| PN | Lawsuit | 208
Qing Yu, as a master-level puppet master, once led the industry trends.
He preferred creating deformed puppets, and many unscrupulous puppet masters, seeing that deformed puppets could be sold for profit, followed suit and began making such puppets, selling them to people with particular fetishes, calling it "the beauty of imperfection."
However, no one cared about what those deformed puppets, created as imperfect, were thinking.
Puppets were already rare, and since they resembled humans so closely, in order to avoid causing discomfort among netizens, images of deformed puppets were rarely leaked.
Most netizens knew that some puppets were designed with "artistic sense" appreciated by "artists," but hearing about it was different from actually seeing it.
Let alone when a video showed deformed puppets, confused and helpless, saying that they didn't want to have just one eye.
Once this video was released, it quickly stirred up a hornet's nest. The netizens, who had been debating what the alliance was trying to do, suddenly shifted their focus.
[F*ck, my heart breaks for them. Why do those puppet makers have to create deformed puppets?! The puppets just want a healthy body! You guys are only thinking about your own satisfaction, what does it mean to give a puppet a body with missing arms and legs?!]
[Ugh, I feel so bad. Just thinking about being born as a deformed child would make me miserable. What did they do wrong? Why do they have to experience such a life?]
Since the alliance emerged, various documentaries have sprung up, and more and more netizens have gained a new understanding of puppets, realizing that they are not emotionless tools.
With the emergence of the puppet enforcement team, netizens began to believe that puppets were far more intelligent than they had previously thought.
At such a time, when a video like this suddenly surfaced, most netizens couldn’t accept it. They began attacking Qing Yu, and some unscrupulous puppet masters, who wanted the netizens to turn their anger toward the alliance again, were quickly shot down.
Qing Yu, trembling with anger at the insulting comments about him, immediately left the platform.
A few minutes later, he logged back into his account and posted: [No matter what, the fact remains that the alliance took my puppet. Puppets are my private property, and that's a fact. Even if it goes to court, I have my reasons.]
After his post, some netizens began to hesitate, but most were still focused on feeling sympathy for the puppets' experiences and ignored his argument.
[It wasn’t the alliance that took them, okay? You’re the one who left them, alright?]
[The puppet wanted to stay with the alliance, don’t blame everything on them.]
Upon seeing these comments, Qing Yu was so angry that his face turned red and his ears burned. He harshly defended himself.
After posting the video, Shen Yuxi saw the online comments but was not particularly affected.
Whether it was the netizens or Qing Yu, he didn’t care much. If it weren’t for Qi Chao, he wouldn’t even bother to glance at them.
On the other side, after handing the matter over to Shen Yuxi, Qi Chao went to the greenhouse to comfort Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian.
A long time ago, Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian were also deformed puppets like Yang Ping. In fact, they were even more unfortunate. They were handed over to the association by their so-called father, paying with their lives to transfer their abilities.
Had it not been for their father, the two of them should have been part of the shadows of the mother tree, unable to return to it due to their hatred and resentment, constantly enveloped in loneliness.
When Qi Chao entered the flower room, the two puppets were squatting together, pulling weeds side by side.
“Dad.”
Hearing movement behind them, Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian stood up, wanting to walk over to Qi Chao, but the next second, Qi Chao placed a hand on their shoulders.
“It’s okay, I’m here to pull weeds too.” Saying this, Qi Chao squatted down with the two children and began pulling the weeds alongside them.
Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian exchanged a glance, their eyes—one white, the other black—both filled with unease.
The two puppets weren’t foolish; they understood that Dad had come to comfort them. However, it was precisely because Dad wanted to comfort them that they felt even more uncomfortable.
The puppets felt like they had caused trouble for Dad.
Whether it was the relatively quiet Shuang Jian or the more composed Xuan Jian, both of them were inherently sensitive.
For them, when Dad went out of his way to comfort them, it meant they were wasting his time and causing him trouble.
This unease was something only abandoned puppets could understand. Even after such a long time, it was still hard for the two of them to let go of this feeling. It was like a chronic illness, deeply ingrained in their bones, something that could only be slowly healed with time.
However, what surprised the two puppets was that the comfort they expected never came. From the moment they arrived at the greenhouse in the afternoon, through to the time they finished most of the weeding, Qi Chao never mentioned Qing Yu or Yang Ping.
Throughout the time, he either focused on pulling weeds or told jokes and talked about other topics.
When they finally finished, Qi Chao stood up and smiled at the two children. “Alright, we’ve finished our work. Let’s go back and have dinner.”
Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian froze for a moment. Dad’s attitude seemed as if he had simply come to pull weeds with them.
The two puppets stood there, motionless.
Qi Chao noticed the silence and paused for a moment, seemingly puzzled. "What’s wrong?"
"Dad..." Xuan Jian called out, wanting to ask why he hadn’t comforted them, but after meeting Qi Chao’s gaze, he shook his head, pursed his lips, and said, "It’s nothing."
Shuang Jian didn’t say anything either.
Qi Chao seemed to realize something and walked in front of the two children, reaching out to ruffle their hair. "Alright, don’t overthink it. Your dad is starving now, let’s go eat."
Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian quickly responded, "Okay, Dad, let’s go back quickly."
Qi Chao chuckled, washed his hands, and then led the two children back home. On the way, Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian kept thinking about how Dad was hungry and they needed to hurry home to eat.
However, when they actually arrived home, they realized that Dad wasn’t as hungry as he had claimed. It dawned on them that when Dad said he was hungry, it was probably just an excuse to distract them.
The two puppets exchanged a glance, their hearts feeling complicated. The complexity they felt was more of a bittersweet, helpless sensation.
Their dad was so gentle, too gentle, to the point that Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian’s throats felt dry and itchy, yet they couldn’t bring themselves to say anything.
At this moment, Qi Chao, who had been leaning on the couch, noticed that the two children were still standing silently in the back. After a brief moment of surprise, Qi Chao blinked and asked, "Why aren’t you sitting down?"
The two puppets remained silent.
A few seconds later, Xuan Jian spoke first. "Dad, thank you."
At first, Qi Chao didn’t understand. But when Shuang Jian said the same thing, he suddenly remembered something and smiled. "What are you thanking me for? I’m your dad."
Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian, holding hands, felt their dry throats becoming less parched. They couldn’t help but smile.
Yes, their father wasn’t the one who would casually abandon puppets like Qing Yu. Their father was Qi Chao, someone who cared about whether they were laughing or crying.
Their father was only Qi Chao.
Seeing the two children gradually recovering their emotions, Qi Chao relaxed. He patted the two children's heads, then turned to look at Yang Ping, who was awkwardly sitting beside them.
Qi Chao didn’t bring up what was on his mind, but instead smiled at Yang Ping and asked, "Yang Ping, do you still want to continue studying with the alliance tomorrow?"
When Yang Ping heard the man call his name, his back stiffened. He hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes."
As he spoke, Yang Ping tightly gripped the hem of his pants.
He wasn’t sure why, but he felt an unusual closeness to the man in front of him, even more so than to his own father.
During the recording, the man had explicitly told him that the video would be sent out and that his father would see it too.
Although Yang Ping was afraid of his father, he desperately wanted his father to know that he didn’t want just one eye. He wanted to tell his father that he wished to be an ordinary puppet.
It was exhausting to see the world through just one eye—not only physically but also mentally.
He didn’t want to be pitied by other puppets, nor did he want to face the judgmental stares of humans. It made him feel miserable.
So, when Qi Chao asked if he could make the recording, after some internal struggle, Yang Ping agreed.
Had it been before, he would have never dared to do such a thing. He was too afraid his father might abandon him. But now, things were different.
At the alliance, Yang Ping had encountered puppets living in garbage heaps. Some of them were even instructors, and although they had no fathers or guardians, they had managed to survive.
Yang Ping thought, if his father really abandoned him, he could stay at the alliance or join one of the smaller factions there. He glanced at Qi Chao, biting his lip. The alliance would never give up on him.
When Qi Chao heard that Yang Ping wanted to go, he chuckled. "If you want to go, then go to class tomorrow. You didn't go today, so who knows how much you've missed."
Upon hearing the man’s agreement, Yang Ping released the grip on his pants. He lifted his gaze to look at Qi Chao, his eyes filled with excitement. After a long pause, he couldn’t help but nod vigorously.
When Shen Yuxi came downstairs, he saw Yang Ping looking at Qi Chao with such excitement.
Though he didn’t know what had happened, Shen Yuxi could easily guess that Qi Chao must have said something to make Yang Ping happy.
When Qi Chao turned to look at Shen Yuxi, the latter paused for a moment, raising the light brain in his hand. There was no conversation between them, but just this small gesture made Qi Chao realize something.
He lowered his head and swiped the screen to the alliance's official account.
The comments were mostly about the deformed puppets, with very few mentioning that Qing Yu’s puppet had been taken away.
If it were up to Qi Chao, he absolutely didn’t want Qing Yu to take Yang Ping.
Qing Yu was indifferent toward Yang Ping, then this time, if he were to take him back, Yang Ping’s life would surely not be a good one.
Given Qing Yu’s personality, Qi Chao was certain that he would blame everything he had suffered on the alliance or on Yang Ping.
While Qi Chao was lost in thought, a message from Shen Yuxi popped up on the screen.
Shen Yuxi: [Qing Yu wants to sue the alliance.]
Qi Chao: [Let him sue if he wants. Yang Ping wanted to stay, it’s not like the alliance forced him to stay.]
Shen Yuxi: [But what if Qing Yu tries to forcibly take Yang Ping away?]
Qi Chao: [That’s not allowed. After all, the puppet enforcement team’s job is to protect the puppets. If Qing Yu violates the puppet's will and forces him, that’s not right.]
When Shen Yuxi saw this, he couldn’t help but laugh. Though he had suspected this from the start, actually seeing Qi Chao send such shameless words still amused him.
A month after Yang Ping started attending classes at the alliance, Qing Yu really did take legal action against the alliance.
[No way? Is Qing Yu really this stubborn?]
[Ugh, I used to really like Qing Yu, but after seeing those deformed puppets, I can't stand him anymore. Ugh.]
[Same here, I really don’t want Qing Yu to win.]
The netizens knew that Yang Ping was originally made by Qing Yu, so if it came down to it, the alliance might not even win the lawsuit.
Then, they saw the alliance’s response.
[Hahahaha, this is just shameless.]
[Did you see that? Qing Yu was so angry his face turned blue, and the alliance said it had nothing to do with them—hilarious.]
But, to be fair, it really had nothing to do with the alliance. After all, the puppet’s legs were attached to its own body. If it wanted to leave, it could just leave. The fact that Yang Ping stayed at the alliance was a clear sign that he didn’t want to return.
[Qing Yu, I’ll give you some advice—just give up. After all, your puppet really doesn’t want to go back with you.]
Just after leaving the courtroom, Qing Yu saw this message, and it made him furious. His mind was spinning with anger. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to find Yang Ping.
However, every time they met, the more Qing Yu cursed at him, the more Yang Ping started to refuse to go home.
At first, Qing Yu even thought about forcing him, but the enforcement team’s puppets somehow got wind of it.
As soon as he tried to take action, a white-haired female puppet would immediately appear.
The situation took an even worse turn for Qing Yu. The puppet sent by the enforcement team was incredibly strong, and every move seemed to hit him in places he couldn’t see, leaving him in tremendous pain.
Yet, on the surface, nothing seemed to be wrong.
Qing Yu ended up dragging this out with the alliance for half a year.
In the end, the alliance won the lawsuit.
This was the first time puppets and humans had faced off in a court of law, and it was the first time an organization had stood up to speak for the puppets. The final defense video was kept intact and posted on the alliance's official account.
After this victory, it seemed like something quietly, almost imperceptibly, changed.
This change was hard to notice at first, but looking back from the present moment, it became clear that Blue Star had undergone a massive transformation.
Puppets, who were once seen as mere tools, now wandered the streets in small groups, enjoying their playtime. These puppets were low-level ones, discarded long ago, with no masters and no fathers.
But they had the alliance.
The alliance taught them crafts, taught them to read, and, just like humans, showed them how to earn money. Although they didn’t make much, it was enough for them to live on.
The topic of puppet trade was first brought up for abolition when the first puppet stood in an elected position as a council member.
Puppets should not be bought or sold.
They have emotions, they have intelligence, and they deserve respect.
Netizens, who were having lunch at the time, nearly choked when they saw the news. "Wait, what? A puppet is a council member now? Who is this puppet?!"
[This is Xiang Yue, and next to them is Qi Chao, the alliance leader who was announced three months ago.]
[Honestly, I’m not sure if the abolition of puppet trade is a good idea, since I can’t afford to buy one anyway, but as long as the puppet masters agree, I’m fine with it.]
[Emm, although I’m not a puppet master, I have to say, if puppet masters don’t make money off selling puppets, then what’s the point of being a puppet masters? They should just do charity work.]
[+1]
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