最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶
Chapter 74
It’s either the Riverside Apartment or the Lakefront Mansion.
It had been almost a year since anyone had lived in the Riverside Apartment. It was freezing and empty. It was clear that it wasn’t a good place to live. Although the Lakefront Mansion wasn’t empty, the risk level was too high. If Old Man Zheng asked when Yan Ning would come back home, he would be dead if he said nothing, dead if he lied, and dead if he told the truth.
Zheng Feiluan values his life, and after comparing the options, he decided to go to Jinyuan and book a suite, after which he tossed and turned all night.
He had never missed He An so much.
Without He An, the bed was cold and unpleasant. Even when the light was hazy, he remembered He An sitting beside the bed the night before, with playful short hair, putting clothes on Linglan, and chatting with him in a relaxed manner and with soft eyes. Tonight, he couldn’t see or touch him. How was he going to adjust?
Even though Yan Ning warned him not to visit West Gardenia Street, Zheng Feiluan couldn’t resist. He visited his house every day to enjoy a cup of fruit tea or a caramel puff that He An had made. He would take walks with him regularly. They would go to the nearby quiet park and walk around. If he brought Patton with him, they would play Frisbee for a while.
“Aren’t you supposed to be busy? Why do you come here every day?” He An asked.
“Not too busy. It will be a few days before I go back to Jiusheng. There is still time on the holiday, so I’ll do my best to spend it with you.” He added, “Even if I get really busy in the future, I’ll still come over and have dinner with you every day.”
On his way back, he met Yan Ning by chance.
Zheng Feiluan thought Yan Ning would lecture him, but he didn’t say anything and just gave him a bright smile.
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When Zheng Feiluan came back to Jiusheng, it was a huge deal for the whole company. He had to keep thinking about what role he would play, how much power he would take from his brother, and whether they would be equals or one primary and one secondary. Before formally assembling the board of directors, Zheng Hongming called the two brothers to his hilltop residence for a meeting.
After over two hours of discussion, the alphas eventually settled on a course of action. For the first time ever, they decided to establish a dual executive system in Jiusheng, with specific duties for the two heads of authority and with the clear promise that they would work together to accomplish common goals while also maintaining balance between one another.
Both brothers were satisfied.
Zheng Feiyi is more reserved and careful than his younger brother, who is extremely ambitious. Growing up, his father’s favoritism was the only motivator for him to compete. Even though he has been trying to do it all on his own for the last year, he has been completely unsuccessful. He now knows how far he can go and that it will be hard for him to hold on for much longer. Sharing part of the pressure with his younger brother comes as an unexpected relief.
This arrangement also works well for Zheng Feiluan.
His perspective has changed. Instead of having full control, what matters to him more is whether he has time to spend with He An and Linglan. Based on how hard he worked before, he probably couldn’t find a few hours a week to be there for his family. It’s perfect now that it’s been cut in half.
After talking about work, it was time to talk about personal matters.
A number of days passed without Yan Ning returning home. Zheng Hongming was feeling very stressed. He grew gloomy and irritated as his rage rose up. Since he couldn’t blame Zheng Feiluan for what happened, he had to use Xie Yan’s mistake to severely reprimand Zheng Feiluan and tell him he couldn’t get involved in entertainment business rumors again.
“I’m already an alpha with a family, so I need to behave myself.” Zheng Feiluan agreed politely.
“Family? The omega was only your…”
Even though Zheng Hongming didn’t like He An, he realized that He An was already Yan Ning’s in-law and had even moved into Gardenia West Street so it wasn’t the time to reprimand him. This made him so angry that he didn’t even want to find fault. He left the boys and went outside to fish by a lake in the mountains.
The Maojian tea pot was still steaming on the table. Zheng Feiluan had never gotten along well with his brother. He took two sips and was ready to go when he was stopped.
“Wait.”
After looking around, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zheng Feiyi got up, put his hands in his pockets, and walked back and forth. He had his head down and his brows furrowed, as if he was upset but couldn’t say anything. After waiting for a long time, Zheng Feiluan finally heard him speak, “Feiluan, what do you feel when you have a mate-seeking disorder?”
“……”
“Will I remember anything? Will my memory be completely blank when I wake up, or will it become fuzzy?” Zheng Feiyi asked once more.
Zheng Feiluan grinned and said, “Don’t tell me you’re sick too.”
“I don’t think so.” Zheng Feiyi replied.
“Then don’t ask about things that don’t concern you. It’s also really mean to joke about your little brother’s struggle.” After saying these words, Zheng Feiluan turned around and left without looking back.
⋮
Over the weekend, he brought gifts to Gardenia West Street to show his admiration. As soon as he walked in the door, he saw his brother happily talking with He An on the sofa.
A basket of croissants and butterfly cakes, as well as a kettle of lemon black tea, were placed on the coffee table. He An talked to Zheng Feiyi while sitting next to him. The two of them were quite close, less than a foot apart, as if they were long-time friends.
Bitterness spread across Zheng Feiluan’s face as he clenched the gift bag even more tightly.
“He An.”
He let out a hard cough.
“Feiluan?” A little taken aback, He An waved at him and said, “Come sit down. I baked a bunch of snacks and made some black tea. They’re fresh, soft, and tasty.”
“What… what a coincidence?”
Zheng Feiluan’s strength lasted about three seconds before crumbling.
He laid the gift on the sofa, smiled, and took a seat beside He An, paying close attention. He An was kind and fair, and he poured him a cup of black tea with a ripe lemon slice on top.
When Zheng Feiyi saw this, he got up and said, “I’ll get going then. Thank you for having me over.”
“Let me see you off.”
As the host, He An walked Zheng Feiyi to the door with a smile. When he got back, Zheng Feiluan was sitting on the sofa, eating a lemon slice, and looking miserable again.
“Is something wrong? What got you so moody?”
“I’m jealous.”
Zheng Feiluan used his tongue to flick the lemon slice.
He An threw a lemon slice back into the cup and said, “You’re such an idiot.”
“Tell me the truth, why did my brother meet with you for no reason?” Zheng Feiluan couldn’t contain his curiosity and was impatient for an answer.
He An replied, “To chat.”
Zheng Feiluan wasn’t buying it, “He doesn’t even know you, so what would you talk about?”
He An grinned, sat down, took a slice of butterfly cake, and slowly blew on the sugar bits, “We’re in the same boat, and we have a lot to talk about.”
“In the same boat?!”
Zheng Feiluan saw a blood-red warning light flash in front of his eyes, followed by a long, ringing sound, “Do you relate to each other because of a sickness or something?”
He An wouldn’t answer. He just smiled and didn’t say anything when Zheng Feiluan pounded on him or asked him questions. He would sometimes push him to go see Linglan, and other times he would ask him to take the dog for a walk. He finally gave up on ignoring the questions and said, “You’ll find out later.”
Would anyone be able to wait that long?
Zheng Feiluan was seriously nervous, but he was too embarrassed to call Zheng Feiyi to find out what was going on, so he felt depressed the entire afternoon.
When it got dark, someone who was more frustrated than him came to visit.
Old Man Zheng crossed most of the city with a fish basket to give Yan Ning the crucian carp he caught in the back lake. He had the power to call for wind and rain, and his sword was still strong and sharp. When he got there, his alpha aura was even stronger than Zheng Feiluan’s.
He An shuddered slightly when seeing him for the first time.
“Hello, Mr. Zheng.”
He wasn’t eager to be a part of the Zheng family. Despite already being their daughter-in-law, he didn’t force his way in by calling him “Uncle” without being acknowledged first. The “Mr. Zheng” was a form of respect from the younger generation to the elder.
Zheng Hongming admires young people with vibrant eyes. He unexpectedly likes He An and asks Zheng Feiluan, “Is he the one you like?”
Zheng Feiluan bowed and said, “Yes.”
“He’s alright. Presentable. Better than I thought.”
He always looked serious and mean, even when he was complimenting someone. It was like he was born incapable of laughing. Zheng Feiluan appeared considerably sweeter in contrast to him.
⋮
After leaving the tea room, Yan Ning saw Zheng Hongming. He didn’t act shy at all and greeted him calmly. He then gave Mrs. Zhou the fish so she could prepare soup.
Zheng Hongming, who had difficulty letting go of his pride and not being good at pleasing others, awkwardly followed Yan Ning into the study room and asked him what books he’d read recently, if there were any interesting events at university, and if the results of the yearly routine physical examination found any problems… Yan Ning dealt with them effortlessly, answering each question in turn. His demeanor was warm and welcoming, and he was perfectly fine. However, he drew an appropriate line, and there was no way to be more clear.
Zheng Hongming didn’t know what to do, so he could only watch and be anxious.
Both He An and Zheng Feiluan could feel the gloomy vibe as they walked past the study room. They quickly left the scene, not looking back. When they got a little farther away, Zheng Feiluan stood up, put his hand on He An’s shoulder, and exclaimed, “Don’t learn from my dad!”
“What?”
He An blinked to show that he was confused.
Zheng Feiluan replied uneasily, “I know my dad. He’s so good at mentoring students that he can mislead even people with strong opinions. If you hang around him for a long time, I’m worried you’ll let him shape you into someone as annoying as hitting foam. You won’t agree or refuse, and you’ll keep your composure, which will make me suffer…”
“Is Uncle Yan really so powerful?”
Zheng Feiluan gave him an annoyed smile and said, “He’s not only strong, he’s practically at the level of a grandmaster. Do you know how long my father has been pursuing him since he woke up? Fifteen years and no progress at all.”
“Fifteen years? That’s really tough.”
He An sighed, then he suddenly arched an eyebrow and grinned mischievously before saying, “Feiluan, you need to put in more effort. To be honest, Uncle Yan has gotten me halfway there.”
“He An!”
Zheng Feiluan was so mad that he wanted to talk him out of it, but He An lowered his head, bent his knees, and quickly slipped through the small space between him and the wall.
⋮
Later that night, Zheng Hongming left after dinner, but Zheng Feiluan stayed until after nine o’clock.
He spent some time playing a game with Linglan in which they had to move colored beans from bowl No. 1 to bowl No. 2 and then back from bowl No. 2 to bowl No. 1. If any were accidentally spilled during the game, they’d have to clean it up using a tiny broom and dustpan. He also joined He An on a live call with Luotan Town that lasted thirty minutes. Even though business was thriving at the Olive Inn, Dai Xiao and Cheng Xiu continued to joke around and refuse to get along peacefully.
The gift that Zheng Feiluan brought was put in the sofa’s corner. He didn’t open it since he assumed it was a scarf or jewelry. As soon as Zheng Feiluan left, he carefully took it and looked into it with curiosity.
Only a thin piece of paper was inside the gift bag, which was held together with a golden ribbon that made it look like a long, thin tube.
He An loosened the ribbon and opened the scroll.
He was momentarily taken aback by the words inscribed on it; he recognized those two elegant words that were established over a hundred years ago:
Yuanjiang University
Fall Readmission Notice
He An held it in his hand, and his wrist was trembling slightly. He quickly got up, took the letter, and ran out the door in his fuzzy slippers, not even bothering to change them.
The cold wind blew along the street, and two rows of faint street lights illuminated the empty road. He held his breath and looked around as he stood on the middle of the road.
Zheng Feiluan’s car was already gone.
He An deeply regretted it. He should have opened the present earlier and thanked Zheng Feiluan in person.
But just as he turned his head in dismay and meant to go back, he noticed a tall person leaning against the wall. In the dim light cast by the door lamp, the other figure stood there, staring at him as well.
He walked over slowly, pursed his lips, and put his arms around Zheng Feiluan’s waist.
He whispered, “Thank you.”
Zheng Feiluan chuckled and asked, “What do you have to thank me for? I owe you this.”
He An shook his head and kept quiet for a while. As his eyes became more watery under the shadow of darkness, he rested his head on Zheng Feiluan’s chest.
He knew that he had quit school, not been kicked out, and that it was unlikely that he would be able to go back. These days, students from Yuanjiang University who were younger than him frequently visited his home. He was envious and always felt bad about himself, and even though Yan Ning adored him so much, he didn’t tell him about his academic standing.
But in the end, he refused to give up.
For so many years, he has been waiting this notice of readmission to school, which is as light as a feather yet as valuable as gold.
“You live here, which is near the school. Mrs. Zhou will be there to help you take care of Linglan while you focus on earning your degree. If you ever decide you want to get a doctorate or master’s degree, I’ll fully support you.” Zheng Feiluan spoke softly as he ran his fingers through He An’s hair.
“Mm-hmm.” He An gave a subtle nod.
“By the way, classes have been in session for a month. Since you started in the middle of the semester, you need to make up a lot of lessons. You might get tired if you have too many classes. We are not in a rush to graduate next summer, so enroll in as few classes as you can manage, okay?”
He An put his arms around Zheng Feiluan’s neck, closed his eyes, and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
“Okay.”
On this chilly night, his life and dreams, which he had abandoned, were subtly returned.
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Our omega was so playful and silly this chapter. He’s about to go out in the real world again. I’m so proud of him. 🥺🤎
Oh, and cheers to Perfect Match for gaining 100k+ views! Thank you for reading this story! 🫶🏻
Translated and edited by janemoyu (07/07/24)
