After Being Bitten By Top-Tier O, Flop A Went Viral - Chapter 33

33: Gently Meowed Once

Yan Qing stood still, letting Qin Que gently wipe the black smudges off her face.

Judging by the stains left on the handkerchief, she must have looked quite ridiculous earlier.

But the alpha’s eyes held nothing but tender affection—no trace of mocking malice.

Yan Qing thought of Ai Jia’s oft-repeated line: “You’re a superstar—you have to act like one.”

Her behavior just now had been very un-superstar-like.

But Qin Que still seemed to adore her anyway.

“There,” the alpha withdrew her hand, admiring her work with satisfaction, “all clean.”

Yan Qing blinked and leaned closer. “Do I look good?”

Qin Que retreated slightly, avoiding her gaze, but her answer was firm. “Yes.”

This kind of adoration was a little blind.

But that didn’t stop Yan Qing from loving it.

Once the fire was lit, the two set a pot of water over it. The next step was preparing the ingredients.

Qin Que scooped up the half-dead fish from the bucket and placed it on the cutting board. She hesitated for a moment with the knife hovering over its head before glancing at Yan Qing. “Maybe… you should wait in the car?”

She had never personally killed a fish before, but she’d often helped her mothers in the kitchen. She knew the sight wouldn’t be pretty.

Yan Qing frowned unhappily and wagged a finger at her. “I’ve filmed more murder scenes than you can count.”

Qin Que laughed awkwardly. She suddenly remembered that Yan Qing had once played a deranged serial killer in a crime thriller—one whose hobby was chasing people around with a chainsaw. That movie had been a gorefest of intestines, bl00d, and flying viscera. Qin Que had had nightmares for days after watching it.

Judging by her expression, Yan Qing seemed to guess exactly what she was thinking. The woman rolled her eyes, pupils dilating as she mimicked the look of a psychopath, pretending to lunge for Qin Que’s neck. “Rawr!”

“Alright, alright!” Qin Que surrendered immediately. “Fine, watch if you want.”

Without further hesitation, she brought the knife down in one swift motion, cleanly severing the fish’s head, then made another cut near the tail to prevent any postmortem twitching.

Fish bl00d was the main source of the fishy smell. The pungent odor quickly filled the air, making both of them wrinkle their noses.

Yan Qing’s reaction was far worse than Qin Que’s. Her throat bobbed as if she were about to vomit, but she forced it down.

Seeing the reddening at the corners of her eyes, Qin Que couldn’t help but try again. “I can handle this alone. Why don’t you go watch the pot?”

“No need. I already stuffed more firewood in—it’s burning fine. Besides,” Yan Qing eyed the mutilated fish, “the ancients said, ‘A gentleman stays away from the kitchen to avoid witnessing slaughter.’ But this fish is going into our stomachs today. I can’t let you suffer through this alone.”

Qin Que was deeply moved. She didn’t enjoy killing fish either, but she’d rather do it herself than let Yan Qing handle it. The woman’s words were both understanding and comforting. Just as she was about to say “Thank you for staying with me,” Yan Qing clasped her hands together.

“Amitabha. Many thanks to this fish for sponsoring our lunch today. May it ascend swiftly to paradise and be reborn as a human in its next life.”

The previously heavy atmosphere instantly lightened. Qin Que laughed so hard she nearly dropped the fish back into the river.

Once the bl00d had mostly drained, Yan Qing took the knife and began descaling and gutting the fish.

Her knife skills weren’t clumsy, but she clearly wasn’t used to handling such ingredients. The process was laborious.

Qin Que’s gaze kept flickering between Yan Qing’s face and her hands—partly admiring how effortlessly cool she looked while working, partly terrified she might cut herself. By the time the fish was fully prepped, Qin Que had broken out in more sweat than Yan Qing.

“Whew, finally done.” Yan Qing held up the cleaned fish and grinned at Qin Que. “Not bad for a first try, huh?”

Qin Que smiled and nodded. “Better than me. But you’ve never done this before, right?”

Yan Qing seemed pleased with the honest praise. “Nope. Everything I learned was fancy nonsense. Those people wouldn’t touch a fish like this.”

Qin Que knew she was referring to the skills she’d been forced to learn at that elite finishing school meant to groom future wealthy wives. Her heart ached again.

Yan Qing might have enjoyed cooking, but she would never have liked honing her culinary skills just to please some hypothetical spouse.

“Quit looking so gloomy.” Yan Qing flicked her forehead lightly, completely unbothered as she stood up with the fish in hand. Backlit by the sun, she stretched out her hand toward Qin Que. “At least some of that training came in handy today. Aren’t you happy I’m cooking fish for you?”

Qin Que took her hand, smiling sincerely. “I’m happy. It’s an honor.”

I’m so glad you escaped that life and found your way to me.

They tossed the fish and corn into the pot, added seasoning, and soon, a delicate aroma began to rise from the simmering broth.

Qin Que ladled out a small bowl to taste. “Needs more salt.”

“Let me try.” Yan Qing took the bowl directly from her hands and sipped from the opposite side. “Yeah, just a bit more.”

Even though she’d used a different part of the bowl, the sight of Yan Qing’s lips glistening from the broth made Qin Que feel like the fire in the stove had grown too intense.

Otherwise, why was her face so hot?

They added a pinch more salt, let it simmer a little longer, and then it was time to eat.

Qin Que served Yan Qing two large chunks of the meatiest part of the fish. Yan Qing, in turn, picked out a piece for her and took the tail for herself, urging, “Eat up, eat up! I’m starving!”

Fresh fish, even with the simplest preparation, was delicious. The tender white flesh melted between their teeth, and the freshly picked corn was crisp and sweet. The two hungry women sighed in unison.

“So good.”

They exchanged a smile.

While eating, Qin Que couldn’t help stealing glances at Yan Qing. The woman ate gracefully but eagerly, now puffing slightly from the heat of the fish—adorable beyond words.

“Why are you staring?” Yan Qing nudged her foot under the table. “Never seen someone burn their tongue before?”

“No, it’s just… you remind me of a cat…” Qin Que clamped her mouth shut mid-sentence.

Was the fish soup too intoxicating? Why did I just say what I was thinking out loud?

At least she’d managed to swallow the second half of that thought—so cute.

But Yan Qing was already looking at her, the meaningful glint in her eyes making it clear she’d heard.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean—” Qin Que scrambled to explain, but there was no salvaging this.

First of all, she had meant it. Secondly, the more she tried to explain, the worse it sounded.

Yan Qing watched her flounder for a while before leisurely picking up another piece of fish. Chewing slowly, she tilted her head and let out a soft, deliberate “meow.”

The sound curled through the autumn breeze, winding straight into Qin Que’s ears.

She froze.

Had she just hallucinated?

Her face burned as she stared at Yan Qing in shock. The woman, however, looked utterly innocent. “Just indulging your imagination. Besides, isn’t it normal for cats to eat fish?”

Seeing Qin Que redden to the point of speechlessness, Yan Qing grinned mischievously—now really resembling a cat who’d just pulled off a prank.

She even delivered the finishing blow: “What? Want me to do it again?”

“N-no, that’s fine.” Qin Que lowered her head expressionlessly, nearly dunking her face straight into the fish soup.

She did want to hear it again. But she had a feeling that too much bliss would shorten her lifespan.

After all, luck had to balance out. Too much happiness would inevitably lead to suffering.

Meanwhile, the live stream for Team Two’s channel had been completely overrun by Yan Qing’s seething fans.

Comment 1: Qin Que, you lucky bastard! AAAAAAHHHHH I CAN’T TAKE IT (turns into a monkey, charges into the jungle, and yeets Qin Que into the stratosphere). SHE MEOWED FOR YOU! WHY YOU?! WHYYYY?!

Comment 2: Calm down, fellow Swallows. Maybe Yan Qing was just teasing her?

Comment 3: THEN WHY WON’T SHE TEASE ME?! WHYYYYY WON’T SHE TEASE MEEEE?!

Comment 4: Baby, you’re Mommy’s little kitten! Come to Mama! Don’t let some stray alpha trick you away!

Comment 5: I can die in peace now… but not completely at peace. If only I could possess Qin Que’s body for a day. The camera mic doesn’t do it justice—I need to hear it live!

Comment 6: I support her choices. If she really likes Qin Que, then I’ll give them my blessing… MY BLESSING MY ASS! FIGHT ME, QIN QUE!

Comment 7: LMAO. Two people being sweet, millions of hearts breaking.

No one could blame the fans for losing their minds. After all, Yan Qing had always been portrayed in the media as the epitome of elegance and grace—every smile and glance radiating irresistible mature charm.

But after this dating show, everyone realized that the mesmerizing beauty was, at heart, an adorable goofball whose cuteness could melt even the coldest hearts.

Thanks to this show, Yan Qing’s already massive fanbase expanded even further. The proportion of “mom fans” skyrocketed, while the “girlfriend fans” formed the Anti-Qin Que Coalition. For now, they were just screaming into the void—not yet attacking Qin Que outright, out of respect for Yan Qing.

Before long, the hashtag #EveryoneDeservesTheirOwnYanKitty topped the trending list, closely followed by #QinQueYouLuckyBastard.