PM Chapter 5

最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶

Chapter 5

　　Zheng Feiluan waited a long time without getting an answer. His pen paused. He lifted his eyelids and glanced over, “…You disagree?”

He An didn’t say a word.

His nails dug into his palm—one millimeter, then another—the crescents of red growing deeper and darker.

Seeing that, Zheng Feiluan finally softened his tone a little, “Which part do you disagree with? One of them, or all three?”

“T-the… the child,” He An whispered, “You’re… taking the baby too?”

Zheng Feiluan laughed, “Should I not?”

Three polite, sincere-sounding words—cold as a knife. He An’s fists clenched so hard that his knuckles went bone white. The red grooves in his palm broke open, oozing blood that stained the curved pale tips of his nails.

He shut his eyes and sucked in a few shaky breaths, forcing himself not to fold.

Say it. Whatever you want to say—say it. Don’t be scared.

Fearing an alpha was psychological conditioning. But the child—that tiny, living thing in his belly—was real. If he didn’t speak up now, it wouldn’t survive.

The sting in his palm became a spear that shattered the omega instinct whispering obey, obey, obey. Before that last fragile piece of backbone could snap, He An shoved the words out of his throat:

“Please… please let me keep the baby!”

Zheng Feiluan’s eyes darkened. He clicked his tongue softly, impatiently.

A man used to navigating social circles, he slipped on an amiable mask with practiced ease. He pushed the paper forward and asked gently, “Then let me ask you something, Mr. He. Where do you work?”

He An wasn’t sure what he was getting at, “At the pet shop nearby—the one on the corner called Pet Castle. Sometimes when the flower shop next door is short-handed, I help deliver bouquets.”

The cheap blue ballpoint pen spun once between Zheng Feiluan’s fingers.

“A pet shop?” he said with a mocking tone.

Apparently, this was a hilarious answer.

But the next second he dropped the smile, straightened up, braced his elbows on either side of the table, and laced his fingers together. His gaze sharpened, heavy with the kind of pressure he wielded effortlessly as a dominant alpha used to controlling negotiations.

Top-tier pheromone pressure—his paradise, someone else’s hell. Even strong alphas couldn’t last long under that kind of force. An omega he’d already marked stood no chance.

Predictably, He An shuddered violently. His pupils constricted. Something invisible shoved him hard against the sofa—no matter how he tried, he couldn’t sit upright. His waist folded, and his legs went weak. His thin shoulders were pressed so deep into the leather cushions it felt like the sofa was swallowing him whole.

Zheng Feiluan cleared his throat and laid out the terms—calm, rational, merciless:

“Mr. He, our discussion, our negotiation, must rest on three clear facts. First, you and I will never become legal spouses. Second, the Zheng family will never acknowledge the child you give birth to. Third, I will never pay a cent of child support.”

“This means that the only situation that meets my requirement of “cutting all ties” is for you to raise the child entirely on your own.”

He paused only long enough to make sure the words sank in.

“But raising a child alone requires money. And your job—no offense—small pet shop work, occasional flower shop gigs… unstable income, low income. In Yuanjiang, that won’t even cover scraps. There is nothing, no evidence anywhere, that suggests you’re capable of raising a child on your own.”

He An’s face flushed hot, and his blood-specked nails dug even deeper into his palm.

“I can sign an agreement with you,” he argued breathlessly. “A waiver, an unbreakable one. When the baby’s born, every expense—milk formula, clothes, diapers, medical bills, school—I’ll handle all of it. I won’t ask you for a single cent. Does that… count?”

“But reality doesn’t bend to your sincerity,” Zheng Feiluan replied, unmoved. “Your income is not enough.”

“I’ll think of a way!” He An burst out.

“You’ll “think of a way’” doesn’t mean you’ll find a way. That’s not attitude—it’s ability.” Zheng Feiluan’s voice was ice-cold. “And unfortunately, your promise means nothing. Child support rights are granted by law. You can’t waive them. No judge will acknowledge a private waiver from you.”

He paused, his eyes cooling to something sharp and suspicious.

“Allow me to make a simple theory. One day, if you’re broke, desperate, and unable to feed the child, will you “think of a way” to request a paternity test through the Omega Protection Bureau and force me to pay support? Or worse, will you “think of a way’” to bring that child to my doorstep and demand it receive the same inheritance as any children born to my legal spouse?”

He let the silence sting before continuing:

“I don’t doubt your morals right now, Mr. He. But I must remind you, when people are starving, freezing, or cornered, they abandon the beliefs they swore they’d never betray. They do things they once despised. You could live a comfortable life on your own—why chain yourself to a child that will only drag you down? Whatever “family bond” you think it’ll provide isn’t worth the price you’ll pay to raise it. If you end it now, while it’s still early, you and I both eliminate a massive ticking time bomb. Isn’t that better?”

No.
It wasn’t better.
It wasn’t even close to being better.

Every cell from He An’s ears to his gut rebelled against that cold logic. He knew better than anyone how precious this little life inside him was.

He pulled off his scarf. The fabric sticking to his neck was soaked with sweat.

He unbuttoned his coat too, exposing the soft white sweater stretched over his belly—a small, round curve like a ball of glutinous rice dough, impossibly gentle, impossibly lovable.

“Feiluan… Omegas like me don’t easily meet compatible alphas. If this baby is gone, I might never have another chance. Please, let me keep it. It’s six months along—it moves now. Here, just feel it…” He tried to guide Zheng Feiluan’s hand, “Once you touch it, you won’t be able to get rid of it…”

Click. The ballpoint pen shot a short distance and fell to the floor. Zheng Feiluan calmly reached down to pick it up, neatly dodging He An’s touch.

He An froze a moment, then slowly withdrew his hand.

“A six-month termination does cause more physical damage,” Zheng Feiluan remarked lightly, eyes fixed on the pen tip, “I’ll pay all the necessary medical fees. Don’t worry.”

“I don’t want your money. I want the baby!”

He An slammed the table and stood, his face white as chalk. The shaking table rattled the teacups and paperwork, “Is there really no room for negotiation? None at all? Feiluan, I can sign another contract—just between us. Whatever this child costs you—support, inheritance, anything—I’ll owe you double! If I ever get greedy, if I ever try to extort you, you won’t suffer, and the baby won’t suffer. I’ll be the only one to pay for it!”

His voice was too loud—raw, breaking, carrying. A few scattered stares drifted over from across the café.

Zheng Feiluan’s expression snapped, “Sit. Down.”

In an instant, his anger spiked—his pheromones surged out of control, thick with threat and dominance.

Darkness swallowed the edges of He An’s vision. His legs buckled. His nerves, his bones, and his muscles all dissolved at once. He collapsed back onto the sofa, even his neck unable to hold his head up.

He couldn’t lift his face. It hung forward, sweat dripping off the ends of his hair, sliding down the pale line of his throat.

When an alpha’s rage peaked, an omega’s fear soared with it.

Trapped in that suffocating pressure, He An fell straight into a nightmare: a pitch-black room, walls crawling with hundreds of insects and spiders, shiny shells rippling like a living tide, long hairy legs scraping out a bone-deep chill.

They lurked on every surface, waiting—bright little eyes fixed on him. If he so much as thought about defying Zheng Feiluan, they would swarm, pouring through his sleeves, his collar, crawling across his skin with disgusting antennae and fangs, chewing straight into his bones.

He wanted to vomit.

Curling into the corner of the sofa, He An clamped a trembling hand over his mouth.

And just like that, he couldn’t say a single “no” to Zheng Feiluan ever again.

✕✕✕

Translated and edited by janemoyu (08/26/25)