Chapter 244

Chapter 244: Sneaking a Break

The Phantom Door opened without a sound, and Yu Sheng stepped into the living room.

The first thing he saw was three Irenes squeezed neatly together on the couch with a laptop in front of them, studying something with total focus. Curious, he leaned over to take a look and asked: “What are you three up to?”

“The account got banned and we’re figuring out how to appeal,” said the Irene with the picture frame on her back, the main body, without looking up, then she realized who it was and added: “Wow, you’re back?”

Yu Sheng casually pressed down on the three Irenes’ heads and glanced at the huge appeal page on the screen, then twitched at the corner of his eye as he asked: “Was it for flaming in a match again?”

“I didn’t flame anyone this time!” one Irene blushed and said: “I just honestly think that teammate had problems, and the devs too. I really think so!”

“That still counts as insulting people,” Yu Sheng said as he nudged aside the Irene who was typing: “And when you insult people you drag in their whole family, the neighbors left and right, and even the neighbor across the hall’s dog. No wonder you got banned. Stop fussing with it. That account is dead for a couple of days. If you’ve got time, work on getting better.”

That set Irene off into a storm of complaints: “How am I supposed to get better! On your keyboard I can’t even press W and Space at the same time. After I click the left mouse button I have to practically do a flourish to reach the right button. The mouse sensitivity is a pain to tune, and to turn the camera I have to do a stretch across the desk…”

Before she could finish, Yu Sheng tossed a paper bag and knocked the little doll flat on the couch.

All three Irenes jumped up: “Hey, what was that for, I was just venting…”

Yu Sheng shut the doll right up with one line as he said: “Enough. Check what’s in the bag. It’s for you.”

The Irenes blinked. The one who had been knocked over finally reacted, clawed the bag open, and all but dove inside.

A second later, happy, noisy squeals rose from the bag: “Ah! New clothes! They’re new clothes!”

Grinning, Yu Sheng flopped onto the couch and said: “On the way back from the Special Affairs Bureau I swung by the mall and hit the doll shop. I promised I’d get you new clothes. I didn’t forget. I’ve just been busy lately, and today I finally had a free moment.”

Irene popped back out of the bag, hugging two tiny new dresses, eyes shining: “Yu Sheng, you’re the best! But fancy doll clothes aren’t cheap, right? The fabric looks really nice…”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Yu Sheng said, even more pleased: “I just squeezed a big payout from the Special Affairs Bureau. The money hasn’t landed yet, but we can loosen up a little.”

He didn’t get to finish, because the Irene who had burned her last skirt had already sprinted toward the bathroom with the new clothes in her arms, yelling as she ran: “No peeking! I’m changing!”

Yu Sheng sat there, half laughing, half crying, and muttered: “Who wants to peek.”

A silver-white fluffball drifted over the couch back. Foxy hooked her paws over the cushion and asked: “Benefactor, benefactor, did you get me anything?”

Yu Sheng took a comb from his pocket and handed it over: “Here. A comb just for your tail. You kept saying the comb at home doesn’t work on your tail. This one is large, has many teeth, and I asked around. It’s especially good for big animals during shedding.”

Another Irene wriggled out from under his elbow and asked: “Hold on. Why is there a comb that’s especially for shedding… did you buy it at a pet shop?”

“Of course. If I asked in a regular supermarket what brush to use for a nine-tailed fox in shedding season, they’d think I was a mental case,” Yu Sheng said as he pushed Irene back down: “And Foxy has been using a regular comb. She already said it wasn’t doing the job.”

Foxy didn’t care what Yu Sheng and Irene were saying. She clearly loved her present. She happily tried the new comb on her tail a few times, then gave Yu Sheng a dazzling smile and said: “Thank you, Benefactor!”

Then, very solemn, she tucked the comb into her tail for safekeeping.

Right then, the Irene who had changed dashed out of the bathroom like a little rocket, zipped across the living room, and leaped onto the coffee table opposite Yu Sheng as she announced: “Ta-da: new outfit!”

It was a gothic long dress in pale purple and deep red, the shades and style Irene liked. It looked more playful than her usual somber black gown and fit her surprisingly well.

Yu Sheng didn’t hold back his praise.

“That’s because I’m naturally pretty,” Irene said, preening without a shred of modesty. She twirled on the coffee table, then stopped, stretched, and reached behind her back as she added: “It’s just a little scratchy back here.”

“Scratchy? Come here and let me check,” Yu Sheng frowned, beckoning the doll over as he muttered: “It shouldn’t be. Doll clothes don’t have tags at the back. I cut off the other tags too.”

Irene hopped into Yu Sheng’s lap and mumbled: “It’s scratchy. It tickles.”

Yu Sheng inspected her and made a slightly odd face as he said: “It looks a bit off. The back is too tight, and a few strips of decorative lace have all their seam allowances tucked into the back waist and fused with hot-melt glue.”

Irene blinked, then started to complain: “What kind of workmanship is that? Who makes clothes like this?”

“Is it possible,” Yu Sheng said, rubbing his chin, a little embarrassed, “that people who make doll clothes don’t think about the wearer’s comfort, and just want them to look good in photos?”

Irene sputtered out a string of extremely “elegant” nonsense and chirps.

“It’s fine, I’ll alter it for you,” Yu Sheng said, half laughing as he soothed the doll who was about to jump up again: “There aren’t many spots to fix. I can handle it.”

“Really?” Irene stared up at him with scarlet eyes, full of doubt.

Yu Sheng raised his hand and said: “Really.”

“Okay then,” Irene muttered as she climbed off the couch and headed back toward the bathroom: “I won’t try the other one either. The structure looks the same. Fix them and I’ll wear them later.”

Watching the little doll chattering as she left, Yu Sheng couldn’t help smiling. He leaned back on the couch and let out a long breath.

He really liked this kind of day: no big emergencies, Irene making a cheerful racket at home, Foxy circling the room hunting for snacks, little hiccups here and there but nothing out of control. He could slump on the couch like this, do nothing, let his brain drift, and watch the wall clock out of the corner of his eye as the hands ticked around. [This is the peace I want.]

He knew moments like this would be a small slice of life. After hearing Bai Li Qing’s information about the Old Apocalypse and the Annihilation, he could already see rough days ahead.

But that didn’t stop him from enjoying these few quiet minutes.

After a while, Yu Sheng stood up.

There was still time before the “celebration” in the Valley, but as the Valley’s master and the biggest parent in Fairy Tale, he needed to head over early.

He called out: “Foxy! Irene! Let’s go see if Little Red Riding Hood needs help!”

“Okay, sounds great!”

“Coming, Benefactor!”

In the Valley that had merged with Fairy Tale, the simple little “town” was already buzzing. Children and lords hurried around, preparing for the evening’s festivities.

At the Plaza on the edge of the “town,” the Cursed Children had piled up a huge stack of firewood. They would light a grand bonfire here to celebrate the start of a new life.

Their fuel came from deadwood gathered in the Black Forest and thorny vines from the foot of the sleeping ancient city walls. Warriors sent by the King had even brought back the prettiest flowers from the Kingdom of Oz. Those flowers now bloomed between cooled trenches and machine gun bunkers, and green was covering every inch of the old battlefield. The Cursed Children wove the flowers into garlands and hung them around the Plaza.

The Special Affairs Bureau and the council had sent an Engineering Team and caregivers to help with dinner. Big tubs of marinated meat were wheeled right onto the Plaza. The younger kids were organized to thread skewers, peel onions, and draw all kinds of doodles on colored cardstock.

By the time Yu Sheng arrived with Foxy and Irene, the Plaza already looked great.

Only one problem remained.

“Bro, this won’t do. The sky here never gets dark,” Rapunzel complained as she wiped her hands on her apron and walked over: “A bonfire party needs nighttime for the mood. Here it’s bright as day even at midnight. That ruins the whole party vibe. I also planned to set off fireworks.”

Yu Sheng blinked and looked at the little Cursed Children racing around the edge of the Plaza and at the huge pile of firewood not far away as he said: “Then why not hold it over by the Black Forest? Or around the tower? The places where the Valley borders Fairy Tale now have a day-night cycle. I’m even thinking of moving the vegetable patch over there. At least the day and night are normal.”

“We were thinking that since we’ll be living in this ‘town,’ having the celebration here would mean more,” Rapunzel stuck out her tongue and said: “And, more importantly, we forgot about it when we stacked the wood. By the time we remembered, everything was almost set up.”

Yu Sheng said nothing.

“Bro, think of something,” Rapunzel added with a sheepish grin as she leaned in: “Make the sky go dark. Half dark is fine.”

Yu Sheng kept saying nothing.