His physiological preference

"But he's very good to me," Qin Yuyan said with pride. Fortunately, with Qin Yuzheng's support, she was able to do what she loved.

Otherwise, she would only be a seemingly glamorous young lady, but in reality, a tool for family marriage alliances.

If you're lucky, you'll marry someone who treats you with respect; if you're unlucky, you'll marry a scumbag and suffer for the rest of your life.

"When I decided to pursue scientific research, everyone in my family opposed it, except for him."

Yang Zhiyan listened without saying a word. She held the teacup, her fingers slowly circling the inside of the cup.

She felt she understood this man a little bit more now.

After the meal, Qin Yuyan quickly left, quite tactfully. She knew her brother and sister-in-law had finally managed to meet, but her brother was flying back to Haicheng, and her sister-in-law needed to continue her training.

She can't be a third wheel.

Yang Zhiyan and Qin Yuzheng walked slowly along the alley.

The night breeze in Beijing was cool, blowing against my face, carrying the astringent taste of ginkgo leaves and the sweet aroma of roasted chestnuts from afar.

Yang Zhiyan was wearing Qin Yuzheng's coat, the sleeves of which were a bit too long. She rolled up the cuffs twice, revealing her fingers.

Qin Yuzheng held her hand; her hand was small and cool in his palm.

"Want to go shopping?" Qin Yuzheng asked. Yang Zhiyan nodded.

The mall wasn't far, only a ten-minute walk. The two of them strolled around aimlessly.

Yang Zhiyan paused in front of a jewelry store, looked at the earrings displayed in the window, and then walked away.

Seeing that she liked it, Qin Yuzheng pulled Yang Zhiyan inside, bought the earrings, and gave them to her.

Around 8 PM, Yang Zhiyan slowed down. Qin Yuzheng knew she was tired.

She spent the whole day drawing, and then went out for dinner and shopping in the evening. She didn't say she was tired, but her pace slowed down.

"Let's go back," Qin Yuzheng said.

Yang Zhiyan shook her head. "I'll take you to the airport."

"No need." Qin Yuzheng stopped, turned around, and held her hands in his palms.

"I'll take you home first, then I'll go to the airport. If you take me there, it'll be late at night, and I'll have to worry about you."

Yang Zhiyan nodded.

The car was parked at the entrance. Qin Yuzheng turned off the engine but didn't get out.

He turned to look at her; her profile was illuminated by the streetlight, and her eyelashes cast a small fan-shaped shadow beneath her eyelids.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, giving her a hug.

The hug was short. I let go of her and kissed her on the forehead.

I'll message you when I arrive.

Yang Zhiyan nodded. She pushed open the car door and got out. After taking two steps, she turned back.

Qin Yuzheng sat in the driver's seat, the window rolled down halfway, his hand resting on the window as he looked at her.

She smiled at him, then turned and left.

She went inside. The persimmon tree stood quietly under the streetlights, but one persimmon was missing from its branches; she didn't know if it had been blown away by the wind or pecked by a bird.

She walked to the door, entered the password, and the door opened. The entryway light came on, she changed her shoes, and went inside.

The living room was empty, and the cushions on the sofa still retained the shape that Qin Yuzheng had leaned against that afternoon.

There were a few lilies in a vase on the coffee table. He had bought them yesterday. The petals were still open and the fragrance was faint.

Yang Zhiyan sat down on the sofa, hugged the cushion he had leaned against, and buried her face in it. His scent still lingered on it.

As the night drew to a close, Yang Zhiyan received a message from Qin Yuzheng.

"We've arrived. Sleep well, baby. Goodnight."

Yang Zhiyan heard her phone vibrate and instinctively reached out to touch the spot next to her; it was cold. She withdrew her hand and placed it on her chest.

After glancing at the message, I fell asleep peacefully again.

She didn't reply. If she did, Qin Yuzheng would definitely scold her for not sleeping so late.

She closed her eyes, turned over, and faced the window. He said he'd come to see her on Friday. Five more days.

Qin Yuzheng called on Monday morning.

Good morning, baby.

"Remember to eat breakfast," his voice came through the microphone, filled with concern.

Yang Zhiyan held the phone to her ear, listening to his breathing. "Yes, you should eat breakfast too."

"Okay." Qin Yuzheng paused for a moment, "Baby."

"Um?"

Friday will be here soon.

Yang Zhiyan held her phone without saying a word.

For the next two weeks, the two of them lived their lives in a tacit rhythm.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Yang Zhiyan's message appeared on Qin Yuzheng's phone on time: "Good morning."

Sometimes it's a sentence, sometimes it's a photograph.

I took pictures of the ginkgo trees outside the window, the crowds in the subway, and the steaming soy milk on the breakfast cart.

Qin Yuzheng sometimes replies instantly, and sometimes he takes a while to reply.

But he will definitely reply, even if it's just a single word.

At noon, Yang Zhiyan ate lunch in the training base's canteen and sent a picture of her plate.

Qin Yuzheng zoomed in to see what she had eaten that day, sometimes replying, "Too vegetarian, eat more meat," and sometimes, "That chicken wing looks good."

Yang Zhiyan returned his smiley face. That evening was their time for a phone call.

We don't necessarily chat for very long; sometimes it's ten minutes, sometimes it's half an hour.

They chatted about what she learned that day, what meetings he attended, and other trivial, unrelated things that neither of them wanted to leave behind.

Fang Yibin recently noticed that his boss has changed.

In the past, when Qin Yuzheng held meetings, he would put his phone on silent, face down on the table, and wouldn't touch it once during the entire meeting.

He's still muted, still face down on the table, but his gaze keeps glancing in that direction.

During a long meeting, he took a five-minute break, picked up his phone, opened WeChat, glanced at it, and couldn't hide his happy expression.

Fang Yibin once brought in some documents and saw Qin Yuzheng leaning back in his chair, smiling radiantly at his phone.

Fang Yibin stood at the door, unsure whether to go in or back out.

Having followed Qin Yuzheng for so many years, he was used to the leader's serious and solemn demeanor.

Lately, my boss has been constantly staring at his phone and smiling to himself. Fang Yibin finds this very unsettling, and sometimes even feels like his boss has been possessed.

Fang Yibin tiptoed out and closed the door behind him.

It's not that he's mentally strong enough; he just has nightmares at night.

The training was still ongoing. To avoid making Qin Yuzheng jealous, Yang Zhiyan deliberately kept her distance from Xu Yun.

It's not about distancing ourselves, it's about maintaining a proper distance.

They used to occasionally have lunch together, but now it's more often with Su Wan, and Xu Yun sometimes joins in and sometimes doesn't.

They used to discuss design drafts together after class, but now she asks Su Wan first, "Do you want to join?" Su Wan agrees, and the three of them go together.

Su Wan said she was busy, so she figured it out herself or sent a message to Teacher Mu for help.

Xu Yun noticed this change. He didn't ask, he didn't say anything, but when the three of them discussed things together, he spoke less than before.

Su Wan noticed it too, but she didn't say anything.