Killing Marriage [ABO] - Chapter 10

 Chapter 10: Chaos

As a virtuous wife with a secret, keeping everything in the house in perfect order was the most basic requirement.

However, even someone as excellent as Zhang Qingyuan has days when he stumbles.

He felt utterly annoyed and began to hate his own gender.

The damage of a rut for an Alpha themselves is limited; it mostly endangers innocent Omega and Beta bystanders.

Vulnerability periods are different.

Alphas in their vulnerability period exhibit varying degrees of “regression,” meaning they revert to a primitive, childish psychological state and behavioral patterns. They tend to be overthinking, anxious, and insecure. When an episode flares up, it can harm both themselves and others; the harder they cry, the harder they punch.

Zhang Qingyuan thus entered his vulnerability period without any warning.

It’s like menstruation: some people experience heavy bleeding, fainting, and pain like a bulldozer in their belly; while others can eat whatever they want, hot or cold, sweet or sour, living as comfortably as a celebrity in a sanitary napkin commercial.

Normally, the vulnerability period didn’t affect Zhang Qingyuan much.

Calm and self-possessed as he was, he wouldn’t exhibit obvious “regressive” behavior, and could even work and live normally after applying a pheromone blocker patch.

This was the self-control of a top Alpha, and Zhang Qingyuan felt a strong sense of superiority about it.

However…

“Zhang Qingyuan… are you okay?” Ren Zhong hesitated.

“Thank you for your concern, Captain, I’m fine.”

At this moment, Zhang Qingyuan was arranging breakfast for Ren Zhong in a peculiar pose, with his back to him.

With twisted, flexible upper limbs, in a movement challenging the limits of human flexibility, he steadily placed the quick-frozen mini wontons in front of Ren Zhong, all while maintaining his graceful back.

He slowly walked to the opposite side of the dining table, then turned and sat down with lightning speed, his face adorned with a polite and elegant smile, along with a touch of deliberate ease.

Ren Zhong clearly sensed something was off.

His trained nose caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent of chamomile pheromone.

So, Ren Zhong “accidentally” knocked over the spoon beside him.

“You don’t need to move, I’ll pick it up myself.” He bent down, reaching under the table.

Zhang Qingyuan “whooshed” up, “I’ll pick it up for you.”

“It’s fine, I’ve got it already.” Ren Zhong sat back steadily in his wheelchair.

Seeing the other person sit up, Zhang Qingyuan immediately sat back down, as if his backside was on fire and he needed to quickly douse it in water.

So unusual… there had to be something fishy going on.

Ren Zhong lowered his head, a faint smile playing on his lips, then suddenly leaned forward under the table.

Unexpectedly, this was a feint. Just as Zhang Qingyuan had gotten up and hadn’t had time to sit back down, Ren Zhong instantly looked up, pinpointing what the other person was hiding by the table edge.

The flag of the unsetting sun was proudly raised.

While others might be in their vulnerability period, Zhang Qingyuan was a flagpole.

Ren Zhong: “…”

Zhang Qingyuan: “…”

That’s right, all of Zhang Qingyuan’s decorum was built on the premise that his lower body wasn’t visible.

This ultimate state of “human-like” upper body and “dog-like” lower body was, after all, just superficial. It might fool video calls, but not his legal spouse right in front of him.

Zhang Qingyuan threw caution to the wind. He tugged at his distorted apron and slumped into the chair.

He was clearly burning with arousal, yet his eyes were as lifeless as Shang Liwei’s recently neutered cat next door.

“…Alphas, they just have those few days every quarter,” he said, as if his soul had left him.

Ren Zhong’s face showed no change, no hint of mockery or disdain.

He simply expressed understanding, “Mm, that ‘Man Period’ always comes.”

Zhang Qingyuan, however, felt even more mortified. He buried his head on the dining table, his voice trailing off, “The vulnerability period is a ticking time bomb, too unstable. Annoying…”

Ren Zhong scooped up a mini wonton with his chopsticks, not responding.

Normally, Zhang Qingyuan’s assessment of anything rarely included emotional words. For him to use “annoying” to describe his mood and state meant the vulnerability period was hitting him hard.

“Isn’t there a ‘subdermal implant’ technology for Alphas?” Zhang Qingyuan asked, not giving up hope. “Not even in the military?”

Unfortunately, Ren Zhong couldn’t give him the answer he wanted.

“No,” Ren Zhong didn’t deceive him. This wasn’t a military secret and could be disclosed. “In non-mission situations, self-isolate in a unit safe house for two to three days; during missions, inject high-concentration inhibitors.”

Zhang Qingyuan rested his chin on his folded arms, dejectedly saying, “Why do Omegas have so many auxiliary medications to control their body cycles, but Alphas don’t?”

“Perhaps because the responsibility and cost of contraception have always been borne by Omegas and Betas,” Ren Zhong lowered his head, looking at his own body. “After all, if contraception fails, Alphas don’t have to worry about getting pregnant.”

So, IUDs, oral contraceptives, inhibitors… the side effects produced by these medications and the money to buy them are all borne by Omegas and Betas.

“Perhaps, this is the price of discrimination and ‘privilege’,” Ren Zhong murmured.

He looked at the Alpha sinking into despondency before him, feeling a hint of pity. “Alpha ruts clearly make them lose their dignity and self-control as humans. Science should also provide various auxiliary means to help you gain dignity. But reality isn’t like that.”

“Exactly!” Zhang Qingyuan felt a faint ache all over, shifting slightly to ease it. “They say Alphas are uncontrollable predators, forever unable to resist their animal instincts… I’ve never thought that kind of excuse was good.”

Ren Zhong’s words even carried a trace of pity. “To maintain your superior status, you have to live like dogs.”

Such sharp words, falling on Zhang Qingyuan’s ears during his vulnerability period, made him especially sad.

“Captain, what you’re saying is true, but I strongly suspect you’re retaliating against me!” Zhang Qingyuan complained, feeling wronged.

If it weren’t for that previous discussion about “value” that made Ren Zhong feel “lectured” by Zhang Qingyuan, would he have spoken like that? He was simply trying to get back at Zhang Qingyuan.

Ren Zhong asked innocently, “How am I retaliating against you?”

To this, Zhang Qingyuan just let out a “hmph” and fell silent.

After breakfast, Ren Zhong didn’t wait for Zhang Qingyuan to clean up as before; he put his used dishes and chopsticks into the dishwasher himself. Afterwards, he drove his electric wheelchair out for rehabilitation.

“Be safe on the road, text me when you arrive.” The virtuous wife was still lying on the table, not getting up to see Ren Zhong to the door for the first time.

Ren Zhong hummed in acknowledgment and closed the front door.

Only the virtuous wife, Zhang, remained in the empty house, confined by his vulnerability period, still sprawled on the dining table unwilling to move.

His phone “dinged” in the distance. Zhang Qingyuan got up to retrieve it, but accidentally hit the flag pole against the corner of the table.

Zhang Qingyuan, fell, dead.

As he curled up in pain, his vision blurring, he still thought: It’s great that I didn’t make a fool of myself in front of Ren Zhong.

Zhang Qingyuan blinked at the ceiling, letting his eyelids spread the emerging tears across his corneas, and took several gasps before struggling to get up and check his phone.

The message was from the lawyer he collaborated with, stating he was on his way to his address. A few days ago, he had mentioned needing to discuss some important matters with him, but he had completely forgotten that today was the day.

The vulnerability period was playing tricks; if not for the lawyer’s reminder, he truly wouldn’t have remembered.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Damn it, the lawyer arrived faster than Zhang Qingyuan expected. He hadn’t prepared anything.

He scrambled to set the air conditioning to the lowest cooling temperature, wrapped himself in a long cotton quilt and down jacket, and then rushed to the door to open it. To his surprise, he saw his disheveled, homebody younger sister outside.

“Zhang Junyi?! What are you doing here?” His head was full of question marks, feeling like he’d opened the wrong blind box.

His sister also found it strange. “Didn’t you call me?”

Zhang Qingyuan belatedly slapped his forehead, only then remembering that he had indeed sent her a message last night, asking her to come over.

Seeing his muddled look and penguin-like attire, his sister instantly realized, “You’re not in your vulnerability period, are you?”

Zhang Qingyuan’s mind was in disarray, so he could only frown and nod, letting his sister in.

“How did things go with Shang Liwei?” he asked, rubbing his dizzy head.

His sister bluntly replied, “Don’t you know? Shang Liwei was fired from her unit, and all her research data has been archived and sealed.”

Great, Zhang Qingyuan’s head felt even dizzier now, almost seeing stars.

“What did you say?” He steadied himself against the wall. “Shang Liwei is law-abiding, hasn’t committed any wrongdoings, has research achievements, and her mentor has influence in the institute… There’s no reason for the research institute to fire her, is there?”

His sister also found it strange. “I’m not the director of the research institute, how would I know? But I made a copy of all her research data before it was sealed and sent it to her. It shouldn’t affect her continued research.”

Now Zhang Qingyuan wasn’t dizzy anymore, he had a headache.

“Zhang Junyi, why were you in such a hurry? That data could have been used to negotiate with her, and given to her in batches later. By giving it all at once like this, what do we have to…”

Just then, the doorbell rang again.

Zhang Qingyuan sighed deeply, “Never mind, never mind. Your matter is messed up anyway, we’ll talk about it later. I have some important things to discuss with my collaborating lawyer. Go to the coffee table and grab some fruit and snacks first.”

“Wait!!!” His sister abruptly grabbed her brother. “Hold it right there, sir! Could you please elaborate on whether the collaborating lawyer at the door is Lawyer Mai or Lawyer Chen?”

Zhang Qingyuan was puzzled. “What does that have to do with you?”

“It has everything to do with me, everything!” His sister forced an awkward yet polite smile, nervously rubbing the over-ear headphones hanging around her neck. “Uh… you know about the ‘affair’ involving the male Omega married to Lawyer Mai, right?”

Cheating wasn’t uncommon under the matched marriage system.

Zhang Qingyuan was uninterested, simply saying, “No, why would I know so much about other people’s private lives?”

“Well, now you do,” his sister solemnly cleared her throat. “To put it simply, I… slept with the Omega boy she’s married to…”

Zhang Qingyuan: “…”

The doorbell rang again, like a death knell, pounding on the heads of the two people inside the house.

He made an immediate decision. “Upstairs, hide in my room.”

“Alright, thanks, bro.” His sister had just taken a few steps up the stairs, glanced at the fruit platter on the coffee table, and then retreated back to the first floor, saying, “Bro, I haven’t eaten yet. Can I have some snacks…”

“Get upstairs!”