Kill The Marriage Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Entering the Game
Zhang Qingyuan grabbed a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead and ran to open the door.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Lawyer Mai… Mi Tong?”
He hadn’t checked the monitor when opening the door, only to discover that the person standing there was actually Mi Tong. Opening this door really had turned into a blind box experience.
Mi Tong was carrying a heavy bag in her hands, a gentle smile on her face.
“Mr. Zhang, this is some premium marbled beef I just bought. Slicing it for hot pot, pan-frying it as steak, or making teppanyaki would all be great. Thank you for lending me your kitchen last time.”
She wasn’t a guest with an appointment; just an enthusiastic neighbor dropping by to visit the house-husband next door after grocery shopping.
“Why are you dressed so thickly?” Mi Tong asked with concern.
Zhang Qingyuan casually spouted a lame excuse. “Ah, I’m inspecting the home’s air conditioning and cooling system.”
Perhaps because life at Shang Liwei’s house was smooth and comfortable, Mi Tong’s cheeks were a bit fuller, her complexion was much better, and her overall spirit and vitality had improved.
She said enthusiastically, “Sister Liwei’s kitchen is almost finished now. When will you and Captain Ren be free? We’d like to invite you both over for a light meal to celebrate Sister Liwei’s promotion and raise.”
“Promotion and raise?” Zhang Qingyuan’s hand paused as he accepted the beef, subconsciously repeating her words.
This clearly did not match the news he had just received from his sister.
“That’s right!” Mi Tong didn’t look like she was lying either. “She received a notice from her superiors for a meeting earlier. When she came home, she told me that her research funding had been approved and she had been promoted to Senior Researcher. Her salary and various hidden benefits will increase from now on.”
She spoke with such vivid detail, as if she genuinely had no idea that Shang Liwei had already been fired by the institute.
“Also, I’m really sorry for leaving in such a hurry last time. I think I left my earrings and ring here. Would it be convenient for me to look for them?”
In the middle of summer, Zhang Qingyuan couldn’t let a guest stand outside, so he had no choice but to invite her in. “Please wait in the living room for a moment. They’re in the guest bathroom, I’ll go get them for you.”
He poured Mi Tong a glass of lime water and swiftly hid in the first-floor guest bathroom. He took off his puffer jacket, wiped his sweat, took a breather, and pulled out an unscented suppressant, spraying it frantically to suppress the faint chamomile pheromone scent on his body.
…
Meanwhile, in the living room, Mi Tong opened the cushion compact she carried with her. The weather was too hot, causing her face to get oily, so she needed to touch up her makeup.
In the compact’s built-in makeup mirror, she saw a sneaky figure creeping down from the second floor.
The intruder wore a wrinkled, oversized hoodie printed with anime characters, with a pair of cat-ear headphones hanging around their neck. The person was moving with stealthy steps, using the furniture and decorations as cover.
Fact: There was only one house-husband in this home, Zhang Qingyuan, and the other homeowner was still confined to a wheelchair.
Deduction: This person must be a burglar!
Mi Tong didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, terrified of being held hostage by the criminal. Relying on her petite and inconspicuous frame, the moment the thief slipped into the kitchen, she pressed the door open in a flash and hid inside the first floor’s hidden storage space, trembling with fear.
The exterior of this large storage cabinet was almost indistinguishable from the wall, perfectly camouflaged in the living room while maximizing space utilization. It was the designer’s proudest touch. The last time she came over as a guest, Zhang Qingyuan had specifically shown it off to her.
Just as she wanted to tip off Zhang Qingyuan, she tragically realized that her phone, along with her purse, had been left behind on the living room sofa.
Mi Tong was caught between a rock and a hard place.
…
Outside the cabinet, in the open kitchen connected to the living room.
The young female Alpha, Zhang Junyi, was currently sneaking bites of frozen mini wontons.
As a freelancer, her schedule was incredibly irregular, and she often forgot to eat when she got busy. She had pulled an all-nighter again this time, surviving for two whole days purely on energy drinks. She was already ravenous to the point of seeing red.
Summoned by her older brother today, she had originally hoped to score a good meal. Who knew she would actually run into her huge nemesis, Lawyer Mai, and end up being banished upstairs by her brother to hide.
Poor girl was so hungry that she was dizzy, her vision blurred, and her legs were cramping. Waiting and suffering, she counted the time after the doorbell rang, guessing that her brother and Lawyer Mai had already gone to the study to talk and wouldn’t be out for a while. Only then did she dare run downstairs to secretly eat the leftover cold wontons from breakfast to satiate her hunger.
How could a single word “tragic” even begin to describe it!
Slurping down three or four wontons from the soup, she turned her head and, through the bright window, saw a familiar burgundy sedan parked outside the courtyard gate.
“Why does this car look so familiar? The license plate is… Holy sht! Holy sht! Help!”
That was Lawyer Mai’s car!
The young female Alpha surnamed Zhang plopped onto the floor, nearly shattering her perky butt into eight pieces. Hoping Lawyer Mai hadn’t spotted her yet, she quickly lowered her body, hugged the small pot of cooked wontons, and scrambled back up to the second floor on all fours, making thud-thud sounds.
There were still dried shrimp, seaweed, and shredded egg inside the small pot that couldn’t be wasted. Even when evading an enemy attack, one must remember to carry emergency rations to survive.
Her younger sister’s front foot had just sprinted upstairs when Lawyer Mai’s back foot pressed the doorbell.
…
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!
Having just freshened himself up and found Mi Tong’s jewelry in the guest bathroom, Zhang Qingyuan threw on his puffer jacket once again and ran to the door to the sound of the bell to let Lawyer Mai in.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Having sprayed too much suppressant, Zhang Qingyuan’s mind was groggy and uncomfortable, his eyes squinting slightly.
Lawyer Mai glanced at him and smelled the faint medicinal scent of suppressants. A guess formed in her mind, so she didn’t question his abnormal behavior of wearing a puffer jacket in the middle of summer.
Then, the meticulously observant Lawyer Mai immediately spotted the white ladies’ purse on the sofa. Her keen nose picked up the residual floral Omega pheromones clinging to it.
Her eyes darted back and forth between the purse and Zhang Qingyuan, and she said thoughtfully, “Zhang Qingyuan, are you keeping a female Omega as a mistress and having a secret rendezvous at home during your rut?”
“What?” Zhang Qingyuan’s head was full of question marks. “How is that possible?”
Lawyer Mai pushed up her glasses and crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you holding in your hand? Would it be convenient for me to take a look?”
He opened his hand. Lying in his palm were the earrings and ring Mi Tong had left behind last time.
“Why do you even have a proposal ring prepared for your mistress?” Lawyer Mai’s expression was incredibly dark. “If your Captain or the outside world finds out about you keeping a mistress, wouldn’t all our previous efforts and plans be ruined?”
Zhang Qingyuan quickly pressed an index finger to his lips, shushing her. He explained in a low voice, “It’s not what you think. These were left here by the female Omega from next door…”
“You’re even cheating with the neighbor’s Omega?” Lawyer Mai’s voice jumped two octaves. “Zhang Qingyuan, out of everyone you could have picked, you just had to mess around with Shang Liwei’s Omega? How are you supposed to build a trusting cooperative relationship with her in the future?”
Now he couldn’t wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
Zhang Qingyuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “What are you even talking about! Lawyer Mai, Ms. Mi Tong and I just have a normal neighborly relationship. There’s truly no illicit affair. Ms. Mi was just here as a guest, and now… wait, where did she go?”
Only then did he realize that Mi Tong was nowhere to be seen in the living room.
Suddenly, Lawyer Mai’s eyes widened as she looked out the window. “Why is Captain Ren back?”
Zhang Qingyuan turned his head to look and sure enough, he spotted the flashy electric wheelchair outside the window.
Ren Zhong’s medical records and hospital card were resting on the cabinet in the entryway. Most likely, Ren Zhong had realized he forgot them at home on his way to the hospital, which was why he rushed back to get them.
“It’s not appropriate for me to meet him at this time.” Lawyer Mai frowned deeply. “I’ll go hide upstairs for a bit.”
Zhang Qingyuan’s brain was already a chaotic puddle of mush, but he still used the last bit of his clarity to save his sister’s life, reminding Lawyer Mai, “Don’t go into my room.”
…
Second floor.
Lawyer Mai walked with light footsteps. She had originally intended to hide in the study, but she faintly heard noises from downstairs, sounding like Ren Zhong was heading to the study to grab some documents. Slamming on the brakes, she turned around and ducked into the nearest room.
However, as she turned her head, a face she had crossed paths with once before entered her line of sight.
Clatter!
The small pot of wonton soup slipped from his sister’s hands and smashed onto the floor.
…
“What was that noise upstairs?” Ren Zhong’s ears twitched, his eyes instantly locking onto the source of the sound.
Zhang Qingyuan hastily covered for it. “I probably didn’t store something properly, and it fell.”
He crouched beside the armrest of the wheelchair, looking up and speaking in a gentle tone, “Whatever documents you need, I’ll go get them for you.”
Multiple experiments had proven that this angle, this gaze, was the most effective way to soften Captain Ren’s heart.
Ding-dong!
Their doorbell rang yet again.
“Who is it?” Ren Zhong started his wheelchair and changed direction, spotting Shang Liwei’s face on the monitor.
He conveniently opened the door. “A rare visitor. What brings Dr. Shang here?”
“Don’t even mention it.” Shang Liwei waved her hand.
She didn’t treat herself as an outsider at all. Kicking off her shoes, she walked straight into the open kitchen, pulled open the refrigerator door, and grabbed a glass of iced milk to drink.
Placing a hand on her hip, she guzzled the milk with a glug-glug sound. Wiping her mouth, she said, “Zhongzhong, have you ever seen that TV drama plot where a guy loses his job but is afraid his family will find out, so he dresses up in a suit every day, leaves the house during work hours, and sits in the park feeding pigeons all day?”
“I don’t watch TV dramas, but I’ve heard of it.” Ren Zhong asked in confusion, “Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”
Shang Liwei sighed. “Through my practical research, I’ve discovered a plot hole in this scenario. In this season, the park in broad daylight is too scorching hot, and there are no pigeons to feed; you can only feed the mosquitoes.”
“The research institute pays you a million-dollar annual salary to research this?” Ren Zhong felt that his childhood friend had truly gone crazy from doing research.
Suddenly, his head snapped up, and with a burst of acceleration, his electric wheelchair charged over to the kitchen island.
“What happened to your job at the institute?”
Shang Liwei, however, maintained the serenity of someone who had seen through the vanity of the world. “I jumped ship. Finding another way out.”
“Jumped where?” Ren Zhong pressed.
She chuckled, “Hehe, the Parental Moochers Alliance.”
“Doesn’t that just mean you’re unemployed?!” Ren Zhong nearly stood up from his wheelchair.
She made a zipping-her-lips motion, whispering, “Keep your voice down, don’t let my wife find out. My daughter just started taking private ballet lessons with a top-tier dancer, this is exactly the time we need to spend money!”
Zhang Qingyuan turned back to look at the living room, but he could only see Mi Tong’s white ladies’ purse.
Meanwhile, inside the storage cabinet.
Mi Tong—who had missed her window to make an appearance and delayed it so much that it was now far too awkward to come out—had just learned everything she wasn’t supposed to know.
Translator’s Note:
- Jump into the Yellow River and not wash clean (跳進黃河洗不清 – Tiào jìn huáng hé xǐ bù qīng): A popular Chinese idiom meaning a person is wrongly accused and cannot clear their name no matter what they do.
- Parental Moocher (啃老族 – Kěn lǎo zú): Refers to adults who do not work and instead rely entirely on their parents for financial support (like NEETs).