Chapter 5

He turned on the projection screen and played the cartoon they hadn't finished yesterday, letting Lan Luo continue watching while he went to the kitchen to cook.

The little puppet seemed to really like cartoons. At the mention of one, his eyes sparkled brightly. He was ridiculously adorable.

It had to be said, that Superman cartoon really was good. Qi Chao had watched a short bit of it yesterday and gotten hooked. No one could escape Superman's charm!

Once the kitchen door closed, the eager look in Lan Luo's eyes instantly darkened as he tried to calm his restless emotions.

He had knocked on the door twice that morning.

And it had actually just been to watch a brainless cartoon?

Lan Luo picked at the sofa with his thumb, staring at the Superman protagonist as though his eyes were poisoned.

I really want to kill someone.

Why hadn't Father come yet?

If he did not come soon, Lan Luo would not be able to hold himself back.

When the kitchen door opened again, Lan Luo put on his signature angelic smile.

"Lan Luo, Little One, look what Dad made for you this time!"

Lan Luo recalled the Low-Grade Energy Stone cubes from last night. The corners of his mouth stiffened slightly, but he still kept smiling.

"Ta-da—rainbow bunny!"

To set the mood, Qi Chao even deliberately spoke in the tone used to coax children, pinching his voice as he spoke.

Lan Luo: ...

Qi Chao had discovered that Low-Grade Energy Stones cut like potatoes, while High-Grade Energy Stones cut like apples.

The internet said that it was better for little puppets to eat Energy Stones of different colors together, so Qi Chao cut a little of every color. Like an apple rabbit, it came out to exactly seven pieces.

High-Grade Energy Stones contained plenty of energy, so seven small pieces were enough for a puppet to eat. Unlike yesterday's potato-like ones, there was no need for a whole plate.

He was very satisfied with his combination, and Lan Luo looked delighted as well, excitedly praising how cute it was.

Qi Chao knew children would definitely like it!

He watched Lan Luo happily pick up a piece and eat it, then went into the kitchen to bring out the reheated sandwiches. While watching the cartoon, he happily ate with his Little One.

After the meal, Qi Chao tentatively asked which color of Energy Stone Lan Luo preferred, only to receive the little puppet's puzzled, bewildered gaze.

All right, it seemed he had no particular preference.

They had finished eating, but Superman had yet to defeat the monster. That was normal, after all—Superman was good at taking two episodes to deal with one monster.

After washing the dishes, Qi Chao sat with the little puppet and watched the cartoon for a while. Of course, that was only how it looked on the surface. Behind the scenes, it was hard to say who was keeping whom company.

When the Superman cartoon's ending theme began to play, Qi Chao sighed reluctantly. But when he turned around, he saw Lan Luo still smiling with narrowed eyes.

Maybe it was Qi Chao's imagination, but he felt that the little puppet seemed even happier?

He thought about it, then his gaze landed on the clothes a meter away from the little puppet, and realization dawned on him.

Little One knew he had bought him clothes!

"Lan Luo is so smart!" Qi Chao praised.

Lan Luo, who had suddenly been praised: ???

Qi Chao stood and picked up all seven or eight outfits. "Come on, open them with Dad!"

Lan Luo paused, then revealed an excited, joyful smile and gave a very cooperative "Wow!"

The little puppet at home had exquisite features. He would look good even wearing a burlap sack, let alone the fact that Qi Chao had decent taste. The styles he chose suited the little puppet perfectly, and every outfit fit well.

Qi Chao immediately decided to keep them all and placed the clothes in the little puppet's wardrobe.

"From now on, Little One can pick his own clothes every day. Wear whichever one you like!" Qi Chao said with a smile.

Lan Luo nodded heavily. Already changed into white ram pajamas, he looked like a beautiful, healing little angel who had fallen into the mortal world. His azure eyes curved as he smiled brightly. "Mm!"

Looking at his Little One, Qi Chao's heart felt warm. Then his gaze inadvertently fell upon the cracks on the back of Lan Luo's hand, and his previously good mood immediately sank.

The more obedient the little puppet was,

the more hateful the cracks left behind by the original owner became.

Qi Chao suppressed the ache in his heart and took his Little One back to the living room. He picked an educational cartoon, and Lan Luo stared eagerly at the projection screen, seeming even more interested in it than in the Superman cartoon.

Qi Chao took one look and found it rather boring, so he quietly lowered his head and started scrolling through his Light Brain.

The Light Brains of Blue Star residents were equivalent to high-end smartphones from his previous life. All the information about Energy Stones had been found on one.

When looking up information that morning, Qi Chao had accidentally stumbled into the Doll Enthusiasts Forum. He had been delayed by other matters and had not examined it closely, but this time he browsed it especially carefully. Naturally, he wanted to find out how Blue Star puppets repaired cracks.

Qi Chao had repaired quite a few puppets with cracks in his previous life, but Blue Star's methods of making puppets were obviously different from those of his former world, and the techniques for repairing cracks would be different as well.

The forum's posts were a jumbled mess, with very few truly useful ones. Most people were showing off how beautiful their puppets were, or buying and selling Energy Stones.

Qi Chao searched the forum for a long time. Puppet creation and repair seemed to be classified secrets; there was not a single relevant answer.

Even now, all he knew was what the public knew: Blue Star puppets were made by puppeteers, and the reason they possessed life was the Puppet Heart nurtured within the Mother Stone.

If he truly could not find a way to repair the cracks, then he could only seek out the puppeteer who had made Lan Luo.

With that thought in mind, Qi Chao scrolled down some more. Still finding nothing useful, he felt somewhat disappointed and was about to exit the forum when the final title caught his attention.

The title mentioned an unfamiliar organization that even the original owner had never heard of—the Puppeteer Association.

Chapter 5

#Help! It's been three years, and the Puppeteer Association still refuses to certify me as a puppeteer QAQ#