“Chen Xing is a hidden danger.” Chi Zhuo didn’t immediately pull Ji Chenxi into his arms. Instead, he focused on the issue at hand. “My men might not be able to bring him back.”
Ji Chenxi just hummed lazily a couple of times, showing he’d heard it, but his arms were still open, clearly not planning to take them back.
In a moment like this, no one could really refuse that kind of embrace.
Chi Zhuo stepped forward without hesitation and pulled him into his arms, lowering his voice to whisper an apology by his ear.
Ji Chenxi’s fingers slid along Chi Zhuo’s back, slowly moving down in a soothing, repetitive motion. “Worried about me?”
Chi Zhuo didn’t answer. He only tightened his hold a little more.
Ji Chenxi let out a soft laugh. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. If I’m not wrong, Chen Xing used my safety to scare you. You could probably tell it was just one of his little tricks—so why did you still fall for it?”
His smiling tone was like honey, sweet and teasing.
Chi Zhuo lifted a hand and rubbed Ji Chenxi’s hair, then slid his fingers down to cover those smiling eyes. “Maybe I’m just a bit dumb.”
“Brother Chi Zhuo, why can’t you just say you were worried about me properly?” Ji Chenxi said lightly. “So don’t apologize. I’m actually kind of happy—after all, you came to find me the moment you couldn’t reach me.”
“Maybe it’s just that I only thought of coming after you when I couldn’t catch Chen Xing,” Chi Zhuo replied.
“Oh, so that’s how it is. Then I’ll take the loss.”
Ji Chenxi’s voice was soft, unusually gentle. It was rare for him to speak like this—like a lover whispering close, all soft and lingering. It made Chi Zhuo’s heartbeat skip for a moment.
“By the way,” Ji Chenxi continued, “when you saw I was fine, did you feel even a tiny bit of regret?”
Chi Zhuo shook his head. “How could I regret it?”
“After all, I’m completely fine.”
“That’s exactly the best outcome. What I wanted to see was you safe and sound.”
Ji Chenxi’s eyes shifted slightly.
Not far from where they stood was a vast field of red roses. The bloody color of broken limbs and scattered remains only made the roses look even more beautiful. The entire palace was filled with roses—because his mother loved them.
When he was very young, he remembered his father and mother had once been on very good terms. His mother might have even loved his father at some point.
But in the end, their story turned into a tragedy. No matter what the truth actually was, deep down, Ji Chenxi still carried a trace of distrust toward marriage and love.
“You really do care about me,” he said.
But how long would that “care” last?
This time Ji Chenxi didn’t smile, nor did he show much expression. They had gone through a lot together, but sometimes he still wondered—once the heat and impulse faded, would they grow tired of each other?
They were both Alphas. Neither soft nor delicate. Their beginning had only been because of conquest.
And anything born from conquest… often ended the same way. The strongest thing that stirred an Alpha’s desire for conquest, after all, was still an Omega.
“We’re in a relationship. Of course I care about you,” Chi Zhuo said.
“If we weren’t in a relationship, you wouldn’t care?”
“Then I’ll take back the first part,” Chi Zhuo said smoothly.
“Oh?”
“I care about you. That’s the part that matters.”
Ji Chenxi laughed. “Brother Chi Zhuo, that’s not really a good habit. If you give too much from the start, even the slightest withdrawal will be noticed.”
“Mm.” Chi Zhuo accepted it without hesitation. “So I won’t pull back.”
Ji Chenxi lifted his chin, forcing him slightly closer, then kissed him—without any gentleness. It was a kiss full of claiming and taking, breath stolen and mixed between them, hot and urgent.
This was a kiss that should have happened the moment they met.
When Ji Chenxi was young, he was mostly raised by his mother, and even his preferences leaned a bit toward Omega traits—he liked gentleness, liked calm restraint that stopped at just the right point. Even when things went out of control, he preferred the other person to lose their mind for him.
So this rare, fierce, dominant kiss from him was almost uncharacteristic.
When they finally separated, both of them were slightly out of breath. After a moment, Ji Chenxi shifted back into serious mode.
“As for Chen Xing, the robots and artificial humans he left behind—I handled them all myself. At first I didn’t notice anything strange, but I’ve known him for years. From the traces he left behind, I realized all his machines use the same system. And as long as it’s a system, it can be hacked.”
And Ji Chenxi was best at hacking.
On the other side, Chen Xing had escaped the palace, but he knew even if Chi Zhuo didn’t personally come after him, countless others would.
As expected, along the way he ran into two more near-fatal attacks. Their starship was already barely holding together.
The pilot beside him was getting furious at his driving. “Can you at least try to dodge a bit? This ship can only take two more heavy blasts at most!”
Chen Xing gave a flat “mm,” cold and indifferent.
“If this keeps up, I’ll take over,” the pilot said, unable to stand his driving style anymore.
“We were supposed to have backup. But now, there’s no sign of them,” Chen Xing said suddenly.
“Huh? Maybe they’re just delayed.”
Chen Xing smiled faintly. “You and I both know—it’s not that they’re late.”
“It’s that they can’t come at all.”
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)
