Forbidden Zone Rose - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Xie Yi Ought to Be the Type with a Naturally Stern and Disciplined Character…

It had only been two days since they last met; Su Zhi wasn’t so forgetful that he would fail to recognize him so quickly. Moreover, Xie Yi’s appearance was so outstanding that it was difficult not to remember him.

Men are sensitive to gazes. Su Zhi hadn’t been looking for more than a few seconds before the other party sharply looked back. When his gaze landed, it still carried a sharp residual warmth mixed with a heavy, frozen chill. Upon contacting Su Zhi, the gaze lingered for a moment, and the coldness receded.

Su Zhi’s head was still spinning, and his thinking was a beat behind, so he didn’t react immediately. He only felt as if the surroundings had turned cold for a fleeting second, only for the sensation to vanish in the blink of an eye.

“?” Was it an illusion?

Xie Yi was the backbone of this group. The moment he moved, the crowd of Alphas behind him followed his line of sight, turning their heads in unison. In an instant, Su Zhi became the focal point of everyone’s attention.

“Huh? Is that an Omega? So beautiful.”

“Are you stupid? How could there be an Omega in the mining area? Probably a Beta, they’re wearing a hazmat suit.”

“Oh, right. They mentioned this morning that a Beta trainee would be joining temporarily; they should be arriving around now.”

“Someone with connections, I bet. Wonder what they’re here for…”

“Watch your mouth. Say less.”

Alphas aren’t accustomed to hiding their discussions. Su Zhi clearly heard the content of their conversation. There wasn’t excessive malice, but they didn’t hide their scrutinizing intent either, chatting openly right in front of him. Su Zhi sat quietly where he was, his pale pupils clear, offering no reaction to the chatter.

Xie Yi suddenly spoke, cutting through the Alphas’ muttering: “Stop the idle chatter.”

His tone wasn’t overly harsh, but his deep voice possessed a natural sternness. Falling as just four words, it acted like a silencer, causing the Alphas to fall silent instantly. The camp became quiet in a heartbeat.

Xie Yi said calmly: “Team Leader Zhou, organize the data we just gathered. Everyone else, go back to rest and recover. Assemble at 3:00 AM tomorrow.”

The Alphas dispersed like birds and beasts. Several Alphas looked back at Su Zhi multiple times on their way out, thinking to themselves how a Beta could look like this—prettier than many Omegas. However, deterred by Xie Yi’s presence, they didn’t dare approach to flirt and retreated to their quarters with regret.

Once the crowd had thinned, Xie Yi stepped forward, reaching Su Zhi in just a few strides. Su Zhi blinked and stood up. Before he could decide how to greet him, the Alpha who had led him there spoke first: “Mr. Xie, this is the Little Su I mentioned this morning. He’ll be with the team for two days to observe and learn. Sorry for the trouble.”

“Mhm,” Xie Yi nodded. He paused, then added: “It’s no trouble.”

The Alpha contact was somewhat surprised. This technical consultant actually uttered such polite, atmosphere-softening words. Though, paired with his cold voice, the actual softening effect was minimal.

Having had a brief encounter with Xie Yi earlier that morning, the Alpha already had an inkling of his style. One only needed to look at how obedient that pack of Alphas was in front of Xie Yi to see the reality. In a place like a mining area where Alphas are concentrated, rank isn’t absolute. Alphas have high energy and a competitive nature; when they gather, “turf wars” naturally occur. Only absolute suppression of strength and iron-fisted authority can establish leadership among their kind.

Xie Yi hadn’t even released his pheromones; relying solely on his instinctive aura, he had completely taken control of the situation. This man must be a very high-level Alpha, the contact thought. Perhaps today’s surveying progress was good? Or he’s in a good mood?

However, even if the first meeting was milder than expected, the contact remained pessimistic about Su Zhi’s ability to achieve his goal on this trip. After all, by any standard, Xie Yi’s temperament did not meet the criteria for being approachable or lenient with the rules. Thinking of this, the Alpha felt a bit of pity for Su Zhi. If he could, he wanted to help this Beta; coming to the Forbidden Zone was too grueling for an inexperienced Beta, but he truly had no say in the matter.

Pessimism aside, it didn’t stop him from trying to get closer while he had the chance. No one could look at such a face and have no thoughts at all. While most Alphas preferred Omegas, many liked Betas as well. Especially a beauty with Su Zhi’s distant and cold aura—it was more likely to trigger an Alpha’s innate desire to conquer.

After the greeting, the Alpha was about to say he would take the new Beta to get settled, but Xie Yi spoke: “Go find Team Leader Zhou to hand over the records. Organize and upload the data before five o’clock. I’ll take him to get settled.”

These words were spoken with total finality, leaving no room for interruption. The Alpha lost his chance to settle Su Zhi and had to leave. Before departing, he gave Su Zhi a look, hinting that Su Zhi could find him once he was settled. However, Su Zhi didn’t notice at all. His attention was entirely on Xie Yi, his gaze wandering, not even turning toward the other man—failing completely to receive the hint.

The Alpha: “…”

Once everyone was gone, only Su Zhi and Xie Yi remained. Su Zhi finally spoke, a beat late: “Mr. Xie.”

When Xie Yi was walking over, Su Zhi had actually been thinking seriously about how to handle this. Pretending not to know him was impossible; they had met just a few days ago in such a “specific” manner. Unless the other man had a memory disorder, it was impossible not to recognize him. Besides, acting was a bit outside Su Zhi’s skill set.

But for a flower shop owner to suddenly show up in a mining area looked abrupt no matter how you sliced it. It practically had “I have a secret” written across his face. But the matter of Sample 0409 couldn’t be leaked. If Xie Yi asked, Su Zhi couldn’t give a reasonable explanation, which made him worried.

To his surprise, the man didn’t ask the question Su Zhi found difficult to answer.

Xie Yi’s gaze lingered on Su Zhi for a moment before he simply said: “Hello. What a coincidence to meet again. I am stationed here.”

Su Zhi nodded: “It is a coincidence.”

He had previously wondered if Xie Yi was in Z-City for a business trip. At the time, Su Zhi thought Xie Yi worked in the business district; he felt Xie Yi looked like the type of elite who would calmly and steadily negotiate at a conference table. He hadn’t expected him to be working in the Forbidden Zone. But thinking carefully, it felt reasonable. Wearing a surveying uniform, the man had a touch of wildness removed from the city—a completely different feeling from wearing a perfectly tailored suit.

Xie Yi’s dark eyes moved slightly, scanning Su Zhi from top to bottom with extreme speed. His gaze swept over his sweat-dampened brow, his pale cheeks, and his lips which, by comparison, were as soft and flushed as flower petals.

“It will rain tonight. The environment in the mining area is complex. For safety, you cannot leave the camp today. Follow me first.”

This sentence immediately cut off Su Zhi’s plan to find a chance to head out later. The person in charge had spoken, so there was no chance. Su Zhi could only follow obediently, “Okay.”

Xie Yi led Su Zhi to his own tent. The camp inside the Forbidden Zone was temporary, with anti-radiation facilities laid out on the exterior. The interior consisted of individual tents used as residences. The tents were military-grade—sturdy, spacious, and well-made. Once the zippers were sealed, they provided a degree of soundproofing.

Su Zhi put down his backpack. He only planned to stay for two days, and there were security checkpoints at the entrance, so he had only brought a backpack with essentials and a change of clothes—nothing extra, very light.

Xie Yi naturally picked up the backpack and placed it on a rack, saying: “Take off the radiation suit.”

The radiation suit was worn over regular clothes, so there was nothing to be bashful about. Moreover, he was just a Beta. Su Zhi didn’t think much of it; the suit hindered movement and needed to come off anyway. He said “Okay” and reached out to remove it. However, the zipper was in the back, and the angle made it hard to apply force. The zipper was stuck. Su Zhi tugged twice but couldn’t move it.

Xie Yi watched for a moment, his eyes following the movement of the slender, white fingers. He asked in a low voice: “Need help?”

Su Zhi felt a bit embarrassed and let go of his futile efforts: “Thank you.”

Xie Yi stepped behind him, gripped the zipper tab at the back of his neck, and pulled it down steadily. During the movement, the firm, hot back of his hand accidentally brushed against Su Zhi’s back. The searing temperature caused Su Zhi’s back to shiver suddenly, as if something had licked across it.

Su Zhi realized that Xie Yi’s body temperature was very high. The encounter in the man’s arms the other day had been so awkward that Su Zhi hadn’t reflected on it, but now in a calm state, the sensation was vivid as the man leaned in. However, the contact was only for an instant. Xie Yi quickly unzipped the suit, his knuckles leaving Su Zhi’s back, and the burning temperature faded.

Su Zhi let out a soft sigh of relief. It might just be that he had sweated and his body felt cold, making the contrast sharper.

Xie Yi lowered his gaze, his dark eyes focused. As the zipper opened, the heavy white protective suit slumped to either side, revealing a thin waist and slender, well-proportioned shoulders. The loose inner clothing fanned out before tapering down into the waist, making it look narrow and fine.

Like a slender flower branch.

The subsequent movements didn’t require Xie Yi’s help. Xie Yi tactfully let go and stepped back two paces. Su Zhi bent over to step out of the suit. Before he could find a place to put it, Xie Yi had already reached out to take it, folded it a few times, and placed it on the rack.

Xie Yi: “You rest here first. You can sit on the bed. Wait for me for a moment.”

With that, he left the tent, leaving Su Zhi alone inside.

Su Zhi scanned the tent. He wasn’t trying to pry, but the tent was only about a dozen square meters; everything was visible at a glance. Aside from a bed, there was only a small table and a three-tier rack. It was very clean and organized; besides some surveying instruments, there was basically no clutter. Now that Su Zhi’s backpack and suit were there, it added a trace of human activity.

The atmosphere of daily life was very thin. Even the blankets were folded neatly, as if by training. Concise, steady, and orderly—it reflected a sense of upbringing that was good to the point of being exacting, matching the impression Xie Yi himself gave. There were no chairs, so Su Zhi sat on the edge of the bed as instructed. He truly was a bit tired.

Xie Yi returned quickly, in less than ten minutes. He brought a bottle of milk, a few bags of chocolate, and an unopened plastic seal bag that didn’t reveal its contents.

Xie Yi handed over the milk and chocolate: “Eat something to tide you over. We’ll eat dinner later.”

Su Zhi took them obediently: “Thank you.”

Xie Yi placed the bag on the rack. “There are no extra tents. I found a sleeping bag. You’ll sleep in this tent with me tonight. Is that okay?”

Su Zhi nodded: “Okay.”

In reality, Su Zhi wasn’t used to sharing a room with anyone; in college, he had applied for a single dorm. It wasn’t that he rejected others, he just wasn’t good at social interaction. But now was not the time to be picky, nor did he have the right. Compared to a total stranger, at least he had some history with Xie Yi. His initial impression of the man was good, and now he was more certain that Xie Yi only looked dominant and cold but wasn’t actually difficult to get along with—on the contrary, he was very steady.

Learning he would be staying with Xie Yi and not someone else, Su Zhi even felt a secret sigh of relief. Without even noticing it himself, his mood relaxed a bit. From Xie Yi’s perspective, it was as if a white fluff-ball that had been warily pulling in its feathers suddenly became a bit more porous.

“By the way,” Xie Yi said suddenly, his obsidian eyes pinned unblinkingly on Su Zhi. “When I’m not around, it’s best if you don’t leave the tent alone.”

Under Su Zhi’s slightly confused gaze, he restrainedly looked away, his voice low and cold: “The radiation in the Forbidden Zone and the special substances in the minerals can trigger an Alpha’s pheromone response, leading to hyper-susceptibility. They lose control more easily than usual.”

Su Zhi realized the truth. No wonder those Alphas earlier were so restless; even a Beta who couldn’t smell pheromones could tell they were over-excited. Xie Yi’s warning was likely out of concern that he would have a conflict with an Alpha. In a hyper-susceptible state, the probability of an Alpha acting impulsively is two to three times higher than usual. Su Zhi wasn’t an Omega, so he wouldn’t suffer a major loss, but in a physical altercation, a Beta’s physique is at a disadvantage. Therefore, Xie Yi wanted Su Zhi within his line of sight to ensure his safety.

Su Zhi nodded gratefully: “Okay.”

They had only met once. Strictly speaking, Su Zhi had been the one to offend the other party last time, yet Xie Yi was being so friendly. To be honest, Su Zhi generally didn’t like being around Alphas. He had a quiet personality, while Alphas were generally extroverted; personality mismatch was one aspect. Another aspect was that Alphas had such a strong desire to show off. They often inexplicably gravitated toward him. Su Zhi didn’t understand why they always had so much to say or where that intense desire for expression came from. Sometimes, even when just handling a small matter, they would pull the conversation elsewhere for no reason. For instance, after a brief collaboration in a group, the other person would try to invite him on a private trip. Su Zhi would politely refuse, and the other person’s face would change drastically, their emotions becoming unstable. Some would act normal and rational early on, only to do a complete 180 later.

“…”

Su Zhi still found it baffling even now. In short, he really was not good at dealing with Alphas. Although his research topic was closely related to Alpha pheromones, Su Zhi rarely interacted with Alphas in his life and even held some stereotypes.

But Xie Yi was different from the Alphas in his memory. Earlier in the crowd, the other Alphas were all active and restless, unscrupulously radiating aggressive factors. In an Alpha’s nature, there seemed to be no such concept as “restraint,” and social rules hadn’t taught them to be restrained either. Only Xie Yi, though his aura was powerful, was merely suppressing those Alphas. His own emotions remained stable throughout, like a deep, still pond. There was no sign of him losing control.

Su Zhi thought to himself that Xie Yi must be the type of Alpha whose personality is naturally stern and disciplined, with especially outstanding self-control.

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