Chapter 158
Out of the clothing store.
Zhou Ziyou couldn't help but speak up: "You promised to buy me clothes when we came out, and what are you buying for me?"
Inside the store, she couldn't say much with so many people watching.
Gray Tail carried the bags of clothes for both of them, walking ahead with his head down: "You buy for me, and I'll buy for you, no problem."
Zhou Ziyou followed, dissatisfied: "What do you mean no problem? You... you're not..." The words "have no money" remained unspoken, as even a wolfman needs to save face.
After returning home, Zhou Ziyou watched some TV and scrolled through her phone for a while.
Gray Tail went somewhere to dig up some flowers and plants, and after getting Zhou Ziyou's permission, he arranged a circle of flower pots on the balcony and was burying his head in planting them.
Zhou Ziyou ate potato chips, leaning against the balcony door watching him.
She pondered: Is this kid really not even twenty years old?
She threw a chip into her mouth, munching loudly: "By the way, how long until you turn twenty?"
Gray Tail: "Two months."
"Oh." Zhou Ziyou said, "A few years younger than my lousy brother."
"Mmm."
"Can you keep these flowers and plants alive?"
"Yes."
Zhou Ziyou couldn't help but ask: "Are you always so terse?"
"What?" Gray Tail had dirt all over his hands, glancing at her briefly before his gray eyes lowered, not looking at her again, as if unable to look her directly in the eye.
He had never been so close to a human woman before, and he didn't know what to actively talk about. He also couldn't understand why this woman talked so much.
In any case, he could silently listen, but if she wanted him to say something, forget it.
"Never mind." Zhou Ziyou figured there might be a generation gap between her and this wolf boy, perhaps he talked a lot with his tribesmen?
She didn't want to be a nagging big sister.
She turned and yawned, ready to go to her room to work.
Watching her back as she left, Gray Tail was puzzled for a moment, seemingly unsure why she had walked away. Was she unhappy? Or did she find him too boring?
He lowered his gaze, pursed his lips, and continued silently planting flowers.
Zhou Ziyou wasn't someone with a wide social circle either. As a full-time manga artist, she would finish her work, take care of her hunger, and spend the rest of her time watching TV, fooling around on her phone, and reading manga.
Gray Tail wasn't the type of outgoing, noisy wolf either. In fact, he was even quieter than Zhou Ziyou. Despite being almost 6 feet tall and slim but large in stature, his presence was low.
At home, he was very quiet, mostly staying in his own room.
Initially, when they weren't familiar with each other, they lived under the same roof like roommates, only exchanging a few sentences each day.
At first, Zhou Ziyou thought Gray Tail was being aloof by being so terse with her, not wanting to talk to her. But later, she realized it was just his personality.
With time, she got used to it.
As they became more familiar, she would actively share her preferences, moods, and manga-related matters.
"Isn't this cute? I drew it," she said, pointing to a chibi character on her phone with a hint of pride in her tone.
Gray Tail looked at the round-faced, black-haired chibi in the picture. After two seconds, he asked, "Is this... the Family Master's child?"
Zhou Ziyou, who knew he was referring to Shang Xi as the Family Master, snapped her fingers: "Correct." She had already sent the picture to Shang Xi.
"Impressive," Gray Tail commented sincerely.
Zhou Ziyou swiped to the next photo, which showed a gray-haired, spiky-haired chibi teenager with a fierce expression.
"Look, this is you. Does it look like you?"
Gray Tail was a bit dazed, staring at the picture of himself. He hadn't expected Zhou Ziyou to draw him too... It must have been painstaking and time-consuming, stroke by stroke.
"Why... did you draw me?"
Zhou Ziyou clicked her tongue: "I draw the people around me when I have the ability. Why wouldn't I draw you? It's also a gesture of goodwill from me."
She paused for a moment: "Unless... you don't like it? I didn't ask for your consent before drawing you..."
"No," Gray Tail shook his head.
This was the first time he had been drawn.
Her goodwill, huh?
"Thank you."
"No problem, I'll send it to your phone then."
Gray Tail's phone made a sound as he received the picture. He stared at the chibi teenager for a while: "Is that how you see my eyes?"
Did he really look that fierce when looking at her? Those weren't eyes, they were like little daggers...
"Hahaha, no no, I just exaggerated a bit when drawing."
Gray Tail made an "oh" sound and saved the picture.
Zhou Ziyou opened another album, full of screenshots, her eyes sparkling with excitement: "Look, I received two long comments from readers today, praising me!"
From her screen, Gray Tail saw some simple characters he recognized, but his gray eyes still held a clear innocence...
"Ah, sorry, I forgot you don't recognize many characters." Zhou Ziyou didn't mind as she cleared her throat: "Let me read it to you."
She raised her voice, rich with emotion and expressive: "Dear You You—that's my pen name by the way... I'm a high school freshman. By chance, I came across your manga, and since then, I've found joy every day. It has accompanied me for a long time... You've made me experience happiness, anger, sadness, and emotion..."
Zhou Ziyou finished reading, exaggeratedly sobbing and wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye: "Ah... so touching, isn't it? Kids these days are so eloquent."
Gray Tail: ...
He opened his mouth: "Mmm."