Forbidden Zone Rose - Chapter 10

Su Zhi: “!”

The reasoning was sound, but Xie Yi’s phrasing was way too crude.

Furthermore, by calling Alphas “dogs,” wasn’t he insulting himself as well?

Su Zhi stammered slightly: “It… it’s probably not that serious.”

Xie Yi: “Sorry, I spoke harshly in a moment of agitation.”

He apologized in a low voice, claiming to be agitated, yet he didn’t look the least bit worked up. He remained calm and restrained—just as indifferent as when he had just said “Alphas are all dogs.”

His pitch-black eyes rested on Su Zhi like a deep, thick lake. The surface was still and waveless, reflecting no emotion. If a stone were tossed in, it would be swallowed up colorlessly and lightlessly. Yet this overly prolonged, artificial silence actually leaked a few traces of something strange.

Su Zhi made a small sound of acknowledgment: “It’s fine.”

Xie Yi was, after all, giving him a well-intentioned warning.

Su Zhi felt a bit of an anomaly; Xie Yi’s malice toward Alphas was too obvious. Simple competition between the same gender shouldn’t radiate toward the entire Alpha population.

A guess suddenly surfaced in his mind: Could Xie Yi be an anti-Alpha rights activist?

Ever since the ABO social differentiation, conflicts between the genders had been a perennially popular topic.

Setting aside the long-standing issue of Betas being “voiceless,” the conflicts between Alphas and Omegas alone could be discussed for three days and three nights.

The inherent strength of Alphas in terms of physique and pheromones made them more competitive in social work, allowing them to seize more resources than other genders. This was an unavoidable result of innate disparity.

According to statistics, Alphas—who make up only 20% of the total population—occupy over 50% of high-income, high-influence sectors like high-end technology, military, politics, and corporate management.

In the shadows of power and strength, arrogance and conceit grow; the accumulation of wealth builds a high ground for human nature. Even though the government has tried its best to implement many balancing measures, the social image of Alphas still presents a naturally “superior” quality.

This causes strong dissatisfaction among the other genders, especially within the Omega community.

With modern technological developments and the widespread use of exogenous pheromone supplements, Alphas and Omegas don’t necessarily have to bond with each other. AA, AB, BO, and OO relationships are all possible. However, considering the side effects of exogenous pheromones and general life comfort, AO bonding remains the mainstream.

Most people find it difficult to endure a life of suppressing and restraining their instincts for the sake of a partner.

And in an AO bond, the Omega is the absolutely disadvantaged party.

The pheromone dominance and physical disparity between Alphas and Omegas dictate that an Omega will face a degree of oppression in an AO relationship regardless. Even now, after several rounds of reforms for Omega human rights, the core conflict remains fundamentally unresolved.

They call Alphas “Darwinists” and have established specialized anti-Alpha rights movements.

Among anti-Alpha rights activists, the majority are Omegas, while the rest are Betas who—though their conflict with Alphas isn’t as sharp—have had a large amount of social resources squeezed away from them.

Almost no Alpha would identify with anti-Alpha rights movements.

After all, vested interests rarely sabotage their own platform.

When some Alphas woo Omegas, they speak at length criticizing their own gender, sometimes even declaring that they, as Alphas, are “different” from the rest—that they are progressive anti-Alpha rights supporters.

But that is merely a facade, a courtship tactic.

The superior party feigns a bow to confuse the weak prey.

Only a tiny minority of Alphas hold a negative view of their own gender, usually those who are physically weaker or have suffered severe bullying from their peers. Su Zhi had seen some data on this when collecting information related to Alpha pheromones.

Weak—

No matter how Su Zhi looked at it, even with eighty layers of filters, he couldn’t force a connection between that word and Xie Yi.

Xie Yi was clearly the type of Alpha who held an extremely dominant position even among his peers.

Su Zhi couldn’t smell pheromones, but the man’s physical condition was visibly superior, and the reverent attitude of the other Alphas at the mining area was proof enough. Even Wu Yong’s quick departure earlier was likely due to a desire to avoid a powerful male peer.

If a person who is extremely powerful doesn’t take pride in their superiority…

One possibility is that he possesses an incredibly high level of self-restraint and moral standards, like a brand burned into his soul that transcends his individual existence.

Perhaps Xie Yi had attended many special education classes?

This wasn’t an unfamiliar concept. Ever since Su Zhi was in middle school, the Alphas in his class would periodically attend separate educational courses specifically for Alphas. The theme of these courses was how to control oneself and follow the rules.

Some Alphas with particularly prominent development would even have extra classes and receive special attention from teachers.

During his school years, Su Zhi often heard his Alpha classmates complain, saying the classes were annoying and the teachers were like monks chanting sutras—nagging them to be more restrained and responsible, especially if they chose an Omega partner…

They would end their rants by looking at Su Zhi and shouting that Omegas were too delicate and troublesome—that if it were them, they’d rather be with a Beta!

?

Su Zhi didn’t know why the Alphas said these things to him; it didn’t seem like they were close enough to discuss partner preferences. He didn’t think Omegas were “delicate”—physical strength didn’t represent everything—but if his Alpha classmates felt that way, they probably had their reasons.

He didn’t quite understand, but he would politely hum in acknowledgment to show respect and continue reading the book in his hands. During breaks, he’d read newly purchased biology journals. His fingertips would be stained with the unique scent of fresh ink, and his long, straight eyelashes would droop as he read.

In short, to control risk factors, the more powerful and unstable an existence was, the more special discipline they received.

Su Zhi guessed that Xie Yi must have attended quite a few of those classes.

He looked more like the type who needed special attention from a teacher than any Alpha Su Zhi had ever seen.

However, Xie Yi was likely the type who would return quietly to his seat after class, rather than having so many opinions to express like those other Alphas.

Su Zhi’s mind wandered, his thoughts drifting quite far.

For some reason, Xie Yi didn’t speak to remind him. He just looked down at him steadily. The blue shirt made Su Zhi’s cheeks look exceptionally fair and clear. With his black hair and snowy skin, the damp moisture lingering from the shop made him look like an unblemished Magnolia in spring.

Xie Yi’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

Su Zhi snapped back to reality and said quickly: “Um, should I unpack and trim the White Camellias?”

The S-grade White Camellias delivered by the supplier were still in their full packaging—a whole flowering branch with its root system and lush foliage intact. These excessive leaves were meant to offset damage during transport; in practice, they would be trimmed for aesthetics and ease of care.

Some experienced customers liked to buy untreated branches to trim according to their own aesthetic, while others preferred the flower shop to handle it for them.

Xie Yi: “I’ll trouble you then.”

Su Zhi: “Okay. Is there a specific requirement for where they’ll be placed?”

Xie Yi: “By the bedside. No special requirements.”

Su Zhi: “Alright.”

Snip, snip.

Su Zhi opened the package and slowly worked with a pair of gardening shears, removing damaged branches and unattractive parts, gradually shaping the plant.

Most of the camellias hadn’t bloomed yet. The heart-shaped petals were closed, forming layers of plump, white, rounded spheres of various sizes. They looked like oversized pearls hanging on the branches. The emerald leaves made Su Zhi’s fingers look even fairer.

Su Zhi was very focused when he worked. His usually clear and distant eyes were entirely concentrated on one thing, as if he were captivated by this cluster of flowers.

“By the way,” Xie Yi suddenly spoke, breaking the silence and subtly diverting Su Zhi’s attention from the camellias, “Have you had any radiotherapy discomfort after returning from the restricted zone?”

Su Zhi thought for a moment: “Not really. Everything is normal.”

Since the topic was brought up, Su Zhi took the opportunity to ask: “What about you? Did you handle the injury you got earlier?”

Actually, he had been worried from time to time since returning from the restricted zone, but because they weren’t close and the incident involved sensitive matters, it wasn’t easy to ask.

Xie Yi: “It’s nothing. It was just a minor scratch on the back of my hand at the time. It’s already healed.”

Su Zhi turned his face to look at him—an almost instinctive movement, like a small, fluffy animal tilting its head curiously.

Xie Yi paused, then lifted his hand and held it before Su Zhi’s eyes.

On the back of the hand with prominent veins, there was a shallow horizontal wound. Thanks to an Enigma’s horrifyingly powerful constitution, it had nearly healed after just one day. Su Zhi stared at it for ten seconds before he found the disappearing red mark.

Xie Yi’s palm was very large, making the red mark on the back of his hand look tiny, like a line drawn with a marker.

Su Zhi: “Huh?”

It healed that fast? He remembered smelling blood at the time—it healed so quickly that there wasn’t even a scab?

Alphas do have good physical constitutions, but this seemed a bit too good.

Xie Yi interrupted his brief confusion, saying in a low voice: “After the accident at the mine, a team of experts arrived from the capital to re-examine the risk factors. The mining area is on break for a while.”

As expected, Su Zhi forgot his minor confusion as his attention shifted. Following Xie Yi’s words, he recalled that day. For a moment, it was as if he were back in the moment of being confined by strong arms in a dark, enclosed environment, their breaths tangling chaotically.

His cheeks grew inexplicably warm and a bit itchy. Su Zhi stopped trimming the branch and used the back of his hand—the one not holding the shears—to rub his cheek. “I haven’t thanked you yet for saving me at the mine.”

Xie Yi: “It was a small matter.”

Su Zhi said honestly: “To tell the truth, I can’t think of what you might need. Can you give me some advice?”

Xie Yi seemed to lack for nothing and had no obvious goal; Su Zhi couldn’t parse him.

Su Zhi: “Could I give you the camellias as a gift? But that wouldn’t count as everything—just a little extra gift.”

Xie Yi looked at his cheek: “There’s a leaf stuck to your face.”

Su Zhi: “Hm?”

Xie Yi: “Don’t move.”

Xie Yi reached out his hand toward Su Zhi’s cheek. His movements were very controlled, with no hint of taking advantage. His fingers didn’t even touch Su Zhi’s skin as he gently plucked the leaf away.

Though it was a bit abrupt, there was no actual contact, maintaining a polite social distance. At least, compared to the distance in the mine where even their waists were pressed together, it was very polite.

Yet, Su Zhi didn’t know why his cheek felt itchy again. itchier than before.

Strange. Was he allergic to camellias?

Su Zhi thought hazily—he didn’t remember being allergic. Had the environment of Z-City cultivated a new allergen in him?

The narrow leaf looked even more delicate lying in the man’s palm, like a bookmark. Xie Yi’s skin was also very pale, but unlike Su Zhi’s clear fairness, it was a cold, chilly white. The blue veins at his wrist were prominent. The leaf in his hand looked lush and green; the extreme contrast made the sense of vitality and desire even more apparent.

Xie Yi’s black eyes were deep: “Can you give this to me?”

Su Zhi was still dazed: “Oh, oh, okay.”

“Wait!”

Su Zhi realized: “This belongs to you anyway.”

But Xie Yi had already put the leaf away, tucking it into a notepad and placing it in his pocket: “Thank you.”

Su Zhi: “?”

Question marks began to pop up over his head again.

How strange.

His logic couldn’t parse what Xie Yi’s purpose was, yet Xie Yi had even thanked him quite seriously.

He even gave a faint smile. It wasn’t very obvious—just a slight shimmer in his black eyes and a tiny curve at the corners of his lips. It wasn’t as noticeable as the smile when he said he “didn’t like Alphas either,” but that smile had contained mockery and felt thin and cold. This fleeting smile briefly shed the gloom; his eyes were like obsidian, making his features look deep and handsome, with a sharp jawline—the picture of a young, handsome man.

It was as if Su Zhi had truly given him a very meaningful gift.

Su Zhi was stunned and said involuntarily: “…You’re welcome.”

Su Zhi: Wait, what???

Is this right?