You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 16

Lin Konglu remained silent, and the atmosphere grew still for a moment.

Xu Qingqiong’s eyes widened as she belatedly realized the implication of those words. Flustered and annoyed, she gave Lin Konglu’s finger a hard squeeze. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered bandaging you. You should have just let it hurt.”

Lin Konglu parted her lips, wanting to explain that she hadn’t meant it.

But Xu Qingqiong had already stood up, her ears flushed red. Looking like she wanted nothing to do with her, she turned and walked away.

Lin Konglu had no choice but to stand up and follow behind her.

Ever since entering this room, Xu Qingqiong’s mood had been sinking into a low despondency. Lin Konglu was actually a bit afraid of provoking her, fearing she might start crying again.

The range of books in the study was extensive, covering basic literature, history, and philosophy, as well as professional books on library design. Altogether, it could be called a miniature library.

Lin Konglu’s gaze swept across the room and suddenly landed on a shelf holding a row of children’s books that stood out from the rest.

She walked over and pulled one out. On the cover, the letter “Q” was scribbled twice in a shaky hand. “Q”—it meant the owner of these books was likely Xu Qingqiong.

Did Xu Qingqiong grow up here?

Lin Konglu had only seen what Xu Qingqiong looked like in middle school; she was curious about an even younger version of her. She reached out and continued flipping through the books.

Xu Qingqiong had knelt back down on the carpet, concentrating intently on her task. She didn’t notice that the person who had offered to “help” was now shamelessly slacking off.

Lin Konglu was reading with rapt attention.

One of the picture books was filled with drawings. The brushstrokes were naive and the scenes were whimsical, but they showed clear talent; the colors were beautiful, carrying the unique innocence and boldness of a child.

There were also a few lines of annotations, likely written by Xu Qingqiong’s grandmother.

Baby’s traits: Has a spirit of exploration, loves innovation, kind-hearted, dislikes repetitive work, loves talking and interacting with people.

Lin Konglu browsed through them carefully, thinking they were quite accurate. She took out her phone and snapped a photo.

Just then, Ye Jianguo knocked on the door and poked his head in. His eyes held a sort of shifty, prying look as he scanned the room haphazardly, trying to see what Xu Qingqiong was doing and if she was actually organizing books. “So many books… it must take forever to organize, right? Do you really not need help?”

Xu Qingqiong rolled her eyes. She didn’t believe for a second that Ye Jianguo hadn’t touched the things in this room. Just now, she had discovered that the safe in her grandmother’s bedroom showed signs of being tampered with, though it hadn’t been forced open.

Even if it had been opened, there was nothing of great monetary value inside. Important assets were held in bank custody; the safe only contained photo albums and some letters.

The reason this study remained in its original state was simply because Ye Jianguo had no interest in these books and couldn’t understand them, so he had skipped over it.

After all, being a “pretty boy” didn’t require being cultured; looking good and knowing how to coax people was enough.

Xu Qingqiong didn’t bother responding. She didn’t even look up, remaining focused on her work.

After a short while, she heard the door close again. Looking up, she saw that Ye Jianguo had actually left quietly on his own.

What happened?

Lin Konglu stood by the bookshelf, book in hand, slowly withdrawing her gaze from the doorway.

In a split second, she saw Xu Qingqiong staring at her fixedly. Lin Konglu quickly withdrew her sharp, cold, and intimidating gaze. Her expression softened instantly, though her heart was in a slight panic. She maintained a calm face. “What’s wrong?”

Xu Qingqiong shook her head. She had been startled by that look just now, feeling a strange sense of realization.

They say that living together is a process of mutual understanding.

But only now did she realize that although they had lived together for several months, she really didn’t know Lin Konglu well at all.

So this was what Lin Konglu looked like when she was truly angry.

Cold-faced, without a trace of warmth, her eyes filled with indifference.

She subconsciously sighed.

The times Lin Konglu had appeared angry before weren’t “real” anger; they were more like intentional signals meant for her to see.

The thought flashed by that she seemed to be sighing a lot lately. Just as she was about to continue organizing, Lin Konglu suddenly walked over to her. “Qingqiong.”

Xu Qingqiong was puzzled and looked back at her with a questioning “Hm?”

Lin Konglu’s expression was conflicted and awkward. Her heart was in a flutter, wanting to explain that look from moments ago.

Sitting on the carpet, Xu Qingqiong looked up at her and tugged at her pant leg, gesturing for her to sit. Once Lin Konglu sat down, Xu Qingqiong naturally leaned her head on Lin Konglu’s lap, wrapping her arms around her waist and lying in her embrace.

Lin Konglu was the kind of thin that felt “just right”—substantial yet very warm.

She actually really liked holding Lin Konglu; being held by her at night gave her a great sense of security.

She didn’t know what Lin Konglu wanted to explain, but she thought to herself that whatever version of Lin Konglu existed was fine. She didn’t really mind, as long as the person was warm.

After hugging for a while, Xu Qingqiong felt like she was about to fall asleep. She forced herself to perk up and continue organizing.

Lin Konglu immediately lent a hand, standing up to move books down from the shelves.

There were too many books. Stacked high together, one stack inadvertently toppled over, and several books fell out.

Lin Konglu stopped what she was doing and bent down to pick them up. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly spotted a yellow medicine dispensing bottle under the bookshelf.

As she reached for it, she suddenly froze. She saw the label on the bottle: Suxiao Jiuxin Wan (Quick-Acting Heart Reliever).

She didn’t touch it. She looked up. “Qingqiong.”

Xu Qingqiong: “Yeah?”

Lin Konglu: “Come here.”

Xu Qingqiong walked over, completely confused.

The entire study took up a massive area, nearly half a floor. Because there were so many books, many shelves were required. Standard home library layouts weren’t practical, so the shelves here were arranged more like a public library—row upon row, with books placed according to serial numbers. Because of the volume, it was even divided into specific zones.

Because the study was so large, to maintain silence and control echoes, the four walls had been soundproofed and the floor was covered in a very thick woven carpet.

The medicine bottle was wedged right under the carpet in the corner of the middle row of bookshelves.

If Lin Konglu hadn’t happened to look down, it would have been impossible to notice.

Xu Qingqiong bent down in confusion and picked up the bottle. She recognized it almost instantly as the medicine her grandmother used to take.

Compared to the round screw-top containers, this dispensing bottle had only a single clip that could be pushed open with a thumb—convenient for emergency use.

To prevent moisture and keep the medicine from losing its efficacy, the cap had a small connecting tab. The tab was broken, indicating it had been opened.

Xu Qingqiong poured out the pills and counted them. Not a single one was missing.

Suxiao Jiuxin Wan is an emergency medication for heart patients; it isn’t a routine drug. It isn’t taken frequently, and it certainly isn’t opened for no reason. Once opened, it means an emergency has occurred.

Now, the bottle was open, but the medicine hadn’t been taken…

For a moment, Xu Qingqiong felt a sense of bewilderment. She looked toward Lin Konglu as if seeking help.

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