Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 73

 

| PN | Juvenile Detection Center | 73

The dim and narrow room made everything exceptionally quiet. Cold moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the man lying on the bed. From his steady breathing, it was clear that he was in a deep sleep.

Shen Yuxi, standing at the door, had a flushed face, his chest heaving intensely as if his blood was flowing backward from beneath him. His eyes were glazed with a layer of mist, and his ears buzzed. His movements were sluggish, as if he had drunk too much alcohol.

Despite this, his mind remained clear.

Agu and Chi Yao had drugged him.

Feeling the heat rising within his body, the coldness and murderous intent in Shen Yuxi's peach blossom eyes made one's blood run cold.

He turned to the door and tried to twist the lock, but it didn't budge. His breath was hot, and his burning fingers lightly caressed the cold lock. Since Agu had lured him in here, he certainly wouldn’t let him leave easily.

Shen Yuxi thought he had given Agu and Chi Yao too much freedom, which made these two puppets so brazen in betraying him.

He did want Qi Chao to become his bed companion, but not in this manner. Drugging someone to achieve this was the most disgraceful method.

His fingers trembled slightly, and the air he exhaled felt hot. The scorching sensation from within his body eroded his rationality. Calmly, he walked to the window and checked the lock.

At first glance, Shen Yuxi didn’t seem different, but upon closer inspection, one could notice his movements were much slower than usual.

The window wouldn’t open either.

As Shen Yuxi remained in the room, Qi Chao, who had been in a deep sleep, began to show signs of discomfort. His breathing became heavier.

Shen Yuxi’s eyelashes trembled as he stood by the window, he realized the problem might be the scent on him. He couldn't stay there any longer. His gaze shifted from the bed to the window.

In the next second, a crisp sound echoed as the window glass shattered. Under the moonlight, the shards glimmered like falling stars.

In his dream, Qi Chao felt hot. Hearing the sound of breaking glass, his lips moved slightly, trying to wake up. But his mind was foggy, and his eyelids were heavy. Qi Chao hazily opened his eyes just a bit and saw a thin figure jumping out of the window.

That person had blond hair and blue eyes, surrounded by a sea of stars. His eyes were slightly red at the corners, and his pale fingers clutched the window frame. 

In the cold moonlight, he looked so beautiful it seemed like an illusion.

Brother…Shen?

Two words slowly formed in Qi Chao’s drowsy mind. His eyelids drooped as he struggled to stay awake. It couldn’t be. Brother Shen should be at his own house, not here.

Thinking this, Qi Chao pulled the blanket up, turned over, and fell back to sleep. He vaguely smelled a familiar, sweet scent. Remembering something, his lips moved, but his eyes remained closed as he sank into a dark dream.

Meanwhile, Agu, Lan Luo, and Li Bai were hiding in a tree not far away, watching the scene. 

When they heard the glass breaking, Agu’s smile slightly faded.

In his plan, his father was supposed to be shocked to find Qi Chao lying in his bed. With the effects of the drug, he would be torn and finally forced to call out to Agu for help. 

Agu would then appear triumphantly, the victor in this scenario.

No matter how he thought about it, the situation was supposed to be interesting.

However, seeing his father jump out of the window directly facing the tree, Agu's expression turned stiff. His father didn't even call his name, clearly showing that he was genuinely angry this time.

This was not how Agu had envisioned things.

Lan Luo and Li Bai also looked perplexed.

Lan Luo glanced at Agu, "Weren’t they supposed to get married? Why did Father jump out of the window?"

Although Li Bai had agreed to give their father a surprise, he had harbored a small amount of doubt. That's why he had stuck close to Agu during the journey.

Seeing this scene, Li Bai realized something was wrong. The golden eyes under his mask started to glow red again, "Agu, did you deceive Li Bai? Why did Father jump out of the window?"

At this moment, Agu was consumed with thoughts about how he had messed up and the punishment that awaited him from his father. He couldn't even spare a moment to respond to the other two.

Agu immediately jumped down from the tree and approached Shen Yuxi with a playful grin.

Seeing Agu's reaction, Lan Luo and Li Bai's suspicions grew stronger. Worried that Qi Chao might be in danger, the two puppets quickly moved to the adjacent tree and jumped into the second-floor window. 

Upon seeing that Qi Chao was merely sleeping, both Lan Luo and Li Bai sighed in relief.

"What is going on?" Li Bai's eyes still glowed red, and the black patterns on his cheeks seemed like writhing worms, covering half his face. "You said they were going to get married. Li Bai remembers that a wedding ceremony doesn't look like this."

"I don't know." Lan Luo bit his nails and looked at the broken window, his eyes dark. He felt that he had been deceived by Agu and Chi Yao.

In Lan Luo and Li Bai's view, a wedding ceremony should be a romantic event held in a brightly lit room. Initially, when Agu placed Qi Chao on the bed, they thought it was part of a surprise. 

But judging by Shen Yuxi's reaction, it seemed more like a fright than a surprise.

Clearly, Agu's initial intention might not have been to prepare a so-called surprise.

Li Bai might be slow, but he wasn't stupid. Hearing Lan Luo's uncertain response, the black patterns on Li Bai's face slowly crept towards the right side, showing signs of further spreading downwards.

"So, Father was knocked out by Agu for no reason and brought here?"

Li Bai's nails slowly elongated, resembling claws of a beast, and his eyes glowed red with anger. If this was indeed the case, he was determined to severely punish Agu and Chi Yao.

Meanwhile, Agu trailed beside Shen Yuxi after jumping down from the tree, his attitude of remorse evident. "Father, I was wrong. Please don't be angry."

Shen Yuxi ignored Agu and continued walking towards the forest. The sound of breaking glass had alerted Moss and Chi Yao, who were in the living room, causing them to rush outside.

Seeing the shards of glass on his father's shoulder, Moss paused, his gaze falling on Shen Yuxi's flushed face. 

He instantly realized something was amiss with his father's condition. His dark eyes were eerily deep, and his lips, hidden under the bandages, moved slightly. "Father, what happened?"

Chi Yao also appeared worried. She pursed her lips and looked at Shen Yuxi. "Father, you..."

Could it be that the human wasn't to his liking? Chi Yao felt confused. Why did her father seem unhappy, and the effects of the herbs hadn't worn off yet?

She ran over to her father, reaching out to try and neutralize the drug in his system, but Shen Yuxi avoided her touch. 

Chi Yao's fingers hesitated, sensing his rejection.

Shen Yuxi stopped for a moment and looked at Moss. "Go check on Qi Chao's condition. There's no need to bring him back."

Seeing Moss nod, Shen Yuxi said no more and continued walking towards the forest's depths, ignoring Chi Yao and Agu the entire time. 

As creations of Shen Yuxi, Chi Yao and Agu understood that their father was intentionally giving them the cold shoulder. 

Chi Yao bit her lip and followed him, while Agu kicked a few stones around before shoving his hands into his pockets and trailing behind.

Punishment was punishment. Agu wasn’t afraid. He knew that although his father used puppets, he never abandoned them, which gave Agu the confidence to test boundaries. However, this time, his father didn't mention any form of punishment; he simply chose not to acknowledge Agu.

The moonlit lake was icy, and Shen Yuxi soaked in its waters, his golden hair wet and lips pale. 

Although Chi Yao could have neutralized the drug more quickly, Shen Yuxi didn’t ask anything of his puppets. He remained silent despite their attempts to speak, a silence that Agu found unbearable. It felt as though he and Chi Yao were insignificant, easily discarded.

Shen Yuxi’s form of cold punishment was to ignore them completely, something the puppets couldn't stand. 

Even the seemingly rebellious Agu cared about his father's presence. Watching Shen Yuxi in the lake, Agu’s usually smiling face lost its cheerfulness. He squatted and drew circles in the dirt with a stone.

"Father, the lake is very cold. You’ll get sick," he muttered, the lightheartedness gone from his voice.

Shen Yuxi ignored him. Agu's circles were drawn erratically, reflecting his distracted state. Beside him, Chi Yao's red eyes were filled with tears.

For puppets without a master, their creator was the closest thing to family. Agu understood that Shen Yuxi's current demeanor was his way of punishing them, inducing guilt and remorse. 

This form of punishment seemed almost laughable, yet it was deeply effective. Shen Yuxi knew his creations well, understanding their need for love and their fear of abandonment. No other punishment compared to being ignored and cast aside.

Agu knew his father's intent, and his eyes held a touch of irony. More ironic was how deeply he felt the pain. 

After a few hours, Shen Yuxi rose and left the lake, with Chi Yao dejectedly following him. Agu stayed behind, knowing that Shen Yuxi, having decided to punish him and Chi Yao, would not acknowledge them for a while, and this might just be the beginning.

Lying on the grass by the lake, Agu stared at the starry sky, his bright green eyes looking empty. 

Then, he heard a faint noise nearby. In the darkness, Moss emerged, his bandaged mouth moving slightly.

"You've caused Father a lot of trouble," Moss said.

Agu sat up, smiling teasingly. "Here comes Father's shadow."

"You acted without Father's permission, despite the freedom and time he gives us, this is unforgivable," Moss replied. "Father rarely restricts our actions as long as we complete our tasks. Yet, you and Chi Yao have betrayed his trust."

To Moss, Shen Yuxi was a kind and lenient father, rarely imposing strict limits on his creations. The betrayal by Agu and Chi Yao was, in Moss's eyes, an unpardonable sin.

"Who told you about this? Father? I doubt it. Was it Li Bai and Lan Luo?" Agu mused.

Moss remained silent.

Seeing Moss's lack of response, Agu's smile widened, as if he found something amusing. "Do you want to fight?"

Moss, noticing Agu's unrepentant smile, drew a long knife from the spatial rift and slashed at Agu without hesitation. Agu dodged a few times nimbly, initially appearing relaxed, but after several rounds, he seemed to falter and had his arm brutally severed by Moss.

The slender arm fell onto the grass, revealing blue threads of spiritual energy inside. Exhausted, Agu leaned against a tree, his hair disheveled.

Moss realized Agu had done it on purpose. His expression remained unchanged as he coldly sheathed his knife and turned away, disappearing into the spatial vortex. Whatever Agu's intentions were, Moss wouldn't spare any of those involved in this incident.

Agu winced slightly from the pain. The intense sensation, characteristic of an S-class puppet, made him want to blow on the wound, but the awkward angle made it difficult. 

Agu felt pitiful.

With this in mind, Agu's head knocked against the tree. He couldn't believe that Father was unaware of Moss coming to discipline him. He had purposely lost an arm; surely that would appease Father's anger?

Humans were indeed hard to please.

Agu thought about the future repairs to his arm, which would undoubtedly be done by Father. 

This gave Agu a sense of victory. Leaning against the tree, his hair caught in the branches. Agu reached up to untangle his hair, noting that the hairstyle Qi Chao had given him that morning was now a mess.

Qi Chao’s styling was actually quite nice.

Reflecting on his appearance in the lake earlier, Agu looked up at the stars, thinking to himself how it seemed unfortunate that someone as kind as Qi Chao was interested in someone as cold-hearted as Father.

The next morning, Qi Chao opened his eyes and felt a pain in his neck. He gently massaged his neck as he surveyed his surroundings. Noticing that there were no puppets from his house in the room, Qi Chao remained calm, carefully observing the unfamiliar setting.

A moment later, he paused, his deep brown eyes focusing on the window to his left. There was no hole, but the room’s furnishings were identical to those in his dream. 

Qi Chao thought it was possible that he hadn’t been dreaming after all. The events of the previous night slowly came back to him, including the dream and the sensation of being hit on the back of his neck.

He recalled being with his puppets in a small forest. Despite feeling dizzy, he knew the only ones present were him and his four puppets. The only one tall enough and close enough to knock him out with a hand strike was Agu.

Qi Chao didn’t understand why Agu had done this. It was impossible not to be angry. Qi Chao considered himself reasonable and believed that any issues could be discussed. Agu’s actions only made him feel bewildered.

He speculated that he was in Shen Yuxi’s house. Just as he put on his shoes and was about to leave, the door opened.

Li Bai entered from outside. Seeing that his father was awake, his golden-amber eyes under the mask lit up. "Dad, you're awake!"

"Um." Qi Chao smiled at Li Bai and then asked, "Is this your godfather's house?"

Li Bai had stayed by his father’s side since last night. He had just gone out to find Lan Luo to discuss how to punish Chi Yao and Agu, but strangely, he couldn't find Lan Luo anywhere. 

When he returned and saw his father awake, the guilt and self-reproach that had been building up since the previous day burst forth. He ran over and tightly hugged Qi Chao's waist, his voice trembling, "I'm sorry, Daddy. I failed to protect you again."

He shouldn't have trusted Agu.

Li Bai thought Agu was a liar. Agu and Chi Yao had not only deceived him and Lan Luo but also tried to hurt Father. He shouldn't have believed their talk about a surprise yesterday.

Li Bai's golden eyes were tinged with red, and he was determined to avenge his father. Even if he couldn't find Lan Luo, he would take action alone.

Qi Chao looked down at Li Bai's silver hair, reached out to stroke it, and laughed softly, "You don't need to protect Dad."

To Qi Chao, who would have thought something like this could happen? In his previous life, he hadn't experienced such excitement in nearly thirty years, and now in just one year, he'd been stabbed and knocked out multiple times. 

Who would have thought this was the warm fairy tale the system talked about? 

Qi Chao's fingers paused briefly, then he tugged at the corners of his mouth and asked, "So can you explain to Dad what exactly happened?"

Li Bai stiffened for a moment and then, in a small voice, recounted everything he knew to Qi Chao. After finishing, he lowered his head, filled with self-blame.

"Marriage?" Qi Chao repeated.

Qi Chao was a bit bewildered. "Agu told you that Brother Shen and I like each other, and knocking me out was to bring me here for a surprise?"

Qi Chao didn't quite understand the logic chain. Not to mention that Li Bai might not have a clear grasp of what liking someone means, but even if two people were genuinely in love, you couldn't just knock someone out and bring them here.

He looked at the confused and innocent Li Bai in front of him and suddenly realized an important issue.

He had only taught the kids to recognize words before the competition, but in fact, he had rarely mentioned anything about the law or social morals. 

Qi Chao had never raised children; even in his previous life, his younger brother was only two years younger than him. This led to Qi Chao focusing solely on making sure the kids ate well, played well, and grew up freely.

Qi Chao was silent for a moment and then patted Li Bai's head. "Li Bai, when we get home, you and Lan Luo can't watch cartoons anymore. Dad needs to teach you some important knowledge."

Thinking about how easily Li Bai and Lan Luo were deceived, Qi Chao decided he should start with some anti-fraud propaganda films for the two children.

No more cartoons?

Li Bai looked up at Qi Chao, thinking this was his punishment from daddy. He solemnly nodded, "Okay, daddy, I will study hard."

Qi Chao looked at his face, wanting to say more, but he stopped himself. He ruffled Li Bai's hair and stood up. "I’m going to check on Brother Shen and Agu. Where are they?"

Li Bai didn't know where Agu was, but he had seen his godfather in the morning. Thinking about how his godfather had jumped out of the window last night, Li Bai pursed his lips. 

If he had really stopped Agu back then, his godfather might not have jumped out of the window.

Qi Chao noticed something was off with Li Bai. His gaze fell on the window nearby, and he frowned slightly before quickly relaxing. There was probably more to what happened last night. He followed Li Bai to Shen Yuxi's room and then gently knocked on the door.

Li Bai stood next to Qi Chao, but he kept thinking about how to teach Agu a lesson. He tugged at his dad's sleeve and said, "Dad, I'm going to find Lan Luo first."

"Okay."

Qi Chao agreed. This was Shen Yuxi's house, so Lan Luo should be at home. He casually reminded Li Bai to be careful, watched him go downstairs, and then opened the door in front of him.

It was the study. Shen Yuxi was sitting at the desk, gently rubbing his temples. When he saw Qi Chao, he gave a faint smile. Perhaps because of his pale lips, he looked somewhat fragile.

"You're awake?"

Shen Yuxi stood up, his thin lips pressed together slightly. "Sorry, the children at home were being mischievous and got you involved."

"It's fine," Qi Chao paused. "But what exactly happened last night? If I'm not mistaken, you should have broken the window and jumped out."

He had always thought it was a dream.

If he had known that the incident was real, he wouldn’t have fallen asleep so easily last night. Qi Chao pursed his lips.

When Shen Yuxi heard Qi Chao's question, he wasn't surprised. After the incident, he had guessed that Qi Chao couldn’t possibly be completely unaware of what had happened, which was why he hadn’t let Moss take Qi Chao away.

Shen Yuxi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his peach blossom eyes showed a look of helplessness. “Agu and Chi Yao were being very mischievous. Chi Yao thought that you and I had a more intimate relationship, so Agu suggested bringing you over.”

As he spoke, Shen Yuxi looked somewhat troubled. “They even somehow found some kind of aphrodisiac. I had no choice but to leave through the window last night.”

Aphrodisiac...?

Qi Chao fell silent for a moment. Oh boy, Chi Yao and Agu were even more outrageous than he had thought. 

Last night, he had nearly lost his virginity.

While Shen Yuxi spoke, he kept watching Qi Chao’s expression, as if trying to discern his true thoughts. His fingertips lightly tapped under the table, and his eyelashes lowered, masking the indiscernible emotions in his eyes.

The events of last night were too blatant to hide. If Qi Chao had thought it over a bit more, everything could have fallen apart. It was better to just tell him the truth directly.

Qi Chao was a kind-hearted person. What would he think if he knew that Agu and Chi Yao weren’t as he had imagined? Perhaps he would feel disgusted, or perhaps he would just laugh it off.

Shen Yuxi was very curious about Qi Chao’s reaction, but if Qi Chao really did respond in either of those ways, Shen Yuxi wasn’t sure what he would think. Maybe he would find it all quite boring.

He looked at Qi Chao, only to find that the latter seemed... distracted?

Shen Yuxi paused, his blue eyes filled with confusion. "Qi Chao?"

"Hmm?" Qi Chao responded as if he was pondering something. After a few seconds, he looked up at Shen Yuxi, his voice slightly deep. "Brother Shen, how long do you think Chi Yao and Agu should be grounded for this kind of behavior?"

Grounded?

Shen Yuxi was a bit puzzled.

"Lan Luo and Li Bai are accomplices as well. Even if the crime wasn't completed, they should still undergo a few weeks of corrective education," Qi Chao continued, looking rather serious. 

"We can't let them get away with it just because they're young. Blue Star doesn’t have a juvenile detention center for puppets, but they need to understand the seriousness of their actions."

Shen Yuxi was silent for a moment.

This was the first time he had heard the term "juvenile detention center for puppets."

Qi Chao was quite familiar with juvenile detention centers. He had once spent a few days there after beating up a bully who had been harassing his younger brother. Although it was only for a few days, he found the experience quite enlightening. 

After coming out, he felt that his spirit had been elevated.

The puppets did indeed make mistakes, and some of their actions were even excessive. 

However, if they could genuinely realize their wrongdoings and correct them, there was no need to hold onto it endlessly.

"I'll think about it more carefully and talk to you later."

With that, Qi Chao stood up and left, one hand in his pocket, looking somewhat nonchalant.

Shen Yuxi watched his back, and a hint of a smile slowly appeared in his previously calm eyes, as if he had found something interesting once again.

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