“A little innocent?”
Ji Chenxi nodded with a straight face. “Yeah. What, do I not look like it?”
“You do.” Chi Zhuo laughed, the sound low and pressed into his throat, vibrating through his whole chest. “Then let this little innocent one give me a kiss.”
As he spoke, Chi Zhuo leaned in.
Ji Chenxi tilted his head slightly. The kiss that should’ve landed on his lips brushed past his cheek instead.
Chi Zhuo froze for a split second and was about to move again, but before his lips could reach him, Ji Chenxi had already looped an arm around his neck and gave him a quick peck. “Must’ve been hard for our Brother Chi Zhuo to lie through his teeth. Here, a reward kiss for you.”
“So His Highness doesn’t see himself that way, huh?”
“Whose ‘pure and innocent’ acts like me?” Ji Chenxi leaned back against the wall and shot back.
Chi Zhuo pretended to think, stepping a little closer. The distance between them had already been small, but now it shrank to the point where they could clearly feel each other’s breath on their faces. In that overly intimate space, Chi Zhuo lifted a finger and lightly tapped Ji Chenxi’s chest, then said something that sounded almost like a love line, “Mine.”
If it were just a sweet line, Ji Chenxi might’ve brushed it off. But Chi Zhuo said it so seriously, like he truly meant it.
Ji Chenxi clicked his tongue, acting like he didn’t care at all—yet the faint red creeping up his ears gave him away.
Chi Zhuo raised a hand and touched his ear. “Blushing?”
“No. It’s just hot.” Ji Chenxi said stubbornly.
“Just hot, huh?” Chi Zhuo helped straighten his clothes. “Want me to help you take them off, Your Highness?”
Ji Chenxi sucked in a sharp breath and accused him, “Shouldn’t you have let that slide and changed the topic instead?”
Even so, he hooked an arm around Chi Zhuo’s neck again and said casually, “But whatever. So what if I’m shy?”
Faced with that shameless honesty, Chi Zhuo couldn’t help himself. He lowered his head and lightly pecked Ji Chenxi’s lips, then pressed in harder. With the faint sting, Ji Chenxi felt a spark of excitement. He pushed at Chi Zhuo’s chest, looking like he meant to resist, but he didn’t use any strength at all—playing hard to get to the fullest—while still murmuring softly, “Be gentle…”
Chi Zhuo’s eyes darkened, caught by Ji Chenxi’s kitten-like way of refusing and by that line that was flirtatious to the extreme—“Be gentle.” Just as he was about to devour that pretty little rose in one bite, Ji Chenxi spoke again, “Don’t leave any marks.”
Chi Zhuo was willing to meet that small request from his boyfriend. But just when he really did slow down like Ji Chenxi asked, Ji Chenxi’s eyes shifted slightly, and he smiled as he added, “After all, I really like my boyfriend. I don’t want him seeing marks someone else left.”
Chi Zhuo froze hard.
Who would’ve thought that after all this time, Ji Chenxi still hadn’t forgotten that old script of his.
“Who’s the boyfriend?” Chi Zhuo already knew the answer, but he still asked.
“Chi Zhuo,” Ji Chenxi replied without the slightest shame. “Fresh off the line.”
“Oh, him? Don’t worry about him. Just stick with me.”
Having the other play along like that, Ji Chenxi couldn’t hold back his laugh. “That won’t do. I still have to care a little.”
Green himself or whatever—Chi Zhuo took a deep breath, pulled him in tighter, and the kisses turned firm, sharp, and full of push, completely sealing Ji Chenxi’s lips before he could say anything else.
Ji Chenxi blinked, then pushed at Chi Zhuo’s chest with a bit more effort this time. After forcing him back, before he could speak, Chi Zhuo had already pressed his thumb against his lips. “Shh, Your Highness. I’m not into playing some sneaky affair game with you.”
“What are you even thinking?” Ji Chenxi laughed out loud this time. His hand looked lazy, but it didn’t allow refusal as he pushed that thumb away. “Stop kissing me. If you keep going, there really will be marks. I was just trying to remind you we’re still in the haunted house. Didn’t expect Brother Chi Zhuo’s head to already be full of all this stuff. Wow, really couldn’t tell.”
For a moment, Chi Zhuo wasn’t sure if he felt more amused or more annoyed. “Your Highness really knows how to take all the credit.”
“Easy, easy. Brother Chi Zhuo praising me like that—I’ll get embarrassed.” Ji Chenxi replied with a grin, acting like he hadn’t heard the sarcasm at all.
“I don’t see even a hint of embarrassment.” Chi Zhuo said so, but after that, he only held Ji Chenxi and didn’t kiss him again. “Actually, when I confessed, there was another gift I planned to give Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
“A small planet.”
Ji Chenxi was a little surprised. “Why would you suddenly think of giving me a planet?”
As far as he knew, he’d never shown any special love for planets.
“It just felt right.” Chi Zhuo said. “The scenery’s nice, though the location’s average, so it’s hard to turn into a tourist spot. The only real highlight is that the whole planet is planted with shattered-star roses. That kind of rose feels like it suits Your Highness perfectly.”
“Shattered-star roses? Brother Chi Zhuo, that’s a pretty big move.”
Ji Chenxi’s voice carried a smile, like he had no clue what that planet really meant to Chi Zhuo. But the truth was, he knew very well. That black-covered book had mentioned it in passing—Chi Zhuo’s very first planet was a small one perfect for growing shattered-star roses. It was that planet that helped him rake in his first huge pile of money.
“So,” Chi Zhuo asked, “do you want it?”
“If I say no, are you just not giving it to me?” Ji Chenxi raised a brow.
“No.” Chi Zhuo shook his head. “I just thought giving a small planet with a not-so-great location might feel a bit cheap. If Your Highness has something you like, you can tell me. If not, then I’ll just figure it out myself.”
“Once a gift is given, there’s no taking it back.” Ji Chenxi said calmly. “I like shattered-star roses.”
Chi Zhuo’s expression stayed steady. “As long as Your Highness likes it.”
They said gifts should go both ways. Just taking things without giving anything back didn’t sit right with Ji Chenxi. He started thinking about what to give Chi Zhuo, running through everything, even digging through their time together for clues. But no matter how he looked, he couldn’t find anything Chi Zhuo clearly liked. Even that black-covered book about Chi Zhuo dating Bai Anran hadn’t given him a single hint.
It was like Chi Zhuo didn’t need anything at all—he only needed to give.
Ji Chenxi wasn’t the type to overthink on his own, so he went straight to the point. “Brother Chi Zhuo, is there anything you like?”
“There is.”
Ji Chenxi raised his brow again, signaling he was listening.
“I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I like Your Highness.” Chi Zhuo said. “Did you really not notice?”
“You mean you want me?” Ji Chenxi broke into a grin. “Brother Chi Zhuo, don’t say things like that. I won’t be able to stop myself from wanting to—”
“Wanting to what?”
Ji Chenxi dragged out the last word, his tone lifting playfully. “Kiss you to death~”
Chi Zhuo froze for a moment, then lifted a hand and rubbed Ji Chenxi’s head.
Ji Chenxi caught that tiny flicker of surprise and leaned close to his ear, whispering, “Disappointed?”
Chi Zhuo’s lips parted, just about to answer, when Su Yu’s voice suddenly rang out from a distance—loud and dramatic, so loud it clearly didn’t care about anyone else’s well-being at all.
Ji Chenxi lowered his gaze and glanced at the light-brain on his wrist. Sure enough, it was already flooded with messages from Su Yu, plus several missed calls. Su Yu was always the type to spam messages, so Ji Chenxi had turned on Do Not Disturb. If it were just Su Yu, that’d be fine—but the problem was that Gu Hechuan had also messaged him to ask what was going on.
Ji Chenxi sighed. He’d lost track of time. Even if this was some hidden easter egg, he’d been gone way too long.
He really hadn’t expected that one day he’d end up getting intimate with someone inside a creepy, ghost-filled haunted house. They’d already delayed things enough, and now that Su Yu was looking for him, Ji Chenxi simply waved at Chi Zhuo. “Alright, I’m heading out. See you next time.”
“Wait. There’s something for you.”
Ji Chenxi turned back and lowered his eyes to Chi Zhuo’s hand. Lying there was a small red-and-black key. “So this is the key item that lured me over?”
“Yeah. Just say you spent a ton of effort and brainpower to get it.”
Ji Chenxi nodded seriously. “Absolutely. I even used a beauty trap.”
Before Chi Zhuo could reply, Ji Chenxi had already started walking away. His figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Su Yu’s shouting—so loud it clearly didn’t care about the lives of other visitors—only lasted a few more calls before stopping. Obviously, the haunted house staff had stepped in and shut him down.
By the time Ji Chenxi returned to the group, Su Yu was negotiating with one of the staff members dressed as a ghost. “No, bro, listen—my friend got dragged away by your coworkers. You seriously don’t know where he went? Don’t tell me this isn’t some hidden event your haunted house set up?”
The ghost Su Yu had grabbed was already beyond annoyed and could only answer, “We do have hidden events. He’ll probably regroup with you later. And also, sir, the way you chase ghosts around and interrogate them really hurts a ghost’s feelings. Do I really look that fake?”
“I can smell your alpha pheromones leaking.”
The poor ghost gave up on talking altogether. Was that even a reason? What alpha didn’t have a scent?
While Su Yu was busy harassing ghosts, Gu Hechuan and Lu Tu had already spotted Ji Chenxi.
Gu Hechuan gave Ji Chenxi a brief nod. Lu Tu, on the other hand, was much more enthusiastic. The red-haired alpha wore a careless grin, slung an arm over Ji Chenxi’s shoulder the moment he came over, acting like they were close buddies.
“So, Third Highness,” Lu Tu said, “what did you wander off to do?”
Ji Chenxi casually slapped the hand off his shoulder, then opened his palm to show the key resting there. “Went to find this. Took a bit of time.”
“Oh, so you were hunting for the key item.” Lu Tu’s tone shifted slightly. “But… doesn’t Your Highness’s lips look a little red?”
Ji Chenxi didn’t take it to heart and replied with a smile, “My lips have always been red.”
While talking, he waved over in the other direction. Su Yu finally stopped tormenting the poor “ghost” staff member and came running over.
“Little Rose, I thought you got kidnapped by some bad guy.” Su Yu went straight in for a bear hug, but Ji Chenxi dodged it just in time.
“Cut it out. It’s not that dramatic. I just went to get the key item—and triggered a small easter egg on the way.”
Sure enough, Su Yu’s attention was quickly pulled elsewhere. But the look coming from behind, from Lu Tu, didn’t ease up much at all.
With the key item secured, and none of them being the type to scare easily, the rest of the haunted house went smoothly. During a brief pause right before they were about to exit, Lu Tu once again drifted over to Ji Chenxi’s side.
“Something you need?” Ji Chenxi asked quietly.
“Not really.” Lu Tu said. “At first, I was just curious about Hechuan’s friend. Now though, I’m kind of curious about Your Highness yourself.”
“Oh?”
“I can smell it.” Lu Tu lowered his voice. “When you came back, there was a faint hint of alcohol on you. That kind of sharp, aggressive pheromone—it belongs to an alpha.”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
