AMTPA Chapter 39

Hidden in the shadows, Manye Zhe, always ready to strike at a moment’s notice, spotted the gemstone rose with his sharp eyes.

 

Now, this gemstone rose, worth a staggering 99,990,000, had somehow ended up in front of Ji Chenxi.

 

Manye Zhe lowered his gaze, lost in thought. Had someone noticed that Third Prince liked it and splurged just to send it over?

 

His mind wandered back to the scene of Bai Wei and Chi Zhuo kissing.

 

Based on Bai Wei’s earlier, ambiguous words, he had assumed he’d take the gemstone rose. After all, he had shown genuine interest in it during the auction.

 

But the recipient’s face first showed just the right touch of surprise, and then a polite, distant smile. “Thank you for the kind gift, but I cannot accept it.”

 

The well-looking attendant grew even more flustered. “Your Highness, the guest has already paid for the gemstone rose.”

 

Which meant it couldn’t be returned.

 

Ji Chenxi’s polite smile didn’t fade, but his refusal was clear.

 

The attendant’s forehead was practically drenched in sweat now. There was no way he could admit they were in a tough spot. He could only repeat what the former manager had instructed: “The guest specifically requested that this be delivered to Your Highness. If you don’t want it, I’m afraid it will have to be destroyed.”

 

Ji Chenxi’s expression softened just slightly. “Such a beautiful, priceless item… it would really be a shame to destroy it. Why don’t you return it to the guest and say it’s from me? I don’t think he’s the type to hold a grudge.”

 

The attendant’s cold sweat turned into real drops now, but he still bowed and took the gemstone rose away.

 

Because of the interruption, the auction for that other information was already winding down. Once the doors were locked, Ji Chenxi reopened his equipment and dug deeper into his investigation, even hacking into the others’ communication devices to see if someone was directing them.

 

Ji Chenxi quickly locked onto two auction targets. “Check on bidder Eleven and bidder Seventy-six.”

 

Manye Zhe, who had been hiding in the shadows moments ago, slipped away silently as soon as the door opened a tiny crack.

 

Once they left, Lu Churan locked the door again. At the same time, Ji Chenxi began cleaning up any traces Manye Zhe might have left behind. But, honestly, even without Ji Chenxi, a professional killer like him could move freely through this heavily guarded night auction.

 

After casually typing a few commands, Ji Chenxi started listening in on everyone’s bids.

 

Normally, if some information went up for auction, it rarely reached the tens of millions unless it involved a tycoon’s secret accounts or a new project. But this data on “miracle” had already hit the ten-million mark early on. Those labs really were loaded.

 

Ji Chenxi tapped his fingers lightly. “I wonder if it might break a hundred million. So far tonight, nothing’s hit that.”

 

“The odds aren’t high,” Lu Churan replied. “After all, this stuff is half real, half fake. If those old players weren’t from different factions and all trying to grab it for themselves, this kind of experimental material would barely sell for a few million.”

 

“No matter, any amount is still income,” Ji Chenxi reassured.

 

Lu Churan poured herself a cup of black tea and took a gentle sip. “Actually… I’m a little curious.”

 

“Curious about what, Miss Lu?” Ji Chenxi’s tone was soft, friendly.

 

“Why Your Highness refused the gemstone rose, and who actually sent it.”

 

Girls often had sharp instincts about certain things—especially Lu Churan, noticing Ji Chenxi’s expression when he saw the gemstone rose. For a brief moment, the smile in his eyes was different from the smiles she had seen before, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off.

 

“It wouldn’t look good if I just took whatever someone gave me!” Ji Chenxi said, clearly happy to satisfy the beauty’s curiosity.

 

Lu Churan smiled too. “So, listening to Your Highness, does that mean you’ve confirmed who sent it?”

 

“Let’s say… more or less,” he replied.

 

“Your Highness, do you want to take a look?” Lu Churan’s curiosity got the better of her—she really wanted to see who had spent a fortune to send the gift. For Ji Chenxi, checking the real identities of those people was incredibly easy.

 

It was such a simple thing—but surprisingly, Lu Churan received a refusal.

 

“Your refusal really hurts my feelings,” she said with a teasing laugh, though her curiosity about the sender only grew.

 

Even with her insistence, Ji Chenxi still had no intention of revealing the flower sender. Casually glancing through the corridor surveillance, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

 

Lu Churan leaned slightly closer and, following his line of sight, caught an interesting scene.

 

The attendant they had just seen a short while ago held the gemstone rose, still glowing with a fiery, passionate color, and looked toward a room’s door. Soon the door opened. The attendant spoke briefly with the person inside, and then the unknown figure handed the gemstone rose to a large, long, elegant hand. After the door closed, the attendant seemed visibly relieved.

 

Lu Churan stirred her tea elegantly with a tiny golden spoon, a playful smile on her face. “Looks like someone is trying to court Third Prince? But… judging by that hand, they don’t seem like an omega at all.”

 

Ji Chenxi was a little surprised. How could Lu Churan be so certain the person wasn’t an omega?

 

“What if it’s a male omega?” he asked.

 

Lu Churan just smiled and said nothing, then continued, “Your Highness didn’t deny my use of the word ‘court.’ So it seems this is someone you know. And not only do you know them, but you also know they have feelings for you. So this gemstone rose, a symbol of sincerity… it’s probably not just someone with more money than they know what to do with. Nine hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand—if it weren’t for the auction using units of ten thousand, increasing at least ten thousand each time, I’d say this person wanted to bid a number with all nines. To me, that counts as a romantic declaration of love.”

 

“Bidding an absurdly high price for something that doesn’t match its value isn’t exactly smart,” Ji Chenxi pointed out.

 

“The gemstone rose may not be worth that price, but if you two really end up together, it could count as a token of your bond. Could it be that Third Prince’s own token of affection isn’t worth that much?”

 

A rather sweet interpretation, which made Ji Chenxi smile again. “Miss Lu, you’re very good at finding reasonable excuses for overpriced items.”

 

“Actually, that’s not what I’m really curious about,” Lu Churan said. “What I’m most curious about is Bai Wei—your attitude.”

 

“My attitude?”

 

Lu Churan nodded. “Bai Wei… I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but I feel like you’re playing hard to get.”

 

Ji Chenxi stood and walked toward the wine cabinet. The large cabinet was lined with fine bottles, each marked with a tempting price. He quickly scanned the selection and chose a bottle of tequila.

 

After opening the bottle, he poured a glass for each of them. He raised his own, sipping slowly, letting the sharp burn of the liquor spread through his throat with a relaxed expression.

 

“Actually, not many people like the taste of tequila,” he said.

 

Lu Churan assumed he was dodging her earlier question and trying to change the topic, so she played along. “Tequila does taste unusual. Personally, I prefer brandy or vodka—they’re cleaner.”

 

“I’ve been enjoying this flavor lately,” Ji Chenxi replied.

 

Lu Churan smiled. People had different tastes, especially when it came to alcohol—some liked it, some didn’t.

 

“Though I didn’t care much for it before, especially neat. It’s cool but bitter, and the burn is intense going down. But maybe alphas are thrill-seekers for the senses. Once you get used to this kind of flavor, other drinks feel bland.”

 

Lu Churan wasn’t much of a drinker herself. But curiosity got the better of her, and she politely—but persistently—brought up her question again. “Your Highness, you still haven’t answered me.”

 

Ji Chenxi smiled. “I wouldn’t quite call it ‘playing hard to get,’ but thinking about it… no other word seems quite right either.”

 

That was an admission.

 

Lu Churan set down her cup of tea. “Can you reveal a bit more? For example… what exactly is Third Prince thinking?”

 

“Miss Lu,” Ji Chenxi called.

 

“Hm?”

 

“We’re here on a mission.”

 

The unspoken message was clear: no private matters would be discussed.

 

With her sharp mind, Lu Churan understood immediately. She felt a little regretful. “Alright… my apologies for being forward.”

 

“If anyone is at fault, it’s me, not you. No need to worry about it,” Ji Chenxi said.

 

After that, the two didn’t speak much. Later, Lu Churan found herself interested in an artwork left behind by a deceased master. Just as she was about to place a bid, Ji Chenxi anonymously outbid her. Even when the price rose beyond the artwork’s market value, he still secured it.

 

“Looks like Your Highness really likes this piece,” Lu Churan teased.

 

“No,” he said with a small smile. “I bought it specifically to give to you. Consider it a little apology for not answering your question directly.”

 

This made Lu Churan even more amused. “So Your Highness would rather spend money on an overpriced item for me than reveal even a hint?”

 

Ji Chenxi just smiled and stayed silent.

 

By now, the auction was winding down. Manye Zhe returned silently and gave them a brief update. Following his report, Ji Chenxi dug even deeper, then forwarded multiple pieces of gathered information to the other two. Finally, he packed up his equipment. The devices that had taken up so much space were now compressed into a tiny package and stored away.

 

Just after finishing, the light computer on Ji Chenxi’s wrist vibrated slightly. He glanced at it casually—unexpectedly, the message was from Chi Zhuo.

 

[Rest Area]

 

Ji Chenxi read the message but made no move to reply.

 

When the auction ended, the three of them walked out together. After a short distance, Ji Chenxi told the others he had some matters to attend to and had to leave, bidding them farewell.

 

Lu Churan and Manye Zhe exchanged a glance, their expressions calm and unreadable.

 

But just as Ji Chenxi was about to turn and leave, Lu Churan spoke up: “Third Prince, since this is our first visit and we’re not familiar with the Imperial Star, as the host, shouldn’t you show us around a little?”

 

Ji Chenxi thought for a moment and nodded. “You get some rest. If you want to go out tomorrow, then we’ll meet up then.”

 

Manye Zhe couldn’t quite understand why Lu Churan needed someone to accompany her just to play, but he didn’t interrupt. In his mind, however, he was running wild with speculation—perhaps Que Qi had a crush on Bai Wei just from his looks, feeling all fluttery and confused.

 

After parting ways with the two, Ji Chenxi returned to the rather secluded rest area he had used before.

 

This time he didn’t have to wait—once he left the blind spot of vision, he immediately saw Chi Zhuo, who was leaning over, playing with the gemstone rose that had been purchased at a high price.

 

Bright, beautiful, it contrasted sharply with the black mamba coiled around Chi Zhuo.

 

As soon as Ji Chenxi approached, Chi Zhuo lifted his head and looked at him.

 

“So, what did Brother Chi Zhuo want me to come over for?” Ji Chenxi asked, a hint of a smile in his voice.

 

“A gift.”

 

Just two simple words, but they made Ji Chenxi’s smile deepen. He feigned confusion. “Haven’t I already refused?”

 

“Precisely because Third Prince refused, I decided to deliver it myself. Having someone else do it would seem less sincere.”

 

Ji Chenxi blinked lightly. In truth, he was curious about one thing.

 

Lu Churan had boldly asked him whether he was “playing hard to get.” What about Chi Zhuo? Would he, being in the middle of all this, notice anything at all?

 

He had set a bait.

 

Would Chi Zhuo bite willingly… or was he scheming to drag this fisherman down into his own trap?

 

Ji Chenxi was very curious—and sometimes, being overly curious wasn’t such a good thing.

 

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