最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶
Chapter 50
“Thanks.”
He An put both hands around the mug and pressed his palms against the sides. The drink was hot but not burning, yet he didn’t pick it up to take a sip.
Instead, Linglan came over first and opened her mouth, “Ahh—”
Greedy little one.
Whatever goes into her mouth stays there.
He An looked around and saw a round wooden bucket on the bar packed with dozens of disposable plastic spoons, as well as a tissue box next to it, so he scooped up a little bit of hot cocoa, blew on it to cool it, and fed it to Linglan, then wiped her mouth clean with a tissue.
Without realizing it, his gaze was drawn to the price list behind Zheng Feiluan.
The chalkboard, which was roughly three meters long and one meter wide, had the names, sizes, and prices of various pastries and drinks written on it, along with adorable cartoon drawings. There was also a large family of berries drawn on the board, and at the front of it, there was a decorative spotlight casting three sets of overlapping, brilliant light arcs across the board, giving it an air of sophisticated artistry.
However, on the lower right side of the price list, there was a note that said: For Olive Inn residents, breakfast is free and 50% off on weekdays. Beside it were two adorable character drawings: a pair of ruby strawberries and a pair of emerald olives with stems.
“Uh… what does that mean?”
He An reached out and pointed at the chalkboard.
Zheng Feiluan turned around and looked calmly, “Finding a way to draw in customers is essential when launching a brand-new business. Since there’s an inn across the street, you should take advantage of it. It’ll benefit us both, don’t you agree?”
“To attract more customers… then why not add the two inns next to it as well?” He An asked back.
Zheng Feiluan froze and looked slightly embarrassed, “…You have a point.”
He An then simply sat there and stared at him, waiting for him to add the Fish Delight Inn and the Magpie Inn together.
As time passed, Zheng Feiluan still didn’t move, and even though He An’s true feelings were obvious, he pretended he didn’t notice. Then he let He An go on, “And you do realize how hard it is to earn a profit in this field, right? Why should you give away breakfast if our visitors aren’t going to return for lunch and dinner? Travelers don’t dine at the same restaurant twice in a day.”
Zheng Feiluan nodded, suggesting that he was eager to learn.
He An then waited some more. When he saw that he still hadn’t moved, he almost laughed and said, “Apart from that, it’s not an issue of shortage, but disparity. If you show favoritism to Olive Inn, the next two inns’ customers won’t even think of spending their money on us, right?”
“Right.”
Zheng Feiluan’s facial muscles twitched slightly.
“…So, if you compute the probable value, you may not only be unable to attract customers, but you may also lose income.” With the mug in his hand, He An finally reached a conclusion.
Zheng Feiluan was completely overpowered. He lowered his head and smiled until his shoulders trembled, “He An, my skills are limited, and I can’t make up another defense for the time being. Could you just agree with it for now?”
“Nope.”
He An shook his head and smiled, putting his face closer to the sweet, steaming heat, and said, “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
Zheng Feiluan had no choice but to pick up the blackboard eraser, turn around, and erase half of the sentence, Breakfast is free and 50% off on weekdays, before picking up a piece of chalk and twisting it around on his fingers twice while thinking, “‘Rent us an advertising space at your front desk for a 20% discount.’ How’s that sound?”
“Good.”
That sounded like a fair deal, and He An happily agrees.
Zheng Feiluan then rushed to finish the second half of the sentence. The font was bold and handsome, and the strokes were perfect, so the lettering done by the shop employee next to him looked irresistibly sweet and adorable. After that, He An lowered his head, his lips pressed to the edge of the mug, and sipped the melted heart-shaped piece of chocolate.
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When the entire shop was full, Zheng Feiluan lifted his hands and clapped three times loudly.
As soon as they heard it, the customers turned their heads.
Zheng Feiluan leaned himself on the bar and announced loudly that the shop supervisor’s baby girl was turning one today, and the gigantic birthday cake in the middle was free for all customers to enjoy as a celebration.
After he finished speaking, the background music switched from a mellow bossa nova to a cheery birthday song, followed by a few “bangs” and “pops” as the shop employees held up their confetti tubes and sprayed them with colorful ribbons and papers.
Every guest cheered, and all of a sudden, the mood got even livelier.
Linglan froze and scanned her surroundings in confusion, but she thought it was a good idea to join in on the fun anyway, so she clapped her hands enthusiastically and reached up to catch one of the fluttering ribbons. Once she managed to get her hands on one, she fiddled with it happily in her palm.
No one knew that this little girl at the shop was the birthday girl for the day, not even herself.
He An glanced at Linglan’s glowing face and smiled slightly; this was the first time Linglan had witnessed such a magnificent and luxurious scene since her birth.
Linglan lived in the hospital for the first two months of her life. Every day, all she could see was a plain white ceiling, blue and white striped sheets, and lots of cold instruments. After ten months, they moved to the secluded southern town and settled into the Olive Inn. Every day, barely a dozen visitors come into the cold and serene inn, which is located around a short street that overlooks a narrow river.
Aside from Liubailiu, Linglan’s favorite hobby was simply watching ducks.
It’s nice that she has the opportunity to be as happy as this…
He An lifted his head and quietly mouthed these words to Zheng Feiluan: Thank you.
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This exquisite birthday bash may be able to make He An’s heart skip a beat, but it won’t be able to compete with Linglan’s actual first-year celebration.
That evening, the Olive Inn held a warm family party.
Four people and a cat were the only ones who took part.
Cheng Xiu and Dai Xiao ordered a baby cake three days ahead of time and drove all the way to the east side of town today to pick it up and put a birthday candle on top. Under the twinkling light of the dancing fire, the three adults sang “Happy Birthday” to Linglan while Liubailiu paced restlessly on the cat’s bed, flicking his tail in tune with the music.
Seated at the table, Linglan flutters her thick eyelashes in a timid manner; as a one-year-old, the idea of a “birthday” is still vague, but she can feel her dads’ genuine joy and blessings showered on her.
Moreover, Linglan is particularly lovely tonight.
She wore a crown made of white flowers and green foliage, and instead of her normal pigtails, her soft waves were let down, straightened out, and curled in a playful way, covering both sides of her ears. She also wore the princess gown given to her by Cheng Xiu. Dai Xiao was not a fan of Cheng Xiu’s taste when it came to choosing the dress. However, Dai Xiao’s heart was filled with fatherly love the moment Linglan slipped it on. In his opinion, she was lovely no matter where you looked. She was absolutely stunning, and he couldn’t stop praising her. Cheng Xiu was taken aback by the sudden change in his expression.
In addition to the dress from Cheng Xiu and the flower crown from Dai Xiao, Linglan received a third gift from He An: a toy piano that can play seven notes.
This is enough.
They’re just ordinary kids from ordinary families. They don’t have to waste money and be fancy; the simpler, the better.
⋮
Now that the rowdy bar is gone, the street has become quiet at night. Stores that were closed turned off their lights and closed their doors, while those that were still open kept their lights on and displayed red lanterns.
It’s the middle of the night, and the only sound is that of insects buzzing around.
Linglan went to bed early as usual, and He An tucked her in and sat alone beneath the lamp for a while to read. Since it was after ten, most of the guests had returned, so he decided to put on his coat and check the yard, doors, and windows before going to bed to make sure that everything that needed to be cleaned up was back where it belonged.
Right when he arrived at the atrium1a part of a building such as a hotel or shopping center, which extends up through several floors of the building and often has a glass roof., Zheng Feiluan walked in from the outside.
He An paused, unsure whether he should keep going or turn around. After some hesitation, he approached him and asked, “Is it closed? Were you busy today at the shop?”
“No, it’s more like going on a vacation, really.” Zheng Feiluan responded with a smile.
He noticed He An was wearing only a pajama again, the thin fabric floating around in the night breeze, so his sharp brows furrowed, and he took a bold step forward, holding He An’s shoulders and trying to push him into the room, “It’s freezing outside. Go inside and talk.”
But unexpectedly, He An grabbed his wrist and said, “Wait, let’s talk outside. Inside… is not very convenient.”
Linglan can’t stand Zheng Feiluan’s scent. If she smells him in her sleep, she might have nightmares.
Zheng Feiluan tensed up and awkwardly let go, “Sorry, I didn’t think of that.”
He absolutely misunderstood what He An said and assumed that “inconvenient” meant Dai Xiao——
He An had lied about being with Dai Xiao some time ago to evade his persistent hounding. It pricked like a thorn and went straight for Zheng Feiluan’s heart. It was so fragile that it could break at the slightest tug. It was surrounded by rotting flesh and blood. It came out all the time and hurt him. The vague “not very convenient” appeared to be the cause. Without giving it a second thought, he smashed these three words down on his skull, thinking they were referring to Dai Xiao.
He An noticed that he didn’t look right and thought that he was upset that Linglan had turned him down, so he quickly came up with a less serious reason, “She has always been a light sleeper, and the tiniest movement wakes her up. I usually have to be very careful when turning around, so…”
“That’s enough!”
Zheng Feiluan’s jealousy erupted, and he cut off He An with an ominous face—he didn’t care at all whether Dai Xiao was fast asleep or not.
On the spur of the moment, these words weren’t really thought to be much nicer. He An was startled by the demanding tone and took a wrong step backward, clenching his palms together and stopping to talk.
When Zheng Feiluan realized that he had done something wrong, he was so frustrated that he wanted to hit himself.
⋮
He An was freezing, so he hid in a corridor corner. His paper-thin body glowed in the moonlight, and he looked awfully pale from his cheeks to his neck, as if he hadn’t seen the sun in years. Zheng Feiluan moved closer and covered him with his body to block the wind; his shadow was so large that it nearly enveloped He An’s whole body.
Too skinny.
Just how is it possible for an adult omega to have such a skinny body?
He An still looked like a fresh-faced young man when they first met; he had big, round cheeks, sparkling eyes, and little dimples that formed when he smiled.
How much time has passed since then? How could a perfectly healthy omega deteriorate to this extent?
“He An.”
Zheng Feiluan called him softly.
He An felt cold, covered his mouth, and coughed. As he moved closer, Zheng Feiluan’s heart raced as he reached out his hand to grab his arm. After he saw he wasn’t going to resist, he gently took him into his arms and warmed him with his own body heat.
It was the first time Zheng Feiluan had embraced his omega in a calm and collected manner.
He was almost pressing his nose against the back of He An’s neck. After taking a few deep breaths, the faint scent of Lily of the Valley filled his lungs, calming his overly fatigued mind.
“Our daughter turns one year old today.” He tightened his arms, “Did she have a pleasant birthday party tonight?”
“She did.”
“Did you get the present?”
“I did.” The answer was short.
“…That’s good, just enjoy it.” Zheng Feiluan paused and whispered, “I’m sorry, I… wasn’t able to take good care of you for a year.”
He An lowered his head and didn’t say anything for a long time.
Zheng Feiluan felt bad and added, “I talked to Cheng Xiu a few days ago. He told me everything that happened last year. He said that you bled a lot and almost died in the hospital the day you gave birth to Linglan. After that, you were in a coma for five days until the new year.”
“He An, I know that my apology doesn’t make sense to you now. I hurt you badly that day, and even if I can explain myself, it’s still not an excuse. But I still want to say it… I’m sorry. What I did to you that night was truly worse than a beast.”
Zheng Feiluan held his breath, hoping that He An would say something, but the person he was holding just trembled in silence.
He immediately regretted it.
It’s such a wonderful day, and now is not the time to bring up the past.
Zheng Feiluan wrapped his arms tightly around the omega’s thin shoulders, turned his head, and kissed his cold hair, “He An, thank you for holding on and for still being willing to listen to what I said.”
He then released his embrace and took a step back.
There was a heavy silence, and eventually He An looked down at the tree shadows and whispered, “Good night.”
He didn’t turn his head to look at Zheng Feiluan again. He leaned against the wall and walked toward the door. He quickly turned around, grabbed the doorknob, and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
The wind stopped, and there was no sound in the courtyard. There is a long and narrow section of snow-white moonlight on the edge of the corridor, divided into pieces by the shadow of the railing, reflecting the irregular shadows of the trees.
Zheng Feiluan sat on the railing, looked at the closed door, and let out a weak sigh.
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Hello, I’m so sorry for the delayed update! Happy holidays, everyone! ♥
Translated and edited by janemoyu (12/25/23)
