Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 123

 

| PN | Agu Arives | 123

Perhaps it was because Qiu Qiu had finally been awakened that Qi Chao’s heart could finally relax.

That night, he slept deeply. When he woke up, it was already 9 a.m. Qi Chao scratched his messy hair, slowly becoming more alert. 

As he looked at the messages on his communicator, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

Agu is coming over?

Now that he thought about it, it had been more than two months since Qi Chao last saw Agu. Not only Agu, but it had also been quite some time since he’d seen Brother Shen.

With these thoughts in mind, his fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before typing: “Brother Shen, Agu is coming over to stay for a few days. Aren't you coming along?”

The person on the other end of the communicator responded quickly.

[No, I still have some things to take care of over here.]

This reply was expected. If it weren't for being too busy, they would have moved in together a long time ago. Qi Chao himself had a lot of unfinished matters in the Linjing District.

[Alright, when is Agu arriving?]

[Later, Moss will bring him over.]

With just a couple of sentences, Agu's arrangements were settled clearly. Qi Chao smiled as he saw the message, replying with a simple "hmm." Noticing it was already 9 a.m., Qi Chao was thinking about the kids at home.

 After informing Brother Shen, he closed his communicator and headed downstairs.

At the same time, Shen Yuxi, who was in the training grounds, stared at the now darkened communicator, his blue eyes revealing a hint of indecipherable emotion.

He had wanted to talk to Qi Chao for a bit longer.

Shen Yuxi never imagined himself becoming so clingy. He clenched the communicator in his hand, his eyelashes trembling slightly. Then, he raised his eyes to look at Ayu, who was standing beside him.

“There are five people in the training grounds acting suspiciously, correct?”

Ayu pressed her navy cap to her chest, lowered her head to look at her father, and gave a slight nod, her refined chin dipping slightly as she spoke in a cold, mature voice, “Yes, Father.”

After a brief silence, Shen Yuxi’s thumb brushed across the screen of his communicator, and he said softly, “Lure them together. I’m quite interested in the plot they keep mentioning.”

“Understood, Father.”

Ayu never opposed her father’s instructions. She nodded, putting her navy cap back on her head. Before leaving, she cast a deep look from under the brim of her cap at the Mother Tree and at her father, who was leaning against it.

This was Ayu’s habit.

Ayu was not skilled at expressing herself. Each time she lingered in a long gaze before leaving, it was both a farewell and a desire for the Mother Tree and her father to stay in her sight a little longer.

Sensing Ayu's gaze, Shen Yuxi’s hand paused on his communicator. He had always been sensitive to gazes and had known about Ayu's habit from the beginning, though he never paid much attention to it.

He knew that even without responding to Ayu, she wouldn’t let the plan go awry.

But this time, as he watched Ayu leave, Shen Yuxi suddenly thought of Qi Chao. He spoke slowly, “Ayu, come here for a moment.”

Ayu, who was about to leave, stopped in her tracks, her eyes filled with a bit of confusion. She walked up to her father, removed her navy cap, and bowed her head slightly, her white hair falling over her shoulders. “What is it, Father?”

The moment she finished speaking, she felt a slightly cool palm rest on her head. Her back stiffened, and her mind went blank.

Was her father... patting her head?

Ayu was somewhat dazed, wondering if she was experiencing some sort of illusion.

Seeing her reaction, Shen Yuxi quietly withdrew his hand, his fingers returning to the communicator’s screen. 

He smiled gently and said, “You’ve worked hard. After this period is over, I’ll have Moss and Agu take over for you and Chi Yao.”

"Alright," Ayu responded, barely pulling herself back from the surge of excitement. She did her best to suppress her emotions, though her clenched fists betrayed a hint of joy. 

Her words came out in a rush, “Father, neither Chi Yao nor I feel burdened. We’re both happy to serve you.”

Shen Yuxi’s blue eyes softened with a smile as he looked at her, gently nodding, as if affirming what she said. Only after Ayu's figure disappeared did his gaze finally shift to his own palm.

In the past, he never would have done something like that.

Shen Yuxi knew he had been influenced by Qi Chao. His fingers slowly spread and then curled back in, his blue eyes gradually darkening.

He didn’t dislike this change in himself.

Or rather, because this change didn’t interfere with his plans, Shen Yuxi could accept it for now.

Of course, that was under the condition that Qi Chao stayed by his side.

Thinking about the strange individuals in the trial grounds, as well as Qiao Sheng, who was no different from a ticking time bomb, Shen Yuxi’s expression darkened. He wouldn’t let this group of people ruin his plans, nor would he allow them to take Qi Chao away from him.

…

Meanwhile, in the villa, Qi Chao remained unaware of the hidden, dark thoughts of his partner. 

After coming downstairs, he saw his children in the living room.

Unlike usual, the living room was especially lively this time. The platinum-haired fairy, Qiu Qiu, was fluttering around with its wings, flying chaotically all over the place. Every now and then, Li Bai could be heard cheering from below.

“Qiu Qiu, you’re amazing! Flying so fast!”

From Qi Chao’s angle, he could clearly see that the small, adorable fairy was already getting tired, her body beginning to show signs of descending. 

But the moment Li Bai’s words came out, Qiu Qiu’s wings flapped so fast they became a blur. With a determined effort from its head, arms, and legs, Qiu Qiu managed to soar higher once again.

Li Bai’s cheers grew even louder, and he started bouncing in place, expressing his excitement.

Qi Chao couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. The two kids were so similar in behavior.

Compared to the antics of those two, the other children were much calmer, simply sitting on the sofa and watching the puppet’s playful commotion.

“Qiu Qiu, if you’re tired, come down. Be careful,” Qi Chao said with a smile in his eyes. Watching Li Bai and Qiu Qiu play was amusing, but safety was more important.

Upon hearing her father’s words, Qiu Qiu nodded in the air, her wings slowing down significantly. Instinctively, she tried to fly toward him.

However, due to the angle, even though Qiu Qiu wasn’t flapping her wings quickly, her gliding speed was much faster than flying. And with her being a bit exhausted, from the side it looked as if Qiu Qiu was about to crash into Qi Chao like a small projectile.

Before Qi Chao could react, a black feather had already fallen to the ground, instantly turning into glowing particles and vanishing into the air.

Xiang Yue, holding Qiu Qiu by the collar, expressionlessly placed her back on the ground. The black wings on his back retracted as he looked down at her and scolded, “Father’s body is fragile. You could hurt him.”

Qiu Qiu raised her head, her golden glass-like eyes filled with confusion and helplessness. She hadn’t meant to harm her father, but she knew that Xiang Yue never lied to her.

Which meant that she really could have hurt her father.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” she apologized, her voice soft with guilt.

The thought of hurting her father sent Qiu Qiu into a panic. She rushed in front of Qi Chao, her once radiant, translucent wings now drooping dimly behind her. "I didn’t mean to hurt you," she said, her voice filled with distress.

Her platinum hair was a messy tangle, a result of Xiang Yue’s sudden movement, and the wilted flower crown on her head had tilted askew, but she hadn’t even noticed. Clearly, Xiang Yue’s brief words had frightened the little girl, who was only a day old.

"It’s okay, Qiu Qiu. Just be more careful in the future," Qi Chao reassured her gently. In truth, he didn’t think she could have hurt him. He wasn’t that fragile.

But Xiang Yue meant well, and Qiu Qiu did need to be mindful of safety, so Qi Chao didn’t contradict the warning.

"Okay," Qiu Qiu nodded repeatedly, her gaze locking with her father’s deep brown eyes. For the first time, she truly took to heart the idea that her father was fragile.

It's easy for father to get hurt.

Qiu Qiu resolved in her heart: I must protect him.

Qi Chao had no idea what the little 60-centimeter-tall fairy was thinking. He patted Qiu Qiu on the head and then smiled at his children, saying, “Moss will be bringing Agu over to stay for a few days. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him. You all must miss him, right?”

Miss Agu?

That was impossible. Even the usually enthusiastic Li Bai wouldn’t say such a thing. 

Long ago, Li Bai had unilaterally "broken up" with Agu.

Lan Luo, who had never liked Agu in the first place, naturally didn’t miss him either. But when faced with Qi Chao’s question, he still flashed a radiant smile, his slightly wavy golden hair giving him an angelic appearance. “I miss him as much as he misses me.”

Essentially, this was a very straightforward statement, barely short of telling Qi Chao that Agu wasn’t thinking about him at all.

However, from Qi Chao’s perspective, Agu was just an overly lively and enthusiastic child, just like the other children at home—good kids, all of them.

“Is that so? Then I guess Lan Luo must miss Agu a lot,” Qi Chao chuckled, not noticing the slight stiffness in Lan Luo’s smile upon hearing his response.

Meanwhile, Qiu Qiu turned her head, glancing between her father and the other puppets. She vaguely sensed that something was off with both Li Bai and Lan Luo's reactions.

Who is Agu? 

Qiu Qiu’s eyes held a hint of confusion.

"Oh, right. Qiu Qiu doesn’t know yet," Qi Chao realized that he hadn’t introduced Brother Shen and Agu to her. 

He crouched down and gently ruffled her platinum hair. "Daddy has a lover. When you meet him, just call him Father. Agu is one of the dolls he created."

Lover?

Qiu Qiu didn’t fully understand what that word meant, but it didn’t stop her from grasping that this person was someone very important based on the word "Father."

Seeing the slightly puzzled look in Qiu Qiu’s eyes, Qi Chao didn’t elaborate further. Instead, he glanced up at Li Bai and Xiang Yue. "Agu and the others will be here soon. Why don’t you take Qiu Qiu to the flower house for a while? Let’s take the day off from lessons."

The children in the house had been studying quite intensely.

But Qi Chao believed that a bit of relaxation would be better for them.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yue nodded in agreement.

To Xiang Yue, his father’s words meant that he needed to take good care of Qiu Qiu. He had always listened to his father, and this time was no different.

 However, last night, Agu had sent him a message asking him to welcome him as soon as he arrived. Agu had put a lot of effort into their plan.

For that reason, Xiang Yue had promised Agu that he would go to fetch him. Now that his father had assigned him this task, Xiang Yue’s tail swayed slightly behind him. 

Looking at his father’s smiling face, he calmly decided to play with Qiu Qiu and the others first before heading to pick up Agu.

Once they arrived at the flower house, Qiu Qiu instantly perked up at the sight of so many flowers. Perhaps it was because the first gift her brothers had given her was the flowers they had planted together. 

Qiu Qiu loved flowers, and as she gazed at the room full of blossoms, her glass-like golden eyes sparkled. Her wings no longer felt tired, and she immediately flapped them excitedly as she dove into the sea of flowers.

Xiang Yue was a very serious puppet. Since his father had asked him to keep Qiu Qiu company, he focused intently on playing with her. He even extended his black wings to keep up with her.

Li Bai, Lan Luo, Xuan Jian, and Shuang Jian, lacking wings, couldn’t catch up to the two puppets. Instead, they took small watering cans and began watering the flowers, chatting back and forth, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

In stark contrast to the warm, playful atmosphere of the flower house, the scene at the trial ground was nothing short of bloody. 

Agu smiled as he broke a man’s arm, then looked up at Moss. “Can we leave now? I’m in a hurry.”

Moss kicked the man at his feet against a tree and crouched down to pick up a red crystal that had fallen to the ground. This was the mother stone of a deformed puppet.

The puppets in the trial ground were all blessed by the mother tree, but there were always some powerful beings capable of killing these puppets to obtain their mother stones. 

Moss’s current job was to collect these mother stones. He stuffed the stone into his pocket and, cradling the stuffed doll, said hoarsely, “Let’s go.”

Agu replied with a cheerful "Yeah!" and bounced over to Mos’s side, pulling out his light brain to send a flurry of messages to Xiang Yue. 

However, what was strange was that Xiang Yue hadn’t replied.

Agu’s smile faltered slightly. He was about to head to the villa, so why hadn’t Xiang Yue responded yet?

Nearby, Moss opened a spatial vortex, holding tightly onto the stuffed doll Qi Chao had given him. He glanced at Agu, tilting his head slightly to ask, “Aren’t we leaving yet?”

“Let’s go!” Agu replied enthusiastically.

Unlike his father, who was a homebody with his light brain online twenty-four hours a day, Xiang Yue was different. 

As long as he wasn’t too engrossed in playing with others, Agu would generously forgive him for forgetting to come and pick him up.

However, that thought evaporated the moment Agu arrived at the villa and saw Xiang Yue darting around the room with a winged puppet. 

Agu's smile remained unchanged, but as he looked at Qiu Qiu, a hint of murderous intent gradually crept into his eyes. 

How interesting. 

No wonder his father was so anxious about Qi Chao; it seemed that if he wasn’t careful, all of his belongings could simply vanish. 

That saying was indeed true.

Xiang Yue sensed something strange at the door of the flower house and instinctively looked over. When he spotted the figure standing at the entrance, his body froze.

Why didn’t he feel the vortex?

Xiang Yue was somewhat puzzled. Initially, he had planned to wait until he sensed the presence of the vortex before heading downstairs, but this time, he hadn’t felt anything.

Agu’s smile remained unchanged. He was a very easygoing puppet; if someone annoyed him, he could teach them a lesson without hesitation. 

He felt the same way this time. Just as Agu was about to condense a black light spot in his hand to give Xiang Yue a lesson, he suddenly felt extra weight on his shoulder.

“When did you guys arrive?” 

Qi Chao said, rubbing Agu’s head. His gaze shifted to Moss, his deep brown eyes filled with warmth. “Perfect timing! I just carved some new and interesting energy stones. Why don’t you take a look and see if you like them?”

The man's voice was low and filled with laughter, making it clear to everyone that he was genuinely pleased.

Agu could tell that Qi Chao was truly looking forward to their arrival, and the black light spots in his hands instantly dissipated. He smiled broadly and said, “Great! Agu can’t wait!”

Xiang Yue, who had been prepared for a fight, relaxed a bit. He glanced at Qi Chao, who was completely unaware of the tension, and his tail swayed behind him as he let out a small sigh of relief.

Thank goodness Dad is here.

If a fight had really broken out, Xiang Yue knew that their father would definitely get upset.

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