His physiological preference

"A woman?" Li Fengxia's voice rose half an octave, then fell back down, her smile softening as she adjusted it.

"Zhiyan, you're twenty-five now. It's perfectly normal to date and get married. You're not an eighteen-year-old minor anymore, there's nothing to hide. We all hope you find a good partner."

Yang Zhiyan looked at her sister-in-law's smiling face and wondered what kind of mischief she was up to now.

"Really, no," Yang Zhiyan said, with an attitude of "believe it or not." "Sister-in-law, I'm tired, I'm going upstairs first."

Without waiting for Li Fengxia to speak again, she turned and walked into the building. The access control door clicked shut behind her.

Li Fengxia stood downstairs, staring at the closed door, her lips pressed into a thin line. She turned and walked back to Yang Yaohua's side, letting out a snort through her nose.

"Hmph, they haven't even gotten close yet, and they're already acting like complete idiots."

Yang Yaohua threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it out with the toe of his shoe. The sparks struggled for a moment on the cement floor before going out, leaving a small circle of charred marks.

"Who cares if she can get ahead of him or not," he said, his voice low but with a confident calculation in it. "It would be better if she could, then the bride price would be higher."

Li Fengxia glanced at him, and the corners of her mouth slowly turned up. The two smiled at each other under the streetlights, their minds racing with calculations.

---

Shengshi Tianxi. One of the best locations in Haicheng.

The municipal government is just two blocks away, and the surrounding area is full of high-end shopping malls and office buildings.

Standing at the entrance of the residential area and looking south, you can see the red flag on the top of the municipal government building, fluttering in the afternoon sun at three o'clock.

Looking north, you see the continuous greenery of Binjiang Park, with the river surface appearing and disappearing among the trees like a silver-gray ribbon.

Yang Zhiyan stood at the entrance of the residential compound, holding her phone in her hand. The screen showed the location sent by Grandma Qin.

She looked up at the gate in front of her. It was made of wrought iron, black, and carved with intricate intertwined floral patterns. Two wall lamps were embedded in the gateposts, their brass shades gleaming subtly in the sunlight.

The security guard at the entrance wore a white uniform and a peaked cap, stood ramrod straight, and looked at people with a well-trained politeness, neither servile nor arrogant.

She glanced down at her clothes: a light blue cotton-linen shirt, ordinary jeans, and canvas shoes.

She suddenly felt out of place in this place.

Can she afford to rent this location, this neighborhood, and the security guard standing at the entrance?

A short while later, Grandma Qin sent a message.

Zhiyan, I've arrived. Where are you?

Yang Zhiyan quickly replied: Grandma Qin, I'm right at the door.

She looked up, her gaze sweeping around the entrance of the residential complex. A black sedan was slowly driving up from the underground parking garage exit; its license plate was black, not a regular blue one.

The car stopped briefly at the entrance, and the window rolled down.

It's not Grandma Qin.

A man wearing sunglasses nodded to the security guard, who immediately let him through, and the car drove off.

Yang Zhiyan moved aside and stood under the eaves of the guardhouse.

The May sun was already quite scorching, burning her arms. She put her hands behind her back and wiped them on her shirt, a thin layer of sweat appearing on the back of her hands.

"Zhiyan"

A familiar voice came from inside the residential area.

Yang Zhiyan turned her head.

Grandma Qin walked out of the residential compound with graceful and composed steps.

Today she wore a champagne-colored silk top, paired with white wide-leg pants and low-cut flat shoes embroidered with a few simple flowers.

Her hair was still the same, neatly tied up, and she wore a pair of pearl earrings with a beautiful luster that shimmered with a faint iridescence in the sunlight.

She was carrying a canvas bag in her left hand, which was bulging with something inside. In her right hand, she held up her phone, waved it at Yang Zhiyan, and walked over with a smile.

"Have you been waiting long?" Grandma Qin walked up to Yang Zhiyan, looked her up and down, and lingered for a moment on the brooch on her cuff. She didn't say anything, but her smile deepened.

"No, no, I just arrived a little while ago." Yang Zhiyan quickly went up to her, "Grandma Qin, you look so beautiful today."

Grandma Qin laughed out loud at her praise and patted the back of her hand: "You sweet-talking child."

The two walked side by side into the residential compound. The security guard saw Grandma Qin, immediately stood up straight, and nodded slightly: "Madam Qin."

Grandma Qin nodded, said nothing more, and led Yang Zhiyan through the door by swiping her card.

As soon as Yang Zhiyan entered the residential area, she was stunned.

She had seen upscale residential areas before, but never one this beautiful.

Directly opposite the main entrance is a central water feature. The fountain sprays fine mist under the sunlight, and the water droplets disperse in the air, refracting into tiny rainbows.

The water was crystal clear, and the mosaic at the bottom formed an abstract pattern. She didn't recognize what it was, but she thought it was beautiful.

Two rows of ginkgo trees are planted on both sides of the water feature. The trees have thick trunks and lush foliage. In May, the ginkgo leaves are still tender green and rustle in the wind.

Further in, there was a wide lawn. The lawn was neatly trimmed, like a green velvet carpet spread between the buildings.

There were several white wrought iron benches in the middle of the lawn. No one was sitting on them at the moment, and the sunlight shone on the benches, making them shine brightly.

At the end of the lawn stands a row of high-rise residential buildings, their facades a mix of light gray and white, with clean, simple lines and no superfluous decorations, yet every proportion is just right, making them pleasing to the eye.

"Grandma Qin, this neighborhood is so beautiful," Yang Zhiyan couldn't help but say.

Grandma Qin walked beside her. Hearing this, the corners of her mouth curved slightly, her tone indifferent:

"The landscaping is alright, and the property management is fairly responsible." She paused, then added.

"Since you live alone, safety is the most important thing. There are security guards patrolling 24 hours a day, and you need to swipe a card to enter and exit. Outsiders can only enter after registering."

Yang Zhiyan nodded, but in her mind she was calculating how much the rent would be for such a location, such property, and such an environment.

They walked to the building entrance. The elevator lobby was spacious, with dark gray marble floors that were polished to a shine. An oil painting hung on the wall, an abstract patchwork of colors; she couldn't understand it, but she thought the color scheme was beautiful.

The elevator uses a card to go to the floor. Grandma Qin took out a card from her canvas bag, touched it to the sensor area, and with a "beep", the elevator door opened.

"Which floor?" Yang Zhiyan asked.

"Twenty-two." Grandma Qin pressed the floor button, and the elevator doors slowly closed.

The elevator was very stable when it went up, and you could hardly feel it; you could only see the floor numbers jumping one by one.

Yang Zhiyan stood half a step behind Grandma Qin, looking at the old woman's straight back and gray hair. She remembered what Teacher Mu had said: Grandma Qin was a beauty when she was young, and she was a dignified old lady when she was old.

Ding.

We've arrived at the 22nd floor.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a short corridor. There were two apartments per floor, with a door on each side. Grandma Qin walked to the left-hand door, took out a key from her canvas bag, inserted it into the lock, and turned it twice.

The door opened.

"Come in and take a look." Grandma Qin stepped aside.

Yang Zhiyan walked in, stopped in the entryway, and gazed from the doorway all the way to the floor-to-ceiling windows at the end of the living room.

The house has three bedrooms and two living rooms. The living room is very large, with a full-length south-facing wall of glass windows that let in plenty of sunlight, making the entire living room bright and airy.

The wooden floor is light oak, and it should feel very comfortable to walk on barefoot.

The sofa is a gray and white fabric sofa with a simple design and clean lines. The coffee table is made of natural wood and is completely empty.

The kitchen is open-plan, with white cabinets, a gray countertop, and all the necessary appliances. The stove still has a protective film on it.

The faucet was a pull-out type, brass in color. Yang Zhiyan couldn't help but reach out and touch it. It was cool, and the metallic texture came up from her fingertips, icy cold.

There are three bedrooms. The master bedroom is the largest, with a private bathroom and a small balcony. From the balcony, you can see the greenery of Binjiang Park and the occasional boat passing by on the river in the distance.

The second bedroom is smaller, but it can still fit a 1.5-meter bed and a wardrobe.

There was another room, not very big, but with a large south-facing window that was excessively bright. The sunlight shone on the bare floor, making the wood grain as clear as a painting.