AMTPA Chapter 40

“If I told you that even if this flower came from you personally, I still wouldn’t want it, what would you do?”

Ji Chenxi stopped a few meters away from Chi Zhuo, smiling as he asked.

Chi Zhuo lowered his gaze, lost in thought. He probably hadn’t expected to be rejected a second time—lately, Ji Chenxi had been saying no to him more often than he liked.

Originally, a section of the black mamba coiled around the mineral rose, as if it wanted to follow the flower straight into Ji Chenxi’s hands, hissing its tongue. But instead, it slowly slithered down along Chi Zhuo’s body. Once it reached the bottom, its movements sped up, clearly aiming straight for Ji Chenxi.

By the time the tiny snake, now no thicker than a thumb, reached Ji Chenxi, it tried to crawl up his pant leg.

It was a brief moment. But before the black mamba could wrap around him, Chi Zhuo—who had been several meters away just seconds ago—had already caught the snake in time.

Chi Zhuo’s movements were lightning-fast. In the blink of an eye, the snake that had been climbing just moments ago was in his hand.

In truth, for someone like Chi Zhuo, with such strong spiritual power, recalling a spiritual body was just a thought away. There was no need for him to personally catch the snake.

So, the person approaching might not have been there just for a stubborn little snake.

Ji Chenxi held back a smirk.

He looked down with interest at the black mamba still trying to climb past Chi Zhuo toward him.

It did look a little pitiful.

To be honest, it was a strikingly handsome snake, the kind that made you want to handle it carefully, feeling the cold scales slide under your fingers. Thinking this, Ji Chenxi naturally reached out a finger and stroked the black mamba’s head.

His fingertip felt the unique texture of the snake. As he slid his finger down its body, he realized the head and the body felt distinctly different.

The black head that had been trying to get closer to Ji Chenxi froze at the sudden touch, then immediately wriggled excitedly, trying to climb along Ji Chenxi’s hand onto him. Ji Chenxi could clearly feel the snake’s silky skin, the soft yet strong push as it used his hand for leverage—an entirely different sensation from something furry.

Chi Zhuo promptly pinched the snake’s mouth, holding its fangs in check. It didn’t get a chance to bare its venom; it could only obediently let itself be touched.

In truth, even if Chi Zhuo hadn’t done this, the black mamba, influenced by its owner, was almost certain not to attack Ji Chenxi while showing such closeness. But Chi Zhuo did it anyway, just to be safe.

Ji Chenxi only ran his fingers over it lightly before withdrawing his hand.

Chi Zhuo lowered his gaze, watching. After Ji Chenxi pulled away, he redirected the black mamba’s head to coil around his hand again, as if casually asking, “Third Prince, why won’t you accept the flower? I thought it was you who wanted to snap up this mineral rose at the time.”

His low voice carried that distinct male magnetism—pleasant to hear, yet with a tingle that could captivate the soul. Anyone sensitive to sound might have been moved just by listening. Unfortunately for him, Ji Chenxi wasn’t the type to be swayed by voice, so his expression stayed calm, and the flicker of emotion in his eyes was smaller than when he’d been feeling the snake.

“It’s true I wanted to get the mineral rose. But buying flowers for myself is fine. Accepting flowers from someone else… doesn’t feel right,” Ji Chenxi explained calmly, his reasoning clear.

“You not only refuse to give me flowers, but even the ones I give you are rejected. Seems like Third Prince really wants to distance himself from me.”

Ji Chenxi tilted his head slightly, smiling. “Saying it like that makes me sound cold and heartless. It’s just… I can’t accept gifts for no reason. Taking something from someone without cause would make me feel guilty.”

“Feel guilty?”

They were very close. As Ji Chenxi smiled, Chi Zhuo reached out, brushing the tail of his eyebrow, then tracing down to gently caress the small mole under his right eye. After saying that, Chi Zhuo added on his own, “Then Third Prince should just do something that won’t make himself feel guilty.”

“For example?” Ji Chenxi asked, smiling at him again.

This smile had nothing to do with elegance. It had a faint, strange wickedness, like a charming little demon whispering mischief into your mind.

“For example… just stand still and let me kiss you.”

“Oh?” Ji Chenxi’s voice dragged slightly at the end. “So my kiss is worth that much?”

“Your Highness, priceless as gold and jade. Naturally, your kiss is valuable too.”

Ji Chenxi chuckled. If that were really true, Chi Zhuo probably already owed him a fortune.

Chi Zhuo’s words “priceless as gold and jade” weren’t wrong. But just a few light strokes of his calloused fingers across Ji Chenxi’s skin brought a faint flush to his pale face. That small bloom of color made Chi Zhuo’s breath unconsciously hitch.

“I wonder… could I call Your Highness something else?”

“For example?” Ji Chenxi repeated, smiling, though this smile had a slightly different tone than before.

“Rose.”

Ji Chenxi paused for a moment. He’d heard plenty of intimate nicknames—his mother called him “Little Rose” or “Baby,” his father “Xi’er,” even his step-siblings sometimes called him “Chenxi” or “Third Brother” as a sign of closeness. But “Rose” was a first. And the way Chi Zhuo said it felt almost like saying “Darling.”

Ji Chenxi laughed and declined gently. “I’m not really fond of people calling me by my pheromones directly.”

Chi Zhuo looked a little disappointed. “Could it be you prefer ‘Little Rose’ instead?”

“You could also just call me by my name,” Ji Chenxi suggested seriously.

“Never mind… none of that matters.”

Chi Zhuo dropped the topic of nicknames. He moved closer until he was just within reach, but instead of leaning in for a kiss, his hand slid behind Ji Chenxi.

The touch along the side of his neck sent a shiver through Ji Chenxi, making his scalp tingle a little. He had seen Chi Zhuo’s hand twist necks in an instant many times before, so having it so close now naturally couldn’t be ignored. But he didn’t pull away—he watched with quiet curiosity, wondering exactly what Chi Zhuo would do next.

His fingers lifted the silver strands, gathering all the hair that covered the back of Ji Chenxi’s neck into his palm. Then he leaned in closer.

The gesture, like a prelude to marking, made Ji Chenxi’s eyes cool slightly.

With the hair lifted, Chi Zhuo’s aim was clear—he moved toward Ji Chenxi’s glands. Ji Chenxi could even feel his breath brushing against them.

He nudged the marking teeth with his tongue. Honestly, he didn’t mind marking Chi Zhuo a third time.

Casually, he hooked a hand around Chi Zhuo’s neck.

What looked like an intimate gesture was naturally laced with danger, and when Chi Zhuo’s lips finally landed on Ji Chenxi’s glands, it was just a gentle, shallow kiss.

Afterwards, Chi Zhuo let out a muffled laugh. “Just now… it felt like I was kissing a rose.”

“Oh?”

“Did your heartbeat speed up just now, Your Highness?” Chi Zhuo asked, his voice low and husky.

Among alphas, a kiss on the back of the neck was like dancing on the edge of a blade. The risk of being bitten at any moment made it far more thrilling than kissing lips, sending the heart into overdrive.

Ji Chenxi smiled. He should have known—while he was teasing Chi Zhuo, Chi Zhuo was teasing him in return.

So after a brief moment of surprise, Ji Chenxi laughed and asked, “And what about you, Chi Zhuo? Did your heart race for me at that moment?”

When speaking to Chi Zhuo, Ji Chenxi’s words always carried a smile, but this time his voice was unusually soft and lingering, as if whispering words of affection.

He didn’t know if Chi Zhuo’s heartbeat had quickened when kissing his glands, because he’d been entirely focused on not getting bitten. But now, a single short question sent a clear flutter through him.

Chi Zhuo prided himself on being a good hunter. After being rejected in that little game, he quickly shifted tactics. A snake hidden in the shadows hunting a cat wasn’t hard, especially when the cat was curious about the snake on the ground, pawing at it.

Everything should have gone smoothly. Even small setbacks weren’t a problem. He was confident—confident that his fangs could paralyze the little cat. Yet in reality, as soon as his tongue flicked across the kitten’s cheek, it was already alert and wary.

Before Chi Zhuo could answer, Ji Chenxi had already reached out to touch the black mamba that had wandered near Chi Zhuo’s neck. Then, with a smooth, effortless motion, he slipped out of Chi Zhuo’s grasp.

He turned and walked away, not forgetting to lift the mineral rose in his hand—the color already cooled—“I’ll take my reward for now.”

Chi Zhuo’s eyes flickered. The mineral rose that had been in his hand was so easily taken with a clever touch.

“Then… thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness.”

Ji Chenxi let out a light laugh, the sound carrying a hint of playfulness. “Hospitality? Shouldn’t I be the one thanking you, Chi Zhuo?”

After all, he had bitten down directly, and not just once.

Chi Zhuo, catching the deeper meaning behind Ji Chenxi’s words, didn’t look too pleased. The other was a wolf in sheep’s clothing—but the more dangerous something was, the more people were drawn to it.

The black mamba continued to crawl along Chi Zhuo’s body, its head moving from his neck toward his arm. The cool touch brushed lightly over the slightly heated glands. Chi Zhuo lowered his gaze and saw a vivid white rose held gently in the black mamba’s mouth.

Perfect white, sinful black—purity and evil intertwined, forming a strikingly beautiful picture.

Chi Zhuo took the white rose. After a few careful looks, he finally confirmed—it was the same one he had sought unsuccessfully not long ago.

Now the rose carried a faint chill, as if wrapped in the scent of ice and snow.

[Your Highness… what is this?]

After staring at the white rose for some time, Chi Zhuo typed the words into his neural interface. This time, the reply came quickly.

Two simple words:

[Return gift.]

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