And then that wisp of light gradually began to spread, completely enveloping the puppet boy.
Finally, when the light slowly dissipated, the rigid puppet mechanisms on the boy’s body, along with the control strings on his fingers and toes, had all vanished.
If one hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, no one could possibly recognise that this was the same puppet boy from before!
“My dear child, you’ll go to China on our behalf to see how things are,” the enchanting woman said, patting the boy’s head. His once vacant gaze gradually became bright and spirited, and he bowed to her, saying, “Yes, Mother, what’s my name?”
“We all hope you’ll return healthy and safe, so we’ve named you Kangkang!”
…
Half a month later, Xu Fei, as usual, got up to cook for his daughter, Lele, living a comfortable life.
That day, while driving Lele to school, his usually quiet daughter suddenly spoke up, “Dad, recently some kids at school have started bullying others again.”
Hearing this, Xu Fei’s heart tensed. He had previously gone to great lengths to address the school’s bad habits, even investing heavily to become its largest shareholder.
How long had it been, and now trouble was brewing again?
So, he immediately asked, “Are kids bullying you again?”
This time, Lele shook her head and told Xu Fei about recent events at school.
It turned out the school had organised an exchange activity with a school from another city, involving about twenty students from each side.
These new exchange students, though young, brought with them a host of bad habits.
Despite being outsiders, they were very united and had begun isolating many local students.
Lele had indeed been slightly affected, but thanks to the principal’s care, she was fine.
Most importantly, Lele had been looked after and protected by a classmate named Kangkang.
Whenever someone tried to bully Lele, Kangkang would step forward, shielding her.
Seeing Lele’s flushed cheeks as she talked about Kangkang, Xu Fei felt a twinge of unease.
“Could this girl be having a crush already? She’s not even in middle school yet!”
But on second thought, recalling his own first stirrings of affection at a similar age, he felt a bit more at ease.
From his own experience, he knew parents couldn’t stop such things, and they rarely led to serious consequences.
Xu Fei decided he should act with the maturity expected of an adult.
Smiling, he patted Lele’s head and said, “Lele, you’re really lucky to have such a good friend. Otherwise, Dad would be quite worried about your safety!”
Hearing her father praise Kangkang, Lele’s eyes curved into crescent moons with delight.
All the way to school, she kept chatting with Xu Fei about Kangkang.
Finally, Xu Fei arrived at the school, dropped Lele off at her classroom, and then headed to Principal Lan Jitong’s office.
