Truth be told, Ji Chenxi could’ve just taken all the points in Lu Jianhan’s hands and completely cut off any chance of him turning things around.
Crippling the other guy, snapping his wings so he’d lose any chance to shine in this trial, would’ve been way easier than working together. But the moment Ji Chenxi laid eyes on Lu Jianhan, a different answer had already formed in his mind.
First off, they were all new students who’d just stepped into a new campus—there was no need to go that hard. Second, those points that looked like a big deal right now were nothing compared to building a good relationship with Lu Jianhan. This guy might only seem a bit gifted at the moment, but in the future, he’d become the Empire’s legendary commoner war god. Ji Chenxi didn’t expect to control him or make him work for him; leaving a good impression early was more than enough. So he stuck firmly to his word.
Ji Chenxi’s actions were almost too straightforward, and Lu Jianhan gradually went from wary and suspicious to finally letting his guard drop a little.
This Third Prince was just… different.
Lu Jianhan’s first impression of him was that he was dangerous in a subtle way. A young man with sharp, beautiful features and a constant smile, looking easy to talk to on the surface, yet leaving no room for refusal—his presence carried a quiet threat.
At first, Lu Jianhan thought the guy was trying to kill two birds with one stone: grab the points and snag an extra fighting force, squeezing every bit of value out of him. Who would’ve guessed that the very first thing Ji Chenxi did with him was go catch fish, then light a fire and boil water to make fish soup?
Watching Ji Chenxi calmly tell him to scrape off the scales, clean out the insides, then gather a bunch of things to get rid of the fishy smell, Lu Jianhan’s expression slowly went from disbelief to complete numbness.
Maybe the Third Prince just wanted someone obedient to listen to him and do the dirty work.
With Ji Chenxi giving directions and Lu Jianhan putting in the effort, the fish soup was finally done.
Ji Chenxi’s theory was solid. To make sure he could eat decently during the trial, he’d studied cooking until his knowledge was practically master-level. The problem was that vague phrase “add an appropriate amount.” He could never quite get it right. The grilled meat and mushroom soup he’d made before always tasted strange—not awful, but definitely not good either.
Since his own cooking was only so-so, he didn’t expect Lu Jianhan, working under his guidance, to do any better. But after taking the first sip, Ji Chenxi’s gaze toward Lu Jianhan changed on the spot—not exactly burning with excitement, but a whole lot warmer than his earlier indifference.
“Student Lu, you’ve really got talent in the kitchen,” Ji Chenxi said with a grin, not holding back his praise.
Lu Jianhan: “…”
Or maybe I just already know how to cook.
In the end, Lu Jianhan didn’t say what he was really thinking. Instead, he quietly handed over the mushrooms he’d just finished grilling, suffering in silence like a proper workhorse.
Ji Chenxi’s look toward him grew even more approving. He felt this guy really knew how to read the room.
After feeding a certain noble prince, Lu Jianhan—injured and all—followed Ji Chenxi as they went on a wild spree, robbing others of their points.
Snatching points was fast work. In just a few days, they’d piled up a ridiculous amount. One of them had spiritual power that could mess with people’s minds, while the other’s was straight-up lethal. Add in their sharp reflexes and quick hands, and most people wandering alone had no choice but to hand over their points the moment they ran into them.
As they robbed more people, their teamwork got smoother too. Sometimes, Ji Chenxi and Lu Jianhan even went after small groups traveling together.
Everything was going great—right up until they ran into Bai Anran, who was in the middle of getting his points taken.
The ones robbing Bai Anran were Su Yu and a few others Ji Chenxi recognized. Ji Chenxi caught the interest flashing in Su Yu’s eyes. He’d clearly recognized Bai Anran as that guy he once had a verbal engagement with, yet for some reason, Su Yu had zero intention of letting him off easy.
The moment Su Yu spotted Ji Chenxi, he let out a slightly flirtatious whistle. “Little Rose, what’s this? Coming over to deliver points to us yourself?”
Ji Chenxi raised a brow. “Why can’t it be you guys delivering points to me?”
“Oh wow,” Su Yu said, putting on an exaggerated look of shock as he pointed at the recording drone trailing behind Ji Chenxi. “Your Highness, the camera’s still on you. Why are you saying the quiet part out loud?”
Ji Chenxi almost rolled his eyes in the least elegant way possible. “So, you fighting or not?”
“Let’s forget it,” Su Yu said lazily. “We’re all old acquaintances, and there’s still almost half a month left in this trial. We’ll talk next time we meet.”
Ji Chenxi nodded. “Then hurry up and leave. Next time we run into each other, I won’t be this easy to talk to.”
Still busy with his looting business, Su Yu laughed and cursed, “Alright, alright. Look how arrogant you are. Guess we’ll let our prince play hero and save someone today.”
Ji Chenxi, who hadn’t planned to say anything more, still added calmly, “Two alphas—how is that saving a damsel in distress?”
“Then what do you call it?”
“Acting bravely for a just cause,” Ji Chenxi said calmly.
Su Yu laughed so hard he almost doubled over. “Alright, alright! The Third Prince acting bravely for a just cause, huh? Next time we meet, collect a few more points, will ya? So I can really cash in all at once!”
A few jokes later, Bai Anran and the other alphas and betas around him had their points saved. Against Su Yu, Bai Anran could have fought back, but he’d run into this guy plenty of times before—and he even recognized everyone around him. All he could do was curse himself for not wearing a biological mask.
Bai Anran, saved by Ji Chenxi, pursed his lips slightly and glanced in Ji Chenxi’s direction, looking like he wanted to say something but held back.
Compared to him, the others around him were more straightforward—a chorus of big, heartfelt thanks.
Ji Chenxi smiled politely. “It’s nothing. Just helping out when I saw someone in trouble.”
Lu Jianhan’s eyelid twitched. This guy really wasn’t here to steal points from the freshmen.
Could it be…
Lu Jianhan’s gaze shifted to Bai Anran, who was clearly more handsome.
Could this be the guy who is the Third Prince’s “lifelong enemy”?
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)
