His physiological preference

He said, "Zhiyan, I like you." She remembered it. She heard those four words many times, and her heart would race every time she heard them.

He's such a good person. But is his goodness built on deception? Why didn't he tell her?

If she had known from the beginning, she probably wouldn't have agreed to be his girlfriend so quickly.

She might hesitate, she might back down, she might spend more time thinking about what the word "second marriage" means.

But she thought she would still fall for it. How could someone who has never tasted candy not fall in love with the person who gave them it when someone suddenly gives them a piece of candy?

The taxi stopped at the entrance of Shengshi Tianxi. Yang Zhiyan paid the fare, opened the car door, and walked into the residential area.

The elevator's journey from the first floor to the twenty-second floor was very short, so short that she didn't even have time to sort out the jumbled thoughts in her mind before the elevator doors opened.

The motion-activated lights in the hallway came on. She saw Qin Yuzheng standing at her door, leaning against the wall next to it.

The shirt was the same one from the daytime, but it was much more wrinkled, as if someone had squeezed it and then let it go.

One button was undone at the collar, revealing a small patch of skin below the collarbone, which appeared somewhat pale under the corridor lights.

His hair was a bit messy, with a few strands hanging down his forehead, and he looked dejected, a far cry from his usual spirited self.

He stood there, waiting for an unknown amount of time. Hearing the elevator, he turned around.

His eyes lit up when his gaze fell on her.

"Baby." His voice was hoarse and hesitant.

In fact, Qin Yuzheng stood alone in the corridor, facing the closed door, for several hours, repeatedly pondering in his heart how to obtain forgiveness.

Yang Zhiyan looked at him. Her fingers slowly tightened on the bag strap.

She ignored Qin Yuzheng. Her neglect hurt Qin Yuzheng even more.

"Baby, I'm sorry." He walked over, stood in front of her, reached out, and took her arm.

Yang Zhiyan looked down at his hands, which were long and slender with distinct knuckles and neatly trimmed nails.

These hands have helped her set up shelves, wiped her mouth, and fastened her bracelet.

She didn't shake him off, but her eyes turned icy. Qin Yuzheng felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze.

His fingers slowly loosened, like a wronged big dog timidly not daring to provoke its owner.

"Please let me explain," he pleaded. "Please give me another chance."

Yang Zhiyan looked at him.

"Fine," Yang Zhiyan said, "then I'll reluctantly listen to your sophistry."

Qin Yuzheng was stunned for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she was willing to listen to his explanation, there was still a chance. His only fear was that she would ignore him; that would be truly terrible.

Yang Zhiyan opened the door and went inside. Qin Yuzheng followed behind, and when they reached the entrance, he naturally bent down to pick up his personal slippers.

As I entered the living room, Yang Zhiyan's voice came from over there. "Sit over there."

Yang Zhiyan pointed to the single sofa in the living room and sat down at one end of the sofa.

Qin Yuzheng looked at the single sofa, then at her.

When he used to come, he would sit next to her, shoulder to shoulder, arm to arm.

The two of them were now quite far apart, and Qin Yuzheng wanted to sit next to her, to hug her and kiss her.

But now... he doesn't dare.

Yang Zhiyan leaned back on the sofa, sitting upright. The first time he was deceived, he had to handle it properly, otherwise he would not take it seriously again and would repeat the same trick.

She didn't dare let him sit too close, afraid that if he got close, hugged her, or kissed her, she would soften her heart.

If you soften your heart, you'll forgive. And if you forgive, he'll lie to you again next time. Men are inherently flawed; they don't cherish what they get too easily.

Qin Yuzheng sat on a single sofa with his hands on his knees, his posture as upright as if he were being interviewed by the organization.

He took a deep breath and began to speak. He said the marriage was a political alliance, discussed by both families like a business deal.

He said he didn't care about marriage at the time and felt it was a good deal to maximize his resources by having a marriage he didn't care about.

He said there was no affection between him and Mo Yunyun, and they did not live together after marriage. He said Mo Yunyun later filed for divorce, and he gave her all the marital property, leaving with nothing.

Everything he said was true. He spoke in a calm tone, as if he were reading a report.

Yang Zhiyan listened quietly. She was holding a cushion in her arms, resting her chin on it, her gaze fixed on his face, without interrupting him.

She noticed that when he mentioned Mo Yunyun, his tone was flat, as if he were talking about an unrelated person.

There was no nostalgia, no regret, no superfluous emotion in his eyes.

He was simply stating a fact. She believed him. Not because he spoke sweetly, but because of his eyes. Those eyes couldn't act.

"Do you have children?" Yang Zhiyan asked.

Qin Yuzheng shook his head, very quickly.

"No." Then he added, "We were never together; it was purely a political marriage."

Yang Zhiyan looked into his eyes. His gaze was unwavering and unblinking.

"Will you need a political marriage in the future?" she asked.

Qin Yuzheng sat up straight. "No." His voice was solemn. "I've done one stupid thing, and that's enough. I have someone I love now, and the only person I'll marry is you."

Yang Zhiyan's fingers slowly clenched on the cushion. The only person I will marry is you.

She needed time to process what she had just said. Yang Zhiyan didn't respond, but continued to ask.

I asked him many questions about his work, his life, and his past. Some questions were direct, while others were more roundabout.

He answered each question without evasion or hesitation. Yang Zhiyan was fairly satisfied with his answers, but she wasn't going to let him off so easily. The saying "what is too easily obtained is not cherished" is indeed true.

"Qin Yuzheng," she concluded, her voice soft and calm, "I only now have a little understanding of you. But the deception you gave me still haunts me."

Qin Yuzheng's heart skipped a beat. "Baby, do you still want to break up with me? No way!"

"You are excellent and very capable," Yang Zhiyan said calmly, "but that doesn't mean I'm inferior to you."

Qin Yuzheng shook his head, his shake resolute. "Of course not. You are also very outstanding, and I have always treated you as an equal to me."

Yang Zhiyan looked at him. "No, you didn't."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it struck a chord with Qin Yuzheng: "If you had, you wouldn't have lied to me."

Qin Yuzheng was used to strategizing in the officialdom, and although he liked Yang Zhiyan very much and was willing to accommodate her in everything.

However, it cannot be denied that in Qin Yuzheng's heart, he still felt that he was the one in control of the relationship with Yang Zhiyan.

Yang Zhiyan wanted to break this deadlock and become the one in control of the relationship.

Qin Yuzheng opened his mouth, then closed it again. He remembered what his grandmother had said, "She's such a beautiful young woman, isn't it unfair for her to date a divorced man like you? The worst part is that she's been kept in the dark."

"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice, "I didn't mean to."

Yang Zhiyan looked at his lowered head, his drooping eyelids, and his slightly curled fingers resting on his knees.

"So I think we should break up," Yang Zhiyan said seriously.

Qin Yuzheng's anxiety finally died.

Yang Zhiyan suddenly changed her tone, "But..." She drew out her words, and Qin Yuzheng's heart jumped into his throat again.