Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 139

 

| PN | Dream | 139

Everyone in the house knew that Qi Chao had gone to the basement to change a lightbulb.

"I also want to go with Dad," said Qiu Qiu, her platinum-blonde hair shining as she stood in the living room, looking a bit downcast. 

Her small, transparent wings on her back seemed to droop as well. She tugged at Xiang Yue's sleeve, asking tentatively, "Xiang Yue, can you take me to find Dad?"

The puppets naturally felt a deep sense of attachment to their creator, not to mention that Qi Chao was very affectionate toward his "children," which made them all very clingy toward him.

"No," Xiang Yue replied calmly, keeping his head down. "When Dad is with Father, we shouldn’t disturb them."

Even the rather clueless Li Bai could understand this rule.

Qiu Qiu looked a bit lost, but she also knew that she shouldn't bother Dad. She withdrew her hand and obediently nodded. "Alright, then. I'll wait here for Dad to come back."

Li Bai, who was standing nearby, flashed his small fangs in a smile. Patting Qiu Qiu's head, he spoke in a brotherly tone, "Qiu Qiu is being so good. Let's read together! Dad will be happy to know we're studying."

"Okay!" Qiu Qiu's eyes lit up at his words, and she nodded enthusiastically.

The two puppets quickly sat down together, engrossed in reading from a virtual screen. One wore a mask and a white haori, resembling a white-furred fox, while the other looked like a princess from a forest fairy tale. 

The scene between them was as beautiful as something out of a storybook.

If any puppet collector outside were to witness this scene, they would undoubtedly stop at nothing to obtain these two angelic, pure beings. 

Only puppets nurtured with love could grow up to be so innocent and untainted, and such puppets are almost unheard of in the market.

When Agu, Moss, and Ayu came up from the basement, they saw the two puppets sitting on the sofa.

"How nice," Agu sighed with a hint of envy.

The puppets made by Dad were indeed fortunate; unlike them, who had to handle the maintenance of that brainless bunch of humans in the testing grounds.

With these thoughts in mind, Agu bounced over to Xiang Yue's side and threw his arms around his neck, saying, "Xiang Yue, I'm back!"

"Mm," Xiang Yue responded with a calm expression. However, he still stood up proactively when Agu jumped over, preventing the other’s movements from becoming too vigorous and accidentally bumping into the other puppets.

To Agu, this gesture was a sign of tacit approval of his actions. His smile widened even further; Xiang Yue really was a soft-hearted puppet.

No matter how cold and stern he appeared on the surface, he was just like Dad—soft-hearted at his core.

Agu smiled brightly and was about to say something when his gaze met Lan Luo's.

Aside from ignoring Li Bai and Qiu Qiu, who were focused on the virtual screen, and Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian, who sat silently in the corner, the only puppet left on the sofa was Lan Luo.

When Lan Luo locked eyes with Agu, he hesitated for just a fraction of a second. Then, he forced a bright smile onto his face. "What's wrong? Do you need something?"

"Nothing at all," Agu said, staring intently at Lan Luo. Then, with a hint of hidden meaning in his voice, he added, "If Lan Luo ever feels sad, you can always come to your big brother. I'll help cheer you up."

"Lan Luo, sad?" 

Li Bai immediately snapped out of his focus on the virtual screen. He rushed over to Lan Luo's side and reached out to touch his forehead, his golden eyes behind the mask filled with worry. "Lan Luo, are you unhappy?"

"No," Lan Luo replied, pausing for a moment. 

But internally, his frustration was growing. Agu's knack for being infuriating seemed to have gotten even worse. Pointing out this matter so blatantly was clearly his way of enjoying the spectacle.

Seeing the worry in Li Bai's eyes, Lan Luo forced down his anger toward Agu and instead started to appease Li Bai. 

Li Bai was a puppet who was easy to console, but his intuition was sharp, and once he believed something, he rarely changed his mind. 

No matter how much Lan Luo tried to reassure him, Li Bai remained stubbornly by his side, unwilling to leave.

Lan Luo felt a bit helpless, but his earlier gloomy mood was somewhat lifted by Li Bai's persistence. However, as soon as Father entered the room, that slowly improving mood immediately sank again.

"I’m going upstairs," Lan Luo said with a bright smile directed at the two adults standing at the doorway before getting up and leaving the living room.

At that moment, only Li Bai, Qiu Qiu, and Moss were left in the living room, while the other puppets had already gone upstairs.

Watching Lan Luo's figure disappear up to the second floor, Qi Chao's expression grew thoughtful. 

Then he turned his gaze to Li Bai, and the first thing he said was, "Is Lan Luo upset?"

Although Lan Luo still wore a smile, Qi Chao could clearly sense that his mood was somewhat downcast.

Li Bai nodded, his golden eyes beneath the mask showing a hint of worry. "He does seem a bit unhappy, but I don't know why Lan Luo is feeling that way."

"Is that so?" Qi Chao thought for a moment, then reached out to gently pat the head of Qiu Qiu, who was clinging to his leg affectionately. He muttered to himself, "I'll go up and check on him later."

Standing nearby, Shen Yuxi listened to Qi Chao's words and glanced up at the second floor. His gaze turned somewhat obscure, as if he already had an inkling about the reason behind Lan Luo's low spirits.

Meanwhile, instead of returning directly to his room after going upstairs, Lan Luo made his way to Agu's room.

"Lan Luo, you're here?" Agu said, taking off his sunglasses, seemingly unsurprised by Lan Luo's arrival. "I knew you'd come looking for Agu, so I specifically turned down Xiang Yue's invitation."

Agu's expression looked deeply hurt, and it was obvious that the one who was truly turned down wasn't Xiang Yue—it was Agu himself.

Lan Luo ignored Agu's playful attitude; the smile on his face had long vanished. His angelic features now appeared somewhat dark and brooding, and he said nothing.

"Don't be upset; big brother knows you really want to help Father," Agu said, pulling a piece of paper from who-knows-where and squatting down in front of Lan Luo with a heavy sigh.

Lan Luo stepped back, putting some distance between them, his expression still clouded. "How did you figure that out?"

"How did I know you were upset? That's too easy," Agu replied with a teasing grin. "Ever since the three of us walked through the door, your eyes haven't left us."

"You're angry because Father didn't ask you to join the meeting, right? How adorable," he added, his tone rising at the end, filled with obvious delight.

Lan Luo immediately picked up on the mockery and condescension hidden in Agu's words. His blue eyes darkened significantly, and a sinister black mist began to creep up his arms.

He was indeed upset about this.

Moss, Ayu, and Agu never got along very well. For all three of them to appear together could only mean that Father had assigned them a special task.

And Lan Luo was the only one left out.

Lan Luo understood that he had a short temper, and in the past, he had ruined many of Father's plans because of it. It was perfectly reasonable that Father didn't want to entrust him with any important tasks now.

Still, even though he understood this, it didn't make him feel any better.

Not wanting to get punched today, Agu's gaze briefly flickered over the dark mist on Lan Luo's arm. With a cheerful smile, he quickly added, "You can't hit me, you know. I still have a mission to do later."

Lan Luo knew how to control himself. He stood there, staring at Agu for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, the black mist on his hand suddenly dissipated. 

After a long silence, Lan Luo finally asked, "Is Father's plan almost complete?"

"Almost," Agu responded cooperatively, his green eyes revealing a rare hint of genuine delight. "The Mother Tree is in good condition now, so the plan will soon move to the next phase."

Lan Luo nodded silently.

The news about the Mother Tree's improved state was the best thing he'd heard all day, lifting his spirits quite a bit. It even managed to chase away some of the gloom that had settled in his heart.

Lan Luo had only seen the Mother Tree once since his creation, but he never forgot the sense of peace and warmth he felt while standing beside it.

He lowered his head, yet the shadows in his eyes still refused to disperse.

Agu watched the gloomy atmosphere surrounding Lan Luo with a hint of amusement. 

In the past, Lan Luo would never have shown such an expression. 

In the past Lan Luo, as long as Father remembered him, he would always be happy. 

But now, he looked as if he were a human child sulking just because he wasn't invited to a meeting.

Had he really been spoiled by Qi Chao? 

Agu's smile widened a bit more, devoid of any brotherly affection, as he boldly said, "You can go outside and cry, but keep it down, okay? I need to take a nap."

Agu's notorious teasing was well-known.

Lan Luo felt more agitated as he was called out by this annoying brat. However, remembering that Agu had a mission to carry out, he forced himself to suppress his emotions and turned to leave the room.

But he hadn’t walked far when Moss called out to him from the hallway.

"Father will come to find you tonight." Moss, still holding a plush doll in his arms, delivered Father's message before pausing for a moment.

"Dad noticed that something was off with your mood and wanted to come see you, but Father stopped him."

After Moss finished speaking, he returned to his room, leaving Lan Luo alone in the hallway, feeling increasingly anxious.

Alone with Father? 

Lan Luo felt a bit dazed, and he even sensed a hint of fear creeping in. 

When the knock came on his door that evening, he instinctively shuddered. He quickly got up to open the door, approaching it with the cautious demeanor of an employee facing a superior. "Father," he said carefully.

Shen Yuxi responded with a gentle, "Mm," as he entered the room and casually closed the door behind him.

"Are you still upset, Lan Luo?" 

Lan Luo froze; he hadn’t expected Father to ask so directly. He looked up at Shen Yuxi, hesitating as he replied, "Lan Luo isn’t upset."

"That's good to hear." Shen Yuxi said casually, "Qi Chao still thinks you’re the most well-behaved puppet. Maintaining your dad's good impression of us has always been your task."

“If you were angry, it would really give me a headache.”

Just those few words made Lan Luo’s face turn red. 

“Father, Lan Luo will do his best!” 

Shen Yuxi glanced at Lan Luo before looking away. Perhaps it was due to spending too much time with Qi Chao and the others, but Lan Luo had become much more naive than before; just a few words were enough to make him believe wholeheartedly.

Shen Yuxi's eyelashes fluttered slightly, a hint of amusement shining in his eyes.

After a brief pause, he said, “Lately, you need to be careful. You mustn’t let Qi Chao and the other puppets know anything about the trial grounds.”

“Understood.” 

Even if Father hadn't said it, Lan Luo would have acted that way. To him, all the goodness in the world stemmed from Qi Chao, and he couldn't let anyone destroy what he had now.

Shen Yuxi nodded, satisfied that Lan Luo's mood had improved before standing up to leave the room.

He hadn’t originally intended to come and comfort Lan Luo. It was just that Qi Chao cared too much for the puppets at home. 

If he had let Qi Chao comfort Lan Luo while he was upset, Lan Luo might have accidentally revealed something he shouldn’t. 

Although Lan Luo knew what to say and what not to say, Shen Yuxi wouldn’t allow anything that could affect their relationship to happen.

As soon as Shen Yuxi opened the door to the bedroom, he saw Qi Chao squatting by the wardrobe, seemingly fiddling with something.

Surprised to see Shen Yuxi back so soon, Qi Chao asked, “Has Lan Luo stopped being upset?”

“Mm.” Shen Yuxi smiled softly and replied, “Lan Luo was just mad at Agu. He’s easy to soothe and is already asleep now.”

Qi Chao didn’t find this surprising. Lan Luo had a good temperament; even if he was upset, it wouldn’t last long.

“Agu really can be a handful sometimes,” Qi Chao said as he stood up and embraced Shen Yuxi. “I’ll give him a good talking-to tomorrow.”

Shen Yuxi nodded, his gaze drifting past Qi Chao to the wardrobe behind him. 

The wardrobe was adorned with numerous photos, all showcasing the puppets’ bright smiles. 

There were quite a few pictures of Shen Yuxi as well, though he didn’t know when Qi Chao had taken them.

Shen Yuxi's lips moved slightly as his eyes lingered on the photos for a long time.

Finally, he looked up at Qi Chao, his beautiful peach blossom eyes curving gently. “I’m tired. Shall we go to bed?”

The implication was quite clear.

Qi Chao’s Adam's apple bobbed as he coughed lightly, his ears turning slightly red as he agreed.

Their bodies fit together seamlessly. Every night after finishing his exercise, Qi Chao would fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow and rarely dreamt. 

However, this time felt different.

That night, Qi Chao dreamed of a dark forest. The trees were so dense that not even a sliver of moonlight could penetrate the thick canopy above. 

The oppressive darkness made it difficult to breathe, yet Qi Chao felt strangely at ease. It was as if he belonged there from the very start, accustomed to this environment, even finding it somewhat comforting.

When he woke up the next day, that sensation lingered in Qi Chao's mind, refusing to fade away, leaving him feeling remarkably relaxed.

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