Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 104

 

| PN | Plan | 104

The next morning, when Shen Yuxi opened his eyes, the man who had been sleeping beside him was already gone. 

He sat up, his long golden hair cascading from his shoulders. Shen Yuxi’s lashes fluttered slightly as his fingers glided over the left side of the bed.

It was warm.

This indicated that Qi Chao had left not long ago.

The initial absence of the man who had shared the night with him left Shen Yuxi feeling somewhat uneasy. 

To Shen Yuxi, whose thoughts often skewed towards obsession and darkness, the idea that Qi Chao’s entire being—every part from head to toe—should belong to him was almost a given. 

Even if Qi Chao had to leave his sight, he should have been informed in advance.

Shen Yuxi’s fingers tightened around the white bed linens for a moment before relaxing, leaving only a few wrinkles on the fabric.

Suppressing his genuine emotions deep within, Shen Yuxi withdrew his hand and prepared to head downstairs to find Qi Chao. 

His gaze inadvertently drifted toward the windowsill, and when he saw what was there, his steps faltered slightly.

Perhaps to avoid disturbing the sleeper with the glaring sunlight, the room’s curtains were not fully drawn but had been left slightly ajar. Sunlight filtered through the gap, casting a warm glow on the blooming Crystal Feathers. 

The flower's center, sparkling like diamonds in the light, appeared especially beautiful.

The dewdrops on the delicate petals hinted that this crystal feather must have been picked by Qi Chao after waking up in the morning. 

Shen Yuxi stood by the bedside, gazing at the crystal feather. He stepped closer, gently brushing his fingers over the petals, and a faint smile curved his lips. 

The frustration he had felt upon waking up alone seemed to have dissipated a little.

In the kitchen, Qi Chao was having Agu and Xiang Yue prepare the vegetables.

Both of them were very obedient, even the most mischievous Agu was behaving well, diligently helping despite mumbling complaints. 

“You all woke up very early,” Qi Chao remarked.

“We did it all to help Dad, didn’t we, Xiang Yue?” Agu nudged Xiang Yue with his elbow, winking.

Xiang Yue glanced at Agu, nodded, and did not deny it. He thought that Agu was a fickle character; he had been angry with him last night but was now actively engaging in conversation as if he had forgotten all about it.

Qi Chao observed them and felt much more at ease. 

Last night, when Xiang Yue and Agu were staying up late and seemed to have a bit of a conflict, Qi Chao had asked them to help him in the morning. 

It seemed now that their conflict had been resolved?

Qi Chao looked thoughtfully at Agu, who was happily swinging the vegetables in his hands and had moved close to Xiang Yue. 

After observing for a while, he came to a conclusion.

Agu was a carefree and talkative puppet, while Xiang Yue had a calm and serious personality. It was natural for two such different characters to occasionally have conflicts and require some adjustment.

A faint smile appeared on Qi Chao's face.

To him, the puppets were like human children, growing through their bumps and tumbles, and forming friendships through their play and quarrels. 

From this perspective, he didn’t need to intervene too much.

“What do you want me to carve the energy stones into today?” Qi Chao asked.

“Anything is fine,” Xiang Yue replied, looking up.

Agu glanced at Xiang Yue and also smiled, saying, “Agu doesn’t have any particular preference either.”

Qi Chao was the only human Agu had ever seen who would carve designs onto the food given to puppets. 

It seemed that this human had never realized that carving their food didn’t actually serve much purpose.

But it was undeniable that since Qi Chao arrived at the villa, Agu had been eagerly anticipating what shape the energy stones would turn into each day.

“Alright, you two go play,” Qi Chao said with a smile.

Xiang Yue’s tail flicked slightly. He hesitated between staying with his father and obeying his father’s instructions. 

After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Agu and, as if coming to a decision, nodded.

Noticing Xiang Yue’s gaze, Agu sensed that he had something to say. He responded cheerfully and followed Xiang Yue outside.

Qi Chao watched the two children retreating figures, smiled to himself, and then looked down. 

Since Xiang Yue was one of his creations, he had clearly observed the interaction between Xiang Yue and Agu, but he didn’t ask about it directly. 

Puppets should have their own lives.

Qi Chao didn’t believe that the puppets should revolve around him all the time; they were free beings.

After a while, Shen Yuxi walked in from outside the kitchen, a hint of confusion in his voice: “What are Xiang Yue and Agu doing outside?”

“I’m not sure,” Qi Chao replied with a smile. When he met Shen Yuxi’s gaze, he paused for a moment, feeling somewhat nervous. 

After a few seconds, he said with a slightly dry throat, “Brother Shen, how are you feeling now?”

“I’m feeling fine.”

Shen Yuxi’s eyes, shaped like peach blossoms, curved slightly. Seeing Qi Chao seemingly sigh with relief, he moved closer and spoke softly, “I saw the crystal feather you picked. It looks beautiful.”

As they stood close together, Qi Chao listened to Shen Yuxi’s voice, which carried a touch of warmth. His mood gradually returned to normal, and he responded with a soft "mm," a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“The crystal feather you grew is beautiful in itself,” Qi Chao said.

...

In the living room, Agu and Xiang Yue sat facing each other, appearing somewhat formal. 

Agu encountered this situation for the first time and found it a bit novel.

“What do you need from Agu?” Agu asked, his green eyes narrowing slightly in a friendly manner. 

He still remembered when Xiang Yue had kicked him and didn’t particularly like him.

Agu was still a bit upset, but he knew that, apart from Qi Chao, no one else would care about his anger. 

So, Agu only allowed himself to be angry for a short while, after which he would, like now, act as if nothing had happened. 

This was why Agu could stay cheerful every day.

“Will you still hurt Dad?” 

Xiang Yue suddenly asked.

Agu’s smile faded considerably, revealing a hint of displeasure. Clearly, the suspicion made him uncomfortable, though in truth, Xiang Yue's doubts weren't entirely misplaced. 

Even Agu knew he wasn’t exactly a good puppet.

“Why do you ask that?” 

Instead of answering, Agu responded with a smiling question, “How could Agu ever hurt Dad?”

Xiang Yue stared at Agu, seemingly trying to see through his mischievous facade to understand his true feelings.

“Dad really likes you,” Xiang Yue said calmly. “If you make him sad, I will make you disappear.”

Agu wanted to continue his playful banter, but the intensity in Xiang Yue’s eyes made him swallow his words. 

He could tell that if he tried to change the subject, Xiang Yue would immediately come after him. 

Agu’s expression became somewhat awkward, and he mumbled, “I won’t. Agu likes him too and won’t hurt him anymore.”

Afterward, Agu slightly lifted his chin and returned to his usual carefree demeanor. “Can you trust Agu now?”

“Mm.”

Agu thought Xiang Yue might continue to press the issue, but upon seeing Xiang Yue nod, he was momentarily taken aback.

In reality, Xiang Yue didn’t need to know whether Agu’s promise was sincere or not. He only required Agu’s promise. 

If Agu broke it and hurt his father, Xiang Yue could act decisively without hesitation.

Xiang Yue understood that his father liked Agu and could also see that Agu wasn’t as heartless as he appeared. 

But none of that was important.

What mattered most was that his father wouldn’t be hurt by Agu.

Agu didn’t realize this. Given how easily he gained Xiang Yue’s trust, he found it somewhat novel and couldn’t help but view Xiang Yue through a favorable lens.

Xiang Yue was indeed good.

Such a smart puppet was completely different from the short-sighted ones upstairs. He was well-suited to be Agu’s friend.

Agu recalled Qi Chao’s evaluation of their relationship from the previous night and smiled broadly.

Xiang Yue looked at Agu’s expression with a slight frown. Before he could ask anything, a few more puppets came downstairs.

Li Bai, Lan Luo, Xuan Jian, and Shuang Jian—all four of these puppets, who invariably disliked Agu, looked somewhat puzzled upon seeing Agu and Xiang Yue together.

“Are you planning to fight?” 

Lan Luo asked, a gleeful smile on his face. Clearly, he was hoping that these two annoying puppets would start a fight.

Li Bai, Xuan Jian, and Shuang Jian had previously planned to give Agu a beating, but due to various reasons, they had never gotten around to it.

“If it’s a duel, count Li Bai in,” Li Bai said, showing his small tiger teeth to Xiang Yue. 

He always tried to act like an older brother in front of Xiang Yue, even though most of the time, Li Bai was just a foolish and sweet-natured older brother.

Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian knew their abilities weren’t focused on offense, but after being created by Qi Chao, they both felt their bodies had become significantly stronger.

They held hands and spoke in unison:

“Shuang Jian also wants to duel.”

“Xuan Jian also wants to duel.”

In an instant, three more puppets were ready to beat up Agu.

However, Agu, with a playful grin, made a silly face and said, “I don’t want to duel with you now. Agu is currently discussing important matters with his good friend, Xiang Yue.”

Xiang Yue, who had somehow become a good friend, glanced at Agu. Seeing his cheerful demeanor, Xiang Yue thought for a moment but didn’t deny it.

He knew that his father would be happy if he became friends with Agu.

To the other puppets, Xiang Yue’s silence clearly implied agreement with Agu’s statement.

The four puppets exchanged glances, and then, turning to Agu, they asked, “When can we agree to a duel?”

It was clear that, for Lan Luo, Li Bai, Xuan Jian, and Shuang Jian, the nature of Xiang Yue and Agu’s relationship was irrelevant. 

What mattered to them was when they could finally beat up Agu to avenge their father.

Agu was initially a bit incredulous when he received Xiang Yue's silent approval, but his smile quickly grew much wider.

When he heard the four puppets’ inquiry, Agu sincerely said, “Let’s finish eating first. After we’ve had our meal and I have some energy, I’ll play with you.”

“It’s not playing; it’s a duel,” Li Bai corrected.

Agu nodded dismissively, fully aware that as long as Qi Chao was present, these puppets wouldn’t actually kill him. 

Since death was not a concern, it was essentially the same as playing, in his view.

Lan Luo, seeing Agu’s expression, knew exactly what he was thinking. He pressed his lips together, deciding he would be a bit rougher when the time came.

When they heard faint noises coming from the kitchen, the puppets got up in unison.

As Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi came out of the kitchen, they saw the rest of the puppets, as usual, gathering around them.

“Go and get your own plates,” Qi Chao instructed.

Qi Chao smiled as he looked down.

With more children in the house, Qi Chao had started to consciously encourage them to develop the habit of doing things on their own.

Agu watched as Qi Chao carried a familiar dish, clearly helping his father with his own bowl and chopsticks.

Agu didn’t need to see his father to guess how satisfied he must be at the moment. After all, his father, who was rather stingy, most enjoyed having things that were uniquely his.

During the meal, Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi acted as usual, but even the least perceptive, Li Bai, noticed something was off.

It wasn’t exactly “off.”

Li Bai simply felt that Dad and his God-father seemed to be more intimate than usual. For example, Dad wouldn’t have used his own chopsticks to serve dishes to his God-father before.

But today, whether it was ladling soup or serving dishes, Dad seemed unusually proactive, as if his God-father were someone in need of care.

And God-father always had a smile on his face, never refusing anything.

Moss, one of the informed parties, lowered his lashes, realizing that his father wasn’t planning to hide their relationship.

As soon as Qi Chao set down the soup spoon, he noticed the gazes of the children at the table. 

He turned to look at Shen Yuxi, considering telling the children about his and Shen Yuxi’s relationship. 

However, if he spoke now, they might lose interest in the remaining energy stones in their plates.

“Let’s eat first.”

Qi Chao decided to address these matters after the children finished their meal.

Li Bai and Lan Luo, realizing that Qi Chao had something to discuss, quickly ate their food.

“Slow down,” Qi Chao said, observing their hasty eating. He decided to tell them a few stories he had read before. 

Li Bai and Lan Luo, captivated by the stories, naturally slowed down their eating.

The other puppets weren’t very interested in the stories but understood Qi Chao’s intention. Agu and Li Bai occasionally interjected with comments, making the atmosphere lively.

This was a scene that had never occurred in the villa before.

Shen Yuxi looked at Qi Chao’s smiling face, tilting his head slightly. His fine golden hair slid from his ear to his shoulder, and a subtle smile touched his peach blossom eyes. 

At that moment, he seemed to have been drawn back to the human world, his expression languid and relaxed.

The system, having arrived from the main world, observed this scene: a family gathered together for a meal, with the two heads of the household—one chattering about some nonsensical story he had heard, and the other looking at him with a tender and affectionate smile.

Wow, what a happy family.

The system thought that if it weren’t for the repeated confirmations from its superiors about the villain's plan still being in full swing, it might have really believed that the villain and his puppets had laid down their weapons for good.

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