Chapter 5

He turned on the projection screen and played the cartoon they had not 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 had been hooked. No one could escape Superman's charm!

Once the kitchen door closed, Lan Luo, who had been eagerly watching the cartoon, immediately darkened his gaze and tried to calm his restless emotions.

He had knocked on the door twice in one morning.

And it was actually just to make him watch a stupid cartoon?

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

He really wanted to kill someone.

Why had Father not come yet?

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

When the kitchen door opened again, Lan Luo raised his trademark angelic smile once more.

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

Lan Luo remembered the Low-Grade Energy Stone cubes from last night. The corners of his mouth stiffened slightly, but he maintained his smile.

"Ta-da—rainbow bunny!"

To set the mood, Qi Chao even deliberately used the tone one would use to coax a child, pitching his voice as he spoke.

Lan Luo: ...

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

He had read online that it was better for little puppets to eat Energy Stones of different colors together, so he cut a bit of every color. Like an apple rabbit, it came out to exactly seven pieces.

High-Grade Energy Stones contained much more energy, so seven small pieces were enough for a puppet, unlike yesterday's potato-like ones, which had required an entire plateful.

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

Qi Chao knew it—kids were bound to like it!

Watching Lan Luo happily pick up a piece and eat it, Qi Chao went into the kitchen to bring out the warmed sandwiches. He watched cartoons and happily ate with his kid.

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 did not have any particular preference.

The meal was over, but Superman still had not finished fighting the monster. That was normal, after all. Superman was good at taking two episodes to defeat one monster.

After washing the dishes, Qi Chao accompanied the little puppet in watching cartoons for a while. Of course, that was only how it appeared on the surface. Behind the scenes, it was hard to say who was accompanying whom.

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

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

After thinking for a moment, his gaze landed on the clothes a meter away from the little puppet, and he suddenly understood.

His kid knew he had bought him clothes!

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

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

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

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

The little puppet at home had exquisite features. He would look good even in a burlap sack, let alone when Qi Chao had decent taste and the styles he picked suited the little puppet perfectly. Every piece fit well.

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

"Now you can pick out your own clothes every day, kid. Wear whichever one you like!" Qi Chao said with a smile.

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

Looking at his kid, Qi Chao felt warmth spread through his heart. Then his gaze inadvertently fell on the cracks on Lan Luo's hand, and his previously good mood immediately sank.

The more well-behaved the little puppet was,

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

Qi Chao suppressed the ache in his heart and took his kid back to the living room. He chose an educational cartoon, and Lan Luo stared eagerly at the projection screen, seeming even more interested than he had been in the Superman cartoon.

Qi Chao glanced at it and found it rather boring, so he quietly lowered his head and began browsing his Light Brain.

A Blue Star resident's Light Brain was equivalent to a high-end smartphone from Qi Chao's previous life. All the information about Energy Stones had been searched up on it.

When looking up information that morning, Qi Chao had accidentally stumbled into a puppet enthusiasts' forum. He had been delayed by something and had not examined it closely, but this time, he browsed with particular care. Naturally, his goal was to find out how Blue Star puppets repaired cracks.

Qi Chao had repaired many puppets with cracks in his previous life, but it went without saying that Blue Star's methods of making puppets differed from those of his previous life, and so did their methods for repairing cracks.

The forum posts were a mixed bag, with very few genuinely 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 confidential, as there was not even a single related answer.

Even now, all he knew was what the general public knew: Blue Star puppets were made by Puppeteers, and the reason they possessed life was because of the Puppet Hearts nurtured within Mother Stones.

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.

Thinking this, Qi Chao scrolled further down. He still did not see anything useful and felt a little disappointed. Just as he was about to exit the forum, the title at the very bottom caught his attention.

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

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