PM Chapter 8

最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶

Chapter 8

　　Half-asleep and half-awake, the phone buried beneath the sofa cushion started to ring. He An rubbed his tired eyes, staggered toward the noise, and picked it up. As the low-resolution screen flickered, the name “Cheng Xiu” appeared.

“Hello, good evening.”

He An murmured.

“He An—ahhhh! I really thought I was going to die before I could call you again! Capitalism is evil! Despicable, mindless beasts! Their consciences were killed eight hundred times! Poor Xiu has been completely drained today—there’s nothing left, not even any bones!”

As soon as Cheng Xiu started to speak, he sounded like a man halfway to death, his voice blasting at ninety decibels.

He An couldn’t stop laughing, “Really? But you sound full of energy.”

“That’s because Linglan is getting stronger and giving his godfather the will to live!” Cheng Xiu poured on the compliments without hesitation, “How’s this week? Had Linglan been good? Grow any bigger?”

He An looked down at his belly. He couldn’t see his legs because of the high curve in the way.

Softly, he answered, “They’re really well-behaved. A little bigger than before. But they move more the bigger they get, and they always cause trouble for no reason.”

“Really? Did that cause you any pain?” Cheng Xiu asked anxiously.

He changed positions on the sofa to lie on his side, relieving pressure on his sore lower back, and said, “Not pain, exactly. It’s just that recently… I get easily scared. You know… without Feiluan’s half of the pheromone comfort, Linglan gets harder to stabilize the further along I am. I’m scared I won’t make it to full term.”

“Hey, no, no, no, don’t you dare jinx it!” Cheng Xiu, who had his face in a pillow and was half-asleep, turned over like a cooking pancake, “It’s only nine months—how can you give birth so quickly? It’s psychological! Don’t forget—psychological!”

“Okay, okay. Psychological.”

He An laughed quietly and went along with him.

Cheng Xiu knew he was being dishonest with himself as he spoke, much like a scared little kid who refuses to confront reality. He sobbed into his pillow and blurted out, “He An, you have to hold on, understand? Whether it’s psychological or not. I’ve been working really hard this week—eating while I work and grabbing food with my hands if I don’t have chopsticks. I really can’t make it to see you. And that wretched place you live in—no birds, no chickens, no people—an hour’s drive even without traffic. If you go into labor early, there won’t be anyone to take you to the hospital. Please, hang in there. Make it through until New Year’s. After I clean up this madness, I’ll come stay with you, all right?”

“Alright. I’ll make sure Linglan behaves.” He An made a promise while rubbing his belly and then asked, “What’s going on at the company? I don’t remember you being so busy last year.”

Cheng Xiu thumped his chest and said, “Because last year, President Zheng wasn’t—crazy!”

He An paused, “Feiluan? What happened with him?”

“What happened!?” Cheng Xiu started to speak at triple speed right away, “He An, you have no idea. President Zheng hasn’t slept with you in two months—he’s basically a nuclear reactor on fire, a bomb about to go off, and a cannonball in the air! No matter where he goes, shit blows up. Every day, he snaps at everyone. Half of the secretaries have already cried to their therapists!”

He stopped for a moment, then went on, “This afternoon, he suddenly demanded to look at that model hotel on Huaining Road—found fault with everything, made things up out of nowhere, and picked apart their so-called VIP standard service. The VIP manager felt humiliated and quit on the spot. Zheng pointed to his face and told him to get the hell out. It turns out the guy was also an alpha, and he lost his rage. He picked up a vase and almost struck Zheng in the head. If we hadn’t dragged them apart, it would’ve ended in a lawsuit!”

He An’s chest tightened with fear. Only after hearing “almost” did he breathe again, “What about you? Was he mean to you?”

“Me?” Cheng Xiu laughed out loud, “He tells me to get lost once an hour. He fires me three times a day. I’m used to it. I was supposed to get off work at midnight tonight, but ten minutes ago he slammed his pen down and told me to pack my shit and leave. I said, ‘Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty’ and walked out. Now that I think about it, it hurts—I probably just lost my year-end bonus.”

“…..”

He An was speechless.

Cheng Xiu hugged his soft pillow for a while, which made him feel a little better. Then he kept venting, “Honestly, he lost control last Tuesday. He was irritable, anxious, hypersensitive, couldn’t sleep, and didn’t want to eat. He ignored all good news, made every problem seem worse, and wouldn’t listen to explanations. This week, he’s even worse, and he still refuses to admit that anything is wrong. The term “pheromone imbalance” is actually banned. He loses it the moment you say them. He was supposed to do two TV interviews, but I called them off. If he went like that, reporters would get sent to the hospital. At this rate, he won’t die first—I will.”

He An’s chest hurt just listening to the symptoms. Holding onto the sofa, he struggled up, “Cheng Xiu… I can probably help a bit. There is a diffuser that can soothe an alpha by adding omega body fluid containing pheromones and allowing it to dry out. I can send you a small vial in the mail tomorrow. Buy a diffuser and set it up in his office—”

“He An! What the hell are you saying?!”

Cheng Xiu quickly interrupted him, “He proudly cut you off, and here you are, still using pheromones to take care of him? What body fluid do you think you can give up with your condition? Cry your way into preterm labor? Run down the stairs until you sweat and go into labor? Or cut your wrist and go into labor? You’re going to be a dad soon. Can you please think about Linglan’s safety for once? As for Zheng Feiluan… if he wants to self-destruct, do everyone a favor and let him!”

He An sat still on the couch for a long time, holding the blanket and not saying a word.

He knew his love wasn’t worth much, but having it exposed in front of him was something else. After that loud, angry speech, his cheeks were red, as if he had been slapped instead of yelled at over the phone.

After listening to his silence, Cheng Xiu knew he had crossed a line. Regret hit him hard. As he fumbled for words to express his regret, He An spoke, “You’re right, Cheng Xiu. I… I need to let go of my attachment to him. I won’t do it again. Really. I will put myself first from now on. Trust me.”

Praise be!

He An was finally waking up!

Cheng Xiu’s nose ached. He was so moved that he almost cried. He rushed to console He An, riding the momentum—then slapped his forehead.

“Crap! He An, I almost forgot why I called you. Be careful for the next few days. Don’t open the door for anyone. Never open the door, no matter who’s knocking!”

“Why?”

“Because Zheng Feiluan is trying to find you.” Cheng Xiu dropped the jokes, his voice serious, “He hasn’t gone home in half a month—he’s been staying at the Jiusheng Jinyuan suite. An employee said today that he’s been out every night for the past three days, getting home almost at sunrise. When he returns, he goes crazy and wrecks everything. But in the morning, he remembers nothing and asks why the room is a mess. I thought he might be looking for you, but I wasn’t sure until now. You know what happened? I got a call earlier from Maosheng Bank. They told me there’s no account linked to the ID that Zheng gave them, so they were unable to provide a billing address.”

“B-bank?” He An’s face went pale.

“Yes. The bank.” Cheng Xiu nodded, “I told them to check again. They said your name. I pressed Zheng indirectly—he had no memory of calling them. He An, I’m sure that when his mate-seeking disorder acted up, he called executives at several partner banks to try to find you by looking at billing addresses. If that doesn’t work, he’ll use greater connections and… tougher ways. With his means, it will take him no more than two or three days to get to your door.”

He An reflexively turned toward the door, his heart pounding. The deadbolt and lock were both secure. He checked them multiple times before finally calming down.

“You have a kind heart, and I know you can’t handle seeing him like that,” Cheng Xiu warned, “But you have to endure it! Last time, he almost made you lose the baby. Linglan won’t make it if he touches you again!”

“I won’t let him.” He An’s face was serious as he held the phone tight and said, “I won’t open the door. If he shows up, I’ll contact the police right away—and then you. Linglan’s safety comes first, Cheng Xiu. I won’t give in to Feiluan anymore.”

For the child and his own well-being, he would no longer show that man unconditional kindness.

He definitely wouldn’t.

As soon as the call ended, the confined apartment went silent again. He An, who lived on the first floor, could hear footsteps outside, some gentle and others loud. It was completely dark outside. The motion-sensor light in the hallway was broken, and there was no light coming through the peephole. He was on edge, anticipating the sound of an angry kick to the door at any second.

“Don’t be scared. It’s safe here… don’t be scared.”

He pulled the blanket up over half of his face and whispered words of comfort to the baby—and to himself.

⋮

　　The following day was Christmas Eve. He An, still frightened, spent the day hiding out at a local park and library.

It got dark quickly in the evening.

Tonight was the annual Jiusheng Christmas gala. He An calculated the timing—Feiluan would have arrived there by this time. He couldn’t possibly be hiding in the western suburbs. With his mind at ease, He An shopped for fresh products at the grocery store, then disappeared into the typical crowd on his way home.

He had just turned the corner, a dozen steps from the building entrance, when his phone rang.

“He An!” He almost dropped the bags as Cheng Xiu let out a scream, “Are you home? If you are, lock the door now! Bolts, locks, chains—put up anything you can!”

He An started to run toward the door right away, “What happened?”

Cheng Xiu sounded as if he were going to pass out, “President Zheng is gone! There’s a gala tonight, and he should have been there an hour ago. There’s no sign of him. I can’t reach him, his brother can’t, even his father can’t—no one can!”

“I… I understand. I’m heading home right now!”

He hurriedly entered the building, fumbling for his keys as he climbed.

He didn’t see the matte black Maybach that was five or six meters behind him in the snow, hidden by the dark. The driver’s door was left open. The keys were still in the ignition. The engine made a quiet humming noise. The owner had left in such a hurry that he had abandoned a ten-million-dollar car on the side of the road like trash, careless about whether it would be stolen.

He An took his keys out with trembling hands. He turned the corner of the stairs and looked up—

—and stopped.

Zheng Feiluan was there.

The man stood with his back to him, head dropped, both hands planted against the wall, like a lone alpha wolf securing its prey. An ominous, oppressive aura emanated from him. The wall next to the door was covered in scattered footprints.

He An was horrified. He wanted to turn around and flee, but he was afraid the man’s strong hearing could pick up the slightest shift in his surroundings.

At that very moment—tragically, disastrously—the phone went off with Cheng Xiu’s booming voice:

“He An, are you home? Taiguang Bank just told me that Zheng Feiluan got your address from them an hour ago! He’s probably already there!”

There was a deadly silence in the stairs. Cheng Xiu’s voice was loud and clear. Zheng Feiluan’s body twitched. He followed the sound and slowly turned around, concentrating his dull, unfocused gaze on He An. He stared at him for a while.

Then he smiled.

It was the smile of someone starving beyond reason who had finally found food—wild, ecstatic, bone-chilling.

Black dress shirt. Firm bow tie. Pointed leather shoes. Pure white formal attire.

The wandering man walked toward him, one step at a time, like he was asking him to dance.

He An’s heart raced with fear. He backed away, inch by inch, bracing himself against the wall.

The distance narrowed.

The shopping bag made a muffled thud when it hit the ground. Tofu, vegetables, and potatoes were spread everywhere.

“He An! He An! Are you there?!”

Cheng Xiu, his hands sweating from holding the phone, continued to wait for an answer.

After a short, scary silence, He An’s scream broke out. It was a loud, sharp scream, and it was followed by the sound of a body hitting a wall. Somebody snatched the keys, stuffed them into the lock, and then twisted frantically. The door was smashed open with a loud bang.

The phone was dropped outside.

The noises got quieter and further away, but Cheng Xiu could still hear He An’s desperate cries for help through the door.

It was over.

Cheng Xiu stared blankly at his phone.

This time… it’s all over.

✕✕✕

Translated and edited by janemoyu (09/06/25)