最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶
Chapter 44
Time itself seems to move slower than usual in the countryside, a phenomenon that’s commonly noted in travelers’ journals.
This doesn’t make any sense to Zheng Feiluan at all.
He checked in around noon, hoping for a long afternoon in which he and He An could have a heartfelt conversation in which they might hopefully reminisce about some fond memories from their past and use them to rekindle their relationship. As soon as the sun set, he was unable to speak a word and greeted Cheng Xiu and Dai Xiao instead.
Upon seeing him, Cheng Xiu, like a student who skipped classes and bumped into the university dean in the hallway, displayed a dim expression he couldn’t hide—although their status as superior and subordinate has been cut out, Zheng Feiluan’s well-established authority is still there, and saying that he’s not afraid of him anymore is nothing but an utter lie.
Cheng Xiu stiffly greeted him back, with a sarcastic smile curving on his mouth, as if his expression were saying: In Buddha’s name, please begone.
Dai Xiao, on the other hand, is in a league of his own.
He was carrying a bicycle and had just walked into the building when he met Zheng Feiluan. Something had clearly gotten under his skin and was boiling over with anger, ready to have him fried. After hearing Cheng Xiu say that Zheng Feiluan wanted to stay, he dropped the bike and yelled, “Leave!”
How dominant of an alpha is Zheng Feiluan? He’s someone who hasn’t been confronted directly in thirty years, and just hearing the word “leave” made his eyes go completely unrecognizable in an instant.
“D-Dai Xiao, chill out…”
Caught between two bombs, Cheng Xiu began trying to defuse the less complicated of the two.
Dai Xiao flashed him a cold stare.
As he realized he couldn’t defuse the bomb, Cheng Xiu silently muttered the word “idiot” to himself and stormed off the field.
However, the smell of gunpowder quickly disappeared. Zheng Feiluan maintained his anger and politely explained to Dai Xiao his predicament, saying that the snowstorm on Yuanjiang had ceased operations in the city, so he had no other options but to stay here for one night, and just for the night. Dai Xiao hesitated for a moment before agreeing reluctantly, but he still didn’t change the expression on his face.
Zheng Feiluan bowed his head and smiled, then turned around and walked upstairs without saying a word.
Like male lions, who have a strong sense of boundaries and are prone to attack when provoked, alphas’ relationships have always been tricky. Zheng Feiluan stepped into Dai Xiao’s territory, and Dai Xiao, in return, interfered with Zheng Feiluan’s affections for He An. Zheng Feiluan has every right to be the more furious party, but he knows deep down in his heart that he needs to endure just as much as the opposing side.
He used to be unwilling to fall behind in anything, but now, with the mere thought of He An, he can deal with hostility and provocation like never before.
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A tiny speck of moonlight shines through the west window while stars and buckets swing from the roof overhead.
As evening approached, guests arrived one by one, making the first-floor living room bright with lights, a loud TV, and frequent bursts of laughter. Zheng Feiluan was walking down the second-floor hallway when he noticed the walls were decorated with vibrant artwork depicting a variety of different events.
The darkness of He An’s room suggested that the person was also in the living room.
Should I go there and nag?
Or should I just cross the river to the bar, order a drink, and sleep it off until morning?
Zheng Feiluan’s hand rested on the railing, his fingertips tapping unconsciously. After what seemed like an eternity, he made his way down the steps, out of the shade cast by the laurel tree in the center of the courtyard, and into the living room.
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As soon as he walked in, everyone glanced up in sync.
There were about a half-dozen unknown faces sitting on the sofas. A group of young, vibrant sightseers from this morning, and he could tell simply by looking at them that they were mostly betas but still showing shy expressions when they saw him, a strange alpha.
He An was indeed there, but instead of sitting on the sofa, he stayed in the corner in a slightly odd position—crouching on one knee with his hands stretched forward and unfolded in the direction of the doorway, with an exceptionally soft smile on his lips, as if he were expecting a hug from someone.
Next to him, Cheng Xiu crouched in the same way, and when he saw Zheng Feiluan walk in, he awkwardly pulled his elbows back.
What… are you doing?
Zheng Feiluan had seen a lot, yet this action still had no meaning for him. After a few seconds of looking around, he followed He An’s line of sight, lowered his head, and was suddenly met with a pair of moist eyes—
Linglan stood next to him, tilting her small head and staring at him with a surprised look on her face.
She’s so small and tender, like a bean seedling that’s just begun to grow in early spring; even counting the braid on the top of her head, she doesn’t even reach past the bend of Zheng Feiluan’s knees. She was holding Liubailiu tightly, her lips pursed, a tear dangling from the corner of her eye, and her eyebrows furrowed deeply, looking like she was about to cry.
Zheng Feiluan immediately felt anxious.
Compared to Linglan, he was an enormous monster, and that heavy foot on the door just now was like Godzilla descending into the world, and the child standing by the door with no defense at all would have been scared out of her wits, wouldn’t she?
“Linglan, daddy… daddy didn’t mean it just now…”
Zheng Feiluan knelt down and wanted to act like those doting fathers and console his daughter in a soft voice. Linglan didn’t spare him a glance, and when she saw the terrifying sight of the enormous monster in her way, she quickly avoided it; she turned her head, and her short legs walked away.
She moved quickly, yet her limbs were clumsy and her movements were not coordinated at all.
While other children her age had firm stability, she was different. She rushed forward on tiptoes with no hint of slowing down, with the center of her body scattered and her pigtails swaying, like a rainstorm about to destroy everything in its path. When the child’s foot struck the velvety carpet, Zheng Feiluan’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
Thankfully, He An was quick to react and hugged the little one just in time to catch her before she crashed to the ground.
The living room got quiet.
The girls on the couch fell silent for a second, and then they all applauded at once.
“Linglan, you… you can walk!”
While holding Linglan, He An’s eyes widened in shock, and he looked left and right, finally believing what had happened amidst the cheers, so he was overjoyed. Cheng Xiu was even more excited, jumping up and down a few times on the side.
Girl A commented, “I told you, a candy won’t get her to come out. An alpha is better than anything!”
Girl B agreed, “My mom said that’s how I learned to walk when I was little.”
Girl C looked up at Zheng Feiluan with delight in her eyes and said, “Sir, you’re amazing. Linglan has been standing in the corner for half an hour without taking a step; if it wasn’t for your help, she definitely wouldn’t have learned to walk tonight!”
“…..”
Zheng Feiluan couldn’t help but tear up and laugh at the reason for the compliments while hiding his hands in his pockets and arching his eyebrows as an attempt to show his composure.
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Seemingly excited, the girls compressed each other to make enough space for Zheng Feiluan at the side.
Zheng Feiluan took a brief glance at He An and realized that he had no intention of stopping him, so he wisely used “other people’s invitations” as an excuse to close the door and take a seat.
Just as Linglan finished her little performance, the exciting finale of the variety program they were watching began. The girls’ eyes are fixated back on the screen, and when the mood is right, they exchange an energetic laugh as they have a good time.
Meanwhile, Linglan was paying close attention to Zheng Feiluan.
She sat on He An’s lap, hugging a stuffed tiger, and her eyes gave a stern glare at Zheng Feiluan, as if expecting him to try to do something bad at any moment.
“It’s okay, don’t be scared.” He An comforted her, “I’m here.”
“Hmph.”
Linglan expressed her distrust bluntly, and her sharp eyes glinted with suspicion.
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The fireplace was burning, and the triangle-shaped piece of fragrant wood disintegrated and cracked under the intense heat, making the air warm and relaxing.
Perhaps because of the calming effects of the variety program or because Zheng Feiluan had never shown any kind of hostility, Linglan eventually lowered her guard, took her eyes off of him, and got up from the sofa to take a few clumsy steps here and there, and realized that walking around as she pleased is much better than being assisted.
He An then casually instructed her, “Go to that little flower over there, okay?”
“Okay.”
Linglan agreed in a sweet voice, extended her legs, and wobbled as she walked over quickly, holding onto the cabinet when she became unsteady halfway. After arriving at her goal, she reached over and touched the white hydrangeas in the vase, then turned her head to look at He An, eagerly anticipating her next target.
“Go to the baby elephant again.” He An instructed the second time.
“Okay.”
She wobbled again, walked to the silver mammoth figurine, and patted its trunk.
After walking around the living room for a few hours, He An came up with a new idea: shove a handful of White Rabbit candies into Linglan’s pocket and ask her to play the role of a small postman and deliver one to every person in the living room. Linglan was so polite that she even wore her soft-soled shoes and went to hand out the candies without a single complaint.
One, two, three…
Seeing that it was going to be his turn, Zheng Feiluan played along and stretched out his hand, forming a cup, waiting for the sweet candy to fall into his palm. After Linglan gave a candy to the last girl sitting on the sofa, she looked at him cautiously, hid her hand in her dress pocket, and ran away without looking back.
The room was filled with laughter.
Since the girls didn’t know about Zheng Feiluan’s relationship with Linglan, they thought that the alpha’s intimidating aura was just too much for the tiny child, and they found their encounter to be quite hilarious.
Zheng Feiluan could only shake his head, withdraw his hand, and laugh along with them.
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At eight o’clock in the evening, Linglan began to feel sleepy, her head drooping every now and then. A few minutes later, her body slumped, softly flopped down to He An, fell asleep clutching her cherished stuffed tiger, and smacked her lips in her sleep.
He An worried that the noise from the television might wake Linglan, so he carried her to the bedroom.
He didn’t return to the living room after that.
Zheng Feiluan was in the living room, and he didn’t want to go back there, so he sat by the bed, listening to the child’s steady breathing in the dark, and looked up at the crescent moon through the window.
Actually, it had been several hours since He An had been able to relax. As long as he was in the same room as Zheng Feiluan, his thoughts were all over the place, and he had trouble figuring out exactly which of the emotions he was feeling.
At some point, while everyone’s attention was fixed on the TV, Zheng Feiluan was watching him.
Just him.
He pretended not to notice, teased Linglan, and talked to Cheng Xiu for a while, yet every time his eyes wandered to the doorway unintentionally, they would meet Zheng Feiluan’s eyes every single time. The alpha appeared to be in deep thought, with one hand resting on his chin and his eyes desperate and full of affection, with a faint smile tugging the corners of his lips as if He An’s every move was worthy of his liking.
Overwhelmed by the attention that followed him like a shadow, He An finally gave up.
He knew what kind of feelings were reflected in those eyes.
Some time in the past, when he was drowning in obsessive love, he also looked at Zheng Feiluan in the same way—the person he loved was cold, indifferent, hostile, and angry; he didn’t even find him a least bit attractive, and couldn’t stand the sight of him.
So, what’s going on now?
Zheng Feiluan’s pheromone levels are no longer compatible with his, so why is he still looking at him like this?
Like pulling grass and weeds from a muddy field, one question also pulls out a string of other questions. To start, does Zheng Feiluan really love him? If that’s the case, then where did this mysterious love come from? Why did he come to this conclusion only after some time had passed?
Unexpectedly, He An doesn’t seem to care much about any of this.
An alpha with too much power would inflict pain on those who do not love him while possibly protecting those who do. If you stop to give it some serious thought and learn the facts, you’ll know why you should avoid them at once. In any case, he avoided him, and because of this, several other people became attracted to him.
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It was late at night, and the crowd in the living room eased up. The girls passed the window in twos and threes, chatting excitedly about idols and gossip as they returned to their rooms.
He An decided it was time to clean the living room, and he couldn’t leave Cheng Xiu to do it all by himself, but out of fear that Zheng Feiluan hadn’t left, He An waited until no one was walking in the courtyard before coming over.
However, when he got inside, Cheng Xiu wasn’t there.
It was practically pitch black, and the only source of light was a paper-covered lamp in the far corner of the room, which was faintly flashing the floor within a radius of about a foot.
In the darkness of the night, Zheng Feiluan sat on the sofa by himself, waiting exclusively for him to come. Funny enough, he had a large doll on his lap—a fluffy yellow chick with half an eggshell on its head.
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Translated and edited by janemoyu (11/06/23)
