"Nothing..."
Zhao Luzheng smiled wryly.
"I just feel it's even more of a shame..."
When he reunited with Zhou Yao and learned that the other man no longer painted, he had already felt it was a pity.
Now that he knew Zhou Yao's painting teacher had been a monster, he felt it was an even greater shame.
A human painter taught by a monster...
Thinking of the paintings he had seen in the courtyard earlier... Maybe one day Zhou Yao could paint something like that too...
At the thought of that possibility, he couldn't help feeling regret.
"What a shame."
"If only that touring art exhibition had never happened back then..."
Then the monster teacher wouldn't have left Zhou Yao.
Zhou Yao would be a completely different person now.
Xiao Xiao smiled.
Zhao Luzheng shrugged. "All right, I know."
"There's no chance of that."
It had all happened already...
"I'm just saying it behind his back."
Xiao Xiao and Zhao Luzheng left the teahouse.
Before they left, Madam Xiao gave Xiao Xiao a large box of pastries.
Taotie beamed with delight.
Feeling the happy aura coming from above his head, Xiao Xiao couldn't help smiling too.
That day—
"Third Brother, Zhou Yao asked me for your number."
Zhao Luzheng turned to look at Xiao Xiao.
"He—"
"Bzz, bzz, bzz~"
"He's calling."
Xiao Xiao glanced at the unfamiliar number appearing on his phone.
"It should be him."
"That was fast?"
Zhao Luzheng clicked his tongue.
He'd only just gotten back.
Xiao Xiao answered the phone.
"...Hello."
The darkened phone lay on the table.
Xiao Xiao smiled at Zhao Luzheng, who was looking over at him. "It was Zhou Yao."
"Oh, oh."
Since it was Zhou Yao, he didn't need to ask what the call