Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 84

 

| PN | Prepare for Both | 84

Qi Chao looked at himself in the mirror, but no matter how hard he checked, he couldn’t find any black marks on his face. 

So, was the other person not joking with him? He scratched his head, his ears feeling hot, and his deep brown eyes filled with hesitation.

In his previous life, he had been too focused on work, and since he hadn’t met the right person, he had never been in a relationship. 

But he knew that Shen Yuxi's previous actions were clearly not something ordinary friends would do.

So, was Brother Shen interested in him?

Qi Chao rubbed his hot ears with his hand, bent down to wash his face, and gradually felt the heat subside. 

After coming out of the bathroom, he sat on the bed and carefully pondered the situation.

Actually, it might not be the case, Qi Chao thought. Maybe Brother Shen just touched him on a whim, although the possibility was low, it wasn’t impossible.

But at the same time, he knew that with Shen Yuxi's personality, it was unlikely for him to suddenly do something like that. 

Qi Chao's deep brown eyes held a hint of complexity.

He liked Shen Yuxi, and would sometimes even think Brother Shen was good-looking. He would occasionally blush in front of Brother Shen, but to say that he saw Shen Yuxi as a romantic interest was definitely not the case. 

Or rather, Qi Chao had never thought about it in that way.

His attitude towards Shen Yuxi was more of an appreciation of beauty. After thinking for a long time, Qi Chao still couldn’t sort out his thoughts, so he simply decided to stop thinking about it. 

After all, Brother Shen hadn’t explicitly said anything, so it was better to just pretend that what happened earlier didn’t exist and let things take their natural course.

With that thought in mind, Qi Chao lay down and tried to sleep. 

However, telling himself not to care was one thing, but actually being able to do it was another matter. 

Usually, he would sleep through the night without any issues, but this time, he ended up dreaming. 

When he woke up, Qi Chao could still vaguely recall the cold, soft fingertips from his dream.

It was as if he had become obsessed.

Qi Chao ruffled his already messy hair even more, trying to suppress the complicated emotions in his heart. He got up to wash and get ready for the day. 

They had made plans to go out and have fun with Brother Shen and the kids today. Even though he hadn’t slept well last night, he had no intention of breaking his promise. 

After washing up, he went into the kitchen to prepare some food for the picnic.

About half an hour later, Shen Yuxi came in from outside. 

By that time, Qi Chao had already composed himself and smiled at him, “You’re up?”

“Mm.”

Shen Yuxi’s almond-shaped eyes curved slightly as he nodded gently. 

Seeing that Qi Chao was behaving as usual, Shen Yuxi’s fingertips lightly brushed across the table, his eyelashes lowering to hide the emotions in his eyes.

Was he pretending, or did he really not understand?

Shen Yuxi’s lips pressed into a thin line. When he saw Qi Chao preparing to wash the vegetables, he rolled up his sleeves and, appearing natural, took the vegetables from Qi Chao's hands.

Shen Yuxi's fingers "accidentally" brushed against Qi Chao's hand. Noticing the other's slight discomfort, a knowing look flashed in Shen Yuxi's eyes before he quickly smiled gently at Qi Chao and said, "I can wash them myself."

Qi Chao also realized his reaction had been a bit excessive. He forced himself not to overthink, let go of the vegetables, and replied naturally, "Alright."

After a brief pause, he added, "The water is still a bit cold now. Wait another minute until it warms up before washing."

Shen Yuxi had a cold constitution and should avoid cold water as much as possible.

Shen Yuxi glanced at Qi Chao, his smile unchanged, and responded softly with a quiet "hmm" as he lowered his head. 

Watching the clear droplets of water, Shen Yuxi's almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly. 

Qi Chao still remembered what happened last night, but judging by his actions just now, he seemed to want to pretend that nothing had happened.

That wouldn't do.

Shen Yuxi thought to himself. He had revealed his intentions, and he wasn't about to let Qi Chao act like it never happened.

Growing up in Ganfen District had made Shen Yuxi particularly possessive of what he considered his own. Suspicious and selfish by nature, he had revealed his interest in Qi Chao as a gamble. 

Now that he had made his move, he expected a return.

Qi Chao noticed Shen Yuxi lowering his head without speaking. After some hesitation, he finally asked, "Brother Shen, are you alright?"

“I'm fine,” Shen Yuxi replied.

Shen Yuxi’s lips curved into a slight smile, his almond-shaped eyes exuding warmth and affection, betraying none of his inner thoughts.

Qi Chao found Brother Shen’s smile somewhat unusual and couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times. 

Normally, he wouldn’t pay much attention to something like this, but perhaps because of what happened the previous night, despite constantly reminding himself not to focus too much on Brother Shen, he couldn’t help but let his attention drift toward him.

The two of them, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, fell into a somewhat awkward silence. 

This strange atmosphere was finally broken when Li Bai came into the kitchen.

Li Bai was very attached to both Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi. 

Upon hearing their voices in the kitchen from the living room, he quickly ran in and greeted them affectionately, his small canine teeth gleaming white.

Noticing a new basket in the kitchen, Li Bai curiously rummaged through it. 

When Qi Chao mentioned they were going out for a picnic today, Li Bai’s golden eyes under the mask instantly lit up. 

Like a little fox, he quickly dashed out, exclaiming excitedly, “Lan Luo! We’re going on a picnic today, we can go out and play!”

Li Bai came and went like the wind, disappearing in a flash. Watching that white figure, Qi Chao felt his heart lighten, as if his worries had been purified. 

The things he had been brooding over now seemed less important, and he chuckled softly, resuming his task of chopping vegetables.

Shen Yuxi glanced at Qi Chao, his eyelashes trembling slightly, as if something had just occurred to him.

Qi Chao had planned the picnic at a maple forest not far from the park they had visited before. 

Since he remembered Brother Shen mentioning yesterday that he wanted to meet San Yue, and with Tu Zhuang and Qi Feng needing to return to school, Qi Chao decided to bring San Yue along, giving him a chance to meet Brother Shen as well.

As they disembarked from the aircraft, Shen Yuxi had already set up the picnic equipment. The ground was covered with maple leaves, resembling a sea of flames.

Li Bai and Lan Luo were ecstatic, running around and stomping on the leaves as if they had found something incredibly fun.

Shen Yuxi stood under a tree, his golden hair resting on his shoulders, his eyes as gentle as water, like the clear ripples of an autumn pond. 

Even though he was merely standing there, doing nothing, he drew everyone’s gaze effortlessly.

Qi Chao, observing from a distance, noticed Shen Yuxi giving him a slight smile. His back stiffened momentarily but quickly relaxed as he brought San Yue over to join Shen Yuxi.

San Yue glanced curiously at Qi Chao. 

He had always felt an inexplicable closeness to him. Though he didn’t show it on the surface, he was quite attentive to his reactions, which led him to be somewhat curious about the man standing under the tree.

He recalled seeing this blond man a long time ago in a video, shortly after he had first woken up.

Perhaps because he hadn’t had any nightmares for two days straight, San Yue seemed much more spirited than before. He greeted Shen Yuxi, “Hello.”

Shen Yuxi’s expression remained unchanged, his lips curving into a gentle smile, and his eyes radiating warmth. He asked softly, “San Yue, is there anywhere you still feel unwell?”

“No, not anymore,” San Yue replied. He hadn’t even told Qi Chao about his nightmares, so he certainly wasn’t going to tell this stranger.

“Is that so? That’s good to hear,” Shen Yuxi responded, his voice filled with genuine concern.

Hearing that the puppet was fine, Shen Yuxi seemed genuinely pleased, his almond-shaped eyes curving into crescent moons. 

He proceeded to ask a few simple, ordinary questions, seemingly just concerned about San Yue’s health. Once he was assured that everything was normal, he felt at ease.

Seeing that Brother Shen had no more questions, Qi Chao patted San Yue on the shoulder and took him to find the two puppets who were playing wildly nearby.

As he watched Qi Chao and San Yue walk away, Shen Yuxi's smile remained, but his gaze gradually darkened. 

According to what Ayu had told him, San Yue had dreamt of Lan Luo.

From San Yue’s expression, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual. If he had only dreamt of Lan Luo, it might indicate that his dreams didn’t have deep symbolic connections, and the content of those dreams could just be random, isolated scenes or something else.

The information gathered was too limited, and to uncover anything deeper, further probing would be necessary.

After thinking about it briefly, Shen Yuxi decided to set the matter aside for now. He looked over at Qi Chao, who was trailing behind Li Bai and Lan Luo, stepping on the fallen leaves with them. 

Even though Qi Chao was nearly thirty years old, he was acting as childishly as the kids.

Noticing Shen Yuxi’s gaze, Qi Chao froze for a moment, as if suddenly aware of how he might appear. 

However, after being called by the two children, he decided to abandon any pretense and continued playing with them, laughing and stomping on the leaves.

Shen Yuxi’s smile deepened slightly as he found a bench to sit on. His gaze briefly swept over Xiang Yue, who was playing with a ball on the picnic blanket, before returning to Qi Chao. 

However, he noticed that Qi Chao had stopped stomping on the leaves and was now standing still, sketching something in his notebook.

Pausing for a moment, Shen Yuxi approached Qi Chao and softly asked, "What are you doing?"

Qi Chao, still focused on his notebook, responded absentmindedly with a nasal "Hmm," seemingly not fully registering what Shen Yuxi had said, only offering a reflexive reply.

Shen Yuxi's eyes fell on the sketchpad, and upon recognizing the familiar proportions on the page, his eyelashes fluttered slightly. 

He realized that Qi Chao might have found new inspiration, which meant his attention would be entirely absorbed by his drawing for the time being.

Qi Chao had a deep fondness for puppets.

Not wanting to disrupt Qi Chao’s creative process, Shen Yuxi quietly stepped back. To him, Qi Chao’s love for puppets was only beneficial. 

He understood that he and Qi Chao were fundamentally different.

Qi Chao was pure, warm, and upright.

In contrast, Shen Yuxi saw himself as dirty, dark, and selfish.

If Qi Chao ever truly became his, Shen Yuxi believed that sooner or later, Qi Chao would discover his true nature, see the world’s rot and darkness, and ultimately leave him.

Shen Yuxi would never allow such a possibility to arise. What belonged to him would always be his alone. 

With this thought, a trace of darkness flickered in his eyes as he turned and slowly walked over to the picnic blanket.

Xiang Yue, who was playing with a baseball and wagging his tail, noticed the movement and looked up at Shen Yuxi, seemingly puzzled.

"Xiang Yue, can we have a talk?" Shen Yuxi asked, his voice tinged with a smile, his almond-shaped eyes gazing gently at the puppet.

Xiang Yue quietly observed the blond man, as if considering his intentions. After a few seconds, Xiang Yue nodded, his tail swishing slightly as he put the ball into his pocket. "Okay."

Moss, who had been sitting nearby braiding the plush doll’s hair, silently stood up and followed behind his father. 

Shen Yuxi glanced at him but said nothing.

Meanwhile, after jotting down his sudden burst of inspiration, Qi Chao vaguely recalled that Brother Shen had said something to him earlier. He turned around but found that Shen Yuxi was no longer nearby.

Putting his pen and notebook back into his pocket, Qi Chao pulled out his holo-brain to take some photos of the maple trees for reference. 

After snapping a few shots, he decided to upload the pictures and the level report Xiang Yue had measured yesterday to his social media platform.

Qi Chao hadn’t managed his social media account in a long time, and he figured that many of the followers he had gained during the competition had probably unfollowed him by now. 

While he wasn’t particularly concerned about his popularity, he felt that he owed it to those fans who had supported Libai to update his account.

At the very least, he wanted them to know that he was still alive.

Qi Chao chuckled softly and put his holo-brain away. After wandering around the area for a bit, he realized that he couldn’t find Shen Yuxi, Xiang Yue, or Moss anywhere. 

Looking over at Li Bai and Lan Luo, who were still happily stomping on the leaves, he asked, "Have you seen Brother Shen, Xiang Yue, and Moss?"

"Father?" Lan Luo, slightly out of breath from playing, his curly golden hair a bit messy, exchanged a glance with Libai before pointing to the right, "I think Father went that way."

"Alright," Qi Chao nodded casually, hands in his pockets, as he prepared to go look for them.

Seeing Qi Chao’s actions, Lan Luo, Li Bai, and even San Yue, who was standing under a tree, stopped what they were doing and quickly followed him.

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