Chapter 41
When Shang Che arrived home, the cotton doll was still sitting on the bed watching cartoons—until the bedroom door was pushed open, making a subtle click sound.
Though very faint, nearly drowned out entirely by the cartoon’s background noise, the cotton doll caught it with acute precision anyway.
Turning its head around rapidly, it saw that its keeper had genuinely returned, and those golden eyes lit up with a sudden swish.
“Human!” The cotton doll called out to him excitedly, its voice soft and sweet, “You’re back!”
Looking at its excited expression and the small hand extended toward him, Shang Che strode over.
“Mm,” he stood by the edge of the bed, answering, “I’m back.”
The cotton doll immediately crawled up from the pillow backrest, scrambling and rolling over to his side, and then tilted its small face up to ask: “Did human… think about Cotton… at school today?”
Shang Che was caught off guard by this simple, direct question.
Looking at those golden eyes brimming with anticipation, he went silent for two seconds, then awkwardly turned his gaze away, his voice sounding tsundere: “…It was alright.”
The cotton doll tilted its head, not quite understanding what its keeper meant by “it was alright.”
Yet it decided to interpret it as meaning “human missed Cotton.”
Either way, the human always spoke in roundabout ways; Cotton could just understand it in its own way~
“Human missed Cotton!”
It announced in a loud voice, not caring whether its keeper admitted it or not, holding its small round hands high as it flailed its arms and legs with joy.
“Cotton missed human super, super much too!”
“Missed you while watching cartoons!”
…Oh, so now cartoons could rank ahead of him; this little Cotton was indeed ‘coaxing and fooling’ him.
Shang Che intentionally said: “Then it seems cartoons are more important.”
Waving its hands, the cotton doll hastily corrected him: “No! Human is the most important!”
In truth, its meaning was that even with cartoons keeping Cotton company, Cotton still missed the human even more.
Yet its keeper seemed to misunderstand, thinking Cotton preferred cartoons more.
What to do…
Flustered and distressed, the cotton doll’s small mouth curved into a little pea shape.
Shang Che let out an “oh,” forming a loose fist into a tiny circle with his hand, asking: “Then how important? As big as this?”
With the tips of his thumb and middle finger touching, Shang Che formed a slightly larger circle, continuing to ask: “Or as big as this?”
The cotton doll shook its head, holding both small round hands high, drawing the largest possible circle from top to bottom with all its might, and then spoke in a loud, exaggerated voice:
“As big as that!”
“Even bigger than Cotton!”
Just as it was about to continue expressing its longing, it caught sight of the corners of its keeper’s mouth slowly curving upward.
…Wait, its keeper didn’t have an empty cotton head; how could he not understand what Cotton meant…
Realizing with delayed terror that it had been teased, the cotton doll indignantly “accused” this mean keeper:
“Mean human! Picking on Cotton!”
Shang Che accepted this acting-cute “accusation” in full.
This little Cotton had run around in his head all day long, leaving him completely out of it; teasing it a bit to “vent some steam” wasn’t unreasonable, was it?
Besides, this little Cotton had just unilaterally announced that “he missed it,” so letting it express how important he was could be considered a fair exchange.
It seemed that upon seeing this little creature, the curve at the corners of Shang Che’s mouth grew somewhat difficult to control. He twitched the corners of his mouth to make his expression look the same as usual, asking: “Watched for the entire day?”
The cotton doll’s moods came quickly and vanished just as fast.
“Mm!” Speaking of cartoons, it grew excited again, its small round hands gesturing wildly in the air. “Cotton watched so, so much! There were Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy…”
Shang Che was mildly surprised: This little creature actually managed to memorize so many names?
“How did you remember them?” he asked.
“Because Cotton learned them… many times,” the cotton doll let out a few “hee-hee” laughs, tilting its small face up to ask him for praise, “Human, isn’t Cotton… super awesome!”
Shang Che didn’t act tsundere this time, clapping his hands openly and generously: “Awesome, super awesome. As expected of the Cotton King.”
As he spoke, he pulled out his phone, switched the projected cartoon to a different one, and then observed the cotton doll’s reaction surreptitiously.
A classic, household-known cartoon began playing on the projector screen.
The novel sounds and visuals captured the cotton doll’s attention. Its round head turned back involuntarily, its golden eyes staring straight at that classic, household-known cartoon starting to play on the screen.
After watching for a long while, the cotton doll suddenly tilted its face up, pointed a hand, and asked: “Human, why are they… always… picking on each other?”
It could actually understand it, Shang Che couldn’t help marveling in astonishment. Immediately after, as if he hadn’t fully processed it, he answered blankly: “Because they are Tom and Jerry.”
“…Tom… Jerry?” The cotton doll repeated the two names. “Are they… good friends?”
Shang Che: “…I suppose so.”
“But why do good friends… have to… pick on each other?” The cotton doll wore a face full of confusion. “Minnie and Mickey… don’t do that. They are both… good friends.”
Looking at its earnest little demeanor, Shang Che suddenly found this question somewhat difficult to answer.
How was he supposed to explain to a cotton doll that Tom and Jerry were set up as frenemies who loved and picked on each other…
Besides, Mickey and Minnie weren’t just good friends; they were an officially certified couple.
Shang Che pondered for a moment, attempting to explain: “Because they are the kind of good friends who intentionally play tricks on each other sometimes, yet protect each other at crucial moments.”
The cotton doll paused for a few seconds after listening, its eyes blinking as it half-understood, looking at him: “Just like… human and Cotton?”
“…”
It really was somewhat similar. Unable to think of words to refute it, Shang Che nodded haphazardly, “…If you insist on putting it that way, sure.”
The cotton doll propped its small round hands beside its cheeks. After pondering for a moment, it said: “Then Cotton still hopes… human can be like Minnie.”
An unbelievable sound squeezed out of Shang Che’s throat: “…Who?”
“Minnie~” The cotton doll grinned, its tone brimming with yearning, not forgetting to encourage its keeper with its gaze, “She’s pretty and gentle…”
Shang Che felt a breath catch in his throat, almost unable to catch his air. Pointing at himself, he asked: “You think I’m pretty? Gentle?”
The cotton doll nodded its head, and then shook its head—acknowledging its keeper’s looks while denying his temper.
Bringing its two hands together to rub them, it whispered like making a wish: “Cotton hopes human… can become like that~”
Minnie~
Hope you can hear Cotton’s wish~
Make my keeper a bit gentler~
Then, it looked tentatively at its keeper.
Shang Che was so helpless he was nearly driven to laughter by sheer exasperation; this little Cotton was practically staging a revolt.
In short, it was simply disdainful of him, its keeper, for not being gentle.
Shang Che twitched the corners of his mouth in a fake smile, deciding to give this little creature a “proper” lesson.
Extending a finger, he effortlessly pushed the completely defenseless cotton doll over onto the bed, wrapping it up in the blanket.
Then, looking at the cotton doll’s innocent little expression, he announced the “bad news” from a high and mighty posture:
“Wait until you learn how to dream.”
A tiny Cotton, defying the heavens.
Cotton Doll: ( ×).
The surveillance equipment Lu Zeming sent over was indeed as numerous as he had said.
Not only were there security cameras, but action cameras were thoughtfully included as well.
What for?
To let him film “A First-Person Perspective: Immersive Day in the Life of a Cotton Doll”?
Shang Che let out a couple of dry laughs, taking only a vertical portable camera and a small ball-like camera robot back to the bedroom.
Looking at the novel items in its keeper’s hands, the cotton doll pointed curiously: “Human, what is that… in your hands?”
Shang Che was currently placing the vertical camera onto the nightstand on the side near the doll. Setting up the smartphone connection while answering the question, he said: “This is a security camera.”
The cotton doll tilted its head, its big golden eyes brimming with confusion: “…Se… curity camera? What is that?”
Shang Che thought for a moment, explaining in a way it could comprehend: “It’s an item that lets me see you anytime, anywhere, even when I’m not home.”
The cotton doll froze for a second, then its tuft of hair perked up with a swoosh, its golden eyes widening into full circles as it gasped: “Can… see Cotton anytime, anywhere?!”
Shang Che nodded, looking at the display on his phone screen as he responded: “Mm.”
“Human can… see Cotton… at school too?” The cotton doll looked at him with an expectant face.
Shang Che brought the phone screen directly before its eyes: “Yes.”
The cotton doll parted its small mouth slightly, staring unblinkingly at the picture before its eyes—
The tiny screen actually held it and its keeper, as well as the desk and rocking chair, even including the projector screen Cotton used to watch cartoons today…
So magical!
It pounced forward to hug its keeper’s wrist tightly, rubbing its small face against it, its tone excited: “Smartphone! Sees Cotton!”
“Mm, this is the camera feed,” Shang Che pointed to the cylindrical camera on the nightstand, where the red dot indicating active status flickered, “It displays in real time on the phone through this camera.”
“Then today at school…” The cotton doll pointed a small round hand at the phone, then pointed at itself, asking: “Did human see Cotton?”
Sometimes he really didn’t know if this little Cotton was silly or not…
Shang Che let out a sigh, saying: “Wasn’t it just installed right now?”
The cotton doll seemed a bit disappointed.
Shang Che let out an “ahem,” comforting it imperceptibly: “…You’ll be able to see tomorrow.”
The cotton doll’s eyes lit up, staring at him expectantly: “Really?”
“Mm, really.”
“Then Cotton will watch cartoons… for human to see!” The cotton doll announced “high-profile,” waving a small round hand with full momentum, “Cotton will sit properly and behave… so human’s phone… can see Cotton!”
Looking at its “vowing” little demeanor, the corners of Shang Che’s mouth curved up.
“Okay,” he said.
“Hee-hee~” The cotton doll giggled a few times. Suddenly, it thought about it and asked again: “Then can Cotton… see human… in this camera?”
Looking at its expectant little expression, Shang Che pressed his lips together, informing it “stony-heartedly”: “No.”
“Why… not…”
Shang Che: “Because a camera can only capture video; it has no way to display video.”
“If there’s a smartphone… is it possible?” The cotton doll asked in a soft, small voice.
Although unsure why the cotton doll shifted topics so fast, Shang Che still nodded firmly: “Yes.”
“Then why can’t human… install a camera… at school?”
The cotton doll raised a smiling face, putting on a front of “look human, how smart Cotton is,” holding both hands high to press against its cheeks.
“That way… Cotton can… see human~”
“When human misses Cotton, human can look at Cotton~, and if Cotton misses human, Cotton can look at human too~”
“That’s how it should be~”
What ‘miss or not,’ what ‘should or shouldn’t be’…
Pure Cotton babble…
Thinking a human would actually listen to the words of a tiny Cotton like itself?
Heh, impossible.
“You don’t even have…”
The moment Shang Che opened his mouth, he came to an abrupt halt. He suddenly recalled that he had agreed to take the cotton doll out to buy a smartphone this weekend.
Lowering his eyes, he looked at this triumphant little Cotton before him, thinking in his mind:
Oh, so it was waiting for him right here—
