Killing Marriage [ABO] - Chapter 27

Chapter 27; An Embrace

Zhang Qingyuan came back to his senses and answered with a hint of doubt, “A stab to the stomach… would probably damage the internal organs, right?”

“Yes, it would go right through the guts. And if the blade came across horizontally, the spleen, kidneys, large intestine, and small intestine would all spill out, gushing from the wound,” Ren Zhong said, relaxing his fist and lightly flicking the other’s abdomen with the back of his fingers. “But what if this area was covered in a thick layer of fat?”

Zhang Qingyuan thought for a moment and seemed to understand what Ren Zhong was getting at.

“You mean, if the knife was a bit shorter or the force was a bit weaker, it might not even penetrate the fat layer on the abdomen, and it wouldn’t cause any substantial damage that would greatly reduce the person’s fighting ability. Is that right?”

Ren Zhong nodded. “Not only that, but the thick flesh on the back of the neck would protect the scent gland. A punch to an ordinary person’s scent gland would cause a pheromone disruption and make them collapse on the spot.”

He suddenly got up, and his long arm reached for the back of Zhang Qingyuan’s neck with lightning speed. A slight force was all it took to make Zhang Qingyuan fall into his arms.

“But my fat layer at the time was so thick that an enemy’s knife couldn’t even reach the scent gland.”

At that moment, Zhang Qingyuan, who had fallen into Ren Zhong’s embrace, also saw the knife scar on the back of his neck.

“So that’s where this scar came from,” Zhang Qingyuan muttered to himself.

He had seen this dangerous scar on Ren Zhong’s back the second time they were intimate. He was curious, but he didn’t want to bring up the other person’s painful past, so he hadn’t asked. He never expected to find out in this way today.

Ren Zhong helped Zhang Qingyuan sit up on the floor. “After I ate and trained with all my might and finally got a body like that, I understood why many Alpha men liked to use the word ‘tank’ to insult overweight Omegas.”

“Why?” Zhang Qingyuan asked.

Ren Zhong said meaningfully, “Because of fear. Because of a deep fear etched into their genes and instincts.”

“Tank” was an insult, but on another level, it was the most appropriate metaphor.

A body so thick it was like wearing a shield, and punches so heavy they were like artillery shells. You could never win a head-on confrontation with someone like that using explosive force. The heat and energy provided by fat were terrifying, and even trying to outlast them in a long battle wouldn’t work.

Zhang Qingyuan looked at the man in front of him, as if he could see the mountain-like physique Ren Zhong once had behind him.

This was a man at the top of the physical food chain, a beast among beasts.

Ren Zhong’s gaze was locked on him, giving Zhang Qingyuan the illusion of being prey. As the other person had said, he felt a shiver of primal instinct.

But a great predator often appears in the guise of prey.

After a shiver, Zhang Qingyuan relaxed.

He slowly leaned closer to Ren Zhong and said softly in a gentle, slow voice, “Then why didn’t you keep that physique?”

“Don’t even get me started,” Ren Zhong said, regretting that he was an Omega. “My body just can’t hold on to fat. If I get a little injured, sick, or miss a meal, I lose weight like crazy. One time, I was seriously injured, and after I recovered, I was as thin as a stick. All my hard work was for nothing.”

Zhang Qingyuan slowly raised his hand and gently stroked Ren Zhong’s temple and cheek. It was as if he were a lucky tourist who had met a celebrity animal at a wildlife park, unexpectedly getting a chance to get close to a beast, and was carefully showing his friendliness.

He said, “I just think you’re very hardworking, amazing, and you’ve gone through so much…”

He didn’t say the rest of the sentence, afraid it would make Ren Zhong uncomfortable.

—He felt a pang of heartache.

So, he wanted to soothe this man and give him a gentle sense of comfort.

The hand on his cheek surprised Ren Zhong, but what surprised him more was that he didn’t feel any rejection at all.

The sweet scent of chamomile made him feel calm, relaxed, and peaceful, allowing him to naturally accept this man’s repeated overstepping of boundaries without any resistance.

“I suddenly realized something,” Zhang Qingyuan said out of the blue.

Ren Zhong was patient and asked, “What is it?”

Unexpectedly, Zhang Qingyuan just smiled mysteriously. “It’s a secret.”

He was already very, very close to Ren Zhong. He reached out and gently gave the man in front of him a hug.

Now, Zhang Qingyuan understood why some people liked to keep predatory animals like tigers, lions, and leopards as pets.

A powerful creature with enviable strength, a perfect combination of power and beauty, the highest praise from the creator. It could leave all its enemies bruised and bloody. But as long as it loved you, it was just a big cat.

How could anyone possibly refuse? How could anyone not love it?

Zhang Qingyuan, of course, couldn’t.

He couldn’t refuse, and he couldn’t not love it.

Because of the hug, his chin rested gently on Ren Zhong’s shoulder, and his nose was closer to the scent gland than ever before. The scent gland, without a pheromone patch, gave off a refreshing sandalwood aroma.

Encouraged by the pheromones, Zhang Qingyuan dared to ask, “Can I touch the scar on your scent gland? Just lightly.”

Ren Zhong didn’t say anything.

He was a little dizzy. He blamed it on the delicate and sweet scent of chamomile, which was simply too intoxicating.

In reality, Ren Zhong had a secret that completely contradicted his appearance and personality.

And that was—he loved being held.

Due to his gender, the number of receptors on an Omega’s skin far exceeded that of Alpha and Beta men. This made Ren Zhong’s need for physical contact very strong and his reactions to skin-to-skin touch extremely sensitive.

An embrace would stimulate those receptors, causing him to secrete oxytocin and activating his dopamine, giving him feelings of safety, fullness, happiness, and relaxation.

Since leaving his parents to attend military school, it had been a very long time since anyone had given Ren Zhong such a long hug.

He couldn’t deny his instincts, just as he couldn’t deny hunger, pain, or the detestable estrus. He couldn’t deny his desire to be held gently, to feel safe and respected rather than met with hostility and contempt.

Besides, Zhang Qingyuan had the scent of chamomile that he loved.

When he didn’t get a response for a long time, Zhang Qingyuan had to give up, looking at the scar with a hint of disappointment.

The subtle change in pheromones made Ren Zhong aware of the Alpha’s little mood.

He patted Zhang Qingyuan’s back and said, “I’ve told you my story. What about you?”

Zhang Qingyuan’s body shifted slightly.

“I knew nothing about your job, your family, or your social circle, but I still listened to my ‘superior’ and the ‘system’ and married you without a second thought. I really had some nerve,” Ren Zhong said, laughing at himself for the absurdity of the situation.

He gently pushed Zhang Qingyuan away, but his hand remained on the other’s shoulder. He didn’t want this comforting moment to end; he just wanted to look this man in the eye.

“I’ve told you everything you wanted to know. How about you tell me the things I don’t know about you? That seems fair, doesn’t it?”

There was a hint of softness in his voice that wasn’t usually there.