Will the plagiarism girl be a substitute for the preference for women?

It wasn't until the appearance of a girl carrying a keyboard bag and sporting a bright smile that the atmosphere here brightened up a bit.

"Oh, you're here to pick up the instrument, right? I've put the instruction manual and the auction invoice in my bag. Please take a look."

The enthusiastic flaxen-haired girl placed a rolled-up newspaper on the ground, then turned her back and gently squatted down, placing her keyboard bag lightly on the newspaper.

"Okay, thank you very much." Xiangzi held the keyboard bag with one hand and helped the girl take the strap off her body with the other.

"Chika, please help me..."

When Xiangzi turned around, he saw that Qiannai was staring blankly at the girl.

Is that Mio who took a picture with Meow Dream earlier?

Mio blinked at her, a little surprised, "You two must be..."

“She’s my sister,” Xiangzi said immediately.

"Oh, I knew it." Mio then enthusiastically spread the newspapers on the ground even further.

"Come on, let's lay the bag flat on the newspaper together so you can open the backpack and check it."

"sorry to bother you"

Xiangzi smiled and nodded.

"I was just trying my luck, wondering if I could buy my keyboard back online, and I didn't expect to get a reply so quickly."

“It should be me who has troubled you, but please forgive me. I can only feel at ease if you come up and inspect it in person,” Mio’s smile became somewhat mysterious. “Ms. Toyokawa Shoko.”

Xiangzi stopped zipping up his backpack and suddenly stood up.

From the moment the other party requested in-person delivery, Xiangzi already harbored ill intentions.

But this time, she wouldn't reveal her own information while trying to probe the other party's intentions—after all, she had learned her lesson from their first meeting.

"Do you know me?" she asked Mio.

“Yes, but please don’t panic,” Mihira said, raising her hands to reassure him. “I have no intention of knowing why this keyboard was auctioned off by the court. I just got to know you from that Crychic performance.”

"You guys really did a fantastic job that time."

Mio's eyes involuntarily revealed a sense of relief, as if the image of Takamatsu Akari singing loudly on the stage reappeared before her.

"While reviewing that performance, I noticed the Roland keyboard you were using. A few months later, I spotted the same one—I never imagined it was really yours."

Whenever she uses this keyboard to compose or practice, she imagines the lights singing along with her.

But there was always a lack of immersion, because she couldn't be sure that the keyboard belonged to Xiangzi.

By the time it was confirmed, the owner had already bought the keyboard back...

When Xiangzi opened the bag, revealing the keyboard, Meixu's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if she was still somewhat reluctant to part with it.

"I have always cherished this keyboard and can keep it in perfect condition."

The keyboard surface was indeed as smooth and brand new as Mio had said.

Xiangzi's fingertips plucked across the piano keys without any stiffness.

"If you want to plug it in and try it out, you can come to my house."

Mio maintained her enthusiastic attitude, but her tone seemed absent-minded.

You can play another piece while testing the sound for the other person.

She probably also tried playing on her keyboard, right?

"No need for that," Xiangzi said after carefully checking the invoice details. He then closed the keyboard bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Then, let's pay the original price for this keyboard."

"Um, okay... thank you very much..."

Mio took one last, wistful look at the keyboard case, and soon after received the payment.

Watching the two figures gradually disappear, she lowered her shoulders and sighed softly.

"The utilities and rent are covered this month..."

Chapter 174 Puppet Fitting

I got my old keyboard back.

It's not about going back to the past, but about regaining everything that's been lost.

The keyboard, while not a large part of the lost items as property, symbolizes the beginning of this process upon its recovery.

"Xiao Xiang...she seems to be your fan."

China said somewhat uncertainly, "The atmosphere during the transaction was indeed a bit subtle."

Mio was overjoyed to have been able to buy Xiangzi's keyboard, but it seemed there was more to it than met the eye, so she could understand why Xiangzi completed the transaction so quickly.

Xiangzi opened his mouth slightly, paused for a moment, and said, "I should say I'm a Cychic fan."

That mysterious smile she gave me when she called me by my full name just now—was she really just a fan?

"I think she actually wanted to keep the keyboard after she found out it belonged to you."

"..."

"She must have had this idea when she wanted to take you upstairs for a sound check."

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"I just saw that person asking Meowmeng for a photo, and then I heard her call Mio..."

"stop."

Xiangzi gently placed his index finger on Qiannai's lips.

"The keyboard has been bought back, so let's put this matter behind us."

"Now, back to our story, there's something I forgot to ask you last night... Is that BJD ball-jointed doll on your dressing table the one from the drugstore...?"

Last night, China seemed listless because of the constant mention of her mother, so Shoko didn't ask her about it.

"Oh, that one."

China awkwardly adjusted the brim of her hat.

"I bought it at a drugstore."

At that time, she saw Xiangzi looking at the doll but not buying it.

China thought she could improve her relationship by exploring the other person's hobbies, so she bought it.

"This is my first time raising a child, and I almost burned my hand when I was applying hot glue."

Xiangzi stopped and asked with some concern, "When you were doing the matte or diluted treatment, did you do it outdoors and wear a gas mask?"

Matte finish is a protective varnish applied to a doll to prevent yellowing, increase surface friction for easier makeup application, and prevent makeup from seeping into the doll's surface.

Dilution refers to the process of using thinner to dilute the makeup before removing it from a doll.

Both of these methods use solvents that are toxic.

Caring for these adorable and delicate dolls under safe and secure conditions feels like being in a chemistry lab...

I only learned about it after I bought it.

Upon seeing that the tartar mask was toxic, she still had reservations, even if she wore a gas mask, let alone a regular one.

“I used a topcoat instead of matte varnish, and it seems to be much less toxic,” China replied.

Considering that Xiangzi's words just now also showed a strong emphasis on safety, Qianna couldn't help but stare at her, imagining her in the luxurious and antique study of the mansion, wearing a one-piece protective suit to remove makeup from dolls, with huge metal exhaust fans whirring beside the desk.

"You don't need to look at me like that..."

Xiangzi continued walking, slightly raising his eyes to gaze at the soft light filtering through the gaps between the buildings in the alley, reminiscing about the past.

"Apart from putting on makeup and changing clothes for the dolls, the housekeeper doesn't trust me to do any other dangerous steps, even though I promise to be careful."

"She said that the servants would help with the matte finish and makeup removal. When the servants were busy, she would use the same body to apply different makeup."

Xiangzi took a breath and continued.

"When I was little, I would take two puppets and pretend they were sisters, making them [talk] with different voices."

"They really seemed to have lives, living in my eyes—getting up, brushing their teeth, eating, taking a shower, and sleeping."

"One day, Mu came to my house to play. I took two dolls and handed one to her, saying that I would be the older sister and she would be the younger sister."

"The older sister calls her younger sister to get up, brush her teeth, and eat. Mu holds the doll and gently hums in response."

"We've finished breakfast, shall we go buy some new clothes and then have lunch?" I said.

"Mu said, that's not how it is."

"If there are only older and younger sisters in the family, the older sister has to go out to work to earn money, and the younger sister has to go to school to study," Mu said.

“I shook my head and said that the two sisters do not need to go to school or work. You can ask [the older sister] if you don’t believe me.”

"I held the doll's head and shook it up and down twice, and in my eyes she was nodding."

"Mu said, it's you who's controlling the puppet."

"No, it was [my sister] nodding herself that I shouted at the time."

Mu said again, "Xiang, what you just said was that you are the older sister and I am the younger sister, not that we are watching the life of a puppet."

Chika couldn't help but exclaim, "Does Mutsumi already have logical thinking at such a young age...?"

"Yes...and all I did was stand there, stunned, clutching the doll, muttering aimlessly, 'No...'"

Xiangzi remained silent for a few more steps.

“Childhood behavior is always childish and unclear. Dolls that were once regarded as living things will be abandoned in a corner to collect dust and turn yellow after a new doll is obtained.”

"When I got a little older, I saw the dolls that I used to ignore and not care about, and I didn't think that they were just things I played with when I was a child."

"Instead, I want to raise my child properly after I've become more mature and well-rounded, keeping her skin fair and clean, and giving her new clothes and makeup."

“My family took this opportunity to let me learn fashion design and makeup in advance, but even after the servant helped me remove the paint from the doll, I still didn’t dare to put any paint on the doll’s face.”

“I’m afraid I won’t do a good job of painting it, but removing makeup from a doll is troublesome and somewhat dangerous, so the butler only allows it to be done by a servant.”

"After doing several simple makeup sessions, I was still not satisfied, so I finally handed over my ideas to the makeup artist, who also made the doll clothes at the same time."

"The makeup and clothes were so exquisite and stunning that after my makeup skills improved, I gave up on doing makeup on other people's bodies when I saw the dolls that the makeup artists had dressed up in the cabinet."

"I only occasionally put the finished products on the table and write down the worldview, settings and stories of the dolls in my notebook."

Xiangzi gave a helpless smirk, but after closing his eyes for a while, he smiled with relief.

"Chika, can you come with me to the Azone store?"

This is a doll specialty store.

"I want to try again, to do the makeup on the doll myself."

…………

I said I was going to Azone, but after buying some doll clothes, wigs and fabric, I ended up going to the Volks store in Akihabara.

To Chika's surprise, Shoko actually bought five Volks figures, spending over 200,000 yen, despite the pain.

According to her, she cut out her own stage costumes and had them dressed up as a reference for the visual effect.

"This is the necessary effort for the planning."

After carrying a large bag back to China's bedroom, Xiangzi said this.

China chuckled softly, then pointed her hand toward her vanity:

“Okay, go ahead and do your thing. But are you just planning to dress up the dolls and put them in the cabinet for display? In your words, that doesn’t seem to be the most efficient way to use them.”

“It’s not just that,” Xiangzi said, looking at the uncut body in the bag. “They will use it on the album cover.”

"In addition, after the official performance, we can consider collaborating with Volks to release our puppets."

"Now, let's plan the content for the live stream."

Chapter 175 Grant Me Radiance

"Live broadcast..."

China leaned back on the gaming chair, and the chair wheels slid her to the computer desk.