最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶
Chapter 51
Running a mini pastry house is no challenge for Zheng Feiluan.
He knows how to run a business, and he’s capable of running a business a hundred times the size of Jiusheng in an organized manner, and a pastry shop with less than ten employees is no different.
The location of Yawen Street was already excellent, but after the rustic rock bar moved out, the level of literature and art went up even more. David is a mastered Michelin chef, and the drinks and pastries made under his watch are of very high quality. Because of its timing, location, people, and overall appeal, the Red Berry Pastry House is becoming more and more popular. As Red Berry Pastry House became more famous, it was properly managed so that it could direct customers to the Olive Inn without taking away from the main attraction.
The only thing that Zheng Feiluan couldn’t manage was his own popularity.
He was unable to resolve the matter on his own.
Alphas, especially strong and cold types like Zheng Feiluan, rarely work as servers. After putting on his shirt and vest, he miraculously drew in a large number of omegas, despite the fact that he wasn’t smiling or making coffee. They secretly talked to each other about the hot alpha barista at Red Berry Pastry and then recognized Zheng Feiluan as a tourist attraction. They flocked to the bar, sat at tables, ordered coffee specifically from him, and awkwardly struck up conversations with him all the time.
Even though Zheng Feiluan kept his pheromone level very low and even put a pheromone isolation patch on the back of his neck, it still didn’t help.
Baristas work in customer service. They may be unable to smile when they welcome you, but they certainly can’t act rudely, as they did when they were CEOs. Zheng Feiluan had to swallow down his anger and keep making coffee with a stiff face.
He thought about running away for a while, but he couldn’t find a place to stay; staying at the Olive Inn for too long would ruin He An’s life, and he couldn’t risk not being there when Linglan asked for the milk cake, so he stayed close. After some consideration, Zheng Feiluan decided to stick around at the shop and put up with the omegas’ persistent harassment.
He tries to deal with their excitement by being cold; little did he know that the more he acts distant, the more the omegas love to tease him.
Some of them discreetly used their phones to take pictures, some timidly asked if he was single, and the most severe ones didn’t even care if he was single or not; they just wanted to hook up with him.
The omega clasped his chin with one hand and seduced him with narrow, charming eyes.
Zheng Feiluan experienced a new level of treatment, unlike anything he had ever encountered before. Without showing any emotion, he glared at the other person, slammed the coffee on the bar, and said, “Not interested.”
The omega just chuckled, “Are you seriously not considering it anymore? You can just lie down, I can move myself.”
Zheng Feiluan: “….”
The glass door of the pastry house was pushed open, and He An walked in, then glanced at the bar out of habit. At that time, the omega was grinding his hips and wildly saying, I can move myself.
Zheng Feiluan was about to grab some tissue and stuff it in his mouth.
Fortunately, it seemed like He An didn’t hear it. After that, he grabbed a plastic plate and headed directly to the pastry case to grab some butterfly cakes.
Because he had learned from the past, Zheng Feiluan didn’t want He An to think that he was being a “casanova” in the pastry shop, so he stopped the cold treatment right away. Whenever he encounters an omega again, his go-to response is these three words: I’m already married.
The omegas wanted to know for sure, so they approached a shop employee.
The other employees then answered one by one, “Do you know why the shop is called The Red Berry Pastry House? It’s because the shop owner’s daughter loves strawberries.”
The alpha, who stands nearly 1.9 meters1Approximately 6 feet and 2.8 inches tall, wears an apron pocket with a cute red strawberry sewn on it. The only possible explanation for this extreme personality conflict is familial ties. The omegas realized their chase was hopeless once they learned that Zheng Feiluan had a family and a child. They finally lost interest, and the bar was eventually cleared.
But that’s not all the problem.
Thanks to his stunning good looks, Zheng Feiluan has always been the most recognized of the alpha entrepreneurs.
After arriving in Luotan Town, he stopped using his real name and stopped styling his hair to the side. Even so, he was occasionally recognized. Thankfully, because of the vast differences between a “married barista in a small town” and a “single former CEO of Jiusheng,” most people are afraid to draw a conclusion and often feel like they’re overthinking it.
The first person to recognize him was an intern reporter from a food magazine.
The young journalist arrived at The Red Berry Pastry House for an interview, brimming with passion for her job. After taking many pictures of various objects—window sills, tables, chairs, colorful plants, hand-painted menus, and gourmet pastries—she snatched David and attempted a forty-minute conversation in broken English. Finally, with a mix of excitement and anxiety, she walked to the bar while holding her cell phone. She spoke up and asked Zheng Feiluan, “Are you… are you Mr. Zheng from Jiusheng?”
That incredibly enthusiastic expression seemed to say: I want to write great news!
Zheng Feiluan’s face darkened, then he shot her a warning glance and said, “Don’t write anything you shouldn’t write.”
The young reporter freaked out and nearly dropped her phone on the floor.
“No random notes, got it. I swear, I won’t write anything like that…” She nodded her head foolishly and raised her hand to make a promise.
Little did Zheng Feiluan know that after the young reporter had returned, she began writing a culinary article about The Red Berry Pastry House, kept her word, and hid Zheng Feiluan’s true identity. And that this short piece will be extremely useful to him in the future.
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By the end of March, the days are longer, the cicadas are singing, and the ducklings under the bridge have grown into huge, chubby ducks.
In Luotan Town, summer has finally arrived.
The southern town has an early start to summer due to its low latitude. The flowers in Luotan Town have begun to bloom in a variety of reds, while Yuanjiang sits in the north, waiting for the new season to warm up.
In places with abundant sunshine and rain, weeds tend to grow. Dai Xiao was busy weeding during the day, while Linglan was squatting by the flower bed in her shorts, wearing a little straw hat and holding a twig in her hand, playing with the round watermelon worms in the grass like balls.
Liubailiu’s body fat was about to melt in the sun, and his fur matted to the ground as he slumped against the wall, sticking out his tongue.
Cheng Xiu came down the stairs carrying a heap of worn-out comforters and sheets, which he then tossed into the washing machine along with a capful of disinfecting detergent and set it to spin.
He An was still tired and weak from the heat. He sat in a chair under the corridor, wrapped himself in a blanket, and fell asleep.
Each afternoon, Zheng Feiluan returns to the inn for a nap. Whenever he walks in, he is greeted by the same old, almost exact scene. In his routine, he would first greet Dai Xiao and Cheng Xiu, share some milk cake with Linglan, put a blanket over He An’s sleeping body, and then finally go to his room for the rest of the day.
He’s been at Olive Inn for three months now, and everyone has grown accustomed to his presence.
Every day, for three months and nearly a hundred days, his performance was flawless.
If there is trouble in the inn and you ask him for help, he will not say no, no matter how big or small the problem is. He will offer Dai Xiao straightforward advice and step back to let him figure it out on his own. When a problem arises, it must be resolved immediately. Anything that can be done today will not be put off until tomorrow. It’s like having a stopwatch that keeps track of your life.
When it comes to solving problems, this method is either very harsh or extremely neat.
There were no more issues at the Olive Inn that were hard to solve after Zheng Feiluan moved in. Any signs that the problem might get worse were quickly found and dealt with. After more experiences like these, trust grew over time, and even Dai Xiao’s feelings toward him have changed a lot. They now see each other often, say hello, and consider themselves half-friends.
If this was the case with Dai Xiao, then Linglan is certainly the same.
When she was still in her mother’s womb, the little girl was terrified of Zheng Feiluan. Fear was mixed with pheromones, and it was difficult to break the connection between the two.
To get closer to his daughter as soon as possible, Zheng Feiluan had to replace it with another connection: every day at noon, he would hand over a piece of freshly baked milk cake to Linglan without a second thought. As time went on, Linglan developed a conditioned reflex: whenever she smelled Zheng Feiluan’s pheromones, she knew it meant it was almost time to eat fragrant and sweet milk cakes, so she naturally no longer felt repulsed by them.
Although it was mean, it worked very well.
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Summer nights are hot and dry, and the sky is filled with stars.
Every night at the Olive Inn, the family gets together in the small living room to relax. The TV was tuned to a celebrity reality show, the coffee table was filled up with cold, sand-fleshed watermelon, the couch was wrapped in a cool bamboo woven mat, and Liubailiu was sleeping in the cat swing.
Zheng Feiluan did well recently, so he was allowed to take part.
The mood was normally peaceful most of the time. They ate some watermelon slices, drank some lemon tea, and talked about the new words Linglan had recently learned. However, every once in a while, the past evil would unexpectedly reappear, causing him to slip and fall.
For instance, Zheng Feiluan walked into the living room like he always does tonight. It just so happened that Cheng Xiu and Dai Xiao were there, alternately snacking on chicken while absorbed in their phones. On the couch, two unfamiliar girls with short hair were immersed in the entertainment program. Around the same time, it was reported that a particular up-and-coming singer had released a digital album and that the album’s sales had reached a record high overnight.
He An sat down with Linglan on the carpet in the middle of the room, surrounded by various bottles and jars. On display were small dinner plates, frying pans, and plastic replicas of different food items, including carrots, bananas, chicken legs, tofu, cauliflower, and more. Linglan took off the lid, put some carrots in it, and then put it back on. She held it tightly and shook it very hard. After a short time, she took off the lid again, clattered it, and dumped out the carrots. She had a great time.
Zheng Feiluan approached them, squatted, and was about to speak when he noticed Linglan grab a “cauliflower” and shove it into her mouth without thinking.
He quickly put out his hand to take out the “cauliflower,” but He An stopped him.
“It’s okay, I sterilized it, it’s clean.” He An smiled, “She’s still teething, so let her bite it.”
“…Alright.”
Zheng Feiluan didn’t know much about raising children, so he couldn’t say anything back. Instead, he dragged a cushion over, sat down with his arm propped up on the carpet, and watched He An and Linglan work together in the colorful baby kitchen.
They are happy and watch each other closely, even when they don’t say anything.
Soon, He An got thirsty and wanted to drink the lemon tea next to him, but the cup was totally empty. Thoughtfully, Zheng Feiluan said, “Sit here, hand me the cup, and I will pour it.”
“…Thanks.”
He was drawn to accept his kindness, so he handed the empty cup to him.
During the handover, they looked at each other, and their fingertips touched. Probably because the cup was too cold, the warm skin felt much hotter than usual, as if a layer of sticky glue had gently melted against it.
Zheng Feiluan didn’t take his hand back immediately, and neither did He An.
This was meant to be a quiet and hazy moment. However, shortly after the talk show host in the background introduced a particular romantic film, he swiftly shifted to the next subject: Next, let us turn our attention to the latest story regarding the renowned omega actor Xie Yan.
In response, a huge photo of Xie Yan showed up on the TV screen and started to cycle through all of his acting roles.
Zheng Feiluan froze.
Listening closely as the host reads from the script: Xie Yan has long been considered a lucky man in the entertainment world. In addition to his stunning good looks and incredible acting chops, he is enjoying a successful acting career and an even more successful marriage. He can be described as a life-winner who is admired by everyone, both inside and outside the circle.
The host then took a different direction: However, Xie Yan’s relationship and career recently went through some surprising changes. First of all, the casting dilemma for the fantasy drama “Fairy in the Mirror” came to light six months ago. The lead actor may have been pressured to step down from his role, and then paparazzi caught him arguing with an alpha in public, fighting chaotically during a restaurant meal, and the long-awaited plan to have a child—which had been widely publicized earlier—was repeatedly put on hold, leading many to question the couple’s compatibility.
And according to people in the know, Xie Yan’s whole roller coaster ride so far is actually connected to one person. After officially clearing up the matter with that specific person, Xie Yan’s career began to collapse. So, could it be that the other party was frustrated because he was unable to succeed in his goal and then secretly started getting revenge because he had the resources and power within his reach?
This person, Xie Yan’s scandalous ex, is the former CEO of the corporate giant Jiusheng Group, Zheng Feiluan.
“What?!”
Dai Xiao and Cheng Xiu, who had just qualified for the finals, looked up in surprise when they heard these three words.
They swishly gazed at the TV screen, then at Zheng Feiluan, and then both gave a stunned facial expression.
Zheng Feiluan was caught off guard by the unexpected namedrop. His cheeks flushed as he stared intently at He An, eager to open up everything. He An frowned slightly, and after a brief pause, he took back his clean and thin hand holding the cup.
Zheng Feiluan: “I…”
He was completely speechless.
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I’m really sorry for the late update again! I was with my family during the holidays, and I got busy with work since it’s the first week of the year. Anyway, happy new year, everyone! Manifesting all good things for all of us this 2024! 🍀✨
Translated and edited by janemoyu (01/04/24)
