Kill The Marriage Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Babysitting
“Once the police saw that I was an Alpha and a scientist, they were already inclined to believe me. Plus, that piece of dog sh*t laid his hands on Lili first. The surveillance video captured it clearly, leaving him no room to deny it.”
Shang Liwei sprawled out casually on the sofa, eating cake while recounting the events of that day like a storyteller.
At this moment, the four adults were sitting around the coffee table, using their second stomachs meant for desserts to consume the cake and snacks made by Zhang Qingyuan.
Ren Zhong asked, “In the surveillance footage, you and Mi Tong were sitting at two separate tables without any interaction from beginning to end. How did you prove your relationship?”
“That’s simple.” Shang Liwei’s inner drama queen possessed her, and she acted it out, “Officer, it’s very common among girls to have their bestie accompany them for moral support when meeting a matched partner. Tongtong wanted to personally reject her matched partner, so what’s wrong with me secretly protecting her?”
Coincidentally, Shang Liwei’s delayed marriage application was about to expire. If she didn’t take the initiative to marry, she would face compulsory matching.
Rather than marrying someone she had never met, didn’t know, and had no feelings for, it was better to help Mi Tong and her daughter. This also cleverly fulfilled Shang Liwei’s small goal of “doing one good deed a day.”
Mi Tong lowered her eyes, considerately helping Shang Liwei cut the cake and pour drinks. Every movement showed her genuine gratitude toward Shang Liwei.
Her cheeks were flushed, though it was hard to tell if she was drunk or simply shy. “That night, Sister Liwei took Lili and me in. I was even crying, saying I didn’t know what to do. Since my matched partner was like that, my future life after marriage would definitely be completely bleak.”
“At that time, Sister Liwei said…” She looked at Shang Liwei and smiled faintly.
Shang Liwei cleared her throat. “If a problem can be solved by breaking up, why drag it out until it requires a divorce?”
“Exactly.” Mi Tong looked at Shang Liwei with eyes full of admiration. “Just as Sister Liwei said, that man and I were only matched partners, not yet married. Just like a suggested retail price, a convenience store owner can choose not to accept the suggestion. I could, too.”
That night, Shang Liwei submitted Mi Tong’s information to the matching center, expressing a strong desire to match with her. Given that Shang Liwei’s job granted her preferential matching treatment, the system naturally prioritized her.
Just like that, the two successfully and logically entered into a flash marriage the very next day.
Zhang Qingyuan chimed in to show support, “Fate is truly something you can encounter but not seek. You two had the right time, the right place, and the right people all on your side.”
“Isn’t that the truth? Tongtong, Lili, and I are bound by destiny.” These words struck right at Shang Liwei’s heart. She beautifully embraced Mi Tong beside her and said smugly, “I woke up from a nap and not only did I have a wife, but I also got a big daughter as a bonus.”
At this moment, the “bonus big daughter” had one foot propped on the sofa armrest, imitating the classic scene from The Lion King. She held Shang Liwei’s ragdoll cat high in the air, providing a live soundtrack with her raw vocals.
“Naaants ingonyama bagithi baba!”
Elegance?
How could a seven-year-old elementary schooler possibly be elegant?
The “little swan” was merely the stage-limited edition of Mi Li; the brat was the unlimited daily release.
So what if she was pretty? No matter how pretty a kid was, they would still make funny faces, play in the mud, burp, fart, and roll around in dirt.
Amidst this warm and peaceful atmosphere, only Ren Zhong clearly knew exactly what kind of person his childhood friend was.
Shang Liwei, a superficial person obsessed with looks, was one hundred percent smitten by the top-tier beauty of Mi Tong and her daughter. Otherwise, she might have defended Mi Tong at the police station out of a sense of justice, but she absolutely would not have invited them to her home, let alone proposed marriage.
“Hakuna Matata!”
Under Mi Li’s singing, the little electric wheelchair continuously changed directions, running across the floor sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
Ren Zhong’s wheelchair had turned into the brat’s remote-controlled toy car. Holding the cat, the brat laughed, sang, and shouted on it, exceptionally happy.
“Lili, come down right now. Don’t break Uncle Ren’s wheelchair.” Mi Tong stood up to stop Mi Li.
However, Zhang Qingyuan took it upon himself to intercept her, hastily saying, “No need, no need, that wheelchair is very sturdy. It’s a child’s nature to be playful, let her have her fun. I’m sure Uncle Ren won’t object either, right—’Uncle Ren’?”
He even deliberately stressed the words “Uncle Ren.”
With words pushed to this point, could “Uncle Ren” possibly say no?
Being called “Uncle” for the first time in his life, Ren Zhong nodded stiffly.
Zhang Qingyuan beamed with joy, turning his head to “spread the rumor”: “Lili, your Uncle Ren says you can play with it however you like.”
“Thank you, Uncle Ren! Thank you, Uncle Zhang!” Mi Li was overjoyed, completely unaware that a single sentence from her had simultaneously wounded two young men.
A certain Uncle Zhang had dropped a rock on his own foot, his handsome face morphing into a meme-worthy expression.
Ren Zhong let out a soft snort of laughter through his nose.
It seemed he wasn’t the only one who minded the title.
“Ah, right,” Shang Liwei suddenly said. “Speaking of which, I need to ask you two for a favor.”
Ren Zhong had always been fiercely loyal and naturally wouldn’t shirk. “No problem. What do you need us to do?”
“Well, could you babysit for us tomorrow for a day?” Shang Liwei revealed a scheming smile of a successful plot.
Ren Zhong: “…”
Before he could even open his mouth to refuse, Shang Liwei immediately added, “A word spoken is past recalling! You just said ‘no problem’ a second ago!”
Due to the special nature of scientific research work, Mi Tong, as a family member, had to go to Shang Liwei’s workplace to sign confidentiality agreements and informed consent forms, as well as attend an information security education lecture for the families of researchers.
Because the matter was important, they both had to attend simultaneously and couldn’t look after Mi Li for the time being.
Shang Liwei raised three fingers to guarantee him, “It won’t be long, just one day. You only need to take care of her for one lunch. When we come back in the evening, I’ll treat you guys to lobster.”
“She was just harassed by that Beta man. Aren’t you worried that two men like us might harbor malicious intentions toward her?” Ren Zhong tried to use “avoiding suspicion” as an excuse.
Unexpectedly, Shang Liwei was incredibly at ease with them.
“Not at all.” She patted Ren Zhong’s shoulder. “You’re allergic to kids; you couldn’t bully Lili. Actually, I’m more worried about whether we’ll need to call an ambulance for you because you suffered a brain hemorrhage by the time we get back tonight.”
Zhang Qingyuan let out an incredibly unkind chuckle.
This laugh perfectly reminded Ren Zhong. He pointed his chin in Zhang Qingyuan’s direction and said, “Then you should at least keep your guard up against him! A friend’s husband is an acquaintance, but not necessarily a good person. He is an adult Alpha, what if…”
“Mr. Ren, I trust you will protect Lili.” Mi Tong looked seriously into his eyes. “You are a respectable soldier. I trust your character, and I trust the uniform you wear even more.”
With words spoken to this extent, Ren Zhong thoroughly lost any reason to refuse.
Translator’s Note:
- A word spoken is past recalling (一言既出，驷马难追): A Chinese idiom literally translating to “A word once spoken cannot be overtaken even by a team of four horses.” It means a promise must be kept.
- Lion King lyrics (拿～呀累呀，喇叭嘞吉娃娃！): The author brilliantly transliterated the opening Zulu lyrics of The Lion King (“Nants ingonyama bagithi baba”) into a hilarious Chinese phonetic equivalent that literally reads something like “Take~ ya tired ya, trumpet lei chihuahua!”