His physiological preference

2:11 a.m.

Qin Yuzheng lay on the sofa, turned over, and faced the wall.

Qin Yuzheng sat up and reached for his phone on the coffee table. The light from the screen made him squint; it was 2:11 AM. At this time, most people would be asleep.

But he can't control it anymore; he needs a solution now.

Beep, beep, beep, beep—

The call was answered on the fifth ring.

"Brother," Qin Yuyan's voice was heavy with sleep, raspy, "Don't you want to check what time it is?"

Qin Yuzheng leaned back on the sofa, holding his phone in one hand and resting the other on his knee, his fingers unconsciously tapping his kneecap.

"Never mind the time," he said, his voice not loud, but urgent, so urgent that his speech was a third faster than usual, "You need to think of a solution for me now."

"What do you want to do? Have you been kidnapped?" Qin Yuyan turned over on the other end, the blanket rustling.

Your sister-in-law is gone.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"...What?" Qin Yuyan's voice became more clear-headed, but still carried a sense of confusion, as if she were dreaming.

"Your sister-in-law," Qin Yuzheng repeated, "is gone."

Qin Yuyan remained silent for three seconds.

"Brother, when did I get a sister-in-law? How come I didn't know?"

Qin Yuzheng didn't respond to that. He switched hands to hold the phone and recounted the events of the previous night in the most concise language: he hadn't dined with her, she had gone out to eat with friends, and her attitude had changed after she returned.

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

Then Qin Yuyan sighed.

"Brother, did you do something wrong to make someone angry?"

"I don't know, it's probably because I didn't have dinner with her," Qin Yuzheng said, his voice carrying an uncertainty that even he himself wasn't used to. He would never say "I don't know" at work, but in this matter, he truly didn't know.

He didn't know what he had done wrong, why she was angry, or how to make amends. This "not knowing" made him feel more troubled than any political game.

"You said it yourself," Qin Yuzheng added, his tone becoming more urgent, "You have to appease your girlfriend promptly when she's angry; the longer you delay, the more serious the problem becomes."

"The problem is," Qin Yuyan said slowly, deliberately trying to provoke Qin Yuzheng, "is she your girlfriend?"

Qin Yuzheng's fingers paused on his knee for a moment.

"Don't worry about that," he said. "Just tell me what to do."

Qin Yuyan sighed on the other end of the line, asking Wuqing, "How did my brother become a love-struck brother?"

She remembered her older brother from when she was little, the one who skipped grades, always came first in exams, and was the "other people's child" that all parents talked about.

Back then, she thought her brother was a superman, capable of anything and fearless of anything. Later, her brother got married and then divorced, and rumors circulated that he was impotent.

His family was worried about him during that time, but he didn't care. His work improved, his power increased, and his promotions were so rapid that they were astonishing.

Everyone says that Qin Yuzheng is a man without any weaknesses; he is not interested in women, not greedy for money, and is impeccable.

The ruthless are unstoppable.

She almost believed it.

"Brother," Qin Yuyan's voice softened, carrying a sense of helplessness and heartache from someone who's been through it all, "Apologize. Apologize humbly. Girls fall for that the most."

"That's it?" Qin Yuzheng frowned.

"That's it. Don't do anything fancy, like buying gifts or sending flowers. It won't work when you're angry. Just honestly apologize to her, say 'I was wrong,' be sincere, speak softly, and make genuine eye contact. Don't explain, don't make excuses, just apologize first."

Qin Yuzheng memorized these points: Apologize. Be humble. Be sincere. Don't explain. Don't make excuses.

"I've got it," he said.

"Brother," Qin Yuyan's voice suddenly turned serious, "Do you really like her?"

Qin Yuzheng held his phone without saying a word.

The living room was quiet, with only the hum of the refrigerator compressor. Most of the city lights outside had dimmed, with only a few office buildings in the distance still glowing faintly.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and a sliver of light squeezed in through the gap, falling onto the floor in a narrow beam.

"Hmm," he said.

One word: unwavering.

Qin Yuyan was silent for a few seconds on the other end. Even her genius brother had this day?

"Then go ahead," she said. "I'll laugh at you if you fail to win over your sister-in-law."

I hung up the phone.

Qin Yuzheng put his phone on the coffee table, leaned back on the sofa, and lay down for a while. Around 2:30, he got up, washed his face, and changed his clothes.

It wasn't pajamas; it was a dark gray polo shirt and a pair of casual pants. After getting dressed and sitting on the sofa, he felt the polo shirt wasn't formal enough, and if she saw it when she opened the door, she might think he wasn't taking her seriously.

He got up and changed into a white shirt, buttoning it all the way up. He looked at himself in the mirror in the entryway and felt it was too formal, like he was going to a meeting.

He stood in front of the mirror for about two minutes, then changed back into a white T-shirt and dark gray casual pants. The simplest of outfits, but it made him look younger.

After changing, he sat down on the sofa instead of lying down. He was afraid he would fall asleep if he lay down, and if she left early, he would miss her.

He sat there, with the strawberry cake he hadn't given away still on the coffee table in front of him.

The pink box was barely visible in the dimly lit living room, but the outline of the bow was still there, with the ribbon hanging down and draped over the edge of the coffee table.

He waited.

The light in the living room changed from dim to bright, from grayish-blue to light gold. The sliver of light peeking through the curtains grew wider and brighter until the entire slit was glowing.

The wall clock ticked round and round, the second hand clicking away as if counting down for him.

7:00. 7:30. 8:00. 8:15.

He kept the door open, waiting for her to come out.

He didn't dare knock on the door, afraid she might still be asleep and he'd wake her. He also didn't dare send a WeChat message, afraid she'd think he wasn't sincere.

An apology carries different weight when said over a screen versus in person. He understood this principle best in his experience in officialdom: what matters is not what is said, but how it is said, where it is said, and in what manner it is said.

He was waiting for an opportunity to meet in person.

8:26.

The door across the street rang.

Qin Yuzheng saw through the crack in the door that it was pulled inward a little, and then a hand reached out from inside the door and pressed the light switch in the corridor.

Yang Zhiyan was wearing a white cotton-linen shirt and a light blue long skirt, and her hair was tied up with a hairpin.

Her complexion wasn't good; there was a faint dark circle under her eyes, indicating she hadn't slept well last night, just like him. Her lips were also paler than usual, without lipstick, and looked a bit dry as she pursed them.