| PN | 17
Doctor: [No need to thank me ^_^]
Doctor: [I'm glad I could help you.]
After putting the little puppet to sleep, Qi Chao returned to his room and saw these two messages. His impression of the Doctor skyrocketed.
Being able to create a puppet like Lan Luo already indicated that the Doctor was an exceptionally skilled puppet master. Qi Chao always knew the Doctor was amazing, he vaguely knew this. But tonight, he fully realized just how incredible the Doctor was.
To cure Lan Luo's loss of appetite with just a bowl of energy stones soaked in water—how impressive was that?
Two professional puppet masters couldn't provide an answer, but the Doctor did so instantly.
What did this mean? It meant the Doctor had read extensively and had a lot of practical experience!
Not only was the Doctor knowledgeable and well-read, but he was also humble and gentle, with no trace of arrogance—truly perfect.
"I want to be friends with him," Qi Chao thought.
The system seemed to hear something horrifying: ...Ah?
Qi Chao used to be so eager to chat with others, but he never really considered them friends? The system couldn't help but blurt out, wondering if becoming friends with the Doctor would make the host more enthusiastic about chatting with him?
Watching Qi Chao seek death once more, the system was ready to cling to his leg, pleading for him to cherish his life and not think so recklessly. After all, that villain could snuff him out with just a flick of their finger!
But bound by a strict confidentiality agreement, the system had to keep its mouth shut, helplessly watching it’s host choose a dead end.
Qi Chao's mind was entirely fixated on how to befriend the Doctor, unaware of the system's return. Their previous interactions hardly constituted friendship—more like acquaintances who exchanged occasional messages.
Although Qi Chao hoped to form a genuine bond with the Doctor, partly for practical reasons like having someone to turn to if something happened with his puppets, he couldn't deny the allure of the Doctor's personality as a reason to seek his friendship proactively.
It had been a while since Qi Chao had actively pursued friendship. In the adult world, friendships often felt more like partnerships. At almost thirty, he couldn't simply approach someone and say, "Let's be friends," and expect to build sandcastles together like in kindergarten.
Qi Chao considered himself reserved, but he knew when to take initiative.
In the days that followed, Qi Chao made it a habit to send the Doctor messages every day—messages that weren't necessarily important but never trivial either. Most of them revolved around puppet-related topics.
Qi Chao, despite his occasional mischievous streak, had high emotional intelligence. If he sensed even a hint of impatience from the Doctor, he would immediately maintain his distance and refrain from bothering him further.
Yet every time, the Doctor responded earnestly, with gentle language and no hint of dismissal. It seemed he genuinely enjoyed their conversations, which fueled Qi Chao's enthusiasm. Like clockwork, he logged on every day to ask questions and engage in chat.
Qi Chao couldn't pinpoint exactly when chatting with the Doctor became a habit on his light brain. He shared snippets of Lan Luo's daily life, asked questions about puppets, and occasionally exchanging casual banter became routine. If a day passed without them talking, Qi Chao felt a sense of unease.
"Kiddo, your dear father is so gentle," Qi Chao suddenly remarked to the puppet during dinner.
A new message from the Doctor popped up on his light brain, detailing some commonly used molding tools and their precautions. Despite the clinical text, the Doctor's words always carried a subtle gentleness, almost gentlemanly. It was quite intriguing.
Lan Luo's deep blue eyes lit up, nodding vigorously. "Father is the gentlest person in the world!"
Qi Chao had no objection to this assessment; in fact, he agreed wholeheartedly. Lan Luo's eyes squinted in delight, clearly enjoying Qi Chao's praise of his father.
Qi Chao concluded that the father and son had a good relationship, but there was one thing that he found very strange.
The moment he suggested letting the puppet talk to the Doctor on his light brain, Lan Luo's eyes brightened briefly before hesitating and shaking his head. "Father is very busy. I can't trouble him."
That's too considerate of him. Qi Chao couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
It was just sending a few messages—how could that be considered a bother? If the Doctor was truly busy, he wouldn't even glance at the light brain, let alone find it bothersome.
But when he conveyed this to the puppet, Lan Luo continued to shake his head, refusing.
"I don't want to talk," Lan Luo stated firmly.
Qi Chao could only reluctantly approach the Doctor to explain the situation.
The Doctor responded with his usual gentleness, "You can tell Lan Luo that I'm always looking forward to him reaching out to me."
Qi Chao showed this message to Lan Luo. The golden-haired puppet's eyes instantly brightened, casting a radiant smile that seemed to light up the entire living room.
To facilitate communication between the puppet and the Doctor, Qi Chao even bought a light brain online for Lan Luo.
Lan Luo was especially delighted, holding onto the light brain tightly.
However, after a few days, it seemed like there hadn't been much communication between the puppet and the Doctor.
People interact in different ways, Qi Chao thought. If this was how Lan Luo and the Doctor were most comfortable interacting, then Qi Chao saw no need to intervene further.
After spending these days working in the basement, Qi Chao had moved the mother stone from the study to the basement. When feeling weary, he could lift his head and see the mother stone and think about his unborn puppet. It gave him a sense of determination, serving as a form of relaxation.
After Lan Luo's favorite animation ended, he would run to the basement and sit next to Qi Chao, with his bright blue eyes watching Qi Chao's actions obediently and curiously.
Worried that the child might find it boring, Qi Chao tore off some excess clay and taught Lan Luo to mold simple little animals like frogs and rabbits.
In terms of handicrafts, Lan Luo wasn't as smart as when he was learning characters; his hands were particularly clumsy. It took him two hours to mold something that looked like a creature with an unusually large head.
Qi Chao originally wanted to laugh, but seeing the child's expectant eyes, he instantly suppressed his laughter, filled with paternal love, and reluctantly praised, 'The frog you molded looks really like a frog!'
It should be a frog, right?
Luckily, this weird thing actually turned out to be a frog. Lan Luo heard the praise without any suspicion, smiled happily, and carefully placed the frog under the desk lamp.
The lighting here was better, which illuminated the little frog. Lan Luo seemed to have accomplished a mission, sat back in his chair, and looked at Qi Chao expectantly, his gaze shifting between Qi Chao's thoughtful face and the frog under the light, repeatedly.
Qi Chao glanced down at the bright brain for a moment, instantly understanding, and took a photo to send to the doctor.
Qi Chao: [Lan Luo molded this frog himself. Isn't it cute?]
To prevent Lan Luo's father from not recognizing what this thing was, Qi Chao even thoughtfully gave a hint.
A few minutes later, the bright brain vibrated.
Doctor: [The frog is indeed very cute.]
Qi Chao's mouth twitched slightly. He relayed this response to Lan Luo, who had been sneakily watching.
The little puppet seemed to have received an incredible compliment. His bright blue eyes curved into crescents, and his legs happily swung in the air. He picked up a clump of clay, ready to mold another cute animal.
Qi Chao’s heart melted. He resisted the urge to intervene, suppressed his overflowing paternal love, and turned back to continue making the puppet.
From the start of its creation until now, nearly a month had passed. The new offspring's head and limb joints in clay molds were almost completed, and now it was all about refining and polishing.
The flat scraper moved continuously over the clay molds, refining and smoothing out the initially rough areas bit by bit, a tedious and dull process.
After Lan Luo finished molding another animal, he quietly sat beside and observed Qi Chao's actions. After watching Qi Chao repeat several movements back and forth, he shifted his gaze to the mother stone on the table.
After nearly a month of being immersed in spiritual power, the mother stone, despite its dusty appearance, seemed to have gained an additional layer of smooth and solid glaze, like fine porcelain, it was very pleasant to look at.
This state of the mother stone indicated that it could be awakened at any time, shedding its dusty exterior.
The critical period of the mother stone required a substantial replenishment of spiritual power.
Its potential would be fully revealed during this time. Lan Luo looked at the swirling green spiritual power around it and thought, 'This mother stone should turn out very beautiful.'"
At that moment, his bright brain suddenly vibrated.
Qi Chao, immersed in his work, didn't pay attention initially. After a few minutes, when he had finished refining the knee part of the puppet, he finally opened the bright brain.
Seeing the profile picture, Qi Chao was somewhat surprised, as the person rarely initiated contact.
Doctor: [Are you available tomorrow? My assistant is scheduled to check on Lan Luo's injury tomorrow. Is that okay?]
Initially, due to the doctor's commitments, they had agreed to repair the puppet a month later, and he had arranged for an assistant to come early to assess the situation.
Now, nearly a month later, it was indeed time to repair the puppet.
Perhaps the message came too suddenly, but Qi Chao unexpectedly felt a bit nervous.
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