After Being Aroused By Beauty, I Got Entangled With The Gloomy and Sinister Enigma - Chapter 1

Chen Yao pushed open the door to private room 207, only to catch sight of two people entangled in a heated kiss. Somewhat embarrassed, he quickly withdrew his gaze.

Inside the room, glasses clinked, and the noise of music and laughter was deafening.

Chen Yao rubbed his sore brow, trying to ease his discomfort.

He swiftly scanned the faces of everyone inside—most of them were strangers to him. They must have been new friends of his childhood buddy.

Taking a step further in, his gaze fixed on that very buddy.

Today was his childhood friend Jiang Lei’s birthday, and Chen Yao had rushed back overnight from Country X.

These past days he had been buried in preparations for his photography exhibition, with barely any time to rest. The dark circles under his eyes were all too obvious.

Jiang Lei was busy drinking and playing dice with friends. Spotting Chen Yao entering, he immediately got up, slung an arm over his shoulder, and said, “Let me introduce you guys—this is my brother, Chen Yao. Yao, as in Yaonian.”

Chen Yao faced the crowd, the corners of his lips lifting into a polite, well-measured smile. “Hello everyone, I’m Chen Yao.”

“Who cares what Yao you are—you’re late, so three drinks as punishment!” someone shouted from the crowd, prompting a wave of jeers and laughter.

Chen Yao’s alcohol tolerance was mediocre, but since it was Jiang Lei’s birthday, he didn’t want to spoil the fun. He decisively grabbed an opened bottle of beer and downed it in one go.

The group cheered loudly. “Nice! That’s how a man drinks! Come on, join us!”

Knowing Chen Yao’s limits, Jiang Lei wasn’t thrilled about his bravado, but still asked with concern, “You alright?”

The beer was burning its way down, his stomach already aching faintly. Chen Yao pressed down the discomfort and smiled. “I’m fine.”

Jiang Lei patted his shoulder, estimating that the full effect of the beer hadn’t hit yet. “I know you don’t like this kind of scene. Sit for a while—later you can rest upstairs.”

Chen Yao nodded lightly. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll find my way.”

He hadn’t planned on staying long anyway; he was forcing himself to hold it together as it was.

Jiang Lei didn’t push further and went back to his rowdy friends and drinking games.

Chen Yao headed for the corner, intending to nap a little. Sitting at the edge of the sofa was a man in a hoodie, hood pulled low, seemingly asleep.

Judging by his build, he had to be an Alpha.

Chen Yao sat across from him. His eyes drifted toward the man for a couple of seconds, just as the Alpha stirred and slowly lifted his gaze.

Their eyes met unexpectedly.

The lighting was dim, and Chen Yao couldn’t see his features clearly.

Yet even in the shadows, his side profile and sharp nose stood out. With a photographer’s instinct, Chen Yao was certain—his full face must be striking.

The Alpha looked away quickly. Realizing he’d been impolite, Chen Yao calmly shifted his gaze as though nothing had happened.

Still, curiosity gnawed at him, and he couldn’t help sneaking glances.

The Alpha’s lazy, half-reclined posture was like that of a relaxed, self-indulgent cat.

Chen Yao’s lips pressed into a line. He pulled out his phone and opened the camera.

Before he could aim it, the Alpha seemed to sense his stare. Their gazes collided again.

The Alpha noticed the phone raised in his direction, frowned, and clearly disapproved of Chen Yao’s attempted candid shot.

In the gloom, his eyes seemed like bottomless black holes, their pull threatening to swallow a person whole.

Chen Yao froze in a daze. Coming back to himself, he hastily put his phone away, averting his eyes to cover his lapse of courtesy.

It felt like the Alpha was still watching him.

The thought of those eyes made his Adam’s apple bob. His mouth went dry, heat flooding his body.

Maybe it was the alcohol finally kicking in.

After a while, he rose and stepped out.

Following the signs, Chen Yao reached the restroom. Emerging from a stall, he spotted a man at the sink, facing the mirror, back turned toward him.

Chen Yao paused for a few seconds before walking to the sink to wash his hands.

The water trickled softly. Then, the man spoke.

“Did you take a picture just now?”

His voice was like snow pressing against pines in the dead of winter—cold, crisp, and cutting.

At first, Chen Yao didn’t recognize him. Lifting his head, his gaze first caught the man’s sharp jawline.

Under the weak fluorescent light, Chen Yao noticed the Alpha’s pale-gold hair, and eyelashes of the same hue—long, distinct, and dazzling.

The hood of his sweatshirt still shadowed his brows.

His nose was high and straight, tapering into a diamond-shaped philtrum. His lips, thin yet flushed with a pinkish hue, curled faintly upward, sensual and almost cruel.

Even with only half his face visible, the sharp features sculpted by light and shadow were so flawless they seemed like a masterpiece wrought by a top-tier sculptor.

Chen Yao stared at that work-of-art face. If only he could capture it through his lens—what a marvel it would be.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but a bold, sultry thought stirred in his mind.

“Want to see?” Chen Yao asked, cheeks flushed, lips tugging into a teasing smile, eyes curved like crescent moons—every inch the picture of drunken mischief.

In truth, he hadn’t taken any photo at all.

Within the photography world, there was an unspoken rule: if the photographer and the model hit it off, they might hook up after a shoot.

Chen Yao had always thought—if he ever met someone who gave him love-at-first-sight, he’d make the first move.

In an adult’s world, romance and love were illusions; desire was the only bridge between two people.

And this man was exquisite.

Chen Yao’s heated gaze was unrestrained.

Half desire, half appreciation.

At twenty-four, he had seen all kinds of faces, yet never one as striking as this Alpha before him.

Sleeping with him would hardly be a loss.

And if he could capture the man’s expression in the throes of passion, it would be the perfect private collection.

“Delete it.” The Alpha’s words were clipped and frigid, each syllable sharp as ice.

His irises were a cool jade green, his gaze glacial, devoid of warmth—like those of some cold-blooded predator.

Cross him, and you’d die without a burial place.

For a moment, Chen Yao was cowed by the force of that look, almost reconsidering. But the flicker of fear was quickly drowned by the swell of his desire.

If one must die, better under the peony flower—at least it’s a romantic death.

Instead of retreating, Chen Yao stepped closer until he was right in front of him.

From afar, the Alpha hadn’t seemed particularly tall, but now Chen Yao had to tilt his head back just to meet his eyes.

At 1.86 meters, Chen Yao was tall for a Beta, yet this Alpha still loomed over him.

Alphas were known for their imposing physiques, but this one outshone them all.

It was human instinct to admire strength, and Chen Yao wasn’t about to waste the opportunity before him. With a smile, he asked, “What’s your name?”

He looked every bit the lecher.