Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 85

 

| PN | Mother Tree | 85

Fallen leaves drifted on the lake's surface as Xiang Yue shifted his gaze from the water to the blond man before him. 

His red eyes appeared calm, and his tail gently swayed behind him, as if he was contemplating what this person wanted from him.

"Don't be nervous," Shen Yuxi said, seemingly reading Xiang Yue's thoughts, his almond-shaped eyes brimming with warmth.

Unlike Li Bai, who had liked Shen Yuxi from their first meeting, Xiang Yue was more cautious, only being close to Qi Chao. 

This was precisely why Shen Yuxi had sought out Xiang Yue.

Qi Chao had a deep affection for puppets.

Shen Yuxi knew that if he wanted Qi Chao to belong to him, he needed to first gain the favor of his puppets. He understood that if the puppets liked him, it would create a sense of attachment that might make Qi Chao hesitate to leave him in the future.

However, Shen Yuxi was certain that Qi Chao would never leave him, and he would ensure that it never happened.

"Is there something you need?" Xiang Yue asked politely. He remembered that this person had once brought ointment for his father, so he didn’t dislike someone who showed kindness towards his father.

"Nothing in particular. I just suddenly wanted to chat with you," Shen Yuxi replied with a smile. 

After a brief pause, he continued, "When you were still in your mother stone form, Qi Chao often mentioned you. He was very much looking forward to your birth."

Xiang Yue’s expression, which had been quite neutral, softened into a more attentive look when he heard about his father's expectations. 

He straightened up slowly, his eyes focusing more intently, and his tail swished more rapidly, indicating his growing interest in the topic.

Shen Yuxi’s lips curled into a subtle smile as he continued to speak with Xiang Yue about Qi Chao. 

At first, they stood quite far apart, but within minutes, they were only a fist’s distance from each other.

Moss stood nearby, listening to the conversation between Xiang Yue and his father. 

He didn’t quite understand why his father was being so friendly with Xiang Yue, but Moss made no attempt to interrupt and quietly continued braiding the plush doll’s hair.

While Xiang Yue was initially engaged in the conversation with Shen Yuxi, his attention gradually shifted to Moss’s hands, specifically to the doll Moss was working on. 

Noticing Xiang Yue’s gaze, Moss quickly hid the doll in his arms, worried that Xiang Yue might try to take it.

Seeing this, Shen Yuxi spoke in a gentle tone, "This is a gift from Qi Chao to Moss. He really likes it."

Upon learning that the plush doll was a gift from Qi Chao, Xiang Yue understood why the doll carried a trace of his father's scent. He looked at the doll a few more times before finally shifting his gaze back to Shen Yuxi.

Shen Yuxi then turned his attention to the calm surface of the lake, as if recalling something, and his smile deepened. “Your father is very kind. As you’ve just been born, you might not yet be aware, but in the Blue Star, puppets are treated poorly. Few people remember to give gifts to puppets.”

“He is the first person I’ve seen who, driven by the desire to change the status of puppets, and aspires to become a puppet master.” Shen Yuxi’s peach blossom eyes held a hint of amusement. 

He was simply stating the facts without praise or flattery, but his gentle tone made it easy for people to hear the underlying admiration in his words.

A puppet master?

This was the first time Xiang Yue had heard of his father having such an ambition. He wanted to ask more, but in the next moment, he heard the crunch of footsteps on leaves. 

Xiang Yue closed his mouth and turned around, only to see his father and the three puppets standing behind the maple tree, not sure how long they had been listening.

“Dad.”

As soon as he saw Qi Chao, Xiang Yue’s drooping tail wagged again. He ran to Qi Chao’s side and inadvertently noticed his father’s red ears. 

He tilted his head, his dog ears flicking in confusion at why his father’s ears were so red.

Standing by the lake, Shen Yuxi glanced at Qi Chao’s face, his lips curling slightly. His eyelashes hid the smile in his eyes. 

Clearly, he had spoken those words in response to the noise from behind, and it seemed the effect had been quite good.

Qi Chao reached out to pat Xiang Yue’s head, his eyes moving to Shen Yuxi. 

Seeing Shen Yuxi’s somewhat puzzled expression, Qi Chao’s lips moved silently before he finally spoke, “Brother Shen, it’s getting late. We should have dinner.”

“Alright.”

Shen Yuxi seemed not to notice Qi Chao’s odd behavior. He took a step beside him and smiled gently.

Qi Chao had appeared when Shen Yuxi was talking about the puppets.

Shen Yuxi hadn’t said anything inappropriate, and in the past, Qi Chao wouldn’t have given it much thought. 

He might have even joked about it upon learning of it. But since he started suspecting that Brother Shen had feelings for him, hearing this made Qi Chao feel somewhat uneasy.

He rubbed his nose and led the children back to the picnic blanket.

A cool breeze brushed by. Looking at the basket of food on the picnic blanket and then at the hungry children, Qi Chao suppressed his feelings, returned to his usual self, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to cook.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yue was still contemplating his father’s desire to change the status of the puppets. He clutched the ball in his pocket and approached Lan Luo and Li Bai to seek confirmation.

“Is dad really aiming to become a puppet master to change the status of the puppets?” Xiang Yue’s tail drooped, and his eyes were serious. “Is the status of the puppets really that low?”

Xiang Yue had always enjoyed his father’s affection since birth, and the only hardship he faced was the time in the mother stone. 

He fundamentally didn’t understand how harsh the world could be for the puppets.

When Lan Luo and Li Bai heard Xiang Yue’s question, they exchanged glances. 

Li Bai pressed his lips together, his golden eyes somewhat dim: “Yes, it’s very low.”

Li Bai, who had also grown up in love, had participated in competitions, seen projections, and read many books. He was no longer as naive as before and understood that being created by Qi Chao was a fortunate thing.

Both Li Bai and Lan Luo had long known about Qi Chao’s ambition to become a puppet master, but this was the first time they heard that his goal was to change the current status of the puppets.

How could a human be so kind to puppets?

Lan Luo’s fingers fidgeted on the bench, his blue eyes somewhat dim. To the Blue Star people, puppets were akin to toys and tools. Changing their perception was difficult, yet Qi Chao was directly trying to do it.

Xiang Yue’s tail swayed slightly behind him. 

From the expressions of the two puppets, he vaguely guessed the difficulty of this issue. 

Xiang Yue’s thoughts always revolved around his father, and when he learned what his father wanted to achieve, his first reaction was to help. 

However, he was also aware that he was still lacking in many areas, and he was even less capable than Li Bai and Lan Luo.

“Can you teach me how to read?”

Xiang Yue looked at Li Bai and Lan Luo. “I want to help Dad achieve his dream.”

Help Qi Chao?

When Li Bai and Lan Luo heard this, they looked up at Xiang Yue, as if something within them had been ignited.

Qi Chao was unaware that the children in his household had decided to study hard because of the recent events. 

He glanced at the time, estimating that dinner would be ready in about ten minutes, and prepared to sit down and rest. 

Just as he turned around, he noticed that Shen Yuxi had appeared behind him at some point.

“Brother Shen.” Qi Chao suppressed his fluctuating emotions and smiled at Shen Yuxi. On the surface, he seemed unaffected. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”

Shen Yuxi nodded and sat down on the bench beside him.

Though it wasn't unusual for Qi Chao to sit with Shen Yuxi, this time he found himself constantly glancing over at Shen Yuxi, which he found somewhat annoying. 

To distract himself, he decided to pull out his light brain and check it.

As soon as he turned on the light brain, notifications flooded in, with the small red dots rapidly increasing.

Liu Mangtu: 【Wuwu, he’s here! The man who disappeared for half a year has finally appeared.】

Jiu Jiu Fireworks: 【Waited for so long, the big shot is finally out. Glad I didn’t give up.】

Happy Moments: 【Ahhh, oh my gosh, so fast! They’ve made another S-level puppet. Seriously? Can an S-level puppet be produced every six months now?!!!】

Emperor Aura: 【The big shot has made two S-level puppets, impressive. If this were at the association, they’d definitely be a top-tier puppet master.】

Some comments were quite amusing. Qi Chao couldn’t help but smile as he read through them. 

After replying to a few comments, the comment section was bustling with activity, as if it were New Year’s.

Shen Yuxi noticed the change in Qi Chao’s expression from the corner of his eye. The curve of his lips diminished slightly. 

Qi Chao certainly knew how to control his emotions.

Thinking this, Shen Yuxi said nothing further. He understood that he couldn’t push Qi Chao too hard; doing so would only push him away.

Although Qi Chao is very low-profile and rarely posts updates on social media, his follower count had surpassed ten million since the competition. Even though there hasn't been much news about Qi Chao online recently, his follower count has remained steady.

The value of the puppet master competition was much higher than Qi Chao had anticipated. The association’s vice president naturally noticed the updates Qi Chao posted online.

Recently, the association had been troubled by the production of S-level puppets.

Although they had allocated resources to top-tier puppet masters, and the production had significantly increased, making an S-level puppet wasn’t something that could be done instantly.

The research institute was evidently dissatisfied with the association’s speed and had even put pressure on the president. 

The president, an aging puppet master who no longer wished to deal with such matters, had handed the task over to the vice president.

The vice president was overwhelmed and had even lost a few clumps of hair. He looked at his secretary and asked, “How many S-level puppets has the association produced in the past six months?”

“Five,” the secretary replied after a pause. “Recently, the research institute took away a batch of puppets, but from what they’ve said, they’ll need another ten puppets next month.”

The vice president felt like his head was going to explode. The research institute was focused solely on developing abilities and wasn’t considering their needs. He rubbed his head and continued, “Have we contacted Qi Chao? Any news?”

Producing an S-level puppet within six months was truly astonishing. To put it in perspective, the top-tier puppet masters supported by the association typically took two years to produce one.

After all, S-level puppets require a massive amount of the puppeteer's mental energy. Generally, after creating an S-level puppet, it takes one to two years to recuperate.

“They’ve all been intercepted by Qi Chenming,” the secretary said with some embarrassment. 

“The richest man is unhappy with how the association handled Zhang Ya’s case and doesn’t want our people to meet Qi Chao.”

Previously, when Zhang Ya, that foolish person, had sent puppets to assassinate Qi Chao, the judge had sentenced him to attempted murder, but the association had protected Zhang Ya, and had a ten-year sentence.

The vice president didn’t want to offend the richest man, but Zhang Ya was still a puppet master capable of making S-level puppets. With the Empire’s research institute in such desperate need of S-level puppets, it was naturally impossible to keep Zhang Ya imprisoned for too long.

“Have someone approach Qi Chao privately,” the vice president said, rubbing his temples.

He remembered that Qi Chao had once approached him about the abandoned Double Mirrors and had expressed a close connection with the association. 

To complete the Empire’s task, he had to get Qi Chao on their side.

If Qi Chao agreed, the richest man would have no choice but to accept, no matter how unwilling he was. 

After all, the association had the backing of the Empire. A glint of cold determination flashed in the vice president’s eyes.

…

Qi Chao was unaware of the association's covert plans to invite him. 

After the picnic, he planned to return San Yue to the villa with the children. 

Once San Yue had disembarked from the aircraft, Qi Chao had no intention of leaving or getting off the aircraft. He remained seated, taking the time to sort out his relationship with Brother Shen.

Seeing San Yue standing motionless, Qi Chao realized that his actions might have been a bit inappropriate. He rolled down the window and smiled at San Yue, saying, “You can go in now. I’ll be heading back too.”

Of course, this was just an excuse. Qi Chao did not go home but instead parked the aircraft in a secluded spot and continued to calmly ponder his relationship with Brother Shen.

Meanwhile, San Yue watched the aircraft disappear into the sky, biting his lip. He had overheard the entire conversation between Shen Yuxi and Xiang Yue while following Qi Chao.

Having lived in the lower levels of Ganfen District, San Yue understood better than Li Bai and Lan Luo the plight of low-level puppets in Blue Star. 

To him, Qi Chao’s ambition to change the status of puppets seemed nearly impossible. 

However, he did not dislike Qi Chao’s idea. In fact, after learning about Qi Chao’s actions, a warm feeling seemed to have filled San Yue’s heart.

Once inside the villa, San Yue began staying up late with Tu Zhuang to study. 

Noticing San Yue's good mood, Tu Zhuang poked his face with his now smooth nails and asked, “Are you happy today?”

San Yue, thinking of Qi Chao, who might be like a “father” to him, smiled slightly and replied, “Yes, I am.”

When it was time to sleep, San Yue expected to have a night free of nightmares, as he had for the past few days.

 However, when he woke up the next morning, his forehead was drenched in sweat.

In his dream, San Yue once again saw Lan Luo. 

The golden-haired puppet was in even worse shape than before. His eyes had been gouged out, his left arm and right leg were severed, and his body was covered in mottled blood. 

He lay on a withered tree, with his remaining hand gently touching the cracked trunk. Surrounding him was a swirling black mist as he muttered to himself, “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“Lan Luo listens to Father the most. Even if his heart is shattered, I won’t let anyone harm the Mother Tree.”

Mother Tree, Father.

These two words repeated incessantly in San Yue's mind. He thought of the gentle golden-haired man, whom he knew was Lan Luo’s father, but what was this Mother Tree?

San Yue fell into confusion once more.

Far away at the trial grounds, Agu took advantage of the night to bounce his way to the lakeside. He yawned and seemingly bored, took a batch of damaged low-level puppets from Chi Yao.

A coarse rope was tied through about twenty puppets, all of which were dazed and had various wounds, with some so severely injured that only half their bodies remained.

“How tragic,” Agu said with a smiling face, though his emerald eyes appeared somewhat cold. “Being beaten to this extent by the master or father must be quite painful, huh?”

The puppets seemed to stir slightly, but beyond that, they showed no further reaction. Their low-level sensory abilities didn’t allow them to respond more.

“Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

Chi Yao, carrying his knife, said unhappily.

Agu pouted and hummed with apparent boredom. He dragged the rope with the puppets away, whistling a cheerful tune as he went. He could faintly sense the humans fleeing in all directions nearby.

So timid.

Agu thought, he wouldn’t bother looking for them at night. 

Agu still had work to do—he needed to find the Mother Tree.

Once the Mother Tree healed these puppets, they could join the fun with you, and Agu would have a much easier time!

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