The Yandere Queen's Manual for Training Her Wife - Chapter 81

Xia Mingtang turned to the side, closed her eyes, and pretended to sleep, her back facing the person behind her.

In reality, her ears were pricked, paying attention to every movement from the back.

But Qin Yan, at this moment, was like a cat—she didn’t make a sound for a long time.

Not until the mattress behind her sank halfway down did Xia Mingtang realize the woman had climbed onto the bed.

There was only one quilt on the bed, and Xia Mingtang had wrapped herself completely in it.

She thought: If Qin Yan tries anything, I’ll just kick her straight off the bed.

After all, she was nothing but a sick little cat right now, with a child’s mind—easy prey to bully.

Yet the truth was, Qin Yan was more well-behaved than ever. Once she got on the bed, she didn’t move much at all, didn’t even fight her for the quilt, just stayed quiet.

With no more movement behind her, Xia Mingtang felt a little uneasy instead.

She turned around and saw the girl curled into a ball. The thin pajamas did little to hide the goosebumps on her arms. Her tightly shut eyes carried a trace of unease, making her look pitiful—almost as if Xia Mingtang had bullied her.

Rumble!

Thunder rolled outside, one strike after another. Qin Yan clutched her pillow, her wrist trembling.

Her eyes screwed shut even tighter, as if forcing herself to sleep.

Xia Mingtang knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep like this. She reached out her leg and nudged her lightly.

“Hey, go grab the quilt from your room and cover yourself.”

Qin Yan opened her eyes, pushed herself up, and during a break in the thunder, ran quickly to the other bedroom.

Not even a minute later, she was back, hugging a quilt in her arms.

Xia Mingtang watched her wrap herself up like a silkworm baby, and finally felt at ease.

Honestly, already this old and still needing others to remind her of such simple things.

The thunder outside grew denser. Qin Yan no longer looked as pitiful and trembling as before, but there was still unease hidden between her brows.

Xia Mingtang reached for the earplugs on the nightstand and handed them over.
“Here, you can use this.”

Qin Yan took the earplugs and plugged one into each ear.

“Feeling better now?”

Xia Mingtang asked the question and only then realized—the girl’s ears were blocked. How could she possibly hear her?

But lying in bed, Qin Yan immediately responded.

“These earplugs are too small. They don’t fit.”

Xia Mingtang suddenly remembered—she had bought the small-ear-canal, “girl size” ones.

But weren’t all ear canals supposed to be the same? How could hers not fit?

She brushed aside a strand of Qin Yan’s long hair and leaned in curiously to take a look.

Indeed, her ear canals seemed slightly wider than her own.

Qin Yan lay obediently on her side, letting her inspect.

Another round of thunder came crashing down, louder than before.

Qin Yan shut her eyes, her jade-like fingers digging into the pillow, as if she wanted to bore a hole through it.

Seeing this, Xia Mingtang pulled the quilt higher and pressed it against Qin Yan’s ear with her hand.

Her tense expression visibly eased, and when she opened her eyes again, she looked straight at Xia Mingtang.

“Getting scared over something as simple as covering your ears with a quilt—what a coward.”

Taking advantage of the fact that Qin Yan couldn’t hear, Xia Mingtang mocked her without mercy.

But Qin Yan slowly opened her mouth, her voice steady now.
“I can read lips.”

Xia Mingtang: …

Being caught badmouthing someone to their face, Xia Mingtang felt not the least bit ashamed.

She turned her back to her again and kept muttering.
“So what if you can read lips, I wasn’t wrong.”

Qin Yan lay on her side, one ear pressed against the pillow, the other covered under the quilt.

Looking at the way Xia Mingtang’s back rose and fell, she realized she wasn’t that afraid anymore—in fact, she even had the energy to argue back.

“Being able to read lips is amazing. I wasn’t scared just now, I simply didn’t react in time.”

Xia Mingtang: ?

Wait—was she not covering her ears properly, or had she grown a third eye?

Unable to resist, Xia Mingtang turned back. But Qin Yan had already closed her eyes, her face looking much calmer than before.

Clearly an adult face, yet her sleeping expression carried a childish innocence.

Truly, one’s mental state could affect their appearance—Xia Mingtang was now convinced of that.

Though this ten-year-old Qin Yan was stubborn, pretentious, and sometimes mocked her intelligence—

Sometimes, she could be quite obedient too.

Xia Mingtang never thought of herself as someone patient or tender toward children.

She didn’t know why her temper was so good now—was it because of that familiar face, or because of her complicated feelings for this person?

Or maybe it was because this bizarre contrast between two versions of the same person, twenty years apart, was simply too intriguing—like Yang Fan, she couldn’t help but be curious.

“Haa~”

But late at night wasn’t the right time for reflection. Covering her mouth with a yawn, drowsiness swept over her, and Xia Mingtang let herself drift off.

When Xia Mingtang woke up, the first thing she saw was Qin Yan standing by the window, talking on the phone.

Sunlight poured through the blinds, coating her in a golden halo.

She wore soft cotton pajamas, freshly washed, her raven-like hair tied up neatly. The whole picture looked like something from a home lifestyle commercial.

Except her expression was wrong—too cold, too distant.

From this distance, Xia Mingtang couldn’t hear what she was saying.

But judging from how rarely she spoke compared to the person on the other side, it seemed the other party said ten sentences for every one or two calm responses from her.

This image matched perfectly with how she looked that day in Yunzhen, when she had suddenly answered the phone.

Xia Mingtang’s heart jolted. Had she regained her memory?!

“Alright, let’s leave it there for now.”

Qin Yan ended the call. Noticing Xia Mingtang awake, she walked over and spoke calmly.

“You’re up—let’s eat. Your fridge had nothing, so I went downstairs and bought breakfast.”

Her attitude toward her seemed unchanged from last night.

Still, Xia Mingtang hesitated.
“Just now… you…”

But Qin Yan already guessed what she was thinking. Before she could finish, she explained herself.

“I spent yesterday gathering information. I learned who I’m most closely connected to, aside from you.

“I can’t just vanish for long without explanation. So I reached out to them first, told them I’m taking some time off.

“As long as nothing urgent happens, they’ll leave me alone for now.”

Listening to her calm and logical explanation, Xia Mingtang nearly dropped her jaw.
“You… you contacted them first?”

“Mm.” Qin Yan nodded, as if it was the most natural thing.
“If I wait for them to call and I can’t answer properly, I might slip up. Better to hold the initiative myself.”

Her reasoning was sound—yet also unbelievable.

Was this really the kind of scheming a ten-year-old mind should have?

But if this were the thirty-one-year-old Qin Yan pretending to have amnesia, how could she expose herself with such a glaring flaw?

Catching her dazed, Qin Yan’s face twisted with disdain. She pointed to the clock on the wall.

“It’s already half past nine. You’re a grown woman—still lazing in bed? Breakfast is on the table. Or do you expect me to feed you?”

“Cough, cough!” Xia Mingtang nearly choked at her cheeky tone. This sharp-tongued brat was definitely the ten-year-old version.

The thirty-one-year-old Qin Yan would have brought breakfast right to the bed.

Still, one thing nagged her.
“Hold on—I never even told you what you used to be like before amnesia. How did you dare to just… act it out?”

Qin Yan gave her a look of exasperation, as if she’d asked something idiotic.

“What’s so difficult about that? From past chat logs, you can tell how people treated me, how I treated them. From there, it’s easy to infer the personality of that ‘me.’ Doesn’t take much brainpower.”

That last sentence wounded Xia Mingtang deeply.

Infer personality from chat logs? Why don’t I have this superpower?

After all, online, who knew what people were really thinking? Someone could be cursing you in their heart while sending you a “hahaha” emoji.

Afraid of being despised again for her “low IQ,” Xia Mingtang wisely dropped the subject.

After washing up, she went to the dining room. Qin Yan had already plated and reheated the breakfast she’d bought, arranging it neatly on the table.

Whether thirty-one or ten years old, Qin Yan was consistently… domestic.

On the table sat soy milk, pan-fried dumplings, soup buns, eight-treasure porridge. A good variety, though the presentation was mediocre compared to her own cooking.

Still, for something bought last-minute, it would do.

Xia Mingtang didn’t nitpick. She sampled each dish, then grabbed her jacket to head out.

“Where are you going?” Qin Yan put down her soy milk and stared at her intently with her dark eyes.

Xia Mingtang: …

Some things never changed—past or present, her clingy, controlling habits stayed the same.

But Xia Mingtang wasn’t going to hide it. She answered honestly.
“I’m meeting a friend for coffee. I should get going now.”

Shang Huayin had invited her several times before, but something always came up. This time, she had no excuse to decline.

“I’ll go with you.” Qin Yan was all action—she wiped her mouth with a tissue, stood, and in a few steps, was by her side.

Watching her bend down to change shoes, Xia Mingtang sighed impatiently.
“Why tag along? My friend doesn’t even know you.”

Qin Yan tied her laces at an unhurried pace before looking up.

“Precisely because she doesn’t know me, I should meet her. That way, even if I slip up, she won’t notice.

“I’ll eventually have to interact with people again, so I might as well start with strangers.”

It was logical. Xia Mingtang had no real rebuttal.

Next thing she knew, they were both walking into Lucky Cat Café together.

Xia Huaying had arrived earlier.

“Xiaxia, you’re here early! And this is…”

She greeted Xia Mingtang warmly, but froze for a second when she noticed the woman behind her.

Xia Mingtang glanced at Qin Yan, ready to casually make up some identity for her.

But Qin Yan stepped forward, held out her hand, and said with poise—

“Qin Yan. I’m Tangtang’s wife.”

Both Shang Huayin and Xia Mingtang were stunned.

Seriously? Did she have to dive straight into the hardest level?

The blow to Xia Huaying was even greater.

Forcing a smile, she shook Qin Yan’s hand.
“Miss Qin, nice to meet you. You two haven’t ordered yet, right? Let me take care of that—the specialties here are my favorite. You sit… sit tight…”

And with that, she hurried toward the counter in a fluster.

Xia Mingtang stared at her friend’s retreating back, about to call out—

Actually, we’re not in a rush to order anything.

But Qin Yan caught her hand and leaned close to whisper.

“From my read on her, this auntie has ulterior motives toward you.”

Xia Mingtang: ?

Auntie? She’s your age!

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