Kill The Marriage Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Virtuous Wife

The day of the virtuous wife Alpha, Zhang Qingyuan, started extremely early.

【3:00 AM】

A loud bang jolted Zhang Qingyuan from his dreams. His heart rate spiked to a terrifying speed, thudding loudly as the blood vessels in his brain pulsed along. Alpha instincts prompted him to rapidly release pheromones for self-defense.

However, he didn’t detect any intruder’s pheromones in the air; he only caught Ren Zhong’s sandalwood scent, slightly denser than usual, drifting over from the direction of the gym.

The gym… That guy couldn’t be secretly working out, right?

Zhang Qingyuan sighed, unable to help but marvel internally that Captain Ren’s self-torturous discipline was truly terrifying.

He pushed open the door and, beneath the cold, pale moonlight, saw an unwilling, trapped beast.

The spine of that trapped beast, bent by fatigue and injury, heaved with an unyielding spirit. The taut muscles looked like an ice sculpture that had partially melted—its borders faintly blurred and subtle, lacking the full, robust strength of the past that could erupt with immense power at any moment.

The wheelchair had become that man’s tangible cage and shackles.

“Captain, did something happen?” Zhang Qingyuan lowered his posture, sitting on an exercise ball. Maintaining a level or even slightly lower line of sight could maximally reduce the other party’s defensiveness.

He asked, “Captain, are you worried about something, or feeling anxious about something? Can you tell me about it?”

However, this unhurried gentleness seemed to evoke a strong sense of displeasure in Ren Zhong.

The stubborn, arrogant beast before him struggled internally for a long time, ultimately spitting out a dejected sentence.

“You’re an Alpha, how could you possibly understand?” Ren Zhong slumped dejectedly against the backrest. “How many times have I wished I wasn’t an Omega… If only I wasn’t an Omega.”

He refused to allow himself to reveal such extreme vulnerability in front of an Alpha, turning his wheelchair toward the window, putting his back to Zhang Qingyuan.

“If I wasn’t an Omega, I wouldn’t be thought of as naturally belonging to the home, I wouldn’t be considered someone who can only do chores and bear children, devoid of societal value.”

Chewing over the phrase “devoid of value,” Zhang Qingyuan asked him, “Captain, do you think taking care of a family, which is what I am currently doing, has no value?”

Ren Zhong’s silhouette stiffened for a moment.

Clearly, he had only just realized that in their marriage, it was Zhang Qingyuan who was shouldering the task of “taking care of the family.”

“Captain, you hate discrimination and you hate being restricted in your career due to your Omega identity. Yet you naturally consider ‘housework’ and ‘childcare’ to be inferior, believing that matters outside the home are more valuable and noble. How is this not also a form of discrimination?”

Zhang Qingyuan didn’t shy away from meeting his gaze. His eyes held no sharp hostility or resentment; he simply watched quietly as the other man fell deep into thought.

“My dear Captain, the nobility of your work lies precisely in the fact that you can protect those of us who are ‘inferior’ to you, those who lack that much value. If you truly look down on the ‘weak’, then why do you fight with all your might to protect them?”

He casually pointed out the other’s self-contradiction, using a needle hidden in cotton to puncture the puffed-up Ren Zhong who had driven himself into a dead end.

“I know it has value.” Ren Zhong lifted his head. “If this were a proper job as a cleaner, caretaker, or maternity matron, the person performing the labor would receive compensation. It’s just that this value isn’t noticed or recognized.”

Deflated, Ren Zhong thought for a while, his tense body gradually relaxing and sinking into the soft electric wheelchair.

“As for me, I just don’t want to be thought of… as only having value in this aspect.”

Saying this, Ren Zhong lowered his head.

Zhang Qingyuan saw the hair whorls on the top of his head; there were four of them. Superstitious elders always believed such people were born rebellious.

But he knew that what sat before him was merely a wounded, gentle beast.

“Captain, it’s very late. Tomorrow… or rather, today, you have to go to physical therapy. Before that, shouldn’t you consider getting a good sleep so you can take the first step toward recovery full of energy?”

He walked behind the wheelchair, pushing Ren Zhong back to the door of the master bedroom.

“Good night, Captain.”

The rest of the tasks didn’t require his help, nor would Ren Zhong allow him to help.

Zhang Qingyuan returned to his own guest bedroom, checking the time on his phone under the warm glow of the nightlight.

Not bad, he could still sleep for another two hours.

【6:30 AM】

Zhang Qingyuan turned off his alarm.

He went into the bathroom, showered, shaved, blew-dry his hair, styled it, applied a pheromone-blocking patch, and rubbed on face cream and sunscreen, concluding the morning routine of a refined Alpha.

The kitchen downstairs awaited his awakening.

Changing into dark, stain-resistant clothes and tying his apron, he was ready to scuttle sideways between the stove and the refrigerator.

Today his Captain was going to physical therapy for the first time, and he might need some encouragement.

Therefore, he needed to put some extra effort into breakfast.

【10:00 AM】

Zhang Qingyuan and Mi Tong met up to go grocery shopping. The robot vacuum cleaner at home started on schedule.

They returned home laden with ingredients, working at top speed to prepare the lunch that needed to be delivered to Mi Li’s school.

“I’m truly so sorry.” Mi Tong was somewhat nervous, looking absolutely terrified of inconveniencing others. “If it weren’t for the fact that Sister Liwei’s kitchen truly can’t be used for cooking, I really wouldn’t impose on you like this.”

The research institute provided meals, and Shang Liwei was lazy. She hadn’t even installed a stove in her house. The only thing that could be considered kitchenware was an electric kettle for boiling water and making instant noodles. That, along with a pair of chopsticks, was enough to satisfy all of Shang Liwei’s survival needs.

It was certainly tough on Mi Tong.

Cooking the meal and delivering it to the elementary school left their timeline a bit tight, but for Mi Tong, who had seven years of experience as a housewife, it wasn’t a difficult task.

She completed the meal prep with an efficiency and quality that amazed Zhang Qingyuan, multitasking by using two pots simultaneously while still freeing up her mouth to chat with him.

【2:00 PM】

Mi Tong asked Zhang Qingyuan for advice on making desserts. The two stirred dough while watching TV.

At this time, a romance variety show was playing on the TV.

“I still remember when the ‘Nation’s First Love’ got married, all the Alphas and Betas were wailing and howling online. To think ten years have passed, and the couple is still so sweet on variety shows. It makes me believe in marriage again.”

Thinking of her own disastrously ended first marriage and the Beta man she had been matched with, Mi Tong couldn’t stop her envy.

But Zhang Qingyuan didn’t agree with her as he had before.

“Believing in marriage. Do you mean believing that getting married makes people happy?” Zhang Qingyuan shook his head, kneading the cookie dough. “A happy marriage is just two people who were already happy happening to get married. Even if they didn’t get married, they would still be like this.”

His knife fell swiftly, slicing the dough into pieces. “What’s even more ironic is that many people who were originally happy become miserable precisely because of marriage. Like you.”

Mi Tong lowered her head, stir-frying the food in the pan, falling silent.

After a long while, she sighed softly, “But what else can I do? Even though the divorce turned out like that, I still inevitably have to interact with him. A child can’t grow up without a father, without a father’s love…”

Zhang Qingyuan didn’t answer her directly, simply changing the channel from the romance variety show to a news program.

“…A Beta wife fell ill, and her Alpha husband claimed he trusted folk remedies, brewing her medicine using oleander, resulting in his wife’s death from poisoning. The man wept bitterly, expressing deep remorse…”

The man’s heart-wrenching wails echoed from the TV, tearfully claiming he might as well die with his wife.

“However, merely a month later, this man married a new Omega wife…”

Zhang Qingyuan remarked seemingly casually, “Married again after just a month? That Omega sure is bold, daring to marry a man who is clearly suspected of poisoning and murdering his ex-wife.”

Just this seemingly unintentional sentence caused Mi Tong to freeze.

She had always believed that her ex-husband divorced her because she failed to keep their second child, who was a Beta. Yet on the exact same day they divorced, her ex-husband had married an Omega male.

She also recalled that in the period before her miscarriage, her ex-husband had suddenly become very attentive, cooking meals for her. Although the food tasted bitter and astringent, a bit weird, she had still been very moved…

These terrifying details were like an icy snake slithering up her spine, sinking its fangs into her brain.

Mi Tong’s legs gave out, swaying as she was about to collapse, but Zhang Qingyuan caught her firmly.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Qingyuan’s strong arms gently helped her sit down.

Mi Tong snapped out of it, hurriedly murmuring a few “It’s nothing.” She claimed she was feeling unwell and hastily fled Captain Ren’s house.

What she didn’t know was that behind the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sheer curtains were gently lifted by an elegant, fair hand. A pair of eyes silently watched her fleeing back.

Gazing at Mi Tong rushing home outside the window, Zhang Qingyuan murmured, “I hope Ms. Mi can understand that a bottle of medicine only expires once, but a person can disappoint you countless times.”

His phone rang, and he calmly answered it.

“Hello, the recording of that news broadcast should have taken effect. Hopefully, it will influence Shang Liwei somewhat.”

Saying this, he walked up to the window.

“Marriage partner? I truly have to thank him properly. Having a military marriage background, although it comes with many restrictions, is ultimately beneficial to our operation.”

“But he’s still in physical therapy and will be back in about an hour. He didn’t want me to pick him up or drop him off, preferring to travel in his electric wheelchair himself.”

“I also hope the Captain can trust me as soon as possible. We harbor no malice to begin with, and essentially, this is also beneficial for him… He will join us one day, but not right now.”

A virtuous wife?

That might not necessarily be the case.