Chapter 38: Young Mistress Prefers To Be In Control

Yan Liang heard Qin Jiang’s words and slumped into the soft European dining chair.

With one hand lazily propping her forehead, the corner of her eye curved upward, an effortlessly intoxicating charm.

Her skin was very pale. The modified qipao with a rich, dark aura made her graceful figure resemble a venomous snake flicking out a crimson tongue.

The woman’s arms were smooth and fair. The glow from her skin made the deep dusk outside seem dull.

Her languid lean was enough to stun people.

This was the charm of Young Mistress Yan.

Noble and luminous, concealing a hidden menace.

“Master?”

“Jiang wants to climb over my head?”

“Hmm, not a bad idea, but… at any time, I prefer to be in control.”

“Especially when it comes to whipping you into shape, there’s no room for negotiation there.”

Yan Liang’s half-closed, narrow eyes lifted slightly and filled the air with a terrifying chill.

Qin Jiang immediately caved. I’ll be good, please spare me!!

Ahem, as expected of his wife — her aura was seriously strong.

Qin Jiang had originally said that on purpose to divert attention. He knew it was likely to fail.

So he surrendered, “Alright, Yanyan, I won’t be the one on top.”

“You’re the master, I’m your…”

Yan Liang raised an eyebrow. The chill in her eyes eased as she pulled him down to sit, reached out to ruffle his short hair, her eyes twinkling, “Mm, good dog.”

Qin Jiang screamed inwardly. We’re eating!!

If he kept making a fuss, he really feared Yan Liang might get into the mood to eat him.

So he hurriedly changed the subject again, “Yanyan, quickly taste my cooking.”

“You’ve tried the soup I made but not my dishes. I don’t know your taste, so I made one dish from each cuisine for you to try first.”

Qin Jiang was quite into cooking. He had dabbled in all eight major cuisines, and the flavors he produced were top-notch.

Because of this skill, whenever the Qin family hosted guests, his five older sisters or his mother would ask him to go to the kitchen to prepare a feast.

Each time, they would receive endless praise from the guests.

Many praised the Qin family’s cook as excellent, and there were many who wanted to recruit him away.

And at such moments where normal parents would feel proud of their child, it made Jiang Yuyao feel embarrassed.

A son from the countryside was already bad enough, and worse still, he busied himself in the kitchen like a housewife instead of being able to do something more befitting of the family. Her disdain for Qin Jiang only deepened.

She kept silent about the person who did the cooking, and even belittled him in her comments, “He’s just a cook from the countryside and it’s mere coincidence his dishes are edible — for them to be liked by you is a lifetime of luck for him.”

At that time Qin Jiang had just come out of the kitchen, inevitably stained with oil, which made him look rather shabby compared to the guests and his family wearing formal attire in the main hall.

He was about to go ask the guests whether the dishes suited their taste.

But Jiang Yuyao blocked his way. “Hurry back to the kitchen and prepare the after-meal tea and snacks for everyone.”

“What are you standing there for — this isn’t a place for you to be.”

Qin Jiang stood dumbfounded, staring at Jiang Yuyao’s outwardly gentle and noble high-society matron face.

For a moment, he felt like she was a complete stranger.

But he still clung to one last hope. “Mom, I just wanted to ask, are today’s dishes to your liking?”

“I saw my second sister hasn’t had much appetite lately, so I specially prepared some small appetizing cold dishes…”

Jiang Yuyao’s expression worsened, inwardly blaming Qin Jiang for embarrassing her.

On the surface she still put on the posture of a gentle and generous noble lady. “It is very much to my liking.”

“Little Jiang, you did great, everyone likes it very much.”

“So, could you do the desserts for after the meal? Is that okay, Little Jiang?”

Qin Jiang felt as if nails had grown from his feet and rooted him to the floor. He couldn’t move from the spot.

Despite being his biological mother, she had never affectionately called his name.

But this time, in order to drive him away and not let him embarrass her, she called him “Little Jiang” for the first time.

At that moment Qin Yun came over, affectionately linked his arm with Jiang Yuyao’s, looking obedient and polite.

“Mom, Mrs. Liu is looking for you.”

Only then did Jiang Yuyao’s face switch back to a gentle expression as she indulgently patted Qin Yun’s hand.

“My Yun is still the most sensible and obedient.”

Those words were clearly meant for Qin Jiang to hear.

He just came out to take a look. How did that make him unruly and disobedient?

Qin Jiang left dejectedly, but still went back to the kitchen and casually made some pastries.

He felt truly pathetic, begging like a lapdog for even a scrap of familial affection in the Qin family.

After his foster parents sent him back to the Qin family, they had completely disappeared without a trace.

He was alone — where else could he go?

Besides, in this family, at least his second sister and second uncle treated him well.

There was always someone… to heal him.

Coming back to his senses, Qin Jiang pushed away those past memories he didn’t want to recall.

Using the serving chopsticks, he picked a piece of well-braised beef brisket for Yan Liang, carefully blew on it until it felt just right to eat, then prepared to put it into Yan Liang’s bowl.

But at that moment, Yan Liang had already lifted her eyes to stare at him, a commanding pressure blooming in her gaze. “Feed me.”

Qin Jiang blinked a few times. The yandere young mistress’s moods really come on a whim.

What else could he do?

She’s his wife, after all — he was going to spoil her.

Qin Jiang obliged, sending the beef into Yan Liang’s mouth, and couldn’t help but admonish her, “Yanyan, I’ll supervise your eating from now on.”

“I saw a joke online: ‘Nine out of ten domineering CEOs have stomach problems’ — it seems female tycoons aren’t an exception!”

“Your stomach, I’ll take care of it from now on,” Qin Jiang said this, and carefully fed her another bite of rice.

Eating beef alone gets greasy in the mouth quickly. But paired with rice, it’s a taste-bud explosion!!

Sure enough, Yan Liang’s previously languid pose changed. Like a proud white lion suddenly getting the meat it coveted, her eyes instantly lit with sparkling delight.

“Mmm.”

Yan Liang couldn’t help widening her eyes and lavishly praising, “Jiang’s cooking is really good, so tasty.”

The yandere air around her was finally diffused, and she became like a soft, cuddly calico cat.

Qin Jiang watched Yan Liang, stuffed with rice like a little guinea pig as she ate, and couldn’t help but show joy and satisfaction in his eyes.

For a cook, receiving the approval of the taster is their greatest satisfaction.

Poor Zhou Ning had fiddled in the kitchen for a long time and finally came out carrying his semi-finished dish.

He had made green pepper stir-fried beef, but the dish he brought out only had two colors.

The white of the plate, and the black of the food…

“Ms. Liang… if you asked me to ‘slice’ people I could do one per stroke. But when it comes to cooking, I’m really not good at it!”

Qin Jiang was appalled.

What the heck was that thing on the plate?!

In his previous life, he had heard that this assistant that followed Yan Liang around was a great killer.

But his face was simply too ordinary, utterly unremarkable.

Which led people to deliberately overlook the murderous aura about him.

Yan Liang glanced and then averted her gaze in disdain.

“Useless.”

Then Yan Liang looked back at Qin Jiang. Waves of praise and admiration swelled in her eyes as she beckoned to Qin Jiang, “Jiang, I want more.”

“Jiang’s culinary skills are really good, truly amazing.”

“The dishes Jiang makes taste better than all the dishes I’ve ever eaten.”

Yan Liang praised him from the heart.

She was really happy today.

She wanted to eat three bowls of food.

Of course, with Yan Liang’s appetite, she ultimately ended up eating one and a half bowls of rice and most of the dishes before she declared she was full.

But this was enough to shock everyone at Liangyue Manor again.

Qin Jiang scratched his head embarrassedly and dutifully fed his wife.

He suddenly began to enjoy this feeling.

The feeling of being affirmed.

The feeling of being admired and adored.

In his previous life, he had gradually become insecure under the Qin family’s suppression, even being brainwashed into thinking that men who cooked were failures.

But now, facing Yan Liang’s happy, crescent-shaped eyes.

He suddenly felt relieved.

His cooking was never something to be ashamed of, but one of the skills that could make his family members happy.

Zhou Ning sneered. He was certain that Yan Liang was exaggerating her reactions in order to coax Qin Jiang into doing her bidding.

If it were really that tasty, he’d eat shit while standing on his head.

“Assistant Zhou, you’ve been busy for a long time too.”

“Sit down and eat something with us?”

Qin Jiang invited him to join them. Chinese people always value lively meals.

Besides, he really wanted to get on good terms with the poker faced Zhou Ning.

“I don’t want…”

Yan Liang cast him a sharp, cold, disdainful glance.

“Alright, I’ll sit right now.”

After all, the secret to surviving beside the yandere young mistress was to be meek and obedient. That was how he stayed alive all these years.

“Eat.”

She uttered only one word, but it was filled with pressure.

Qin Jiang quickly picked up his chopsticks instinctively.

Oh wait, that was not a command directed at him.

Zhou Ning knew she was referring to him. He picked up a piece of beef brisket and put it in his mouth.

One minute passed.

Two minutes.

Three…

Yan Liang snapped, “That’s enough.”

“Stop pretending.”

Qin Jiang blinked in puzzlement. He watched as Zhou Ning swallowed the beef, closed his eyes with an expression of enjoyment, then with his poker face coldly say, “Mm… this is a rare delicacy indeed…”

Qin Jiang nearly rolled his eyes. This house contained so many oddballs.

That reminded him. Where was Butler Xu?

“Assistant Zhou, why don’t I see Butler Xu around today?”

That old man was always quick to appear everywhere he went.

He had a strong presence in Liangyue Manor.

“Him? He’s feeding General.”

Zhou Ning picked up another piece of beef brisket. Although he had put on a pretense earlier, he had to admit that Qin Jiang’s cooking skills were indeed top notch.

It made him salivate…

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Yan Liang elegantly wiped her mouth after eating her fill. The more she looked at Qin Jiang, the more appetizing he became.

“Jiang, you’re so concerned about Old Xu.”

“Why not care for yourself first… hm?”