You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 12

The next day, when Xu Qingqiong woke up, she made a special point of logging into her account to check the comments—just in case.

She was actually a bit worried about Lin Konglu being caught on camera, fearing a breach of privacy. Her streaming account didn’t have massive traffic, only a few hundred thousand followers, but the engagement was high. While most of the audience was lovely, there were inevitably some malicious ones mixed in.

The internet is a place devoid of privacy. If Lin Konglu had been filmed, she could easily be doxxed and attacked.

Fortunately, to capture her own face during the stream last night, she had placed the camera quite low, missing Lin Konglu’s face entirely.

Relieved, she skimmed through the comments. Everything seemed normal. Many fans were still joking around, using the two lines of dialogue from the previous night:

“Still not up?” “Coming!”

There were also genuine well-wishers. Having streamed for nearly two years, she had built a real emotional connection with her followers.

“Congrats, congrats!” “Congratulations! Don’t go fighting now.” …

Everything looked fine until she spotted one particular comment.

“Family member comrade, Qing-mei is just all bark and no bite. She’s actually a total tsundere.”

The comment itself was harmless.

However, a strange account with a blank avatar had replied beneath it: “Wrong. Her lips are actually quite soft.”

This immediately caught the attention of several fans.

“Such bold claims! Have you kissed her?” “@Everyone, come look at this one, haha! Another daydreamer.” “We’re talking to the actual family member, who are you supposed to be?” “Nonsense, Qing-qing is currently in my arms.”

The blank avatar didn’t reply to anyone else, but under that last comment, they replied with three question marks: “???”, as if they were genuinely confused.

Xu Qingqiong: “…” What on earth is this?

Watching the thread gave her a headache. Just as she was about to close her phone, a sudden whim struck her. She clicked on the person’s profile and discovered they had been following her for a long time—almost since she first started streaming.

They were actually an old fan. Xu Qingqiong was a bit surprised. It was just that this person had never commented before, so they had left no impression on her.

Their profile was mostly records of timestamps, like “21:27.” They were cryptic, without context, but likely represented moments that were important to this person.

The records were continuous, and the user had updated last night as well.

The update was at 23:13, roughly around the time she had fallen asleep. It was accompanied by a string of emojis—fuming with rage, weeping, and a heart-fluttering happy face—ended with a picture of a haughty, blue-eyed Ragdoll cat with its head held high.

She couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. How could someone feel angry, tearful, and happy all at once? And what was with the cat? A pet?

Before Xu Qingqiong could look further, Lin Konglu called her over for breakfast.

She turned off her phone and sat at the table. Remembering that Lin Konglu had promised to bring her two strawberry tarts, she scanned the table. Seeing only two plates of breakfast, she asked, “Is something missing?”

Lin Konglu: “What?”

Xu Qingqiong asked, “Where are the strawberry tarts you brought me?”

Lin Konglu: “In the fridge.”

They would have tasted best last night; by now, the strawberries on top weren’t as fresh. However, once the almond cream inside was chilled, it took on an ice-cream-like texture—a wonderful mouthfeel.

She took them out of the fridge and took a small bite. Once she confirmed the flavor was still perfect, she pushed one of the tarts in front of Lin Konglu.

Lin Konglu froze, looking a bit startled as she looked up.

“What are you looking at me for?” Xu Qingqiong asked, confused. She tilted her head and said quite naturally while biting her fork, “Let’s eat together.”

Lin Konglu: “They were for you.”

Xu Qingqiong nodded. “I know, but we can eat them together.”

Besides, the reason she had asked for two was so they could share.

Only then did Lin Konglu accept, picking up a fork to slice a small piece. She still looked somewhat surprised, as if she found it hard to believe.

Watching her expression, Xu Qingqiong suddenly felt a bit annoyed. What kind of terrible image do I have in Lin Konglu’s heart?!

A strawberry tart was only half the size of a palm. It was silky on the tongue, a blend of fresh fruitiness and lightly sweetened cream.

When it came to food, she was extremely picky, only ever eating what she liked. This “bad” habit probably traced back to when she went abroad to study alone after middle school.

Being alone in a strange environment, combined with an inability to adjust to the local diet, meant her health was never great. She became increasingly picky, creating a vicious cycle.

Fortunately, she later met an elderly neighbor, a kind and gentle woman who would often “feed” Xu Qingqiong small desserts and sweet soups she had experimented with. Xu Qingqiong would often send her Chinese recipes to try out and bring her hotpot base from home; they even baked cakes together at Christmas.

But even then, she never felt she truly adapted to or liked the environment abroad.

She had once heard that the stomach is an emotional organ; it reacts to different environments. The body perceives the surroundings even before the brain does. For better or worse, the body makes the first judgment.

For instance, when she first went abroad, her inability to adjust to the food led to rapid weight loss and mild anorexia. At her worst, she had to take long-term medication for her stomach.

And for instance… since moving in with Lin Konglu, her stomach problems hadn’t flared up in a long time. Even mild stomach aches were rare.

She still remembered the first day she moved into this house. She had scanned the surroundings, pretending to be nonchalant while actually being hyper-vigilant, ears pricked for any sign of trouble, ready to bared her claws at the slightest provocation.

Lin Konglu had gone into the kitchen to make her two simple dishes.

She had a vivid memory of that scene—Lin Konglu standing in the kitchen, shirt sleeves rolled up, a slender waist tied in an apron, as white steam spiraled upward, making her look elegant and gentle.

That simple, warm atmosphere provided a strange sense of security. It felt like a small boat that had been drifting on the ocean for a long time finally finding its berth.

She had sat on the sofa clutching a glass of milk, quietly watching the kitchen through the glass. She had a premonition then that she might not leave this place soon—that she might even stay forever.

Lin Konglu gave her the feeling of a home. Just as she had lost her only relative, Lin Konglu had stepped in to fill that void perfectly.

Their subsequent time together proved her initial judgment right.

Lin Konglu had “picked her up” and brought her home. Though she appeared cold on the surface, she did her absolute best to take care of her. While Xu Qingqiong didn’t know Lin Konglu’s motives—why she wanted that contract or why she agreed to marry her—she found herself trusting Lin Konglu implicitly.

Lin Konglu was a good person. That was why she was willing to share her favorite food with her.

And of course, the fact that she could painfully part with her favorite food to share it with Lin Konglu proved that she was a good person too!

Even if… she was ignoring the fact that Lin Konglu was the one who bought the tarts in the first place…

But hey, Lin Konglu was clearly moved.

After finishing the tart, Lin Konglu asked what she wanted in her sandwich.

Lin Konglu’s cooking was as good as ever. On the plate lay eggs and bacon fried with crispy edges, and the toast slices were soaked in egg wash, fried to a golden, fragrant crisp.

Xu Qingqiong wanted all of it. Except for those green pieces of lettuce.

Lin Konglu indulged her wishes, but in the end, under Xu Qingqiong’s pleading gaze, she heartlessly tucked two large leaves of bright green lettuce into the sandwich before pushing the plate toward her.

“…” Xu Qingqiong rested her chin on her hand, staring at the plate with a long, melancholy sigh. She silently amended her thought: Lin Konglu is a good person. Well, she would be better if she didn’t force me to eat vegetables I don’t like…

After breakfast, the two went to the office.

Just as they parked, they saw the assistant, Barfu, holding a stack of documents by the elevator. She looked anxious and hurried over the moment she saw Lin Konglu, whispering a few words to her.

Lin Konglu’s hand paused while unbuckling her seatbelt. Her expression instantly soured.

Sitting beside her, Xu Qingqiong keenly sensed that Lin Konglu’s mood had suddenly turned terrible.

When she entered the company, the atmosphere was unusual. The entire department was incredibly tense. Confused, she had just sat down at her desk when Xiao Mi looked at her, eyes lighting up as she greeted her. “Qingqiong…”

Xu Qingqiong hesitated, then asked as if casually, “Is there something big happening today?”

Xiao Mi leaned in and whispered, “Chairman Lin is coming for an inspection this morning.”

Xu Qingqiong was puzzled. “Chairman Lin?”

Xiao Mi explained, “Director Lin’s father.”

Xu Qingqiong’s expression instantly soured as well.

Support You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt!