Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 53

 

| PN | Here to See You | 53

Qi Chao looked at the big screen where Li Bai was confidently introducing himself. He nodded, thinking that his own child was truly clever, remembering everything he had been taught before. 

With this thought, a hint of a smile appeared in Qi Chao's dark brown eyes.

Noticing the glances from a few puppet masters around him subtly landing on him, Qi Chao didn't mind. He rested his elbow on the armrest of his wheelchair, propping his head up as he looked at the big screen.

"Your child is really adorable."

A weak voice came through, and Qi Chao turned his head at the sound. He saw Qiao Sheng, who was also sitting in a wheelchair beside him. Qiao Sheng's face was deathly pale, his expression despondent, and his voice lacked any inflection.

 After saying this, he began to cough violently, as if he might pass away in the next second.

After coughing, Qiao Sheng smiled at Qi Chao, his despondent face appearing somewhat weary.

"Your child is also very beautiful."

Qi Chao smiled at Qiao Sheng. Indeed, the beast girl Chao Yang was very beautiful.

Qiao Sheng glanced at the camera, his eyes under the lenses inscrutable. Whatever crossed his mind made him curl his lips into a smile.

Qi Chao watched as Qiao Sheng parked his wheelchair next to his own but didn't pay much attention, lazily retracting his gaze and continuing to stare at the screen.

Unlike Qi Chao's indifference, the system lurking in the host's sea of consciousness was full of doubts. It stared at this unfamiliar man, feeling that he looked very familiar. Could he be the protagonist in this world line?

The system was well aware of the tragic trajectory of this world, but due to its fragmentation, it had few effective clues, and its understanding of the specifics was limited.

Looking at the despondent man before it, the system thought for a moment and then opened the world's character nodes. It discovered that this man named Qiao Sheng was actually one of the protagonists!

The protagonist group was almost entirely wiped out in the later stages of the world line, but when they were at their peak, the five members were once regarded as the saviors of Blue Star.

Qiao Sheng's presence in the main character group was not strong. He was morally ambiguous, clearly one of the protagonists yet very familiar with the villain. 

The system was thrilled. Although Qiao Sheng wasn't a proper good guy, he was clearly a safer companion for the host compared to the villain!

The system knew that in the end of the world line, none of the protagonist group could escape death. However, if it could keep the host alive a bit longer, wouldn't that be better?

With this in mind, the system quietly suggested to the host: 【Host, Professor Qiao seems quite skilled in making beast puppets. Shouldn't you engage in some in-depth exchange with him, to learn from each other or something?】

Qi Chao was staring at the big screen when he suddenly heard the system's voice. He paused, then seemingly naturally leaned back against the wheelchair. 

After a few seconds, Qi Chao responded with a faint hum in his mind, his eyes continuing to watch the screen without any indication of movement.

The system was puzzled by the host's reaction. In fact, since the day it had a conversation with the host, the system had noticed that the host seemed a little bit strange.

But the system couldn't pinpoint exactly what was strange. Due to the confidentiality agreement, the system couldn't explicitly state its concerns. 

If it repeatedly reminded the host, it might arouse his suspicion. So, the system chose to remain silent and retreated.

Qi Chao was naturally unaware of the system's thoughts. If it had been in the past, he might have chatted more with Qiao Sheng. 

However, nowadays, his interest had waned significantly. It could be due to the Wolf King and Zhang Ya, or perhaps his illness; for now, he didn't want to engage with the association's puppet masters.

Qiao Sheng, slouched in his wheelchair like a salted fish, quickly noticed Qi Chao's distant attitude. However, as if on purpose, he didn't leave and continued to sit next to Qi Chao.

Because this event mainly featured competitions between the puppets, the waiting hall was recording a live broadcast but had not turned on the microphones. To those unaware of the true situation, Qi Chao and Qiao Sheng appeared to have a good relationship.

【I'm so happy to see my two favorite big shots together, woohoo, so happy.】

【This is so rare. It's the first time I've seen the socially anxious Professor Qiao actively talk to someone! Hahaha.】

Under the big screen, Shen Yuxi looked at Qi Chao and Qiao Sheng sitting side by side, his eyelashes lowered, hiding the cunning in his eyes. He had been too lenient.

Meanwhile, the Werewolf game among the five puppets was already halfway through.

In the game room, the Scorpion Woman glared hatefully at the Beast Girl. If it weren't for her leading the charge to vote her out, she would still be in the game. Thinking of her father's anger, a trace of fear appeared on the Scorpion Woman's glamorous face.

However, her gaze had no impact on the Beast Girl, Chao Yang.

After voting out the female puppet who posed the greatest threat to her, Chao Yang felt much more relaxed. If her tail were visible, it would probably be swaying contentedly right now. She glanced around, considering who the true Dark Faction member might be.

To avoid affecting the audience's viewing experience, the organizers did not inform the viewers in advance who the Dark Faction members were. The only ones who knew the identities of the Dark Faction were the puppets themselves.

Even the puppet masters who drew the cards were unaware of the puppets' identities.

The live stream's chat was flooded with comments, all speculating about which puppets were part of the Dark Faction.

【Now we know that the Scorpion Woman isn't a Dark Faction puppet. On the first day, since the Dark Faction puppet didn't make a move, the puppets voted to eliminate the Scorpion Woman. She lost a life and used her resurrection right, but on the second day, she was chosen by the Dark Faction puppet and was eliminated.】

【Damn, they eliminated my wife in the first round. You guys are something else. I'll hate the Beast Girl forever. She's just jealous of my wife's beauty, so she teamed up with the other puppets to vote her out!】

【Nonsense, clearly my Beast Girl is more beautiful. Besides, in this game, the weaker players get eliminated. It's very fair! My little cutie isn't jealous of that Scorpion Woman at all!】

【Aww, poor Li Bai. He also lost a life to the Dark Faction puppet and had to use his resurrection right.】

【So who is it? Currently, we have Pepper the Warlock, Beast Girl Chao Yang, Li Bai, and Yang Shi left.】

【The person above, you can rule out Li Bai. The Dark Faction must be one of the remaining three.】

【1. Kids really aren't suited for this game. I feel like little Li Bai is about to cry. Aww, so cute.】

With only one life left, Li Bai sat nervously in his chair, glancing back and forth between the Warlock and the Beast Girl, looking somewhat confused and helpless. He pressed his lips together, and being the only child among the adult puppets, he immediately garnered the sympathy of the viewers watching the live stream.

【Dark Faction puppet, please don't choose Li Bai! Look how cute and timid he is. Pick another puppet, please!】

【Even though I like the Warlock, I also love Li Bai! Look at how well-behaved he was during his introduction. Please don't hurt him, sob sob.】

The viewers had already assumed that Li Bai wasn't a Dark Faction puppet. After all, he was the youngest-looking one. 

When he was chosen by the Dark Faction puppet and lost a life, his amber-like eyes filled with tears, and he tightly pressed his lips together, clearly trying hard not to cry. Seeing this, who could doubt such an adorable puppet?

However, none of the puppets present felt any pity for Li Bai. In their eyes, puppets didn't have an age hierarchy. To them, Li Bai's demeanor only exposed his foolishness.

"Who do we vote for this time?" 

The Warlock, Pepper, leaned back in his chair, his long legs crossed, his pale skin almost blindingly bright. His gaze moved from the Beast Girl to Li Bai and then to Yang Shi. 

The likelihood of the Dark Faction members being the Beast Girl and Yang Shi was the highest.

Pepper thought to himself that the possibility of Li Bai being part of the Dark Faction was minimal. If Li Bai were really a Dark Faction member, it would be too risky. If they voted Li Bai in the next round, the game would end immediately.

He glanced at the sorrowful Li Bai, who was even producing snot bubbles, and then looked away, thinking to himself that someone who didn't care about their image like this couldn't possibly be trying to win.

The Beast Girl and Yang Shi had the same thought. They exchanged glances, each seeing the caution in the other's eyes.

In front of the big screen, Qi Chao watched Li Bai's dejected and helpless demeanor and raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly noticing something amiss.

Qi Chao knew Li Bai well. If Li Bai were truly losing the competition, he wouldn't appear so weak. That child was stronger than anyone thought.

He looked up at the screen, somewhat distracted. If things were as he suspected, his Li Bai's acting skills were indeed impressive.

Li Bai was unaware of his father's thoughts. He alternated between wanting to vote with the Warlock and wanting to vote with the Beast Girl, appearing confused and indecisive. This behavior, like that of a clueless, useless fence-sitter, made the viewers in the live chat find him both amusing and pitiable.

The sound of Pepper' earrings was clear and pleasant. He said to Li Bai, "Vote with me; it's definitely the Beast Girl."

The Beast Girl didn't like Qi Chao and, correspondingly, had no fondness for Li Bai. However, she couldn't let Pepper sway the vote. Chao Yang lifted her chin slightly, "Vote with me; Pepper is definitely suspicious."

Li Bai pressed his lips together, his amber eyes behind the mask looking helplessly at Yang Shi.

【I think the Beast Girl is part of the Dark Faction.】

【We should probably not let Li Bai play this game anymore; it's too heartbreaking.】

【The Warlock could also be the Dark Faction.】

The live chat continued to analyze the situation, and after seeing the Warlock get voted out and use his resurrection right, only to be killed by the Dark Faction puppet, the viewers reached a conclusion.

【Hmm, it looks like the Beast Girl is the Dark Faction puppet.】

The next second, the Beast Girl was also eliminated. The viewers in the live chat remained calm.

【Okay, it looks like Yang Shi is the Dark Faction puppet.】

【Who would've thought that Yang Shi, who looks so upright on the surface, is actually so sneaky? Hahaha, I like it!】

【A weak question, why can't it be Li Bai?】

This comment immediately drew a lot of angry responses from the viewers. How could anyone think it was Li Bai when he looked so scared? How could he possibly be the Dark Faction puppet?

Before the discussion could continue, the host announced that the puppet holding the Dark Faction identity card was Li Bai.

The viewers in the chat were stunned: ...

Ah, this.

The numerous viewers watched as Li Bai excitedly jumped up, ran around Qi Chao several times, and was eventually picked up by Qi Chao. He proudly puffed out his little chest. He no longer looked like the pitiful figure he had been during the game.

Should they tell him that the competition wasn't over yet, and after the Dark Faction won, the audience and judges would still need to score them?

The viewers felt like their sympathy had been for nothing. Yet, looking back from Li Bai's perspective, there was something oddly thrilling about it.

【Is Li Bai naturally... dark-hearted?】

【Turns out he isn't a little bunny. Sob sob, but thinking about it, I actually find Li Bai kind of awesome.】

Comment after comment, the viewers, holding their scorecards, ended up giving Li Bai surprisingly high scores. They hadn't expected to be outsmarted by a puppet while watching the game.

Meanwhile, in the puppet master arena, neither the Beast Girl nor the Warlock could believe that Li Bai was really a Dark Faction puppet.

"I should have voted him out in the first round," Chao Yang regretted, feeling downcast.

Next to her, Qiao Sheng comforted his daughter, but his gaze drifted to Qi Chao. He said nonchalantly, "It's okay. We have plenty of ways to make money; we don't need this one."

Chao Yang looked at her father, reluctantly nodding.

The Warlock, Pepper, shifted his gaze from Li Bai to his mother, his eyes filled with guilt. "I'm sorry, Mother. I should have been more careful."

Though this round required audience and judge scores to determine the final winner, everyone knew this rule was designed for a victory by the Light Faction. 

If a lone Dark Faction puppet won, the championship was practically in the Dark Faction's grasp. After all, who wouldn't love a puppet that could take on four others?

"No problem. We can use this defeat as a gimmick. We'll do a live broadcast tonight, and we should get plenty of donations," Xiumei immediately started calculating.

Hearing this, Pepper quickly nodded and smiled, his earrings chiming clearly. "Okay, Mother. I'll make sure to perform well tonight!"

The puppet master who created Yang Shi was even less concerned. His puppet making it into the S-rank competition was enough to demonstrate his excellence.

Compared to the other puppet masters, the usually good-tempered Zhao Benben looked a bit displeased, but only for a few minutes. He quickly adjusted and even took the time to congratulate Qi Chao.

Qi Chao politely nodded in return. Then, he put Li Bai on the ground and, seeing Li Bai's cheerful smile, couldn't help but reach out and ruffle his hair.

Though the viewers saw Li Bai as a “white lotus with a black heart,” Qi Chao knew the truth: Li Bai wasn’t really dark-hearted. He was just very determined to help his father win. Thinking this, Qi Chao pressed his lips together and sincerely thanked Li Bai.

Li Bai was momentarily stunned, then hugged his father's waist, burying his face in Qi Chao's abdomen and staying silent for a long time.

Qi Chao understood that Li Bai was acting coquettishly. His eyes softened, and he gently stroked Li Bai’s hair.

The results were quickly announced: Li Bai took first place, the Beast Girl second, and the Warlock third. Just as the opening ceremony had been grand, the award ceremony would be no less splendid.

Many viewers in the live chat were eagerly anticipating the awards ceremony.

According to the organizers, the ceremony would be held in three days. Although the awards hadn't been presented yet, Qi Chao could clearly sense a newfound respect from the staff.

The champions of the Puppet Master Association were seen as future leaders in the puppet world of Blue Star, and no staff member wanted to offend a future master-level puppet master.

After the event, Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi regrouped and placed the children in the spacecraft. 

They then went to negotiate with the association’s organizers about the Double Mirror, which had been planned from the beginning.

As Qi Chao thought about the Double Mirror, he pressed his lips together, his deep brown eyes reflecting a hint of caution.

Shen Yuxi, pushing the wheelchair, glanced at Qi Chao's expression and seemed to be lost in thought, his gaze dimming slightly.

“Father.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Yuxi’s back stiffened. Qi Chao noticed the wheelchair had stopped and turned his head toward the sound.

A boy dressed in a colorful shirt, wearing sunglasses, waved his hand as if concerned that his father hadn’t heard him. He called out again with a playful tone, “Agu is here to see you!”

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