The Yandere Queen's Manual for Training Her Wife - Chapter 26

Xia Mingtang picked up the piece of cloth and looked at it over and over. Tsk tsk tsk, never judge a book by its cover. She never expected that Boss Qin, who usually looked so refined and restrained, secretly had such a playful, teasing side.

And now, these teasing pants were going to be worn by her.

Xia Mingtang took a deep breath and looked up at Qin Yan.

“There’s only this one new pair,” Qin Yan said, as if she knew what Xia Mingtang was thinking before she even spoke.

Xia Mingtang wanted to ask Qin Yan to bring her suitcase, but then thought that opening it while naked would be even more ridiculous.

She took another deep breath, glancing at Qin Yan with a frown, “What are you standing there for? Are you planning to help me put them on?”

“If you don’t mind,” Qin Yan replied, gentle and mild as ever, though her actions didn’t quite match her refined image.

“I mind,” Xia Mingtang said, pointing to the open bedroom door, “Go out.”

Qin Yan gave her a long look, said nothing, and left with a bowl in her hands.

Xia Mingtang watched her retreating figure and breathed a sigh of relief.

Even back when they weren’t very familiar, she had dared to change clothes in front of Qin Yan without hesitation.

Now, after they had shared the most intimate contact, seen and done everything, being completely exposed still felt strange.

This affair had come on suddenly, but it had been her own willing choice.

Qin Yan, although a little demanding during the act, was overall… not bad.

Rolling together with reckless abandon back then, she had enjoyed it.

But now, thinking back, it seemed a bit troublesome.

Xia Mingtang wasn’t particularly conservative; she simply hadn’t had any relationships over the years, mainly because her standards were too high.

But Qin Yan’s looks and temperament were first-class, and… even that part… was talented.

Enjoying the physical intimacy with someone like her was, in fact, a blessing.

However, her original reason for staying at the inn and interacting with Qin Yan hadn’t been simple. Later, when she realized she wanted to leave, she was inexplicably pulled back.

So what was her relationship with Qin Yan now?

Inn owner and tenant?

Qin Yan hadn’t even collected her rent, and they were sharing a room.

Good friends?

Their way of interacting didn’t feel quite like normal friends either.

Lovers?

She could immediately discard that option. Love was so troublesome and draining; she absolutely didn’t want it.

Besides, they had never talked about romance. They had kissed and… more, directly. It felt more like casual friends with benefits.

If it were truly a fleeting romance, that would be fine—a brief encounter, each getting what they wanted, then parting ways.

But Qin Yan clearly held a special place in her heart, though she couldn’t articulate exactly why.

The thought of parting with her now felt surprisingly difficult.

Ahhh! Why does simply making love bring so many complicated thoughts?!

Xia Mingtang, not naturally inclined to overthink, slapped her head in frustration. Honestly, she felt a bit regretful.

People really shouldn’t create difficult problems for themselves due to momentary indulgence.

She changed into a little fox pajamas and lay on the bed sighing for a while, until Qin Yan came knocking again.

Seeing that infuriating person, Xia Mingtang glared.

Qin Yan, however, seemed oblivious to her irritation and smiled warmly. “I made bibimbap and shrimp dumplings. Want some?”

Eat, eat, eat, eat! She knew she was trying to tempt her with food, but Xia Mingtang wasn’t a pig.

Huffing, she got up, “Of course I want some.”

After rinsing her mouth, Xia Mingtang went to the living room. Qin Yan had already set the food on the table.

The shrimp dumplings were plump with thin skin, arranged in a flower shape around the plate, with a green scallion as garnish.

The black granite pot held a generous portion of rice, divided into six colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple—with a soft-boiled egg in the center.

Having just finished porridge, Xia Mingtang felt a bit hungry again at the aroma.

She first picked a shrimp dumpling, dipped it in some sauce, and chewed it quickly but delicately.

Qin Yan was eating too, but her gaze constantly lingered on Xia Mingtang.

Xia Mingtang squinted, refusing to speak, so as not to puff up her pride.

One dumpling down, she was satisfied, but to avoid seeming too eager, she turned her attention to the bibimbap.

She didn’t touch the egg in the center yet, instead scooping together the peas and mushrooms.

A mouthful revealed the peas’ freshness and sweetness and the mushrooms’ tender flavor.

Xia Mingtang remained silent, but her unguarded expression was the highest praise.

The Xia family had employed many top chefs over the years, and Xia Mingtang considered herself picky.

Yet none of those chefs had delighted her as much as Qin Yan did, down to the smallest details.

For example, the mushrooms were cut into convenient sections, making them easy to eat without ruining their shape.

These tiny touches really pleased her.

During her stay at the inn, Xia Mingtang often thought Qin Yan didn’t seem like a serious inn owner, which initially made her suspicious.

Now, she realized Qin Yan ran the inn professionally. A Cantonese dish here, a Korean dish there—she executed them at the level of a native chef, which most people couldn’t achieve.

A skilled person might be less attentive to management, which explained Qin Yan’s approach.

Thinking this way, Xia Mingtang felt it made sense. Qin Yan was just an ordinary inn owner—beautiful, unique, with particular tastes, a calm disposition, and connections… otherwise, not much different.

Since she would leave town eventually, why not enjoy her vacation while she could?

Overthinking was simply self-torment.

By the time Xia Mingtang finished two bites, she had convinced herself and began openly praising Qin Yan’s cooking.

Seeing her pleased, Qin Yan thought the little fox had calmed down and decided to engage her in conversation. “Delicious?”

“Not bad.” Xia Mingtang took another bite of corn, giving a fair assessment under Qin Yan’s expectant gaze.

“Then, since I did such a great job, can I get a reward?” Qin Yan’s eyes twinkled, full of affection.

Xia Mingtang lowered her head, stuffing a couple more bites into her mouth. I clearly said ‘not bad,’ why does it turn into ‘so great’? Boss Qin is so vain.

She deliberately stayed silent, focusing on the food.

Soon, the plate of shrimp dumplings and the pot of bibimbap were both empty.

Throughout, Qin Yan barely ate, only staring at her intensely, as if she could fuse her eyes into Xia Mingtang.

Seeing this, Xia Mingtang realized that if she didn’t respond, Qin Yan would stare forever.

She wiped her mouth with a napkin and asked the previous question, “What reward do you want?”

Qin Yan saw her relent and moved her chair closer, lifting her cotton sleeve and teasingly running her fingers along Xia Mingtang’s delicate wrist. “You’re full, but I’m not yet.”

“Then eat!” Xia Mingtang gestured toward the remaining bibimbap.

Qin Yan’s fingers slid up her slender arm but didn’t advance further, tracing randomly.

Xia Mingtang felt ticklish and tried to pull away, but Qin Yan grabbed her, causing her to topple onto Qin Yan’s lap.

Small kisses followed, her jade-like fingers teasing the partially hidden skin beneath the fox pajamas.

The two, recently acquainted with intimacy, still retained an instinctive rhythm with each other.

Outside, the rain intensified, and a thunderclap interrupted the rising tension.

Xia Mingtang placed her hand on Qin Yan’s shoulder, trying to steady herself, her eyes misty from the sudden loss of control.

Qin Yan remained refined, but the redness at the corners of her eyes betrayed her inner storm.

Xia Mingtang looked at her, noting the contrast between her composed exterior and hidden passion.

A few days ago, who could have imagined that the gentle, elegant Boss Qin had this side?

Xia Mingtang slid a hand to Qin Yan’s neck, pinching a soft spot.

“I think your surname suits you, Qin. Have you considered changing your name?”

“What would you rename me?” Qin Yan sat upright, holding Xia Mingtang’s waist to keep her from sliding off, casually doing other things with her free hand.

Xia Mingtang struggled to sit up, then gave up and leaned into Qin Yan’s palm. “Qin Shou—how’s that?”

“Shou?” Qin Yan’s hand slid deeper along her sleeve, a mischievous smile on her face. “I’m afraid the one who suffers is someone else.”

Xia Mingtang almost lost control.

Seeing Qin Yan’s teasing, her competitive spirit flared. Suffer who? This little lady was just being lazy before. Don’t think I’m a harmless Hello Kitty!

She grabbed Qin Yan’s pajama collar and tried to pull her in, looking like a domineering bully.

Qin Yan tilted her body, matching Xia Mingtang’s force.

Rarely seeing the usually authoritative Boss Qin so compliant, Xia Mingtang grew bold, ripping open the pajama collar to reach the partially exposed collarbone.

“Mmm~”

A barely audible sound softened her bite.

Xia Mingtang’s intention to discipline her waned; she couldn’t bring herself to bite hard.

Qin Yan had a captivating natural scent. Xia Mingtang had assumed it was perfume until their recent intimate encounter. She now realized it was her natural scent—subtle, herbal, and slightly sweet, reminiscent of calendula.

She inhaled the scent and, finding it faint, flicked her tongue against it.

Qin Yan tightened her hold on Xia Mingtang’s waist, giving her a satisfying reaction. Xia Mingtang prepared to continue her advances when the phone on the table rang unexpectedly.

Neither wanted to answer, but the persistent ringtone forced Qin Yan to pause. She held Xia Mingtang in her lap with one arm and answered with the other.

“Hello~”

“I understand.”

Xia Mingtang had been buried in Qin Yan’s smooth collarbone when her head was moved away.

Hua, I need to step out for a bit.”

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