His physiological preference

This week, given Yang Zhiyan's busy and tired state, Qin Yuzheng kept his comments brief.

Every night he would hold her as they slept, his hands on her waist, his lips pressed against the back of her neck, his breath brushing against her skin.

He reacted, but did not move.

He held back. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't bear to disturb her.

She wakes up around 7 a.m. every day, and when she gets back at night, she still has to draw. Sometimes she draws until 11 or 12 p.m., and then falls asleep on the table with her pen still in her hand.

He took the pen from her hand, picked her up from the chair and put her on the bed. She turned over and continued to sleep, muttering, "Let me finish this drawing."

He covered her with the blanket and kissed her on the forehead.

Tomorrow is Saturday. And Qin Yuzheng has to go back on Sunday. There's a ton of work piling up at the office, and there's a meeting on Monday to make decisions.

He couldn't possibly stay in Beijing for a month; a week would be the limit.

On Friday night, Qin Yuzheng was about to put his meat-eating plan into action.

He had been waiting for a week. From Monday to Friday, from day to night, from when she was asleep to when she woke up. He couldn't wait any longer.

On Friday afternoon, Qin Yuzheng arrived at the training base early. He parked his car under a ginkgo tree and waited inside.

The car window was rolled down halfway, and the wind rushed in from outside, carrying the astringent smell of ginkgo leaves and the sweet aroma of roasted chestnuts from afar.

He glanced at the passenger seat, where a bouquet of white lisianthus flowers sat, wrapped in light-colored paper and tied with a ribbon of the same color.

He bought the flowers that morning at a flower shop in Beijing, where he spent a long time choosing them.

He didn't know what lisianthus was before; Yang Zhiyan told him. She said the flower language of lisianthus is "unchanging love," and he remembered it.

When Yang Zhiyan came out of the teaching building, she immediately saw the car parked under the ginkgo tree.

Yang Zhiyan ran over with a smile, opened the car door, paused for a moment when she saw the flowers on the passenger seat, then picked them up and smelled them.

The fragrance of lisianthus is subtle and pleasant.

"What day is it today?" she asked.

Qin Yuzheng started the car, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"Friday," Qin Yuzheng said.

Yang Zhiyan smiled, holding the flowers. For them, Friday was a good day.

There's no training tomorrow, so we can stay up late tonight, watch a movie together, or just lounge on the sofa and do nothing.

She had no idea what Qin Yuzheng was thinking.

Dinner was at a Huaiyang cuisine restaurant. It was located in the southern part of the city. Inside, there was a courtyard with a clump of bamboo growing in it. When the wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled.

The dishes were exquisitely prepared; each dish was like a painting.

Qin Yuzheng placed a piece of braised crab meat lion's head into her bowl. Yang Zhiyan took a bite, and the meat was tender. The umami flavor of the crab meat melted in her mouth, and her eyes lit up.

"Is it delicious?" Qin Yuzheng asked.

Yang Zhiyan nodded, still chewing, unable to speak.

She always eats like this; when she's eating something delicious, she doesn't say a word, her eyes are bright, her cheeks are puffed out—it's so cute it's almost unfair.

Qin Yuzheng looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, and then placed another piece of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish on her plate.

Halfway through the meal, Qin Yuzheng took a small box out of his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of her.

A dark blue velvet box, square in shape.

Yang Zhiyan put down her chopsticks, glanced at him, and opened the box.

Inside was a necklace with a gold chain and a four-leaf clover pendant. A tiny diamond was set in the petals, sparkling under the restaurant lights.

Two characters were engraved on the back of the pendant. She looked closely and saw that they read "Zhiyan".

Yang Zhiyan held the box, looking at the necklace inside, feeling happy and pleased.

"Help me put it on." She handed him the box, turned around, and lifted her hair to reveal a section of her fair neck.

Qin Yuzheng took the necklace out of the box, put it around her neck, and fastened the clasp.

Her body trembled slightly and rippled when his fingers touched the skin on the back of her neck.

"Okay," he said. Yang Zhiyan lowered her head and touched the pendant below her collarbone.

Golden, cool, smooth. Her fingers paused on the pendant for a moment.

"Qin Yuzheng, you've been wearing flowers and necklaces lately," she looked up at him, "have you done something to betray me?"

Qin Yuzheng looked at her. "No." His expression was serious, frank, and clear-headed.

Yang Zhiyan stopped laughing, lowered her head, and touched the pendant again.

"Thank you," she said.

After finishing their meal, just as the two were about to leave, Qin Yuzheng's phone rang.

Liu Minlan. He answered the phone, and Liu Minlan's voice came from the other end.

"Ah Zheng, we're at the Kyoto Club. Bring your sister-in-law along. Yi Jun is here too."

Qin Yuzheng glanced at Yang Zhiyan.

"Would you like to come over for a chat? Sister-in-law Yijun is here too." Yang Zhiyan thought for a moment and nodded.

She really enjoyed chatting with Zhou Yijun. Last time they had dinner, they talked a lot. Zhou Yijun told her about Beijing, and she told Zhou Yijun about cheongsam design. Neither of them knew anything about the other's field, but they got along very well.

When they arrived at the club, Liu Minlan and Zhou Yijun were already in a private room.

The sofa was made of dark brown leather, and there were several plates of dried fruit and fresh fruit on the coffee table. The lighting was warm yellow and not glaring.

Qin Yuzheng sat down next to Liu Minlan, and Yang Zhiyan sat next to Zhou Yijun.

There were a few other people, and after introductions, we chatted together.

Yang Zhiyan chose a glass of low-alcohol fruit wine. It was pink, sweet, and tasted more like fruit juice than alcohol.

She took two sips, found it delicious, and took two more. Qin Yuzheng and Liu Minlan drank a few glasses and chatted about things in Beijing.

When Qin Yuzheng was drinking his second cup, Liu Minlan poured him a third cup, which he covered with his hand.

"I'm not drinking anymore."

Liu Minlan glanced at him, a meaningful, unspoken smile playing on her lips.

"Okay, I won't drink anymore." He put down the bottle. Qin Yuzheng had something to do tonight and couldn't drink too much.

Qin Yuzheng kept the important matters in mind.

Yang Zhiyan sat down next to her, holding the glass of fruit wine in her hand, and took another sip.

Her face was already flushed, a light pink hue from her cheekbones to her earlobes, like the first peach blossom to bloom in spring.

Her eyes sparkled, and her gaze unconsciously drifted to Qin Yuzheng's face. Feeling embarrassed, she looked away from him.

She has a low alcohol tolerance; a glass of low-alcohol fruit wine is enough to make her slightly tipsy.

Around 10 o'clock, Qin Yuzheng made an excuse and left.

Neither Liu Minlan nor Zhou Yijun tried to stop her. Zhou Yijun stood up, helped Yang Zhiyan up, and said, "Go back and rest early."

The driver was already waiting at the door. Both of them had been drinking, and Qin Yuzheng called the driver.

The car entered the main road, and the night view of Beijing flashed past the car window. Yang Zhiyan leaned on Qin Yuzheng's shoulder, her head tilted to the side, her eyes half-closed.

Her face was flushed, her lips were red, and her breath smelled sweet like fruit wine.

"Baby." Qin Yuzheng's voice was very low.

"Mmm." Yang Zhiyan's voice was even softer.

He didn't say anything, but lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

Yang Zhiyan's eyelashes trembled, but she didn't open her eyes. The driver saw this in the rearview mirror, looked away, and focused on the road ahead.

Back at the small building, the driver parked the car and drove away. Qin Yuzheng opened the car door, bent down, and lifted Yang Zhiyan from the seat.

She nestled softly in his arms, her hand on his shoulder, her eyes closed, her breathing long and even; it was hard to tell if she was truly asleep or just pretending.

Qin Yuzheng carried her to the door, entered the password, and the door opened. He went inside and closed the door with his foot.