AMTPA Chapter 24

The sudden change in attitude caught him completely off guard.

 

When things start happening in a way that doesn’t make sense, it’s always a trap. Chi Zhuo knew this clearly, yet he found it hard to resist.

 

Kiss again?

 

Of course he wanted to.

 

So without a second thought, Chi Zhuo pressed his lips against that person’s again.

 

Leaning against the cold wall, Ji Chenxi felt the warmth of the incoming kiss and let out a soft laugh. It was that laugh that finally broke through Chi Zhuo’s defenses, letting him take ground, piece by piece.

 

The joy bubbling inside made the faint rose scent on Ji Chenxi’s lips a little stronger. Mixed with the taste of wine, it had a hint of sweet liquor lingering on the tongue.

 

Ji Chenxi wrapped his hand around Chi Zhuo’s neck, and the man who had been almost completely unresponsive before now tangled with the intruder, flipping defense into offense.

 

A kiss is a completely different thing when it’s returned versus when it isn’t. Chi Zhuo’s nerves, which had been fraying from the unusual reaction, snapped in relief.

 

Even Ji Chenxi’s hand, carrying a faint chill, now held a teasing edge. The kiss grew hotter.

 

When Chi Zhuo tried to go deeper, Ji Chenxi pulled him back by the neck.

 

At this moment, Ji Chenxi hadn’t even fully caught his breath. He laughed lightly at Chi Zhuo while casually setting down the wine bottle. The crisp sound pulled some clarity back into Chi Zhuo’s muddled mind.

 

But now, the hand Chi Zhuo had gripping him was twisted and held from behind.

 

Ji Chenxi’s lips still carried a smile. His narrow, phoenix-like eyes, smiling, suddenly seemed unexpectedly seductive. Chi Zhuo, already drawn in by the pheromones, wanted to kiss him again. But Ji Chenxi’s grip didn’t loosen. His voice, soft and amused with a trace of displeasure, said, “Chi Zhuo, your kissing… really isn’t good.”

 

Just now, Chi Zhuo’s sharp teeth had scraped the soft flesh inside Ji Chenxi’s mouth. The sting had some thrill to it, but Ji Chenxi really didn’t like feeling completely out of control, with everything slipping out of his hands.

 

Chi Zhuo was at a loss for words when someone so openly told him his kissing was bad.

 

His eyes darkened as he asked, “Your Highness wasn’t that your first kiss too? Where did you get the idea that your kissing is any good?”

 

Ji Chenxi didn’t boast. He just said, “Take it slow… or maybe you can feel my rhythm first.”

 

He had thought about kissing before, even in his youth. And even if Ji Chenxi had seemed indifferent in the past, he had at least seen others kiss. His grip on Chi Zhuo relaxed slightly, and he left a faint kiss at the corner of Chi Zhuo’s lips.

 

Chi Zhuo restrained the urge to pull him close and devour him with wild biting. He let the refined, elegant prince take his time.

 

Unlike Chi Zhuo, who always wanted to rush straight to the point, Ji Chenxi had endless patience. He kissed gently at the edge of Chi Zhuo’s lips, feeling the warmth between them. He only moved deeper when Chi Zhuo couldn’t resist, exploring awkwardly but carefully.

 

Whenever Chi Zhuo tried to force his way in again, Ji Chenxi would pull him back, repeating until Chi Zhuo followed his pace. Only then did he ease his hold.

 

Since his hands weren’t moving as smoothly as he liked, Ji Chenxi placed the other hand under Chi Zhuo’s jaw, holding it lightly, while his first hand moved from the back of the neck to the hair at the nape, fingers threading through. This gave him more control over their movements.

 

The sharp lines of Chi Zhuo’s lips were far hotter than Ji Chenxi had expected, even more so than his own. Heat always had a way of clouding the mind, and even Ji Chenxi, who had thought he was calm, couldn’t help pressing a couple more kisses.

 

Their lips and teeth tangled together, and Ji Chenxi’s soft mouth was cut by Chi Zhuo’s sharp teeth. The taste of blood lingered between them, and Chi Zhuo’s suppressed desire surged again. But this time, he didn’t go wild or try to devour him. Instead, he lightly licked away the blood, swallowing every drop.

 

Ji Chenxi lowered his eyes, a smile pressing quietly in his throat. Between kisses, he asked suddenly, “Chi Zhuo… who do you think is being good now? You, or me?”

 

The question caught Chi Zhuo off guard. He didn’t respond immediately, continuing instead to chase that faint scent of roses.

 

Ji Chenxi laughed softly again, staring into those deep, crimson eyes. “Are you still in your right mind?”

 

When there was no answer, he simply decided to release a little of his pheromones.

 

As expected, the scent he released was quickly picked up by the tequila in the air, merging and transforming into a faintly rose-scented sweet liquor.

 

“Let me guess… it’s not that you have no control, you just don’t really want to pay attention to me, right?”

 

Chi Zhuo’s passion seemed to be forcibly stopped in that instant. The heat faded, leaving only a coldness behind. Pressed together, their strong chests tight against each other, he could even hear Ji Chenxi’s heartbeat. That’s when he realized that even while kissing, Ji Chenxi’s heart hadn’t changed its pace one bit.

 

“…Looks like Your Highness really dislikes me,” Chi Zhuo sighed.

 

“Not exactly. I wouldn’t kiss someone I dislike.” Ji Chenxi loosened the hand holding Chi Zhuo’s jaw, tracing gently over the lips he had just kissed. His fingers slid down along the lips to the chin, then the neck, finally resting at the Adam’s apple, the spot he had been looking at for so long.

 

The night air was heavy with tequila, mingled with the faintest trace of his own rose scent—so faint it was almost imperceptible. But that wasn’t surprising; its owner was stingy with pheromones.

 

“So, I guess it’s because you weren’t happy with my tone earlier?” Chi Zhuo asked.

 

“You think I wasn’t happy about something?”

 

Ji Chenxi’s cool fingers against his skin felt like a slab of chilled jade, slowly moving across Chi Zhuo’s neck, evoking strange sensations completely different from those of kissing.

 

Yet, the pheromones Ji Chenxi had released earlier had calmed Chi Zhuo considerably. Even though the heat within him remained just as unbearable, he now had a hint of ability to think clearly.

 

“One… for suddenly taking Your Highness’s first kiss.”

 

Ji Chenxi nodded casually—this was important, after all. At that moment, he wasn’t particularly angry.

 

“Two… for ignoring your kind question and kissing you again.”

 

Ji Chenxi nodded, a silent acknowledgment, but it still hadn’t quite hit the mark for him.

 

“The third reason…” Chi Zhuo continued, “is something I mentioned — I told you to ‘behave.’”

 

Ji Chenxi’s brows lifted slightly, showing approval. Now this was the real trigger for his irritation. ‘Behave?’ Who did this person think he was, ordering him to behave?

 

Chi Zhuo’s dark eyes were deep and stormy, completely different from the flustered man from moments ago.

 

If he had been stirred by Ji Chenxi’s earlier reaction, now he fully realized that the way Ji Chenxi had kissed him wasn’t much different from training a dog.

 

“Chi Zhuo,” Ji Chenxi’s fingers threaded through Chi Zhuo’s hair, pressing gently, “I think I’m not really that angry… after all, you’re still alive and well, aren’t you?”

 

If he had been truly angry, why let him kiss again?

 

Just that one line nearly reignited the warmth Chi Zhuo had just cooled down.

 

His hand, firmly resting on Ji Chenxi’s waist, tensed, eager to claim more, yet for a moment, he didn’t know exactly what to do.

 

Ji Chenxi always seemed so ambiguous. He was the one who initiated it, gently tracing the seductive Adam’s apple with his fingers, and it was also he who placed the final kiss.

 

Even a light kiss on such a fragile spot could make anyone feel instinctively uncomfortable.

 

Chi Zhuo’s head tilted back slightly, only to be pressed down again by the hand at the back of his head.

 

Ji Chenxi, who had placed only a light kiss there, looked innocently amused. “I’m just kissing you—why are you dodging? You didn’t see me dodging when you kissed me!”

 

Chi Zhuo didn’t argue about the small scratches on the back of his neck. Instead, he let Ji Chenxi plant a few more kisses there.

 

His vulnerable Adam’s apple moved uneasily under Ji Chenxi’s touch—and ended up being bitten.

 

What Ji Chenxi did was completely unintentional. Sweat had just rolled down, making the Adam’s apple, lightly flushed, look even more tempting. Ji Chenxi couldn’t resist and bit down—a bite that wasn’t playful or teasingly gentle, but firm enough to almost leave a mark.

 

Chi Zhuo finally lost all restraint. He jerked backward sharply, and even with Ji Chenxi’s hand at the back of his head, he couldn’t stop the retreat.

 

Ji Chenxi was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected such a strong reaction. His hand didn’t apply force, and so the two of them really did create some distance this time.

 

Facing Chi Zhuo’s eyes, heavy with restrained intensity, Ji Chenxi’s previously proud expression immediately softened. “I didn’t mean it,” he said.

 

Chi Zhuo stayed silent, still fixed on him.

 

Ji Chenxi’s tongue lightly licked his upper lip, savoring the lingering sensation, and then stopped. He leaned casually against the wall behind him, tilting his chin slightly to reveal the elegant curve of his neck.

 

His skin was pale, flushed just enough, and the slightly swollen lips pressed against the wall gave off a fragile, almost delicate beauty.

 

Chi Zhuo’s trace of aggression had been a reflexive reaction to the sudden bite. Seeing Ji Chenxi like this, he felt almost guilty for taking advantage of the young prince, and his gaze softened. “I know you meant no harm.”

 

Ji Chenxi lifted his eyes slightly, as if unsure where Chi Zhuo’s perception of him came from. But just looking at his eyes, he seemed to carry a faint trace of grievance, as if he didn’t entirely believe Chi Zhuo. He raised his chin a little higher. “Then… if it’s really necessary, you can bite me back.”

 

Chi Zhuo couldn’t bear to push him any further and shook his head.

 

“Then… do you want pheromones? Or maybe to mark me?”

 

Chi Zhuo had completely lost the words he originally intended to use to get Ji Chenxi to release a little pheromone. No alpha could resist the urge to mark someone, especially someone who secretly stirred their heart. Even if the other was an alpha, the instinct to claim and mark still tugged at him.

 

Chi Zhuo’s hesitation was enough for Ji Chenxi to read the answer.

 

The beauty still leaned against the wall, but now his eyes were lowered. His raven-like lashes cast a soft shadow over those graceful, phoenix-shaped eyes—utterly stunning.

 

Before Chi Zhuo could respond, Ji Chenxi spoke again. “Actually, after what happened on the little planet, I already considered you, Chi Zhuo, someone I could trust with my life.”

 

Chi Zhuo’s urge to mark him nearly got suppressed by that statement.

 

Ji Chenxi’s hand snaked around Chi Zhuo’s neck again, pressing down, pulling him close. He continued in that airy, playful tone, “But who would have thought… you’d come and kiss me?”

 

“If you want my pheromones so badly, I could’ve given them to you. I did give you a chance earlier, didn’t I? You just didn’t take it. So, really, you can’t blame me, Chi Zhuo.”

 

Chi Zhuo felt an intense wave of danger. Before he could push Ji Chenxi away, the room was suddenly filled with an overwhelming scent of rose-scented pheromones. For someone who had only received a little earlier, this was far too much, and it made Chi Zhuo’s legs go weak.

 

Amid the dizzying haze of pheromones, that familiar feeling struck the back of his neck again.

 

Sharp marking teeth broke through his skin, and the same rose-scented pheromones—just as thick as the air around them—flooded into Chi Zhuo’s body.

 

Even though Chi Zhuo had developed a certain dependence on Ji Chenxi’s pheromones, he was still an alpha. No alpha liked having another alpha’s scent forcefully filling their glands.

 

His eyes widened in disbelief—he’d been marked again by this little alpha.

 

Ji Chenxi’s smile deepened with satisfaction. “Don’t be mad. Think of it as a small gift in return. Turns out, the one who always ends up losing is the softhearted one, huh?”

 

With that, Ji Chenxi carelessly pushed him aside. Before leaving, he even tossed back one last line, light and cheerful, “You really shouldn’t trust a pretty alpha so easily, Chi Zhuo. See you around.”

 

Chi Zhuo slumped weakly against the wall, his legs still unsteady—but he laughed too, though his laugh carried a biting chill.

 

Friends? No. The two of them were clearly destined to be mortal enemies for life.

 

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