You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 23

Seeing Lin Konglu’s guarded expression, Wen Lanjing suggested tentatively, “Why don’t we ask Miss Xu first?” After all, this matter involved Xu Qingqiong.

Lin Konglu glanced up at her and dialed the phone.

Half an hour later, because of the advance notice, Xu Qingqiong was already awake and waiting.

Xu Qingqiong’s face was pale and cold, her lips lacked color, and she looked drained, though her emotions had stabilized significantly. In just a single day, she had withered away visibly.

She wore long-sleeved pajamas; the grass-green fabric made her skin look stark white. The clothes were loose, yet her thinness was still apparent, the empty pant legs dragging against the floor.

“Let me see it first,” she said, her voice hoarse.

Wen Lanjing looked at Lin Konglu with hesitation.

Lin Konglu, however, did not hesitate. She took the disk out of her bag and handed it to her.

Xu Qingqiong’s fingers trembled as she tried to insert the disk into the computer; it took several attempts to get it in.

Lin Konglu didn’t actually think she should watch it. Re-watching the death of her only relative from a third-person perspective was nothing short of mental slow-torture. But she also knew she couldn’t stop her. Regardless of the pain, Xu Qingqiong had to know exactly how her grandmother passed away.

All Lin Konglu could do was stay by her side.

Lin Konglu took her hand—it was ice cold. “I’ll help you.”

The surveillance footage was clear; the method of the crime was equally clear. The video had sound, which echoed through the room.

In the video, Ye Jianguo first argued with Grandmother regarding the distribution of the will. Because they couldn’t reach an agreement, the argument escalated, and Ye Jianguo lost control, shouting curses.

“…You’ve ruined me… you old hag… who do you think you’re fooling with that pittance in your will?”

“Your daughter begged and screamed to marry me. It’s her own fault she was pathetic; don’t you owe me compensation for that?…”

Every word stabbed at the heart. Grandmother’s lifelong heartache had always been her daughter.

Then, the symptoms of a heart attack began. Grandmother struggled to breathe, her back pressed against the bookshelf as she desperately pulled a small pill bottle from her pocket. She had just opened it when Ye Jianguo, panting with rage, slapped the bottle out of her hand. He even deliberately kicked it away, preventing her from reaching it.

The video wasn’t long, but watching a life slip away in real-time was a massive psychological ordeal. Furthermore, Ye Jianguo waited to confirm her death before swaggering out of the room.

Though Wen Lanjing had seen it before, watching it again was still unbearable. She quickly made an excuse to go to the balcony for some air, trying to ease the psychological pressure. Because of this video, she sometimes dreamed of this scene—dreaming that Ye Jianguo would turn his violence on her and choke her.

What terrified her wasn’t the video itself, but Ye Jianguo’s attitude—his utter indifference toward life. In his eyes, profit outweighed a human soul. He was the definition of scum.

Xu Qingqiong stared fixedly at the screen, forcing herself to watch until the end. She bit her lip so hard it bled; her thin shoulder blades trembled, yet she didn’t shed a single tear.

Crying wouldn’t solve anything.

Lin Konglu sat beside her, reaching out to offer a comforting embrace, but as her arm nearly touched her, she hesitated and pulled back.

Last night’s loss of control was brief; the fleeting display of vulnerability was over. Likewise, her dependence on Lin Konglu was also temporary. Xu Qingqiong could handle this herself; she didn’t need her.

The video ended quickly. Xu Qingqiong sat still for a long time without speaking, her fists clenched tight. Her expression was cold and stern, her emotions suppressed so deeply she looked like a dormant volcano.

“Qingqiong?”

Xu Qingqiong was called back to reality. She blinked away the mist in her eyes and shook her head to indicate she was fine.

Wen Lanjing returned from the balcony and handed her a paper bag. Xu Qingqiong glanced inside; it contained many old blueprints for the art museum. They were useless now but held great sentimental value.

Aside from those, there was a thick stack of letters. Xu Qingqiong only gave them a cursory glance, assuming they were letters her grandmother had left for her. She wasn’t in the mindset to read them now.

She stuffed the letters back in, failing to notice that they were stamped and dated from long ago. The sender’s name on the envelope was a very familiar one: Lin Konglu.

Wen Lanjing didn’t know much about their history; she simply assumed Xu Qingqiong and Lin Konglu were childhood sweethearts who had naturally ended up together. Therefore, she didn’t mention the details of the letters to Xu Qingqiong.

Xu Qingqiong tucked the items away and gave a solemn bow of gratitude.

Wen Lanjing looked embarrassed, finding it hard to accept the thanks. When she had secretly kept these items, it was largely for herself—hoping they would give her leverage when negotiating with Xu Qingqiong. She had acted out of self-interest, not justice.

But judging by actions rather than intent, Xu Qingqiong was still grateful.

Unaware of the conversation Wen Lanjing had previously had with Lin Konglu, Xu Qingqiong took the initiative: “It might be dangerous for you to go back. I have a small apartment nearby where you can stay. It’s not large, but Ye Jianguo doesn’t know the address, so it’s relatively safe.” She handed over the key.

Wen Lanjing froze, unsure if she should take it. Lin Konglu had already arranged a place for her to stay. She had assumed Lin Konglu’s promises were the result of a prior discussion with Xu Qingqiong, but it now seemed Xu Qingqiong was entirely in the dark.

She felt a strange tension and hesitated.

At that moment, Lin Konglu reached out and took the key, her tone natural. “I’m heading to the office anyway; I can drop her off on the way.”

She added, “You stay home and rest. I’ve already contacted Lawyer Chen. She’s preparing the indictment materials; we should have results soon.”

“The real battle starts now. You need to make sure you’re physically up for it.”

Xu Qingqiong nodded and said sincerely, “Thank you.”

Seeing the lingering worry in Lin Konglu’s eyes, Xu Qingqiong gave her a small smile. “I’m okay, really.” She knew Lin Konglu had looked after her all night and didn’t want her to worry further.

Lin Konglu touched her forehead to check for a fever. Finding none, she finally turned to leave.

Wen Lanjing followed Lin Konglu downstairs in a daze and buckled her seatbelt. Lin Konglu didn’t start the car immediately; she turned and gave her a cool, level gaze.

Wen Lanjing instinctively gripped her seatbelt tighter.

Lin Konglu looked back at the road and started the engine. Her voice was devoid of emotion. “Don’t tell her.”

Don’t tell her what?

Wen Lanjing was confused for a long time until the car was well on its way. Then it clicked: Lin Konglu meant she shouldn’t tell Xu Qingqiong about the deal they had made earlier.

From that moment until they reached the destination, Lin Konglu didn’t say another word. She was cold toward everyone else—a pervasive sense of detachment and distance. Wen Lanjing felt that even if she hadn’t spoken to Lin Konglu today, the look in Lin Konglu’s eyes would be the same: she was just a stranger, an irrelevant person.

In Lin Konglu’s world, there were only two types of people: Xu Qingqiong, and everyone else.

Wen Lanjing didn’t know how to judge it, but she couldn’t help thinking: This is what a real “love-brain” looks like.

Xu Qingqiong didn’t rest. She opened her laptop and contacted her previous lawyer.

She had already investigated Ye Jianguo before, but the timeline had been too short to go deep. Now, she had no intention of letting him go. She poured all her energy into the investigation, and results surfaced quickly.

The factory under his name couldn’t withstand scrutiny. Aside from copyright-infringing printing, there were many shady dealings. A detailed investigation revealed that the factory produced indoor decorative paintings, but to save costs, they used highly toxic outdoor pigments.

The levels of toluene and lead were significantly over the limit. Long-term indoor exposure could cause skin allergies, respiratory distress, and kidney damage.

There had been an incident before involving a primary school that purchased decorations for an activity room; children in several classes had shown various mild symptoms. When the school confronted Ye Jianguo, he slippery shut down the factory for a few months, only to reopen it under a new shell company. The school couldn’t find him, and the matter had been dropped.

Xu Qingqiong stared at the screen. She quickly found the contact information for the school official and dialed the number.

The filing of evidence, the case registration, the trial, the first-instance verdict…

They were fully prepared. Ye Jianguo, however, never expected that surveillance evidence existed. He didn’t even believe it when he first received the summons. He was caught completely off guard.

On the day of the trial, standing in the defendant’s dock and seeing the surveillance footage and Wen Lanjing sitting in the witness stand, Ye Jianguo still tried to argue.

Until the judge’s gavel fell, announcing the verdict.

Even as he was restrained by two officers, Ye Jianguo refused to accept it, screaming manically. He wanted to appeal! He claimed it was a frame-up!

But the result was set. The evidence was irrefutable; even if he appealed, the second-instance ruling would not change. He was to be taken into custody and transferred to prison immediately. Even if he wanted to appeal or find a better lawyer, he had no way to do so. The only person outside who could have helped him, Wen Lanjing, was now desperate to divorce him and sever all ties.

As the group emerged from the courthouse, the weather had turned chilly. The legal process had been relatively fast, but every day without a verdict had been an agonizing struggle.

For the past two months, Xu Qingqiong had barely slept. On the rare occasions she fell into a deep sleep, she would wake up startled. She had visibly wasted away; she was already thin, but now she carried an aura of fragile weakness.

Lin Konglu would hold her and pat her back whenever she woke up. Sometimes, when she accidentally grasped her wrist, she felt it was far too slender.

Fortunately, it was settled now. Although the dead cannot return, there was at least a just conclusion. After two months of exhaustive work, Xu Qingqiong suggested they all go out for a meal.

On the way to the restaurant, Barfu was driving and suddenly asked casually, “Qingqiong, when is the wedding being rescheduled to?”

Their original wedding plan had been set for the end of last month, but because of the sudden tragedy, no one had the energy to think about it, and it had naturally been postponed.

Xu Qingqiong froze. She turned her head to look at Lin Konglu.

She suddenly realized something—

Now that Ye Jianguo was in prison, having been convicted of intentionally killing the testator, he was automatically disqualified from the line of succession. He had lost all rights to the inheritance.

So… was there still a need for her and Lin Konglu to continue their agreement? Would there still be a wedding?

Having just gone through a trial, her mind was a mess. She opened her mouth to speak, then looked at Lin Konglu again.

Little did she know, Lin Konglu was sitting beside her looking calm, but her fingers had gone still and her eyelashes fluttered as she, too, waited for the answer.

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