Zou Yue got up the next day to the annoying ringtone. Groaning, he picked up his phone and glanced at the display through his hazy eyes.

“Manager Mu, why is he calling so early?”

Mumbling, he picked up the call.

“YUE!!! YOU LUCKY SWINE!”

The loud shout almost turned him deaf. Zou Yue pulled the phone away with a grimace and put it on speaker. “What’s going on?”

“I told you about your book copyright, right? The mysterious buyer agreed to ALL YOUR TERMS. All of them!!!! Oh my god, I think I am floating in heaven. How the hell did you get so lucky, first it was the photographer mark, now this. Tell me, tell me,” he kept yapping on and on.

.

Zou Yue only heard the first few words. “Wait, they agreed to the terms? Like all of them?”

“YES!! They even sent in the contract themselves. It looks ironclad Yue. You have definitely stuck rich,” his manger started laughing in glee on the other side of the receiver.

Zou Yue, on the other hand, frowned slightly. ‘Why is this person interested in my book? Does he know something about the upcoming zombie apocalypse?’ he thought, scratching his chin.

“Are you listening… hello? Yue?”

“Yes, yes, I’m here,”

“I have sent you the contract. Just sign and send it back along with the second copy of this book.”

“hmm…..”

Zou Yue checked the mail, as his manager said the contract did look real and it mentioned every one of his requests to publish the paperback books for free. “Why would anyone take on such a loss?”

He was quiet puzzled by this but he decided to ignore it as of now.

He sat up and a sudden soft thing jumped onto his shoulders. “Trexa gran, you awake so early?”

The rat squeaked loudly and wiped at his whiskers.

“I know. I wish to sleep as well. But I have got a lot of things to do. I have to train, but supplies and weapons…. I wish I could get a gun,” he mumbled as he got up from the bed.

He made his bed and walked into his bathroom with the rat in two. They both took a small bath and ran back to the kitchen.

His mother was humming a famous song as she was cooking something. The divine smell alone made him salivate.

“What are you making, mum?”

“Oh, curry. Here, see how it tastes.” She held out a spoon full of bubbling orange sauce.

Licking his lips, Zou Yue tasted it. The sauce was a perfect blend of spices and tang. “Mum, you make the best curry in the world!”

“Tsk, go play with your father. I’ll bring you some when it’s ready.” she pushed him out of the kitchen.

Zou Yue walked over to his father’s study and entered without knocking. The whole room was filled with books. Some were even littered on the ground randomly.

“Wow, you really need to clean your place, dad,” he whistled loudly.

His father sat up from under the table with a frown. “I know, but I don’t know which books to keep and which one to donate.” he scratched his head, confused.

Zou really wanted to say that the books were worthless after the end of the world, but he did not want to hurt his father. He just nodded and helped him pack up everything in cardboard boxes.

“Why is that on you?” his father pointed to his shoulder with a frown.

Trexa gran glanced around, confused.

“She’s just clingy,”

The rat bit his collar bone slightly without breaking skin.

“Ow. Okay, she wanted to eat delicious food,” Zou Yue corrected himself swiftly. The little rat was feistier than his little daughter, la Trexa. ‘I knew it, this is my la Trexa’s grandma for sure.’

Soon his mother called them all for breakfast.

At the table, Yue placed the rat on the table. She curiously roamed around, peeking into the dishes.

“Whoa, no pets at the table,” his mother chased the rat away from the curry.

“But she is family,” Yue pouted slightly.

“No use pouting, young man.”

With a sad pout, Zou Yue placed the rat onto his shoulders. “You know, she is going to have kids soon and one of her kids is going to sire my daughter la Trexa, so you can’t be prejudiced against her.”

His mother glanced at his father helplessly. “I don’t know what to say anymore.”

And so Zou Yue won the right for Trexa gran on the table.

The food was delicious. Zou Yue scoffed down bowls of rice in one sitting.

“Slow down,” his father warned him with a frown.

“Let him eat, honey. Look at how thin he looks. Every day he travels to our house and takes care of the repairs,”

“Who told him to? We have hired some men far that exact reason.” his father glared at him. “Don’t strain yourself, brat. Next time you get sick I will just chuck you to the hospital.”

“I won’t get sick,” Zou Yue smirked at him and placed an egg roll in his father’s bowl. “You guys are the ones who should eat and increase your immunity,”

Right after breakfast he got another call from his manager this time he was extremely panicky.

“Yue, they have cancelled your photo shoot for this brand. It looks like higher ups have something to do with it,”

“Oh okay,”

“OKAY? Nothing is okay!!! That was your shoot!! How are they cancel it!!” he range down for a while until he calmed down. “Yue, tell me honestly. Did you offend anyone these recent days?”

“No, I did not even meet anymore. I just silently resting in my home,” Zou Yue mumbled whilst playing with Trexa gran. He tugged at the apple chew toy from her mouth and tossed it a little over a foot.

The rat squealed and ran after it.

“I swear she is like a dog somehow,”

“Hello? Who is a dog? Yue you are not making sense,” his manger shouted from the other side of the line.

“Sorry mu uncle, I was playing with my Trexa gran,” he apologetically whispered.

“Oh, it’s okay…. but Yue…. the shoot. Even our company is being overpowered.” He said apologetically.

“It’s okay, uncle Mu, it’s just a shoot, anyway.” Yue shrugged this matter off.

The phone line went silent. Yue placed it on the table and held his chin. “Everything is weird…. did it change because I’m here? I hope the change is for the good.”