AMTPA Chapter 22.2

Elsewhere, after circling around, Ji Chenxi returned to his own estate.

 

The first thing he did was give himself a thorough wash, then he slowly sipped the porridge the butler had brought.

 

The moment Su Yu got the news that Ji Chenxi had returned, he rushed over in a flurry. Seeing him safe and sound, he couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“Third Prince, amazing! Single-handedly taking on the star pirates!”

 

“I told Father someone helped at the time, so it wasn’t really single-handed,” Ji Chenxi replied.

 

“Who?” Su Yu asked, curious. “It can’t be an omega, right? Otherwise, this would be the start of our Third Prince’s love story.”

 

“Oh? Does it have to be an omega for it to be love?”

 

Su Yu chuckled.

 

“Alright, alright — beta works too. But then, has our prince’s love actually arrived?”

 

Ji Chenxi swallowed a mouthful of rice porridge before answering slowly.

 

“He’s an alpha. I don’t know if love has arrived.”

 

Hearing that, Su Yu immediately realized Ji Chenxi was teasing him.

 

“If he’s an alpha, then maybe that love shouldn’t arrive at all. But which alpha could actually wipe out the Red Scorpions?”

 

“Someone I didn’t know. They were wearing a bionic mask,” Ji Chenxi said casually, eyes open, fabricating without hesitation.

 

Seeing Ji Chenxi’s lack of interest, Su Yu dropped the topic and switched gears.

 

“It’s barely past three in the afternoon, and Your Highness is already eating seafood porridge?”

 

“I hadn’t eaten for nearly a full day and night. Naturally, I’m hungry.”

 

Su Yu, who had meant to tease him, blurted out in surprise,

 

“Wait, the eldest prince didn’t give you anything to eat?”

 

“Nutrient pills were available, but do you think I’d eat that stuff?”

 

Now Su Yu was genuinely impressed. Hungry all day but refusing food he didn’t like — that took some willpower.

 

“Our Empire’s little rose really can’t be left on his own. Look at him — barely a day outside, and he’s already starving.”

 

Ji Chenxi raised an eyebrow.

 

“Say two more sentences like that, and I won’t mind sweeping you right out the door.”

 

Su Yu hurriedly laughed it off, trying to steer the conversation lightly.

 

“What about that one from the Chi family? When I first heard you were being chased by the Red Scorpions, I thought he might’ve hired them to kill you.”

 

“You think he did it?”

 

“Eh, not exactly. It’s just… well, with what you just said, I can’t help but make the connection.”

 

“You didn’t tell anyone else, right?” Ji Chenxi had already finished two bowls of seafood porridge. He wasn’t as hungry now and casually set his spoon down.

 

“Of course not. Who’d go blabbing about this?”

 

“Hmm, then it’s fine. If he didn’t act, who did isn’t hard to guess — it just depends on whether that person wants to know or not.”

 

“You mean…”

 

Ji Chenxi tapped his lips lightly, signaling for him to keep quiet.

 

The long-haired beauty laughed softly, a vision of elegance.

 

Su Yu leaned up slightly, a mischievous grin on his face.

 

“Alright, alright. I won’t say a word.”

 

After seeing Su Yu off, Ji Chenxi’s light-brain soon showed that his starnotes had been refunded.

 

Apparently, since he hadn’t rejoined the main fleet, the order was simply canceled.

 

Ji Chenxi glanced at it casually, about to move on, but seeing the cancellation record reminded him that he’d effectively scammed Chi Zhuo out of one of his latest starships.

 

He calculated the ship’s approximate value based on his impressions and factored in potential modification costs. After roughly estimating the total, he multiplied it by 1.5 and transferred the amount to Chi Zhuo’s private account.

 

He had expected Chi Zhuo to at least question him about it, but… nothing.

 

Ji Chenxi’s lips curved in a faint smile, though he didn’t dwell on it.

 

As long as he didn’t actively interact with Bai Anran or Chi Zhuo, the book that supposedly chronicled his future was just that — a book.

 

A few leisurely days passed, and Ji Chenxi soon felt restless again. He had been thinking about whether to invite Su Yu to see the beautiful nebulae of Yunmu Star, when his butler handed him an invitation to a banquet.

 

Ordinarily, the butler wouldn’t deliver such invitations directly to Ji Chenxi — everyone knew he disliked formal gatherings, let alone his long-serving butler.

 

So this invitation, placed directly in his hands, was clearly hard to refuse.

 

Ji Chenxi opened it, and a smile spread across his face.

 

It was an invitation to his elder brother’s engagement three days from now — the engagement to a noblewoman.

 

Ji Chenxi had initially made such a scene on purpose. He wanted his brother’s actions to leave traces — a move so reckless it would expose his intent to kill. His extremely capable second sister would never miss such an opportunity.

 

While his brother was busy handling the fallout, and his sister exploited these cracks to target him, Ji Chenxi could simply enjoy his own life. The only unexpected twist had been his chance encounter with Chi Zhuo.

 

Now, it seemed his brother planned to lean on the noblewoman’s influence to solve a pressing problem.

 

Ji Chenxi shook his head lightly — that was a poor move.

 

Holding an engagement under these circumstances could easily make the noblewoman feel slighted. Her father, a man of considerable status, might also look down on Ji Chenxi’s elder brother.

 

The butler, respectful as ever, waited for Ji Chenxi’s reply.

 

“Master, will you attend?”

 

“I’ll go. After all, it’s my brother’s engagement banquet. If I don’t show, people will start gossiping.”

 

Three days later, Ji Chenxi arrived at the banquet.

 

Since it had nothing directly to do with him, he leisurely found a quiet corner and sampled the fine wines.

 

The engagement hall was stunning, lavishly decorated. Ji Chenxi, taking advantage of the elegant atmosphere, indulged in the wine enough to feel slightly tipsy.

 

Su Yu, ever mindful of his close friend, didn’t disturb him when he saw Ji Chenxi focused on tasting the wine.

 

At first, Ji Chenxi hadn’t paid attention to whether Chi Zhuo had come intentionally. When he first noticed a faint hint of tequila in the air, he assumed it was just the aroma from the wine in front of him.

 

But then the scent seemed to brush against him, teasing him slightly. Ji Chenxi’s eyes clouded with a bit of daze. For a moment, he even wondered if he was drunk — had the drifting aroma of alcohol actually brushed against him?

 

After the thought sank in, Ji Chenxi almost laughed out loud.

 

Sure enough, it was the scent of alcohol brushing against him, but not the wine itself — it was the tequila-scented pheromone.

 

He knew that scent all too well. Pretending not to notice, he drained the last of his glass, refilled it himself, and uncorked another bottle he actually liked.

 

The richer tequila scent wrapped around him, trying to lure this pure-hearted “big cat” toward a certain poisonous snake.

 

Ji Chenxi ignored it, but the pheromones — almost human in their urgency — grew insistent, teasing him, flooding his nostrils.

 

It was that intoxicating mix of seduction and invitation, hot and unrestrained, carrying all the spice of the alcohol itself. The sensation was so strong he felt nearly enveloped in the aroma. Finally, he shifted his feet.

 

In the original story, his elder brother hadn’t been getting engaged, so Ji Chenxi had no clear idea what Chi Zhuo’s situation was.

 

Was it another dose of the drugs? That poor snake.

 

Or… was it the susceptibility period?

 

But why would the susceptible phase concern him at all?

 

Ji Chenxi grabbed a random sip from the ancient bottle in his hand, feeling the warmth, and found the wine surprisingly good.

 

Following the trail of pheromones, he walked out of the banquet hall, down a long corridor, until he reached a quiet, shadowed corner.

 

There, in the darkness, stood a black-haired man, his breath uneven, a serpent coiled loosely around his body.

 

Ji Chenxi chuckled lightly.

 

“Well, isn’t this a coincidence? Every time I see you, you’re a mess.”

 

He had meant it as a casual tease, but unexpectedly, mixed in with the tequila scent was a faint trace of his rose fragrance.

 

Startled, Ji Chenxi quickly took another long gulp of wine to steady himself.

 

Had that first sip really hit him so hard?

 

A playful smile tugged at his lips.

 

“Chi Zhuo, what’s the purpose of your pheromones drawing me here? I didn’t bring any inhibitors today, so I can’t solve your urgent problem for you.”

 

Chi Zhuo had, of course, already noticed him approaching. He made no comment about intentionally using his pheromones to lure Ji Chenxi — just pursed his lips, eyes dark and calm, yet with a subtle, barely perceptible danger lurking within.

 

“Hmm?” Ji Chenxi took two steps closer, half his body still in the shadows, half in the light.

 

He tapped Chi Zhuo’s chest lightly with his free hand — the one not holding the bottle.

 

“Your pheromones seem so desperate for me. You finally draw me here, and yet you act so cold, like you don’t really want to see me. Are your pheromones and your mind not on the same page?”

 

Chi Zhuo lifted his gaze, meeting a face of striking beauty. His brows curved slightly in a soft smile. The pale, delicate features of this gorgeous man carried a faint blush from the tipsiness, rare and subtle, making him unexpectedly gentle. His almond-shaped eyes tilted slightly upward, lashes like black feathers casting delicate shadows in the dim light.

 

“I think I’m in my susceptible phase,” Chi Zhuo said, his tone flat, as if stating a simple fact.

 

“Huh? So suddenly?” Ji Chenxi took another sip, noting again how good the wine tasted.

 

“Yes,” Chi Zhuo continued, his brows darkening like a void that swallowed all light. “I also smell other alcohol on you, and it irritates me.”

 

“Huh??” Ji Chenxi’s tone sharpened.

 

Chi Zhuo felt his heartstring lightly tugged, as if teased by a cat’s paw. Emerging from the shadows, he revealed his full form. Ji Chenxi finally saw him clearly: an alpha, impeccably handsome, radiating aggression. Yet the question he asked was disarmingly gentle:

 

“Can you release a little pheromone now?”

 

Chi Zhuo’s slightly husky voice was low and smooth, carrying a magnetic allure that made the heart beat a little faster.

 

Ji Chenxi had thought himself only slightly tipsy — floating pleasantly in that light, airy state. But hearing those words, he almost questioned his own ears.

 

“What… did you just say?” he stammered, barely able to believe it.

 

“I want you to release a little pheromone,” Chi Zhuo said, voice calm but edged with intent.

 

“But… you already know I’m an alpha. Why do you need my pheromones?”

 

Chi Zhuo’s gaze bore into him, eyes darkening until they almost glowed red, especially as the other alcohol on Ji Chenxi’s body mingled with his own scent.

 

“And didn’t you say my pheromones are so desperate for you? If Your Highness won’t give me what I want, you’re asking for it.”

 

“Wha—”

 

Ji Chenxi’s words died on his lips as Chi Zhuo suddenly closed the distance, pressing him against the wall. The remaining syllables of his protest were trapped by Chi Zhuo’s body.

 

Feeling the warmth of Chi Zhuo’s lips, the faintly lazy, drunken haze in Ji Chenxi’s expression instantly faded by seven or eight degrees.

 

Damn it!

 

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