| PN | Nervous | 190
For the puppets , this day ranked among the top three most unforgettable moments in their memory. Even someone as aloof as Moss shared this sentiment.
In the living room, Qi Chao sat on the sofa. Opposite him, a line of puppets stood from tallest to shortest, heads lowered, lined up against the wall.
Although they said nothing, it was clear that they were all feeling guilty.
"Who came up with the idea of the 'surprise'?"
The puppets remained silent.
The cunning plan to scare the council members into abandoning their involvement in the association alliance disputes was undoubtedly the work of Agu and Lan Luo.
However, if they were to be honest, every puppet had participated in this plan. Naturally, they weren’t going to let only Agu and Lan Luo bear the brunt of their dad's anger.
"Dad, it was a plan we all came up with together."
Xiang Yue calmly raised her head to meet Qi Chao's gaze.
The other puppets quickly nodded in agreement.
"That's right. We wanted to help Dad solve this problem as soon as possible."
Qi Chao had been busy handling matters related to the association, leaving early and returning late. Even though he still wore a smile, the puppets could tell how hard he had been working.
Even their father, in order to assist You Zhao and the others in establishing the Puppet Master Alliance, would go out multiple times a day.
During that period, the puppets could only wait at home for the two heads of the household to return. They all understood that both Dad and Father were working tirelessly for the future of the puppets, striving to ensure that they could live with greater dignity.
It was precisely for this reason that the puppets were unwilling to simply smile obediently like good children, waiting for Dad and Father to resolve everything so they could comfortably enjoy the fruits of their labor.
They wanted to tackle the challenges alongside them.
When Qi Chao heard the children take responsibility as a group, he raised an eyebrow. Well, they were certainly united.
However, this wasn’t the time to praise the children. His gaze swept across the faces of the line of children and finally landed on Xing Yu. Qi Chao asked with a smile,, “Xing Yu, tell me—who came up with this idea?”
The World Consciousness could arguably be considered the most aggrieved of all the puppets.
He hadn’t meddled in the council members’ affairs in the slightest. If he had done nothing at all, it was merely sticking closely to Moss after learning the puppets planned to leave home.
Yet now he was forced to stand here as if he were guilty—truly a pitiful sight.
Hearing Qi Chao’s question, the World Consciousness froze entirely.
The puppets around Xing Yu were glaring at him menacingly, their silent threats crystal clear.
Xing Yu pouted.
If it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t have been dragged into this punishment in the first place. And now they had the audacity to warn him against speaking up?
How infuriating.
He was just about to spill the beans when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Moss holding a plush doll.
A sudden realization struck him.
If he were to reveal the truth, Moss would undoubtedly dislike him even more.
Not that Xing Yu thought Moss was particularly important.
But in this wretched place, Moss was the only puppet he could tolerate.
Moss was already upset with him over the plush doll incident. Now that things had finally started to improve, Xing Yu had no desire to reignite tensions between them.
“It was all of us together. There was no mastermind,” Xing Yu replied under Qi Chao’s watchful gaze, swallowing his grievances.
Qi Chao was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected Xing Yu to show such camaraderie. With a chuckle, he said, “If you don’t want to tell me, fine.”
He didn’t press them further. Instead, he stood up and gently patted each of their heads in turn.
“Now tell me—what do you think you did wrong?”
The unity among the children brought a sense of satisfaction to Qi Chao.
However, no amount of satisfaction could quell his urge to discipline the kids. “Whoever gives the wrong answer will write a 6,000-word reflection tonight.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, every academically challenged puppet, led by Agu, looked utterly devastated.
In truth, even now, Agu still didn’t understand what he had done wrong. In contrast, Li Bai and the others remained silent for a few seconds before seemingly arriving at an answer.
This only made Agu panic more.
Initially, he had been planning to copy someone else’s answer. But who would have thought that Qi Chao would distribute blank sheets of paper to each of them, instructing them to write down their answers individually?
This was downright unfair.
Now Agu couldn’t even fake his way through by imitating others’ responses.
“Alright, stop trying to peek at Lan Luo’s and Li Baii’s answers.”
Qi Chao ruffled Agu’s hair with a tap. “Since you still have the energy to look around, you must already be done writing, right? Let’s start with yours, then.”
Agu: ...
Dad, you can’t be serious, can you?
He looked up at his dad, whose smile was warm but whose attitude remained firm.
Agu’s emerald-green eyes were conflicted as he hesitated for a moment, then, with a heavy heart, handed over his answer sheet.
Qi Chao took it, and after a brief look at the scribbled mess on the paper, he saw it read: [Shouldn’t sneak out.]
The handwriting was so messy it looked like ants had crawled across the page.
Qi Chao took some time to decipher what Agu had written. Finally, he looked up and asked, “Is that all? Just this?”
What did that mean?
Agu was confused. Was his father asking him to say more?
He watched as Qi Chao collected the other puppets' answer sheets before giving him a meaningful look, silently urging him to hurry up and keep writing.
Why was it him?
Agu’s previously cheerful expression froze, and he stood up. Stumbling over his words, he began to answer questions he didn’t even understand.
“Shouldn’t use dishonorable methods to deal with the council members.”
“Shouldn’t help without Dad’s permission.”
“Shouldn’t, shouldn’t...”
After listing two or three points, Agu found himself at a loss for more and couldn’t help but glance at the other puppets.
Qi Chao leaned back on the sofa, listening to Agu’s stammering responses while flipping through the answer sheets the puppets had handed him. He then said, “Don’t think about asking them. Their answers are just like yours.”
As soon as those words were spoken, every puppet realized that their answers weren’t what their dad had been looking for.
Qi Chao looked up at the puppets in the room.
Compared to before, they had made significant progress. They had even started to develop a sense of boundaries and principles in their actions.
The puppets now knew what was wrong and what was right.
If this had happened in the past, they might have resorted to even more extreme methods to ensure the council members wouldn’t threaten their dad.
But now, the education they had received acted like a rope, preventing them from recklessly harming human life.
Qi Chao thought about this and lowered his lashes, his fingers absentmindedly tapping on the armrest of the sofa, the corners of his lips curling upward slightly.
The puppets across from him, absorbed in their disheartenment, didn’t notice the smile tugging at Qi Chao’s lips. Instead, they assumed their answers hadn’t satisfied their father, causing their mood to sink even further.
When Shen Yuxi entered, he immediately saw the scene. He placed the bouquet he had picked from the flower room into a vase before sitting down on the sofa and glancing at Qi Chao with his blue eyes, silently asking.
“I’m asking them what they did wrong,” Qi Chao explained.
Once Shen Yuxi sat next to him, Qi Chao naturally took his hand.
“They got the answers wrong?” Shen Yuxi remarked, his sharp gaze immediately assessing the puppets' expressions.
The puppets, upon hearing this, felt even more defeated. However, their gazes subconsciously shifted toward Qi Chao, as if they wanted to confirm the truth.
Perhaps, just perhaps, their answers did hold some meaning after all.
Qi Chao noticed the puppets' gaze and raised an eyebrow. “What are you looking at me for? Haven’t you figured out what you did wrong yet?”
“We’re thinking, we’ll keep thinking now,” Li Bai quickly nodded, his words hurried.
The other puppets all furrowed their brows, deep in thought. On the left side of the sofa, Ayu lowered her navy hat just enough to cover the top half of her face, leaving only her tightly pressed lips visible.
Ayu had the ability to collect information and perform analytical reasoning. Although her accuracy wasn’t particularly high, compared to the other puppets, she held a natural advantage.
She glanced at Qi Chao, a bit nervous, but before she could use her powers to cheat and find the answer, she met his gaze. Just that one look made her abandon the thought.
Dad wouldn’t want her to do that.
Ayu’s lips pressed into a straight line.
Qi Chao seemed to notice something, a chuckle curling on his lips. With a sigh, he stood up and proceeded to roughly ruffle the childrens hair, from the tallest to the shortest.
Even Ayu, who wore the navy hat, wasn’t spared. Qi Chao lifted her hat and messed up her long white hair until he was satisfied, then pulled his hand away.
The puppets, with their disheveled hair, stared blankly up at Qi Chao. He showed no sign of guilt, his gaze firm as he lowered his head and said, “How many times have I told you? Why can’t you guys remember?”
The puppets' eyes were even more confused.
Seeing this, Qi Chao’s hand itched again.
Not wanting to lash out at the children, he had only ruffled their hair earlier to suppress his emotions. Now, however, repeating the action was no longer an option.
He cleared his throat, trying to calm himself, and reached over to take Shen Yuxi’s hand. The cool touch of his palm helped Qi Chao regain some composure.
“How many times have I told you? To pay attention to your safety. But you didn’t take it to heart, did you?”
As he spoke, Qi Chao counted the group of sickened council members, his voice growing more serious. “According to the council members, they only fell ill and had to be hospitalized because of the haunting at their homes. That means you bypassed their security robots and surveillance cameras to cause trouble at their homes for at least three days, right?”
Qi Chao didn’t know much about the council members’ situation. He had only pieced things together from brief mentions in the emperor’s messages.
Had he known this was going to happen, he would have asked more questions back then.
When the puppets heard the word "safety," it was as though a light bulb went off for them. Their delayed realization left Qi Chao both amused and exasperated.
In truth, both Qi Chao and the puppets shared a selfless mentality. They were willing to disregard their own safety to protect those they cared about.
Just as Qi Chao was willing to work with the association for the sake of the puppets, the puppets were willing to go into the unfamiliar homes of council members to assist their father.
Of course, to them, these actions hadn't seemed dangerous.
Once the puppets understood what their dad had been worried about, they visibly relaxed. Li Bai and Qiu Qiu even rushed over to Qi Chao with open arms, asking for a hug.
Though Qi Chao still looked upset, he couldn’t help but naturally pull Li Bai and Qiu Qiu into his arms as they reached him.
“Dad, we’ll be more careful next time,” Xiang Yue said, his tail swishing behind him, while his dog-like ears drooped, making him appear particularly obedient.
Agu and Lan Luo, the masterminds behind the plan, moved closer to Qi Chao, offering him tea and water.
Seeing this, Qi Chao’s stern expression softened, and he couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.
He paused for a moment before asking, “So, how exactly did you scare them so badly?”
“It wasn’t really that bad,” said Chi Yao, speaking with authority as a puppet who had spent many years in the trial grounds. “We just made Agu’s eyeballs pop out a few times, and when they looked into the mirror, we stood behind them wearing masks.”
The puppets themselves had supernatural abilities, capable of appearing and disappearing without a trace.
The council members who weren’t much younger than the president, weren’t easily scared. But after a few days of this, they ended up in the hospital.
Chi Yao wore an expression that made it clear she thought the council members were incredibly weak, even worse than the timid ones from the trial grounds.
Qi Chao couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic for the council members. However, truth be told, those people weren’t exactly good people either, as they’d been using the puppets for shady dealings.
A little scare wasn’t the worst thing they could have gotten.
“Is there anything else you’re hiding from me?” Qi Chao raised his gaze to the children in the room. “Tell me now, or if something else happens later, I’ll have no choice but to severely punish you.”
Of course, this time, they would all have to write self-reflection papers as well.
The puppets immediately became somewhat nervous.
They rarely kept anything from Qi Chao, and aside from the matter of helping him deal with the council members, the only other thing they had been secretly planning was something they had been working on for the past two years.
When Shen Yuxi entered the living room, he observed everything with keen eyes. He knew Qi Chao cared for the puppets, and wouldn’t really punish them harshly.
Watching Qi Chao shift from stern to gentle with the puppets, Shen Yuxi was not at all surprised.
However, when Qi Chao mentioned if they had something else concealed, Shen Yuxi naturally thought of Qi Chao’s younger brothers and the few puppets at the villa.
Over the past two years, Xiang Yue and the others had been sending unfamiliar puppets into the villa, and Shen Yuxi had lost track of their names.
He only remembered two: Cheng Qi and Xiao Que. These puppets had been saved by Xiang Yue and the others and were specifically tasked with handling things for them.
Since the puppets had always known their boundaries, Shen Yuxi hadn’t asked about this matter for a long time.
But now, his curiosity was piqued. He was eager to find out what the puppets had done behind their backs and to what extent they had gone.
“I know you’ve been hiding something from me,” Qi Chao said.
For the past two years, the children had been secretly preparing a surprise for him. Qi Chao understood that whatever they were doing, it was likely for his benefit.
However, given how reckless the children were with their own safety, he didn’t want to let them continue unchecked.
With a surprisingly patient tone, he continued, “I’m very curious now. I’m not as patient as I used to be. If you don’t tell me now, I’ll just investigate myself later.”
The puppets were naturally reluctant to let Qi Chao investigate on his own. They had not yet fully completed the task, and after a brief hesitation about whether to tell him in advance, they exchanged glances.
Finally, it was Xiang Yue who stepped forward and spoke, “Do you remember Cheng Qi and Xiao Que, Dad?”
“Of course, I remember.”
Qi Chao was momentarily stunned but nodded in acknowledgment. He remembered that these two puppets were among the few friends his children had outside of their circle.
“They aren’t actually our friends,” Xiang Yue continued. “Xiao Que was rescued from a dealer, and Cheng Qi was brought out of a junkyard. They’re staying at the house of Uncle Qi Feng and Uncle Qi Ye.”
Xiang Yue paused, pressing his lips together before adding, “Both uncles agreed to this.”
“Qi Feng and Qi Ye know about this?”
Qi Chao was shocked. How did they get involved in this?
Qi Feng and Qi Ye were notorious for being reckless, always chasing excitement. If they had become involved, it meant this matter was far from trivial.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Qi Chao glanced at Shen Yuxi.
It was clear that Shen Yuxi was aware of this, and Qi Chao finally understood—his partner was the type to enjoy watching the drama unfold.
Even if he knew what the children were planning, he wouldn’t stop them.
Rather than simply offering surprises, the children seemed to be stoking the fire. Qi Chao shifted slightly, leaning in to whisper in Shen Yuxi's ear, "Brother Shen, we need to have a serious talk tonight."
The last two words were spoken with a particular emphasis, and Shen Yuxi stiffened, realizing that Qi Chao was clearly upset.
However, he couldn't immediately understand why this situation had anything to do with him.
After speaking to Shen Yuxi, Qi Chao didn't wait for his response. Instead, he turned his attention back to the children in front of him. "So, why did you have Xiao Que and Cheng Qi help you?"
"We wanted to get more puppets involved in helping you, Dad," said Li Bai.
His voice, despite still being behind his mask, seemed more mature than before. "Just like with the establishment of the Puppet Master Alliance, we’ve been wanting to organize more puppets and work with them for the past two years."
They didn’t want to rely solely on Qi Chao to solve everything.
As puppets, they had the right—and the responsibility—to show humans that they had emotions, that they despised pain, and that they wanted to be liked and respected by humans.
Qi Chao’s deep brown eyes darkened slightly.
He hadn’t expected his children to do this.
Qi Chao lowered his head, looking at the children in front of him. His throat felt dry, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
The puppets, too, were anxious, sensing his hesitation.
Lan Luo reached out to hold Li Bai's hand, trying to calm his own nerves in the face of their dad's silence.
The living room fell into a heavy silence.
TL: Haha Shen Yuxi is going to get scolded too (áµ”◡áµ”)
For the puppets , this day ranked among the top three most unforgettable moments in their memory. Even someone as aloof as Moss shared this sentiment.
In the living room, Qi Chao sat on the sofa. Opposite him, a line of puppets stood from tallest to shortest, heads lowered, lined up against the wall.
Although they said nothing, it was clear that they were all feeling guilty.
"Who came up with the idea of the 'surprise'?"
The puppets remained silent.
The cunning plan to scare the council members into abandoning their involvement in the association alliance disputes was undoubtedly the work of Agu and Lan Luo.
However, if they were to be honest, every puppet had participated in this plan. Naturally, they weren’t going to let only Agu and Lan Luo bear the brunt of their dad's anger.
"Dad, it was a plan we all came up with together."
Xiang Yue calmly raised her head to meet Qi Chao's gaze.
The other puppets quickly nodded in agreement.
"That's right. We wanted to help Dad solve this problem as soon as possible."
Qi Chao had been busy handling matters related to the association, leaving early and returning late. Even though he still wore a smile, the puppets could tell how hard he had been working.
Even their father, in order to assist You Zhao and the others in establishing the Puppet Master Alliance, would go out multiple times a day.
During that period, the puppets could only wait at home for the two heads of the household to return. They all understood that both Dad and Father were working tirelessly for the future of the puppets, striving to ensure that they could live with greater dignity.
It was precisely for this reason that the puppets were unwilling to simply smile obediently like good children, waiting for Dad and Father to resolve everything so they could comfortably enjoy the fruits of their labor.
They wanted to tackle the challenges alongside them.
When Qi Chao heard the children take responsibility as a group, he raised an eyebrow. Well, they were certainly united.
However, this wasn’t the time to praise the children. His gaze swept across the faces of the line of children and finally landed on Xing Yu. Qi Chao asked with a smile,, “Xing Yu, tell me—who came up with this idea?”
The World Consciousness could arguably be considered the most aggrieved of all the puppets.
He hadn’t meddled in the council members’ affairs in the slightest. If he had done nothing at all, it was merely sticking closely to Moss after learning the puppets planned to leave home.
Yet now he was forced to stand here as if he were guilty—truly a pitiful sight.
Hearing Qi Chao’s question, the World Consciousness froze entirely.
The puppets around Xing Yu were glaring at him menacingly, their silent threats crystal clear.
Xing Yu pouted.
If it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t have been dragged into this punishment in the first place. And now they had the audacity to warn him against speaking up?
How infuriating.
He was just about to spill the beans when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Moss holding a plush doll.
A sudden realization struck him.
If he were to reveal the truth, Moss would undoubtedly dislike him even more.
Not that Xing Yu thought Moss was particularly important.
But in this wretched place, Moss was the only puppet he could tolerate.
Moss was already upset with him over the plush doll incident. Now that things had finally started to improve, Xing Yu had no desire to reignite tensions between them.
“It was all of us together. There was no mastermind,” Xing Yu replied under Qi Chao’s watchful gaze, swallowing his grievances.
Qi Chao was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected Xing Yu to show such camaraderie. With a chuckle, he said, “If you don’t want to tell me, fine.”
He didn’t press them further. Instead, he stood up and gently patted each of their heads in turn.
“Now tell me—what do you think you did wrong?”
The unity among the children brought a sense of satisfaction to Qi Chao.
However, no amount of satisfaction could quell his urge to discipline the kids. “Whoever gives the wrong answer will write a 6,000-word reflection tonight.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, every academically challenged puppet, led by Agu, looked utterly devastated.
In truth, even now, Agu still didn’t understand what he had done wrong. In contrast, Li Bai and the others remained silent for a few seconds before seemingly arriving at an answer.
This only made Agu panic more.
Initially, he had been planning to copy someone else’s answer. But who would have thought that Qi Chao would distribute blank sheets of paper to each of them, instructing them to write down their answers individually?
This was downright unfair.
Now Agu couldn’t even fake his way through by imitating others’ responses.
“Alright, stop trying to peek at Lan Luo’s and Li Baii’s answers.”
Qi Chao ruffled Agu’s hair with a tap. “Since you still have the energy to look around, you must already be done writing, right? Let’s start with yours, then.”
Agu: ...
Dad, you can’t be serious, can you?
He looked up at his dad, whose smile was warm but whose attitude remained firm.
Agu’s emerald-green eyes were conflicted as he hesitated for a moment, then, with a heavy heart, handed over his answer sheet.
Qi Chao took it, and after a brief look at the scribbled mess on the paper, he saw it read: [Shouldn’t sneak out.]
The handwriting was so messy it looked like ants had crawled across the page.
Qi Chao took some time to decipher what Agu had written. Finally, he looked up and asked, “Is that all? Just this?”
What did that mean?
Agu was confused. Was his father asking him to say more?
He watched as Qi Chao collected the other puppets' answer sheets before giving him a meaningful look, silently urging him to hurry up and keep writing.
Why was it him?
Agu’s previously cheerful expression froze, and he stood up. Stumbling over his words, he began to answer questions he didn’t even understand.
“Shouldn’t use dishonorable methods to deal with the council members.”
“Shouldn’t help without Dad’s permission.”
“Shouldn’t, shouldn’t...”
After listing two or three points, Agu found himself at a loss for more and couldn’t help but glance at the other puppets.
Qi Chao leaned back on the sofa, listening to Agu’s stammering responses while flipping through the answer sheets the puppets had handed him. He then said, “Don’t think about asking them. Their answers are just like yours.”
As soon as those words were spoken, every puppet realized that their answers weren’t what their dad had been looking for.
Qi Chao looked up at the puppets in the room.
Compared to before, they had made significant progress. They had even started to develop a sense of boundaries and principles in their actions.
The puppets now knew what was wrong and what was right.
If this had happened in the past, they might have resorted to even more extreme methods to ensure the council members wouldn’t threaten their dad.
But now, the education they had received acted like a rope, preventing them from recklessly harming human life.
Qi Chao thought about this and lowered his lashes, his fingers absentmindedly tapping on the armrest of the sofa, the corners of his lips curling upward slightly.
The puppets across from him, absorbed in their disheartenment, didn’t notice the smile tugging at Qi Chao’s lips. Instead, they assumed their answers hadn’t satisfied their father, causing their mood to sink even further.
When Shen Yuxi entered, he immediately saw the scene. He placed the bouquet he had picked from the flower room into a vase before sitting down on the sofa and glancing at Qi Chao with his blue eyes, silently asking.
“I’m asking them what they did wrong,” Qi Chao explained.
Once Shen Yuxi sat next to him, Qi Chao naturally took his hand.
“They got the answers wrong?” Shen Yuxi remarked, his sharp gaze immediately assessing the puppets' expressions.
The puppets, upon hearing this, felt even more defeated. However, their gazes subconsciously shifted toward Qi Chao, as if they wanted to confirm the truth.
Perhaps, just perhaps, their answers did hold some meaning after all.
Qi Chao noticed the puppets' gaze and raised an eyebrow. “What are you looking at me for? Haven’t you figured out what you did wrong yet?”
“We’re thinking, we’ll keep thinking now,” Li Bai quickly nodded, his words hurried.
The other puppets all furrowed their brows, deep in thought. On the left side of the sofa, Ayu lowered her navy hat just enough to cover the top half of her face, leaving only her tightly pressed lips visible.
Ayu had the ability to collect information and perform analytical reasoning. Although her accuracy wasn’t particularly high, compared to the other puppets, she held a natural advantage.
She glanced at Qi Chao, a bit nervous, but before she could use her powers to cheat and find the answer, she met his gaze. Just that one look made her abandon the thought.
Dad wouldn’t want her to do that.
Ayu’s lips pressed into a straight line.
Qi Chao seemed to notice something, a chuckle curling on his lips. With a sigh, he stood up and proceeded to roughly ruffle the childrens hair, from the tallest to the shortest.
Even Ayu, who wore the navy hat, wasn’t spared. Qi Chao lifted her hat and messed up her long white hair until he was satisfied, then pulled his hand away.
The puppets, with their disheveled hair, stared blankly up at Qi Chao. He showed no sign of guilt, his gaze firm as he lowered his head and said, “How many times have I told you? Why can’t you guys remember?”
The puppets' eyes were even more confused.
Seeing this, Qi Chao’s hand itched again.
Not wanting to lash out at the children, he had only ruffled their hair earlier to suppress his emotions. Now, however, repeating the action was no longer an option.
He cleared his throat, trying to calm himself, and reached over to take Shen Yuxi’s hand. The cool touch of his palm helped Qi Chao regain some composure.
“How many times have I told you? To pay attention to your safety. But you didn’t take it to heart, did you?”
As he spoke, Qi Chao counted the group of sickened council members, his voice growing more serious. “According to the council members, they only fell ill and had to be hospitalized because of the haunting at their homes. That means you bypassed their security robots and surveillance cameras to cause trouble at their homes for at least three days, right?”
Qi Chao didn’t know much about the council members’ situation. He had only pieced things together from brief mentions in the emperor’s messages.
Had he known this was going to happen, he would have asked more questions back then.
When the puppets heard the word "safety," it was as though a light bulb went off for them. Their delayed realization left Qi Chao both amused and exasperated.
In truth, both Qi Chao and the puppets shared a selfless mentality. They were willing to disregard their own safety to protect those they cared about.
Just as Qi Chao was willing to work with the association for the sake of the puppets, the puppets were willing to go into the unfamiliar homes of council members to assist their father.
Of course, to them, these actions hadn't seemed dangerous.
Once the puppets understood what their dad had been worried about, they visibly relaxed. Li Bai and Qiu Qiu even rushed over to Qi Chao with open arms, asking for a hug.
Though Qi Chao still looked upset, he couldn’t help but naturally pull Li Bai and Qiu Qiu into his arms as they reached him.
“Dad, we’ll be more careful next time,” Xiang Yue said, his tail swishing behind him, while his dog-like ears drooped, making him appear particularly obedient.
Agu and Lan Luo, the masterminds behind the plan, moved closer to Qi Chao, offering him tea and water.
Seeing this, Qi Chao’s stern expression softened, and he couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.
He paused for a moment before asking, “So, how exactly did you scare them so badly?”
“It wasn’t really that bad,” said Chi Yao, speaking with authority as a puppet who had spent many years in the trial grounds. “We just made Agu’s eyeballs pop out a few times, and when they looked into the mirror, we stood behind them wearing masks.”
The puppets themselves had supernatural abilities, capable of appearing and disappearing without a trace.
The council members who weren’t much younger than the president, weren’t easily scared. But after a few days of this, they ended up in the hospital.
Chi Yao wore an expression that made it clear she thought the council members were incredibly weak, even worse than the timid ones from the trial grounds.
Qi Chao couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic for the council members. However, truth be told, those people weren’t exactly good people either, as they’d been using the puppets for shady dealings.
A little scare wasn’t the worst thing they could have gotten.
“Is there anything else you’re hiding from me?” Qi Chao raised his gaze to the children in the room. “Tell me now, or if something else happens later, I’ll have no choice but to severely punish you.”
Of course, this time, they would all have to write self-reflection papers as well.
The puppets immediately became somewhat nervous.
They rarely kept anything from Qi Chao, and aside from the matter of helping him deal with the council members, the only other thing they had been secretly planning was something they had been working on for the past two years.
When Shen Yuxi entered the living room, he observed everything with keen eyes. He knew Qi Chao cared for the puppets, and wouldn’t really punish them harshly.
Watching Qi Chao shift from stern to gentle with the puppets, Shen Yuxi was not at all surprised.
However, when Qi Chao mentioned if they had something else concealed, Shen Yuxi naturally thought of Qi Chao’s younger brothers and the few puppets at the villa.
Over the past two years, Xiang Yue and the others had been sending unfamiliar puppets into the villa, and Shen Yuxi had lost track of their names.
He only remembered two: Cheng Qi and Xiao Que. These puppets had been saved by Xiang Yue and the others and were specifically tasked with handling things for them.
Since the puppets had always known their boundaries, Shen Yuxi hadn’t asked about this matter for a long time.
But now, his curiosity was piqued. He was eager to find out what the puppets had done behind their backs and to what extent they had gone.
“I know you’ve been hiding something from me,” Qi Chao said.
For the past two years, the children had been secretly preparing a surprise for him. Qi Chao understood that whatever they were doing, it was likely for his benefit.
However, given how reckless the children were with their own safety, he didn’t want to let them continue unchecked.
With a surprisingly patient tone, he continued, “I’m very curious now. I’m not as patient as I used to be. If you don’t tell me now, I’ll just investigate myself later.”
The puppets were naturally reluctant to let Qi Chao investigate on his own. They had not yet fully completed the task, and after a brief hesitation about whether to tell him in advance, they exchanged glances.
Finally, it was Xiang Yue who stepped forward and spoke, “Do you remember Cheng Qi and Xiao Que, Dad?”
“Of course, I remember.”
Qi Chao was momentarily stunned but nodded in acknowledgment. He remembered that these two puppets were among the few friends his children had outside of their circle.
“They aren’t actually our friends,” Xiang Yue continued. “Xiao Que was rescued from a dealer, and Cheng Qi was brought out of a junkyard. They’re staying at the house of Uncle Qi Feng and Uncle Qi Ye.”
Xiang Yue paused, pressing his lips together before adding, “Both uncles agreed to this.”
“Qi Feng and Qi Ye know about this?”
Qi Chao was shocked. How did they get involved in this?
Qi Feng and Qi Ye were notorious for being reckless, always chasing excitement. If they had become involved, it meant this matter was far from trivial.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Qi Chao glanced at Shen Yuxi.
It was clear that Shen Yuxi was aware of this, and Qi Chao finally understood—his partner was the type to enjoy watching the drama unfold.
Even if he knew what the children were planning, he wouldn’t stop them.
Rather than simply offering surprises, the children seemed to be stoking the fire. Qi Chao shifted slightly, leaning in to whisper in Shen Yuxi's ear, "Brother Shen, we need to have a serious talk tonight."
The last two words were spoken with a particular emphasis, and Shen Yuxi stiffened, realizing that Qi Chao was clearly upset.
However, he couldn't immediately understand why this situation had anything to do with him.
After speaking to Shen Yuxi, Qi Chao didn't wait for his response. Instead, he turned his attention back to the children in front of him. "So, why did you have Xiao Que and Cheng Qi help you?"
"We wanted to get more puppets involved in helping you, Dad," said Li Bai.
His voice, despite still being behind his mask, seemed more mature than before. "Just like with the establishment of the Puppet Master Alliance, we’ve been wanting to organize more puppets and work with them for the past two years."
They didn’t want to rely solely on Qi Chao to solve everything.
As puppets, they had the right—and the responsibility—to show humans that they had emotions, that they despised pain, and that they wanted to be liked and respected by humans.
Qi Chao’s deep brown eyes darkened slightly.
He hadn’t expected his children to do this.
Qi Chao lowered his head, looking at the children in front of him. His throat felt dry, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
The puppets, too, were anxious, sensing his hesitation.
Lan Luo reached out to hold Li Bai's hand, trying to calm his own nerves in the face of their dad's silence.
The living room fell into a heavy silence.
TL: Haha Shen Yuxi is going to get scolded too (áµ”◡áµ”)
1 Comments
Pfff SY miscalculated haha
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