The sounds coming from inside weren’t loud, but they were more than enough to feel suggestive, the kind that easily sent the mind drifting in the wrong direction.
When Chi Zhuo walked over, he didn’t bother hiding his footsteps. As long as the person in the bathroom was still awake, there was no way he wouldn’t notice Chi Zhuo approaching. Yet the soft, faintly intimate breathing inside continued without pause.
For a moment, Chi Zhuo found himself stuck—leaving felt wrong, but going in didn’t feel right either.
He pressed his lips together, about to pretend none of this was happening, when the sound from inside grew a little heavier than before. There was a hint of pleasure to it, mixed with a lazy ease, the drawn-out ending making it far too easy to imagine things.
Chi Zhuo froze mid-step.
He could clearly hear the faint sound of water spilling over, along with that light panting that, wrapped in steam, carried an unmistakable sense of desire.
Letting out a slow breath, Chi Zhuo turned back and placed his hand on the door handle. The person inside seemed completely unaware—or maybe just didn’t care—not making the slightest move to stop him.
With a gentle twist, the unlocked bathroom door opened.
Chi Zhuo pushed the door open without hesitation, opening it wide. And Ji Chenxi, soaking in the tub to ease himself, showed himself just as openly.
The corners of Ji Chenxi’s eyes were tinged red with desire. When his half-lidded gaze lifted to meet Chi Zhuo’s, there was a hazy, unfocused look in his eyes. But the movements of his hand were slow and careless, more like going through the motions than truly into it.
Outside was the pitch-black night. Inside, a dim yellow night light glowed softly. In the milky-white bathtub, Ji Chenxi’s skin was flushed red from the heat, warmed further by the gentle light. Just one look was enough to make someone’s heart stir and their throat tighten.
“What are you doing?” Chi Zhuo asked, his voice low.
Ji Chenxi kept lazily moving his hand, his voice carrying a teasing, almost hooked kind of intimacy.
“I think it’s pretty obvious what I’m doing.”
That relaxed, casual tone carried a trace of irritation, like someone who just couldn’t quite get what they wanted.
“Then hurry up and finish,” Chi Zhuo said. “Come back and sleep.”
The Chi Zhuo who had acted on impulse lowered his gaze, looking toward that spot blurred by rippling water and soft light, then quickly pulled his eyes away, clearly uneasy.
Ji Chenxi let out a soft laugh, as if mocking Chi Zhuo’s half-hearted attempt to hide it, or maybe laughing at himself.
“But I can’t,” he said lightly. “I can’t get there.”
Chi Zhuo: “…Is this really something you should be saying to a guest who’s just crashing here?”
“But to me, you’re not just some guest staying over. I mean, there are tons of guest rooms—who keeps a guest sleeping in their own bed? Do I really look that casual to you?” Ji Chenxi’s lazy movements came to a full stop. His tone dipped, clearly annoyed.
Those words were way too blunt, and they hit Chi Zhuo with something he’d never really felt from Ji Chenxi before.
Even back when things between them were at their most hazy and close, Ji Chenxi had never spelled it out like this.
What Chi Zhuo noticed, Ji Chenxi noticed too. He decided he’d better shut up—otherwise, he might say things tonight that his daytime self would seriously regret.
“Go back first. I’ll come over in a bit.”
Chi Zhuo, who had already planned to leave, suddenly found his feet glued to the floor. Not only did he not turn back, he actually moved a little closer to Ji Chenxi instead.
Ji Chenxi lifted his eyelids slightly and looked at him, confusion mixed into his gaze.
Did Ji Chenxi really not know why he’d come over?
Chi Zhuo didn’t bother digging into it. He just lowered his eyes and spoke softly, “Didn’t you say you couldn’t get it done? I’ll help you.”
“Don’t. Seriously, don’t do this just because you feel bad for me. If you think about it later and regret it, you won’t feel good—and neither will I.”
Yeah. That was even more straightforward.
Chi Zhuo let out a quiet sigh.
Ji Chenxi shut his eyes, gave up resisting, and sank a little deeper into the water. “I’m basically transparent right now. I don’t want to talk to you.”
His hand sped up, rough and impatient, trying to end it as fast as possible. The final wave of heat came on way too strong, and he had no clue how to handle it properly. All he could do was ease it halfway, on and off. At this point, he honestly felt like even cold water would work better than his own hand.
Amid those increasingly restless movements, a hand slipped into the water and settled over Ji Chenxi’s hand. “You can slow down,” Chi Zhuo said quietly. “Be gentler. Like this.”
This time, Ji Chenxi didn’t even lift his eyelids. He clearly couldn’t be bothered to keep talking to Chi Zhuo—but he also didn’t push his hand away.
When everything finally reached its end, Ji Chenxi suddenly yanked Chi Zhuo down and bit hard into his shoulder. A faint taste of blood spread out, mixing with the sharp scent of tequila, oddly balancing out the other lingering smell.
Letting himself be bitten, Chi Zhuo lifted his other dry hand and gently rubbed Ji Chenxi’s head, his voice hoarse as he asked, “Did you get it now?”
Ji Chenxi was still resting his head on Chi Zhuo’s shoulder. His teeth loosened slightly as he licked away every bead of blood that had seeped out before saying, casual as ever, “I’m not learning stuff like that.”
Chi Zhuo’s gaze was drawn to the faint red at the corner of his eyes. He leaned in and pressed a kiss right there.
In the end, they still took another shower before heading back to bed. Ji Chenxi was the one rummaging through the closet, trying to find clothes for Chi Zhuo, who was wrapped in a bathrobe.
That earlier outfit had already used up all of Ji Chenxi’s luck. A couple of days ago, he’d cleared out all the clothes he’d never worn. New ones were supposed to arrive soon, but for some unknown reason, that shipment never came. What was left was either the wrong size or clothes Ji Chenxi had already worn.
After looking around, he turned to Chi Zhuo and let him pick for himself.
Chi Zhuo didn’t really care about things like this. He casually grabbed a set that looked comfortable enough for sleeping—only to notice a small snow leopard embroidered on it. Not just that, even the details on it were kind of cute.
And Ji Chenxi had definitely worn this before.
Seeing Chi Zhuo choose it, Ji Chenxi kept his face straight, though there was a slight hint of awkwardness.
By the time they both lay down on the bed, it was already late.
Having another alpha’s scent show up in one’s private space usually made most alphas restless and uneasy, but Ji Chenxi took it surprisingly well. After all, there were still fresh bite marks on Chi Zhuo’s neck and shoulder, left by him not long ago.
And Chi Zhuo’s body carried a strong, clean rose scent.
Just as Ji Chenxi was drifting toward sleep, he suddenly heard the man beside him speak in a low voice.
“Your Highness, if you really want that position, I can help you get it.”
“Oh?” Ji Chenxi replied with his eyes closed. “So Brother Chi Zhuo is planning to keep me? Push me up the ranks?”
“Keep you?” Chi Zhuo repeated the word, his eyes darkening as clear disapproval showed through. “You’re so good with words—can’t you use something nicer to describe what’s between us?”
Ji Chenxi slowly opened his eyes, rolled over, and faced him.
“Between us? What kind of relationship?” he asked. “Bed buddies?”
“If that’s how Your Highness wants to put it, that’s fine,” Chi Zhuo said. “Since we’re bed buddies, doesn’t that mean I can do a few things that fit that kind of relationship?”
His teasing was thrown right back at him, yet Ji Chenxi didn’t look flustered at all. His fingers lightly traced over Chi Zhuo’s chest before he leaned in, pressed a kiss to the spot near his neck and collarbone, and applied just a bit of force, leaving behind a clear mark.
“Your Highness… what exactly are you doing?” Chi Zhuo slid an arm around Ji Chenxi’s waist, his voice sinking lower and lower.
Ji Chenxi didn’t even lift his head, replying vaguely, “Fulfilling my duty.”
Chi Zhuo let out a low chuckle, curious to see just how far this so-called duty would go. In the end, though, Ji Chenxi was at most like a pup that hadn’t quite been weaned yet—kissing here, nibbling there, but nothing beyond that.
Morning.
A thin slice of sunlight slipped through the heavy curtains outside the window.
On the bed sat a handsome young man with silver hair, brows knit as he mulled something over, glancing now and then at the person beside him.
Under that steady gaze, the sleeping man finally opened his eyes.
“Forget it. Nothing happened yesterday.” Ji Chenxi frowned, wearing a look that clearly said he planned to deny everything.
Chi Zhuo woke up fast. In just the short moment it took to hear those words, he’d already figured out the situation. The rush and impulse from the susceptible period had faded completely. It was obvious—the little prince regretted it.
Chi Zhuo pulled the blanket up a bit and stayed right there, wrapped in bedding filled with Ji Chenxi’s scent, acting like he hadn’t heard a thing.
“Staying quiet won’t solve anything,” Ji Chenxi said, unhappy.
“Since Your Highness slept with me, I naturally have to take responsibility,” Chi Zhuo replied calmly. “Eat and run is scummy behavior. Your Highness shouldn’t learn bad habits like that.”
Ji Chenxi had already prepared himself to play the role of a scumbag, but Chi Zhuo’s words still made a vein twitch at his temple. “First of all, who exactly did I sleep with? What did I eat? We’re just chatting under the blanket—do I still have to take responsibility for that?”
Chi Zhuo sat up from the warm covers. As he moved, the blanket slid down, revealing his bare chest—marked all over with clear, intimate traces, like solid proof laid out in the open.
If this were a piece of candy, even if Ji Chenxi hadn’t swallowed it whole, he’d definitely licked it more than a few times. Trying to claim he’d had no improper thoughts about it was basically impossible.
Susceptible periods really mess people up!
Just as Ji Chenxi was about to force out an explanation, Chi Zhuo hooked a finger under his chin and leaned in, pressing a warm kiss to his face.
The moment the kiss landed, Chi Zhuo added softly, “How does this not count as eating it, Your Highness?”
In the silence, Ji Chenxi’s face slowly, unmistakably turned red.
“You—”
Before he could finish, Chi Zhuo had already lifted a long, well-shaped finger and pressed it lightly to Ji Chenxi’s lips.
“Even if Your Highness plans to deny it, that won’t work anymore.”
Ji Chenxi had a slight headache now. “Can’t we really just let this go?”
“No.”
“…Then can you at least keep it low-key?”
Ji Chenxi was fully prepared—if Chi Zhuo dared say “no” again, he’d just lean into the scumbag role completely. But instead, Chi Zhuo looked genuinely confused. “Am I not low-key enough already?”
Ji Chenxi honestly had no idea where that kind of confidence came from. He was speechless for a moment.
Chi Zhuo seemed to truly believe he was being pretty low-key. He didn’t quite understand Ji Chenxi’s concern, but he respected it and still gave an answer. “If you want, I can be even more discreet.”
Ji Chenxi finally asked the most critical question between them. “You want to sleep with me, and I want to sleep with you. I’m not going to back off just because there are more layers to our relationship.”
What he really meant was—maybe they should just forget it.
Chi Zhuo hummed in response, took one of Ji Chenxi’s hands, and gently toyed with it. “We can take this slow.”
Taking it slow was nothing more than testing the other person’s limits.
Ji Chenxi understood that perfectly, which was why he tightened his grip around Chi Zhuo’s hand instead. “Then let’s take it slow.”
Predators were always like this—conquering, chasing, forcing the other person to yield beneath them.
Winners become kings; losers become nothing. That’s how it’s supposed to be.
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)
