His physiological preference

Yang Zhiyan looked at him.

He sat on the edge of the bed, the warm yellow light shining down from above, casting a soft halo on his face.

His expression was serious, not like he was making excuses. It seemed he genuinely wanted to take care of her. Yang Zhiyan didn't call him out on it.

"Go back and get your pillow," she said.

Qin Yuzheng stood up, walked back to his side, picked up a pillow, and then walked back.

He walked faster than usual, afraid she might change her mind. He placed the pillow next to hers and lay down.

Qin Yuzheng lay flat on his back, looking at the ceiling, his hands at his sides, his posture as upright as if he were lying at attention in the military.

Yang Zhiyan turned off the light and lay down.

The room was dark, and light shone through the gaps in the curtains onto the ceiling.

She turned over, facing him. He smelled her shampoo, a faint scent, like some kind of floral fragrance.

He turned over, facing her. The two lay face to face in the darkness, about twenty centimeters apart.

"Does your stomach still hurt?" he asked in a low voice.

"A little," Yang Zhiyan said.

Qin Yuzheng reached out and placed his palm on her lower abdomen.

His hands were large; when he covered her, they could completely envelop her lower abdomen.

The warmth of my palm seeped through the thin fabric of my pajamas, like a hot water bottle, the temperature was just right, very comfortable.

His fingers gently massaged her lower abdomen, with just the right amount of pressure and speed.

Yang Zhiyan closed her eyes. She moved closer to him. Yang Zhiyan pressed her leg against Qin Yuzheng's leg; it felt so warm.

My boyfriend is definitely perfect for warming my bed.

Yang Zhiyan's feet were icy. The early winter night wasn't cold, but her feet were cold, and when she pressed them against Qin Yuzheng's warm calves, Yang Zhiyan felt very comfortable.

Qin Yuzheng's body stiffened slightly, but he didn't pull away. He tucked her feet between his calves and gently warmed them with his body heat.

Yang Zhiyan didn't say thank you, but buried her face in his chest. His hand was still rubbing her lower abdomen, the rhythm unchanged.

She slowly, little by little, warmed up in his arms.

Yang Zhiyan thought to herself that having a boyfriend who could warm her bed was really not bad.

This week, Qin Yuzheng has truly entered the inner circle.

The pillow was brought over from next door, the pajamas were hung in Yang Zhiyan's closet, and the slippers were placed in the entryway, standing side by side with her pink pair.

There were new razors and toothbrushes in the bathroom, and the cups were dark gray, next to her light pink ones, with the same logo printed on them.

When Yang Zhiyan woke up every morning, the spot next to her was empty, but the sheets were warm and her scent lingered on the pillow.

The aroma of porridge wafted from the kitchen. She walked to the dining room, where breakfast was already laid out.

The porridge was warm, not scalding; the eggs were peeled and lay white and tender on the plate; the fruit was cut into small pieces and stuck with toothpicks.

As she sat down to eat, Qin Yuzheng came out of the kitchen with a glass of warm water in his hand and placed it beside her.

"Drink water first. Drinking water on an empty stomach is good for your health." He sat down, watching her eat, a clear smile on his lips.

Qin Yuzheng was particularly thoughtful and meticulous in providing pick-up and drop-off services for commuters.

In the morning, he drove her to her studio. He parked the car under the sycamore tree at the intersection, got out, walked around to the passenger side to open the door for her, and put one hand above the door frame.

Yang Zhiyan sometimes felt that he was exaggerating, saying, "You don't need to pick me up and drop me off every day, it's convenient for me to take the subway."

Qin Yuzheng said, "It's my duty to take my girlfriend to work."

Yang Zhiyan said, "Then why didn't I see you delivering them before?"

Qin Yuzheng said, "I'm afraid that if I do it too well from the beginning, there will be no room for improvement."

In fact, Yang Zhiyan understood that if she did too much before the relationship had reached that point, it would make her uncomfortable and put her under pressure.

Yang Zhiyan looked at him, but she didn't expose him.

Qin Yuzheng would pick her up in the evening, sometimes a little earlier, and he would wait in the car.

Sometimes, if it gets a little later, Yang Zhiyan will stay in the studio a little longer.

When Teacher Mu came out of the inner room, she saw Yang Zhiyan still sitting at the work table. She glanced at the roadside, said nothing, and turned back.

Aunt Li's cooking has changed. Before, it was three dishes and a soup, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables for good nutrition.

This week it became four dishes and one soup, with the addition of either pork liver soup or red date and white fungus soup.

When Aunt Li brought it up, she would say, "Miss Yang, this is good for replenishing blood," then glance at Qin Yuzheng. Qin Yuzheng nodded, and Aunt Li went back to the kitchen.

Yang Zhiyan drank the pork liver soup and frowned, finding it a bit fishy.

Qin Yuzheng took the soup bowl over, added a little pepper, stirred it, and pushed it back.

"Try it again." Yang Zhiyan took a sip, and it wasn't so fishy anymore.

Qin Yuzheng is meticulous and thoughtful even with small things like brushing his teeth and washing his face.

When Yang Zhiyan was getting ready to wash up in the evening, she went into the bathroom and found a cup of warm water already poured into the sink, and toothpaste squeezed onto the toothbrush, which was placed horizontally on the rim of the cup.

She paused for a moment, then turned to look at Qin Yuzheng, who was leaning against the door frame.

After brushing his teeth, he took the towel off the shelf, soaked it in warm water, wrung it out, and handed it to her.

Yang Zhiyan took the towel and applied it to her face. It was hot and wet. She kept it on for a while before taking it off.

She peeked out from behind the towel, looking at Qin Yuzheng. "Are you treating me like a patient?"

Qin Yuzheng took the towel, folded it, and hung it on the rack. "You're not a patient," he said, "you're a baby."

Yang Zhiyan blushed. She realized she blushed easily. It was all Qin Yuzheng's fault for being so unfair.

Qin Yuzheng changed the sheets when they got dirty.

One morning, Yang Zhiyan woke up and found a small stain on the bed sheet. She stood by the bed, at a loss.

Qin Yuzheng brought the porridge out of the kitchen and saw her standing motionless at the bedroom door. He walked over and glanced at her.

"It's alright," he said, placing the bowl of porridge on the bedside table. He bent down, pulled out the sheet, and rolled it into a ball. "I'll take care of it."

Yang Zhiyan stood beside him, watching him remove the duvet cover, shake out the sheets, and put on the new one.

His movements weren't very skilled; the corners weren't tucked in neatly, and he put the pillowcase on backwards and then flipped it over to put it on again.

She watched his busy figure from behind, feeling both amused and touched.

The fruit was already cut. Every evening after dinner, Qin Yuzheng would bring a fruit platter to the living room. The apples were cut into the shape of rabbits, the oranges were peeled and segmented, and the kiwis were peeled and sliced.

When Yang Zhiyan first saw the rabbit-shaped apple, she picked one up and looked at it, asking, "Did you cut this?"

"Hmm." Qin Yuzheng's tone was calm, as if to say, "What's the big deal?" But what he really thought was, "Praise me, praise me!"

Yang Zhiyan flattered him profusely. After that, Qin Yuzheng worked even harder.

So men are all like children's literature?

Yang Zhiyan took a bite of the rabbit ear; it was sweet and sour, and crunchy.

The shrimp were shell-less. When they ate, Qin Yuzheng peeled the shrimp first and placed them on a small plate next to her bowl.

The shrimp shells were piled high on the bone plate in front of him.

Yang Zhiyan said she could peel them herself, but Qin Yuzheng said, "Don't take your boyfriend's job."

Yang Zhiyan looked down at her hands; her fingers were long and slender, and her nails were neatly trimmed.

She remembered when they used to eat at home, when shrimp were served, her mother would put them in her brother's bowl. After her brother finished eating, the shrimp shells would pile up on half the table.

She gets scolded for taking a couple more bites; a girl shouldn't compete with her brother for everything. Her brother is still growing and needs to eat more nutritious food.

It would be a sin to eat two more than that, let alone peel shrimp for her.