Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 62

 

| PN | What a Big Surprise | 62

After the doctor and the others left, Qi Chao initially felt a bit out of place. After spending some time with the two kids at home watching animation, he eventually scratched his head and decided it was time to get to work.

He glanced at the two children beside him, then stood up and said to them, “I’m going to the basement. You two stay in the living room and behave. If anything comes up, come down and find me.”

“Okay!” Li Bai revealed his small tiger teeth.

Lan Luo also nodded and smiled brightly, “I’ll be good and watch the animation.”

Seeing that both puppets were very smart, Qi Chao, with a smile, patted their heads and then went to the study to get the box containing the Double Mirrors before heading to the basement.

Since the competition, Qi Chao had rarely visited the basement. After almost a week, a layer of dust had accumulated. After cleaning up, Qi Chao sat at the desk and opened the box.

He licked his dry lips and called out to the system.

【Host, is there something you need?】

The system, which had been comforting the crybaby next door, rushed over immediately upon hearing Qi Chao’s call. It knew that Qi Chao rarely sought it out, and if he did, it was usually for something important.

“I want to ask about my mental strength,” Qi Chao said, his gaze falling on the hearts of the Double Mirror puppets. He reached out and gently touched the two cold red crystals.

Mental strength of the host?

The system seemed confused. 【Host, has there been an issue with your mental strength?】

Qi Chao was taken aback by the system's response. He had expected the system to have some knowledge about this, but it seemed the system had even less information than he did.

“My mental strength can merge with the mother stones awakened by other puppet masters,” Qi Chao explained. “Do you know what this might mean?”

The system was somewhat baffled.

It was a new system, its main job being to assist hots with their tasks. With its low status and limited authority in the headquarters, the system wasn’t sure about the host’s concerns. After considering for a moment, it replied, 【Please wait, I will check with the headquarters.】

With that, the system left.

Qi Chao was unsure when the system would return and didn’t dwell on the matter further. He asked about his mental strength to see if it could be of any help with the Double Mirror.

Since the system was unsure, he could only wait for the results.

As he thought this, Qi Chao placed the box in the corner of the desk. Unbeknownst to him, a few green orbs of light drifted from his body, gently floating toward the two red crystals as if they already knew their destination.

The two dull red crystals showed no change after the green light orbs merged into them, remaining as unresponsive as elderly people nearing the end of their lives.

Qi Chao took out a blueprint from a folder. It was the design for the celestial dog devouring the moon that he had drawn during the last competition. Due to the three-hour time limit of the competition, many details had been sketched hastily.

Today, he planned to enrich the design of the beast puppet. When working, Qi Chao often became completely absorbed. 

As he sketched with his pencil on the blueprint, time passed quickly. When he came back to his senses, he found the two children standing beside him.

Qi Chao paused his pencil and smiled, "Why did you come down? Is there something you need?"

"It's twelve o'clock, Dad. It's time to eat."

Li Bai was a bit excited, his golden amber-like eyes shining brightly under his mask.

Lan Luo, holding Li Bai's hand, also nodded.

Usually, they would be eating at this time. Today, Qi Chao had been so focused on his work that he forgot about it. He stood up and patted the heads of the two children, smiling at them, "Sorry, I lost track of time. I'll go make lunch now."

"You don't need to cook, Dad. Lan Luo and I already made it!" Li Bai excitedly revealed his small tiger teeth, "And this time, the pot didn't explode!"

"Yes, Li Bai and I made porridge together," Lan Luo added.

Lan Luo smiled brightly, confirming that the reason for the previous kitchen mishap was their older brother. This time, without him, he and Li Bai had successfully prepared lunch.

Looking at the two children, Qi Chao squatted down and gave them a big hug. How could these two kids be so well-behaved?

Li Bai loved being praised by his father, his eyes narrowing into slits, resembling a sly fox that had just stolen something.

Lan Luo, on the other hand, felt a bit awkward.

He enjoyed having his head patted by Qi Chao, but he was still not used to being hugged. 

Despite his unease, Lan Luo's eyes were filled with joy, clearly showing that he liked the affection.

Li Bai and Lan Luo had only made porridge. The actual process involved just rinsing the rice and putting it into the pot. The electric rice cooker on Blue Star automatically added water and cooked the porridge. 

Qi Chao still couldn't figure out how Moss and the others had managed to cause the pot to explode last time.

In the living room, Qi Chao gave the two children plenty of praise as he drank the porridge, complimenting them. Li Bai and Lan Luo beamed with joy, their smiles never fading.

While the three of them were enjoying their meal together, the light brain on the side suddenly vibrated.

Lan Luo curiously asked, “Is it Father?”

He remembered that his father had promised to send a message when he was on his way home.

“Yes, it’s him,” Qi Chao said, seeing the familiar profile picture in the chat window on the light brain. He smiled and added, “Your father sent a message saying he’s already arrived.”

As he spoke, he took a photo of the porridge that Lan Luo and Li Bai had made for him and sent it over, showing off a little.

Doctor:【Li Bai and Lan Luo are very considerate.】

Qi Chao looked up at Lan Luo and Li Bai and said, “Brother Shen praised you both for being very considerate.”

Hearing Qi Chao relay their father’s compliment, Lan Luo was visibly even happier, and Li Bai's eyes squinted in a smile, his legs swinging back and forth in the air.

Watching the expressions on the two children's faces, Qi Chao was just about to tease them when the light brain vibrated again. The next second, another picture appeared in the chat with the doctor.

The photo seemed freshly taken, showing a plate of red flower-shaped pastries on a white tablecloth. The slender, fair fingers resting on the edge of the plate, with their neatly trimmed and cute nails, were more captivating than the pastries themselves.

Qi Chao's gaze lingered on those fingers for a long moment before he glanced at the message Shen Yuxi had sent.

Doctor:【These are new pastries made by my daughter.】

Daughter?

Qi Chao had never actually asked the doctor how many puppets he had created; in a way, it was a personal matter. However, the fact that the doctor was now telling him indicated that he didn’t mind sharing this information.

Qi Chao:【They look delicious, and she has such skillful hands. What is your daughter’s name?】

Doctor:【Her name is Chi Yao, and she’s an even more lively girl than Agu.】

Even more lively than Agu.

Qi Chao thought of Agu humming little tunes and felt a bit amused. He looked up at Lan Luo and, smiling, asked, “Is Chi Yao your younger sister or older sister?”

As soon as he asked this, Lan Luo’s fork suddenly fell onto the table. His tone was a bit stiff, “Younger… sister.”

After a pause, Lan Luo tentatively asked, “Why is Master asking about Chi Yao? Did Father tell you?”

“Yes, Brother Shen just sent a picture saying that Chi Yao made these pastries for him.” Qi Chao noticed the odd tone in Lan Luo’s voice and asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Is there something off about it?”

Pastries? Lan Luo seemed to think of something unpleasant, and his expression darkened.

It was the first time Qi Chao had seen such a look on Lan Luo’s face, and Li Bai, who was beside them, also looked over curiously.

Realizing he had revealed too much, Lan Luo shook his head and smiled brightly, “It’s nothing, just that it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Chi Yao, so I’m not used to it.”

A long time?

Qi Chao thought about it. It made sense; the doctor had to place Lan Luo in the auction for unknown reasons, and it had been nearly a year since Lan Luo had seen Chi Yao.

Qi Chao:【Brother Shen, Lan Luo seems to really miss his sister. If Chi Yao has time, could they video call one day? Or maybe next time you come to visit, you could bring Chi Yao along with you.】

Doctor:【Sure, a video call sounds good.】

Lan Luo watched Qi Chao typing on the light brain, clearly not suspecting anything. He breathed a sigh of relief and bent his head to continue eating. 

In a place where neither Li Bai nor Qi Chao could see, Lan Luo’s eyes turned dark and gloomy.

Lan Luo despised his eldest and second brother, but compared to Ayu and Chi Yao, he preferred being with his eldest and second brother. 

Ayu and Chi Yao were devils.

Thinking this, Lan Luo felt relieved. The greatest fortune of leaving Ganlin District was not having to see Chi Yao and Ayu again.

Meanwhile, Qi Chao arranged a video call with Shen Yuxi, planning to surprise Lan Luo with it. He should be very happy to see his sister, Qi Chao thought, his dark brown eyes showing a smile.

With no more messages from the doctor, Qi Chao continued chatting and laughing with the two children . After a while, the light brain vibrated again.

Qi Chao thought it was another message from Shen Yuxi, but upon opening it, he found it was from Qiao Sheng.

Qiao Sheng:【Do you have time this afternoon? Want to check out the mine veins together?】

Qi Chao wasn’t very familiar with Qiao Sheng, having only exchanged a few words with him.

He could tell that Qiao Sheng was deliberately trying to get closer to him. From what Qi Chao knew about Qiao Sheng, he didn't seem like the type to actively make friends. 

But Qi Chao didn’t understand Qiao Sheng’s motive. Remembering how the system had once paid close attention to Qiao Sheng, Qi Chao’s lips twitched slightly, finding the situation intriguing.

Qi Chao:【Sure, the veins given by the association are sequentially numbered.】

Qi Chao was quite curious about what Qiao Sheng was up to. He glanced at the two children in the house and smiled, “Dad’s going out with someone this afternoon. Do you want to come along?”

“Yes!”

The two small children had an extraordinary obsession with playing.

On the other side, Qiao Sheng yawned at Qi Chao's message and tossed the light brain aside. He slumped in his wheelchair like a patient in critical condition, staring at the ceiling with lifeless eyes.

Chao Yang, wagging her fluffy tail, was choosing a dress to wear in the afternoon. “Father, are we going to kill Qi Chao this afternoon? Last time he didn’t die, but this time, if I do it myself, I’m sure I can handle it!”

“No need,” Qiao Sheng's voice was somewhat dejected. “Shen Yuxi let him go and plans to use an alternate strategy.”

This information came from his subordinates, though it was obviously something Shen Yuxi deliberately let slip. If Shen Yuxi didn't want to share, how could his subordinates have found out?

Qiao Sheng tapped his wheelchair armrest, pondering Shen Yuxi's motives for sharing this information.

Hearing Shen Yuxi’s name, a flash of killing intent appeared in Chao Yang’s eyes, and her fluffy tail bristled as she recalled the scene of her father lying in a pool of blood.

“Why would he let a pawn go so easily?” Chao Yang was puzzled. “Even if the pawn is unusable, they would usually take the person back to the trial ground to avoid raising the association’s suspicions.”

"Not sure."

This is also something Qiao Sheng cannot figure out. He touched his chin and said, "That's why I want to see what is so special about Qi Chao that makes that highly suspicious guy feel comfortable leaving him in place."

"Father, if we approach Qi Chao proactively, will it make Shen Yuxi unhappy?"

Chao Yang pursed her lips. She wasn't afraid of Shen Yuxi's puppets at home, but her sister had gone to the association and wouldn't return until the evening. If anything happened in the meantime, Chao Yang feared she wouldn't be able to protect her injured father.

"Of course, it will." Qiao Sheng understood that person well. If Shen Yuxi knew he was approaching Qi Chao, he would definitely come rushing over to kill him.

However, Shen Yuxi definitely didn't have time right now.

Qiao Sheng pondered. Shen Yuxi's second plan was tantamount to licking blood off a knife's edge. If he wasn't careful, he would fall miserably. How could he possibly have the attention to spare for Qi Chao?

He relaxed in his wheelchair and said to his daughter, "Don't worry. At worst, we can call Lu Chen over. Although that guy is a blockhead, he's still a marshal now. He can definitely protect my little life."

When Chao Yang heard this, her beast ears on top of her head trembled slightly, and she nodded in agreement, "Uncle Lu Chen should be able to beat Shen Yuxi."

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