Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 134

 

| PN | Not Single | 134

Looking at the words "student" displayed on the holographic screen, You Zhao felt a bit confused. 

Did the big shot see him as his student?

 It wasn't until his daughter in his arms gently tugged at his shirt that You Zhao's rationality gradually returned.

His teacher must be standing up for him.

As You Zhao thought this through, he began to understand Qi Chao's intentions. After a brief moment of disappointment, he felt a growing bitterness in his heart.

Because he was dissatisfied with the ridicule from netizens, he had directly taken action, even going so far as to accept being a student of a "dumb truck." 

Not every teacher could go to such lengths, especially since they didn't even have a formal teacher-student relationship.

"Xiao You, your father is really lucky," You Zhao said, feeling emotional as he spoke to his daughter. Just then, the door swung open, and in rushed his two friends along with their puppets.

You Zhao's eyes lit up in surprise as he looked at the two of them and their puppets; all three of them had successfully made their puppets!

Before he could congratulate them, Guo Li directly grabbed You Zhao's arm and performed a shoulder throw, while Li Lang kindly covered the children's eyes to prevent any potential trauma.

"Damn it! I told you not to cause trouble for the teacher, yet you still posted everything on social media!"

Guo Li appeared gentle, but back in the orphanage, she was the boss of the entire place, and no one dared to mess with her; You Zhao and Li Lang were merely her lackeys at that time.

Guo Li was fuming. She had just finished making her puppet and sent a message to the teacher, but before she received a reply, her holographic screen lit up with a gossip message from Xiu Mei.

[You Zhao actually became Qi Zhao’s disciple?! What’s going on? That’s so impressive! What about you? Are you also his disciple?]

When did You Zhao become a disciple?

Guo Li quickly scrolled through their social media accounts and immediately pieced together the events. This situation clearly looked like Qi Chao had reluctantly accepted a mediocre disciple to smooth things over.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. They intended to express gratitude, not to cause trouble for Qi Chao. Therefore, upon seeing You Zhao, she couldn’t help but take action.

“You're coming with me to apologize later.”

After receiving a lecture, You Zhao realized he had indeed caused trouble for the teacher, and he gradually started to feel uneasy. He quickly nodded in agreement.

On the other side, upon receiving the news that all three puppet masters had successfully created their puppets, Qi Chao felt an instant sense of relief.

Agu was idly squatting, drawing circles in the dirt. Noticing the change in Qi Chao's expression, he immediately shook his hands and smiled, "Father, did those older brothers and sisters succeed?"

Xiang Yue leaned against the warehouse wall, and upon hearing this, his dog ears perked up before he calmly walked over to his father's side.

"Yes," Qi Chao replied with a smile. "This few months’ effort wasn't in vain."

Agu observed the smile on Qi Chao's face, his emerald green eyes pondering. 

He understood that his father wanted to encourage more puppet masters who enjoyed creating puppets, which was why he had gone to such lengths to help those three.

However, Agu wasn’t optimistic about this matter. There was no one else in the world like Qi Chao, who could view puppets as children and be willing to put in the effort for them.

Whether those people would share the same thoughts as his father and be willing to do something for the puppets was still uncertain.

Just as Agu was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a warm presence above him. Soon after, he heard Qi Chao's deep voice asking, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Agu replied, laughing it off.

Having spent so much time together, Qi Chao could read Agu’s emotions through his smiles.

He paused for a moment, intending to say something, when Guo Li and the others burst out of the warehouse.

Qi Chao stopped the words he was about to speak and looked in the direction of the noise, feeling a bit puzzled. 

What had happened to make these people appear so flustered?

"Qi Chao, I’m really sorry! It was my fault for being so arrogant, and I had to trouble you to come out and help me out of this mess," You Zhao stepped forward and nervously apologized.

Guo Li and Li Lang stood beside You Zhao, both looking anxious. They felt guilty towards Qi Chao and were also worried that he might dislike You Zhao.

Qi Chao’s gaze swept over the three of them. At first, he didn’t understand what they were apologizing for, but after listening carefully, he grasped what they were so concerned about.

“No need to apologize,” Qi Chao paused for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “Is it because you’re not satisfied with me saying on social media that you’re my student?”

Are you kidding me?! 

This matter shouldn’t be a cause for their dissatisfaction at all. Any puppet master would be thrilled to receive such recognition!

Just as You Zhao was about to retort, he noticed the amusement in Qi Chao's deep brown eyes and instantly realized he was just joking.

For some reason, You Zhao recalled the message he had sent and then quickly retracted. 

Surely, Qi Chao knew that he had referred to him as "teacher," right?

“Then… does that mean I can call you 'teacher'?” You Zhao asked, his voice trembling as he tentatively inquired.

Qi Chao raised an eyebrow and said, "Why not? If you want to call me that, then go ahead. It’s not a big deal." 

As he spoke, he glanced at the two stunned puppet masters beside him and added, "Guo Li and Li Lang are the same. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to congratulate you on the platform."

Qi Chao pulled out his holographic device and searched for their names. Once he confirmed their social media accounts were correct, he typed out a message: [Let me give a shoutout to my two students who successfully created their puppets, Guo Li and Li Lang.]

As soon as the message was sent, both Guo Li and Li Lang's devices vibrated simultaneously, clearly indicating they were following Qi Chao’s updates.

Being officially recognized as a student was a completely different experience from secretly referring to Qi Chao as "teacher." 

The three of them felt like their minds had exploded like fireworks, leaving them in a state of disbelief. They even thought it was all just a dream, and by the time they regained their senses, Qi Chao's attention had long shifted away from them.

They watched as Qi Chao spoke gently to the newly created puppets, even pulling out some energy stones from who knows where and happily sharing them with the puppets.

The scene somehow exuded the vibe of a caregiver playing with children. 

Watching this, Guo Li, You Zhao, and Li Lang gradually relaxed. They exchanged glances and could see the smiles reflected in each other's eyes.

Having grown up in the orphanage, the three of them yearned for familial bonds. Their desire to call Qi Chao "teacher" likely stemmed from the respect and admiration they felt for him, akin to that of an older brother or elder.

Standing behind Qi Chao, Agu noticed the expressions on the faces of the three and his eyes flickered with understanding. He realized his previous thoughts had been somewhat off.

Perhaps there really wasn’t any puppet master willing to go to such lengths for their puppets like his father did. However, the influence of his father was evidently not to be underestimated among humans.

At least from Agu's perspective, if nothing unexpected happened, his father’s three students would become his most loyal followers.

As harmonious as the atmosphere was outside the warehouse, the comments section was buzzing with noise. After Qi Chao sent out his new message, many people in the circle immediately jumped in with their main accounts.

The comments section was alive with mixed reactions:

[I checked, and these are two puppet masters who can’t even make a puppet. Where did Master Qi find these three hidden gems?]

[Why would a top-tier puppet master pay attention to someone like that? I’m a level one puppet master, not inferior to these wannabes who can’t even get into the association! I’d rather be ignored than be compared to them. It’s ridiculous.]

[Come on, the previous commenter is way too harsh. They’re not just wannabes anymore, okay? Just look at the three pictures that the master posted—they made some really exquisite puppets! As long as their skills are decent, they could easily outshine a level one puppet master!]

[Wuwu, am I the only one who’s noticed how good the master is at teaching? These three puppet masters who couldn’t make a puppet in five years actually succeeded under his guidance?!]

[Master Qi is amazing! At this rate, does that mean that if a special-level puppet master is put in his hands, they might quickly become a master-level puppet master?]

[You’re dreaming, but it’s not impossible. So, Master Qi, could you take a look at my work?]

The comments section contained both ridicule of Guo Li and the others’ skills and praise for Qi Chao’s abilities, as well as self-recommendations. Most comments expressed envy and jealousy towards Guo Li and her companions for having a master-level puppet master as their mentor.

A master-level puppet master is a mythical figure in the industry; how lucky they must be to be chosen as disciples! 

If they were exceptionally talented puppet masters, that would be one thing, but they were relatively inexperienced.

It was no wonder the comments section was filled with hostility. 

However, Qi Chao and the three didn’t pay much attention to it. They knew that after a while, the comment section would quiet down.

The three newly created puppets were all very obedient. Although their expressions weren’t as expressive as Li Bai’s, to Qi Chao, they were all very cute children. 

Especially when they peeked at him from behind their father or mother, it melted his heart.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be leaving the Lingjing District to stay with my partner for a while. If you encounter any problems, feel free to reach out to me through the holographic device,” Qi Chao said with a smile, and it was clear to anyone that his eyes sparkled with happy anticipation.

The teacher was leaving the Lingjing District?

Guo Li and the others were a bit surprised, but when they heard that their teacher was going to see his partner, they immediately understood. They had known for some time that Qi Chao had a partner and that their relationship was very good.

“Okay,” You Zhao said proactively. “Please make sure to send our regards to the teacher’s wife.”

Teacher’s wife? 

That term sounded strange when applied to Brother Shen. Qi Chao chuckled softly, “My partner is a man; you can just call him brother' He’s very gentle, but he will definitely be upset if he heard you say that.”

In Blue Star, same-sex marriage was legal.

As soon as You Zhao heard that the teacher’s “wife” was a man, he realized he had misspoken and quickly added, “Alright, I promise I won’t make that mistake again.”

Qi Chao looked at the three young people in front of him and thought for a moment before handing them a booklet where he had recorded their mistakes. 

“Don’t slack off. Isn’t there a puppet master competition this year? The puppets you’ve created are all very clever. If you put in some effort, it could be a good opportunity.”

Did their teacher really have such high expectations for them? 

In the past, Guo Li and the others would never have even considered participating in the puppet master association's competition. But looking at the little booklet their teacher had prepared for them, they couldn’t bring themselves to refuse.

Qi Chao was only casually suggesting it and didn’t force them to participate. After handing the booklet to the three of them, he left with Agu and Xiang Yue to head home.

Since he had informed the kids at home that they would be going to Ganfen District to visit Brother Shen the next day, when Qi Chao got home, Li Bai and Lan Luo had already packed their bags.

“You guys are really quick!” Qi Chao joked.

While he playfully teased his children, he was no less busy himself. That evening, he settled into the kitchen and made a bunch of snacks that Brother Shen loved, preparing to take them along in the morning.

Neither he nor the puppets at home had taken a proper break for a long time, and they had been looking forward to this trip to Ganfen District for quite a while.

Qi Chao also made sure to send a few messages to his father, as well as to the two brothers at home, just in case he got too caught up in the fun and missed any important updates.

The next day, as Moss just emerged from the spatial vortex, he saw his father and the puppets standing in the living room with bags in hand. 

Even the shortest one, Qiu Qiu, had a little yellow backpack hanging in front of him, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

Were they that excited?

Moss was startled by the scene and instinctively hugged the plush doll in his arms tighter, pressing his thin lips together beneath the bandage.

“Big Brother, you’re here!” 

Agu was dressed as if he were going on a Hawaiian vacation, wearing sunglasses as he greeted Moss and seamlessly slipped inside.

Next came Lan Luo, Li Bai, and Qiu Qiu, with Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian following behind. The group of puppets resembled a tourist party, closely trailing behind Agu.

Qi Chao and Xiang Yue watched as the puppets rushed in energetically. Xiang Yue's expression remained calm, while Qi Chao couldn’t help but chuckle. 

He patted Moss on the shoulder, comforting him, “Your siblings are just too excited; they’ll settle down after a while.”

Moss nodded. What he didn’t say was that ever since he found out Qi Chao was coming to the villa, even Chi Yao, who usually loved to fight and cause trouble, had seemed a bit excited.

They were all the same.

The spatial vortex quickly closed, leaving the living room in silence. Not long after they left, a secretary sent by the association appeared at the villa’s door.

The vice president had suggested taking a gradual approach, so the secretary's task this time was not to invite Qi Chao to join the association but to hire him as an instructor.

According to recent news online, Qi Chao was known to be a very responsible teacher. If they could hire him as a high-paying mentor for the association, even if he ultimately refused to join, he could still help cultivate excellent talent for them.

However, as an association secretary, he was privy to more information. He knew that the president of the association was racking his brains trying to persuade Qi Chao, a master-level puppet master, to join the Empire's plans. 

Due to setbacks with the richest man, the president had to secretly bypass him to approach Qi Chao directly.

Thus, the secretary had two tasks for this visit: on the surface, he was inviting Qi Chao to become a lecturer, but secretly, he also needed to pressure and entice him to join the Empire’s plans.

He cleared his throat and pressed the doorbell a few times.

However, the secretary was puzzled. No matter how much he knocked on the door, Qi Chao didn’t answer.

It shouldn’t be this way. According to the information, Qi Chao should be home at this time.

Just as the secretary was deep in thought, the neighbor from the adjacent villa, mistaking him for a friend of Qi Chao, kindly offered an explanation: “You can stop knocking; no one is home right now.”

“Qi Chao went to see his partner,” the elderly neighbor added.

The old man had always been fond of Qi Chao, appreciating the warm and considerate young man. He raised the snacks in his hand and continued, “You’re a bit late! Before he left, he even stopped by my house to deliver some pastries!”

The secretary: …??? 

Wait a minute. Where did Qi Chao get a partner? 

The records always indicated that he was a single young man well into adulthood!

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