This was like when you have some little secret—when you openly share it with your best friend, and it becomes a symbol of your friendship. But one day, that secret is known by someone else. Would you suspect that someone overheard you by accident, or would you start to doubt your friend?
The balance in Ji Chenxi’s heart had already begun to tilt. Wu Yang, the one he had marked, and Chen Xing, who had already caused a bit of unpleasantness.
His rational side kept analyzing how likely it was that Chen Xing was involved, and reminded him that when Chen Xing first arrived, hadn’t he himself also been unable to fully trust him? But emotion always countered—’we’ve known each other for so many years; during the hardest time, we were each other’s support.’
Ji Chenxi let out a slow breath, the flame in his hand flickering on and off again.
Let’s just treat it as an accident.
That thought had barely formed when he couldn’t help but laugh, mocking his own self-deception.
【It’s a bit cold tonight, Your Highness. Please remember to put on more clothes.】
While Ji Chenxi was feeling irritated because of someone, that someone’s concern still arrived as usual.
Chen Xing.
Next to that name was a small star symbol, one Ji Chenxi had personally added years ago—it meant that to him, the other person was like the morning star.
Ji Chenxi stared at the message for quite a while before replying.
【Chen Xing】
【If I find that something I once thought was a treasure has quietly turned yellow behind my back, how should I deal with it?】
The other side seemed a bit surprised; even the message carried a hint of emotion.
【I didn’t expect Your Highness to share everyday matters with me. If it has already turned yellow, you can just replace it.】
【But I’ve cared about it for many years. If I throw it away just because it’s yellowed, it feels a bit hard to let go.】
【Then Your Highness can keep it stored away. Take it out and look at it when you miss it.】
【I thought you’d tell me to throw it away quickly and then help me find something better. After all, you don’t seem to tolerate imperfection very well.】
It sounded like a joke, but if Chen Xing thought about it a little more, he would definitely sense the deeper meaning behind Ji Chenxi’s words.
Ji Chenxi didn’t know whether Chen Xing picked up on it. This reply took longer than the previous ones, yet it gave the feeling that the person on the other side had typed each word carefully.
【I really don’t tolerate some imperfections well, but as Your Highness said, you’ve cared about it for many years. Something with feelings attached is naturally priceless. No one can be perfect in everything; we will always encounter a bit of imperfection. Accepting imperfection—isn’t that also a kind of perfection?】
Staring at the last line, the flame in Ji Chenxi’s hand went out again.
On the other side.
In the dim light, a steady young voice called forward, “Boss?”
The man looked at the darkened light brain in his hand and rubbed his brow.
“Boss can’t bear it?” A mocking laugh came from not far away. In the faint light, one could barely make out a handsome young man. The smile on his lips was wide—so wide it almost looked eerie. “If Boss can’t bear it, you can leave it to me and Third. We guarantee we’ll complete the mission perfectly.”
That steady voice sounded again, “Boss, are we sticking to the original plan?”
The person hidden completely in the darkness didn’t hesitate for even a moment, coldly saying, “As planned.”
The ball had always been a large-scale matchmaking ground for alphas and omegas. Not only outstanding noble omegas attended, but also many alphas. Young men and women gathered to have fun, and dancing was just a small part of it.
Ji Chenxi had little interest in it from the start. However, as a young prince, his appeal to omegas was quite strong. In just ten minutes, no fewer than ten bold omegas had already invited him to dance.
As the daughter of the Lu family of the Twelfth Fairy Star, Lu Churan had naturally come as well. Seeing him overwhelmed, she stepped forward and struck up a conversation. “What’s wrong, Third Prince? It’s only the first day and you’re already this uninterested?”
Ji Chenxi lightly raised the champagne in his hand toward her. “I wouldn’t say uninterested.”
“Then what?”
“No interest at all.”
Lu Churan couldn’t help but laugh. “Then what are you going to do for the next two days? Not come?”
Originally, Ji Chenxi had Su Yu—the so-called “social butterfly”—helping him fend off all the omegas. But Su Yu had clearly abandoned him for romance; after hitting it off with a rather exotic-looking omega, the two had already stepped into the dance floor together.
Laughing aside, Lu Churan didn’t forget her alliance with Ji Chenxi. She said openly, “Third Prince, if I invite you to dance, would you refuse? I think I should ask first, otherwise if you reject me later, that’d be too embarrassing.”
Ji Chenxi was leaning lazily when he heard this. He lifted his eyelids slightly. “I think it’s better if I refuse.”
“Why?”
“I’m treating everyone equally. Otherwise, the omegas I rejected earlier will think I’m playing favorites.”
“So heartless.” Lu Churan shook her head and sighed, then lowered her voice. “You say it’s about fairness, but it’s actually because you don’t want the one at home to get mad, right?”
A faint smile finally appeared on Ji Chenxi’s indifferent face. He lowered his voice as well. “That’s right. Afraid the one at home will get angry, so Miss Lu, why don’t you hurry and keep your distance from me?”
Hearing that, Lu Churan knew he was joking. Not only did she not step back, she even leaned a little closer. “Maybe you can tell me what kind of person he is. Manye already knows, even Lu Tu openly said he knows who your partner is. I’m the only one who doesn’t—that’s a bit unfair.”
“So curious?” Ji Chenxi dragged out his tone.
Lu Churan gave a firm nod.
“Then tell me first—did Chen Xing assign you any little tasks?”
Lu Churan laughed. “Third Prince, you can’t lose trust in me just because of one mistake, can you?”
Ji Chenxi smiled. “I’ll formally introduce him to you all someday.”
“Mmm, sounds serious. Then I’ll look forward to it. Is he easy to get along with?”
“It’s not suitable to ask me that now. I might be biased when I look at him. You’ll know when you meet him.”
Lu Churan’s curiosity was successfully piqued, yet she couldn’t get the answer right away—especially when others already knew. So afterward, she kept trying to get information out of him, only for Ji Chenxi to brush it off lightly each time.
Their conversation drew many eyes, intentional or not. Ji Chenxi had already set up a layer of protection around them, but the sight of an alpha and an omega whispering was still enough to seem ambiguous.
His countermeasures were thorough—he added a layer of spiritual power and a bit of interference. Aside from looking a bit close, no one knew what they were actually saying.
As more and more gazes gathered, Lu Churan said, “I originally planned to help you out and dance your first dance of the day with you, but since the Third Prince clearly refused, I’ll take my leave.”
“Isn’t Queqi already helping me out?”
After all, because Lu Churan was here, no omegas had come to bother Ji Chenxi anymore.
“Then after missing the chance to dance with me, do you regret it even a little?”
Ji Chenxi: “Not at all.”
Lu Churan laughed again. “A couple of years ago, getting a dance with me was nearly impossible. And yet you turn down my invitation.”
“Not just a couple of years ago—even now, you’re still hard to get a dance with. There are definitely more people who want to dance with you than with me.”
Lu Churan had heard countless compliments. Omegas heard far more sweet talk than alphas, and after hearing so much, praise became routine. But hearing it from Ji Chenxi still made her feel unexpectedly pleased.
“Just for that sentence, I’ll consider helping you out for the next two days as well.”
Ji Chenxi thanked her, and the two watched the passing young men and women, chatting only occasionally.
In truth, on the first day of the ball, everyone was just observing each other. Even if they caught each other’s eye, they remained restrained and polite.
Ji Chenxi quietly passed the time, planning to leave after a while.
Chi Zhuo could have attended this ball as well. If he had, Ji Chenxi wouldn’t have felt this bored.
As for Chi Zhuo, who didn’t come, he was currently busy. Right after Ji Chenxi came out of his susceptible period, he had noticed that someone else was around Lan Ruoxi. As someone who always stayed sharp, how could Chi Zhuo not have noticed? And once he noticed, how could he not investigate?
Putting everything together and carefully unraveling it, Chi Zhuo discovered some clues from another angle.
He had been busy with this recently, planning to present the final result as a small gift to Ji Chenxi.
Bai Han continuously manipulated large amounts of data while reporting, “That faction has three leaders. People in the organization call them the three bosses. I connected with Mr.Hua, and he encountered similar individuals seven years ago and five years ago—it should be this group.”
“How did they cross paths?”
“Overlapping industries.”
The market was only so big. When industries overlapped too much, if you couldn’t become the leader, you could only survive on scraps.
Chi Zhuo nodded casually, signaling her to continue.
“We’ve already detected the genetic signal of the second boss on the Imperial star. As for the first and third bosses, they’ve hidden their tracks well. However, the matter between the Third Prince and the First Prince has made quite a stir. I checked all recent flights, including private starships—I’m certain all three of them are on the Imperial star, and they’re about to make a big move.”
After hearing this, Chi Zhuo pondered for a moment. “Keep a close watch. Report to me immediately if anything happens.”
After receiving the order, Bai Han quickly made arrangements. As her slender fingers flew across the interface, Chi Zhuo added, “If we get their exact location, give them a surprise. We didn’t stockpile all those heavy weapons just for decoration.”
“Understood.”
For the third time that night, Chi Zhuo checked his light brain—and still found no message from a certain someone. Finally, he took the initiative to poke that person.
The system’s built-in “poke” function was just a finger tapping the other person’s avatar, making it wobble like something soft had been poked.
There was no immediate reply. Chi Zhuo turned to a nearby attendant. “Make preparations.”
Bai Han glanced up from her work, thinking he was speaking to her. “Prepare what?”
“You continue working. I’m going to pick up the kid at home.”
At the mention of Ji Chenxi, Chi Zhuo’s expression softened slightly. Even his tone toward his capable subordinate became gentler. “If the workload is too much, delegate it. It’s time Hua Yao started doing something too—don’t take everything on yourself.”
Whether Chi Zhuo’s poke came at a good time or not, it happened to land during a pause in Ji Chenxi and Lu Churan’s conversation.
They stood only a palm’s distance apart. Since they had just finished speaking, Lu Churan’s attention was still fully on Ji Chenxi, so she noticed the slight vibration.
“Someone’s looking for you?”
Ji Chenxi glanced down casually. “It’s nothing.”
“Really nothing? We’re just chatting anyway—why not reply first?”
Ji Chenxi shook his head. “Sometimes, a bit of waiting is better than responding immediately.”
Lu Churan thought for a moment. “I think I know who it is. Your partner is really pitiful—already your partner, yet still being kept hanging by you.”
Ji Chenxi didn’t respond directly, but Lu Churan could clearly feel that his mood had improved. It wasn’t that he had been perfunctory before, but now there was a subtle lightness in his tone.
Before the ball ended, Ji Chenxi used the excuse of getting some air and headed toward a quieter area. Once there, with his familiarity with the palace, slipping away unnoticed would be easy.
Everything went smoothly, and he reached a secluded spot as planned.
The night breeze was gentle, carrying a faint floral scent. Around him were softly glowing music stones, making it feel as if he had stepped into a forest where tiny fairies lived.
Ji Chenxi had been walking quickly, but as if he noticed something, he slowed and paused slightly. “Following people isn’t a good habit.”
“I just wanted to see where you were going.” Chi Zhuo stepped out of the darkness.
Ji Chenxi tried not to seem too eager, but his tone still grew lighter. “The banquet’s almost over—why did you come?”
“The weather’s nice today.”
“And?”
“And I just happened to want to see you.”
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)
