Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 127

 

| PN | Hold On | 127

Shen Yuxi had already expected Qi Chao to notice that something was off with the post; he knew that Qi Chao was very clever. Now that Bugu had already completed her task and withdrawn, it would be nearly impossible to catch any evidence against her.

Shen Yuxi looked at Qi Chao's chiseled features, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips, deepening the affection in his peach-blossom eyes. He said softly, "Congratulations on passing the master-level certification."

"Thank you." Qi Chao looked at Shen Yuxi and said with a smile, "If you were here, I could give you a hug to celebrate."

Qi Chao's words were simple; he only wanted to share his joy with Shen Yuxi through a hug. 

Shen Yuxi naturally understood this as well. His lover, in some ways, was unbelievably innocent, which was hard to imagine for someone who had been pampered and raised among the wealthy.

"Next time we meet, you can hug me then, alright?" Shen Yuxi's voice was gentle. Even though he was following along with Qi Chao's words, there was an inexplicable hint of flirtation in his tone.

Qi Chao, though not entirely naïve, wasn't a fool either. He cleared his throat and smiled, saying, "Alright."

Shen Yuxi's gaze fell on Qi Chao's ears, noticing that they hadn't turned red as they had before. 

He felt a bit disappointed in his heart, but his expression remained as gentle as ever, revealing nothing of what he was truly thinking.

At his age, Qi Chao knew he couldn't lose control of his excitement like some inexperienced young guy just because of a few words from Shen Yuxi. He still wanted to maintain a bit of composure in front of Shen Yuxi. 

Unconsciously, he reached up to rub his ear, feeling relieved that it wasn't hot before letting his hand fall back down.

"Brother Shen, I've got some matters to handle over here first. Once I'm done, I'll bring the kids to come see you," Qi Chao said.

"What kind of matters?" Shen Yuxi asked, his blue eyes fixed on Qi Chao, the hair that rested on his shoulders falling slightly forward as a few guesses crossed his mind.

Qi Chao's initial goal of becoming a master-level puppet master was to change the industry's perception and elevate the status of puppets. 

As he delved deeper into this world, he gradually noticed that the association was consistently gathering S-rank puppets. Although his original goal hadn't changed, he now had another objective he wanted to investigate.

Now that Qi Chao had achieved the rank of master puppet master, it was hard for Shen Yuxi to predict what Qi Chao's first course of action might be.

"I'm planning to go out with Xiu Mei to meet some of the other puppet masters," Qi Chao replied.

As soon as Qi Chao said those words, Shen Yuxi felt his heart sink. He didn't want Qi Chao meeting more people in places where he couldn't see him; that thought alone made him feel uneasy. 

In Shen Yuxi's mind, none of the other puppet masters were any good—they might lead his person astray. The mere possibility of this caused the darkness in his heart to grow.

"Why do you want to meet them?" Shen Yuxi's peach-blossom eyes curved slightly, his tone tinged with a hint of doubt, as if he simply couldn't understand why Qi Chao would want to meet those people.

"Just to chat," Qi Chao said casually, then realizing that his answer sounded a bit dismissive, he added, "Over the past few years, I feel like I've only gotten to know a handful of puppet masters, so I plan to make more friends who share the same interests as me."

"Making friends to influence the industry's perception of puppets?" Shen Yuxi asked.

Qi Chao didn't deny it.

His intentions weren't difficult to guess.

Shen Yuxi's eyelashes trembled slightly. He knew that if he tried to stop Qi Chao, he might inadvertently reveal the darkness in his heart.

"I see," Shen Yuxi said softly, and when Qi Chao looked at him, he curved his lips into a gentle smile. "Just be careful. Some of those puppet masters have pretty difficult personalities."

"I understand," Qi Chao replied with a smile. He knew that not all puppet masters were as kind-hearted as Brother Shen. He also wasn't planning to interact with those high-status puppet masters. 

In Qi Chao's view, the ones worth befriending were the puppet masters who, even if they weren't making a lot of money, still devoted themselves to improving their craft day in and day out.

Shen Yuxi let out a soft "mm," looking at Qi Chao with warmth in his eyes, the affection in his peach-blossom gaze so intense that anyone would feel their heart flutter if they saw it. 

Every time Qi Chao met those eyes, he couldn't help but want to talk to Brother Shen a little longer.

However, because the children at home were causing a ruckus downstairs, Qi Chao didn't continue the conversation. He said they would talk more in the evening and then ended the video call.

As he stared at the now-dark screen, the smile on Shen Yuxi's face gradually faded. He had agreed to let Qi Chao meet with other puppet masters, which meant that Qi Chao would encounter all sorts of new and exciting things. 

His attention would inevitably be diverted away from him.

The discomfort in Shen Yuxi's heart grew stronger, and he tapped his fingers unevenly on the armrest. It took him quite a while to calm down.

"Keep an eye on Xiu Mei's activities. If she takes Qi Chao to meet some worthless people, report to me immediately," he said.

Standing nearby, Ayu nodded immediately in response. "Yes, Father."

In the corner, Moss hesitated as he observed his father's dark expression. After a moment, he took a mother stone out of his pocket. This was a mother stone from a deformed puppet that had been damaged by a human in the trial grounds.

"Father, this is the mother stone that needs to be dealt with today," Moss said.

Shen Yuxi glanced at the stone, then placed it into a container of nutrient solution nearby. 

Though he lacked the ability to repair puppets himself, simply soaking the mother stone in the nutrient solution for a while and then placing it under the mother tree would gradually cause these stones to manifest shadowy figures filled with resentment and malice.

"Was it Lu Chen's people who destroyed the deformed puppet?" Shen Yuxi asked.

"Yes, it was his subordinates."

As he had suspected.

This was within Shen Yuxi's expectations. The deformed puppets in the testing grounds were protected by the mother tree, making them nearly impossible to destroy. 

Under those conditions, there were only a handful of individuals capable of killing a deformed puppet.

However, anyone who dared to destroy a puppet should be prepared to face hostility from all the deformed puppets and the shadowy figures they spawned.

"How are those people doing?" Shen Yuxi asked, his blue eyes darkening slightly as he shifted his gaze to the low-quality white crystal in the transparent liquid, calmly changing the subject.

"Those people?" Ayu quickly understood who her father was referring to.

"They're currently trying to find a way out of the trial grounds," Ayu replied. 

She hesitated for a moment as she recalled how those peculiar individuals had seemed to be communicating with each other using some sort of coded language. "It looks like they've realized that there's some sort of surveillance in the trial grounds."

Upon hearing this, both Shen Yuxi and Moss turned their gaze toward Ayu, their expressions a mix of curiosity and calculation.

A few seconds later, Shen Yuxi let out a light chuckle, a hint of coldness in his voice. "It seems that the so-called plot they keep mentioning does have some truth to it," he said. 

But to him, it was just that—only partly true. Shen Yuxi never believed in the concept of destiny.

Meanwhile, in the testing grounds, the "transmigrators" had no idea that their secrets had already been laid bare. Some of them were even congratulating themselves on their keen insight for identifying fellow transmigrators among the many challengers.

Old Liu, Zhang Li, and Li Ge, who had read the entire book, were huddled together. In the corner, two new teammates who had also read a bit of the plot crouched nervously.

"So, you're telling me that even after reading the whole thing, you still have no idea what that *cough cough* wants to do?" Old Liu asked in horror, using the cough as a code word to avoid saying the wrong name directly.

They'd already figured out from Li Ge's hints that this cursed place had surveillance, which meant they had to encrypt their conversation to avoid being overheard.

"I don't know," Li Ge replied. He recalled that the surveillance was mostly focused on the protagonist's group. However, to be safe, he still insisted that his teammates encode their dialogue as much as possible.

【We just need to focus on figuring out how to escape,】 Li Ge wrote this sentence in the dirt with his finger.

【Agreed!】 Old Liu and Zhang Li, who had been feeling desperate before, suddenly found their spirits lifted. The presence of more people seemed to boost their confidence.

Seeing their renewed determination, Li Ge felt a sense of relief. He was actually somewhat tempted to go over to the protagonist group and check things out. 

However, when he heard that Qiao Sheng had entered the trial grounds, he immediately gave up on the idea. 

In the story, Qiao Sheng was a morally ambiguous character—sometimes helping the protagonist, but also having connections with the villain.

He remembered that, long ago, readers in the comment section had speculated that Qiao Sheng's father was the villain's mentor, which was why the villain always seemed to hold back against Qiao Sheng. 

At that time, Li Ge hadn't paid much attention to the details of the story, but he agreed with the conclusion. 

Now, though, it seemed clear that their relationship wasn't as close as it seemed; otherwise, the villain wouldn't have thrown Qiao Sheng into the testing grounds in the first place.

There was no doubt that since the villain had tossed Qiao Sheng in here, he must be under surveillance. If they decided to approach Qiao Sheng, it might immediately alert the villain. 

Then, their entire group would likely be captured, forced to reveal the plot details, and ultimately be taken apart by the villain ahead of schedule.

In Li Ge's eyes, the protagonist group was definitely unreliable. There was no chance of depending on them. 

【We need to start mastering our abilities now!】 Li Ge turned to his companions with determination. He knew that the book’s ending was destined to be destroyed. 

As long as they could escape and enjoy even a single day of life outside, they would consider that a victory!

【Agreed!】 The other transmigrators, who had already accepted Li Ge as their backbone, immediately voiced their support.

Thus, the transmigrators in the trial grounds began their determined journey of escape. 

Meanwhile, in a completely different scene, Qi Chao was sitting in his living room with the kids, watching cartoons. The stark contrast between the two scenes made it seem as if they were in entirely different worlds.

Ever since he started striving toward his goal of becoming a master-level puppet master, Qi Chao hadn't truly relaxed—not to mention spending time with the kids to watch cartoons. 

Now, he finally had a moment to unwind and enjoy some downtime.

Qi Chao leaned back on the sofa, feeling a rare sense of drowsiness during the day. Today, it was Li Bai's turn to watch his favorite cartoon.

On the screen, a superhero dedicated to saving lives stood with his back to the camera, his cape billowing in the wind. 

Li Bai and Qiu Qiu, one older and one younger, stood in front of the projection, mimicking the superhero's pose and chanting the lines with great enthusiasm. This was a scene that would never have happened before Qiu Qiu came into the family.

Before, the puppets in the house would never join in Li Bai's antics. Not only would they refuse to participate, but Xiang Yue and the others couldn't even understand how Li Bai and Qiu Qiu could bring themselves to strike such silly and embarrassing poses.

Noticing the furrowed brows on Xiang Yue and the other children’s faces, Qi Chao couldn't help but chuckle softly. 

He genuinely enjoyed seeing the kids express a range of emotions. Xiang Yue and the others were always pushing themselves too hard, never forgetting to study diligently on their light-brains every day.

“Dad, are you going out again soon?” Agu asked, somehow having ended up sitting right next to Qi Chao, his face lit up with a cheerful smile.

“Yes, I do have plans to go out,” Qi Chao replied.

Qi Chao was still contemplating going out with Xiu Mei to meet other puppet masters.

“I want to go too!” Agu immediately raised his hand.

“No way, I’m going to handle some important business. You can stay home and play with Xiang Yue and the others,” Qi Chao replied, giving Agu a gentle pat on the back of his head. “If I take you with me, then Li Bai and the others will definitely want to tag along.”

If he had to chat with other puppet masters, it would be difficult for him to split his attention to look after the children at home. Qi Chao worried about what might happen if something went wrong with the kids while he was distracted.

“That won’t happen,” Agu insisted, his bright green eyes narrowing slightly. “Xiang Yue and the others still have to study, so just taking me is fine!”

Upon hearing this, Qi Chao glanced at the kids nearby. Because of Agu's comment, Li Bai and Qiu Qiu, who had been striking superhero poses, turned around, looking confused.

Li Bai really wanted to go out with Dad.

But they had indeed been playing for the past few days. If Dad went out and they followed him, it would just delay another day of study.

“Li Bai needs to study,” Li Bai said firmly.

He understood that since Dad had become a master-level puppet master, they needed to work hard if they wanted to help him.

Qiu Qiu, not quite sure what studying meant, heard Li Bai say this and eagerly raised her hand as well. “Qiu Qiu wants to study too!”

On the sofa, Lan Luo had been focusing on Agu ever since he appeared. He knew that Agu’s eagerness had some ulterior motive behind it.

When Agu glanced at him again, Lan Luo jumped off the sofa with a bright smile. “Lan Luo will also stay at home and study. Xiang Yue, Xuan Jian, and Shuang Jian should stay home too, right? Our learning progress is all the same.”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yue looked up at Dad, then at Agu, his tail swaying behind him. 

The meaning behind Dad's words was very clear. He didn’t want them to accompany him outside.

Although Agu could be rather eccentric, he was no slouch when it came to strength. If it came down to it, having Agu by Dad’s side would be safer.

“Yeah, Dad, we want to stay and study,” Xiang Yue said.

Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian preferred to follow Xiang Yue's decisions. Although they wanted to go out, they ultimately chose to go along with Xiang Yue and study together with the other puppets.

“Everyone wants to study?” Qi Chao was taken aback, and then he heard Agu call out excitedly.

“Dad, Agu can come along now!” 

Hearing that the children wanted to stay home to study, Qi Chao scratched his head and looked at Agu, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement. Leaning back on the sofa, he agreed, “Alright, but you have to promise not to run around and stay by my side.”

“Okay! Agu will be very obedient!” Agu's bright green eyes crinkled into a narrow line of joy.

Qi Chao couldn’t quite understand how his partner, who was so calm, ended up creating a child like Agu, who seemed to have no self-awareness at all. He chuckled and was about to say something when his light-brain suddenly vibrated.

Xiu Mei: [Young Master Qi, it’s all arranged. You can meet them anytime.]

Qi Chao had contacted Xiu Mei after discussing the idea of connecting with other puppet masters with Shen Yuxi. He didn’t expect her to respond so quickly. 

After checking the time, he realized it had been less than two hours.

Qi Chao: [Thank you! If the timing works for them, would around ten o'clock be okay?]

In fact, Qi Chao still didn’t fully feel like a master-level puppet master. In the Blue Star Empire, if a master-level puppet master expressed a desire to make friends, puppet masters from the entire industry would rush over to recommend themselves. 

Ten o'clock was nothing; even at midnight, there would be people waiting.

The fact that it took two hours for Xiu Mei to contact him was only because she had to filter the candidates first.

Upon receiving Qi Chao’s message, Xiu Mei immediately felt a wave of relief. Then, excitement bubbled within her. She understood that Qi Chao's sudden desire to connect with other puppet masters indicated that he must have something significant planned. With that in mind, Xiu Mei confidently promised: [Ten o'clock is no problem!]

Without waiting for Qi Chao's reply, she quickly ran over to her newly created group chat.

These puppet masters were all a bunch of broke individuals, and they were the group of puppet masters Xiu Mei knew who, aside from Qi Chao, loved puppets the most.

[Come to my house tomorrow at nine-thirty in the morning. Don’t be late!!!]

At first, no one in the group replied. After about ten minutes, a new message popped up in the chat.

[Girl, are you…working as a scammer now? I thought you were joking earlier. Don’t mess around; I have things to do. Just go play with them without me.]

Before Xiu Mei could respond, another message appeared.

[1. Since Boss Qi just confirmed his identity, the internet is buzzing. We need to go see the excitement! Stop talking nonsense; I’ll come back later to chat with you later.]

Xiu Mei: ??? What the heck?

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