| PN | Go Outside | 40
Not only were Qi Ye and Qi Feng shocked, but even Qi Chao himself was stunned.
On the contrary, Li Bai acted as if he had no idea what he had just done, looking around in surprise and running over to Qi Chao, tilting his head back and calling out crisply, "Daddy."
Father Qi and Lan Luo came down from the second floor. Father Qi's usually calm face showed a hint of a crack at this moment, while Lan Luo maintained his usual bright expression.
"Li Bai, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" Qi Chao, snapping back to his senses, quickly asked.
Hearing their eldest brother's words, Qi Feng and Qi Ye were anxious to speak up. Seeing the puppet jumping around energetically, it was clear that nothing was wrong. Of course, this was the moment to ask if he had any special abilities!
However, to Qi Chao, special abilities were obviously less important than Li Bai's safety. Only when he saw Li Bai shake his head did Qi Chao's tense heart relax a bit, and he then asked why he had jumped down from the second floor.
Li Bai stammered, unable to answer. Seeing this, Qi Chao turned his gaze to Lan Luo, who, to his surprise, also had a somewhat evasive look in his eyes.
It seemed something had happened between the two of them.
Thinking this, Qi Chao looked over at Father Qi.
Father Qi was silent for a moment before he said, "They wanted to jump out of the window to follow you, but I stopped them. Later, they tried to bribe me with a mask." As he spoke, a rare complex expression appeared on Father Qi's face. "I didn't accept it, so he thought I agreed to let him go out."
So, was he excitedly jumping out of the window to find him?
Qi Chao didn't know what to say. He pressed his lips together, walked over to Li Bai, and rubbed his head. "Even if you want to find me, you have to be careful, understand? Otherwise, I'll be angry."
Li Bai quickly nodded, revealing his small tiger teeth.
Qi Chao then turned to Lan Luo, similarly ruffling his slightly curly hair, speaking more earnestly, "Lan Luo, you mustn't follow Li Bai's example, okay? Never jump down from a high place. If you get hurt, it will be dozens of times more painful than the cracks you had before."
"I won't jump from high places," Lan Luo obediently nodded.
Qi Chao felt a bit relieved. When Li Bai jumped from a height without any injuries, it was likely due to some special ability. However, Lan Luo definitely didn't have the same ability; otherwise, he wouldn't have been cracked from the original blows.
The three Qi family members stood aside, watching Qi Chao instruct the two puppets on safety.
Father Qi remained relatively calm, though he felt his eldest son's concern for the puppets was a bit excessive. However, since this was his son's only hobby, he didn't say much.
On the other hand, Qi Feng and Qi Ye were about to die of anxiety. Why wasn't their eldest brother asking about the puppet's special ability? They were so curious they could hardly stand it.
Unfortunately, they were disappointed. Li Bai himself didn't know what his special ability was. He jumped out of the window because he felt sure he would be fine.
Qi Chao knew that the puppets' special abilities needed careful study, something that couldn't be figured out in just a few minutes. So, he didn't rush to investigate but instead smiled and invited the Qi family to stay for a meal. "I'm quite good at cooking. I'll prepare a sumptuous lunch for us."
Originally, Qi Father had a meeting later, but hearing this, he suddenly remembered that it had been a long time since the family had eaten together. After some thought, he decided to stay and have lunch before leaving. Qi Feng and Qi Ye, still curious about Li Bai's special ability, naturally weren't going to leave either.
Qi Chao turned on the cartoons that Lan Luo and Li Bai usually watched, then headed to the kitchen. Since this meal was for all men, including two growing teenagers, Qi Chao spent a long time cooking.
When he came out again, he noticed that the relationship between the two puppets and the three Qi family members had improved significantly.
For instance, Li Bai's mask was on Qi Feng's face, and Li Bai wasn't angry but was instead laughing gleefully.
Lan Luo wasn't playing around with Qi Feng and Qi Ye; he was watching cartoons, sitting next to Father Qi, who was working on some documents. The atmosphere between them was inexplicably harmonious.
Qi Chao felt very gratified seeing this scene.
He was quite happy that his two cubs could get along with others.
After the meal, Father Qi left, and the Qi brothers played with the two puppets for a while before also deciding to leave.
Qi Chao, thinking of the agreement he had with Father Qi two years later, smiled at the two brothers and warmly encouraged them to study hard.
"Don't worry, brother. Our grades have been improving a lot recently," Qi Feng said, not guessing his elder brother's intentions, thinking he was just concerned about their studies. Qi Ye thought the same.
After seeing off the two brothers, the two small puppets at home were whispering to each other about something. Qi Chao, remembering how they had wanted to go out with him earlier, and wondered if the two kids were getting bored staying at home.
"Lan Luo, Li Bai, do you want to go out and play?"
Upon hearing this, Li Bai looked a bit confused, but Lan Luo's eyes instantly lit up. "Yes!"
"Then let's take a walk in the park."
Qi Chao smiled, feeling a bit guilty inside. Since he started focusing on creating Li Bai, he realized he hadn't taken Lan Luo out to play for a long time. Instead, he had just let him and the Doctor watch TV.
Lan Luo's eyes sparkled, and he nodded vigorously.
Seeing Lan Luo so happy, Li Bai also nodded along.
Qi Chao took the two puppets to the same recreational park where they had previously encountered some rowdy kids. This time, however, the park was mostly empty. Qi Chao sat nearby, watching them swing and play in the sand.
This was the first time the two small puppets had gone out to play together, and they were both extremely excited. Li Bai, being naturally lively, quickly adapted to the outdoor games. His mask was nearly falling off, but he was too engrossed in the sand to notice.
Lan Luo wasn't far behind, with a bit of dust stuck to his nose at some point.
Qi Chao, the mischievous father, suppressed his laughter and took about a dozen funny photos of them before going over to help them adjust their masks and wipe off the dust.
The two puppets didn't notice their father's sly behavior; they even looked up and thanked Qi Chao.
Sitting on a park bench, Qi Chao thought for a moment, then decided to send a few of the photos to the Doctor.
Chao Dad: 【Have you made it home yet?】
The Doctor seemed to be looking at his light brain and quickly responded: 【I just got home an hour ago.】
Qi Chao smiled and sent a few of the funniest photos he had taken earlier, adding a few "hahaha" to express his amusement.
…
Meanwhile, Agu leaned against a chair, his legs propped up on the table, his emerald green eyes looking at his father, who was engrossed in the light brain, and then at Moss, who was busy combing the hair of a puppet.
A trace of confusion flashed in his eyes.
Why did his father and the eldest brother become so busy after going out? Wasn't his father, this gloomy homebody, supposed to be holed up in the basement? Watching animations on schedule was one thing, but in the past, he always handled communication with people outside.
So, who exactly was he talking to?
Seemingly sensing Agu's probing gaze, Shen Yuxi raised his head, his eyes slightly cool, "He is very familiar with the way I text. If you respond, it will give us away."
Piecing together the context, Agu quickly deduced that the "he" his father referred to was probably Lan Luo's owner.
That reason made sense.
Agu could tell his father was being sincere.
"Okay, Father."
Agu elongated his tone, indicating he understood, but inside, he felt a twinge of curiosity about Lan Luo's owner.
On the other side, Qi Chao glanced at the two puppets who were enthusiastically playing in the sand and then looked down to chat with the Doctor.
He told the Doctor about Li Bai jumping down from the second floor this morning.
The Doctor: 【It seems that Li Bai should have a special ability, but what exactly it is requires more verification. My guess is that it might be body enhancement. However, the fact that there was no sound when he landed is quite strange.】
Qi Chao was surprised to see such a long message from the Doctor. He thought for a moment before replying: 【Got it. I'll keep a close watch.】
The Doctor: 【You don't necessarily have to fully understand his special ability right now. In the association's competition, S-class puppets are extremely rare, and those with special abilities are even scarcer. Li Bai has a good chance of winning.】
Qi Chao knew the Doctor was trying to comfort him, so he replied with a simple "Got it." A few seconds later, when he thought the conversation was over, another message came through.
The Doctor: 【The diamond is beautiful, thank you.】
This message had nothing to do with their previous topic, but for some reason, Qi Chao felt a bit nervous looking at it.
【No problem, I'm glad you like it. Next time, I'll get you an even better one.】
As he sent this message, Qi Chao had less than 100,000 star coins to his name.
The Doctor: 【This one is already perfect. I really like it.】
Qi Chao rubbed his nose and couldn't help but smile.
The two puppets played from a little after one o'clock until six, showing no signs of boredom. As the evening drew near, Qi Chao decided it was time to take the two reluctant puppets home.
"Can we go again tomorrow?" Lan Luo asked, eyes still sparkling with excitement.
Li Bai and Lan Luo looked up at Qi Chao expectantly.
Qi Chao thought for a moment. "Since we have to prepare for the competition, Li Bai needs to learn to read. If you can learn fifty characters tomorrow, both of you can go to the park."
While the Puppet Masters Association's competition doesn't test the puppets' reading ability, many past challenges have assessed the puppets' intelligence. Although puppet masters can accompany them, it's clearly easier if the puppets can read on their own.
Learning fifty characters in a day is challenging for beginners. However, when Qi Chao taught Lan Luo, he mastered them all in just three hours.
Qi Chao believed that following a normal pace, Li Bai could learn the characters in the morning and then go out to play in the afternoon.
Lan Luo thought the same. He smiled at Li Bai, his blue eyes curving like crescent moons. "It's your turn to push me on the swing tomorrow afternoon!"
"Okay!" Li Bai agreed enthusiastically.
Although Li Bai watched animations daily, he wasn't familiar with Blue Star's script. But seeing his father and Lan Luo so relaxed, he felt confident he could quickly grasp the characters.
Of course, Qi Chao and the two puppets' confidence was shattered the next day.
In an hour, Li Bai had only learned five characters. At this rate, learning fifty characters would take ten hours.
Lan Luo, calculating the time, fidgeted with the couch, anxiously looking at Li Bai.
Li Bai had already taken off his mask. He wiped his eyes with his hands, his golden-amber eyes filled with tears. Clutching a pen, he choked back sobs with each character he wrote. "I don't want to learn anymore. I want to go out and play."
Qi Chao suddenly empathized with how his parents must have felt years ago. He looked at Li Bai's tear-streaked face and, feeling heartbroken, said, "No, you need to at least learn twenty characters before you can go out and play."
0 Comments
Post a Comment