Killing Marriage [ABO] - Chapter 17

Chapter 17; Honeymoon

Not only had Zhang Qingyuan’s attempt to play the cool hero failed, but the entire embarrassing scene was written into a marketing post.

The AI voice-over was playing on a loop: “The newlywed husband fiercely protects his wife, snatching the paparazzi’s camera…”

“Hahahahaha!” Shang Liwei was laughing so hard she almost fell off her chair.

Every time the video played, Zhang Qingyuan was publicly mortified. But he still hadn’t become immune to the embarrassment, sitting stiffly as if on a bed of nails.

The scenery outside was a beautiful panorama of sunshine, beach, waves, and cacti, but Zhang Qingyuan’s discomfort was a monumental waste of a good view.

To escape the harassing paparazzi, they decided to go on a trip to clear their heads. Coincidentally, Mi Li was also on summer vacation. So, four adults and one child, in the dead of night, shook off the cars following them and took a plane to this coastal city.

The trip was, in name, a “honeymoon.”

Zhang Qingyuan originally wanted to go abroad for a peaceful time. However, Ren Zhong, as a military officer, and Shang Liwei, a former senior researcher, had restrictions on leaving the country that required a lengthy approval process. With no other choice, they had to stick to domestic travel.

“I think the direction of this whole thing is wrong,” said the lawyer, Mai Qi, with a furrowed brow in a video conference call. “It was clearly a disabled military officer performing a righteous act, a serious social issue about human trafficking. But what are they marketing now?”

The general online trend was promoting the “sweetness” of their matched marriage, using entertainment content to distract people.

On the first day, the “Wheelchair Hero” was a civilian hero in the surveillance video. By the second day, in the public eye, he had become the gentle wife protected by a “dominant Alpha.” Any content about Ren Zhong was linked to words like “newlywed,” “husband,” and “in love.”

As for the tragically fated kidnapped woman, she had long since disappeared from public view. Only a small group of people were still concerned about her fate and advocating for her rights.

At the same time, another group of people was predicting the downfall of their relationship.

Zhang Qingyuan, for simply pushing a wheelchair and holding an umbrella, was hailed as the best man in the world.

In contrast, Ren Zhong, because he wore sunglasses and his expression couldn’t be seen, was criticized by some netizens for “giving his husband attitude” and “being ungrateful.”

Some influencers and marketing accounts, looking for reverse clout, were even more morally bankrupt. They posted videos and articles claiming that an overly aggressive Omega would lead to a broken marriage and that Omegas should act like Omegas, not like Ren Zhong.

They even predicted that if Ren Zhong didn’t restrain himself, a cripple would eventually be abandoned by a quality Alpha.

“And they’re not even satisfied with that,” Shang Liwei said, sharing a link in their group chat. “Some low-tier Alpha men have started insulting Xiao Zhang, saying that serving a lowly Omega like a grandson is a disgrace to his Alpha status and sets a bad example for their wives.”

The logic of these Alphas was insane. They believed that if their wives watched this content, they would also start treating them like grandsons, just as Ren Zhong was supposedly treating Zhang Qingyuan. They couldn’t let that happen!

Zhang Qingyuan gave the screen a quick scroll and put it down, adopting an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude. “The user base of this website is mostly Alpha and Beta men, with almost no Omega or female users. It’s no wonder that’s the kind of content they’re pushing.”

The internal KFM meeting was gloom-ridden, and Ren Zhong wasn’t having a much better time.

Mi Tong, in a hurry to get back for the meeting and to keep him busy, had specifically left behind a magical creature that could control him: Mi Li.

The little child’s constant “Uncle Ren, let’s build a sandcastle!” and “Uncle Ren, let’s catch crabs!” were like the Golden Hoop spell and a Binding Immortal Rope combined, keeping Uncle Ren firmly anchored.

By the time Zhang Qingyuan and the others finished their meeting and came to pick him up, it was “an empty wheelchair and a Captain buried in the sand.”

Poor Ren Zhong’s head was the only thing visible, his body from the shoulders down buried in the sand and sculpted into a mermaid. Mi Li was happily taking photos of him from all angles, admiring her masterpiece.

Once the child was done with her photoshoot, Shang Liwei and Zhang Qingyuan performed a “four-hand dig” to unearth the Captain from the sand.

Fearing the fine grains would interfere with the electric wheelchair’s operation, Shang Liwei had a sudden idea. She lifted Ren Zhong and dragged him into the waist-deep water. She put her arms under his armpits and spun him around in the sea, rinsing the sand off his body.

On the shore, Mi Li was jumping with excitement, cheering, “The washing machine move!” The “doting wife” Mi Tong and the “devoted husband” Zhang Qingyuan were also laughing heartily.

Ren Zhong, mindful of the child’s presence, cursed as civilly as he could in the seawater.

The fun was theirs, not Ren Zhong’s.

Unable to walk properly, Ren Zhong could only let them do what they wanted. He was wrapped in a towel by Zhang Qingyuan like a little cocoon and lifted back into his wheelchair.

While others were on their honeymoon, he was on a pilgrimage.

…

Night fell.

Ren Zhong wasn’t tired. His reduced physical activity after the injury had also affected his sleep quality.

After lying in bed for twenty minutes without falling asleep, he decided to get up and do something else.

If he couldn’t sleep, he might as well get a little workout in. He remembered that the rented ocean-view villa had a gym.

As he steered his wheelchair toward the gym door, Ren Zhong could faintly hear the “thump-thump” of someone hitting a punching bag.

It seemed someone was already working out inside, likely either Shang Liwei or Zhang Qingyuan.

Normally, he wouldn’t mind sharing the gym equipment. After all, if it came down to a physical comparison, his abilities would completely dominate an average person’s.

But now, he didn’t dare.

He was afraid he would feel envious, get frustrated, and couldn’t resist increasing his training load, disrupting his rehabilitation.

Ren Zhong turned to head back, but the path was narrow, making it difficult to “reverse.” It took him several attempts to turn his body and wheelchair around.

In that short time, the person in the gym finished their workout and pushed open the soundproof door.

Zhang Qingyuan’s face was flushed and sweaty. He was using a towel around his neck to wipe the sweat that was dripping down from his jaw to his collarbone. The sports headband on his head made him look like a student who frequented the gym. His sleeveless workout top showed off the beautiful muscle lines of his arms.

The moment the door opened, Ren Zhong’s heart rate spiked from alertness.

He knew this was the “suspension bridge effect.”

The rapid heartbeat from being startled could be mistaken for a romantic feeling, and the more potent chamomile pheromones after a workout would only intensify this sensation.

Added to that was the sight of that beautiful, enviable, youthful body.

A figure suddenly appearing at the doorway startled Zhang Qingyuan as well. He stared for a moment, then showed a look of awkwardness, like a child caught doing something wrong.

He quickly closed the gym door, put on a jacket, and then came out.

“My shoulder’s been sprained recently, so I haven’t been training my upper body. I’ve been slacking off, so you can’t even see the muscles anymore,” Zhang Qingyuan said, as if making an excuse, then comforted himself, “I’ll get them back soon.”

His eyes discreetly scanned Ren Zhong’s upper body, his gaze tracing the inverted triangle shape with a hint of envy.

Ren Zhong understood.

This was probably the juvenile competitive spirit of a male.

“Where are they?” Ren Zhong changed the subject.

Zhang Qingyuan was happy to follow the lead. “Shang Liwei took Mi Tong and Mi Li to the night market. They’re eating seafood at an open-air stall, playing ring toss, shooting balloons, and throwing balls into a bucket. Didn’t you check the group chat?”

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and relayed the latest news. “Mi Li just said that she’s going to take you to the shooting game tomorrow and have you win the entire balloon stand.”

“It’s not easy to run a business. Let’s give the owner a chance to survive,” Ren Zhong said with a helpless smile.

A moment of silence fell between them, enveloped by the night.

Freed from “work matters,” neither of them knew what to talk about. These two strangers had become “spouses,” with their money, health, and even their destinies and futures all bundled together.

It was both absurd and real.

“Captain, would you like to go for a walk together? The sea breeze isn’t too strong tonight. It’s quite pleasant.”

Zhang Qingyuan extended the invitation to him.