Kill The Marriage Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Forced Marriage

Ren Zhong would never forget that day for the rest of his life.

Not only was it the first time he met his matched marriage partner, but it also marked exactly one month since they had been married.

The Alpha who had become his husband cleared his throat and said, “The Compulsory Marriage Matching Act stipulates that married couples have the obligation to consummate their marriage under the surveillance of big data AI smart cameras at least once a month. And it has already been thirty days since our marriage took effect.”

“In other words, before 11:59 PM tonight, we must fulfill this statutory obligation.”

Even though it was their very first meeting, they were about to star in an adult film together.

As for how this absurd situation came to be, things have to be traced back to two months ago.

…

Two months ago.

“Ren Zhong! You, you… you are going to be the death of me!”

The scorching sun was hot enough to roast the oil right out of a person’s skin.

At this moment, a middle-aged military officer was pointing at a man doing abdominal hip circles on the high bar, looking as if he wished he could poke the brat all the way back to his grandmother’s house with that single finger.

“Ren Zhong, if you have the guts, don’t come down from that bar! Keep spinning, don’t you dare come down!”

The commander’s voice boomed like a bell, echoing loudly enough for all the soldiers drilling on the training grounds to hear.

“Are you going to get married or not?!” The commander couldn’t hold back, spitting saliva as he roared.

But his scale of “sprinkling water” was far inferior to the one being scolded on the bar.

The young soldier on the bar wore a camouflage uniform, executing perfect abdominal hip circles one after another. His body was straight, his speed astonishing. The beads of sweat on his body were flung out by the centrifugal force of each rotation, smashing onto the ground like tiny steel pellets.

Suddenly, the spinning on the bar came to an abrupt halt.

A face flushed red from the rotations came into view. He possessed a healthy wheat-colored complexion. His brows were resolute, yet resting below them were a pair of silk-like, charming eyes. When cast downward, they resembled an elegant maiden from an ancient painting; but when snapped open to glare, they were as fierce as a wolf crinkling its snout.

Just as the commander thought he had run out of stamina and was finally going to yield…

“I’d rather die than get married!”

Good heavens, he spoke with absolute ironclad conviction, without even a tremor at the end of his sentence.

The commander was so furious his chest heaved up and down. It looked as if the bulging muscles of his shoulders, back, and arms were going to tear right through his uniform in the next second.

“Good, good, good!”

The commander gritted his teeth and spat out three “goods” in a row. Disregarding everything else, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to march over and teach this brat a lesson.

“Old Chen.”

A hand rested on the commander’s shoulder.

“Senior Colonel!” Regiment Commander Chen’s nose was practically crooked from anger. “This brat is too stubborn! Today, I absolutely have to properly…”

At this, the Senior Colonel raised a hand, signaling Commander Chen to say no more.

He stepped forward and looked up at the man continuing his abdominal hip circles on the high bar.

“Ren Zhong.”

“Here!”

The Senior Colonel’s voice was exceptionally mild—not too high in pitch, not too fast in speed. Among military men, it could definitely be considered unhurried.

“You clearly came back to recover from your injuries. Why aren’t you resting in bed properly instead of running out here under the glaring sun to spin on the bar?” The Senior Colonel’s tone was cordial, sounding just like an elder speaking to a junior in the family.

In the brief pause between his rotations, Ren Zhong replied, “The Commander told me to get married, I refused. So the Commander told me to spin ten thousand times.”

“Old Chen, this is where your methods are lacking. Little Ren just earned a Second-Class Merit and came back injured. No matter what, you shouldn’t torment a wounded soldier like this.”

Having delivered fifty metaphorical lashes to Commander Chen, it was time for Ren Zhong to receive the remaining fifty.

The Senior Colonel continued, “Marriage is a statutory obligation you must fulfill. If we strictly follow the Compulsory Marriage Matching Act, Omegas over sixteen must participate in the big data system’s compulsory marriage matching as soon as their glands mature. You should have been married a long time ago.”

“I am a soldier with missions to carry out. The delayed marriage application was already approved.” Ren Zhong’s tone wasn’t too aggressive either; since the other party was playing the “polite” card, he returned the favor.

Having said his piece, he resumed spinning on the bar.

“Little Ren, you’re already twenty-six. Your delay application passed its limit a long time ago.” The Senior Colonel remained very patient.

Ren Zhong paused, his arms trembling slightly. Having held on until now, his stamina was nearing its absolute limit. Yet, he still gripped the horizontal bar tightly without letting go, gritting his teeth as he said, “Then I’ll just submit a new application. I can still execute missions for the country.”

“Of course you can continue to dedicate yourself to the country,” the Senior Colonel followed his train of thought smoothly. “But you have to consider yourself, too. You’re not getting any younger, and you’re injured. It’s time to have someone take care of you.”

Unexpectedly, Ren Zhong completely rejected the goodwill.

“I don’t need it. My personal life has nothing to do with my superiors.”

How could Commander Chen tolerate his insubordination toward the Senior Colonel? He immediately pointed right at his nose and cursed, “Ren Zhong, stop giving me this unreasonable, sophistical nonsense!”

And Ren Zhong’s method of dealing with it was also extremely direct.

He resumed spinning on the bar, making it impossible for Commander Chen to clearly see where his nose was, let alone point at it accurately.

“You son of a b*tch!”

How could Commander Chen’s fiery temper endure this? Right then and there, he wanted to break this kid who still dared to show off.

“Old Chen.” The Senior Colonel restrained the furious Commander Chen.

He sighed. “Little Ren, I understand how you feel. You still want to serve the country, and you’re worried you won’t be able to adapt to life outside the military camp. You don’t want to get married and have kids just yet. But you have to understand us, too!”

Ren Zhong came to a sudden halt, looking down at the two commanding officers from his high vantage point.

“Little Ren, your delay application has been submitted three times already. Over the past ten years, just to get your applications approved, Old Chen has dragged his prosthetic leg around, calling in favors and pulling strings for you time and time again. Do you know how much pressure he took on for your sake? Do you have the heart to watch him get penalized because of you?”

The time to submit materials and applications for rank promotion was fast approaching.

Ren Zhong’s refusal to marry constituted a major disciplinary violation. This red light on his record would not only prevent him from being promoted to Captain as a Battalion Commander, but it would also destroy Commander Chen’s hopes of promotion due to “lax supervision of subordinates,” potentially leading to a penalty from higher-ups.

The Senior Colonel advised earnestly, “Little Ren, I know this is a bit of a moral guilt trip. But you can’t twist the arm of the law on this matter! You’re a soldier that Old Chen and I trained ourselves. How could we bear to see you go? But if you still refuse to marry, you won’t even be able to keep your military status!”

Hearing this, Ren Zhong stopped spinning.

He changed his posture, hooking his knees over the bar and clamping his calf and thigh muscles together, letting himself hang upside down.

It was as if doing so would allow blood to rush into his brain and stimulate his thinking.

Seeing this, the Senior Colonel knew he was feeling sorry for Commander Chen.

Ren Zhong valued relationships heavily; he was a man of deep loyalty and righteousness. Commander Chen had promoted him for years. He was a mentor, a close friend, and a comrade with whom he shared life-and-death bonds on the battlefield. Ren Zhong had always been willing to sacrifice himself for his comrades, willing to endure hardship and shoulder responsibility.

He couldn’t bear to see Old Chen, who had lost a leg for the country, end up unable to even secure a rank promotion, left with zero guarantees after retirement.

The Senior Colonel pressed his advantage.

“Our bounden duty as soldiers is to obey the orders of our superiors and protect the safety of the country and its people. Marriage is a compulsory, mandatory obligation. You can’t escape it.”

Ren Zhong remained silent, his hands folded behind his head, his face stony.

“Don’t worry, Little Ren. Neither of us old men would ever harm you.” The Senior Colonel looked at him almost as if looking at a son. “I know you’re brave and afraid of nothing. But we are afraid! What if you end up with the wrong person? Where am I going to find another soldier as good as you?”

He pressed his lips tightly together.

The Senior Colonel, however, saw that the situation was set. Little Ren was just an inch away from caving.

“We’ll pull some strings for you at the Allocation System Management Office. You’ve earned major merits, so they’ll definitely give you preferential treatment. You can pick from the best, most upstanding Alphas. Just go back, fill out the questionnaire carefully, and bring up any requirements you have. Old Chen and I will do everything in our power to satisfy them, okay?”

A minute later, Ren Zhong climbed down from the bar. Having just undergone foot surgery, he couldn’t stand properly and practically tumbled down.

“Good boy, hurry back and rest. You need to nurse those injuries properly. We can’t have you suffering from chronic ailments at such a young age.” The Senior Colonel immediately called for a stretcher to carry Ren Zhong away.

Ren Zhong twisted his body and rolled onto the stretcher, grumbling under his breath, “One minute I’m not getting any younger, the next I’m ‘at such a young age.’ Am I ‘old’ or ‘young’?”

“Sigh.” The Senior Colonel felt helpless. “You brat, never sparing anyone with your mouth!”

Watching Ren Zhong leave on the stretcher, the Senior Colonel let out a sigh.

“You too, Old Chen. At your age, you should know how to be a bit more steady. Little Ren’s temper is exactly like that—he responds to softness but not force, yet you insist on clashing with him head-on. He just finished surgery, the cartilage in both his ankles was removed, and he practically has to learn how to walk all over again. How could you bear to let him spin on the bar?”

Commander Chen let out an “Ouch,” feeling a bit regretful himself. “My fault, my fault. I was impulsive. Once that kid starts acting stubborn, I just can’t rein in my temper.”

“Forget it.” The Senior Colonel shook his head. “We can’t be careless when it comes to Little Ren’s lifelong happiness. Later, I’ll treat the people managing the big data allocation system to a meal and pick out a good Alpha for him. Preferably someone with a good personality, someone who can indulge his stubborn temper.”

Commander Chen smacked his lips, mulling it over. “Still, it shouldn’t be too hard. Little Ren is energetic, has a strong build, and is highly educated. Didn’t he give a televised speech right before his surgery? A quick search online shows nothing but praise for him.”

“Old Chen, you’re just biased toward him.” The Senior Colonel was utterly exasperated. “Let me tell you, don’t be too optimistic. The praise online is for a soldier, not a wife. Marriage isn’t the same as drilling fresh recruits. Who looks for a ‘strong build’ when searching for an Omega?”

Thinking of this, the Senior Colonel couldn’t help but shake his head.

“Old Chen, we’ve got quite the headache ahead of us.”

When it came to being forced into marriage, the iron-willed Ren Zhong finally surrendered.

However, this was merely the beginning of a series of bizarre events.