Killing Marriage [ABO] - Chapter 18
Chapter 18; Night Sea
The indoor lights were too bright. If they hadn’t walked to the beach, Ren Zhong would never have known how gentle the moonlight was tonight.
The electric wheelchair’s wheels were a bit wider, allowing it to move on the sand, albeit slowly.
Zhang Qingyuan’s feet stepped into the tracks left by the wheels, leaving his own footprints behind. He followed Ren Zhong, watching the moonlight fall on the shoulders of the man in front of him.
“Even in summer, it gets a bit chilly by the sea at night,” Zhang Qingyuan said, trying to make conversation. “Do you have any memories of the ocean, Captain?”
Ren Zhong casually replied, “I used to do push-ups in the waves for physical training. What can I say, all I remember is the saltiness of the seawater, the pain in my muscles, and… having to put on a very thick layer of sunscreen, the waterproof and chafe-resistant kind.”
“Soldiers put on sunscreen too?” Zhang Qingyuan was a little surprised.
After all, in the public’s perception, a tanned and muscular Omega like the Captain should be someone who neglects his skincare.
Ren Zhong let out a small puff of air from his nose, as if to show his disdain for Zhang Qingyuan’s prejudice. “What, people in the military don’t deserve to use products that prevent sunburn? Everyone has to take good care of themselves during training to avoid non-combat casualties.”
“I see, I learned something new.” Zhang Qingyuan tried to keep the awkward conversation going. “When most people think of the beach, they think of romantic or happy things. I never would have guessed that for you, it’s about grueling training.”
Ren Zhong intentionally needled him. “Romantic, what’s considered romantic? Is it only romantic if you run on the beach and say, ‘I long for freedom, I want to fall in love’?”
“I can’t argue with the Captain,” Zhang Qingyuan said, sounding like he was smiling. “I’m a ‘scholar facing a soldier, unable to reason with them.'”
He had been hoping to build a relationship of trust with Ren Zhong through conversation, but it seemed his attempts at small talk were only making him annoying.
Unexpectedly, Ren Zhong seized on his petulant remark and used it to jab at him.
“I’m sorry, but this ‘soldier’ of yours has a master’s degree. Compared to you, a bachelor’s graduate who hasn’t started graduate school yet, I’m more of a ‘scholar,’ wouldn’t you say?”
Zhang Qingyuan clasped his hands behind his back. “I concede defeat!”
Amid the sea breeze and swaying coconut trees, a swing set stood on the shore.
At low tide, it was completely on land. During high tide, it would be slightly submerged in the water, allowing the people on it to skim the water with their toes as they swung, or even take a dive into the sea from the highest point.
During the day, tourists had to line up to use it. Mi Li and Shang Liwei had screamed with delight on it more than once.
Ren Zhong’s electric wheelchair stopped next to the swing.
He quietly looked at the swing, and after a moment, he pushed his upper body up from the wheelchair.
“Careful!” Seeing him about to get up, Zhang Qingyuan rushed to help him.
But Ren Zhong raised his hand, signaling for him to stop. “It’s fine, I can do it myself.”
He kicked off his slippers, letting his foot, wrapped in a brace, sink into the damp sand.
The sea breeze was strong, making his hair fly wildly. But he stood upright in the wind, like a tree rising from the earth.
He took a small step forward, but stumbled, barely managing to not fall by grabbing the support bar of the swing.
“Walking on sand is really different from walking on a floor…” Ren Zhong swayed from side to side like a drunk person, but he finally managed to sit on the swing.
Zhang Qingyuan was very surprised by the speed of Ren Zhong’s rehabilitation.
He also sat on the swing next to him, dangling his well-muscled legs.
“Zhang Qingyuan,” Ren Zhong said, looking up at the moon. “If an Alpha is powerful and strong, do people find it strange?”
He replied, “Of course not.”
“Then why do people feel ‘panic’ when they see an Omega who isn’t weak?” Ren Zhong closed his eyes in the moonlight.
Zhang Qingyuan’s mind buzzed. “Did you see the comments online?”
【Look at how skilled he is at hitting people. He must beat his husband at home. Whoever marries this Omega is incredibly unlucky.】
【Does this person have a tendency toward violence? Even if he’s subduing a suspect, there’s no need to throw scalding coffee at them. He’s so vicious.】
【Omegas who aren’t gentle are so scary. He’d never find a partner if not for the forced-matching marriage.】
【Abusive Omega man, may he die a terrible death.】
“It’s not that I wanted to see them,” Ren Zhong explained calmly. “Mi Li got into an argument with those foul-mouthed people online and cried when she couldn’t win. I didn’t take it seriously. Keyboard warriors are just living out their frustrations. Why should I care about that?”
He looked at the dark sea and said, “I’m not just thinking about my own little world. I’m thinking about how any Omega, as long as they show even a little bit of strength or intelligence, anything related to being powerful, they will be condemned.”
Having “strength” is considered a tendency toward violence, and having “intelligence” is seen as being cunning and manipulative.
In short, there is not a single good word to describe it.
“Isn’t that strange?” Ren Zhong even laughed. “I’ve been in the military for so many years, and everyone has always hoped that their comrades would be faster, higher, stronger, and smarter. Only enemies would wish you were weak and helpless, so they could knock you down with one punch.”
Zhang Qingyuan stopped his swing and thought quietly for a moment.
He looked at Ren Zhong’s clothes blowing in the sea breeze, watching the fabric cling to his body, outlining his strong, muscular physique.
So beautiful, so powerful, like a masterpiece of the creator.
It made him envious and feel embarrassed about his own small muscles.
Zhang Qingyuan looked away. “The rhetoric they often use is ‘inciting opposition.’ But in essence, they’ve already divided different genders into opposing camps in their hearts and use this mindset to understand the world. What they see in front of them is what they have in their hearts.”
“Do we need to be so sophisticated with those people?” Ren Zhong scoffed. “It’s just ‘a person with a nose full of sh1t will think everything stinks.'”
Zhang Qingyuan gave a half-roll of his eyes, careful of his image. “Shouldn’t Master Ren be more mindful of his words?”
“Why can’t I say the word ‘sh1t’? Does Scholar Zhang eat the essence of heaven and earth and not go to the bathroom?” Ren Zhong retorted.
They went back and forth a few times, putting aside their caution and reservations, and the atmosphere became relaxed.
Ren Zhong asked, “What’s the next step for your knock-off KFC and McDonald’s organization?”
About this, Zhang Qingyuan, who wanted to recruit him, did not hide anything.
“First, a public opinion war. We must get the majority of people to reach a consensus. If people don’t question the legitimacy of forced-matching marriage, then even if we take down the big data system, we won’t have truly ‘killed’ the marriage.”
When talking about this, Zhang Qingyuan’s eyes were filled with expectation and longing.
“The system can be rebuilt if it collapses. As long as matched marriage doesn’t cause nationwide resentment, anything we do is a temporary fix. Only when the collapse of matched marriage becomes the expectation of the majority, a ‘common goal,’ can we truly win.”
Ren Zhong didn’t offer a strong opinion or question Zhang Qingyuan’s grand plan and vision, just giving a noncommittal “mm.”
He said, “This organization probably has more Alpha women, Beta women, and Omegas, right? Why are you, a male Alpha, involved in this kind of activity? There aren’t many benefits for you…”
“I do things not just because of the ‘benefits.’ It’s because the matter is worthwhile and it’s something I can do with a clear conscience. Besides…”
Zhang Qingyuan’s gaze was fiery. “How do you know I won’t benefit? Isn’t ‘freedom’ the best benefit of all?”
He was very firm.
He was determined to have freedom.
“I can be single if I want to be single, and fall in love if I want to fall in love. I can like peach pink and baking and not be mocked for my Alpha status. I can dislike things like smoking and drinking, which are considered ‘very Alpha’…”
Zhang Qingyuan said each word clearly.
“Captain, I want the freedom to love and not to love.”
The waves surged, slapping his calves with a cold touch, but it also felt like a heavy, violent jolt to his heart.
Unknowingly, the tide was high and rising rapidly.
The tide had come in, and they watched the moon together in silence.
“From now on, don’t call me ‘Captain.’ It’s strange. Very few people in the military even call me that.” Ren Zhong turned his head and rubbed his face. “Just call me by my name.”
Zhang Qingyuan turned to look at him, his eyes curved with a smile.
“Then it’s Chong Chong.”
He said cheerfully, “Hello, Chong Chong. My name is Xiao Xin. When my mom first named me, she wanted to call me Zhang Qingxin, and with my sister, it would be ‘refreshing and talented, elegant and heroic.’ But…”
“Wait!” Ren Zhong suddenly thought of something and interrupted him. “The tide is so high now, my wheelchair…”
The two of them turned their heads at the same time.
Half of the small electric wheelchair was submerged in the seawater.
“If it shorts out, we’ll be in danger! The motor can’t get wet!” Zhang Qingyuan jumped off the swing and waded through the water to save the electric wheelchair.
After pulling the wheelchair out of the danger zone, he quickly rushed back and dragged the waterlogged Ren Zhong back to shore.
One of them was squatting, the other was kneeling, trying to turn on the little electric wheelchair in every way they could.
But the electric wheelchair didn’t seem to want to respond to the two idiots.
Ren Zhong, frustrated, pulled out a screwdriver and a circuit tester from the wheelchair’s storage box, trying to fix this uncooperative son.
Unfortunately, every field has its specialties.
The Captain could assemble and disassemble several firearms in thirty seconds, but he couldn’t fix a wheelchair.
CRACK!
He had even twisted off one of the wheel’s connecting bearings because he used too much force.
Ren Zhong: “…”
Zhang Qingyuan: “…”
They were both a mess in the sea breeze.
“Forget it, let’s not worry about the wheelchair for now. The wind is too strong, I’ll take you back first.”
Zhang Qingyuan turned his back and squatted down, looking at Ren Zhong.
“Come on, let’s go back to Gaolao Village.”
Ren Zhong cursed at him. “Get lost.”
But a person must bow to reality. His feet were not strong enough to get him back with dignity.
Thanks to the pheromone blockers, the Alpha’s pheromones wouldn’t send Ren Zhong into heat.
But his sense of smell and glands were not out of commission. He couldn’t possibly not smell the other person’s pheromones while clinging to Zhang Qingyuan’s back.
The blocking patch had been on for too long and was nearing its expiration. The scent of chamomile was particularly strong near the glands on his neck. Closing his eyes, he imagined a warm field of flowers.
“Can you carry me?” Ren Zhong was getting a little sleepy and asked with his eyes closed.
Zhang Qingyuan carefully shifted him higher on his back, trying to sound tough. “Of course I can carry you.”
The way back wasn’t a short distance, and even for Ren Zhong, it wouldn’t have been an easy march with a heavy load.
He didn’t expose Zhang Qingyuan’s small act of false bravado and vanity. Instead, he tightened his limbs, helping the other person conserve a little energy.
In the scent of chamomile, Ren Zhong fell asleep without realizing it.
That night, after settling the sleeping Captain, Zhang Qingyuan went back to retrieve the wheelchair…
The electric wheelchair had been stolen.