Chapter 162
Zhou Ziyou smiled lightly: "How's this? Does your sister look good today? Is this outfit alright?"
Gray Tail pursed his lips, feeling a strange sense of discomfort: "You still haven't answered."
"You little brat!" Zhou Ziyou said irritably: "Look at how much effort your sister put into getting dressed up, do you even need to ask? Of course I have a date."
"With who?"
"Someone you don't know."
Gray Tail curled his lip: "A man?"
"Of course," she said matter-of-factly, "I'm going on a blind date, little wolf boy, congratulate me on my success! I've worked so hard to lose weight!"
As she spoke, she replied to a message on her phone, not noticing Gray Tail's expression dimming.
"You said you wanted to lose weight to get thinner, but what then?"
"Once I'm thinner, it'll be easier to find a partner and get into a relationship," Zhou Ziyou said in a tone that suggested it was obvious. "Ah, I have to go now. Cook some meat for yourself if you get hungry, I'll be back late."
"Oh." Gray Tail showed no expression as he made room for her, and Zhou Ziyou clacked away in her high heels, pressing the elevator button.
Gray Tail turned to look at her, her eyes curved in anticipation as she stared at the elevator numbers.
He pursed his lips and went inside.
Lose weight, get thinner, find a partner.
That was her ultimate goal.
Now he knew, now that he knew, what was this strange anger he felt inside?
All that determination, persevering through each day she could barely get out of bed, eating unappetizing foods, just to find a partner, to find another man.
Why did she want to find a partner so badly?
Was she lonely?
Living with him, was she still lonely?
But ever since he started living with her, he had experienced an unprecedented sense of liveliness and inner peace like never before.
For most of his life so far, he had lived in a constant state of high alert, guarding against other predators in the forest, against (some) humans in the human world.
This place was different, and she was... different too.
He had been able to relax at Nanfeng Courtyard, but the sense of relaxation here was distinct, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
Gray Tail sat on the tiled floor, his mind blank.
If... her blind date this time was successful, would that mean... another fully human man would appear by her side?
Would she then divert the gaze she had previously reserved solely for him, turning it instead towards that man?
Gray Tail lowered his eyes, clenching his fists as he curled his lips in self-mockery. After living with this woman for a few months, was he really developing a sense of possessiveness?
She... wasn't his, after all.
She never was from the start.
Zhou Ziyou returned after five hours, disheveled and haggard.
She opened the door listlessly.
Gray Tail sat motionless in the middle of the living room floor, head lowered like a statue.
Zhou Ziyou wailed: "Wuu, little wolf boy! My blind date was a failure!"
Gray Tail's head snapped up, his eyes brightening as he subtly curled the corners of his lips: "Is that so? What a pity."
"Right? And I spent an hour getting ready!" Zhou Ziyou kicked off her high heels, her adorably round face crestfallen as she tossed her bag onto the couch.
Gray Tail rose nimbly from the floor, fetching a cup of hot water and handing it to her: "What went wrong?"
Zhou Ziyou took a sip of water and sighed: "He was too short, even shorter than me."
She's 5'3"!
"You prefer taller men?" Gray Tail raised an eyebrow.
"At least taller than me."
For some reason, Gray Tail felt his mood lift.
Then he heard Zhou Ziyou say, "I also don't like younger men."
Gray Tail paused, pursing his lips: "Why?"
"I like mature men."
Gray Tail let out a soft "oh," his tone subdued.
"It's fine!" Zhou Ziyou perked up. "I have another blind date tomorrow, maybe I'll meet someone I like!"
Gray Tail fell silent.
After a while, he asked, "Why are you so eager to find a partner?"
Zhou Ziyou propped her face on her hands, speaking slowly: "It's just... a bit lonely, you know? Having a partner means we can do a lot of things together."
"Like what?"
At this, the never-been-in-a-relationship Ziyou livened up: "Go to amusement parks together, couple restaurants, wear couple outfits, eat cotton candy! Go through haunted houses! You wouldn't believe it, but I've never been inside a haunted house before. I'm too scared to go alone, and even more scared with just friends. Hmm, I want to find a partner who's a little braver."
After listening, Gray Tail's eyes flickered slightly: "If it's just those things, you don't necessarily need a romantic partner, right?"
He stared at her: "Anything you want to do, I can accompany you."
"No way." Zhou Ziyou waved her hand dismissively. "Amusement parks and haunted houses are one thing, but what about couple restaurants and couple outfits? You want to pretend to be my partner?"
"Why not?" Gray Tail's tone was calm. "You haven't found anyone you like yet, have you? Let's just go have fun." After experiencing it, maybe she'll realize it's not that big a deal and won't be in such a rush to go on blind dates...
She just wants to do those things, there's no need to purposely find a partner, right?
It's not like he can't do it.
Seeing Zhou Ziyou's hesitation, he knew she was considering it.
Gray Tail's eyes curved: "Are you just never going to go to those places if you can't find a partner? They're just commercial venues."
Zhou Ziyou gave him a thumbs up and nodded decisively: "I think you make a good point!"
Gray Tail didn't know why, but he felt relieved.
Then, he didn't know what he was doing anymore.
He didn't want her to go on blind dates...
He wanted to fulfill her needs.
He wanted to maintain the status quo.
He didn't want anyone to disrupt it.
At that moment, Zhou Ziyou, having put effort into her makeup and not wanting to remove it, sat there tilting her head this way and that to take selfies. She was already very comfortable around Gray Tail and didn't feel awkward at all.
Gray Tail watched her for a long while, then lowered his gaze and touched the tip of his nose.
He liked things the way they were now.
He liked the space with just the two of them.
Gray Tail, your good days are coming to an end. ʘᴗʘ
-- I spent the time I would've used for writing on commissioning an artist to draw Guhui and Xiang'er, Gray Tail and Ziyou... More tomorrow!