Killing Marriage [ABO] - Chapter 29
Chapter 29; Perspective
“Brother, why are you ignoring me?” Zhang Junyi nudged her brother’s arm. “I’m talking to you!”
Zhang Qingyuan was driving and didn’t even look at her. “I think you should change your special ringtone for me.”
“Why would I change it? I recorded it for you after so much effort,” she pouted, clearly unhappy.
She leaned heavily back in her seat, turning her head to look out the window to show she was angry, waiting for her brother to appease her.
Suddenly, she realized something and shouted, “Holy crap!” and whipped her head back around.
Her eyes darted around her brother’s body, stopping at his suspicious shoulder. His shoulder, covered by his casual clothes, looked normal at first glance, but the strange twin intuition and empathy told her there was something fishy.
In a flash, Zhang Junyi reached out and quickly pulled open Zhang Qingyuan’s collar, revealing a bruised shoulder and back with the faint smell of medicinal ointment.
The car, which had been driving straight, was suddenly jolted, nearly swerving out of control in the middle of the road.
“Zhang Junyi, what are you doing? I’m driving!” Zhang Qingyuan was as angry as a woman who had just been molested. He straightened his collar and glared at her.
Unbeknownst to him, his sister’s mind was already filled with all sorts of colorful ideas.
She gave a lewd smile. “Let me recreate the scene! When I called you yesterday, you were actually sleeping with the Captain. You ignored his protests and answered my phone while you were… you know, and after you were done, you got your just deserts and he…”
“No! Get those dirty thoughts out of your head!” Zhang Qingyuan declared solemnly. “I would never do anything against his will, and he wouldn’t resort to violence to solve problems. It was just my own clumsiness.”
His sister looked at him with sympathy. “People who are abused always say they just bumped or fell.”
“He didn’t!” Zhang Qingyuan insisted on defending Ren Zhong’s innocence and had to truthfully recount the embarrassing situation from the night before. “I just wanted to hug him from behind without telling him first. His muscle memory kicked in, and he used a chokehold and an over-the-shoulder throw on me, thinking I was an enemy.”
Zhang Junyi burst into laughter, almost falling out of her seat.
Last night, after the phone call ruined the mood, they saw that it was getting late and tidied up the study before going back to their respective rooms to rest.
As he watched Ren Zhong walk toward the master bedroom, Zhang Qingyuan suddenly felt a strong sense of loneliness and loss. His instincts drove him to hug Ren Zhong from behind, wanting to secretly bury his nose in the back of the other’s neck to seek comfort from the sandalwood pheromones.
Then, Ren Zhong’s body, trained for years in the military, let go of his cane and, in one fluid motion, threw the completely unprepared Zhang Qingyuan to the ground.
The loud “thud” of a body hitting the floor shattered the last bit of romantic atmosphere they had that night.
“Next time you come from behind, say my name first. Otherwise, I can’t control it…” Ren Zhong said, feeling incredibly bad as he watched Zhang Qingyuan roll on the floor, clutching his sore shoulder.
However, Zhang Qingyuan had a blessing in disguise.
Last night, he lay face down on the bed and enjoyed a full back massage with medicated oil from Captain Ren.
Zhang Junyi couldn’t stand his smug expression and deliberately rolled down the car window to make a series of retching noises.
From the underground parking lot to the door of their family home, the two of them bickered nonstop.
“Mommy!” Zhang Junyi, using her hands and feet like a monkey, hung onto her Omega mother and made a preemptive accusation. “Zhang Qingyuan said I have a moral failing. Isn’t he so mean?”
Zhang Qiao, who also exercised regularly, was able to hold her large Alpha daughter. She patted Zhang Junyi’s head and said, “Your brother isn’t wrong. At least it wasn’t him who slept with someone else’s Omega.”
“Mommy! Little Heng and I are in true love!” Zhang Junyi complained, rubbing her big head against Zhang Qiao’s face.
Other than KFM, the siblings didn’t hide anything from Zhang Qiao.
When it came to vying for their mommy’s affection, Zhang Qingyuan wasn’t one to be trifled with.
He tickled his sister, making her laugh until she had no strength and slid off Zhang Qiao’s body, giving him the chance to take her place. He picked Zhang Qiao up and spun her around a few times.
“Alright, Xiao Xin, put me down!” Zhang Qiao patted his arm. “Have you gotten stronger recently?”
A poem says, “The fresh and clean Yuxinfu, the dashing and outstanding Baocanjun.”
The two mothers wanted to give the twins names that meant “fresh, clean, outstanding, and dashing.” They thought “Zhang Qingxin” sounded a little strange, so they kept “Xin” as a nickname and chose “Yuan,” which has the same radical as “Yi.”
The character “Yuan” means “first” or “primary,” and “Yi” is the last character of a four-character idiom that means “dashing and outstanding,” which in this context also means “two” in English, so the names were a perfect pair.
At the dinner table, the family, as usual, talked about anything and everything.
The Alpha mother, Wei Jiangling, had recently met a government official at a banquet and had gotten a lot of information. “I heard them say that because the birth rates haven’t been good in recent years, the original mandatory ‘one child in three years’ will soon become ‘two children in five years.'”
“The policy is tightening, and they’re really squeezing your generation… How can they do that?” Zhang Qiao sighed with a heavy heart and turned her attention to her married son. “Xiao Xin, how are things with you and Ren Zhong?”
Zhang Qingyuan thought about the medicated oil massage from last night and couldn’t help but smile. “Things are going great. He’s recovering quickly and should be able to throw away his cane soon.”
“Rehabilitation is good. But once he’s recovered, the monitoring center will rush you to have a baby,” Zhang Qiao said, looking worried.
Wei Jiangling was also concerned. “Xiao Xin, before you got married, our family could throw money to indefinitely postpone your mandatory marriage. But after you’re married, no amount of money will work; you can’t delay having a baby.”
Before the matching, the questionnaire and genetic testing included a health evaluation. As long as the matching system determined you could get married, there was no reason to delay the marriage monitoring center and birth policy. Even a sudden major illness couldn’t get you a “leave of absence” from this.
“The future trend is that every family will be required to have two children within five years. Are you really mentally and physically prepared to be a father?” Wei Jiangling asked. “Have you asked Ren Zhong how he feels about leaving the military to have a baby?”
Not just the two mothers, but even Zhang Junyi stopped eating when she heard this serious question.
Yet Zhang Qingyuan, the person at the center of all this, acted as if nothing was wrong. He continued to mix his rice with his chopsticks. As he ate, he said lightly, “I talked to him about it right after we got married. He won’t be having the baby; I’ll do it.”
The three women at the dinner table were stunned.
They knew about the technology that allowed male Alphas to get pregnant, but they never thought Zhang Qingyuan would be willing to undergo self-pregnancy.
“Let me be clear: before I told him, Ren Zhong didn’t even know male Alphas could get pregnant. He didn’t force me; I offered to do it,” Zhang Qingyuan quickly clarified for Ren Zhong, to prevent his mothers from misunderstanding him.
He then helped himself to two large shrimp. “I’ve already thought it through. I’m a twin myself, so having twins would be perfect. When the time comes that we absolutely have to have a baby, I’ll just have a ‘double yolk egg’ to meet the quota at once. It’s more convenient.”
Zhang Qiao’s face changed. She opened her mouth to say something, but only a sigh came out.
“Xiao Xin,” Zhang Qiao said, looking at him. “After dinner, let’s talk alone.”
Zhang Qingyuan was confident in his condition and casually nodded in agreement.
“Xiao Yi, you too,” Wei Jiangling said, glancing at her daughter. “We need to talk about your situation.”
Compared to her brother, Zhang Junyi’s expression was much more anxious and sorrowful about being called in for a talk. She could already guess that her mom’s topic would definitely be related to her hooking up with an Omega who was already matched with an Alpha.
Zhang Junyi could only open her mouth and eat as much as she could so she would have the strength to be scolded.
…
After dinner, Wei Jiangling dragged the reluctant Zhang Junyi, who wanted more dessert, into the study.
Zhang Qiao, on the other hand, took Zhang Qingyuan for a walk in the community garden.
“Mommy, do you want to share your experience and wisdom about having twins with me?” Zhang Qingyuan said with a smile, holding his mother’s arm.
Zhang Qiao closed her eyes and sighed. “Xiao Xin, you’re taking having a baby for granted.”
“Mommy, I know there are risks. I’m mentally prepared,” Zhang Qingyuan said, shaking her arm.
“But you don’t know just how big those risks are,” Zhang Qiao said, pushing him back. “Having one child is already dangerous enough, let alone twins. The risks of multiple pregnancies are not just a simple one plus one equals two.”
The risk of premature birth for mothers of twins is 7 to 10 times higher than for mothers of single babies, and the probability of fetal malformation is also 2 to 3 times higher. The risk of preeclampsia is 3 to 4 times higher.
“And you think it’s ‘killing two birds with one stone’? If I could have chosen not to have twins, I would have preferred to have you and Xiao Yi separately, and even a younger sibling for you two,” Zhang Qiao said, feeling angry, but looking at Zhang Qingyuan’s handsome and innocent face, she couldn’t stay angry.
Zhang Qingyuan hugged Zhang Qiao’s arm and said coquettishly, “Is Mommy saying having Xiao Xin was a burden? You don’t want Xiao Xin anymore?”
“Stop it. When did I say I didn’t want you?” Zhang Qiao flicked the boy’s forehead. “I’m saying that behind this so-called ‘convenience’ and ‘efficiency’ is the mother facing huge risks and many unexpected complications.”
Back then, Zhang Qiao had given birth at a public hospital.
With their financial status, they could have easily chosen a private hospital with a better environment and more comprehensive services. But after they found out Zhang Qiao was pregnant with twins, they decisively transferred to a public hospital for her prenatal checkups.
“If it were a single baby, I would have chosen a private hospital. But the risks with twins are too great. If something unexpected happened, a private hospital couldn’t handle it and would have to transfer me to a public hospital for emergency treatment. When it gets to that point, not a second can be wasted.”
While waiting in line at the public hospital, other pregnant women were extremely envious when they heard Zhang Qiao was having twins, smiling and saying what good fortune Zhang Qiao and Wei Jiangling had. In stark contrast was the doctor’s visibly serious expression.
For a doctor, taking care of and delivering a pregnant woman carrying twins was a huge responsibility.
The two women had long prepared for a premature birth, but they hadn’t expected Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junyi to come so early that they had to stay in the NICU incubator for 34 days before they could go home.
“The doctors and nurses at the hospital said that the incubator you were in was very expensive, millions of yuan each, nicknamed ‘the little BMW.’ Jiangling and I even joked that you two were born with golden spoons in your mouths, and you were living in a luxury car from the moment you were born.”
During her pregnancy, Zhang Qiao suffered from severe anemia and full-body edema. Her lumbar spine suffered permanent damage from the weight. After giving birth, her uterus didn’t contract properly, and she had a major hemorrhage and almost didn’t make it.
She nearly lost her life with all the complications before and during the birth, and things didn’t get any easier afterward. Even with Wei Jiangling’s full support and help from nannies and parents at home, Zhang Qiao still developed depression.
As for recovery, that was a long time later.
“My body and mind have never fully returned to their pre-pregnancy state. It’s not just about a thin waist or sagging br3asts; those are secondary. The most important thing is that my internal health was hollowed out. The illnesses are too obscure, too small, too numerous, and too complicated.”
Lochia, urinary incontinence, the vertical scar in the middle of her abdomen from the emergency C-section, breastfeeding, shallow sleep…
There was the temporary hardship, and then there was a lifetime of hidden pain.
“So, when you said ‘convenient,’ Xiao Xin, I got angry,” Zhang Qiao said, gritting her teeth and looking up at her son, who was now much taller than her. “I had to use a lot of strength to control my emotions so I wouldn’t lose my temper with my most beloved child.”
Even though Zhang Qingyuan was still holding his mother’s hand, he turned away and wiped his face.
Zhang Qiao and Wei Jiangling had never told him about these hardships.
“Mommy, I’m sorry,” Zhang Qingyuan said, his back trembling slightly.
Zhang Qiao gently patted his back, just like she used to when he was a baby.
“Xiao Xin, you don’t need to apologize. Your ignorance about this issue isn’t your fault. It’s Mommy and your other mom’s fault, and even society’s fault,” Zhang Qiao said, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and giving it to Zhang Qingyuan.
Zhang Qingyuan couldn’t hold back anymore, and a sob caught in his throat. “Mommy, don’t say that.”
Walking in front of Zhang Qingyuan, Zhang Qiao took the crumpled handkerchief from his hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
Her voice was soft. “Actually, I’ve been reflecting on myself.”
“I’m an Omega myself, but after having two Alphas… I ended up on the side of the Alphas. Because under the influence of hormones and society, I changed. I’m not just myself; I’m also a mother, and my children’s interests come before everything else.”
Zhang Qingyuan sniffled. “Why didn’t you and my other mom tell me before?”
“I’ve also been wondering why I felt you didn’t need to know these things,” Zhang Qiao said, cupping his face and gently wiping under his eyes with her thumb.
“Because I knew you were born with the privilege of being free from the pain of childbirth. You don’t even realize this privilege exists because you won’t ever be in that situation, whether in the past, present, or future.”
She looked at her son with a calm and loving gaze, while also rationally examining herself.
“I betrayed my fellow Omegas and concealed their real-life hardships. Perhaps I secretly hoped you could benefit from it without ever knowing or feeling guilty. It was only when you told me you were choosing to get pregnant that I panicked.”
Zhang Qiao gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Mommy is a selfish, despicable traitor, isn’t she?”
Zhang Qingyuan shook his head hard.
“Xiao Xin, can you tell me why you suddenly chose to accept a matched marriage and then decided to get pregnant?” Zhang Qiao asked him.
Zhang Qingyuan tilted his head back and wiped his face. The tears he had just dried up filled his eyes again in the night.
“The first time I saw Ren Zhong was in that speech that went viral. He was wearing a stiff military uniform, and his medals and the stars on his shoulder shone brightly under the studio lights…”
His shoulders and back were straight, his eyes were firm and bright, and he was magnificent and eloquent.
He said he was willing to be one of those who carried the burden and took on the mission so that the people of this land could live happy and worry-free lives.
He spoke of responsibility and ideals, of hardship and glory… It was a grounded romanticism and an idealism that refused to be worn down by the grinding reality.
“…At that time, I was just lying around on the bed doing nothing, wondering how to spend this long vacation in idleness. But even a lazy person like me, after seeing a person like that, would suddenly want to do something, something meaningful that could help others, something only I could do.”
From that moment on, Zhang Qingyuan went from just throwing money at KFM to actively participating in its operations.
Of course, he had to hide his involvement with KFM from Zhang Qiao. But other than that, everything he said was true.
“Through some channels, I found out that he had temporarily retired due to an injury and had entered the matching system. Getting married to him was a strategic consideration, but it was also my personal desire. I didn’t want to see his eyes lose their light, and I didn’t want to see him be forced to take off his military uniform.”
Tragedy is showing people something beautiful being torn to shreds.
Zhang Qingyuan didn’t want that. He wanted that person to always be beautiful and strong.
“My original plan was for us to definitely get a divorce within three years. By then, he would have enough time to recover and go back to the military, and I could continue to be free. But if something happens and we can’t separate, I will absolutely not let him have a baby.”
Large tears rolled from Zhang Qingyuan’s eyes.
“At first, I just respected and admired him. But now, I don’t want to be apart from him.”