Chapter 173
Chapter 173
Chapter 173
Because of drinking alcohol, Zhou Ziyou slept until 10 a.m. the next day. Looking at the several missed calls from classmates on her phone, she blinked her eyes and immediately recalled the events of the previous night. Ah yes, Zhou Li was a gay scammer. She suddenly became sober!
This university classmate of hers used to often hang out with her back in school, yet he actually introduced her to his gay cousin? Did he not know himself?
She directly called him back.
The other side answered quickly: "Ziyou... Sorry, I didn't know my cousin doesn't like women either. Are you okay?"
"I don't know what happened between you two, but he just called to scold me, saying I made him lose his job. I'm speechless."
Zhou Ziyou was confused for a moment: "What? He lost his job? And he's blaming you? What happened?"
"I'm not sure either, but he became a bit popular on some app, saying he's a gay scammer, even loudly admitting it himself. Now his company has fired him. That's how I just found out too."
Zhou Ziyou didn't expect to wake up to this good news. She had no particular views on others' sexual orientations, but doing unscrupulous things deserved due consequences.
The Zhou Li incident made her lose interest in continuing blind dates to find a partner. Let it be, it didn't matter anymore.
She slowly crawled out of bed, her vision blurring as her whole body stumbled a few steps. Had she not steadied herself against the wall, she would have fallen to the ground.
What was going on?
Zhou Ziyou touched her forehead, feeling the scorching heat, only then realizing she had a fever.
She had actually caught a cold.
Truly, misfortunes never come singly.
Her head felt heavy and her steps were unsteady as she made her way out of the room to pour herself a cup of hot water to drink. Her throbbing headache was intense. Cold medicine... where did she put her cold medicine?
Zhou Ziyou felt her face burning hot, struggling to stand up, her breathing heavy and labored. This won't do... Call... Call Gray Tail for backup... save her life...
Not an exaggeration, she trembled as she picked up her phone, intending to make a call, but her vision was swaying. So tired... She simply sat down on the floor to conserve energy, but then lying down seemed even more comfortable.
Zhou Ziyou didn't know if she fell asleep or passed out, but when she opened her eyes, the scent of disinfectant filled her breath, and an unfamiliar ceiling greeted her gaze.
There was an IV drip attached to her hand.
A woman's voice reached her ears: "Good girl, eat a little more. Ah... open your mouth..."
Zhou Ziyou slowly turned her head to see a woman, at least 58 years old, speaking on the middle hospital bed, where a girl under 18 was lying.
The young girl frowned wearily: "I don't want any more, Mom. You eat it yourself!"
Zhou Ziyou silently thought, oh, a late childbirth.
But that wasn't the main point.
How did she end up in the hospital, and who sent her here?
At that moment, a tall figure clad in a gray hoodie, with pale skin and sharp, handsome features, entered through the doorway, carrying a takeout box. Zhou Ziyou met his gaze and froze for a moment: "Gray Tail."
"You're awake," Gray Tail approached. "Hungry? I bought vegetable porridge."
"I... you..."
"If you're not feeling well, why didn't you call me?" Gray Tail's tone was flat and cool. "If I hadn't gone to your place today, you would have burned into a fool."
Zhou Ziyou sighed: "I didn't know I would get a fever either. It happened too fast..."
Gray Tail frowned sternly, looking at her with some helplessness: "The moment I'm gone, you can't take care of yourself?"
"How did you manage to survive before?"
Zhou Ziyou felt a bit embarrassed hearing him scold her like that, especially with other people present in the ward, as if she were being reprimanded.
She hurried to say, "This was just an accident. Thank you."
But as soon as he entered, the young girl in the next bed was drawn to him, staring at Gray Tail with interest before speaking up: "Sister, are you two siblings?"
Before Zhou Ziyou could respond, Gray Tail casually replied: "No."
Zhou Ziyou glared at him.
Gray Tail glanced at her nonchalantly: "We're not, glaring at me won't change that."
The woman on the next bed continued coaxing: "Good girl, look, your sister is going to eat, too. You eat a little more?"
Zhou Ziyou turned her gaze again, observing the short-haired woman. Although her face had many wrinkles, her hair was dyed black, likely colored.
The girl looked about sixteen years old and turned her face away irritably, refusing to eat.
Zhou Ziyou didn't know why, but she felt envious, probably because her own mother had never loved her like that.
Gray Tail opened the takeout box, took out a spoon, and sat on the edge of the bed, clearing his throat with feigned casualness: "Ziyou, let me feed you."
"What did you call me?" Zhou Ziyou narrowed her eyes at him.
Gray Tail's gaze was firm and determined: "Ziyou."
Zhou Ziyou frowned: "Who told you to call me that?"
"Myself."
Zhou Ziyou was taken aback, then rolled her eyes: "You're becoming bold now that you're living on your own, huh?"
The young girl on the next bed suddenly spoke up: "Sister, are you two a couple?"
"No!" Zhou Ziyou answered directly.
Gray Tail looked at her with some displeasure.
Zhou Ziyou scoffed lightly: "We're not, what's with that look?"
"I'll eat by myself." She glanced at him. "Aren't you supposed to be preparing a wedding home for your mate? It's inappropriate for you to be here. Go back."
She spoke earnestly: "Don't keep coming here every few days. I've survived all these years, I'll definitely be able to take care of myself. It's you who needs to stay away from me now that you have a mate, to avoid suspicion."
Gray Tail's frown deepened the more he listened: "I have a mate?"
"Don't you?"
Gray Tail tugged at his lips: "I... should have one?"
"Didn't you ask me to check out a house the other day? You mentioned a cub and said it was for your mate to live in. You said it yourself."
Zhou Ziyou looked utterly bewildered. Was this worth discussing for so long?
Yet Gray Tail fell silent, as if he had taken a deep breath and admitted defeat, no longer struggling: "Ziyou, the mate I mentioned is you."
"It's you, understand? I like you."
"Don't pretend you don't know, don't ignore me." He paused briefly before continuing: "I'm standing this close to you, do you think I'm joking around? Sometimes, for the Wolf Clan, physical contact speaks louder than a thousand words."
Zhou Ziyou was stunned for a moment, scratching her head: "Oh, ah... like this, like this."
The last time Gray Tail left, he had mentioned this to her. She refused, and then didn't dwell on it much, especially since he quickly had her help pick out a house, for a cub and mate, which made her think he was referring to someone else.
Now, with him saying it so bluntly and seriously about her, she suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Have some porridge," Gray Tail said, scooping some porridge and holding it to her mouth.
Zhou Ziyou was still pondering over the matter, so she instinctively opened her mouth and ate it.
"You're so much younger than me," she said after swallowing the porridge.
"You've said that before," he replied.
"I don't have those kinds of... feelings for you."
"You've said that too," Gray Tail pursed his lips, his eyes serious: "So what if I'm a few years younger? You don't have those kinds of feelings for me? You'll develop them slowly, I'm not in a rush."
It wasn't a matter of being in a rush or not. Zhou Ziyou opened her mouth but was fed another spoonful of porridge before she could speak.
"You were going to say you like older, more mature men? And how did that turn out? You got deceived, didn't you?" Gray Tail curled his lips, staring at her with an indistinct look: "I'm younger, so I won't deceive you."
As if there are no young deceivers?
Zhou Ziyou widened her eyes, quickly swallowing the porridge in her mouth. She opened her mouth to speak, but was fed another spoonful of porridge.
"I'm obedient, isn't that good?" Gray Tail said: "To put it bluntly, I have a house, I have a car, I'm strong enough to protect you."
"Isn't that good?"
Zhou Ziyou swallowed the porridge, no longer wanting to speak since she'd just get another spoonful if she did.
This kid had clearly prepared thoroughly, speaking in a rehearsed manner. Was she delirious from the fever? How did his words seem to make some sense?
Not wearing her glasses, she glanced at him, leaning closer before lying back down and laughing.
"Gray Tail, your face is completely red."
"Oh."
"Are you feeling shy?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe? You clearly are, haha!" Zhou Ziyou still had a tendency to tease her little brother, wanting to laugh when she saw Gray Tail's reddened face, her gaze mocking.
Gray Tail: "Go ahead and laugh."
The scarred uncle had said that there's no shame in pursuing a wife.
It's only shameful if you make her cry.
It's impressive if you make her laugh.
He felt that was indeed true.
When Zhou Ziyou laughed, showing her dimples, she looked extremely adorable, like the clouds had parted in his sky, allowing him to bask in the warmth of the gentle sunshine.
Yellow Treasure feels better! Method: Virus, begone! Demons and viruses, go away~~
This couple's countdown to completion~ Just a couple more days of events~~