最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶
Chapter 68
He An froze for two or three seconds before snapping out of it and finally shouting, “Let go!”
Hearing the unexpected voice made the alpha feel paralyzed, and his muscles tensed up. He wasn’t sure if he was hearing right and inhaled the back of He An’s neck with caution in the dark. Suddenly, after taking a whiff, he withdrew his hand as if horrified.
Click.
The lights were turned on.
He An lifted his upper body with his elbows and saw an alpha standing far away against a wall, staring at him intently.
The alpha is about 1.95 meters16.4 feet. tall, has a wide back, powerful chest muscles, an exceptionally muscular body, and a square face with sharp lines. When he furrows his brow, he gives off an even more intense appearance. His whole being gives off a scary, gangster-like vibe.
But He An had a gut feeling that this person wasn’t malicious.
“Who are you?” the alpha asked, taking the initiative.
“The inn manager.” Still reeling from the shock, He An gestured towards the bathroom, “I came to check because I heard someone leave the bathtub’s faucet open…”
The door was unlocked by He An using the key, and the alpha had indeed heard the rattle of the lock earlier. This identity made sense, and it cleared up his doubts.
He realized he was wrong and let down his guard right away. He felt bad and said, “I’m sorry. I thought my omega had come back, and I wanted to surprise him… I had two bottles of wine, so I’m quite drunk now. My sense of smell was not particularly sensitive, so I didn’t notice it…”
It turned out that there had been some confusion.
That was terrifying.
As if to show he didn’t mind, He An shook his head and then tried to sit up by lifting himself up on the bed. But the shock was too great, and he felt a sudden cramp in his waist, which made his face contort in pain, and he staggered backwards in humiliation.
The alpha stepped forward quickly and helped He An up, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
He An put on a sour face and massaged his waist over and over. He worked on loosening up the muscle for a long time and could barely move it. He looked up at the alpha with a weak smile and grumbled, “You’re too strong. It would hurt someone else, even if it wasn’t me… Is your omega made out of steel and iron? Can he handle being tortured so much?”
The alpha scratched his head, embarrassed. “It’s as if we’re newlyweds after a brief time apart. I got too excited.”
He An took a look around after hearing what he said. On the bedside table, there was a bottle of champagne and two tulip glasses, as well as a heart-shaped pile of yellow roses in the center of the pillow. It was really well put together.
This is probably referred to as… the softness of a tough man?
He An felt moved and quickly replied, “It’s okay, it’s just a misunderstanding. It could happen to anyone. Don’t think too much about it. I should probably get out of here fast before we accidentally bump into each other; otherwise, he might misinterpret, and all of your beautiful, expensive flowers and wine would go to waste.”
“All right, thank you.”
Although the alpha’s demeanor was that of a gentleman, his smile gave the impression of a gangster collecting debts. He bowed slightly and opened the door for He An, acting like a well-trained bodyguard.
He An said goodbye to him, returned to the living room, and secured the key to Room 103 back in the drawer. There were no delays for anything important because the guests who were playing Werewolf had just finished speaking. They kept him on as the game moderator, and he would stretch his sore waist every now and then.
He was thinking about the aggressive and smitten alpha, hoping to spend a happy night with his partner tonight, so he secretly watched the movements outside, curious to see when his omega would come back and what he looked like. But no one was seen going into 103 until the living room was empty and there were only a few lanterns left in the hallway.
Maybe I missed it.
He An put the issue aside for now, shut the curtains, took a shower, put on pajamas, and went to sleep, holding the sleepy Linglan.
The following morning, while He An and Linglan were enjoying some piano time in the living room, someone came to check out with the key to Room 103. Surprisingly, neither the alpha nor the omega had accidentally picked him up. It was actually a young male beta who appeared to be an outdoor hiker, lugging a heavy black backpack.
He An was confused, so he asked hesitantly, “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Uh, it’s pretty good…”
The other person seemed anxious, so they nodded at He An several times while smiling warmly.
After giving it some thought, He An decided against asking about the alpha and the bathtub faucet. After returning the full deposit, he offered the man a lollipop, a bottle of mineral water and politely said, “Welcome to come again next time.”
He An cleaned up room 103 after the guests left and found that the wine and flowers were gone. The bed was as smooth as new, and there was a faint smell of pheromones in the air, but not at all from a night of passion.
It’s likely that the alpha never got to wait for his omega.
Strangers became lovers after meeting at the inn, and lovers became strangers after parting ways too. He An could only watch helplessly, unable to predict what would happen to anyone else.
⋮
Life was calm and relaxed for the following several days.
Zheng Feiluan insisted on giving Linglan her milk cake every single day, and she also insisted on telling him, “You are not my daddy.”
Cheng Xiu and Dai Xiao completed Break-up Kitchen after earning three stars with difficulty.
Never again did Xie Yan show up to cause trouble. He kept to himself in the film and television city, drawing his “high-quality star” image.
The Fish Delight Inn, which is right next door, also has a second corgi. It was unaware of the world’s dangers because it grew up in a greenhouse. The day it moved in, Liubailiu nabbed the freeze-dried meat right away. Since it was unable to leap over the wall, it watched as Liubailiu effortlessly carried the meat to the roof and savored it. It was so angry that it jumped, barked, and howled.
On the other hand, Yan Ning gave Linglan a gift: a rainbow windmill. After seeing it in Yan Ning’s ginkgo tree during their last video call, Linglan fell in love with it. And because Yan Ning loved his granddaughter so much, he just sent it to her.
It was the best thing ever, and Linglan played with it every day.
“Hoo一“
She spun it several times.
“Hoo-hoo!”
And many more times.
Strokes of color made the windmill look like a painting that kept moving, lively, and bright.
⋮
The inn has been tormented by mosquitoes recently, given its proximity to the river. Linglan had been bitten twice, and she had two tiny red spots and was groaning with itchiness. Knowing that the sun was going down, He An took her to buy a small mosquito repellent sachet when the market was empty.
Linglan always remembers her favorite paper windmill, no matter where she is. As she goes along, she proudly holds it up to show it off. If she sees a dog, she shows it to the dog. If she sees a cat, she shows it to the cat.
The market was considerably busier than normal today, which was a little strange. Despite the time of day, there were still plenty of people out and about.
In Luotan Town, tourists can be roughly put into two groups. Those in the first group typically bring their whole family on vacations to enjoy the beautiful scenery. People in the second group usually gather in the film and television city, and they tend to be young and stylish.
As He An looked around, he noticed that most of those around him were rather young.
Perhaps it is due to the fact that filming has begun on a new drama in the film and television city, featuring a famous actor, which has captured the attention of many fans.
He An approached the handicraft stall and lowered his head, choosing a small pink sachet filled with mint and mugwort for twelve yuan. After paying, he put the sachet around his wrist and planned to take the Linglan home. There were a lot of people today, so he had no interest in shopping right now.
But just then, the person standing next to him snatched his arm.
When he turned around, he saw a young woman with short hair and a denim overall skirt; she was probably around twenty years old. She raised her chin a little, looked at him from the corner of her eye, and licked her teeth with the tip of her tongue. Her expression was not friendly.
“Is something wrong?” He An was concerned.
The girl didn’t say anything or let go. Instead, she clutched He An’s clothes even more tightly.
She took out her cell phone from the pocket of her skirt, swiped her thumb across the screen to unlock it, and kept comparing it to He An’s face, acting very arrogant like a police officer checking an accused person’s ID. After that, she started talking on the phone and held it to her ear:
“Hey, I caught the man. You won’t find him at that inn. He’s in Mill Square. Don’t ask me, just send all of them over here. I’m sure.”
She spoke with an intentionally loud voice in order to get attention from others.
Sure enough, as soon as the words came out, everyone in the market looked at He An with suspicion and distaste, and whispers started to get louder.
Even though he had no idea what she was getting at, He An could tell that things were looking bad.
He clasped Linglan and couldn’t let go, so he yelled, “I don’t know you, please let go!”
“Dad…”
Linglan was so scared that she was afraid to even move her pretty paper windmill. She cuddled up to He An and hugged him tightly, looking slightly distressed and angry.
Few people live in Luotan Town. Dozens of people hurried to Mill Square from all directions within two minutes of the tip-off call. Along with the others who were present at the market earlier, they surrounded He An, preventing him from leaving.
Tourists were mostly young omegas and betas, both men and women. They were all hostile, and they shared the trait of having sharp eyes.
They raised their phones to their faces, made eye contact with He An and Linglan, and continuous light flashes appeared. People walking by were confused and wanted to know what they were up to. They only said two words, “Catching him.”
A bystander responded, “But he has a kid.”
“What does it matter that he has a kid? He’s been a mistress for a long time.” A girl raised her voice and cut in.
Others in the crowd also seemed to lose it emotionally. They squeezed forward desperately, staring at He An as if he were a murderer. As soon as they reached the front row, they swung their arms and threw an uncapped mineral water bottle at He An.
The icy breeze came at them and splashed the father and daughter with water before they could get ready.
Linglan opened her eyes, but a soaked curtain lingered over her eyelashes, making it impossible for her to see clearly. She didn’t bother wiping her eyes and quickly clenched her hands; her hands were empty, and the paper windmill was gone.
In a state of panic, she hurriedly wiped the water from her eyes by rubbing her face. It wasn’t until then that she spotted her paper windmill clearly; it had fallen nearby, with a torn piece.
It’s okay. It can be fixed.
“Dad…”
She was going to ask He An to help her pick up the paper windmill, but before she could, a massive wave of people moved toward them. One foot stomped on the paper windmill in the midst of the chaos, and then another…
It was all broken up, and there was no sign of it anywhere.
The pinwheel is gone.
Linglan pursed her lips as she watched the paper windmill fade away in front of her, causing her eyes and nose to turn red.
⋮
“What are you doing, huh? I’m talking to you一why are you throwing water bottles?!”
Suddenly, someone yelled out a reprimand.
When He An turned to look at the voice, he was surprised to see that it was the girl who had grabbed him in the first place. It was clear that she wasn’t trying to keep him safe.
“Calm down and pay attention to me first!”
This girl took charge right away after she helped bring someone to justice by catching them. With an air of superiority, she stood tall, cleared her throat, and yelled out, “Everyone, hold on a second. Start by turning on the cameras. Just turn the cameras on and film it all. Are you listening? Attacking someone is illegal, and I know you’re all furious and sympathetic with Yanyan right now, but please don’t do it. Remember the following words: beating someone is against the law! All of us who like Xie Yan are good fans. We need to rail at them and arrest them all in a respectful way. Don’t let other people stop us in the process and make us look bad, even if we’re right!”
There was a lot of agreement and nodding, and the crowd moved back half a meter in response.
The girl went on, “Yanyan is already going through a lot. If you love him, don’t make things hard for him right now! This is something that only Yanyan can handle. We need to trust him and not hurt him behind his back! All of us are only here today to send a message: being a mistress is a recipe for disaster. God will punish those who mess with other people’s marriages!”
She screamed at the top of her lungs, like a general giving orders from a three-meter-high platform. She did, in fact, lead an army of angry and devoted troops.
And Xie Yan was the lord they wanted to protect.
He An finally figured it out.
Xie Yan didn’t give up on Zheng Feiluan.
Unfortunately, he lost the last encounter he had with him in the alley. It seems he’s trying a new, less honorable tactic this time, one that involves starting from the outside in an effort to get him to leave Zheng Feiluan.
Linglan reached for his neck and shivered from the overwhelming hostility.
“Don’t be scared.”
Looking at the crowd with a serious face, he leaned down and took a deep breath. Amidst it all, he tenderly patted his hand on Linglan’s head, comforting her, “You’ve got daddy to protect you, don’t be scared.”
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I hope you liked the multiple updates, so here’s a heads-up! For work reasons, I’ll be gone for a week. The next chapters will be up by or before June 12th. Thanks for your patience! 🥹🫶🏻
Translated and edited by janemoyu (05/29/24)
