Chapter 24
Bai Zhou wiped the clothes of the last puppet clean and placed them on the counter. He took a wet tissue and wiped Lan Ji's hands with it, saying, "What are you going to do with them? Are you going to sell them all?"
With the previous experience of Little Red Skirt, Pei Zhao was always worried. He thought for a while and said, "Zhou Yuli, how about we go to Little Red Skirt's home for a visit this week?"
Zhou Yuli fully understood what he meant and nodded "OK" immediately.
Pei Zhao turned back and asked Bai Zhou: "Then you two... look after the store?"
Bai Zhou had already wiped Lan Ji's hands. After throwing the wet tissue into the trash can, he crossed his fingers with Lan Ji, leaned on the counter, and lowered his eyes slightly when he heard her say, "Glad to help."
Zhou Yuli's eyelids twitched, but he didn't say anything.
·
The two contacted the little girl who took the little red dress away and took a long-distance bus to the neighboring city on the weekend.
On the way, Pei Zhao was still worried whether the actor Bai Zhou would come to the store, until Zhou Yuli handed him a piece of news on his mobile phone.
[New actor Bai Zhou chose to quit the entertainment industry and go abroad. At the press conference, he said that he was under too much psychological pressure and went abroad to relax.]
Everyone below lamented that the newcomers had poor psychological qualities. Pei Zhao frowned: "Do you think he listened to some expert's advice and knew that he had to stay away to ensure safety?"
Zhou Yuli looked calm: "It's very likely."
Pei Zhao immediately thought of the young and exquisite mysterious man, and suddenly poked Zhou Yuli: "Are you saying that guy is also a puppeteer?"
Zhou Yuli was a little sleepy. He hummed and said softly, "It's very likely."
Pei Zhao felt that he was being perfunctory, so he poked him with his elbow and turned to look out the window: "Just be perfunctory."
Zhou Yuli's eyelids moved, and he opened his eyes after a while, "I'm not being perfunctory."
Pei Zhao turned his head with an unhappy look on his face: "Then answer 'very likely' to whatever you say!"
Zhou Yuli opened his mouth but did not refute. Pei Zhao thought he was going to make excuses again, so he snorted and turned away. "If you do this again, I won't take you to fight monsters next time!"
Zhou Yuli did not try to please him as expected. Pei Zhao waited for a few minutes, but the person behind him still did not speak. He turned around angrily and saw Zhou Yuli staring at the palm of his hand.
Pei Zhao's heart suddenly felt blocked: "What's wrong with you?"
Zhou Yuli said in a low voice, clearly in a bad mood: "Pei Zhao, are you..."
The following words were spoken in a very low voice, with even the shape of his lips being very subtle. Pei Zhao even suspected that Zhou Yuli had not said anything at all. He frowned and asked again, "What?"
Zhou Yuli pursed his lips, turned around, and looked at Pei Zhao seriously: "Do you like Bai Zhou?"
Pei Zhao's brows were furrowed as deeply as the wrinkles on the jujubes that had been dried in the sun for half a year at the village entrance.
"What the hell?" Pei Zhao spoke quickly, "What are you thinking about? Bai Zhou——" He suddenly thought of something, "You don't think Bai Zhou turned into a human because of me, do you?"
Zhou Yuli lowered his eyes: "Isn't it?"
Pei Zhao took a deep breath: "Didn't I say that it was a bug... I don't know what happened. As for Bai Zhou, well, I really don't hate him, but you said I like him - I don't think so. At most, it's the same kind of liking I have for Zhou Ran. So according to what you said, I still like Zhou Ran, and I also like you?"
Zhou Yuli paused for a moment and said stutteringly, "So, you don't like me?"
Pei Zhao frowned: "That's naturally different."
Zhou Yuli misunderstood and turned his head away, as if he didn't want to ask any more questions.
Pei Zhao had no choice but to turn his body over and said seriously: "Bai Zhou and Lan Ji, they like each other and are in love with each other. It may be because the ice crystal you brought back formed a connection with the puppet, which led to the current transformation. But it has nothing to do with me. Zhou Ran and I have been friends since childhood. He knows my situation inside and out. I can't say whether I like him or not, but I am definitely the most familiar with him. As for you——"
Zhou Yuli's eyes dimmed, "How am I?"
Pei Zhao's heartbeat was disturbed by his hoarse voice. "You are very good." He shook his head to regain the initiative. "You are my puppet, my unique puppet, the only person I have established a connection with. My love for you is different from theirs."
After staring at each other for a long time, Zhou Yuli finally said "hmm".
Zhou Yuli originally wanted to ask in depth, what exactly is the difference? He thought about it for a long time these days. Bai Zhou's attitude towards Pei Zhao was more relaxed than his own, and Pei Zhao seemed more like a friend to Bai Zhou. Although we are more familiar with ourselves, will this familiarity be gradually replaced over time?
But he had no choice. He was reluctant to betray Pei Zhao first, and he was even more worried that Pei Zhao's love for him would diminish one day. In this repeated torture, Zhou Yuli felt that his mind was exhausted and he was completely depressed.
It is said that self-awareness is precious. Zhou Yuli sees himself clearly. He is just an ordinary puppet. It is a blessing for him to be able to stay with his master for a short time. Even if Pei Zhao no longer needs him one day, the worst that can happen is that he will be sold to someone else.
But now Pei Zhao told him, "My love for you is different from theirs." Does that mean that there is some other relationship between them besides that of master and servant?
·
They did not plan to actually visit the family. From a distance they saw that the little girl in the red dress had transformed into a human form. She looked very innocent and naive. When she saw them, she seemed to have completely lost her memory of doing the evil things.
"Brother, you are all so handsome." Pei Zhao's heart was intoxicated by these crisp words.
The two returned without delay that day. On the way, Pei Zhao said to Zhou Yuli: "So, if the puppet changes its owner, its previous memories will also be cleared."
Zhou Yuli nodded: "The current situation seems to be like this. Little Red Skirt seems to have... no memory of the past at all."
This made the two of them feel relieved. It was better than leaving a time bomb that could destroy the world outside. They could finally put their hearts back in their stomachs.
After a day of running around, Pei Zhao was extremely sleepy. As soon as he got in the car, he shrank into a corner and closed his eyes. Zhou Yuli took off his coat and covered his body with it, and Pei Zhao fell into a deep sleep in the warmth. When he woke up again, it was Zhou Yuli who shook him awake.
"What's wrong?" Pei Zhao rubbed his eyes. It was still dark outside the window. He was obviously still on his way back. Zhou Yuli in front of him was holding the glowing mobile phone screen, and there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
Zhou Yuli: "Lan Ji just called and said... someone has taken a fancy to a puppet in the store?"
·
It was already the next morning when they returned to the store. Pei Zhao and Zhou Yuli did not waste time and took a taxi directly back to the store from the station. Although he felt bad about the fare, he was worried about letting a puppet handle the puppet trading, especially since Bai Zhou and Lan Ji seemed a bit crazy and unreliable to him... Pei Zhao thought it would be better to put the money issue aside for now.
The customer was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties. There was a circle of marks on his left ring finger that was lighter than the surrounding skin. Pei Zhao knew that it was the mark of a ring he had worn.
"I...I want to buy this doll. She looks exactly like my wife." The man pointed to one of the puppets wearing a white wedding dress and said cautiously.
Pei Zhao frowned and looked at Bai Zhou: "He..."
Bai Zhou shrugged. "This customer came here yesterday evening. He just kept repeating this sentence. I really felt it was strange. There was no way I could just sell him the puppet. So I made an appointment with him this morning."
Pei Zhao nodded and patted his shoulder: "You did the right thing. Fortunately, this is the case. It seems that I can rest assured to hand over the store to you."
Bai Zhou:?
Pei Zhao turned his head and knocked on the counter. The man's eyes moved. Pei Zhao knew that he had attracted his attention, so he said directly: "Sir, it's okay to buy a puppet, but my puppet is special, and you need to provide sufficient reasons for buying it."
Zhou Yuli on the side raised his eyebrows: The young master's casual reason for buying the product is quite thoughtful.
The man obviously believed Pei Zhao's nonsense rules. When he looked up at Pei Zhao, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes: "I...we have a marriage certificate. She has been away from home for a long time. I miss her so much."
Pei Zhao raised his hand to interrupt his narration, and said in a cold tone: "You left home for a long time to find the police and buy a puppet? Are you sure that your wife will never come home again?"
A flash of emotion flashed across the man's eyes, but it was captured by Pei Zhao quickly. He sneered and knocked on the shelf next to the puppet, "Or, do you need me to call the police for you?"
The man was stunned at first, but after he realized what Pei Zhao said, he began to shake his head with greater and greater amplitude, and gradually became like a madman. Not only did Pei Zhao frown, but even Zhou Yuli, who was standing by, and Bai Zhou and Lan Ji, who were watching, stood up. Zhou Yuli blocked Pei Zhao behind him.
The man's movement was too big and he hit the shelf. Fortunately, the puppet was fixed inside the shelf and did not fall down, but the shelf almost collapsed. Lan Ji was quick to hold on, but the man rushed over without thinking twice. Lan Ji was already in poor health, and he fell to the ground. The man raised his foot to kick him, but Bai Zhou reacted quickly and stopped the man. He grabbed his wrist and pressed it to his lower back, pushing him against the counter, "Are you looking for death?"
Pei Zhao called the police without saying a word.
Zhou Yuli took over the job of pressing the man with a cold face and asked Bai Zhou to help Lan Ji up. There was no other reason. He was really afraid that Bai Zhou, who had no legal basis, would accidentally kill someone.
There was a disturbance near the university town and the police came very quickly.
After the man was handcuffed and taken away, the police came over to talk to Pei Zhao.
"This man's name is Zhao Ping. You said he claimed his wife ran away from home, but you suspect she was murdered. Do you have any evidence?"
Pei Zhao shook his head: "There is no evidence... Actually, I didn't want to call the police, but he attacked my friend like crazy, and we were afraid something might happen."
The police nodded and said, "You have done a great job. Don't worry, we will investigate this matter. If we are sure that he killed his wife, I will contact you again."
Pei Zhao nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, police officer."
Before leaving, the police noticed that the shelves were full of puppets and casually praised them, "At such a young age, you have great skills."
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