A question that cut straight to the point like this would’ve made most people panic. Anyone else might’ve started feeling guilty right away, thinking the other side already knew something. But Ji Chenxi was different. The moment he heard it, his expression stayed rock solid. Not a crack to be seen. Instead, he even looked relaxed as he said, “Wow, you’re that sharp?”
That answer sounded way too much like an admission, and it made Lu Tu pause for a beat. He had just pointed out that Ji Chenxi’s lips were red, then mentioned the alpha scent lingering on him. The meaning behind those two things couldn’t have been more obvious. And yet Ji Chenxi still dared to accept it head-on.
“Your Highness isn’t afraid I’ll spread this around and ruin your reputation?” Lu Tu asked.
When he spoke, he carefully studied Ji Chenxi’s face through the darkness, watching for even the smallest shift in expression. But there was nothing. Ji Chenxi only looked a little surprised, clearly confused. “Ruin my reputation? Just getting into a fight with an alpha isn’t enough to destroy me.”
The elegant, noble prince hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said to Lu Tu, “Do you have some kind of problem with me?”
The sudden turn made Lu Tu raise an eyebrow. He could feel the rhythm of this whole exchange slipping out of his hands. Sure enough, Ji Chenxi followed up with, “If you really don’t like me, then next time you don’t have to hang out with me.”
“Shouldn’t you be saying that if you’re unhappy, we can talk it out in private?” Lu Tu shot back.
Ji Chenxi shook his head, his tone serious and sincere. “I don’t like forcing myself to do things, so I guess I’ll have to trouble you instead.”
Lu Tu laughed. His bright red hair looked different in the dim light, carrying a wild sort of flair.
He had always been confident, never one to doubt his own judgment. That kind of forceful, possessive pheromone level was definitely high. But if two alphas with similarly high levels had really fought, how could they end up with only such a faint trace of scent on each other? Add in all the little clues he’d already noticed, and a conclusion that seemed unbelievable at first—but made the most sense—jumped right to the surface.
Smiling, Lu Tu said, “It’s fine if Your Highness doesn’t admit it. I know anyway. And who knows—maybe one day, your good friend will know too.”
Ji Chenxi let out a soft laugh. “So you’re still planning to tell Gu Hechuan about me fighting an alpha?” He paused, then added casually, “Whatever. Say what you want.”
As he spoke, Ji Chenxi quickened his steps, deliberately shifting position to pass Lu Tu, his attitude making it clear he didn’t want to keep talking.
Lu Tu chuckled. The more he looked at Ji Chenxi, the more familiar he seemed. It really felt like he’d seen him somewhere before—but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t pin down where.
Lu Tu hated that kind of uncertainty. He dug through his memory again and again. Logically speaking, someone with Ji Chenxi’s looks wasn’t the type you’d forget after seeing once.
While Lu Tu was still racking his brain over when exactly he might’ve met Ji Chenxi, Gu Hechuan—who had deliberately slowed his pace—finally caught up to him. “What are you thinking about?”
Lu Tu smiled the moment he saw Gu Hechuan, casually slinging an arm over his shoulder. “Oh, my dear, you finally remembered you’ve still got me as a friend.”
Gu Hechuan was already immune to those kinds of nicknames. He didn’t bother shaking off the arm on his shoulder and simply asked in a low voice, “Thinking about something related to Chenxi?”
“More or less. Ever since I first met him, I’ve felt he looked familiar. Like I’d seen him before. But when I really try to think about it, my mind just goes blank.”
“Aren’t you always bragging about having a perfect memory?”
“That’s why this bugs me even more.” Lu Tu grinned. “From the way you described him before, I thought this prince you admire so much would be some harmless little kitten. Turns out I was wrong. I feel like he’s way deeper than that. Compared to a kitten, he’s more like one of those big cats that can actually eat people.”
He was smiling wide, like he’d suddenly remembered something, when he said to Gu Hechuan, “Oh right, almost forgot to tell you—Morningstar is coming to the Imperial Star.”
“What’s he coming here for?”
Lu Tu shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe for experiment materials. Didn’t the Night Wanderer and Queqi help him fish for data before? Oh, and there’s Bai Wei too. At this point, it feels like only you and I still don’t know what Bai Wei’s real identity is.”
He’d meant it as a casual remark, but something about his own words seemed to spark a thought. Lu Tu suddenly pulled up an old record and found a picture the Night Wanderer had once sent him—blurry to the point of being almost useless.
He frowned at the image, then looked up several times at Ji Chenxi walking ahead of them. Suddenly, he laughed.
“I think I know why he looks so familiar now.”
“…Yeah?”
Lu Tu looked like he’d just stumbled onto something incredibly interesting. Instead of telling Gu Hechuan outright, he asked with a grin, “So when you’re in front of Ji Chenxi, are you always using the image you showed before?”
“Yeah. Didn’t want to scare them.”
“Ohhh, I see.” Lu Tu’s smile turned especially loaded, full of unspoken meaning.
While Lu Tu chose to see through it without saying a word, Su Yu grabbed Ji Chenxi and hurried forward a few steps, acting like he couldn’t wait to get out of the haunted house. Yet even as he moved, he quietly set up several layers of protection between them, tight and thorough.
“You wanted to ask me something?” Ji Chenxi said.
“Mm-hmm. Aren’t you about to start school?” Su Yu said. “I heard your class has a month-long trial starting in August. The Royal Academy is inviting outstanding graduates to come guide you new students. How about it—want me and Gu Hechuan to come together?”
Hearing that, Ji Chenxi suddenly remembered that Chi Zhuo seemed to have studied at the Royal Academy before. His thoughts stirred a bit as he asked, “Do you guys have time? Those newbie trials are pretty boring. If you’re really free, you can come play around. But you didn’t go out of your way to set up anti-eavesdropping barriers just to tell me this, did you?”
“You just saw Chi Zhuo, didn’t you?” Su Yu said bluntly.
“Ran into him by chance. Said hello.”
Su Yu went quiet for a long time before finally blurting out in disbelief, “Do you really think I’m that easy to fool?”
Ji Chenxi lowered his gaze and laughed softly. “I never said that.”
Su Yu felt a headache coming on. If Ji Chenxi wanted to mess around, fine, but did he really have to be this obvious about it? He even felt like that red-haired kid had already noticed something. “So how far have you and Chi Zhuo gone?” he asked. “Don’t lie to me. At least let me prepare myself mentally.”
“How far, huh—” Ji Chenxi dragged out the words lazily. “I don’t really know. Probably about as far as you’re thinking.”
“So now you’re planning to give up that position?”
“We’ll see.”
“Chenxi, if you really want to fight for that spot, there are things you shouldn’t touch. Even if you do, it should be after everything’s settled. Are you really not afraid Chi Zhuo might stab you in the back?”
“I don’t know,” Ji Chenxi said lightly. “I don’t think he will. And I did want to keep a low profile, you know. It’s just… I really can’t manage it.”
He was still smiling when he said it.
“I think I shouldn’t keep trying to talk you out of this.”
“Hm? So you’re saying you’re not going to anymore?”
“Yeah. Feels like there’s no way to stop you.” Su Yu sighed. “You’ve got your own plans. You know exactly what you want and what you don’t. If you think this is right, then go for it. But there’s one thing I have to say—do you really call this keeping a low profile? This is straight-up showing off in public. Those fireworks were his doing, right?”
“You’re pretty sharp.”
“Obviously.”
“I’ll think of an excuse then. Hmm—” Ji Chenxi pretended to ponder. “Love just can’t be hidden?”
“Tch.” Su Yu couldn’t stand it anymore. “Stop, stop. This is way too sickly sweet.”
Ji Chenxi parted ways with his friends in a noticeably good mood.
Before the hovercar even reached the estate, Ji Chenxi told them to stop. He asked Major General Wu Xiang to take the car back first. Wu Xiang naturally didn’t like the idea of leaving Ji Chenxi alone, but in the end, he still agreed under Ji Chenxi’s smiling insistence.
Under the silver glow of the moon, Ji Chenxi walked on at an easy pace.
As he moved forward, the alcohol-scented pheromones around him—so faint they’d barely been noticeable—slowly grew richer.
The shift was controlled just right. Silent and subtle, yet enough for anyone with sharp senses to pick up on it.
Ji Chenxi laughed to himself. He’d noticed long ago that someone was escorting him home, yet he pretended not to notice at all, letting those pheromones quietly wrap around him.
Halfway through the walk, just as Ji Chenxi was starting to think Chi Zhuo planned to play the role of an anonymous “knight in shining armor,” his wrist terminal gave a soft vibration.
【Your Highness, I’ve noticed your sense of caution seems a bit lacking.】
【Really? Is it? I think I’m pretty cautious.】 Ji Chenxi replied, feigning confusion.
The other side stayed silent for a long while before finally sending a reply.
【Then our very cautious Highness should hurry home. It’s late.】
Ji Chenxi couldn’t help laughing. His fingers tapped lightly as he typed back:
【So our Brother Chi Zhuo is actually this clingy? Walking someone home doesn’t mean trailing behind them. Maybe you need a beginner’s guide to dating—I can generously provide one, free of charge.】
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)
