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"Only by making those people bleed heavily will they think twice before trying to harm puppets. But you don't need to."

The corners of Shen Yuxi's lips lifted slightly. "I can tell that you like puppets and deeply regret what you did before. Since you won't do those things again, there's no need for me to charge you."

That worked too? Qi Chao frowned, just about to say something when Shen Yuxi cut him off.

The Doctor's blond hair, braided into a scorpion braid, rested over his right shoulder. His peach blossom eyes were filled with warm amusement. "We're friends, aren't we? Since we're friends, there's no need to fuss over such things."

Qi Chao froze for a moment, and the words he had wanted to say went back down his throat. He did not bring up the money again, instead smiling. "You call me your friend, yet you keep calling me 'sir.' You've barely even called me by my name. That's awfully distant."

This time, the Doctor was left speechless. After a pause, as though conceding defeat, he said helplessly, "Qi Chao."

Qi Chao nodded in satisfaction, a hint of laughter in his dark brown eyes.

At that moment, their relationship seemed to advance by leaps and bounds, becoming one of mutually acknowledged friendship.

"What stage have you reached in making your puppet?"

Shen Yuxi's eyes curved as though he were quite curious.

After thinking it over, Qi Chao took the initiative to invite him to the basement. "If you want to know, Brother Shen, you can come take a look in the basement with me."

The corners of Shen Yuxi's lips rose slightly as he followed behind him.

Blue night-lights had been installed along both sides of the basement stairs. It was not exactly dark, but they still had to be careful while going down, or they could easily miss a step.

"Put your hand on my shoulder."

Qi Chao stood one step lower and glanced back slightly.

The complexity of human nature was vividly displayed in Qi Chao. He was usually careless and unconcerned about many things, yet he paid attention to such insignificant details.

The smile in Shen Yuxi's eyes remained unchanged, as though nothing could alter his expression. He placed his left hand on Qi Chao's shoulder and softly thanked him.

But if Qi Chao had turned around, he would have noticed that although the Doctor's hand rested on his shoulder, the distance between their bodies had not shortened at all. The "gentle" Doctor apparently was not accustomed to physical contact with others.

After they descended the final step, Qi Chao had barely said they were there before Shen Yuxi withdrew his hand. His movements were neither hurried nor slow, and Qi Chao did not notice anything unusual.

"I haven't tidied up much these past few days, so the basement's a little messy." Qi Chao was rarely a little embarrassed. He had been busy lately, and the studio had not been cleaned for three days.

Under the warm yellow light, Shen Yuxi walked to the desk and lowered his head to examine the cluttered drawings. His gentle smile was so beautiful it seemed almost unreal. "It's already very clean."

The basement was not nearly as messy as Qi Chao claimed. It was clear that its owner was diligent; both the glass cabinets and the floor were spotless. It only looked messy because there were too many things on the desk, with carving knives and drawings left out.

Qi Chao smiled, taking the Doctor's words as mere politeness. He walked to the glass cabinet and took out the Little One he had half-finished making.

Shen Yuxi waited quietly at the side, his gaze sweeping past the area around the desk. When he saw the dull gray stone in the fish tank, his eyelashes trembled slightly. Seemingly surprised, he looked at it several more times.

Qi Chao placed the box on the table. Shen Yuxi naturally walked over, and as he passed the fish tank, he confirmed that he had not seen wrong. His lips curved, as though he had received an unexpected delight.

"Right now, my main task is refinement. If there aren't any issues, I'll be able to move on to the next step soon."

Qi Chao took the completed clay model out of the box. Although it was still somewhat rough, the puppet's outline could already be seen clearly.

The clay model before him was clearly not something a novice could make. Whether in terms of time or the finished product, producing such a clay model required a puppet maker to expend a great deal of effort and time.

If he was not an experienced puppet maker, then he could only be an exceptional genius.

The Doctor himself was a genius. The first puppet he had ever made was Moss, an S-rank. Though he was surprised that Qi Chao could create such a clay model, he was not overly astonished.

In fact, it was better that Qi Chao was a genius. It would make his plans proceed more smoothly.

Shen Yuxi smiled. "The proportions and appearance of your clay model are both excellent."

"Thank you." Qi Chao shamelessly accepted the compliment.

He was not an arrogant person, but he had great confidence in his Little Ones. If even he thought his own children were terrible, how could they become better in the future?

Shen Yuxi chuckled softly, then frowned slightly as though hesitating. He continued, "Actually, I would suggest that when making the clay model, you focus on the joints. Otherwise, constructing the Mental Power threads later will be very difficult."

Qi Chao froze, quickly picked up the notebook on the desk, and pulled a pen from his pocket. Looking at him intently, he asked earnestly, "Could you explain it in more detail?"

"This is merely based on my own experience. I hope it can help you." Shen Yuxi's voice was gentle as he broke the knowledge down and taught it to Qi Chao bit by bit. If Shen Yuxi taught at a school, he would surely have been an extremely responsible teacher.

Even the teachers who had taught Qi Chao before had never explained things to him so patiently. Qi Chao recorded the key points in his notebook, and the more he wrote, the more complicated his feelings became. This knowledge, absent from books, had all been gradually accumulated by puppet makers through practice.

The production experience of a master-level puppet maker would probably be regarded as sacred doctrine by every puppet maker if posted online.

Qi Chao paused, then looked up at Shen Yuxi and solemnly said, "Brother Shen, thank you."

The man sitting opposite him tilted his head slightly, seeming puzzled as to why Qi Chao was thanking him. His long golden hair fell through the air with the movement. He smiled and softly said that it was nothing.

Time slipped away through questions and answers. Seeing the Doctor gradually grow tired, Qi Chao suddenly remembered that the Doctor had just performed a "surgery" on Lan Luo earlier and had barely rested before explaining all this knowledge to him.