PM Chapter 67

最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶

Chapter 67

　　He An’s mood was unaffected by the alley encounter with Xie Yan, because a memorable blissful moment came that day: 

Linglan has begun to speak in sentences.

It’s no longer a string of disconnected words like “cat,” “duck,” and “yum,” but rather a short exclamation phrase with a clear main argument and supporting words:

“You are not my daddy!”

This “you” points to Zheng Feiluan.

At the moment, Zheng Feiluan was crouching in front of Linglan, holding a bite of vanilla milk cake, and trying to tempt her to call him daddy. Linglan stared with wide eyes, and for the first time in her life, she boldly declared her refusal in words.

The pronunciation is clear, the grammar is correct, the emotions are strong, and even the silent exclamation point at the end of the sentence speaks louder than words.

Linglan is not quite two years old. A lot of kids her age have trouble saying even the most basic phrases properly.

He An was thrilled. He opened Linglan’s growth journal and carefully wrote down this sentence, as well as the story’s context. He even cooked a few extra dishes in the evening to toast the occasion.

The smell of fried okra with shrimp, a platter of shepherd’s purse mixed with dried tofu, and five servings of steamed mushrooms in tea bowls filled Cheng Xiu’s eyes with delight.

At the dinner table, He An carried Linglan in his arms and teased her with a smile, “Today our baby had started say a sentence. What did she say?”

“You are not my daddy!”

Cheng Xiu ate a shrimp while Dai Xiao chewed tofu, and the two ate together.

Linglan bit her fist and giggled. Zheng Feiluan held her own cup of warm soup, scooped up a mouthful, and brought it to her mouth while smiling awkwardly but sincerely.

As long as you two are happy.

Linglan is only twenty months old, so there’s still a long way to go. He doesn’t feel that trusting in his biological advantage will allow him to patiently wait for an affectionate “Daddy.”

“Mr. Zheng, you should look at it this way. You’ve been a part of Linglan’s development, for instance…” Cheng Xiu tried to reassure him by adding fuel to the fire, saying, “Back when Linglan learned to walk, you were the one who scared her.”

You didn’t have to bring that up!

Zheng Feiluan grabbed the spoon and rolled his eyes furiously at Cheng Xiu, but he wasn’t sure why he felt proud on the inside.

⋮

　　After dinner, the table had been cleared, and the coffee table was set up with cream melon seeds, fishskin peanuts, and freshly made fruit tea. It was time for the regular, nightly ritual in the living room—the tea party.

Dai Xiao bought a handheld game console and asked Cheng Xiu to play Breakup Kitchen with him.

This is a cooperative cooking game where two players have to team up to cut vegetables, cook soup, serve dishes, and clean up. Each completed order can bring in a tip, and money will be deducted if the order is late. Dai Xiao and Cheng Xiu exceeded expectations and set new records in a wild exchange of insults, earning zero, minus ten, minus twenty, and minus fifty points.

The soup pot was on fire, and the kitchen was in shambles.

He An looked at the chaotic kitchen and asked hesitantly, “In this game, the lower the score, the better?”

Breathing hard, Cheng Xiu collapsed against the sofa armrest, nearly passing out.

Dai Xiao clenched the console in his hand and drifted into deep thought, “Cheng Xiu, it seems there’s something wrong with our unspoken agreement… If we continue to partner up, Olive Inn’s future could end up being the exact same as this kitchen…”

Cheng Xiu sprang up suddenly and said, “It’s just a game; can’t you be more positive? Come on, He An, here!”

Saying this, he forcefully tossed his red controller to He An before grabbing Dai Xiao’s blue controller and shoving it to Zheng Feiluan.

Then he leaned to the side, placed his hand on Dai Xiao’s shoulder, and grinned, “What should we do if we’re bad at something? It’s simple: look at someone worse.”

“That makes sense.”

Dai Xiao gave him the thumbs up.

Zheng Feiluan hadn’t played any games in years. He fiddled with the controller for some time before asking He An, “Do you know how to play?”

He An nodded, “I’ve been watching them play for a while, so I think I know a little bit.”

Zheng Feiluan: “Do you want to try?”

He An: “Yeah.”

The two of them restarted the level where Cheng Xiu and his teammates had died and continued playing. They went effortlessly all the way, getting three stars at each level, all under the piercing eyes of Dai Xiao and Cheng Xiu.

And there was absolute silence throughout.

Cheng Xiu was outraged. He looked at the two players on TV, rushing around and teaming up perfectly, and asked, “Why aren’t they talking?”

And we were just screaming like we were slaughtering ten thousand ducks at once?!

Dai Xiao held his cheeks and honestly thought, “Now I’m very sure the two of them are a perfect match… This level of unspoken connection is a thing that can only happen between bonded people.”

“But haven’t they already…?” Cheng Xiu gestured to the back of his neck.

Dai Xiao glanced at him blankly and said, “Did you betas doze off in physiology class? Pheromone compatibility is one of the most important outward signs of genetic compatibility, and replacing glands doesn’t affect genes.”

Cheng Xiu grumbled coldly, “So we aren’t compatible. We’re going to burn the kitchen forever, then?”

“Hard work can make up for clumsiness.” Dai Xiao comforted him. “Practice more regularly. if you get lucky, you can still play.” 

⋮

　　As night fell and more people arrived in the living room, the television changed its role and began to show some light entertainment news.

Linglan continued to behave as the tiny postman, carrying a basket of snacks and passing them out to those around her one by one. She was quite dramatic and had to properly place each sweet on her palm. On the review page of Olive Inn, countless five-star reviews were given to her.

He An was reading quietly in a corner of the couch, his knees covered by a blanket. Zheng Feiluan stood by, one hand on the back of the couch and the other carrying a cup of coffee, using his body to discreetly cover He An, creating a “do not disturb” zone.

The isolation patch on the back of his neck had been there for quite some time, and it was itching, so he instinctively touched it.

He An saw it and said, “Pull it off if you’re uncomfortable.”

Zheng Feiluan was slightly taken aback, “It’s okay, I’ll go and take a bath later, then put on some powder, and it’ll be fine.”

“I’m not that frail.” He An explained.

Zheng Feiluan gave him a subtle smile and said in a soft voice, “I know, but it’s best to let me keep my pheromones in check.”

After delivering the candies, the tiny postman walked to He An with a basket to report, muttering and trying to crawl on top of his legs. He An lifted the blanket and was going to hug her, but Zheng Feiluan leaned over, pulled her up, and brought her into He An’s arms.

In the basket, there was just a single candy left. Zheng Feiluan picked it up, ripped the wrapping, and quietly popped it into his mouth.

It’s very sweet.

On the television screen, handsome men and lovely women went around like a rotating lantern. He An hugged Linglan and looked up, only to find the same face he had seen earlier in the afternoon: Xie Yan was dressed in traditional attire with flowing sleeves, signing autographs for fans who had come to visit the set.

The omega in the camera appeared to have a distinct personality. He was friendly, pleasant, and always had a suitable smile on his lips. Even his voice was different than in the afternoon. It was slightly warmer than cold, but not overly excited. He found a perfect mix between the two.

People respect and admire him because he is honorable and upright.

How could a man like Xie Yan show any signs of paranoia?

When the reporter talked with Xie Yan’s fans, the girl embraced a bottle of mineral water tightly, her cheeks flushed with happiness, “Yanyan… Yanyan is kinder than I thought! He’s very adorable, cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He was obviously very tired from filming, but he chose not to take a break. He gave each of us a bottle of water and told us to be careful on the way back. So don’t say he’s distant anymore, he’s really a nice person!” 

“And…and, as a fan of Xie Yan, I beg everyone to show support for “Immortals in the Mirror” and Yanyan’s Exiled Immortal Lord!”

As she said this, she bowed low to the camera.

This news was quick, and the story’s focus changed in a matter of seconds. He An played with Linglan, but pondered how difficult it is to live an honest life. Wouldn’t it be exhausting to have two separate faces in front of and behind people? Plus, portraying someone with a personality that is drastically different from yours is similar to putting on an elegantly decorated skin. No matter how much affection you receive, you have to know that it doesn’t belong to the real you.

What exactly does Xie Yan want?

He An had a faint idea of what the answer was, but he couldn’t agree with it.

⋮

　　After that meeting, He An felt worried that Xie Yan had been doing something behind his back. He was solely worried about the child, not himself, so he kept Linglan close to him wherever he went. However, for a few days, the inn was always quiet, and he eventually forgot about Xie Yan.

That night, a bunch of young people gathered in the living room, ready to play Werewolf¹Werewolf is a fun party game in which players, known as villagers, try to identify who the werewolves hiding among them are before it’s too late.. Cheng Xiu was bored, so he dragged Dai Xiao back into their room to play Break-up Kitchen, while He An stayed in the living room to act as moderator for them.

Zheng Feiluan sat with him for a bit, but his neck started getting itchy, so he took a short break, took a shower, and used some prickly heat powder.

The phone on the counter suddenly rang halfway through the game.

He An instantly picked up the receiver and placed it in his ear, saying, “Hello, you’re calling the Olive Inn.”

“Hello! I’m the guest staying in Room 103. I was in a hurry to go out earlier and forgot to turn off the bathtub faucet; I just realized it when I got to the bar!” The other person went straight to the point and shouted over the loud background.

He An felt nervous and asked, “If that’s the case, may I help you turn it off?”

It’s not a big deal to pay an extra water bill. However, if the stored water overflows the bathroom, flows outdoors, and floods the flooring and furniture, the damage would be huge.

“Room 103, right?” He tilted his head, clutched the phone, opened the drawer, and quickly grabbed the key to Room 103.

“Yes, yes, yes, 103! You should go there right now!”

“Okay, bye!”

He An was really nervous. He hung up the phone, snatched the keys, and dashed outside.

⋮

　　Olive Inn offers a total of twelve guest rooms: seven upstairs and five downstairs. Room 103 is the worst of all. Not only is it located in the innermost part of the ground level, but the osmanthus tree’s shade covers its doors and windows.

He An became more confused as his anxiety grew. He tried for a long time before finally opening the door using the dim light from the lamps along the hallway. He was unable to stop as he pulled the door open and raced four or five steps into the pitch-black darkness. Then he came to a sudden stop; the room was totally quiet, with no sound of water at all.

He quickly let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

The guest misremembered it.

He’d made a mistake like this before. After he had been gone for three or five minutes, an unusual thought came to him. He was sure that he had forgotten to lock the door. He rushed back to make sure, only to find out that he remembered it wrong.

He An smiled and got ready to go back to the living room to continue judging the guests, but before he could turn around, he heard a loud “bang,” and the door shut behind him.

Is there anyone here?!

A piercing alarm rang in He An’s ears, but before he ran away, an unfamiliar alpha vibe engulfed him. He was abruptly pushed from behind, and someone hugged him tightly.

He An was so shocked to the point where his mind went blank.

The other person was extremely strong, and his movements were rough, grabbing people’s shoulder blades and causing dull pain. But he was still so agitated that he rushed to kiss He An’s cheeks aggressively, and his sharp stubble pierced his neck one after the other. He laughed quietly and complained, “What time is it? I thought you weren’t coming tonight!”

As he spoke, he pushed He An onto the bed, topped over to hold him, wrapped one arm around his hips, and yanked open his belt.

✕✕✕

Translated and edited by janemoyu (05/29/24)

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  Werewolf is a fun party game in which players, known as villagers, try to identify who the werewolves hiding among them are before it’s too late.