Zhong Xiwang then tossed those into the washing machine and walked over with a stern look.
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow was now wrapped in the duvet cover, feeling a bit guilty and uneasy as he listened to her footsteps.
However, Zhong Xiwang didn’t want to waste time lecturing him. She took ingredients from the nearby fridge and began preparing breakfast.
In the sizzling pan, the aroma gradually filled the room.
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow, hidden under the duvet cover, moved his head slightly before lifting it, craning his neck to greedily inhale the scent he had never experienced before.
What Zhong Xiwang saw when she came over was his foolish expression.
With a cold snort, she carried the food to the side, ignoring him.
Then she turned on the TV, eating while watching.
Seeing the originally black object suddenly light up and food appear inside, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow stared in amazement, unable to look away.
But he felt the large mouth on his stomach twitching slightly, urging him to eat the fragrant food.
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow glanced down at his stomach, then stood up and walked behind Zhong Xiwang.
As soon as he reached out his hand, he was smacked.
Zhong Xiwang turned around and glared at him sternly. “Still dare to sneak a bite of me?”
His over-two-meter-tall frame stood awkwardly in the small room, exuding an air of pitifulness.
In front of him, Zhong Xiwang, who was only 1.6 meters tall, looked up with an imposing presence.
Seeing Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow hanging his head dejectedly while the mouth on his stomach smacked its lips slightly, Zhong Xiwang slapped it.
“So it’s you who’s greedy, huh? Starving ghost possessed you in the middle of the night, huh?”
The mouth, slapped by Zhong Xiwang, quickly shut tight, and Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow humbly covered his stomach with his hands.
Today, Zhong Xiwang had to make sure Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow understood the seriousness of the matter. If she let this guy do as he pleased, what if he went crazy one day and ate her or drained her dry?
She couldn’t drive away this strange being who came and went as he pleased, so she had to take advantage of his current obedience to set some rules!
She pointed to the bloody scar on her leg and then slapped Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow hard, making him understand that he would be punished if he did it again.
Looking at Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow, who had been beaten until he was pressed against the wall, she asked, “Got it?”
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow covered himself with his hands and the tentacles extending from his back.
When he didn’t respond, Zhong Xiwang pointed at her bloody scar again. Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow quickly shielded the areas where Zhong Xiwang might land her slap, like a goalkeeper.
Seeing him like this, Zhong Xiwang’s expression changed as quickly as flipping a book, and soon a smile spread across her face.
She picked up her bowl of food and walked over to him.
“Come on, time to eat~”
At the scent, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow’s hands hadn’t even moved, but the mouth below eagerly opened wide.
Zhong Xiwang fed him a mouthful, but such a small amount was gone in one lick of his tongue, like Zhu Bajie eating the ginseng fruit—he didn’t even get to taste it.
Zhong Xiwang patiently fed him a few more bites. Just as the hands beside Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow were itching to snatch the food, her expression suddenly turned cold.
Seeing her sudden change in demeanor, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow quickly turned sideways and curled up.
Zhong Xiwang regained her smile. “Good doggy, come on, open wide~”
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow was unsettled by Zhong Xiwang’s unpredictable temper, but in the end, lured by the delicious food, he turned around and opened his mouth.
After feeding him the entire plate, Zhong Xiwang smiled and wiped his mouth.
“Good dog, good dog.”
Amid Zhong Xiwang’s smiling face and gentle movements, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow couldn’t resist sticking out his tongue to give her a lick.
Zhong Xiwang’s smile froze at the corners of her mouth, startling him into quickly retracting his tongue.
Her curved eyebrows and eyes carried satisfaction.
Turning around, she picked up a cup of black coffee. “Here, good doggy, have some water.”
Hearing this address, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow knew she wouldn’t hit him now.
But the taste of black coffee made him refuse to open his mouth.
Zhong Xiwang softly coaxed him a few more times before Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow hesitantly extended his tongue to take a lick.
Immediately afterward, his tall body stiffened, his mouth opened wide, and he swayed his body while repeatedly flicking his long tongue, trying to shake off the detestable bitter taste.
“Hahaha…”
Across from him, Zhong Xiwang burst into hearty laughter at the sight.
Seeing Zhong Xiwang boldly down the repulsive black liquid and its painful taste in one gulp, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow found her even more terrifying.
After that, whenever Zhong Xiwang brought out black coffee, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow would keep his distance from her. If not for his large size, he would have practically crawled under the bed to hide.
On this day, Zhong Xiwang was leaning on the sofa watching TV, while Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow clung to her side, pressing his body against hers and licking the ‘little reward’ she had given him.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
With a point of Zhong Xiwang’s hand, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow’s tentacle quickly coiled over and handed the phone to her.
She praised him with a pat on the head and answered the call.
“Hey Xi, it’s me, Parker. How are you feeling?”
She checked her mostly healed wounds. “Oh, Captain, I’m almost fully recovered. Are we planning to set sail?”
“Yes, Xi. Are you available the day after tomorrow?”
“Of course, no problem.”
Parker on the other end chuckled lightly. “Good, we’ll meet at the dock the day after tomorrow.”
Zhong Xiwang tossed her phone aside and stretched.
If she didn’t get back to work soon, her license would have been a waste.
Her previous experiences made her long to return to the safety of her home country, but Parker had promised her they wouldn’t go to dangerous places like islands again.
Thinking about earning thousands of dollars in a single day, Zhong Xiwang ultimately agreed.
As she shifted her body, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow, lying beside her, moved along with her, his mouth still pressed tightly against her, unwilling to pull away.
After a moment’s thought, she said to Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow, “When I go out to work, you’re not allowed to mess up my house, understand?”
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow had learned to respond simply over the past few days.
If Zhong Xiwang’s expression was calm and she ended with “ma,” he would nod.
If her gaze was unfriendly and her tone stern, ending with other sounds or words, he would quickly shake his head.
Seeing Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow’s obedient demeanor, Zhong Xiwang couldn’t help but find it amusing.
Once again, she felt puzzled that such a bloodthirsty, cold, and solitary monster would listen to her.
She stared at Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow, utterly perplexed. “Why on earth are you afraid of me?”
Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow looked up. Seeing Zhong Xiwang frowning, her expression not exactly angry but ending with other sounds, he suddenly didn’t know how to respond.
He nodded, then shook his head.
“Hahaha…”
“Silly you!”
Poked on the head by Zhong Xiwang, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow looked at her laughing face and boldly picked her up, placing her on top of himself.
The two, with their vastly different sizes, resembled an adult holding a newborn baby.
After placing Zhong Xiwang on his lap, Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow wrapped his arms around her waist twice with length to spare. Then, he brought his head close to the hollow of her neck, sniffing her scent.
Though he was sniffing, Zhong Xiwang didn’t feel any airflow brushing over her body—only the nuzzling motion of his head, which tickled her.