Killing Marriage [ABO] - Chapter 11
 Chapter 11: Entering the Game
Zhang Qingyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue and hurried to the door to open it.
“I apologize for the wait, Lawyer Mai… Mitong?”
He hadn’t checked the monitor when opening the door, only to find that the person at the door was actually Mitong. He truly opened the door like a blind box.
Mitong held a heavy bag, a gentle smile on her face.
“Mr. Zhang, this is premium snowflake beef I just bought. It’s perfect sliced for hotpot, or for steak and teppanyaki. Thank you for letting me use your kitchen last time.”
She wasn’t an invited guest; she was just a kind neighbor dropping by after grocery shopping to visit the househusband next door.
“Why are you dressed so warmly?” Mitong asked with concern.
Zhang Qingyuan casually made a clumsy excuse, “Ah, I was checking the air conditioning’s cooling system.”
Perhaps because life at Shang Liwei’s house was smooth and comfortable, Mitong’s cheeks had rounded a bit, her complexion had improved significantly, and her overall vigor had gotten better.
She said enthusiastically, “Sister Liwei’s kitchen is almost finished now. When are you and Captain Ren free? We’d like to invite you and the Captain for a simple meal at our place, to celebrate Sister Liwei’s promotion and raise.”
“Promotion and raise?” Zhang Qingyuan’s hand, which had just taken the beef, paused, and he unconsciously repeated her words.
This clearly contradicted the news he had just received from his sister.
“Yes!” Mitong didn’t seem to be lying. “She received a notice for a meeting with her superiors, and when she came home after it, she told me that her research funding had been approved, and she was promoted to senior researcher. Her salary and various hidden benefits will be much better now.”
She spoke with such conviction, as if genuinely unaware that Shang Liwei had already been fired from the institute.
“Also, I left in such a hurry last time, I’m truly sorry. I think I left my earrings and rings here. Would it be convenient for me to look for them?”
In the middle of summer, Zhang Qingyuan couldn’t leave a guest standing outside, so he had to invite her in. “Please wait in the living room. Your things are in the guest bathroom; I’ll get them for you.”
He poured Mitong a glass of lime water and quickly ducked into the ground-floor guest bathroom. He took off his down jacket to wipe sweat and catch his breath, then pulled out a fragrance-free inhibitor and sprayed himself liberally to suppress his faint chamomile pheromones.
…
Meanwhile, in the living room, Mitong opened her compact cushion case. It was too hot, and her face was getting oily; she needed to touch up her makeup.
In the compact’s built-in mirror, she saw a sneaky figure creeping down from the second floor.
The newcomer wore a wrinkled, oversized hoodie with anime characters on it and cat-ear headphones around their neck. The person moved stealthily, using furniture and decorations for cover.
It was known that this house only had Zhang Qingyuan as the househusband, and the other homeowner was in a wheelchair.
It could be deduced that this person must be a thief breaking in!
Mitong dared not breathe, terrified of being held hostage by the criminal. Relying on her small, inconspicuous figure, she seized the moment when the intruder entered the kitchen, instantly pressed the door open, and trembling, hid in the hidden storage space on the first floor.
This large storage cabinet’s exterior was almost identical to the wall, perfectly blending into the living room, maximizing space utilization—a proud feat of the designer. Last time she visited, Zhang Qingyuan had even specially shown it to her.
When she tried to warn Zhang Qingyuan, she tragically discovered that her phone and ladies’ handbag were both left on the living room sofa.
Mitong was in a dilemma.
…
Outside the cabinet, in the open-plan kitchen connected to the living room.
The young Alpha, Zhang Junyi, was secretly eating quick-frozen mini wontons.
As a freelancer, her schedule was quite irregular, often forgetting to eat when busy. This time, she had pulled an all-nighter, surviving solely on energy drinks for two full days, and was ravenously hungry.
Her brother had called her over today, and she had hoped to snag a good meal. Who knew she’d run into that nemesis, Lawyer Mai, forcing her brother to send her upstairs to hide.
Poor her, so hungry she was dizzy, eyes blurring, and legs cramping. She waited and waited, counting the time after the doorbell rang, estimating that her brother and Lawyer Mai had gone to the study to talk and wouldn’t be out for a while. Only then did she dare to sneak downstairs to eat the leftover cold wontons from breakfast to fill her stomach.
What a “miserable” situation!
She slurped down three or five wontons from the soup, turned her head, and through the bright window, saw a familiar wine-red car parked outside the courtyard gate.
“Why does that car look so familiar? The license plate is… Holy crap! Holy crap! Help!”
It was Lawyer Mai’s car!
The young Alpha, Ms. Zhang, plopped onto the floor, nearly splitting her backside. Before Lawyer Mai could discover her, she quickly crouched low, clutching the small pot of wontons, and “thump-thumped” her way up to the second floor on all fours.
There were still shrimp skins, seaweed, and egg shreds in the small pot that couldn’t be wasted; even when evading the enemy, one must remember to bring provisions for survival.
Ms. Zhang’s sister ran upstairs, and Lawyer Mai rang the doorbell right after.
…
“Ding-a-ling-a-ling!”
Zhang Qingyuan, who had just tidied himself in the guest bathroom and found Mitong’s jewelry, once again put on his down jacket and rushed to the door to open it for Lawyer Mai as the doorbell rang.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Having sprayed too much inhibitor, Zhang Qingyuan’s head felt fuzzy and uncomfortable, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Lawyer Mai glanced at him, catching the faint medicinal scent of the inhibitor. She subtly guessed what was happening and didn’t question his unusual behavior of wearing a down jacket in summer.
Then, the meticulous Lawyer Mai immediately spotted the white ladies’ handbag on the sofa, and her sensitive nose detected the floral Omega pheromone lingering on it.
Her eyes scanned back and forth between the handbag and Zhang Qingyuan, and she said thoughtfully, “Zhang Qingyuan, are you keeping a female Omega mistress at home during your rut?”
“What?” Zhang Qingyuan was utterly confused. “How could that be?”
Lawyer Mai pushed up her glasses, crossing her arms. “What do you have in your hand? Can I see it?”
He opened his hand, revealing Mitong’s earrings and rings, which she had left there last time.
“You even prepared an engagement ring for your mistress?” Lawyer Mai’s face was grim. “If Captain Ren or the public finds out about you keeping a mistress, wouldn’t all our previous efforts and plans be ruined?”
Zhang Qingyuan quickly put his index finger to his lips in a “shhh” gesture and whispered, “It’s not what you think. These belong to the neighbor’s female Omega who left them here…”
“You’re having an affair with the neighbor’s Omega?!” Lawyer Mai’s voice immediately rose by two octaves. “Zhang Qingyuan, out of everyone, you chose to get involved with Shang Liwei’s Omega. How will you establish a trusting collaborative relationship with her now?”
This was an impossible situation to clear up.
Zhang Qingyuan was torn between laughter and tears. “What are you even talking about?! Lawyer Mai, Ms. Mitong and I are just ordinary neighbors, there’s truly no affair. Ms. Mi just visited my house, and now… hey, where did she go?”
Only then did he realize Mitong was no longer in the living room.
Suddenly, Lawyer Mai’s eyes widened as she looked out the window. “How did Captain Ren get back?”
Zhang Qingyuan turned to look, and sure enough, he saw the stylish electric wheelchair outside the window.
On the cabinet by the entrance was Ren Zhong’s medical record and appointment card. Ren Zhong must have realized he left these at home on his way to the hospital, and rushed back to retrieve them.
“It’s not appropriate for me to meet him right now.” Lawyer Mai’s brows furrowed. “I’ll hide upstairs for a bit.”
Zhang Qingyuan’s mind was already a complete mess, but with what little clarity he had left, he saved his sister’s life by reminding Lawyer Mai, “Don’t go into my room.”
…
Second floor.
Lawyer Mai walked stealthily. She had originally intended to hide in the study, but vaguely heard sounds from downstairs, as if Ren Zhong was going to the study to get some documents. She slammed on the brakes, turning to hide in the nearest room.
However, as she turned her head, a familiar face came into view.
“Clang!”
Ms. Zhang’s sister’s small pot of wonton soup slipped from her hand and crashed onto the floor.
…
“What was that noise upstairs?” Ren Zhong’s ears twitched, his eyes instantly locking onto the source of the sound.
Zhang Qingyuan quickly covered up, “It must be something I didn’t put away properly; it fell.”
He crouched by the wheelchair armrest, looking up, and said in a gentle tone, “What documents do you need? I’ll get them for you.”
Numerous experiments had proven that this angle, this gaze, was the most effective in softening Captain Ren.
“Ding dong!”
Their doorbell rang again.
“Who is it?” Ren Zhong started his wheelchair, changed direction, and saw Shang Liwei’s face on the monitor.
He casually opened the door. “What a rare guest, Dr. Shang. What brings you here?”
“Don’t even ask,” Shang Liwei waved her hand.
She made herself completely at home, taking off her shoes and walking straight into the open-plan kitchen, opening the refrigerator, and taking out a glass of cold milk to drink.
She stood with her hands on her hips, chugging down the milk, wiped her mouth, and said, “Zhongzhong, have you ever seen that drama where a man loses his job and, afraid his family will find out, leaves every day in a suit and tie during work hours, then sits in the park feeding pigeons all day?”
“I don’t watch dramas, but I’ve heard of it,” Ren Zhong asked, puzzled. “Why are you suddenly bringing that up?”
Shang Liwei sighed, “After my practical research, I’ve found a plot hole in that. In this season, parks are too sunny during the day, and there are no pigeons to feed, only mosquitoes.”
“The research institute’s million-dollar annual salary is for you to research this?” Ren Zhong felt his childhood friend had gone crazy with scientific research.
Suddenly, he sharply lifted his head, accelerating his electric wheelchair to the kitchen island.
“What happened to your job at the institute?”
Shang Liwei, however, had a calm demeanor, as if having seen through the illusions of life. “I changed jobs, found a new path.”
“Where did you go?” Ren Zhong pressed.
She chuckled, “The Old-Age Support Alliance.”
“So you’re still unemployed?!” Ren Zhong almost stood up from his wheelchair.
She made a zipping-mouth gesture, quietly saying, “Lower your voice, don’t let my wife find out. My daughter just started private ballet lessons with a top dancer; it’s an expensive time!”
Zhang Qingyuan looked back at the living room, but could only see Mitong’s white ladies’ handbag.
Meanwhile, inside the storage cabinet.
Mitong, having missed her moment to emerge and then feeling too awkward to come out after delaying for so long, now knew everything she shouldn’t have known.