Chapter 1
The dismissal bell had rung quite a while ago, yet the Friday classroom remained lively. A subtle atmosphere of relaxation hung in the air, and everyone was leaving the room at a noticeably slower pace than usual.
A black gel pen spun nimbly between long fingers before settling firmly back into his palm. Shang Che leaned lazily against his chair’s backrest, his pen tip deftly scribbling down the final digit in the corner of the test paper.
“A-Che, this new little thing your family’s company put out is practically taking over the market.”
The newcomer wore glasses and bore his usual cold expression, yet a booger-sized cotton doll was pinched between his fingers. Under his gentle nudges, the little thing even twitched slightly—a bizarre contrast to its owner’s iceberg-like demeanor.
“…” Shang Che’s lip twitched as if seeing Lu Zeming in a whole new light. He looked his friend up and down—a guy dressed impeccably in his proper, tidy school uniform, holding a brightly colored, soft-and-cute trinket. Shang Che was left utterly speechless: “How did you end up interested in stuff like this too?”
Lu Zeming pushed up his glasses with one hand, his expression deadpan as he stated with complete solemnity, “Just keeping up with current trends and conducting market research on the side. Besides, objectively speaking, this little thing really is quite cute.”
Hearing his perpetually frigid friend say the word “cute” with a completely blank face made Shang Che’s scalp go numb.
He let out a dry laugh.
Seeing him like this, Lu Zeming asked, “What, you don’t like it?”
“Why would I like it?” Shang Che crossed his arms, belittling his family’s new product without a second thought. “Childish and boring.”
However, no sooner had he finished his critique than a chorus of gasps sounded nearby.
Their attention was drawn over, and both Shang Che and Lu Zeming turned their heads simultaneously. A group of three or four girls had gathered together, cooing enthusiastically: “Lin Zhi, your doll is way too cute!”
“Right, right?! How can it be so adorable! Let Auntie give it a big kiss!”
“How can such an adorable baby exist in this world!”
“Baby, do you want to be cotton-pals with Auntie’s baby~”
“Hahaha, you guys are being way too dramatic~” A girl named Lin Zhi, sporting a shoulder-length haircut, smiled sweetly.
Through the gaps in the crowd, Shang Che caught a glimpse of the focal point of their passionate discussion—a palm-sized cotton doll. It was much larger than the one in Lu Zeming’s hand, and not only did it look different, but it was also far more exquisite, clearly a meticulously dressed custom version.
Immediately after, he caught a meaningful glance from his friend, which seemed to say, Say that to their faces if you dare.
Shang Che smiled slightly: Thanks for the invite, but I’ll decline.
Although he still didn’t quite understand what was so cute about these things or how they could sweep the market, he had to admit that cotton dolls were outrageously popular lately. Advertisements plastered every street and alley, even mass-produced standard models were hard to get, and the waitlist for custom orders was queued up until who-knows-when.
“The one in Lin Zhi’s hand looks like a custom model. Didn’t Uncle Shang make a custom one for you?” As far as Lu Zeming knew, whenever Uncle Shang’s company released a new product, they would produce a custom version for Shang Che right away.
Shang Che didn’t care in the slightest, answering peevishly, “Even if he gave it to me, it’d just end up in the trash.”
Lu Zeming sighed helplessly. “When will you stop going against Uncle Shang?”
“How am I going against him?” Shang Che’s brow furrowed slightly. He ruffled his hair in annoyance, listening to the girls discussing which dessert shop to hit up next for photos of their dolls.
Next, he heard his friend ask in a low voice, “What’s a doll photo?”
Shang Che couldn’t be bothered to answer, replying crossly, “How should I know?”
Led by Lin Zhi, the group of girls was bustling and chatting as they prepared to leave. Seeing the two still in their seats, she asked, “Brother Shang, Brother Lu, aren’t you two leaving yet?”
“Leaving now.” Shang Che stood up and threw an arm around Lu Zeming’s shoulder. As he passed Lin Zhi’s desk, he noticed a palm-sized piece of white cardstock on the floor and picked it up.
Printed on it was a photograph of a cotton doll—a massive head on a tiny body, a bizarrely proportioned creation.
…Just like Big Head Son.
Lin Zhi looked at what he was holding and gasped pleasantly, “Oh! I was wondering where that doll photo went. It fell on the floor!”
Shang Che quickly returned the photo to its rightful owner, only to find the person beside him remaining rooted to the spot. He cleared his throat: “Hmm?”
“This is called a doll photo?” Lu Zeming pointed at it, full of curiosity.
“Yeah, it’s just a picture of the doll! I have tons more, do you guys want to take a look?” Lin Zhi looked thoroughly excited.
“No need,” Shang Che answered before his friend could, offering an awkwardly polite smile. He had zero interest in this stuff.
“Actually, I’d like to learn a bit about it,” Lu Zeming insisted.
You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?!
Shang Che gritted his teeth slightly. Looking at his friend who was genuinely admiring the doll photo, he gave a insincere smile. “Your open-mindedness toward new things really keeps expanding my horizons.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” Lu Zeming replied placidly, tidying up the photos and handing them back to Lin Zhi. “Thanks, the photos were shot very cutely.”
Lin Zhi giggled. “It’s no trouble! We’re heading out then, bye-bye!”
Once the group of girls had left, Lu Zeming looked at Shang Che with curiosity. “Why do you dislike cotton dolls so much?”
“Disliking something just means I dislike it. Does there need to be a reason?” Shang Che walked ahead with long strides.
“Don’t you think it’s very cute?”
For a guy with such an icy exterior to actually like something so soft, cute, and childish—Shang Che found it hard to digest. “Not in the slightest.”
Lu Zeming shrugged. “Fair enough.”
Either way, knowing Shang Che, this guy was bound to fall victim to the “slap in the face” rule sooner or later.
The moment he got home, Shang Che threw himself onto the sofa. His gaze casually swept across the room and caught sight of a letter left on the coffee table.
What era was this? Old Shang still insisted on handwritten notes. Shang Che stretched out an arm, pinched a corner of the paper, and squinted to decipher the elegant handwriting on it.
[Dad has to go on a business trip for a while. Take good care of yourself, and I’ll bring you a gift when I return.]
[By the way, Dad prepared a surprise for you. It’s already in your room.]
“What kind of surprise could there possibly be…” Shang Che muttered dismissively, then got up and headed upstairs.
The room was in the soft color palette he was accustomed to, but the things on his bed were entirely unfamiliar. They clashed terribly with his monochromatic bedding, creating a bizarre sense of discord.
Four identical cotton dolls, ranging from large to small, were arranged in a neat row on his bed, staring silently back at him with ten combined eyes.
“…?” Who on earth actually likes this kind of stuff?
Shang Che was momentarily rendered speechless. What kind of stunt was this? Don’t tell him this was the surprise Old Shang was talking about.
He had just said he disliked them today, and in the turn of an eye, he ended up with four childish, soft-and-squishy things.
What was this? Instant karma?
Shang Che was almost laughed out of frustration. With unhidden disgust in his eyes, he sized up the cotton dolls invading his bed.
Pink hair, big golden eyes, a small cat-like mouth, and they were even dressed in proper little outfits. Plus, there were three other copy-pasted companions.
What was this supposed to be? A cotton doll gang launching an attack on his bedroom?!
No way. He had to dispose of them immediately.
Even though he didn’t like them, they were still a gift from Old Shang after all. Saying “throw them straight into the trash” was just talk. After pondering for a moment, Shang Che grabbed a trash bag from who-knows-where and began tossing the cotton dolls into the bag, starting from the smallest.
The 10-centimeter one, the 20-centimeter one… but by the third one, the trash bag couldn’t fit any more.
Shang Che visually gauged the remaining two, which were probably around 40 centimeters and 80 centimeters. He stroked his chin, pondered for a long while, and came to a conclusion—looks like he needed a bigger bag.
.
The moment the cotton doll opened its eyes, it saw a human standing in front of it, seemingly pondering how to throw it away. In order not to be abandoned, it tried to greet the other party in a friendly manner.
And so, just as Shang Che was deliberating how to handle these cotton dolls, he suddenly heard a soft, inexperienced greeting:
“Human, hello.”
“…” Shang Che felt like he was auditory hallucinating.
Seeing the human frozen before it, the cotton doll spoke up again, raising its voice slightly: “Human, hello!”
Shang Che whipped his head around—there was no one behind him.
Who on earth was talking?! Or did the house get haunted?!
“I’m over here!” The soft voice chimed in once more.
Stiffly and slowly, Shang Che turned his head back degree by degree, looking toward the source of the voice in utter disbelief—the largest cotton doll.
The pink-haired, gold-eyed cotton doll blinked extremely fast.
Shang Che sucked in a cold breath—not only was he auditory hallucinating now, but he was also starting to have visual hallucinations?!
As if to prove its own existence, the cotton doll’s expression became even more vivid. Under Shang Che’s terrified gaze, the cotton doll with the adorable expression blinked once more and greeted him again.
OwO: “Human, hello?”
Thanks, human is really not doing so great right now.
Shang Che felt that his condition might be quite severe.
