The air in the penthouse seemed to stop.
The distance between them was now only a single breath.
Yu Cen narrowed his eyes, a cynical smile clearly visible.
"Do you think you can challenge me like this?" His voice was low, yet carried the dominance of a true alpha.
Li Yuan Bo remained unmoved. His face stayed calm, as if not disturbed in the slightest. "I am not challenging," he replied slowly, almost like a whisper. "I am merely standing as an equal. You don't like it?"
Yu Cen fell silent, leaning his body forward, narrowing the distance even more. His arrogant aura filled the room, trying to exert pressure. Yet Li Yuan Bo's gaze remained steady his black eyes burning with a resolute strength that could not be penetrated.
"Be careful, Yuan Bo." Yu Cen lowered his voice, almost hissing in his ear. "Playing with fire with me… could burn you to ashes."
Li Yuan Bo smiled faintly, the corner of his lips lifting calmly. His hand slowly touched Yu Cen's suit sleeve, not in submission, but with complete control.
"Fire does burn," he said flatly yet shaking,
"but I am not the type to turn into ashes easily."
At that moment, the air seemed to tremble. Two figures, alpha and sigma, stood facing each other not merely an ego tug-of-war, but a magnetic field drawing them ever closer, almost inevitable.
The pressing silence finally erupted. In an instant, Yu Cen pulled Li Yuan Bo close, his grip firm on the nape of his neck. Their sharp gazes were only a hair's breadth apart before his lips pressed forcefully.
The kiss was not a request, but a command. Warm, urgent, full of an alpha's ego. Yu Cen demanded obedience, as if asserting that nothing could match his power.
Yet Li Yuan Bo did not retreat. He responded calmly, the rhythm of his lips unhurried, but in every movement there was hidden strength a typical sigma control. Instead of yielding, he balanced, making Yu Cen increasingly trapped in the intensity.
Their bodies pressed closer, pushed by long-suppressed tension. Yu Cen's black tie slipped from his long neck, Li Yuan Bo's shirt opened wider, leaving traces of intimacy that could no longer be hidden.
City lights pierced the large glass, witnessing how two men with different auras merged: one with burning dominance, the other with piercing calm.
That night, the grand penthouse was no longer cold it became an arena where alpha and sigma met in a wild yet elegant game of love and power.
Thin cigarette smoke floated in the air, mingling with the scent of red wine recently poured. The luxurious penthouse kitchen bar glowed under golden chandelier lights, reflecting off the cold black marble surfaces.
Yu Cen sat half-reclined in a tall chair, his shirt now loose, revealing skin still warm from the night's heat. A glass of wine slowly rotated in his hand, a lit cigarette resting on his lips.
Next to him, Li Yuan Bo sat casually, his white shirt half-open, shoulders relaxed yet eyes sharp. He lit his cigarette, inhaled slowly, then exhaled calmly.
They exchanged glances briefly, before a small laugh broke out. A warmth rarely seen from Yu Cen.
"They say I am too arrogant," Yu Cen spoke, cold yet now tinged with mockery. He sipped his wine. "The media always likes to write dramatic stories, as if they know me better than I know myself."
Li Yuan Bo smiled faintly, exhaling smoke to the side. "Arrogant?" He turned, staring at Yu Cen with a gaze too deep for mere teasing. "That's indeed who you are. If they write otherwise, it feels strange."
Yu Cen chuckled softly, looking down for a moment, then returned his gaze forward. "Maybe you're right."
They fell silent again, enjoying the rare comfort in the quiet. Wine, cigarettes, and brief laughter amidst the wild rumors of the outside world a rare pause in the lives of two men always full of secrets.
Glass after glass of wine passed between them. The cigarette smoke thickened, yet no one attempted to open the window. For them, tonight existed only as a sense of relaxation after the storm, a pause that felt precious.
Yu Cen rested his elbow on the bar table, staring blankly at the crystal chandelier. "Three years…" he murmured softly, as if speaking to himself. "I didn't expect it to be that long."
Li Yuan Bo looked up, the corner of his lips lifting faintly. "For me, it felt quick," he said calmly. "Perhaps because every day was always full of your drama."
Yu Cen glanced, a thin arrogant smile emerging. "Do you still remember the first time we met?"
For a moment, silence was filled with memory. A faint flashback seemed clear in their minds.
A gala party three years ago.
Amid the crowd of top-tier artists, Yu Cen, who had just received a major award, felt surrounded by envious gazes. Then appeared a young man in an elegant black suit, standing at the side of the room without much speaking. The sigma male aura of Li Yuan Bo immediately stood out from the crowd.
Yu Cen exhaled cigarette smoke, forcing a stiff smile. "A young, cold CEO, standing alone at the corner of the gala. I even thought you were just there to show off your wealth."
Li Yuan Bo chuckled softly, tone light but his eyes piercing. "And it turned out I found an arrogant superstar who thought the world revolved around him."
A faint laugh escaped Yu Cen, rare yet real. "Funny, two people who both dislike crowds could actually endure this far."
They fell silent again, yet this time no distance remained. The nostalgia bridged wounds and arrogance, creating a story only they both understood.
Crystal lights glittered, expensive gowns and suits scattered in the grand ballroom that night. The gala premiere unfolded under intense media attention, where stars competed in charm and investors asserted prestige.
Amid the bustling crowd stood a 26-year-old man Li Yuan Bo. Tall, handsome, with sharp yet calm eyes. His black suit cut precisely, every move exuding the authority of a CEO who needed no words to attract attention. His mysterious sigma male aura made him stand out against other guests scrambling for the spotlight.
Yu Cen had just received a major award that night and was the center of attention. Yet behind his arrogant smile, he felt weary of other artists' envious whispers. As his gaze swept the room, he found Li Yuan Bo standing tall at the side, calm, seemingly unaffected by the surrounding chaos.
As if drawn by an invisible magnet, Yu Cen stepped closer. "You are not of this world," he said coldly, his voice laden with the prestige of an alpha.
Li Yuan Bo turned slowly, lips forming a faint smile. "True. But this world stands because of people like me behind the scenes." His voice was deep, calm, yet meaningful.
For a moment, they stared at each other. Two dominant figures met one accustomed to being chased by the spotlight, the other accustomed to controlling from the shadows.
It was not just an ordinary introduction. That night marked the beginning of three years together, a relationship from the start filled with tension, ego, and an attraction difficult to define.
The last cigarette smoke extinguished in the crystal ashtray. The wine in their glasses was half full, yet the atmosphere had changed heavier, deeper.
Li Yuan Bo slowly set his glass on the marble table. His gaze serious, his voice no longer light.
"Yu Cen… I have to return to Canada."
For a moment, time seemed to stop. Yu Cen turned, his eyes sharp, yet his face remained expressionless. No sign of surprise, only silent authority. He lifted his glass, sipped the wine slowly before answering.
"Canada?" His voice cold. "Why suddenly?"
Li Yuan Bo took a deep breath, looking straight at Yu Cen. "My parents asked. My father has long awaited my return. They cannot forever tolerate… my lifestyle here."
Yu Cen fell silent, spinning the ring on his middle finger again. Arrogant, cold, seemingly unshakable. Yet in his silence, something tensed.
Li Yuan Bo continued, his tone lower, almost bitter.
"You know, our relationship… has never been normal. You are a superstar, attention everywhere. And I I am a CEO, but also the child of a family that has never truly accepted this choice."
Yu Cen set his glass down slowly, then stared directly at Yuan Bo. A thin smile formed on his lips, more like a challenge than gentleness.
"And you think I care about the word 'normal'?" His voice was heavy, deep. "The world is the one labeling. I just live as I wish."
Li Yuan Bo held that gaze, his eyes glinting with a mixture of admiration and unease. That night, for the first time in three years, both realized that their love was not only about ego and passion but also about choices that would soon either separate or strengthen them.