After Being Aroused By Beauty, I Got Entangled With The Gloomy and Sinister Enigma - Chapter 8

When Chen Yao returned home, his heart was still racing, and the heat in his face hadn’t faded.

Li Ying had pinned him against the wall and bitten at him for a long while. Touching his torn lip, Chen Yao confirmed once again—this kid really was a little wolf cub.

He pulled two sets of clothes from his closet and sent a message to Jiang Lei:

【At home? I’ll come over in half an hour.】

After sending it, he didn’t care whether Jiang Lei saw or agreed. He grabbed the clothes and his car keys and stepped out.

The door clicked shut behind him, and the faint sound triggered the motion-sensor light in the corridor. A long shadow stretched across Chen Yao’s feet.

He followed the shadow upward—Li Ying stood there, looking scarier than a ghost in a horror film.

Chen Yao instinctively stepped back. Li Ying’s eyes lingered on his face, then dropped to the bag in his hand.

“Baby, where are you going so late?”

There was a dangerous edge in his gaze. Chen Yao quickly chose his words. “The family estate asked me to come back for a bit.”

Since Li Ying had already looked into him, of course he knew that the Chen family held a prominent position in City A. Even if Chen Yao had moved out, Li Ying had no reason to openly make things difficult for him and go against the family.

“But I remember someone saying they couldn’t care less about the Chen family,” Li Ying said as he leaned against the white wall beneath the dim light. “Or are you just trying to avoid me?”

So blunt. Chen Yao steadied himself and smiled. “No need to pick a fight with the family. After all, people still see me as a Chen, and that gets me a little courtesy.”

In the past, he disdained using the Chen name, but he couldn’t figure out what Li Ying truly wanted. If pushing back would provoke something worse, then leaning on the Chen family’s power was the safest move—unless Li Ying truly didn’t care at all about their status or benefits.

“In that case, let me drive you.” Li Ying straightened, came over, and took his keys and bag, striding toward the elevator.

Chen Yao felt a headache coming on. Li Ying had tormented him all day to the point of near breakdown.

“Li Ying, I don’t need you to drive me. I know the way, and I can handle my own car.” If Li Ying drove him, he’d really have to show up at the family estate—and then sit through his grandfather’s endless lectures. Pure torture.

Li Ying stepped back. “So you were lying to me?”

Chen Yao’s patience snapped. “Li Ying, what does this have to do with you? Why are you interfering so much?”

He’d tried avoiding him, yet Li Ying insisted on clinging and stirring trouble—as if Chen Yao had no temper at all.

Normally, Chen Yao avoided provoking him—he valued his life too much. But enough was enough.

Snatching back his keys and bag, he turned toward his apartment. Just then, his phone rang. The caller ID showed: Family Estate.

Speak of the devil.

He answered, irritation in his tone. “What is it now?”

His grandfather’s voice came from the other end. “When did you return to City A? Didn’t even think to tell me.”

“Why would I? I just came back—I didn’t die. Even if I had, it wouldn’t have much to do with you.” Chen Yao’s words cut sharp.

The old man’s breathing turned rough on the other end. After a pause, he said, “Your father misses you. When will you come home?”

At the mention of his father, Chen Yao’s voice softened slightly. “I know. I’ll come tonight.”

Right now, dealing with Li Ying was far more dangerous. He knew how to weigh risks.

He hung up and turned toward the elevator, sending Jiang Lei a message to cancel: he was heading to the estate instead.

Li Ying didn’t follow this time. Chen Yao let out a sigh of relief. At least the Chen family still had some deterrent power.

The estate sat atop a mountain, about an hour from Chen Yao’s apartment—closer to an hour and a half with traffic. City A was almost never traffic-free; it took him nearly two hours to arrive.

His car hadn’t been registered in advance, so he stopped at the gate and rolled down his window.

“Uncle, open up.” Chen Yao jerked his chin toward the guard.

The guard had worked there for decades and recognized him instantly. “Second Young Master, you’re back!” he said respectfully, raising the barrier.

Among the Chen family’s generation, Chen Yao ranked second—hence the title.

“Thanks. Here, take these.” Chen Yao tossed him a pack of expensive cigarettes from the console and drove inside.

The villa had its own parking garage. Chen Yao found a spot easily. The butler appeared at his side before long. “Young Master, have you eaten? The master already had your room prepared.”

“I’ve eaten. I’ll go see my father.”

The only tie of affection he had left in this family was his father.

Back when Chen Yao was kidnapped, his father had wanted desperately to save him, but as an Omega without real power, he’d been helpless—forced to endure the news that the boy would be killed if they resisted.

The weight of it broke him. He fell ill, and in the end, Chen Yao returned home mostly so his father wouldn’t grieve himself into the grave.

Outside his father’s door, he heard a harsh cough. His heart tightened.

His father had lost his partner soon after Chen Yao was born. As an Omega in a powerful clan, with no Alpha husband and a child who had to be raised as heir, he had little say in anything. The only thing that kept him going was his longing for his child.

In Chen Yao’s memories, his father was always melancholy but gentle, speaking softly to everyone.

He had never seen his Alpha father in person, only photos—a handsome, commanding man who had been the pride of the clan, dedicated, accomplished. That was why, after his death, the old man had pinned all hopes on Chen Yao. No one expected him to grow up an ordinary Beta.

Chen Yao knocked.

“Come in,” his father said, voice weak.

He pushed open the door.

“Ah, Yao, you’re back.” His father’s face lit up, eyes shining with joy. He covered his mouth with a handkerchief to muffle his coughs, afraid the sound would frighten his son.

“Father, how have you been?” Their conversations always felt awkward, like strangers fumbling.

“Well enough. When did you return?” His father’s eyes looked sunken, frail.

“A few days ago—on Jiang Lei’s birthday.”

“And how long will you stay in City A?”

“Just until I finish shooting for DM. You know most of my work’s in Country X.”

Originally, he’d planned to rest two days and fly back—but Li Ying had derailed everything. Now it seemed he’d be stuck for at least a month or two.

Their talk didn’t last long before the butler knocked again. “Master, the young master is to come to the study. The patriarch is waiting.”

The patriarch—Grandfather. The current head of the family.

Chen Yao bade his father goodbye and followed the butler to the study.

He paused outside, steeling himself, then knocked.

“Come in,” the old man’s voice called.

Grandfather stood there with his cane, hair already white, skin like wrinkled bark—but his frame still sturdy. Nearly eighty, yet spry, thanks to both good constitution and expensive upkeep.

He gestured to a chair. “Sit.”

Then he pulled out a file and slid it across the desk. “This is the Lu family’s youngest son. Like you, he’s a Beta.”

Chen Yao’s eyes dimmed as he picked it up. The profile read:

Lu Jianchuan. Male, Beta. Age 22. Height: 178 cm. Weight: 74 kg…

He skimmed it, then asked without lifting his head, “So what do you want me to do?”

“I want you to marry him.”

Grandfather’s tone was calm, as though arranging a marriage were no different from discussing business.