NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13 - Defeated
“Is this true? You two became a couple?” Yang XiaoQi asked, her big eyes wide with curiosity.
“Yes,” Qin Nan replied with certainty.
“But your ages don’t match, and Miss ShangGuan is such a beauty. Why would she choose to stay in a rural village like Niu Jiao?” Yang XiaoQi still couldn’t believe it.
“I don’t mind. Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog, Wherever my hubby is, that’s where I’ll be,” ShangGuan RouYue said.
Whoa, so gentle and considerate? And she even called him hubby. That’s so over-the-top romantic it’s almost cringeworthy.
But honestly, what man wouldn’t be thrilled to hear that?
This was completely at odds with the image of a high-born, aloof lady. It didn’t seem like something ShangGuan RouYue would say—yet, she said it anyway.
Yang XiaoQi felt defeated, utterly without hope of competing.
Such an exceptional woman as ShangGuan RouYue, lowering herself to be a devoted little wife, tenderly serving Qin Nan…
Add her unrivaled beauty and grace, and you have the perfect wife. Where else in the world could you find someone like her?
Watching the two of them together, so loving and harmonious, gave Yang XiaoQi the feeling of swallowing a mouthful of honey—so sweet it was cloying.
Noticing Yang XiaoQi’s discomfort, Qin Nan didn’t pay much attention. He casually told her she could sit anywhere or leave if she wanted, as he still had to enjoy his wife cleaning his ears.
Yang XiaoQi claimed she was fine and just there for fun. Reluctantly, she stayed, pulling up a stool nearby and staring at them intently.
After a while, Yang XiaoQi blurted out that she wanted to try cleaning Brother Qin Nan’s ears too.
Qin Nan rejected her outright. Having his wife do it was enough. Besides, Yang XiaoQi was just a little girl. She didn’t have the soft, fragrant, luscious thighs his wife had for him to rest on—it wouldn’t be as comfortable.
“Hubby, is it still itchy here? Should I switch to a different spot?” ShangGuan RouYue asked.
“Mm, switch to the left a bit. Yes, right there. Ahh, that’s it~” Qin Nan let out an odd sound, too comfortable to hold it back.
Such a display of affection.
After nearly half an hour, the ear-cleaning session finally ended, but Yang XiaoQi showed no signs of leaving.
As soon as the couple separated, she rushed to Qin Nan’s side, eager to help.
“Brother Qin Nan, how about I help you wash the herbs?”
“Sure.”
“Brother Qin Nan, how about I cook lunch for you?”
“Alright.”
After lunch, Yang XiaoQi finally left, though she had lingered for quite some time.
“Can I strangle that girl?” ShangGuan RouYue asked with a smile, watching Yang XiaoQi’s retreating figure.
The cold, emotionless tone in her words made it clear she was serious, and there was a hint of killing intent.
Qin Nan was surprised by her expression. So she could look like that too.
When Yang XiaoQi had been around, ShangGuan RouYue hadn’t shown much emotion, acting indifferent and composed.
Qin Nan had thought she didn’t care and was just magnanimous. Turns out, she hid it very well.
“Why would you want to strangle XiaoQi? She doesn’t seem to have done anything to offend you,” Qin Nan asked.
“Hmph, don’t play dumb,” ShangGuan RouYue said, clearly displeased.
“Sorry, I didn’t think my wifey would get jealous. I assumed you wouldn’t bother with a little girl like XiaoQi.”
“Am I jealous? Last time you said something similar, as if I’m always competing for attention. I’m a dignified cultivator; she’s just a village girl. How could she even compare?”
Her slightly agitated tone betrayed her true thoughts.
“If that’s not the case, then why would you want to strangle XiaoQi?” Qin Nan asked.
“I just find her annoying. A girl with no restraint, clinging to someone else’s husband. Flirty women like her deserve to be punished,” ShangGuan RouYue replied seriously.
“Alright, you’re not jealous. I misunderstood. But maybe don’t kill her. You’re a respected cultivator—it wouldn’t look good to hold a grudge against a mere village girl.”
“Don’t tell me you actually like Yang XiaoQi,” ShangGuan RouYue said, narrowing her eyes.
“What are you thinking? Are you that insecure?” Qin Nan flicked her forehead lightly.
The natural gesture was intimate, like that of a long-married couple, catching ShangGuan RouYue off guard.
A red mark appeared on her pale, jade-like forehead.
ShangGuan RouYue’s delicate brows shot up in annoyance.
“My wifey is truly beautiful, even when she’s angry,” Qin Nan said with a grin.
Teased, ShangGuan RouYue realized what was happening. Though initially furious, her anger dissipated at his words.
Being teased by this young man—her husband now—still left her feeling slightly embarrassed.
After cultivating for so many years, she wondered where all her discipline had gone.
And about her jealousy over Yang XiaoQi—though she wouldn’t admit it aloud, she knew exactly how she felt.
It seemed that whenever Qin Nan was involved, her reasoning took a nosedive.
Pouting slightly, she found her cheeks gently pinched by Qin Nan again. Her fair skin was soft and bouncy, never losing its charm no matter how often he did it.
“Don’t worry. The one I like is you, ShangGuan RouYue. Only you could ever be my wife. No one else could take your place, so there’s no need to be jealous.”
“Who said I was jealous?” ShangGuan RouYue retorted.
Still denying it? Qin Nan pinched her puffed-up cheeks again.
He was the only person in the world who could do this to her without fearing for his life.
“Actually, there’s something you don’t know. If you did, you wouldn’t be jealous of Yang XiaoQi at all,” Qin Nan said.
“What is it?” ShangGuan RouYue asked, puzzled.
“Yang XiaoQi isn’t a girl. He’s a boy,” Qin Nan said.
ShangGuan RouYue froze, unable to believe it. She immediately asked if Qin Nan was joking.
Yang XiaoQi looked every bit the part of a delicate young woman.
But having grown up with Yang XiaoQi, Qin Nan knew the truth about this cross-dresser(Trap).
Yang XiaoQi has something down there, no doubt about it.
In fact, there is a custom in Niujiao Village: if a child is born with a weak constitution and seems difficult to raise, they will be given a derogatory name, such as “Ah Dog,” “Ah Cat,” or “Ah Cow.”
Alternatively, if a boy is born, they might be given a girl’s name, and if a girl is born, a boy’s name might be used.
It’s said that this way, the child will be easier to raise.
Yang XiaoQi, frail as a child, was given the feminine name “Yang XiaoQi.”
And coincidentally, Yang XiaoQi had been pretty since childhood, resembling a girl.
To ensure their child would be easier to raise, Yang XiaoQi’s parents stuck to the tradition and dressed him in girls’ clothing from an early age, which he gradually got used to.
As he grew, his personality also became more feminine.
And so, he turned into the beautiful young girl he was now.
ShangGuan RouYue, now understanding the truth, breathed a sigh of relief. So Yang XiaoQi was actually boy? That had been impossible to tell.
Whether it was his appearance, figure, voice, or demeanor, Yang XiaoQi was the very image of a girl.
“Hubby, are you really not lying to me? Is Yang XiaoQi really a boy? Then what about that budding chest?” ShangGuan RouYue asked skeptically.
“That’s just padding. If you still don’t believe me, you can have him strip to confirm,” Qin Nan said.