His physiological preference

University alumnus? Mu Chenli, Mu Cheng's cousin, comes from a good family and is also good-looking. They went to the same university.

His mind started racing. Were they close? Had he ever pursued her?

Qin Yuzheng mentally rejected each of his points.

She once said that someone pursued her in college, but she was busy getting scholarships and working part-time, so she never dated.

That was someone else pursuing her, not her dating someone else. But... Qin Yuzheng was still not completely at ease.

"You guys..." Qin Yuzheng was a little nervous and wanted to ask something, but Yang Zhiyan was replying to Jiang Siya's message with her head down and casually said, "Oh, by the way, he's Siya's ex-boyfriend."

Qin Yuzheng's fingers loosened their grip on the steering wheel. Jiang Siya's ex-boyfriend. Not her ex-boyfriend.

Thank goodness.

After replying to the message, Yang Zhiyan looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" Yang Zhiyan asked.

"It's nothing," Qin Yuzheng said, his gaze fixed on the road ahead, a smile playing on his lips.

Upon arriving at Shengshi Tianxi, the two went upstairs and walked to the corridor on the twenty-second floor.

The voice-activated light came on, and Yang Zhiyan walked to her door, took out her key, and opened the door.

She went inside, and Qin Yuzheng followed behind her. He changed his shoes, walked to the sofa in the living room, and sat down.

Yang Zhiyan also came over, sat down next to him, and hugged a cushion.

The two spent a tender night together.

Two days before New Year's Day, Yang Zhiyan received a phone call from her mother.

When the word "Mom" lit up on the screen, she was in her studio finishing the hem of a Xiangyun yarn cheongsam.

With needle and thread in hand, I had just made two stitches when my phone rang.

Yang Zhiyan glanced at it, turned her phone face down on the table, and continued wiring.

After finishing that row of stitches, I picked up my phone again and answered the call.

"Yan Yan, Mom is sick." Yang's mother's voice came from the other end of the line, sounding weak.

"Please send some money to Mom; she needs to see a doctor."

Yang Zhiyan inserted the needle into the syringe and switched hands to hold the phone. "Okay. Send me the bill, and your son and I will each pay half."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone. "Your brother..." Yang's mother's voice trailed off, "...your brother's also short of money lately..."

"That's his business. I'll pay my share as much as I'm owed, but if you want more, there's no way you'll get it."

Yang Zhiyan continued, "You know my boyfriend is no ordinary person. Let's maintain a peaceful relationship. When you get old, I will pay the child support you are entitled to. But if you continue to test my patience, don't blame me for disregarding family ties."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Yang's mother's breathing came through the microphone, heavy and suffocating, as if she didn't know what to say and felt blocked up.

A mumbling sound came from the receiver, but it was impossible to make out what was being said before the call ended.

Yang Zhiyan put her phone back on the table, picked up the needle, and continued stitching.

After Qin Yuzheng almost caused Yang Yaohua to lose her job last time, the Yang family has rarely bothered her.

Yang Zhiyan thought it was fine; if there were no feelings involved, they could just be strangers with blood ties.

On New Year's Eve, Haicheng entered the depths of winter.

The streetlights came on, casting the shadows of the bare branches of the sycamore trees onto the road, like a simple charcoal drawing.

There were more people on the streets than usual, as everyone came out to celebrate the New Year. Restaurants, bars, and hotels were bustling with activity, all preparing to welcome the new year.

Qin Yuzheng said they wanted to spend New Year's Eve together. Yang Zhiyan said, "Are you really that busy? Do you have time?"

Qin Yuzheng said that he had to make time for them no matter what, as this was their first New Year's Eve together, and they would spend every New Year's Eve together from now on.

When Qin Yuzheng called Yang Zhiyan to come to the Jinhao Hotel at nine o'clock, he went there as soon as he finished his work.

Yang Zhiyan sensed his nervousness. Was he plotting something?

Yang Zhiyan stood in front of the mirror for a while before leaving the house. Today she was wearing a burgundy cashmere dress with a low neckline that just revealed her collarbone.

She wore a beige short coat over her clothes and a red cashmere scarf.

She twirled in front of the mirror. Hmm, beautiful, photogenic.

Yang Zhiyan took a taxi to the Jinhao Hotel. The hotel entrance was brightly lit on New Year's Eve, and a row of red lanterns hung on the porch, swaying gently in the night breeze.

The fountain was still spraying water, the water jets changing colors under the illumination of colored lights, red, blue, green, and purple, alternating in rotation.

Yang Zhiyan got out of the car and walked to the hotel entrance. Just as she was about to push the door open and go inside, a voice came from the flower bed on the side.

"Miss Yang."

Yang Zhiyan turned her head. The holly bushes in the flower bed were neatly trimmed, their green color appearing almost black under the night light.

Mo Yunyun stood beside the flower bed, wearing a long black coat with the collar turned up, covering half of her face.

Her hair was draped over her shoulders, the ends swaying slightly in the wind. Her makeup was exquisite, with bright red lipstick on her lips.

He had his hands in his coat pockets, his posture relaxed.

Mo Yunyun had been waiting here for a while. She had received news that Qin Yuzheng would propose tonight.

Yang Zhiyan stopped and looked at her.

"Miss Mo."

Mo Yunyun took two steps forward and stopped about two meters away from her. "Can we talk?"

Yang Zhiyan looked at her without moving. "We have nothing to talk about."

"Don't you want to hear what other people say about Qin Yuzheng?"

Mo Yunyun lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret, "What you see now is just what he wants you to see."

Yang Zhiyan hesitated for a moment, then went with Mo Yunyun to a coffee shop next to the hotel.

The two entered the coffee shop and chose a booth towards the back. Mo Yunyun had her back to the entrance and was facing a bonsai plant.

Yang Zhiyan sat down opposite her.

Mo Yunyun ordered two hot Americanos. When the waiter brought them over, she picked up the cup, took a sip, and then put the cup back on the cup holder. The bottom of the cup hit the porcelain plate with a "tap".

"Don't be fooled by his seemingly perfect image," Mo Yunyun said, her voice filled with anger and resentment. "He's completely incapable. We've been married for two years, and he's never touched me."

Yang Zhiyan thought to herself, "It seems Qin Yuzheng was telling the truth. But he can't do it? He can do it perfectly well."

Yang Zhiyan picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. It was bitter, without sugar.

Yang Zhiyan thought to herself, "If everyone thinks Qin Yuzheng is no good, isn't that a good thing?"

For someone of Qin Yuzheng's status, scandals are the worst thing. The fact that outsiders think he's impotent at least saves him from a lot of unwanted romantic attention.

"Miss Mo, you specifically chose today to come see me just to talk about this?"

Mo Yunyun leaned back in her chair, her hands crossed and resting on the table.

"I just don't want to see you being deceived. He puts on such a good facade to outsiders—gentle, refined, aloof from women, and morally upright. But think about it, a man in his thirties with such excellent qualities in every way, why has he been single for so many years? Why hasn't he gotten married?"

Her gaze fell on Yang Zhiyan's face, filled with a sense of certainty: "Now you know, right?"

Yang Zhiyan put down her cup. "I don't mind."

She said calmly.

Mo Yunyun was stunned for a moment. She had prepared a lot of things to say: her status as Qin Yuzheng's ex-wife, her two-year marriage with him, his impotence, and her grievances and resentment.

But Yang Zhiyan's answer was not in her script.

"You don't mind?"

Yang Zhiyan nodded. "I don't mind."

Mo Yunyun looked shocked. She thought Yang Zhiyan was faking it. How could anyone really not mind?

Her marriage to Qin Yuzheng was a political alliance, but they still needed to have a child to solidify their relationship.

Moreover, given their status, they are under the spotlight, and their every move is being secretly watched, with people waiting for an opportunity to bring them down.

Therefore, it was impossible for them to live separate lives after marriage. Mo Yunyun couldn't bear to live a life of widowhood, which is why she insisted on getting a divorce.

Mo Yunyun was just unwilling to accept it; such an outstanding man should have been hers.

Actually, she didn't suffer any loss, and neither did the Mo family.

Back then, Qin Yuzheng not only left with nothing, but also gave half of his premarital property to Mo Yunyun.

As for the Mo family, Qin Yuzheng's sense of guilt can be described as his full support for the Mo family.

So, besides Qin Yuzheng, Mo Yunyun's brother Mo Zhenlin also rose through the ranks at a meteoric pace.

However, Mo Zhenlin's abilities are indeed lacking; even with such high praise, he still won't achieve much.

Mo Yunyun lived a carefree life with the money for quite some time, but later she never met anyone as outstanding and generous as Qin Yuzheng.

So she felt a little resentful and a little regretful. Actually, that kind of thing wasn't unbearable; she could just secretly keep one as a pet.

But now Yang Zhiyan doesn't seem to care.

Mo Yunyun picked up her coffee cup, took a big gulp, and turned to look at it from another angle. "So you're after Qin Yuzheng's money?"