最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶
Chapter 23
The scene flashed by, and Zheng Feiluan’s blood instantly turned ice cold.
He remembered that moment.
When he first woke up in his shabby rented house more than a year ago, He An was sitting on the edge of the bed in the exact same position, wrapped in a messy thin blanket, looking at him in fear.
But why did the face… in his memory turn out to be Little Nightingale’s?
Zheng Feiluan tried to remember He An’s appearance but realized he couldn’t. He only had a glimpse of He An on one side when he was conscious, and somewhat remembered that it was supposed to be a face with average and boring features and was nothing like the charming little nightingale, but He An could be nine out of ten, four, or even three out of ten because of his mannerisms. With the beauty of the sweet little nightingale, it was very difficult to keep his emotions as calm as still water.
It has to be a memory blended into a dream.
No, he then dismissed the thought: how could last night’s fish-and-water romance1A kind of love that satisfies and does not betray. turn out to be a mere wet dream when it was so vivid in his memories?
The little nightingale was real.
He went to the Birdcage and asked for a picture of each little bird, then went through them one by one, but there was nothing. He persistently requested all the little birds who had gotten out of their cages the night before enter the lobby, where the sweet omega pheromone flavors mixed and became thicker than honey syrup.
He’d personally seen each face and looked over the back of each neck一the skin was clear and undamaged, and not one of them had been marked.
“He’s… the same man… who made everyone close their windows last night.”
“Yes, that was him. He smells exactly the same!”
The little birds murmured. Many of them expressed admiration and excitement—after all, what omega wouldn’t want to be showered with powerful alpha pheromones?
One of them yelled from one of the rooms, clearly not catching enough sleep and groggy from being woken up.
He raised his hand and lazily said, “Sir, you don’t have to look for them one by one. Given your pheromones from last night, you’d catch anyone who slept with you ten blocks away, not to mention in this club.”
The other little birds agreed with a nod.
A few brave ones came forward, told him their names, and smiled, “Sir, just stop looking for him. Don’t we look as good as him? Just pick a decent one out of us and take them home, maybe then you’ll grow to like them after… caring for them for a long time.”
Zheng Feiluan ignored them and said, “I’m sorry for bothering you all.”
The way he acted was brief, cold, and direct; the little birds exchanged a couple glances, their faces disappointed, and one by one, they turned their heads and flew away.
He was the only one left in the lobby; he sat on the sofa and leaned back, his fingers deeply pushed into his hair, his thumbs rubbing his bulging temples.
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Time is passing quickly.
The clock above him kept ticking past eight, then eight zero one, then eight zero two… until the time he was supposed to arrive in Jiusheng.
Messages and calls kept coming in from people wanting to know where he was, begging him to get there as soon as possible, and reminding him of the pile of work that needs to be done today.
Zheng Feiluan, however, didn’t even bother to look at his phone.
What’s the point of working so hard if he can’t find the elusive little nightingale? Jiusheng has thousands of workers and won’t collapse without him. Also his omega… who climbed onto his bed by luck and also carries his mark; if he can’t find him any time soon, who else but him can his mate rely on?
As soon as he finds him, he must unconditionally shower him with affection, gifts, and devotion.
Zheng Feiluan, who has always been devoted to his work, didn’t even notice anything odd when this unusual thought first entered his mind. He ignored all the new messages one by one, opened his phone’s gallery, and then scrolled down to find a photo from the “Recently Deleted” album.
Luotan Town, Bluestone Bridge.
He An stood against the light of the morning sun with his daughter in his arms.
The omega in the photo had a thin, delicate frame, a white nape of the neck, and dark hair curled gently from the scalp to the ends in a delicate curve, rather than the excessive, salon-permed, wavy little curls.
It was the teasing beauty he’d kissed the night before, and he could still taste it on the very tip of his tongue.
Zheng Feiluan stared at this back photo, a sudden buzzing in his ears, his wrists quivering violently—wouldn’t his little nightingale look just like the photo if he had clothes on?
But he shot down the thought just as quickly.
It was only a back-shot photo.
There were countless people with identical backs in this world, and when they turned around, they still had different faces. He was confident that once he saw He An’s face, all of this wild speculation would be put to rest.
But where could he look to see He An’s front view?
Zheng Feiluan accessed his phone’s blocked-users list. Yesterday, he blocked a number beginning with 152 that was listed to come from Luotan Mountain in Jiangnan Province. He didn’t hesitate for a second, opened the message composer, and quickly typed these five words:
Give me a front picture.
After some thought, he added two more words: Hurry up.
His finger slid to the top of the send button, ready to press down, and as soon as his skin tapped the screen, the fingertips suddenly tingled, as if he were zapped by the high-voltage static energy caused by the winter.
Zheng Feiluan instantly froze, his breathing stopped, and a chill shot up his back. Looking at the seven words he had written in his own hand, he felt as if icy, cold water had been splashed over his body and he had just woken up from a dream.
Is he insane?
Is what he’s doing now any different from having a mate-seeking episode?
Suddenly, a new message flashed up at the top of the screen. The text was short, with only two words. Zheng Feiluan was about to delete it instantly until he realized who had sent it:
Father: Come home.
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Half an hour later, Zheng Feiluan arrived hurriedly back to the lakefront villa.
There was a light rain in Yuanjiang this morning. In November, temperatures dropped very low, and the light drizzle was mixed with patches of snow. When the car door cracked open, a blast of icy air swept in, bringing with it the bitter cold of the wet weather outside. Zheng Feiluan didn’t have an overcoat to go with his suit. Shortly after, his nose began to itch, and he let out a loud sneeze.
“Second Young Master.”
Mama Xu2The Zheng Family’s caretaker. carried a thick, soft fur coat over and carefully put it over him, adding worriedly, “Why don’t you even carry an umbrella or wear a coat? What does a thin shirt like this do in the dead of winter?”
“It’s okay. It was warm in the car.” After getting inside, Zheng Feiluan asked, “Where’s father?”
Mama Xu pointed to the small wooden door at the corner of the living room, where there’s a secluded cobblestone path towards the lake, “Master is in a great mood today, saying it’s the first snowfall, and the air is calm, and there are plenty of big fish, and it’s the ideal time to catch them. He left the house before sunrise and went fishing at the bamboo gazebo, and he hasn’t come back until now.”
She answered and handed Zheng Feiluan a cup of hot tea, “I added prunes for you, so warm yourself up.”
Zheng Feiluan took a sip and asked, “Where’s dad3Feiluan’s omega father?”
“Madam is still sleeping on the second floor.” Mama Xu muttered softly, “He caught a cold the other day, so his energy hasn’t been very good. Remember to pay him a visit later; don’t make him miss you and your brother all the time.”
“Okay, I will.”
Zheng Feiluan put the cup down and pushed the small door open to go out.
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Outside the door, the cobblestone path, about half a meter wide over the courtyard, curved for more than a hundred meters along the mountain towards the lake, where it stopped at a four-square bamboo gazebo. Zheng Feiluan walked towards it, only to see a man with gray sideburns sitting by the railing, holding a fishing rod, and focusing on fishing.
This man is his father, Zheng Hongming.
For decades, Old Man Zheng roamed the mundane world as a ruthless man who had climbed mountains of gold and silver as well as mountains of knives and fire. He is not completely good, but he is also not completely evil, either. Although he avoided any direct contact with the blood of innocents, it is preposterous to say that Jiusheng achieved such massive wealth without bearing the psychological and ethical sacrifices that came with it.
He was already in his sixtieth year, and his physical skills were starting to decline, unlike before, so he retired and no longer intervened in Jiusheng’s management. He spent all day fishing, playing chess, making tea, and doing other things to work on his moral integrity. From the point of view of everyone else, Zheng Feiluan is now the one in control of Jiusheng. Zheng Hongming, however, stays firmly in his position as chairman of the board of directors.
Zheng Hongming exudes the refined demeanor of a gentleman, but his eyes are cunning and sharp, combined with the sophistication, tenacity, and wisdom of a businessman.
People say that the eldest son of the Zheng family took after his father’s personality, while the second son took after his father’s arrogance. Unfortunately, in Zheng Hongming’s opinion, his two alpha sons, one lacking determination and the other lacking composure, are not yet ready to take over his throne.
Especially Zheng Feiluan.
Zheng Hongming expressed disappointment when Jiang Qi babbled on the phone and explained everything.
While pursuing a frail omega, his most favored son made repeated stupid moves that ended up costing him the game.
That’s enough.
He couldn’t just sit back and tolerate Zheng Feiluan’s reckless nonsense anymore.
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Translated and edited by janemoyu (11/03/23)
