After Being Aroused By Beauty, I Got Entangled With The Gloomy and Sinister Enigma - Chapter 7

Chen Yao had grown up without ever really going to someone else’s house for a meal. Even with childhood friends, most of the time they just ate out.

Facing Li Ying’s invitation, Chen Yao quickly considered all possible consequences, then smiled.
“Then I’ll try your cooking.”

He really hadn’t figured out what to eat that evening anyway, so Li Ying had just solved one of his big problems.

These past years, Chen Yao had only learned to cook simple food. And since cooking himself was a hassle, and he wasn’t in the mood for anything from downstairs, naturally, he didn’t want to reject Li Ying’s invitation.

He didn’t even bother changing clothes and followed Li Ying inside. The living room décor was very simple—besides a few necessary pieces of furniture, there wasn’t a single decoration in sight. The style was even colder than when he’d first met Li Ying.

The dining area was next to the kitchen. Li Ying had made three dishes: two meat, one vegetable. They looked quite appetizing. As for the taste…

Li Ying scooped a bowl of rice, placed it in front of Chen Yao, and sat down across from him.

Chen Yao didn’t stand on ceremony. He picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and put it into his mouth—the taste was unexpectedly good.

“How’s my cooking?” Li Ying leaned on one hand, looking at Chen Yao with a teasing expression, as if what he was asking wasn’t about cooking at all.

Chen Yao mumbled through his food, “Not bad—much better than your other skills.”

Li Ying chuckled, picked up a rib, and placed it in Chen Yao’s bowl.
“Aren’t you afraid I might have drugged it?”

Chen Yao shot him a glance.
“Breaking the law isn’t something you’d do. And besides… even if I were completely sober, against you, I wouldn’t stand much of a chance.”

Under the light, Li Ying’s golden hair gleamed. When he smiled, he looked like an angel.
“And how do you know I wouldn’t do something illegal?”

Chen Yao thought about the question seriously, and for a moment, he couldn’t come up with a good answer.

Mainly because Li Ying was acting far too harmless today—so much so that Chen Yao nearly forgot this man was an Enigma, an existence with an extremely high danger level.

“Would you hurt me?” Chen Yao couldn’t answer, so he countered with a question of his own.

Their gazes locked, both of them harboring their own thoughts.

Li Ying suddenly laughed, his shoulders trembling twice before he turned his eyes away. His tone turned cold.
“Who knows what the future will bring.”

Chen Yao didn’t pay much mind to his sudden shift in mood and quietly continued eating.

When he was full, he put down his bowl and politely asked,
“Do you need me to wash the dishes?”

Li Ying’s bowl of rice hadn’t been touched, nor had he eaten a single bite of the dishes. But upon hearing Chen Yao’s voice, the snow that had been frozen for years seemed to loosen just slightly.

After a while, Li Ying rubbed his brow, sounding weary.
“No need.”

“In that case, I’ll get going then. Thanks for the meal.” Chen Yao stood up, and just as he moved the chair back a little, Li Ying suddenly rose as well.

Li Ying looked at him, his pupils flickering. His green eyes shimmered under the light like leaves swaying in the sun, full of spring vitality.

“Are you investigating me?” he asked.

Chen Yao froze, then mimicked Li Ying’s tone from earlier that morning.
“Since you’ve noticed.”

Li Ying wasn’t angry.
“What have you found out?”

Chen Yao had hired a top-tier hacker. Normally, there should’ve been results within two hours. But now, after several hours had passed with no reply, it was obvious Li Ying’s identity was unusually well hidden.

He answered honestly,
“Nothing so far.”

“You won’t be able to find anything,” Li Ying said with certainty. “If you want to know something, you can just ask me.”

Chen Yao didn’t play coy.
“How old are you?”

Li Ying was stunned for a few seconds, lips parting slightly.
“I have a condition.”

Chen Yao sat back down, leaning into his chair, legs crossed.
“Let’s hear it.”

He was in a good mood after eating, and since he had nothing else to do, his curiosity about Li Ying made him inclined to play along.

Li Ying’s ears flushed red.
“Each time we do it, I’ll answer one question.”

Chen Yao’s heart skipped a beat. He froze in place, as if to confirm he had really heard right.

The memory of that night was still vivid—his waist and abdomen still seemed to ache faintly.

Li Ying’s “each time” was not something an ordinary person could endure. That night had nearly cost Chen Yao half his life; it had taken him days to recover enough to move around comfortably again.

“And why exactly should I trust you?” Chen Yao asked leisurely, watching him with folded arms.

Li Ying braced his hands on the table, leaning down. He bent close, stopping just a hair’s breadth away.

His warm breath fanned across Chen Yao’s cheeks. Their eyes met, their noses nearly touching.

“I can swear it,” Li Ying said, raising a finger, as if ready to swear to the heavens the moment Chen Yao gave the word.

Chen Yao sneered.
“How much is your oath worth? I don’t care for it.”

Li Ying pressed on, unwilling to back down.
“Are you refusing because you’re worried about your gland going through a second development?”

“That’s right. That’s one of the reasons.” Chen Yao didn’t deny it—it was true enough.

The other reason, of course, was that Li Ying was an Enigma.

Chen Yao had no desire to tangle with an Enigma. From what he knew, those at the top of the food chain were never truly kind. They were predators merely adept at wearing disguises.

“I can control my pheromones,” Li Ying said. Enigmas weren’t bound by pheromones at all.

Alphas had rut periods, Omegas had heats, but Enigmas—at the very peak of the food chain—not only weren’t restrained by pheromones, they could use them as weapons, or even as commodities for profit.

Staring at the face so close to his own, Li Ying’s smile deepened.
“Or maybe… you like it when I force you. Baby, so you’re actually a pervert.”

The faint jasmine scent in the room grew heavier. Li Ying slowly released his pheromones.

Chen Yao smelled it and immediately raised a hand to cover his nose and mouth.

His expression darkened.
“Li Ying, are you threatening me?”

Li Ying shook his head, his voice tinged with obsession and coldness.
“Baby, this isn’t a threat.”

“This is courtship.” Primitive and simple, like a lower creature using crude actions and words to express love.

Chen Yao scoffed.
“Some way of courting.”

He started to stand, but Li Ying’s hands pressed onto his shoulders, keeping him in place.

The pheromones grew thicker, seeping in through every pore, invading inch by inch. Covering his nose and mouth was useless.

Chen Yao’s skin prickled, and his glands began to react.

His body went weak. Li Ying steadied him, smiling with a shadow of menace.
“Now this—this is a threat, baby.”

Sure enough, he should never have provoked an Enigma in the first place. To be this powerless now was infuriating.

Forcing his chin up, Chen Yao grabbed Li Ying by the collar. The veins on his forehead stood out, and the tendons on the back of his hand were taut and visible.

“Pull your pheromones back!”

“All right. This time, I’ll let you off.” Li Ying withdrew his pheromones.

The crushing weight on Chen Yao’s chest finally lifted. Sweat trickled down his temple as he sucked in several deep breaths, though the restless heat inside him refused to subside.

Li Ying pulled out a tissue and reached to wipe Chen Yao’s sweat, but Chen Yao slapped his hand away.
“Spare me your hypocrisy.”

The pheromones pressed down on him again. Chen Yao instantly held his breath, while Li Ying’s lips curled into a smile. He scooped Chen Yao up and carried him toward the bedroom.

“Li Ying, you said you’d let me go this time.” Chen Yao chose to yield, telling himself that tonight’s humiliation was simply the misfortune of meeting a madman.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he had to move.