Part 2
Due to historical issues, relations between the First and Ninth Zones were quite strained, so he specifically fabricated an identity from an allied nation.
He played the part quite convincingly, claiming they were cross-border merchants who had come to the Ninth Zone to source goods, only to lose their entire shipment in the disaster. He knew enough about the Ninth Zone to speak knowledgeably about business policies, which completely dispelled the couple’s suspicions.
Abbu, thinking they couldn’t understand him, said to Anna, “I was originally going to turn them over to the Allied Forces, but they don’t look like wanted criminals.”
Anna replied helplessly, “That Omega looks so pale and weak; how could he be a criminal? They must be from the upper class. Help them contact their friends; we might get a handsome reward out of it.”
“What are they saying?” Yu Shi asked after taking a sip of hot sheep’s milk.
Anna smiled. “Abbu was asking what your relationship is. I said you look like a newlywed couple. You’re married, aren’t you?”
Yu Shi sprayed out a mouthful of milk, coughing until his face was flushed red.
He had overlooked this issue. A lone Alpha and Omega sharing a starship—it would be strange if people didn’t misunderstand.
Xie Ren was about to tease him, but seeing the white milk stains on Yu Shi’s lips, his smile slowly faded. He handed him a cloth. “He’s thin-skinned and can’t take a joke. We aren’t married yet; our elders don’t approve.”
Yu Shi’s eyes went wide. He looked at the man in disbelief.
What kind of fever dream is he having?
Xie Ren scolded him gently, “Wipe your mouth already.”
“…” Yu Shi gave him an unapproving glare, but since he couldn’t expose the lie, he slowly wiped the milk away.
Abbu and Anna both laughed. When Anna gossiped about the reason for the disapproval, Xie Ren went into full method-acting mode, spinning a wild and detailed tale.
He claimed it was a teacher-student romance. He said his father was conservative and found fault with his ‘son-in-law’ at every turn, which had made Yu Shi very unhappy. This trip wasn’t just for business, he said, but to take Yu Shi out to clear his head.
Yu Shi felt like he was going to faint. He had to sit there and let the man slander him without being able to argue back. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.
“So what will you do now?” Anna asked, completely engrossed in the story.
Xie Ren clinked glasses with Abbu. “If my father continues to be unreasonable, I plan to cut ties with him and elope with my lover to start our own family.”
Yu Shi covered his face in mortification. Someone please shut him up! he thought.
He wondered what Xie Chengfeng would think if he heard this.
Abbu patted his shoulder. “My wife’s family didn’t think much of me back then either. Look at us now—we have three kids. As long as the love is deep, you can overcome anything. Brother, you have my support.”
Anna translated for them. Xie Ren nodded repeatedly and bumped fists with Abbu. He looked a bit tipsy as he pounded his chest and promised, “Brother, if you ever visit the Fifth Zone, you come find me. I’ll host you and treat you to the full experience—food, drinks, and entertainment. You’ve helped us out this time; I’ll make sure you’re rewarded well later.”
Anna’s smile widened at this, and she hurried to pour them more wine.
Abbu said, “Don’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll take you to the town. There’s a signal tower there, so you’ll be able to contact your friends. We’ll get you home as soon as possible.”
By the end of the meal, Xie Ren had successfully befriended them. Abbu even said he would help salvage the wreckage of the Horus.
When night fell, Anna cleared out a room for them. It was actually a storage room for hay, with a platform covered by blankets to serve as a temporary bed.
The room smelled strongly of hay as they pushed the door open, causing Yu Shi to cough twice.
Xie Ren turned to ask, “Are there any other rooms? Why don’t you let him stay with the kids, and I’ll sleep here. I can pay more.”
“It’s not about the money,” Anna said apologetically. “We only have two rooms. My husband and I are already squeezed in with the kids. We really don’t have a third space.”
Yu Shi waved his hand. “It’s fine. No need to change. Thank you for everything. It’s late; you should get some rest.”
Anna left with the children. One of the boys looked back at them curiously before she yanked him away, thoughtfully closing the wooden door behind them.
Xie Ren looked around helplessly. He found a duster to clear away some of the dust and bunched up some hay under the sheets to make the wooden boards less uncomfortable. Then he took off the heavy coat Anna had given him and spread it over the bed to serve as a quilt.
He said to Yu Shi, “We’ll just have to make do for one night. We’ll be gone tomorrow.”
The bed was exceptionally narrow. Yu Shi crawled to the far side to make room, but when he looked back, Xie Ren had walked over to a pile of hay nearby and laid down.
Yu Shi thought he hadn’t seen the space. “What are you sleeping over there for? Come up and squeeze in.”
Xie Ren replied, “Have I gone mad?”
“What?”
“Squeezing onto a bed with an Omega… I have at least some shame.”
Yu Shi understood and said with a chuckle, “You didn’t seem to have much shame when you were bragging earlier.”
Xie Ren replied leisurely, “Bragging is just bragging. A lone Alpha and Omega coming out together—who would believe we aren’t a couple? Besides, only by completely dispelling their suspicion can we avoid being sold to the Allied Forces for cash. You have no idea how much a high-ranking Omega goes for here. Don’t let them find out you’re S+.”
“Human trafficking is legal here?” Yu Shi asked, turning toward him.
“There is no nation, so how can there be laws? There are only the rules set by warlords.”
Yu Shi let out a quiet sigh. After a moment, he said, “You should come up and sleep. It’s too cold at night; I don’t want you to get sick.”
“And,” he paused, “I am your instructor. There’s no need to worry about such formalities.”
Xie Ren’s lips curled into a smile, and a soft laugh escaped him.
Yu Shi asked, “What are you laughing at?”
Xie Ren replied, “I was just thinking about what I said earlier. A teacher-student romance really doesn’t need to worry about formalities. It actually sounds quite scandalous—especially in a deserted shack in the dead of night with no one around. The teacher doesn’t act like a teacher, and the student doesn’t act like a student… Hiss. I wasn’t going to elaborate, but you insisted on asking. Don’t go calling my thoughts dirty now.”
Yu Shi went from worried to speechless, and then to gritting his teeth.
“You’ve watched too many adult movies,” he mocked.
Xie Ren said shamelessly, “Not that many. I’m a healthy young man with a sound mind and body; I only watch a little now and then for entertainment.”
Yu Shi suppressed the urge to hit him. He turned over and closed his eyes. “Go sleep on your hay then.”
Xie Ren pillowed his head on his arms, staring happily at the rafters. A moment later, Yu Shi turned back to look at him in the darkness.
Moonlight filtered through the window slats, scattering across the floor like crushed jade. Ripples of light danced slowly on the ground.
Xie Ren looked at him and smiled. “Go to sleep. Really, don’t worry. When I’m on a march, I sleep on crates of grenades. I’m used to roughing it.”
Yu Shi let out a quiet breath and closed his eyes. “Goodnight.”
“Sweet dreams, Instructor Yu,” Xie Ren said, his gaze fixed on the Omega.
Yu Shi had a dreamless night. Normally, he would have remained alert in a strange environment, but for some reason, he slept soundly with Xie Ren nearby.
The morning sun hit his face, casting a grid of shadows from the window. The heat gradually began to rise. Yu Shi felt a tickle on his cheek and opened his eyes to see the little girl using a piece of foxtail grass to tickle his lips.
She pointed at him and said, “Pretty… doll…”
Her pronunciation was childish, and Yu Shi couldn’t understand her. He pinched her little cheek. “Good morning, little treasure.”
The girl’s face turned bright red, and she shyly burrowed into his arms.
Xie Ren pushed the door open. “Are you awake? We’ll head to town with Abbu after breakfast… Whoa, little sister, you’re such a visual learner at such a young age. You’re going to have a hard time finding a partner when you grow up. Get off your brother, please.”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Yu Shi said, glancing at him.
His hair was a mess from sleep, and his clothes from the night before were wrinkled against his skin. The red marks from the heavy coat were still on the corners of his eyes. When he glared, he lacked any real authority; instead, he looked slightly miffed.
Xie Ren stared for a moment, the memory of Yu Shi drinking sheep’s milk from the night before resurfacing. His gaze became a bit unnatural.
“Hey, I’m talking to you,” Yu Shi said crossly.
“…Did you say something?” Xie Ren snapped out of it.
Yu Shi asked, “Does the Falcon Regiment have a base here?”
Xie Ren answered, “No base, only a temporary camp. A few years ago, a buddy of mine had a bad breakup and volunteered to stay here as the camp commander. That’s who we’re going to contact.”
Yu Shi seemed to recall something. Li Yang had mentioned that only two people from their class had been selected for the Falcon Regiment.
“Is he your classmate?”
“He’s a childhood friend. His name is Li Zheng. You should be familiar with his father, Li Huaiquan.”
Yu Shi raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected that Li Huaiquan, a man who had spent his life at war, would have a son who was such a romantic—moving to this godforsaken place just over a breakup.
The mention of the man’s future reminded him of something. “If you came to find me without authorization, will the Falcon Regiment discipline you?”
Xie Ren immediately put on a pained face. “Discipline me? They’ll probably lock me in solitary first, then subject me to a harsh interrogation! At the very least, they’ll kick me down to K9 to work in logistics. Instructor Yu, if my rank drops and I lose my high allowance, you’re going to have to feed me for the rest of my life.”
“…” Yu Shi hadn’t expected him to seize the opportunity to act like a moocher.
Once they were on the vehicle after breakfast, Yu Shi still couldn’t help asking worriedly, “Will you really be demoted?”
“Absolutely,” Xie Ren said, taking the chance to play it up. “My future is looking grim. I’ll probably have trouble finding a wife. No Omega is going to want to marry a disgraced former Major.”
…How did this turn into a discussion about marriage?
Abbu cranked the tractor to life. He couldn’t understand a word they were saying and assumed they were just flirting. He smiled and used the few Common words he had learned to tell them they were almost at the town.
On the side of the road, a military vehicle overtook them, heading toward the town.
Xie Ren’s gaze sharpened. He leaned forward to ask, “Abbu, I thought there were no troops here. Whose vehicle was that?”
Abbu looked confused and shook his head, indicating he didn’t understand.
“The vehicle type suggests it’s for transporting military rations. There must be a unit stationed in town,” Yu Shi said.
Xie Ren furrowed his brows. “Try to stay close to me once we’re there. If anything happens, be ready to run with me.”
Yu Shi nodded, his expression turning solemn. At a time like this, running into soldiers meant there was an 80% chance they were enemies rather than allies.
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