His physiological preference

The two friends started chatting excitedly. Yang Zhiyan told Jiang Siya about the competition, how panicked she was when the model was in a car accident, how nervous she was when Fan Lei came to the rescue, and how her legs were shaking when she went on stage to receive the award.

Jiang Siya listened, occasionally interjecting with "And then?" "Really?" "You're amazing!"

The two got more and more into their conversation, their voices growing louder and louder until they completely forgot there were other people in the private room.

Qin Yuzheng sat next to Yang Zhiyan, left standing to the side. He watched Yang Zhiyan's profile as she chatted with Jiang Siya; her eyes were bright, her lips were curved, and she unconsciously gestured with her hands as she spoke.

This is what she looks like when she's happy; her eyes light up.

Qin Yuzheng, feeling neglected, harbored deep resentment. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and swallowed his resentment.

He glanced at Qin Yushang, who was also looking at him. The two exchanged a look that said, "We've been abandoned."

Jiang Siya felt a bit cold, a chilly feeling.

She turned her head and saw Qin Yuzheng looking at her.

She wasn't looking at her, but at the hand that was resting on Yang Zhiyan's arm. Jiang Siya quickly removed her hand from Yang Zhiyan's arm.

I'm so afraid of getting ripped off, I'll try to meet up alone next time. This cold air is making her indigestion.

Yang Zhiyan looked at Jiang Siya with a puzzled expression as she watched Jiang Siya suddenly withdraw her hand.

Jiang Siya pretends to grill meat.

The dishes had just been served when Fan Lei's agent called.

Fan Lei answered the phone, listened for a few words, and her expression changed.

"What time is your flight?" she asked. The other person gave a time, and Fan Lei frowned, hung up the phone, and stood up.

"Mr. Qin, I'm sorry, I have to go now. I have an event tomorrow and need to catch a flight."

She nodded to Yang Zhiyan, then nodded to Qin Yuzheng and Qin Yushang respectively, and then left in a hurry.

The door to the private room was closed.

The remaining four people sat down again. Yang Zhiyan and Jiang Siya continued their conversation, talking even more enthusiastically than before.

Qin Yuzheng and Qin Yushang sat facing each other, neither of them speaking much. Occasionally they would exchange a few words, discussing the achievements of the technology exhibition, the recent developments of Qin Yushang's company, and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange market. Most of the time, they just stared at each other.

Yang Zhiyan and Jiang Siya got tired of chatting and started eating barbecue. Yang Zhiyan picked up a piece of meat, which was grilled perfectly and crispy, dipped it in sauce, and put it in her mouth.

She picked up a piece and put it in Qin Yuzheng's bowl.

"Try it, this is delicious." Qin Yuzheng looked at the piece of meat in the bowl and was finally happy.

After being ignored for almost half an hour, he finally got a piece of meat. He ate it, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.

"It's delicious," he said. In a better mood, Qin Yuzheng kept grilling meat for Yang Zhiyan.

Jiang Siya felt incredibly awkward being the third wheel, and exchanged a glance with Qin Yushang, who also felt he'd had enough of being fed dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).

I really wish they would show some care for single people.

The meat sizzled on the grill, oil splattered, and landed on the charcoal fire, creating a small string of flames.

It was dark outside the window, and the night view of Haicheng unfolded outside the glass window.

In the distance, neon lights flashed—red, green, blue, and purple—adorning the entire city like a stage that never ends.

Yang Zhiyan leaned back in her chair, her hands resting on her knees. Qin Yuzheng reached out and took her hand. Their fingers intertwined, hidden under the table, unseen by anyone.

As the barbecue was nearing its end, oil sizzled on the grill. Yang Zhiyan felt greasy in her mouth, so she picked up a glass of barley tea from the table and took a swig, but couldn't stop.

"Siya, I'd like to drink mango pomelo sago, wanna come?"

Jiang Siya was wiping the oil off her hands with a tissue when she heard "Mango Pomelo Sago," and her eyes lit up. "Let's go."

Qin Yuzheng was discussing the wrap-up work of the technology exhibition with Qin Yushang when he heard Yang Zhiyan say she wanted to buy milk tea, so he stood up to get his car keys.

"You guys go buy it, we'll go get the car, we'll wait downstairs."

The two men left, and Yang Zhiyan and Jiang Siya walked hand in hand towards the first floor of the mall.

The air conditioning in the mall was on full blast. Stepping out of the sweltering heat of the barbecue restaurant, the cool breeze made me feel refreshed.

The milk tea shop is located next to the exit on the first floor. It is decorated exquisitely with white walls, green plants, and warm yellow lights. There are a few people queuing at the door.

Yang Zhiyan and Jiang Siya lined up at the back of the queue and waited for five or six minutes before each ordering a cup of mango pomelo sago.

"Want to sit on the benches by the door for a while?" Jiang Siya pointed to the row of benches next to the milk tea shop.

The two sat down, and since the milk tea wasn't ready yet, they just sat there waiting.

People came and went at the mall exit. Some dragged their suitcases and hurried past, while others strolled around slowly with shopping bags in hand. Some children ran around and were called back by the adults behind them.

A boy in a white shirt walked over. He looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, tall and thin, with fair skin, regular features, and two faint dimples when he smiled.

Her hair was styled in a carefully done, layered style. She wore a white cotton T-shirt, light blue jeans, and canvas shoes.

He looked clean and tidy, like someone who stepped out of a campus idol drama.

When he walked over, he hesitated for a moment, took two steps, paused, and then continued walking.

He walked up to Yang Zhiyan and stopped.

"Hi, can I add you on WeChat?" His voice was nervous and shy.

Yang Zhiyan looked up at him. She was taken aback. Back in college, when people were interested in her, they would introduce her on WeChat through various connections or have their roommates ask for her phone number.

This was the first time she'd been asked face-to-face. She didn't feel happy; she only felt embarrassed.

Jiang Siya witnessed this scene and chuckled to herself. She leaned closer, her voice so low that only Yang Zhiyan could hear it.

"Go ahead and add me. Even if you can't be in a relationship, you can still make friends. You don't have many friends anyway."

Yang Zhiyan shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I have a boyfriend." That was her clear and unambiguous rejection.

A hint of disappointment flashed across the boy in the white shirt's face. He nodded, turned, and left.

His friend was waiting a few meters away. He was a boy in black clothes, shorter and stronger than him, with very short hair and prominent veins on his neck.

The boy in the white shirt walked up to him, and the two of them said something.

The boy in the black clothes suddenly raised his voice, as if he was deliberately trying to make sure they could hear.

"Don't be sad, that kind of person is just pretending to be high-minded."

His voice was high-pitched and shrill, particularly jarring in the noisy environment of the mall exit.

His expression was that of someone who had been rejected and was losing face, so he wanted to belittle the other person to save face—a twisted, sour expression.

Jiang Siya overheard this and was furious. What kind of person is this? It's a girl's right to say yes or no. To belittle someone after being rejected is utterly despicable.

She glanced down at the cup of milk tea on the table next to her, a cup that someone else had left unfinished and the waiter hadn't had time to clear away. The cup was still more than half full, the ice had melted, and the color of the milk tea had changed from brown to light coffee.

She picked up the cup of milk tea. Yang Zhiyan saw her move and wanted to stop her, but before she could finish saying "Siya," the cup of milk tea had already flown out of Jiang Siya's hand, drawing a light brown arc in the air and splashing accurately onto the face of the boy in black.

Milk tea flowed down his forehead, splitting along the bridge of his nose, some into his eyes, some into his mouth, and some onto his white shoes.

The mall exit fell silent for a moment. Several passersby turned to look. The people queuing inside the bubble tea shop also turned to look.

Jiang Siya placed the empty cup on the table, clapped her hands, and said, "Watch your mouth."