Killing Marriage [ABO] - Chapter 26

Chapter 26; Actors

“Uncle Ren, my mom said when it’s dinnertime, remember to come over and eat at our place,” Mi Li said, lying sprawled out on the sofa and setting up the TV’s screen mirroring.

This smart little kid didn’t come to his house for any other reason than the big TV and the game console.

“Please thank your mother for her kindness, but I can just order takeout,” Ren Zhong said, keeping a safe distance from the wild child on the other end of the sofa.

Kids this age shouldn’t be out of an adult’s sight for too long. To ensure Mi Li’s safety, he couldn’t take refuge in another room and had to make sure he could see her at all times.

“This isn’t just my mom’s kindness,” Mi Li said, reaching for two oranges from the fruit bowl and giving one to him. “Last night, Uncle Zhang specifically came over and gave our family some high-end ingredients and a cosmetic set, hoping my mom would make dinner for you.”

Zhang Qingyuan had calculated that he would order takeout for his meals and, worried that it might be unclean or unhealthy, had specially asked the neighbors to include him in their dinner plans. He was remarkably thoughtful and considerate.

Ren Zhong didn’t know what to say about this, feeling a mix of helplessness and a tiny bit of gratification.

They had been living together for some time now, and he was starting to get used to Zhang Qingyuan’s charming ways.

“He’s very meticulous,” Ren Zhong mumbled.

A generic pop song started playing. You could basically guess the next line from the first, and the overly color-graded visuals were blinding.

Ren Zhong had never in his wildest dreams thought that one day his TV would be playing such a low-budget, poorly made web drama.

“My mom says these are trashy shows and she won’t let me watch them,” Mi Li confessed without being asked.

Ren Zhong was too lazy to care, only asking, “Then why are you watching it?”

“I read the summary and ratings and knew it was bad. But everyone in my class is watching it, and if I don’t, I can’t join their conversations, and eventually, no one will talk to me,” Mi Li said logically. “I’ll just watch it at double or triple speed.”

At such a young age, she was already carrying such a heavy social burden. Ren Zhong didn’t know what to say.

The show had only been on for a little while before Mi Li was so embarrassed by the plot that she twisted herself into a pretzel on the sofa.

“I could write this cliché script myself.”

Mi Li spit the orange seeds into the trash can and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“It’s a standard schmaltzy drama: the domineering Alpha CEO and the ‘you’ve caught my attention’ Omega female lead. In these next few episodes, there’s definitely going to be a gentle, rich Beta second male lead who’s better than the first male lead in every way, but the female lead will still prefer the first guy.”

Ren Zhong was utterly baffled. “If you can guess the plot, why waste your time watching it? Just nod and say ‘right, right, right’ or make up stuff when you’re talking to them. Why spend time on this?”

“That’s why, Uncle Ren, you’re still too young,” Mi Li sighed. “The virtues of good shows are mostly similar, but bad shows are bad in their own unique ways. Who knows, maybe this second male lead will…”

She cut herself off and suddenly jumped up from the sofa. “Oh my goodness, the second male lead is Uncle Zhang?”

Seeing Ren Zhong still focused on his own business, Mi Li moved over and shook his shoulder.

“Look! The second male lead is Uncle Zhang!”

Annoyed, Ren Zhong had to look up at the screen.

It was an Alpha’s body with an Omega’s face, wearing a striped tie under a suit. He was driving a convertible and wearing leather shoes, the perfect image of a dashing, young gentleman.

If not for Zhang Qingyuan, who else could it be?

“It might just be an actor who looks a lot like him,” Ren Zhong said, staring at the screen. The character’s hairstyle and clothing style were very different from Zhang Qingyuan’s usual look, and he couldn’t be completely sure.

Mi Li quickly dragged the progress bar to the end credits, where it clearly stated that the actor playing the rich second male lead, a Beta, was named Zhang Qingyuan.

Ren Zhong was speechless.

Zhang Qingyuan, whose credit report had many zeros before the decimal point, Zhang Qingyuan, who lived a low-key life but demanded absolute quality… was he actually acting in this kind of schmaltzy, Mary Sue drama?!

Ren Zhong felt his worldview crumbling.

He knew about Zhang Qingyuan’s assets and debts, and he knew the other party provided financial support to KFM and also did some work related to public opinion guidance. Lawyer Mai had also mentioned that Zhang Qingyuan’s main job was closely related to public opinion.

Thinking about it carefully, a “traffic star” needs to manage a fan economy, maintain a good public image, and get astronomical pay for acting gigs… It fit perfectly.

“Are traffic stars that idle?” Ren Zhong asked, astonished.

What kind of celebrity spends all day cooking, doing laundry, arranging flowers, working out, and taking care of a disabled, retired soldier… being a househusband?

Mi Li leaned in and whispered, “Uncle Ren, is it possible that—Uncle Zhang is a bit of a flop and can’t get any roles, so he’s just idly picking at his feet at home?”

If Zhang Qingyuan had even a little bit of fame, they wouldn’t have just found out today that he was an actor.

“That actually makes a lot of sense,” Ren Zhong said, turning to look at the little prodigy who was about to turn eight. He thought to himself that this little one knew a lot for her age, and he shouldn’t underestimate her in the future.

He looked back at the screen at the rich second male lead played by Zhang Qingyuan.

He was a warm, gentle gentleman. The role wasn’t difficult to play, maybe just having a scene where the female lead walks in on him showering to show off his abs, back, and chest muscles. It was basically Zhang Qingyuan playing himself.

“He has a good build, looks handsome, and is photogenic. His acting isn’t bad either; he’s clearly better than the male and female leads. How could he be such a flop?” Ren Zhong wondered.

Mi Li looked up at the sky and said with a serious face, “Maybe becoming famous is a matter of luck?”

…

It was very late when Zhang Qingyuan got home. Usually, Ren Zhong would have already gone to bed by this time, but the light in the study was still on.

He hesitated, his heart struggling for a moment.

Should he go and check on him, or was it better not to disturb him?

After thinking about it, Zhang Qingyuan decided to knock and ask.

“Come in.”

The invitation from inside the room surprised Zhang Qingyuan.

Maybe it was because the sudden voice in the silence startled him, or maybe he had been secretly hoping and feeling a little excited. In any case, he felt something in his chest fluttering anxiously, but it also gave him a sense of small comfort.

Inside the study, Ren Zhong was sitting among a pile of books, looking like he had been attracted by one of them halfway through tidying up.

“Are you looking for something? I’ll make some space for you,” Ren Zhong said, closing the photo album in his hands and getting up.

Zhang Qingyuan quickly waved his hand. “No, I just thought you’d be resting by now, so I came to see if you needed any help.”

“Ah, no, I’m fine,” Ren Zhong explained. “Mi Li came over to play and rummaged through my things in the study. I found some old photo albums, and I lost track of time looking at them.”

Photos of Captain Ren… Zhang Qingyuan was genuinely curious.

The photo album closest to the door was open, and the photos inside showed a “bear” wearing a camouflage uniform.

He dared to pick up the album and asked, “Is this your comrade?”

The “bear” had thick fat mixed with large muscles, a bulky, strong man who would be invincible in a fight. The two open pages were full of photos of him wrestling another muscular man or carrying dozens of pounds of sandbags and hunting prey.

“Which one?” Ren Zhong craned his neck to look. “Oh, that’s me.”

Zhang Qingyuan was so shocked his mouth could fit a whole fist inside. “What?”

He carefully looked at the tall and lean Ren Zhong in front of him, then at the photos in his hand. He repeated this a few times before he could just barely find a tiny resemblance between their eyebrows and eyes.

But he still couldn’t convince himself.

“Is this really you?” Zhang Qingyuan was deeply shaken. “Then your weight loss was really successful…”

However, Ren Zhong shook his index finger at him.

“No, my weight gain was successful,” he said, taking the photo album. “It took a lot of effort to get a body like that.”

Zhang Qingyuan was even more confused. “Huh? You worked to look like that?!”

This was a blind spot in Zhang Qingyuan’s knowledge.

Ren Zhong patiently explained, “Although I don’t like to admit it, I am an Omega. My genes determined that my energy conversion efficiency is low, and I was skinny and could never get big. So going from a ‘skeleton’ to gaining muscle and fat to this extent was not easy.”

“Why did you need to gain so much weight?” Zhang Qingyuan wanted to know the reason behind it.

Ren Zhong said flatly, “Weight is power. The military tasks on the border are very difficult and highly dangerous. With a large size, I wouldn’t be easily subdued, and my chances of survival would increase.”

The severe cold of the northern border was unimaginable for ordinary people. Surviving and maintaining adequate combat power in such a harsh environment was a huge challenge for anyone.

“Do you know why many Russians and Mongolians have this kind of big, bear-like physique? Because without this body type, it’s very difficult to survive in such a brutal natural environment.”

Thick fat prevents the body from losing too much heat and provides energy, while strong muscles can drive the limbs to attack and unleash enormous power.

Zhang Qingyuan quickly understood. “So, a body that’s good at storing fat is the king of evolution.”

“Exactly,” Ren Zhong smiled faintly. “If you don’t have a firearm, you’d better run away when you see someone with a body like that. Don’t think your few pounds of muscle will do much good; you’ll be knocked down in no time.”

Zhang Qingyuan, hearing this, was not convinced. The handsome muscles he had worked so hard to get through a controlled diet and regular exercise were even more unconvinced.

“I don’t believe you,” Zhang Qingyuan said, tilting his head up and raising his handsome nose.

Suddenly, Ren Zhong closed the distance between them.

He clenched his hand into a fist, like a reverse-grip on a dagger, and lightly placed it on Zhang Qingyuan’s abs through his clothes.

“What’s your body fat percentage?” Ren Zhong asked.

Zhang Qingyuan answered, “Twelve percent.”

This was an excellent body fat percentage. His abs were clearly visible, and the contours of his shoulders and back were handsome and powerfully understated.

“If this were a dagger, and I stabbed you with it here, what would happen?” Ren Zhong looked up at Zhang Qingyuan’s face.

This perspective was a bit unfamiliar to Zhang Qingyuan.

Because of his aura and demeanor, even when Ren Zhong was in a wheelchair, he always looked very straight and tall, giving Zhang Qingyuan the illusion that Ren Zhong was taller than him.

But it was different now. He was standing, and Ren Zhong was sitting on the floor. He was looking down, watching Ren Zhong look up.

The scent of sandalwood pheromones wafted straight up into Zhang Qingyuan’s nose. Ren Zhong’s hand was very close, very close, pressing against his stomach through his clothes, and he could almost feel the throbbing of his surging bl00d.

His biological instincts gave him a contradictory feeling. It was as if he was superior and had the absolute advantage, but at the same time, it felt like he had already been defeated, with his soft chest and abdomen held in Ren Zhong’s hand.

“I’m asking you, if I were to stab you here, what would happen?” Ren Zhong lightly tapped him twice.