The Yandere Queen's Manual for Training Her Wife - Chapter 18

Xia Mingtang woke up close to noon the next day.

She felt like she had a very long dream, filled with many forgotten scenes, yet one person’s face remained exceptionally clear: Qin Yan.

The thought of their intimate dream interactions made her uncomfortably rub her arms. No goosebumps appeared, but her hands were clammy with sweat.

She had slept as if she were in a sauna; now, her body and clothes were soaked and sticky, a very unpleasant feeling.

With no one else in the room, Xia Mingtang threw off the covers and headed to the bathroom to shower.

As the hot water streamed down her body, the blurred memories from her dream became sharp again.

[I’ve come… to punish you.]

[Where should I start? This part of you that’s not behaving, or this one, or… this one?]

[Open your eyes, I like it when you look at me like this.]

Oh my god, how could she have put those cringeworthy lines from the B-grade novels Shi Shi used to read on Boss Qin!

Xia Mingtang shook her head, eyes shut tight, trying to shake the memories away.

As if to distract herself, she scrubbed even harder. One hand moved down her body and touched something wet…

The sky was falling!

After her shower, Xia Mingtang felt like a scholar drained of his essence by a fox spirit. She slumped on the sofa, head drooping, sighing long and hard.

By noon, guests were either resting or out, leaving the second floor so quiet that her sighs were particularly audible.

The chime of her phone broke the hypnotic silence.

Xia Mingtang listlessly grabbed her phone to see a message from An Ran.

[I checked the number you gave me. The owner is a bar boss, and her social circle is simple. She shouldn’t have any connection to the Ji family. See attached.doc]

An Ran’s message rekindled Xia Mingtang’s almost forgotten sense of professional duty. She quickly typed a reply.

[Have you checked the people around her too? Are you sure the information is correct?]

An Ran was at her computer and replied instantly.

[Of course, we used the detective agency we always work with. If you’re still worried, just give me the numbers of the people she’s called, and I’ll have them checked as well.]

The person who called that number was Qin Yan.

Xia Mingtang thought about the past few days and started typing again after a moment.

[No need, thank you, senior sister. I’ll make it up to you when I get back.]

She put her phone down and sighed again: Maybe I was wrong from the start. It’s just a jade abacus, not a particularly valuable item. Maybe it really did just pass through a series of hands and ended up with Qin Yan.

Boss Qin, she… is a good person.

Xia Mingtang didn’t want to investigate any further. At first, she approached Qin Yan with ulterior motives, but Qin Yan had always treated her with genuine kindness.

This outcome was actually pretty good.

She felt she couldn’t cling to Qin Yan like this anymore, especially after having a dream like that last night. She didn’t know how she could face her now.

Decision made. She’d pack up and check out today.

“Checking out?”

Qin Yan had asked Yi Yi to prepare some warm porridge earlier and was about to go and knock on the door when the little fox cub appeared on her own, announcing that she was checking out.

“Yeah.” Xia Mingtang kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with Qin Yan. Unlike her usual open and chattering self, she seemed a bit guilty, her voice softer than usual.

“I’ve just finished tidying the room, Boss Qin, you can go and inspect it.”

According to the inn’s rules, she had paid a month’s rent upfront. Since this was her unilaterally breaking the agreement, she didn’t plan on asking for a refund.

Qin Yan looked at the little girl’s darting eyes and smiled.

“Boss Qin,” she had said, when she wanted to stay at the inn, calling her “Jie Jie” (older sister) every time.

Now that she was checking out, she was back to being “Boss Qin.”

“Alright, I’ll go inspect it now.” Qin Yan pushed the jade abacus aside and walked out from behind the counter.

Xia Mingtang looked up in disbelief: I was just being polite, and you’re actually going to inspect it? You were in my room yesterday, so you don’t trust me?

She felt a little displeased and a little wronged, biting her lip as she followed Qin Yan.

Qin Yan, however, seemed to ignore the little expressions on her face, grabbed the key, and headed for the second floor.

They arrived at the room together.

Truthfully, Xia Mingtang hadn’t been there for many days. Although she liked to leave things lying around, there wasn’t a huge amount to begin with.

After stuffing her belongings—what she could throw away and what she couldn’t—into a suitcase, there wasn’t much of her personal presence left in the room.

Qin Yan looked at the somewhat empty guest room and sneered inwardly: She’s really determined to check out.

Qin Yan didn’t say anything. She walked to the window and picked up a small potted plant sitting there.

Xia Mingtang had bought it when she arrived in Yun Town. It was still alive and well, but it was a shame to throw it away, and it was inconvenient to take it back with her.

Since entering the room, Xia Mingtang’s eyes had followed Qin Yan’s every move. Seeing her holding the plant, she explained.

“I bought it from the old lady on the next street. If you like it, Boss Qin, you can keep it. If not… just throw it away.”

There was that “Boss Qin” again.

Qin Yan held the pot, not saying whether she liked it or not, and spoke in her clear, gentle voice.

“Little Hua, why are you leaving in such a hurry this time? Is something wrong at home?”

When a guest wants to check out, the proper procedure is just to handle the paperwork; a boss doesn’t usually pry.

But Xia Mingtang felt guilty at the moment, so she answered whatever Qin Yan asked, “Yeah.”

Then she remembered the few relatives she had left and quickly changed her story, deliberately making the relationship more distant. “Not my family, it’s my classmate’s sister. She ran away from home to come to me, so I need to go back and take care of her.”

She saw Qin Yan raise an eyebrow, her expression unreadable, as if she didn’t quite believe it. In an instant, Xia Mingtang’s inner actress took over, and she made up a story on the spot.

“The little girl is quite pitiful. Her parents are getting a divorce, and they both only want the older sister, not the younger one. No one was taking care of her at home, so she left in her sadness. Such a small child, sigh~”

“Is that so?” Qin Yan finally responded. “And your classmate isn’t doing anything about it?”

“No, she’s not.” The lies flowed from Xia Mingtang’s tongue. “My classmate… she cut all ties with her family a long time ago.”

“Oh~” Qin Yan nodded thoughtfully. “Your classmate’s parents are getting a divorce, and they only want the older sister, not the younger, and the older sister already cut ties with the family. Is that right?”

Xia Mingtang: …

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