Chapter 17

Qi Chao's thinking was simple. If crushing it into rice-sized grains was to make it easier to digest, then Lan Luo's digestion of energy might not be going smoothly. In other words, the Little One was actually sick. Yet in this situation, Lan Luo acted as though nothing was wrong and even smiled at him. It was both heartbreaking and amusing.

Lan Luo froze for a moment, his clear blue eyes gazing at Qi Chao in confusion.

"Little One, if you feel unwell in the future, you have to tell Dad." Looking at Lan Luo's innocent eyes, Qi Chao did not want to sound too serious. He joked, "Lan Luo is the best child in the world. Good children need adults to comfort them when they feel bad."

He was the best child in the world.

At those words, Lan Luo's eyes immediately lit up. He nodded hard, his face full of excitement, as though he had received some incredible treasure.

Chapter 17

Doctor: [I'm also very glad I could help you.]

After putting the Little One to sleep and returning to his room, Qi Chao saw those two messages, and his impression of Doctor shot up.

Anyone who could create a puppet like Lan Luo was an exceptionally talented puppet maker. Qi Chao had always known Doctor was impressive, but he had only had a vague idea of it and had never truly understood. Tonight, he finally did.

He had cured Lan Luo's anorexia with nothing more than a bowl of Energy Stones soaked in water. That was insanely impressive, okay?

Two professional puppet makers had not known the answer, yet Doctor had answered it right away. What did that mean? Doctor had definitely read countless books and gained plenty of practical experience!

Not only was he well-read and knowledgeable, but he was also humble and gentle, without the slightest arrogance. He was simply perfect.

I want to be friends with him, Qi Chao thought.

The system, which had just heard a ghost story: ...Oh my?

So all those times you had enthusiastically chatted with him before, you had not considered him a friend? The system immediately could not take it anymore. Did this mean that once they became friends, its host would be even more proactive about talking to him?

Seeing its host about to seek death again, it wanted nothing more than to cling to his leg and beg him to cherish his life and stop being so reckless. That was a villain who could take his damn life with a flick of his finger!!!

But bound by the confidentiality agreement, the system could only shut its mouth and watch helplessly as its host marched toward death.

Qi Chao was completely focused on figuring out how to become friends with Doctor, so he did not notice that the system had returned to check in.

His previous interactions with Doctor certainly did not count as friendship. They could not even be called familiar. Although they exchanged messages from time to time, they were only acquaintances.

Becoming friends with Doctor aside, if anything happened to the little puppets at home, Qi Chao could ask Doctor for help at any time. The thought was somewhat utilitarian, but he could not deny that Doctor's personal charm was also one reason he wanted to approach him.

Come to think of it, Qi Chao had not taken the initiative to make friends with someone in a long time. After entering society, those friends had been more like business partners.

A man nearing thirty could not act like a preschooler and bluntly say, "Will you be my friend?" before holding hands and digging in the sand together. It was far too unrealistic. Qi Chao could not do something like that either. He considered himself a rather reserved person, but when it was time to take the initiative, he would not hold back.

Thus, over the next few days, Qi Chao sent Doctor messages every day. They were not particularly important, but they were not meaningless either, and nearly all concerned questions about puppets.

Qi Chao could be a little mischievous at times, but he had high emotional intelligence. If Doctor showed even the slightest impatience, he would immediately keep his distance and never disturb him so frequently again.

Yet every time, Doctor replied seriously. His words were gentle and carried no trace of perfunctoriness, as though he truly enjoyed talking. This spurred Qi Chao on, and he logged in every day like clockwork to ask questions and chat.

At some point, chatting with Doctor on the Light Brain became a habit for Qi Chao.

He shared every little detail about Lan Luo with Doctor, asked questions about puppets, and occasionally made small talk. If they went a day without speaking, Qi Chao felt vaguely out of sorts.

"Little One, your biological father is really gentle," Qi Chao suddenly said to the little puppet during dinner.

A new message from Doctor was displayed on the Light Brain, listing some of the molding tools he commonly used, along with precautions to keep in mind.

The words were clearly cold and lifeless, yet when Doctor typed them, they always seemed to carry a gentlemanly warmth. The feeling was strangely subtle.

Lan Luo's blue eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded hard. "Father is the gentlest person in the world!"

Qi Chao had no objection to that and even agreed. "Indeed."

Lan Luo smiled until his eyes curved into crescents, clearly delighted to hear Qi Chao praise his father.

The father and son had a good relationship, Qi Chao concluded. However, there was one thing he found strange.

When he suggested that the little puppet talk to Doctor on the Light Brain, Lan Luo's eyes lit up, but he soon hesitated and shook his head in refusal. "Father is very busy. I can't cause him trouble."

That was far too well-behaved.

Qi Chao's heart immediately ached for him.

How could sending a few messages be troublesome? If Doctor was truly busy, he would not even check the Light Brain, so it naturally would not count as troubling him.

However, when he told the little puppet this, the little puppet still shook his head in refusal.

"I don't want to talk."

Qi Chao could only settle for the next best thing and contact Doctor to explain the situation.

Doctor: [You can tell Lan Luo that I will always look forward to hearing from him.]

As gentle as ever.

After Qi Chao showed those words to Lan Luo, the golden-haired little puppet's eyes instantly lit up, and his radiant smile seemed to brighten the entire living room.

To make it easier for the little puppet to chat with Doctor, Qi Chao specifically bought him a Light Brain online.

Lan Luo was especially happy and held the Light Brain without letting go. However, after several days, it seemed that the little puppet and Doctor had not exchanged many words.

Everyone had different ways of getting along, Qi Chao thought. If this was the most comfortable way for Lan Luo and Doctor to interact, then there was no need for him to interfere too much.