His physiological preference

"My turn," Qin Yuzheng took the gun from her hand and stepped back behind the firing line. "Watch closely."

It was only when he fired that Yang Zhiyan saw for the first time what this man was like outside of his power.

He leaned slightly forward, his feet shoulder-width apart, one hand holding the gun, the other supporting the bottom of the hand holding the gun.

His breathing was steady, with a brief pause before he fired.

Then the gun went off. One shot, then another, and another. Eight shots were fired in quick succession, almost without pause.

When the target paper was passed back, Yang Zhiyan leaned over to take a look. All eight shots hit the bullseye, with the bullet holes clustered together.

Mu Cheng walked over unnoticed, leaning against a nearby pillar, a gun in his hand. "Ah Zheng, wanna have a match?"

Qin Yuzheng glanced at him. "Are you sure?"

Mu Cheng smiled. The competition was simple: ten shots per person, and the score would be based on the rings.

Qin Yuzheng fired first. Ten shots, all hitting the bullseye, the bullet holes were even closer together than the previous eight shots, almost overlapping.

Mu Cheng scored. Ninety-three rings, not low, but still quite a bit behind Qin Yuzheng.

Mu Cheng placed the gun on the table, leaned close to Qin Yuzheng's ear, and whispered.

"Ah Zheng, are you stupid? Instead of taking your girlfriend to a hot spring, you come here to shoot me."

Qin Yuzheng glanced at him and said, "We'll have to wait until later. If we go at the beginning, we'll be too conspicuous."

Mu Cheng paused for a moment, then laughed. "Fine, you win."

Qin Yuzheng turned around and saw Yang Zhiyan standing behind the firing line. He then picked up the gun.

Her posture was a little better than before, but her hands were still trembling. He didn't go over; he stood there, watching her.

She took a deep breath, pulled the trigger, and "bang—" the gun went off. Her body leaned back slightly, but she was much steadyer than the first time.

The target was passed back, and one was hit. She turned to look at him, her eyes bright, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

"Did I hit it?" Her voice carried the anticipation of a child who had gotten a good grade and wanted to show it off to an adult.

Qin Yuzheng walked over and stood in front of her. "You hit her," he said. He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

The movements were very light and natural.

Yang Zhiyan didn't dodge; her heart was pounding, but her face didn't flush.

When Yang Zhiyan came out of the shooting range, she was exhausted. Her legs ached from riding the horse, her arms ached from shooting, and she felt like she had been disassembled and reassembled, with every joint protesting.

Qin Yuzheng walked beside her, his steps still steady, his breathing still even, as if the physical exertion from riding and shooting earlier had never happened.

"Are you going to the hot springs again?" he asked casually.

Yang Zhiyan shook her head. "I'm not going, I'm exhausted."

Qin Yuzheng sighed inwardly. Soaking in the hot springs would have allowed him to see her in her swimsuit, let her see him in his swim trunks, and legitimately get close to her in the steamy pool. His plan had failed.

"I'll take you back to rest," he said.

When they arrived at the villa, he opened the door for her but didn't go inside.

"I've invited Mu Cheng and the others to the winery. You should get some rest. We'll have roast whole lamb for dinner tonight, and I'll pick you up then."

Yang Zhiyan nodded, went inside, and closed the door. Qin Yuzheng stood at the door for a few seconds, staring at the closed door, then turned and left.

The winery is located at the very back of the mountain resort, built against the mountainside, and looks like a castle from the outside.

Mu Cheng sat behind the bar, holding a glass of red wine. Zhou Zhanyu sat opposite him, having already drunk most of his wine.

When Qin Yuzheng pushed the door open and came in, the two of them looked up at the same time.

"Where is your sister-in-law?" Mu Cheng asked.

"Going to sleep."

Mu Cheng and Zhou Zhanyu exchanged a glance. Mu Cheng poured Qin Yuzheng a glass of wine and pushed it towards him.

"Ah Zheng, are you even capable? You had so many opportunities but didn't take them."

Qin Yuzheng picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "Mind your own business."

Zhou Zhanyu leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass.

"He's such a gentleman. Last time in S City, I specially arranged a presidential suite for him, but he insisted on coming over to chat with me, as if he didn't need a nightlife and neither did I."

His tone was teasing, and Mu Cheng laughed so hard his shoulders were shaking.

Qin Yuzheng looked at Zhou Zhanyu. "Oh wow, so much resentment."

He took a sip of his drink, put down his glass, and looked into Zhou Zhanyu's eyes. "Has Su Ling returned to China? And you dare to have a nightlife like that."

Zhou Zhanyu's smile froze. He didn't reply, but lowered his head, looking at the wine in his glass.

He took a big gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing, then placed the glass on the table, the bottom of it tapping against the surface.

The sound of a "thud" echoed somewhat in the quiet winery. Mu Cheng stopped laughing and patted Zhou Zhanyu on the shoulder.

Qin Yuzheng didn't mention that name again, picked up his wine glass, and changed the subject.

The three men started talking about business and the recent situation.

Later, Qin Yuzheng didn't know how much he had drunk. He only knew that his head was a little heavy, but his mind was still clear.

He glanced at his phone; it was almost five o'clock. He stood up.

"I'm going back now. I have to have dinner with her tonight." Mu Cheng and Zhou Zhanyu looked at him with eyes that said, "You forget your friends when you see a pretty face."

When Qin Yuzheng returned to the villa, Yang Zhiyan was still asleep.

He lay down on the sofa in the living room downstairs, intending to only lie there for a while and then go upstairs to wake her when it was time for dinner.

The sofa was soft, and the room was quiet, with only the occasional calls of water birds from the lake and intermittent music playing from somewhere in the distance.

He lay there, thinking about what he needed to do tomorrow, how he could make her happy that evening, and whether she was still angry. Lost in thought, he closed his eyes.

Yang Zhiyan was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window. She didn't know how long she had slept, only that it was already dark outside the curtains, and the room was dark and gloomy with the lights off.

She sat up in bed, glanced at her phone, and saw it was 7:20.

When I went downstairs, the stairs were dark and the lights were off.

As she reached the corner of the stairs, she saw Qin Yuzheng on the sofa. He was lying there, one hand on his forehead and the other at his side.

His breathing was steady, his chest rising and falling gently. There was a small wrinkle in his shirt at the collar, probably from sleeping in a bad position.

His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were still thinking about something troubling him in his dream.

Yang Zhiyan stood on the stairs, looked at him for a few seconds, and then came down.

She walked very lightly, afraid of waking him. She went to the sofa, bent down, and picked up the blanket draped over the armrest.

She unfolded the blanket and gently covered him. The moment the blanket touched his chest, his hand suddenly moved. He grasped her hand.

His eyes were still closed.

Then he pulled her a little harder. Yang Zhiyan leaned forward, lost her balance, and fell into his arms.

Her hand rested on his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat.

"What are you doing?" She struggled, trying to get up from his arms.

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Baby, don't move," his voice was hoarse, low with the slurred tone of drunkenness, "Can I hold you?"