最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶
Chapter 32
The omega unfortunately couldn’t hear any of it because, just as Zheng Feiluan was about to speak, his consciousness was once again wiped by lingering fatigue.
Zheng Feiluan stretched out his hand and caressed the tips of his beautiful, curled hair.
Good boy.
You’re worn out tonight, so sleep comfortably on my chest. When tomorrow comes, I’ll take care of everything for you—whether you want to leave your alpha or remove the pheromone mark, there’s nothing to be scared of as long as I’m here.
The omega slept soundly and subconsciously brushed his lips. Feeling the warmth of his skin against his, Zheng Feiluan placed his arms around him and drifted to sleep.
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It took a while, but eventually the darkness went away, the sky got clearer, and the thin clouds filled the window view. The buildings across the street revealed their hovering silhouettes in the snow that had fallen the night before. On the first floor, somewhere, you could hear the grinding sound of wheels on snow. Soon after, someone hurriedly made their way upstairs and banged on the iron door at the far end of the hall.
The sound woke up Zheng Feiluan. His eyelids were tightly shut as he felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. Suddenly, he realized that the calming weight on his chest was gone. He panicked and sat straight up on the bed. As soon as he felt his eyes heat up, a hand covered his eyes.
It’s the sweet and gentle scent of an omega.
Gradually, the hand rose, and light reflecting off the white snow ran between his fingers.
After adjusting to the blinding flash, Zheng Feiluan noticed a frameless lamp suspended from the ceiling. The lamp emitted a cold, gloomy light that shot out in every direction, indicating that the omega had intentionally shielded his eyes from the brightness.
“Feiluan, good morning.”
The omega pulled his hand back, wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, and raised his brows, showing the tips of two tiger teeth.
“…Morning.”
Zheng Feiluan seemed to be in a daze.
The omega then smiled and raised his eyebrows. He truly is an easily pleased person, as if a pleasant “morning” could undo an entire night of intolerable suffering.
“You should go home now, Feiluan.” He said, “Someone’s here to pick you up.”
Zheng Feiluan clenched his fist and yelled, “No!”
“Don’t be stubborn.”
“No.”
I’m not leaving.
What is “home” if you aren’t there?
No matter how cramped or dark this place is, I want to stay here as long as I can. I know it breaks your heart to see me go—I can see love in your eyes. Why do you keep it under control? Why do you need to push me away?
The omega had a slightly confused look on his face and turned his head to look at the view outside.
His eyes reflected the distant sunlight, which was somewhat brighter than it had been just a moment before, as if delivering some kind of subtle warning.
“Feiluan, don’t be stubborn.”
He said it quietly, as if he were pleading.
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The person who was outside the house repeatedly banged on the door, forcing Zheng Feiluan to let go of his grip and allow the omega to open it.
The door sprang open, and a loud voice poured in, as if someone had lifted the lid of a hot steam kettle on a cold winter morning. “What’s happening, this again?” Can’t he stop being such a nuisance? Where is he? Is he awake? I could slap him!”
The sound of the voice caused Zheng Feiluan to snap out of his daze.
Cheng Xiu?!
Cheng Xiu had worked as his assistant for four years, and Zheng Feiluan was far too familiar with his voice to be mistaken. But what brought Cheng Xiu here?
Suddenly, his head hurt, and he felt a throbbing, vague pain in the veins that climbed up to his temples.
Zheng Feiluan lifted his hand and rubbed his temples as he saw the beta assistant, who had resigned for a year, rush into the bedroom with big strides, shrouded in deadly rage, looking like he really wanted to slap him.
He flashed a cold glare and pressed his eyebrows tightly.
As soon as the assistant caught sight of him, his fake confidence faltered for a split second, causing him to abruptly stop two steps away.
“Uh, I’m too scared to fight. There’s no way I can hit that face.” The distance was too close, so Cheng Xiu backed up half a meter, awkwardly scratched his hair, looked back at the omega, and did his best to justify his actions, “Honestly, it’s not that I’m scared. It’s just that I’m… being cautious. You get it, right? If I’m caught, this will haunt me forever. I still have a long way to go before I can pay off the loan on the three-bedroom, two-bathroom, terrace home in the center of the city. It’ll come in handy when I get married someday, and a single slap will put it all to waste. It’s not worth it.”
After saying that, a combination of regret and hatred lingered on his face, as if ten large men had stepped in to stop him.
“Stop bragging. Just admit you’re scared of him.”
The omega followed behind and slapped Cheng Xiu on the back of his head. Cheng Xiu pretended to say “ouch,” looking very offended.
The omega picked up the clothes and pants that were all over the floor and asked Cheng Xiu, “Will you go outside while I help Feiluan change?”
Cheng Xiu was furious and asked, “Why should I? He’s completely fine!”
Even though he was mad, he went into the bathroom right away after complaining.
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Zheng Feiluan’s head was pounding.
It seemed like Cheng Xiu and the little nightingale had known each other for a long time—since when? When did they meet? And for what reason? This rental house is full of strange incidents. What is wrong with this place?
When the omega sensed his anxiety, he released soothing pheromones to ease his mind.
“Feiluan, it’s okay. Cheng Xiu is your personal assistant, and he’s going to drive you home.” The omega brushed lightly against his forehead, his dark brown eyes sparkling and gentle, clearer than amber, “You have your own life and job; you can’t always be here with me. But don’t worry, I’ll always be here for you, and you’re free to come back whenever you like.”
The idea of leaving the omega still made Zheng Feiluan queasy, but the smile on the omega’s face is hard to resist, and he couldn’t bring himself to risk disappointing his beloved, so he hesitantly agreed.
After he was dressed, the omega opened a cabinet and took out a bulky coat, “Put on your coat as well, it’s still snowing.”
The more Zheng Feiluan stared at it, the more strange it felt to him.
He remembered this Chester coat.
At the start of winter last year, Yan Ning gave him this as a gift. It was something he only wore once. At the charity auction that took place in the fall of this year, he had already donated the coat with Yan Ning’s permission. But now it’s hanging in the omega’s closet—did the omega buy it back?
Impossible.
Based on the omega’s current standard of living, it’s likely it won’t be affordable even if the auction price is reduced by two zeros.
So, exactly where did this coat come from?
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“Feiluan, come downstairs.”
In the midst of his thoughts, the omega had already put on his down jacket, called out to Cheng Xiu, and held Zheng Feiluan’s hand out the door.
The strange feeling intensified as they came down: the staircase, the hallways, the trash bin that was missing its lid, and the window pane decorated with lifeless moonflowers1Moonflower is a plant with fragrant and trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom only at night, hence the name. It is associated with passionate love and mystery. It also represents hope for those who are going through a difficult time and encourages them to seek positivity.… The images seemed oddly familiar, like they had all been seen before.
And when Cheng Xiu pushed out the building’s door, Zheng Feiluan saw a car that couldn’t have appeared in the heavy snowfall.
His matte Maybach.
Last week, “he” took this car out for a nighttime drive to look for his mate and wrecked its headlights and the front hood on the way. Right now, it should be sitting in the repair shop, idly waiting for the original parts to be sent over from Germany.
Hold on a second.
Cheng Xiu, coat, car…
Last year, this year, last week…
The timing is off.
The timing for this entire night was off!
As Zheng Feiluan clasped his still-aching forehead, he realized something crucial: he was not in the present time but rather in the past.
This old clock, known as time, is rusty and slow. The hands are turned in the opposite direction, bringing the dial back to a day in the past.
The sun that is about to rise in the sky has already set in the west, the snow that was falling hard has already melted, and the person who was with him at this moment has already left.
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Cheng Xiu hopped into the car in front of them, turned up the AC, and blew out a cloudy mist.
After the car had warmed up, the omega convinced Zheng Feiluan to get in. He buckled Zheng Feiluan’s seatbelt, said goodbye, and turned to get out of the car, but he was stopped by an abrupt force on his waist.
“Feiluan?”
The omega felt a bit confused.
Zheng Feiluan hugged him tightly, his arms trembling with strength. His neck was constantly rubbed by a short, stiff stubble on his chin, and an immense rush of panic struck his heart.
Tell me, you belong in the present, right?
Just last month, I snagged you, a nightingale. By some stroke of luck, you ended up in my room. It was simply fate and had nothing to do with the past, right?
However, a cold voice whispered in his ear: Zheng Feiluan, don’t lie to yourself. You obviously know who he is.
Memories of the past are like an old jigsaw puzzle with an exquisite pattern, and the omega is one of the pure white pieces that stands out. You’re aware that there’s more to him than meets the eye; his true nature lies on the other side, an entirely different persona from the one you remember clearly from your past, and that by turning it over, all of his antics will make sense.
But you’d never do it.
You may be powerful in the corporate world, but in reality, you’re so weak that you don’t even have the guts to confront your own omega.
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His head throbbed brutally once more, and something warm was pressed into his hand.
It’s light and soft, and it feels great to the touch.
“Feiluan, you… keep this.” The omega turned his back on him, looked down, and quietly said, “It’s a bit of a long way home, so hold it and have a good sleep. You won’t be as reluctant to let go of it when you wake up and forget about me.”
Then, one by one, the omega unclasped his fingers from his waist and opened the car door without looking back at him.
Zheng Feiluan looked at what was in his hand: a small red-orange blanket, soft and thick, with a faint scent of pheromone—it belonged to the omega.
He had a fleeting realization that this scent was oddly familiar, but in a different way than the one that had followed him all night. This familiarity felt more distant, more deeply rooted, as if it had seeped into his very being, his blood, and his memories…
All of a sudden, a shocking feeling came over his whole body. Zheng Feiluan was startled and squeezed the tiny blanket tightly.
It’s Lily of the Valley.
It was the sweet smell of Lily of the Valley that got him addicted and kept him sane.
How was it that an omega he met in the “Birdcage” by complete accident happened to have the hard-to-find Lily of the Valley that he so desperately needed?
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The weather was gloomy, with a light breeze that carried the snowflakes into the sky. Even with the omega’s best efforts, the car door remained frozen shut, letting the cold snowflakes inside.
As he was ready to get out of the car, Cheng Xiu, who seemed to be fumbling for no apparent reason in the driver’s seat, turned around and called out, “He An!”
“Hmm?” The omega turned around, “What is it?”
Zheng Feiluan, who was seated at the back, instantly turned completely pale. Sticky cold sweat streamed down and covered his back as he sat still, staring at the omega.
What did Cheng Xiu just… call him?
He An?!
The name is simple, yet it has the power of a knife, cold and blinding, piercing people’s flesh and blood as it is called out.
Cheng Xiu gestured to the passenger seat and waved for the omega to come over and sit. The omega fought through the snow and wind to reach the front, ducked his head, and hopped into the car. He slammed the door shut, rubbed his hands together, and exhaled a hot breath, saying, “It’s so cold… what did you call me for?”
Cheng Xiu, pretending to be mysterious, opened the storage box and took out a bulging envelope from it, “Here, take this—a winter present for our He An.”
He An.
Two simple, unambiguous words that are both playful and precise.
The first character has a rising tone, the second character has a falling tone, and it ends with a clear, brilliant sound.
The light streaming in from the front window intensified dramatically, appearing a thousand times more dazzling as it reflected the omega’s face. Zheng Feiluan, on the other hand, could no longer see clearly.
At long last, the white jigsaw piece had been turned over and was now revealed before his own eyes.
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Translated and edited by janemoyu (01/01/24)
