Two weeks flew by in the blink of an eye. On the eve of their meeting, the little temporary group the three of them had set up unexpectedly buzzed with activity.
Manye Zhe: [Oh man, we’re finally going to see our mysterious Bai Wei! I’m so excited I couldn’t sleep on the starship. Bai Wei, do you want me to secretly tell you Que Qi’s real identity? You’d never guess.]
Bai Wei: [I’m looking forward to meeting both of you too.]
Que Qi’s reply carried a sharp hint of annoyance: [Manye, you’re acting all hyped up now. Let’s see if you can keep that up when you actually meet Bai Wei.]
Manye Zhe: [Huh? Wasn’t I excited when I met you back then?!]
Que Qi: […Are you seriously saying that without feeling guilty?]
Manye Zhe: [What guilt? I have no guilt at all!]
What followed was a flood of messages from Manye Zhe, a long string of texts all trying to explain that he had been too nervous the first time he met Que Qi. Now, with experience on his side, he was absolutely sure he’d do better this time.
Que Qi ignored him entirely this round and sent their own message instead: [Lu Churan, from the Twelfth Fairy Star, female omega. Given your control over StarNet, you must already know my real identity.]
Bai Wei: [I’ve long heard of Miss Lu’s reputation.]
Coincidentally, this was exactly the wealthy omega with the freesia pheromones that Su Yu had mentioned earlier.
Ji Chenxi and Que Qi had known each other for years. During the division of their families’ power, he and his online friends had quietly lent support more than once. Even though he was one of the people who helped her seize authority back then, he couldn’t help but admire this female omega’s skill and cunning.
Just as Ji Chenxi was about to reveal his own identity in advance, so they wouldn’t be caught off guard, Manye Zhe’s messages had already popped up at lightning speed.
Manye Zhe: [Bai Wei, don’t tell them who you are! If you reveal your identity too soon, half the fun of meeting in person is gone! At least leave me a little room to imagine.]
And in the next moment, Que Qi’s private message also landed in Ji Chenxi’s inbox.
[He’s seen a blurry image of you and, misled by Morning Star, thought you were an omega. Don’t tell him—let me see if his eternally expressionless face changes when he realizes Bai Wei isn’t an omega.]
Ji Chenxi chuckled. He hadn’t expected Que Qi to be this mischievous.
Since both of them were asking for it, he didn’t want to spoil the fun either. He just said he’d bring a single white rose as a symbol of his identity when the time came.
Earlier, Su Yu had been reminding him that Gu Hechuan was about to return. Ji Chenxi thought it would be soon, but in reality, the day before the auction, Gu Hechuan still hadn’t come back.
Ji Chenxi first tried contacting him through normal channels. Less than two seconds after the call went through, Gu Hechuan picked up, his voice low and hoarse: “Chenxi, is something wrong?”
“You said you’d be back soon, right? Su Yu and I have been waiting for you.”
Gu Hechuan let out a slightly apologetic laugh. “Sorry to keep you and Yu waiting. I told him earlier that I ran into a little trouble with business. It might take a bit longer to get back.”
Ji Chenxi exchanged a few more words before ending the call.
Then he switched accounts, opened a black webpage, and used Bai Wei’s identity to poke someone in their seven-person group who had never spoken before. This time, the response came almost instantly.
Crow: [Damn! Don’t even talk about it. I ran into some star pirates trying to steal my stuff. I’m fighting them off right now.]
Traveler: [I’m helping too. Oh my god, can you imagine? Crow’s a suit-wearing thug—he hits hard. And he’s got two faces! One second he’s yelling, the next he picks up a call and turns gentle. How can you treat friends differently like that?]
Ji Chenxi pictured the scene and couldn’t help but laugh.
Sometimes you just have to admit it—everyone has little secrets. Who would have guessed that the young master of one of the four great noble houses, known for his gentle elegance, was a hot-headed guy online?
Crow had been the last to join their small group. Ji Chenxi had done a little digging to figure out who everyone was. When he discovered Crow was actually his friend, he almost thought he’d made a mistake. After all, Gu Hechuan’s everyday behavior was polite and humble, very different from Su Yu’s playboy style or Ji Chenxi’s own fake-gentle act.
Realizing that the three of them wouldn’t be meeting anytime soon, Ji Chenxi was about to switch screens when a message suddenly made him pause.
Crow: [Earlier I saw you guys talking about the Third Prince. Actually, he’s a friend of mine in real life. If he’s interested in that position, you might all have to help out a bit.]
Wild Fool: [Help out? I love this kind of thing.]
Traveler: [Count me in.]
Almost everyone in the group responded, even those who knew Bai Wei was Ji Chenxi, joined in on the fun. Ji Chenxi felt a sudden warmth in his chest. He began to suspect that Gu Hechuan might have already known a little more than he let on, which was why he’d joined the group and become their member.
At first, Ji Chenxi hadn’t revealed his identity to Gu Hechuan, partly because he didn’t realize this other side of him existed. Now, it felt a bit awkward to admit that he was actually already in the group.
After a brief hesitation, he carefully typed a line and sent it.
Bai Wei: [A royal heir should be a wise ruler to be admired. What if the Third Prince isn’t suited for that position?]
Crow: [Trust me. Of all the royal heirs, he’s the most suitable. The first prince is weak and incompetent, careless about self-discipline. The second prince is talented, but cruel and tyrannical. I can’t tell if the third prince is interested in the position, but I can say his ability and character aren’t bad.]
Ji Chenxi stared at the message, unsure whether to laugh or what. The internet’s hot-headed old man had typed this line so calmly and rationally.
Bai Wei: [You think so highly of him?]
Crow: [I don’t think I misjudged him.]
In that moment, the layer of the hot-headed online persona peeled away. The one typing wasn’t the rough, loud-mouthed Crow—it was the gentle, noble friend who, before joining the group, had said to him when they first spoke about the heir to the throne: ‘If you want it, I’ll help you. If you don’t, I’ll do my best to protect you.’
Ji Chenxi let out a quiet sigh. He wasn’t quite as perfect as his friend thought he was.
Manye Zhe: [You guys are making me really embarrassed. I even complained before that the Third Prince was just a pretty face, nothing else.]
Manye Zhe’s despair broke the slightly serious mood that had settled over the group.
Morning Star peeked in on Ji Chenxi privately again.
[Your friend really did infiltrate our group to recruit people for you! Who would’ve thought you joined five years before him?]
The little group was a bit exclusive. Back then, everyone was fairly steady, so Crow’s joining was acceptable—partly because he had a personal connection with Traveler, and partly because Bai Wei and Morning Star approved.
[He’s not recruiting. He just wants to keep me alive if my big brother or second sister tries to grab power.]
[Your Highness, you really don’t seem interested in that position at all?]
Ji Chenxi knew what Morning Star really meant: ‘You’re just pretending to be disinterested outwardly, aren’t you?’
The truth was slightly different. At first, Ji Chenxi really wasn’t interested in that position. Some people crave power, and some despise it—but sadly, the position he was in meant he couldn’t just sit back and ignore the struggle. He had to compete, whether he wanted to or not.
*
Nightfall Auction House.
An auction house that occasionally brought in something fresh and unusual.
In remote star systems, the people themselves were the highlight of the auctions—modified humans, robots, and more. On the Imperial Star, such things would never be displayed openly, but subtle, hidden methods were plentiful.
Before leaving, Ji Chenxi flipped through that book once more, scanning the pages full of romantic drama to find the hidden threads of the story.
This auction was mainly about Bai Anran changing his mind about Chi Zhuo. From the overflowing hints of flirtation, Ji Chenxi finally caught a glimpse of the undercurrents in the auction.
The person who almost harmed Bai Anran was probably the prey they had been trying to lure. And the fact that Chi Zhuo saved Bai Anran just in time—rather than a simple hero-rescues-beauty scenario—wasn’t just about the pheromone attraction. It was more like someone was cutting in on their plans.
This time, Ji Chenxi deliberately didn’t invite Bai Anran, but as he entered the auction house, he still saw him—speaking with Chi Zhuo.
One of them was talking, the other listening with their head slightly bowed.
‘Bai Anran spoke coldly to the dark-haired man in front of him. The man carried an invisible alpha pressure, one that made most people feel uneasy or even afraid in his presence. But Bai Anran had noticed long ago that when Chi Zhuo listened to him, he slightly lowered his head and leaned in closer—a gesture of genuine attention.’
Having just read that book, even this small scene immediately triggered corresponding words in Ji Chenxi’s mind.
His mood soured instantly.
Even if he had stopped their first meeting at the banquet, would they still end up meeting? It seemed as though, even without his guidance, Bai Anran would have come to this auction anyway.
Su Yu had come with Ji Chenxi and noticed Chi Zhuo with Bai Anran as well. Raising an eyebrow slightly, he first looked at his good friend—only to see Ji Chenxi’s face entirely calm, with not a trace of negative emotion, just a faint smile at the corner of his lips.
“You… I can barely figure you out anymore,” Su Yu said, vaguely. But Ji Chenxi understood perfectly.
The smile on Ji Chenxi’s face deepened. He even greeted Bai Anran from afar, “Anran.”
A soft, affectionate tone. To the person beside Bai Anran, Ji Chenxi only gave a polite nod.
Ji Chenxi had always called Bai Anran this way since they were kids. No one else, like Su Yu, thought it strange. Only Chi Zhuo’s eyes darkened slightly. He whispered something to Bai Anran, then left with another man following behind him.
Before Ji Chenxi could speak, Su Yu eagerly asked, “Little Anran, so you know Chi Zhuo?”
Bai Anran felt a little awkward. “Not really. I was supposed to accompany my cousin to the auction, but she couldn’t make it last minute. By chance, we ran into Mr. Chi, and she asked him to escort me.”
Ji Chenxi nodded slightly. So this was the convergence of fate?
Even if he tried to interfere, what was meant to happen would still happen.
And that was fine—everything was about to become far more interesting.
Once inside the venue, Ji Chenxi briefly parted ways with Su Yu and made his way to the secret spot he had arranged beforehand with Manye Zhe and Que Qi, ready for their meeting.
Leaning lazily against the back of a sofa, Ji Chenxi lowered his head and gently inhaled the scent of the pristine white rose in his hand, still glistening with dew.
“The white rose in the Third Prince’s hand is really beautiful.”
A soft voice came from behind.
Ji Chenxi couldn’t help but laugh.
He hadn’t met his online friends yet—but he had already run into Chi Zhuo, returning unexpectedly.
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)
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