| PN | Innocence | 88
In a brightly lit basement, a man sat on a chair, carefully scraping away excess material from a clay model with a blade. His eyes were focused on the clay in his hands, and the green light glowing behind his black gloves indicated that he was steadily channeling his mental energy.
After completing a particular section, Qi Chao removed his gloves, let out a breath, and got up to wash the sweat off his palms before returning to the table to continue his work.
Since Brother Shen had taken on the task of teaching the children to read, Qi Chao wasn't going to waste this time.
The Double Mirrors were two different puppets, and their creation required more time than usual.
Qi Chao was mentally prepared for this and wasn't in a rush during the process. Rather than focusing on finishing the Double Mirrors quickly, he wanted to make sure their shells were as perfect as possible.
The two puppets were born deformed.
Qi Chao hoped that this time, they could come into this world without pain or misfortune and see the many beautiful things it has to offer.
He lowered his head and continued refining the clay model of the puppet. After an unknown amount of time, Qi Chao took off his gloves again, intending to rest for a few minutes.
As he turned around, he saw Shen Yuxi, who had quietly sat down beside him at some point.
Qi Chao wasn’t surprised. He had mentioned earlier in the morning that Brother Shen could come down whenever he had time. Smiling, Qi Chao asked, "Are they still studying upstairs?"
Shen Yuxi softly responded with a "Hmm."
The puppets were eager to help Qi Chao, so they were studying very diligently. Thinking about what Lan Luo had said not long ago, Shen Yuxi's lashes briefly veiled a flash of interest in his eyes.
"Are you almost finished with today's work?"
Shen Yuxi tilted his head slightly, his peach-blossom eyes curving gently as he spoke kindly.
"Yes, almost."
Qi Chao estimated his progress as he put on his gloves, the smile in his eyes becoming more evident. "It should take about an hour or so."
Shen Yuxi gave a soft "Hmm" and let his gaze sweep over the open notebook on the table.
Seeing the unfamiliar character designs in it, he raised an eyebrow slightly, as if a bit curious. "Did you design this during our picnic?" he asked.
Qi Chao had just picked up the clay to continue his work when he heard this and shifted his body slightly to the right, saying to Shen Yuxi, "Yes, if you want to take a look, feel free."
For puppet masters, their inspiration notebooks and character designs are rarely shared with others. These things are very personal to them.
Perhaps because he hadn't interacted much with other puppet masters, Qi Chao was not very familiar with the unwritten rules of the industry on Blue Star.
However, even if he did know, it wouldn't have bothered him. Qi Chao inherently trusted Shen Yuxi, and now that their relationship had evolved, there were no longer any barriers or boundaries between them.
Shen Yuxi appreciated the way Qi Chao fully trusted him. His eyelashes lowered slightly as he let out a soft chuckle. He stood up and reached over to pick up the notebook from Qi Chao's side.
During this time, Shen Yuxi didn't deliberately tease Qi Chao. He knew that he had been too forward these past few days and that he should restrain himself a bit to avoid coming across as too aggressive.
However, just because Shen Yuxi wasn't trying to tease Qi Chao didn't mean that Qi Chao wasn't affected.
As Qi Chao watched those fair fingers grasp the black notebook and pass by in front of him, he caught a faint whiff of Shen Yuxi's cool scent.
Qi Chao glanced at Shen Yuxi, then let his gaze fall back on the clay. He found himself daydreaming, thinking how hard it was to believe that someone so beautiful was his partner.
If his younger brother knew what his partner looked like, he'd probably be insanely jealous, Qi Chao thought, chuckling softly to himself.
Noticing the puzzled look in Shen Yuxi's eyes out of the corner of his own, Qi Chao quickly ran the tip of his sculpting knife across the table, straightened up, and pretended to be deeply engrossed in crafting the puppet, as if the earlier distraction had been just a figment of imagination.
Shen Yuxi’s peach-blossom eyes curved slightly in amusement as he lowered his head to look at Qi Chao's notebook.
After clearly seeing the character designs on the page, he hesitated for a moment before running his hand over the paper and asking, "Is this an elf?"
"Yes," Qi Chao replied with a smile. Yesterday, he had a sudden flash of inspiration to create a puppet related to nature.
However, he had only managed to sketch out a rough outline, and the details were still uncertain. The notebook only contained a vague shape.
Shen Yuxi looked at the smudged ink marks on the page, imagining Qi Chao drawing and erasing repeatedly, frowning as he struggled to figure out what to draw.
A hint of amusement appeared in Shen Yuxi's eyes as he flipped a few pages forward.
The notebook was filled with various entries, including pencil sketches and notes on key design elements. There were also visible signs of edits and revisions.
Qi Chao had been focused on refining the puppet, but after a few minutes, he realized that the basement had become unusually quiet. Glancing over at Shen Yuxi, he saw him browsing through his older sketches.
Qi Chao instinctively recalled what he had written and was relieved to remember that there was nothing embarrassing in the notebook, so he let Shen Yuxi continue reading.
However, as Shen Yuxi's smile grew more pronounced, Qi Chao's previously calm heart began to feel a bit uneasy.
He couldn't help but wonder if he had indeed written something inappropriate. Otherwise, why would Brother Shen be smiling so much just from looking at his notebook?
Just as Qi Chao was about to ask, the light-brain device on the table suddenly vibrated. Qi Chao paused and opened his lightbrain.
Shen Yuxi, who had been focused on the notebook, also shifted his gaze to the side. Noticing the strange expression on Qi Chao's face, he asked with curiosity, "Who sent you a message?"
As Shen Yuxi asked the question, several possibilities crossed his mind. Qi Chao's social circle was very small, limited mainly to his father, brother, and Tu Zhuang, the few people he frequently interacted with.
Qi Chao wouldn't show such an expression in response to a message from any of them.
Could it be from the association?
Shen Yuxi's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Sure enough, in the next moment, Qi Chao said, "It's Xiu Mei, someone I once competed with. I don't know how she got my light-brain number."
Qi Chao remembered Xiu Mei quite well. She had been the only female puppet master in the competition they both participated in, and the S-class warlock puppet she created had exceptional proportions.
"Is she contacting you for something specific?" Shen Yuxi's fingers paused for a moment, his gaze turning cold in a way Qi Chao couldn't see.
The presence of the association was annoyingly persistent; they had just parted ways this morning, and now they were already trying to play the emotional card?
Xiu Mei was a senior puppet master in the Puppet Masters' Association.
Shen Yuxi could guess what this might be about, and Qi Chao could too.
After a moment of contemplation, Qi Chao handed the light-brain device to Shen Yuxi and continued, "She said she's organizing a puppet masters' exchange meeting, scheduled for three days from now, and she's inviting me to attend."
"Are you planning to go?" Shen Yuxi asked.
Shen Yuxi observed Qi Chao's expression and suddenly spoke up.
"Mm," Qi Chao nodded, not denying it.
He wasn't close to Xiu Mei; their connection mainly revolved around matters related to the association. Qi Chao knew that if he wasn't planning to join the association, it would be best to directly decline Xiu Mei's invitation.
However, recalling the association's unexplained need for a large number of S-class puppets, Qi Chao felt that he should attend.
According to Xiu Mei, the upcoming puppet masters' exchange meeting would include thirty puppet masters, half of whom were certified by the association, while the other half were not.
The common factor among them was that they had all successfully created S-class puppets.
If he wanted to understand the association's true intentions, attending Xiu Mei's exchange meeting might be the key.
Even if he couldn't uncover the association's motives, he could still exchange ideas with other puppet masters, which seemed like a situation where the benefits outweighed the risks.
Shen Yuxi knew Qi Chao well and quickly deduced why he wanted to attend the exchange meeting. He looked at Qi Chao gently, as if to say that no matter what Qi Chao decided to do, he would support him.
"Of course, you can," Shen Yuxi said, pausing for a moment, his expression tinged with concern. "The association's puppet masters might take the opportunity to invite you to join the association. If you don't intend to join from the start, it's best not to fully trust what they say."
Qi Chao was well aware of the difficulty in discerning the truth in what those puppet masters might say. He couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Shen Yuxi's hair, smiling softly. "I know, Brother Shen."
…
Meanwhile, in a lavish, glittering villa, Xiu Mei lay on a soft white sofa with a face mask on. Behind her stood a warlock puppet dressed in exotic attire, carefully massaging her shoulders.
The warlock puppet knew that his mother was on a call with the upper class of the association. From her tone, he could tell that the negotiations with the association were not going smoothly.
After she ended the call, the warlock puppet gently removed the face mask from Xiu Mei's face, meticulously cleaning off the remaining essence.
In a low voice, he asked, "Mother, did something happen?"
The warlock puppet knew that the only thing in this world that could make his mother angry was money.
"That bunch of idiots at the association," Xiu Mei cursed the moment she opened her mouth.
"They really think my money grows on trees, don't they? I went through all the trouble to use my connections to gather so many famous puppet masters, thinking I'd make a fortune from the exchange meeting's live broadcast. But what do they do? They demand I cancel the live broadcast and want me to waste my time praising the association to those masters who haven't joined yet."
Xiu Mei was furious with those shameless people. Did they really think the connections she cultivated were just for the association's benefit?
However, no matter how angry she was, Xiu Mei knew she needed to rely on the association.
After all, as a puppet master with no background, if she dared to leave the association, her home and her S-class puppet with no special abilities would surely be targeted.
In the end, it all came down to a lack of money.
Xiu Mei clicked her tongue in annoyance. If only she had been born into a wealthy family, she wouldn't have to bother with the association and its nonsense.
"Mother, I will work hard to earn money," the warlock puppet said, stepping forward. The slit along the side of his trousers revealed a long, toned leg, drawing attention.
Hearing this, Xiu Mei felt comforted.
Her puppet, which she had personally crafted, was indeed understanding. She made up her mind that while she would listen to the association's demands, she would still go ahead with the live broadcast.
After all, if the broadcast didn't happen, who would cover her losses? She wasn’t organizing these exchange meetings every year just for fun.
Three days later, as planned, Qi Chao arrived at the exchange venue with Li Bai and Xiang Yue.
According to the invitation, puppet masters attending the exchange meeting were required to bring along the puppets they had created.
For Li Bai and Xiang Yue, this was their first time accompanying their father to such an event.
Upon arriving at the venue, they stayed close to Qi Chao. Li Bai held his father's hand, bouncing along happily, no longer hiding behind Qi Chao in unfamiliar environments like before.
In contrast, Xiang Yue, though also holding his father's hand, had his canine ears twitching nervously. His red eyes occasionally flashed coldly as he scanned the surroundings, as if he were on high alert for something.
Noticing this, Qi Chao gently reassured Xiang Yue with a few quiet words.
Xiang Yue eventually shifted his attention back to his father, though the tip of his tail still flicked occasionally, betraying his lingering unease.
Xiang Yue was a very cautious puppet. Until he was certain that the environment was completely safe, he maintained a guarded attitude toward everything around him.
This vigilance stemmed largely from his prolonged time as a mother stone and was also influenced by his inherently cautious personality.
The puppet masters present at the event, whether affiliated with the association or not, generally had some connections with each other.
However, there were also many puppet masters like Qi Chao, who, after becoming puppet masters, led a somewhat solitary existence.
Unbeknownst to Qi Chao, his reputation in the industry had soared since the competition. The reason he hadn’t received much outreach from other puppet masters was largely due to his identity as the son of the wealthiest man.
His light-brain number was highly confidential, and if Xiu Mei hadn’t had the right connections, she wouldn’t have been able to contact Qi Chao in the first place.
At the venue, over twenty puppet masters were scattered in small groups, proudly discussing their S-class puppets.
Their gazes occasionally flicked toward Qi Chao, clearly intrigued. When a young senior puppet master boldly approached Qi Chao and received a warm response, the others felt encouraged.
One by one, they began making their way over to Qi Chao, drinks in hand. Beyond his status as the son of the wealthiest man, his ability to win a competition and create two S-class puppets spoke volumes about his talent.
They realized that if they didn’t seize the opportunity to connect with him now, it might be even harder in the future.
Qi Chao sent his two children off to choose some energy stones for themselves, while he engaged with the puppet masters who had approached him.
Despite having run two studios before, Qi Chao was more comfortable interacting with his family. Given the choice, he’d rather spend time chatting with his children than dealing with the insincere puppet masters who were trying to persuade him to join the association.
He found the simple and innocent nature of his puppets far more enjoyable compared to the scheming minds of these puppet masters.
…
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away at the trial grounds, Agu was smiling brightly, his voice cheerful and innocent. Tilting his head in apparent confusion, he asked, “Why don’t you play with Agu? Agu came here especially to play with you today.”
With a feigned pout, he threw a round ball towards a man who was struggling nearby. The ball grazed the man’s clothes and landed on the ground, causing the man’s clothing to be instantly corroded.
The once-panicked man was now even more terrified, nearly fainting from fear.
Seeing this, Agu’s emerald eyes narrowed into slits. It seemed his previous actions were merely a demonstration of his abilities. With a proud and cheerful tone, he said, “Agu is very powerful, you see. I won’t kill you, so let’s play together!”
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