The Yandere Queen's Manual for Training Her Wife - Chapter 11

“It’s nothing.”

After saying that, Qin Yan turned and left without looking back.

Xia Mingtang looked at the usually gentle Boss Qin, who had changed her expression so quickly, and was completely puzzled. She tried to think, but her brain wasn’t cooperating.

She could only command her limbs to wash up first. Afterward, she sat on the bed in “deep thought.”

Her gaze fell on the small square table in the middle of the room, where a bowl of hot rice porridge was steaming. Without a second thought, she knew who had brought it.

So Boss Qin was here to bring me food?

She went over, picked up the bowl, and finished the porridge in no time.

The taste was light and refreshing, perfect for someone who had just woken up on an empty stomach.

As Xia Mingtang swallowed the last spoonful, she recalled Qin Yan’s cold expression as she left.

Qin Yan seemed angry just now. Did I cause her trouble yesterday?

The young lady Xia began to feel a belated pang of guilt. This faint guilt, spurred on by the delicious food, gave rise to a flicker of anxiety.

Xia Mingtang clutched her chest, feeling the slightly abnormal rhythm of her heart. She furrowed her brow and lamented to the heavens in her mind.

Oh, heavens, how long will this bridge effect last?

As for why Qin Yan was angry, even though Xia Mingtang considered herself extremely clever, she was still baffled.

She didn’t dare to approach Qin Yan directly right now. Just thinking about the way the woman had left made her feel inexplicably guilty.

She attributed this guilt to the after-effects of the bridge effect.

Since that was the case, to get some information, she could only go to Yang Fan.

Anyway, this Thirty-Six Strategies for Winning Love was written by Yang Fan, so she had a responsibility for after-sales service.

Xia Mingtang made her way to the inn’s courtyard. The sun was shining brightly today, and the guests were all sitting outside sunbathing. Even the big black cat didn’t run away immediately when it saw Xia Mingtang.

Everyone greeted Xia Mingtang in a friendly manner, but their occasional ambiguous, twinkling eyes always made it seem like there was more to their words.

Xia Mingtang was confused. She chatted with a few guests for a bit, then found an opportunity to seek out Yang Fan.

Before she could even ask, the other person preempted her. “Well, Xia Xiaohua, I really underestimated you before. I can’t believe you’re so proactive. You managed to win over Boss Qin in just a few days.”

Xia Mingtang: Huh?

How come I don’t know about this myself?

Seeing her stunned, Yang Fan nudged her with her elbow. “Don’t just stand there. Tell me, what did you do these past two days? Don’t forget the well-digger who helped you get water. Now that your wish has come true, don’t forget my material.”

What is all this?

Xia Mingtang knew she was the one who needed help, so she could only play along with Yang Fan’s words and seriously prevaricate. “These past two days, I’ve just been doing what’s written in your little booklet.”

With that, she showed Yang Fan the Thirty-Six Strategies for Winning Love in her hand.

“Tell me specifically which strategies you used and elaborate. These were all just theoretical before. This is the first time I’ve seen someone successfully put them into practice.” Yang Fan’s eyes were shining with excitement as she quickly flipped through the thirty-six strategies, observing Xia Mingtang’s reactions as she went.

What the hell? So I’m really your guinea pig!

Xia Mingtang rolled her eyes in her mind and, with great reluctance, pointed to “Strategy 11: Food Attack” in the table of contents.

Yang Fan looked at the booklet, then at Xia Mingtang, her expression a little hard to describe. “Let’s skip that one for now. What else?”

What else? What else is there?

Xia Mingtang was helpless. She pointed her finger down the table of contents, quickly ticking off “Strategy 2: Heroine Saves Beauty,” “Strategy 4: Bridge Effect,” and “Strategy 7: Displaying Charm.”

With each one she pointed to, Yang Fan’s confusion deepened. Eventually, she seemed to start doubting her own life.

When she first wrote this booklet, Yang Fan didn’t know Xia Mingtang very well. Later, as she got to know her better, she quickly realized that this guide might not be very suitable for Xia Mingtang.

“You even used the high-difficulty Strategies 2 and 4?”

Xia Mingtang met Yang Fan’s suspicious gaze. The image of the startled horse yesterday and Qin Yan’s filtered-like face flashed in her mind.

A few seconds later, she nodded firmly. “I used them all.”

This time, she didn’t wait for Yang Fan to ask and took the initiative to confess. “Actually, it was quite simple. We went riding yesterday, and the horse got spooked. There was a small accident. Luckily, we reacted quickly, and everything ended up okay. After that, I felt like things changed. So I came to ask, how long do the after-effects of this bridge effect usually last?”

Xia Mingtang’s explanation omitted the subjects and objects.

Yang Fan connected the dots and completed the pronouns. She gave Xia Mingtang a thumbs-up and sincerely praised her. “You really are a person who doesn’t show their true colors. No, it should be a good apprentice from a master!

“But when it comes to how long the after-effects of the bridge effect last, there’s no set time.

“It varies from person to person. It could be a few minutes, or it could be a few hours. This method can only act as a catalyst; it can’t directly bring about the final result.”

Xia Mingtang felt something was wrong when she heard this. “Only a few minutes or a few hours? Is there a longer duration?”

“Of course there are longer ones. The world is full of wonders.”

After saying that, Yang Fan glanced at Xia Mingtang with a hint of disdain. “What, you want to rely on this one trick to tie down Boss Qin for the rest of her life? Can’t you have some ambition? Actually, judging by Boss Qin’s demeanor, her feelings for you are probably not entirely due to the bridge effect.”

I don’t know if she has a bridge effect on me, but what if I’ve become dependent on the bridge effect she has on me?

Xia Mingtang sighed in her heart, knowing that Yang Fan probably couldn’t give her a good answer to this question, so she switched to a different topic.

“By the way, what happened after I got drunk yesterday? Did I cause any trouble for Boss Qin?”

Yang Fan thought to herself: It probably wasn’t as much trouble as when you were poisoned by the mushrooms a couple of days ago.

So she consoled her. “It was fine. You were just a little more lively and walked a little abstractly. It must have taken Boss Qin a lot of effort to help you back to your room.”

Is that so?

Xia Mingtang stroked her chin and thought seriously. “But she seemed a little cold this morning. She didn’t seem… very happy?”

Yang Fan shrugged. “Of course. Is it a happy thing to take care of a drunk person? It’s physically exhausting. Boss Qin was just acting a little cold; she didn’t scold you on the spot. That just shows she cares about you.”

“I see.” Xia Mingtang was enlightened. “So she’s not upset with me; she’s just a little tired. At a time like this, I should keep at it and try to cheer her up, right?”

Yang Fan looked very pleased. “What did I just say? A good apprentice from a master!”

Hongjue Temple is located on the summit of Mount Mei, five miles away from Yuntown. It is hidden among the clouds and mist. If not for a monk’s guidance, ordinary travelers would easily get lost here.

However, the temple never lacks incense because a group of regular patrons regularly comes here to make donations.

Qin Yan is one of these patrons.

At this moment, she was kneeling in front of the Buddha, eyes closed, devoutly tapping a wooden fish.

The temple was always quiet. Besides Qin Yan kneeling on the prayer mat, there was only a nun in a monk’s robe sitting at a table by the door, writing with her head down.

The mountain was serene, and the sporadic chirping of birds from the trees outside the temple, the tapping of the wooden fish, and the rustling of paper were all intertwined.

After one stick of incense, Qin Yan stopped her movements, opened her eyes, and got up. As was her custom, she lit three sticks of incense in front of the Buddha. Afterward, she noticed some dust on the altar, so she picked up a handkerchief and carefully wiped it.

She didn’t know if the monks in the temple were lazy on weekdays, but no matter how long she wiped at the small marks on the altar, she could never completely clean them.

“Amitabha. The dust on the altar can be wiped away with this cloth, but how should the dust in the benefactor’s heart be cleared?” The monk who had been writing at the door appeared beside Qin Yan at some point.

“Reverend Huiyin.” Qin Yan turned and bowed her head.

The nun with the dharma name Huiyin was around fifty or sixty years old and had a kind face. She stroked the prayer beads in her hand. “I hear that when Benefactor Qin worshiped the Buddha today, her mind was more unsettled than usual.”

“Reverend, you are wise.” Qin Yan put down the cloth. “To be honest, I came here today to retrieve something I left at the temple.”

Huiyin nodded with understanding. A moment later, she came back from the next room with a small box and handed it to Qin Yan. “It seems the benefactor no longer wishes to become a nun.”

The first time Qin Yan came to this temple, she had the idea of becoming a nun, but Huiyin did not shave her head.

[Benefactor, you are a person of the secular world. You should return to the secular world.]

At the time, Qin Yan was not convinced, but she couldn’t persuade Huiyin to change her mind. In the end, she left her personal jade pendant behind, allowing it to cultivate in the temple on her behalf, and vowed that one day she would make the temple accept her.

Qin Yan put her hands together and bowed to Huiyin. “The Reverend’s guidance was right. My heart is still full of dust, and I cannot yet escape the three realms of the secular world.”

Qin Yan left the temple with the jade pendant. On the way down the mountain, her phone rang.

She looked at the caller ID and answered. Her friend Xie An’s anxious and worried voice came from the other end. “A’yan, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. What’s wrong?” Qin Yan walked down the mountain path, her voice returning to its usual gentle and calm tone.

“It’s good that you’re okay.” The person on the other end let out a sigh of relief. “Your plans for the Ji family are progressing smoothly. Lately, Ji Yanming’s liquid assets have almost all been frozen. He’s now desperately trying to find out your whereabouts. I’m afraid he’ll go for broke and try to harm you once he knows you’re in Yuntown.”

Qin Yan nodded, then realized the other person couldn’t see her. Her tone was not overly emotional. “It’s not the first time he’s tried to kill me. Thank you for specially reminding me; I’ll be careful.”

“In any case, be careful with everything. If you need any help, just let me know.”

Xie An heard that Qin Yan was as calm as ever and believed in her abilities.

They had known each other for so many years. She still remembered when she first met Qin Yan, whose slender body was covered in scars. She couldn’t help but sigh.

“The way you wealthy families fight is too bloody. You’re supposed to be family, but you’re more ruthless than I am, a gangster?”

At the time, Qin Yan was leisurely toying with a pistol with one hand, and even the way she lifted her eyelids carried a hint of laziness. She said, “Don’t be so modest.”

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