The Yandere Queen's Manual for Training Her Wife - Chapter 24

A tableful of small cakes had been “shared” cleanly between the two of them, and Qin Yan and Xia Mingtang were now strolling along the riverbank to aid digestion.

This spot was considered a local “must-see” in Yun Town, famous for its unique architectural style.

A few months ago, a travel blogger had filmed a video here. After the video went mildly viral online, it attracted quite a few tourists to come check it out.

Even on a weekday, small groups of young people could still be seen walking along the streets.

Xia Mingtang had a lively personality. She wasn’t particularly drawn to scenery; instead, she enjoyed observing people.

Different places brought out different sides of people. For example:

• At banquets, people always wore polite, artificial smiles;
• At the company, those who were flattering carried a hint of reluctance to get close;
• At school, top students seemed approachable in public, but privately they harbored some hidden intensity.

Here, the tourists’ smiles were far purer.

Perhaps later, back in the city—at a banquet, in the office, or at school—they might encounter the same people.

But at this moment, everyone seemed to have temporarily shed the burdens of urban life, existing only to enjoy a moment of freedom and ease.

Xia Mingtang’s gaze swept across the tourists, and her mood relaxed with it.

Originally, this trip to Yun Town was supposed to be a proper vacation for her.

She tried slowing her pace to fully take in her surroundings, and in doing so, she made an unusual discovery.

Why did over eighty percent of the people by the river hold hands by interlocking their fingers?

And nearly all were same-sex couples—is this a new trend?

Xia Mingtang, unable to contain her curiosity, quickened her pace to observe two young women walking hand in hand.

Sure enough, their fingers were tightly intertwined!

The two women had been walking peacefully, hand in hand, when they suddenly noticed someone intruding beside them. They glanced at her with mild surprise.

Qin Yan stepped forward, gently grasped Xia Mingtang’s restless hand, and offered an apologetic smile to the two women.

The women didn’t say anything and, increasing their pace, turned in another direction.

Xia Mingtang watched their retreating figures, then glanced at Qin Yan, her large eyes full of puzzlement.

Qin Yan picked up that small, delicate hand, separated the fingers one by one, and then interlaced her own five fingers with Xia Mingtang’s.

Seeing their hands now intertwined, palms pressed together, Xia Mingtang felt a new and strange sensation.

So holding hands could be such a ceremonious act?

“What’s this special ritual?” she tilted her head toward Qin Yan.

“It’s… a very special ritual.”

Qin Yan shook the hand pressed against hers and slowly walked along the river.

She didn’t tell the young girl beside her that the Spring River also had another name: Chunji River.

The two wandered along the river for over half an hour. The pampered young Miss Xia declared that the sun was making her dizzy and leaned against a pillar, whining.

Qin Yan glanced at the sun, half-hidden behind clouds, then at the fox-like girl who could barely stand, and decided it was best to return to the inn for a rest.

Upon arriving at the inn, the first thing they saw wasn’t Yi Yi, but little Black rolling at the door.

Xia Mingtang had wanted to pet this cat for a long time but had never caught the opportunity. Now…

She looked at the hand she hadn’t let go of since returning from the river. Heh, it was time to use Qin Yan to get to the black cat.

She tugged Qin Yan down to squat, ready to pet the cat using Qin Yan’s hand, when suddenly a snow-white cat darted from behind, faster than her, pinning little Black to the ground.

Black, lying on its back under the white cat, clutched its neck with its front paws and kicked its hind legs wildly.

The two cats bit and swatted at each other, yet remained entwined, unwilling to separate.

It didn’t look like a fight—it looked like flirting.

Even the slow-witted Xia Mingtang finally realized something was off. “Did you neuter Black?”

“Not yet. He just turned six months,” Qin Yan replied calmly, seemingly intrigued by the cats’ “friendly interaction.”

“You’re just going to watch them like that? Aren’t you afraid they’ll produce a kitten?” Xia Mingtang glanced at the cats, then at Qin Yan.

“If you mean these two, no. They’re both female.”

“You even check the cats’ genders, Qin Boss?” Xia Mingtang’s interest was piqued.

“Not deliberately. The local animals are just naturally drawn to me; after a while, we get familiar.”

Saying this, Qin Yan used her free hand to pat both Black and the white cat on the head.

Xia Mingtang pouted, annoyed that none of the cats here were as easy to pet.

Feeling mischievous, she pointed at Black tangled with the white cat. “I want to hold him. Help me bring him over.”

Qin Yan hesitated. “Now? Maybe not a good idea.”

Xia Mingtang was stubborn—she argued with both people and cats. She looked at Qin Yan, half whiny, half mischievous. “I want to do it now. Let me hold him, and I’ll stay in the same room with you.”

“Alright.” Qin Yan agreed without hesitation, lifting the white cat by the neck to separate it and holding Black’s front paw so Xia Mingtang could take him.

With Qin Yan’s assistance, Xia Mingtang finally held little Black comfortably.

Black: ?

A moment ago, he had been sharing affection with his girlfriend. Now, suddenly, he faced an annoying two-legged creature?

He meowed and tried to stretch his paw threateningly but, catching Qin Yan’s gentle gaze, silently withdrew.

Xia Mingtang happily petted Black, heading toward the stairs.

The white cat, seeing its “girlfriend” kidnapped, followed closely behind.

For the first time, Xia Mingtang experienced such treatment from a cat. She carried Black to the third-floor room, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Qin Yan, seeing the white cat follow all three floors and meowing incessantly, thought, What a nuisance, and turned away, pretending not to notice.

Using the key, she opened the door. Xia Mingtang entered with Black, sitting on the sofa, petting him while sending a challenging glance to the white cat.

The white cat, well-behaved, didn’t jump on the sofa. It sat at a distance, front paws together, gazing eagerly and occasionally meowing.

Xia Mingtang enjoyed the cat’s attention and finally decided to “show mercy.” She pointed at the white cat. “Why don’t you bring her up too?”

Qin Yan glanced at her silk cheongsam, hesitated for a second, then lifted the white cat to sit beside Xia Mingtang.

The cotton sofa sagged under the weight of two people. Xia Mingtang and Qin Yan pressed close together, giving the two cats a chance for close contact.

Black and white, two fluffy creatures like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl separated by the galaxy, stretched their necks toward each other.

Qin Yan quietly loosened her hold, giving the white cat some freedom to snuggle up to Black.

Xia Mingtang watched the cats cling together and then glanced at Qin Yan, feeling a complex mix of emotions.

Qin Yan seized the moment, leaning close to Xia Mingtang’s neck, her gentle breath tickling her.

Xia Mingtang couldn’t resist scratching her neck but was caught by Qin Yan. Their eyes met, neither look purely innocent.

No one knew who initiated it first, or who had feelings first.

The sweet, sticky tide of emotion swelled fiercely.

The fourth kiss, unlike the first which ended abruptly, the second which was wild and indulgent, or the third which was sweet and secretive, was different.

This time, it felt less spontaneous and more premeditated.

Soft met soft, vibrating in sync with their heartbeats.

The room was so quiet one could hear every heartbeat—one hurried, one chaotic, eventually merging into a single rhythm.

Their equally graceful bodies pressed infinitely close, tinting even the air with a romantic hue.

As for the two cats in their arms, they had already slipped away during the lovers’ entangled kiss.

Black and white fled, one after the other, fearing that the two-legged creatures inside might come after them. Before leaving, they used their bodies to block the door—bang!—and the worlds of different species were separated.

Qin Yan placed a hand on Xia Mingtang’s cheek, tracing from her delicate brows to her straight, elegant nose, about to deepen the kiss, when suddenly, she was forcefully pushed away.

“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!”

Xia Mingtang sneezed three times in a row, rubbing her nose, only to find a piece of white cat hair stuck.

She grabbed a tissue to dispose of it, then looked up to see Qin Yan’s sky-blue cheongsam covered in scattered cat hair—like a child’s doodle, chaotic yet vaguely patterned.

“Why is your dress so covered in hair?” Xia Mingtang said, reaching to pick some off.

Her fingers were delicate; picking three to five hairs at once was easy, but many still remained.

The thin silk fabric intensified the ticklish sensation as her fingers brushed over it.

Qin Yan’s gaze darkened as she glanced at Xia Mingtang’s fair neck.

The young girl, fond of beauty, even in winter preferred style over warmth. Her orange Hermes blouse barely covered half her collarbone, leaving a large expanse of skin exposed.

“Your clothes have hair too,” Qin Yan reminded softly.

“Then help me pick it off too.” Xia Mingtang, immersed in removing hair, hadn’t noticed Qin Yan’s subtle movements.

“Alright.” Qin Yan’s hand moved under the half-covered collarbone.

Xia Mingtang, originally focused on picking cat hair, suddenly felt as if little caterpillars were crawling on her neck, tickling intensely.

She shrank back, catching sight of Qin Yan’s jade-like hand moving around her collar, overly gentle in its motions.

She was about to scold Qin Yan for not helping properly, but Qin Yan, as if foreseeing it, held her hand up, showing several black cat hairs of varying lengths.

So the only one with impure intentions was herself.

Annoyed, she stood, patted her clothes. “I can’t finish this. I might as well take a bath.”

“Alright.” Today, Qin Yan seemed unusually agreeable.

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