His physiological preference

When Yang Zhiyan got home that evening, she told Qin Yuzheng about it.

She leaned on his shoulder, her tone calm, but Qin Yuzheng could sense her low spirits.

"He called and said he would be back in two days, but it took him half a month to arrive. As soon as he arrived, he started arguing with his master, saying that his master had no relatives or friends and that I wasn't sincere and that I only wanted his master's studio."

Yang Zhiyan hugged Qin Yuzheng and said somewhat indignantly, "He doesn't understand Master at all, nor does he understand me."

Qin Yuzheng listened without speaking immediately. He gently stroked her back. Then he spoke. "And you are, aren't you?"

Yang Zhiyan said, "Of course not." Her tone was firm. "I have a clear conscience."

"That settles it. Just live with a clear conscience; what others say doesn't matter. Don't let someone's words affect your mood."

Qin Yuzheng made Yang Zhiyan face him, "Think about it, if someone insults you and you're in a bad mood all day, isn't that the same as them insulting you all day?"

Yang Zhiyan looked at him and blinked.

Qin Yuzheng continued, "Others' opinions of you are just their views, not facts. Since they are not facts, why bother caring about them?"

Yang Zhiyan looked at him, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

As she stepped back, her eyes shone with admiration. "What you said makes so much sense."

Qin Yuzheng was even happier when she kissed him. He slid his fingers from her back to her waist and gently pinched it.

"Not bad, not bad, you know how to give me a real reward now." He lowered his head, his lips brushing against her earlobe, his voice low, filled with laughter and warmth.

"I will teach you everything I know so that you will be rewarded."

His lips moved from her earlobe to the corner of her mouth and kissed her.

"Baby, I'll teach you a new position tonight, okay?"

Yang Zhiyan blushed. Her hand gripped the shirt at his chest.

"Why do you keep thinking about this all the time...?"

"It's all because the baby is too tempting."

"There's new knowledge every day," Qin Yuzheng's voice came from her lips. "Learning is endless, and I will teach my baby with all my heart."

Yang Zhiyan wanted to say something, but she didn't get the chance. His lips sealed hers.

The night outside the window was quiet. The branches of the crabapple tree stretched out in the moonlight, casting shadows on the curtains that swayed gently.

Although Yang Zhiyan didn't care about Cen Liyu's words, she seriously considered whether her behavior might cause misunderstandings for others.

During Teacher Mu's hospitalization, she was busy handling studio affairs, running back and forth between the hospital and the studio, making decisions, signing documents, and arranging work for Teacher Mu.

She did these things as if it were her duty, but she never considered whether Teacher Mu needed her to do them.

So Yang Zhiyan began to adjust herself. Every time she visited Teacher Mu, in addition to bringing soup and fruit, she would also bring a briefing from the studio, a few pages of handwritten notes listing the week's order status, customer feedback, fabric delivery progress, and the work status of new employees.

She sat on the edge of the bed and read the sentences aloud to Teacher Mu, one by one. After she finished, she asked, "Master, do you think this approach is acceptable?"

Teacher Mu leaned against the headboard, looking at the several pages of paper filled with writing in her hand. After a while, she reached out and took Yang Zhiyan's hand.

"Yan Yan," her voice was steady, "I know you've had a tough time lately."

Yang Zhiyan wanted to say something, but Teacher Mu didn't give her a chance.

"From now on, the studio will definitely be managed by you. You don't need to ask me about every little thing. You can decide on the small things yourself, and only come to me to discuss the big things that you can't make up your mind about."

Yang Zhiyan held Teacher Mu's hand, "But Master..."

"You really love cheongsams." Teacher Mu interrupted her, her gaze fixed on her face, gentle yet firm.

"I know you're talented too. I don't feel comfortable handing Mufei Studio over to anyone else. I can only feel at ease when it's in your hands."

Yang Zhiyan's throat tightened. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

"Master, I will continue to manage the studio. But you don't need to say anything else."

Teacher Mu looked at her for a while, then released her hand, picked up the soup bowl from the bedside table, and took a sip.

They drank the soup very slowly, and both master and apprentice understood.

Cen Liyu stayed in Haicheng for a week.

He visited Teacher Mu several times, each time in the afternoon, sitting in the ward, with Teacher Mu separated by the head of the bed.

One time when Cen Liyu came, Yang Zhiyan happened to be there. He stood at the door of the ward, glanced at Yang Zhiyan, and then said:

"Ms. Yang, let's have a meal together. Thank you for taking care of my mother during this time."

The tone was very polite. If Yang Zhiyan hadn't heard those words, she would have thought that Teacher Mu's son was quite nice.

Unfortunately, she overheard it.

Yang Zhiyan was peeling an apple, the knife never stopping, the apple peel forming a thin, long line.

"No need," she said, glancing up at him before continuing to peel the fruit.

"I take care of Teacher Mu because she's kind to me. It has nothing to do with you. We're not close, and I wouldn't feel comfortable eating with her. If you truly care about Teacher Mu, spend more time with her."

After she finished speaking, she cut the peeled apple into small pieces, put them in a bowl, and pushed it in front of Teacher Mu.

Cen Liyu stood at the door, watching Yang Zhiyan cut the apple with her head down, and then watched Teacher Mu reach out to take the apple slices, without saying anything more.

Two days later, Cen Liyu used the excuse of being busy with work there to book a plane ticket and return to Country E.

As the year draws to a close, Haicheng has entered the depths of winter.

The wind in December is hard and dry.

Qin Yuzheng became increasingly busy, with various year-end summary meetings, performance evaluation reports, and social engagements that he had to attend.

Sometimes when Yang Zhiyan woke up in the morning, he had already left, leaving only a note on the bedside table that read, "Breakfast is in the kitchen, I won't be back for dinner."

Sometimes he would come home late at night, and she would sit on the sofa waiting for him. She would fall asleep while waiting, and when she woke up, she would find that she didn't know when she had been carried to bed, covered with a blanket, the curtains were drawn, and there was a glass of warm water on the bedside table.

Yang Zhiyan was also busy. With a surge of high-end custom orders at the end of the year, plus the last wave of clients before the New Year holiday, she stayed in the studio until dark every day. Even after returning home, she still had to draw, reply to client messages, and handle the work arrangements for the next day.

Teacher Mu is still undergoing rehabilitation training. She goes to the hospital every other day, and sometimes she brings design drafts to show Teacher Mu.

Teacher Mu is recovering well.

Qin Yuzheng did not propose a second time. Ever since that night in the living room in Beijing when he knelt on one knee and the phone rang at the most inopportune moment, he seemed to have forgotten about it.

He never mentioned it again, offered no explanation, made no further preparations, and never took out the ring again on a quiet night.

On Saturday evening, Yang Zhiyan, who rarely had any free time, invited Jiang Siya out for dinner.

The two met at a hot pot restaurant. When the charcoal-fired copper pot was served, the red oil was bubbling on the soup noodles, and the steam rose up, obscuring the glass window.

Jiang Siya took off her coat, revealing a ginger-yellow sweater underneath, which made her complexion look rosy.

She placed her phone face down on the table, picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of tripe, dipped it in the pot, and put it in her mouth after a few quick dips.

"I've been incredibly busy this month."

She chewed on tripe and mumbled, "At least I can catch my breath today."