PM Chapter 15

最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶

Chapter 15

Lily of the Valley.

The answer was sitting right there in front of him—pretty, lively, bright-eyed. How the hell had he not thought of it sooner?

In that instant, all of Cheng Xiu’s doubts vanished. His mood cleared completely, replaced by a vicious, deeply satisfying sense of revenge.
—So what if you’re Zheng Feiluan, big-shot extraordinaire? You still dance like a goddamn puppet when He An’s pheromones tug the strings.

He poked Linglan’s little round belly and teased her, “Hear that, sweetie? Your bastard dad misses you. Other than you, he doesn’t give a damn about any flowers or plants. What’s that called, huh? Godfather will teach you—he says he doesn’t want it, but his body’s honest as hell.”

A loud glug followed as Linglan swallowed a huge mouthful of milk, then let out a satisfied, echoing burp. The swing frame was instantly flooded with a thick, milky scent. Liubailiu perked right up, pink tongue going wild as he licked his nose, craning his head to look around, trying to figure out where the milk had spilled.

Yu Yue was still urgently pressing him on the other end of the phone. Cheng Xiu told her to wait, covered the receiver, and lowered his voice, “Linglan, what do you say—help the bastard daddy or not?”

Linglan blinked her shiny black eyes and didn’t make a sound.

She could actually talk already. She called He An “Dada,” and called Liubailiu “kitty.” Her voice was soft and baby-thick, pronunciation sloppy in that uniquely adorable infant way. What Cheng Xiu asked was way too complicated for her. She didn’t get it, so she just smiled at him, silly and sweet, then went back to sucking on the bottle with great enthusiasm.

“Be good, Linglan.” Cheng Xiu tried again, “Tell me—help him or not?”

Linglan scrunched her delicate little brows, “Mm?”

Liubailiu finally tracked down the source of the milk smell. He stood up, shook out his fur, stuck his butt in the air on the swing frame, stretched his claws, and gave a long, luxurious yawn. Then he stepped off the wooden frame and leapt to the ground. His swaying tail knocked a flower loose; it spun gently through the air and drifted straight into Linglan’s arms.

Distracted, Linglan focused intently on the small white flower in her palm, fiddling with it in all seriousness.

⋮

“Who were you on the phone with? I swear I heard Linglan’s name.”

Just before Liubailiu could jump into the cradle, a pair of hands reached in and scooped Linglan up—baby and bottle together. The now-empty cradle caught the chubby Liubailiu and sent it flying in a graceful arc, swinging a good two meters away.

Cheng Xiu hung up instantly, “Oh, nothing. Baby formula sales call. I told them our kid has plenty of breast milk, and we’re nowhere near weaning yet—don’t need their hundred-year-old ancient nutrition formula bullshit.”

“Goo?”

Linglan stared at Cheng Xiu suspiciously, eyes wide and round.

He An didn’t suspect a thing. He just laughed, “Stop talking nonsense. Look, Linglan’s upset now.”

He gently patted her back, rocking her as he coaxed her, “Our baby’s super good, right? Weaned before she was even six months old, she drinks formula all by herself now, doesn’t she?”

Linglan refused to cooperate She stared longingly at He An’s flat chest, reached out with her tiny hands and pawed at it, gulping loudly in pure greed.

Cheng Xiu clapped and laughed, only to get kicked in the leg by He An.

⋮

　　It had been over nine months since He An was discharged from the hospital, yet he was still painfully thin, with barely any flesh on him, his collarbones casting deep shadows. Thankfully, his frame was naturally petite, so he didn’t look frighteningly thin. His skin was paler than that of most omegas, appearing to be balanced between healthy and sickly. Still, compared to right after surgery, his complexion was much better now—at least his lips were no longer bluish-white.

That morning, he wore a plain cotton shirt with a cross collar. The cuffs and hem were trimmed with blue floral fabric, and the bottom edge was rough and frayed, which was a typical everyday style in Luotan Town. His hair wasn’t combed, and the ends were curled lazily. He had a stubborn cowlick sticking up, which made him look like an art student who hadn’t graduated.

Linglan wore a little dress with cross collars that matched, along with colorful glossy beads across her chest and a five-color braided cord around her wrist. The end of the dress was embroidered. Silver bells rang clearly with every little move.

She was usually a lot of work, but she was very calm in He An’s arms. Her little braid remained perfectly still while she ate breakfast in obedience, clutching her bottle like a kitten snatched by its collar. When she was halfway full, she grudgingly released the nipple, mumbled a “Dada,” and then reattached it as if the milk were about to spill out.

He An smiled and stroked her head, “Slow down. Don’t rush.”

Cheng Xiu put his phone in his pocket and let Yu Yue’s rapid death calls send his thigh numb.

The swing cradle was still swaying wildly. Liubailiu clung to the cushion, scrambling to climb out, wanting to jump but too scared to try. Cheng Xiu casually grabbed him, earning a grateful meow.

He asked He An offhandedly, “Why’re you up so early? Linglan raised hell last night—she practically cried the roof down. I thought you’d sleep ’til noon.”

“Couldn’t sleep deeply,” He An said. “Kept dreaming weird things. My stomach felt weird too, so I just got up.”

Cheng Xiu’s heart clenched, “Did you throw up again?”

“No. I’m much better than before. I haven’t thrown up since I stopped taking the meds. I’m fine except for migraines in the morning.” He An smiled gently, lifting Linglan a bit higher. She was getting heavier, and his strength wasn’t great, so she slid down after a while, “What about you? Up so early—did Dai Xiao’s snoring wake you again?”

At that name, Cheng Xiu’s face instantly turned sour.

Dai Xiao is Liubailiu’s appointed litter box attendant. He’s a tough, rough-looking alpha with tattoos on his right arm, and he is also the owner of Olive Inn. He was stingy, and it was his defining trait. He’s not just stingy—he’s pathologically cheap. Right now, he was living with Cheng Xiu to save money.

Bringing up the asshole made Cheng Xiu enraged, like a microwave egg that could explode any second now.

He glared at Dai Xiao’s bedroom and said, “Don’t talk about him.” I’ve never encountered an alpha like him before; it’s no surprise he’s still single in his thirties! I told him a dozen times that it’s the off-season and there are a lot of empty rooms. I can go next door for now and return when peak season arrives—everyone stays happy. A reasonable request, right? Right? He flat out refused! He also laid out a whole page of budgets for electricity, water, gas, furniture repairs, and even ventilation costs! What scent am I even supposed to have? I’m a beta, damn it!”

Seeing him snap, Linglan hurriedly reached out to soothe him, saying slowly and softly, “No angy… no angy…”

“Okay, I’m sorry,” Cheng Xiu said immediately. “Godfather’s not angry. Godfather’s controlling his emotions.”

He squeezed Linglan’s little hand, still fuming.

“That alpha is cheap and is mean to everyone, even his own people. Anyone who stays with him will be miserable for sure! You’ve seen the world, He An, so don’t fall for his bullshit. Not to mention Liubailiu—”

He pointed at the cradle, where Liubailiu lay sprawled, looking utterly innocent, “Even if he comes proposing with Babaiba¹880, Jiubaijiu²990, or a fucking Yiqianling³1010, you absolutely cannot agree. Kick both the man and the cat straight out, got it?”

“Uh… Dai Xiao, is not… toward me…” He An looked awkward.

Honestly, his impression of Dai Xiao was actually pretty good.

Sure, the alpha was sloppy, terribly budget-conscious, and completely unskilled in financial matters and he nearly bankrupted Olive Inn. But Dai Xiao’s decision to take them in, despite the inn already losing money, made He An think very well of him.

He An said, “Cheng Xiu, stop being so harsh to Dai Xiao. He was being generous when he set up room for us, not because he’s after me…”

“Oh, please.” Cheng Xiu scoffed. “He’s totally after you. He can’t even hide the wolf tail—eyes gleaming, almost inviting you into a marital room!” He clawed at the air at He An like a vicious wolf, “Last month, he told me everything during a late-night talk. He said his lifelong dream is to marry a soft, charming, stay-at-home omega to be the inn’s boss lady and have a pretty daughter—hey, soft and charming omega, that’s you, right? Pretty daughter—isn’t that Linglan? Don’t tell me it’s not.”

“Well, um… ” He An was frozen.

He kept thinking about those two descriptions. They felt wrong no matter how he looked.

Soft, charming housewife?

Is that how Cheng Xiu viewed him?

No, not possible.

⋮

　　Cheng Xiu was mentally tormenting Dai Xiao. On the other hand, Liubailiu pretended to be in trouble. He lay in the cradle and yowled at the sky as if saying: Shut up and feed me, you slave. Cheng Xiu raised an eyebrow and grumbled, “I’m not your owner,” but his hands moved on their own, dutifully dishing out cat food.

After finishing her milk, Linglan waved He An the empty bottle.

He An told her she did a good job, and she proudly said, “See yaya.”

She had just learned to talk and didn’t know many words. “Yaya” was the word for duck. A nest of spot-billed ducklings had recently hatched outside the inn. Once Linglan finished her milk, she insisted on seeing the ducks… every single day.

He An took her outside. Just outside the inn’s door flowed a small river, neither wide nor deep; there was a single pole that was only partially wet. Green and clear, it appeared to be a strip of jade silk stretching into the distance. In Luotan Town, across the river, you may find the world-famous “Yawen Street”—a row of bars, teahouses, dye factories, embroidery tailor shops, and artisan galleries. Aside from the raucous nightclubs, everywhere else was peaceful and scenic.

The river was crossed by a stone arch bridge. He and Linglan would stand by the stone wall first thing in the morning to watch the ducks as they flopped and wobbled in the water.

After a while, the mother duck hopped onto the bluestone steps. Next came the cute little ducklings, who bounced up one by one as they shook off the water from their fluffy feathers.

Linglan pointed and said, “Yaya!”

He An softly corrected, “Duck.”

Linglan couldn’t make the last sound. She gave it another go, this time puckering her lips, “Yaya!”

“Mm-hmm. Yaya.”

He An adored his daughter, correcting her only once a day.

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Translated and edited by janemoyu (10/10/25)

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