his younger brothers' concern and felt warmed inside. His deep brown eyes held a hint of amusement as he said, “It’s fine, as long as I’m still alive. I’ve got a long life ahead of me.”

Hearing this, Qi Feng and Qi Ye both felt a bit like laughing. Seeing their older brother seemingly unaffected and in good spirits helped them feel much more at ease.

“Father is currently negotiating with the association to find a solution,” Qi Feng explained the situation to his brother. They had come out after hearing their father’s account and were well aware of the current progress. “The association is suggesting that since producing an outstanding puppet master is difficult, they want to settle the matter privately.”

“Absolutely not! How can they settle it privately? Damn it!” Qi Ye, usually quiet, was clearly very upset and swore in frustration.

“Father disagrees too. He’s taken the matter to court. Zhang Ya must serve several years in prison,” Qi Feng added, cursing again. “Serving time is too lenient for him.”

On Blue Star, there are specific laws regarding puppets. Due to the unique nature of S-level puppets, if a puppet is found to have harmful intentions, the association will immediately destroy it. 

After the Wolf King incident, the association wanted to recover the Wolf King’s remains, but Qi Chao’s father refused.

Qi Chao listened to their discussion about the Wolf King’s remains in silence, seeming lost in thought.

As Qi Feng and Qi Ye continued talking animatedly, they noticed their brother’s silence and lowered their voices. When they exchanged puzzled glances, the door was knocked on again.

A gentle, blond man entered, carrying a tray of fruit. He placed it on the table, smiled at Qi Feng and Qi Ye, and said softly, “I wasn’t sure which fruits you’d like, so I cut up a variety.”

Qi Feng and Qi Ye were momentarily stunned when they saw the man. This was their first encounter with someone who was even more attractive than most women, and his presence was striking. They had been so focused on their anger earlier that they hadn’t noticed this new person in their brother's home.

Is this guy their older brother’s boyfriend?

They exchanged a glance and both saw the curiosity in the other's eyes.

Shen Yuxi, smiling gently, asked, “What would you like for lunch? I’ll cook it.”

To Qi Feng and Qi Ye, Shen Yuxi’s offer seemed like he was asserting himself as another important figure in the household. 

Their shock deepened—so he really is their older brother’s boyfriend?

Hearing Shen Yuxi’s offer, Qi Chao thought for a moment and said, “How about we order takeout? You haven’t had much rest these past few days, and cooking would be too tiring.”

Since the start of the competition, Shen Yuxi had been getting up early, and after Qi Chao’s injury, he had been by his side caring for him. Qi Chao felt a bit sorry for his friend.

Qi Feng and Qi Ye looked at their older brother’s worried expression, then at the gentle, blue-eyed man. It was clear to them now—this person really was their brother’s boyfriend.

Meanwhile, on the spaceship, Agu was dressed in a brightly colored shirt and wearing sunglasses as he gazed out at the clouds, humming a little tune. 

No one could stop Agu’s curiosity.

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