You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 3

When Xu Qingqiong woke up the next morning, the space beside her was already empty. She let out a yawn and climbed out of bed to wash up.

The person in the mirror had a flushed face, eyes drooping slightly—wearing the heavy languor that comes from oversleeping.

A bright red hickey flickered in and out of view near her neck and shoulder. Curious, she tugged at the collar of her pajamas to take a look and couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

Hidden beneath the collar, a string of vivid crimson marks meandered down her fair, porcelain skin, extending almost all the way to her waist.

She had no idea when those had been put there.

Lin Konglu had already left for the company. She had left a note on the fridge reminding Xu that there was breakfast in the kitchen. Likely predicting that Xu might wake up late, she had thoughtfully reminded her to use the microwave to heat it up before eating.

Xu Qingqiong put the note back where it came from and promptly tossed the advice to the back of her mind.

She opened the fridge, grabbed a carton of ice-cold milk, and took a few gulps. As the icy liquid hit her stomach, she casually found a slice of toast and took a few bites.

This was a habit she had picked up while studying abroad; she couldn’t change it overnight, and frankly, she didn’t want to.

Finishing the toast, Xu Qingqiong held the milk carton and glanced at the time. She decided she simply wasn’t going to the office today.

Being an “airdropped” hire meant she could be exactly this arrogant.

She kicked off her slippers and sat on the sofa. Her waist felt a bit sore and soft—not exactly comfortable—so she pulled a throw pillow behind her and leaned back crookedly.

Just as she was debating whether to start a gaming livestream, her phone vibrated twice with an incoming message.

It was from her childhood friend, Cong Yun.

Cong Yun: “Let’s go, Qiong-er. Come shopping with me. I’ll pick you up.”

“…” Xu Qingqiong replied: “Sister, do you want to check what day of the week it is?”

Cong Yun retorted: “Does the day of the week make a difference to you? Stop talking nonsense, let’s go.”

…Indeed, it made no difference.

Ever since she joined the planning department of the Ses Group last month, she had relied on her “backer” Lin Konglu to act in a scattered manner. She worked one day and skipped three; she did everything except actual work.

But she didn’t want to go out today.

The summer this year was exceptionally hot. The blazing sun was a relentless fireball radiating heat. The moment you left an air-conditioned environment, you felt like a piece of chocolate about to melt into a sticky mess on the asphalt.

Cong Yun started a video call, sounding surprised: “What’s the situation? I can’t even get you to come out?”

Xu Qingqiong leaned against the sofa and gave a casual excuse: “Tired…”

“Tired?” Cong Yun’s gaze lingered on Xu’s slightly open collar. She said thoughtfully, “Tsk tsk, you guys played pretty hard last night, huh?”

Xu Qingqiong immediately reached up to cover her neck: “…”

Cong Yun curled her lip. “What are you hiding for? I already saw it.”

Her attitude suggested: What’s there to hide? I play much harder than you.

Cong Yun was only a few years older than her, but she was a true socialite—fickle and romantic. She had been playing the field since she was sixteen or seventeen. Last year, she had finally settled down and eloped into a flash marriage with a woman.

This had shocked Xu Qingqiong.

She had thought Cong Yun would never get married. After all, Cong Yun’s favorite catchphrase used to be: Life is short, enjoy it while you can.

Who knew she would not only marry but do it in a heartbeat?

Leaning on the sofa, with that lingering soreness in her waist, Xu Qingqiong had a sudden whim. “What is the ‘normal’ frequency for a couple’s… intimate life?”

Cong Yun asked back: “When are we talking about?”

Xu Qingqiong didn’t understand.

Cong Yun explained: “It goes in stages. When you first get together, it’s all passion—you go through a box in one night, practically shaking the bed apart. But after a year or two, things might not be as… ‘active’.”

Xu Qingqiong followed up immediately: “What do you mean by ‘not as active’?”

“…” Cong Yun was speechless. “It means what it means. Did you lose your Chinese after two years abroad, little sister?”

“Sister, use your reading comprehension, okay?” Xu Qingqiong was also annoyed. “I’m asking for specifics.”

“Maybe once or twice a week,” Cong Yun said. Then, sensing something was off, she asked, “What’s wrong? Are you and Lin Konglu not… compatible?”

Xu Qingqiong found it a bit hard to speak.

She hadn’t thought they were incompatible before, but after hearing this, she felt she and Lin Konglu really might be.

In the month they had lived together, a night of indulgence like last night was an exception. Most of the time, Lin Konglu worked overtime and came home late at night when Xu was already asleep.

Was this normal? According to Cong Yun, it definitely didn’t seem so.

She had sensed it before, and now she was certain: Lin Konglu was truly frigid.

Reaching this conclusion, Xu Qingqiong’s face immediately crumpled into a mask of pain.

Because Xu Qingqiong had a bit of a strange “type.”

She liked the “dainty” type—ideally someone who knew how to act spoiled, had a sweet voice, red eyes, and made soft, whimpering sounds.

But after being with Lin Konglu, her criteria had gained an additional requirement: their skills in bed had to be consummate.

The reason she realized she had this strange preference was that over the years, she repeatedly had the same dream.

In the dream, she would be standing at the bottom of a staircase. A girl in her teens would be sitting on the steps with her knees pulled to her chest, looking somewhat despondent.

The setting seemed to be middle school. The girl opposite her wore a school uniform—a three-piece set with a pleated skirt, shirt, and blazer. She looked pure and moving.

The two of them would exchange a few words.

Then, Xu Qingqiong would suddenly lean in and kiss her on her youthful, beautiful face. Perhaps it wasn’t even a kiss, but a light peck—like a little bird fluttering its wings and flying away.

In response, the girl would look up, her eyes misty like a lake. Two round teardops would fall, meeting at her snow-white chin to form a single trail of water.

And she would call out Xu’s name in a soft, crying voice: “Qingqiong…”

She couldn’t remember the scenes that followed; only this image replayed in her mind.

Xu Qingqiong would wake up in a cold sweat, blaming herself: I made her cry? I’m such a scumbag!

But the troubling part was that while her heart raced with guilt, she also felt an uncontrollable excitement at the memory. Her blood would hum.

After having the dream over and over, she finally figured it out.

—She actually liked that type.

Once she clarified her preference, she started looking for it. Her friends even introduced her to several people.

But Xu Qingqiong was incredibly picky. She couldn’t settle on anyone.

The crying isn’t right… she’s not pretty enough… too artificial…

She could find eight hundred excuses.

Cong Yun used to tease her: “Who are you looking for? You have so many requirements, are you looking for a ‘dream lover’?”

That sentence had woken her up. How could she find someone based on a phantom from a dream? A dream is a dream precisely because it’s impossible to realize.

As for why she was sure it was just a dream and not a memory—it was because Xu Qingqiong had started developing a vague sense of her sexual orientation in middle school. If she had actually met that girl in real life, it was impossible that she would have no memory of it.

Back to the present, Cong Yun asked, “Why aren’t you satisfied with Lin Konglu?”

Xu Qingqiong remained silent. She couldn’t exactly say she had a specific kink for pretty girls crying in bed. That was too perverted.

Xu Qingqiong couldn’t say it, so she blurred the lines: “She’s too cold.”

Cong Yun sent a string of ellipses in frustration.

“It’s perfectly normal for her to be cold! She’s a young, successful CEO. Do you expect her to be wagging her tail for you?”

“If you’re not satisfied with her, what kind of person do you actually want?”

Xu Qingqiong whispered: “…It’s not that I’m unsatisfied.”

It was because she was satisfied that she agreed to the marriage.

But being satisfied didn’t mean she liked her. Her current situation was more like being “forced onto the stage.”

Ever since that “old thing” at home married his new wife, Xu Qingqiong had been pushed into blind dates. He was clearly using her as a tool for a business marriage.

On one hand, she didn’t want to give him what he wanted.

More importantly—Xu Qingqiong lowered her gaze—she needed to get married quickly. She needed a legal spouse.

Xu Qingqiong’s family situation was complicated.

That old thing—her father, Ye Jianguo—had been blessed with good looks in his youth. Using that face, he successfully deluded Xu Qingqiong’s mother into thinking he was the only man for her.

She had ignored her own mother’s (Xu’s grandmother’s) objections and even used a premarital pregnancy to force the grandmother to compromise.

But the grandmother had conditions: Ye Jianguo had to marry into the family, and the child would be raised by her personally; the parents were not to interfere.

On the surface, Ye Jianguo acted like a gentleman and agreed to the terms. In reality, he was a classic “Phoenix Man.”

While Xu’s mother was pregnant, he used her money to secretly keep a mistress. When her mother found out, the shock led to a premature birth and postpartum hemorrhage. She didn’t make it.

Though Xu Qingqiong barely survived the birth, she was weak and sickly as a child. Her grandmother had put immense effort into raising her, turning her into a beautiful, healthy girl.

When she was little, the grandmother worried about her health. As she grew up, the grandmother worried about her own aging.

Ye Jianguo was clearly a dangerous man who had been lying in wait with ill intentions. Once the only relative was gone, what would happen to her little girl?

So, the grandmother hoped she could stay with Xu Qingqiong a little longer.

Predicting that she might have an accident, she wrote her will early. Shares, funds, real estate, gold… the vast majority was left to Xu Qingqiong, but a small portion was reserved for Xu Qingqiong’s future partner.

A future partner?

At the time, Xu Qingqiong didn’t understand why a portion was set aside for a spouse who didn’t even exist yet. Furthermore, the value of those assets was not a small sum.

“Since you understand the importance of these things,” her grandmother told her sternly, “I hope you can see people clearly in the future. Be prudent. Give these things to someone worthy. Don’t be like your mother and lose your life over it.”

“Also, this is a bit of a selfish wish for myself. I want to hold on until you get married, so I can see someone take my place in loving you.” The grandmother’s tone softened, and she patted Xu’s head lightly, sensing her body wouldn’t last much longer. “Qiongqiong, Grandma just wants you to be happy forever.”

“I owe you too much.”

But no one expected the accident to come so suddenly.

Just a few days after Xu returned to school, she received the terrible news.

—Her grandmother had suffered a sudden myocardial infarction and passed away.

It was an emergency, and she rushed back to the country, but Ye Jianguo didn’t wait for her. He hurried through the funeral arrangements. She didn’t even get to see her grandmother one last time.

Ye Jianguo couldn’t wait to get his hands on the inheritance.

He hadn’t expected the will to be so ironclad; the amount he could legally touch was minimal.

Perhaps fearing that a man with nothing to lose might do something desperate, the grandmother had left him one property, some jewelry, and cash.

But how could that satisfy his bottomless greed? How could it justify his years of playing the submissive role?

So, he turned his sights on Xu Qingqiong.

Since this “cheap daughter” wasn’t close to him anyway, he might as well marry her off in an alliance—that way, he could get a piece of her inheritance.

Xu Qingqiong thought with gritted teeth: I won’t leave a single cent to that old man.

Sooner or later, she would make him spit out that house and jewelry too!

She had even considered finding someone for a fake marriage, but… she was afraid that acting too rashly would lead to a disaster.

Lin Konglu was an unexpected choice—one that couldn’t possibly be better.

…

Xu Qingqiong pulled back her thoughts and sighed with mock drama: “Maybe this is the world of adults—doing things against one’s will.”

Cong Yun cursed at her: “Get out of here! If Lin Konglu counts as ‘against one’s will,’ then give me one too, I want her.”

Xu Qingqiong: “Recorded. Just wait, I’m sending this to Sister Ying.”

Sister Ying—Zhong Qingying—was the woman Cong Yun had flash-married last year.

“…” Cong Yun immediately folded. “Just kidding! Don’t take it seriously. Lin Konglu is yours—yours for life!”

“Sigh, I just can’t keep my mouth shut. Last time I accidentally mentioned my ex-girlfriends, Zhong-Zhong was mad for days. If she finds out about this, she’ll ‘work’ me to death in bed.” Cong Yun patted her chest, looking genuinely scared.

Clearly, she had experienced that before.

Xu Qingqiong: “…”

Good grief. For all that big talk, she’s actually a bottom.

Xu Qingqiong nearly lost her composure.

Cong Yun tsked, dissatisfied: “What are you thinking about?”

Xu Qingqiong held her phone, shaking her head as she suppressed a laugh.

Cong Yun didn’t hold it against her. Finally acting like an older sister, she advised warmly: “But since you’ve decided to marry Lin Konglu, you might as well try to get to know her properly. It’s hard to find someone who fits you perfectly; life always requires some friction and compromise.”

Then she added: “And if it really doesn’t work out, you can always get a divorce.”

Xu Qingqiong: “…”

Xu Qingqiong lowered her eyes, thinking: You’re telling me too late. I can’t get a divorce.

Because what Cong Yun didn’t know was that she and Lin Konglu had signed a prenuptial agreement. One of the clauses stated that barring any wrongdoing (defined only as infidelity), neither party could initiate a divorce.

Even if the agreement wasn’t legally binding, with Xu Qingqiong’s personality, once she signed a contract, she wouldn’t stoop to breaking the rules. She believed Lin Konglu was the same.

This meant Xu Qingqiong would likely be tied to Lin Konglu for the rest of her life.

…

She still remembered the scene from two months ago when she signed that agreement.

That was the first time she met Lin Konglu. It was an introduction through one of her grandmother’s old friends, and she couldn’t refuse.

At the time, she had a very flippant attitude. She had heard of Lin Konglu—the eldest daughter of the Lin family, the future heir to the family business, a woman of great ability and a “hard” wrist. Essentially, they were not the same kind of person.

She subconsciously assumed that Lin Konglu was only meeting her out of politeness to the elders and likely couldn’t wait to leave.

When she arrived at the designated restaurant, the sun outside was too bright. She rushed in, took a long breath, and went to the counter to order a cold drink first.

Standing at the counter, she casually turned her head toward the reserved table.

That one glance made her freeze.

Behind a divider of lush, green feathered plants, a beautiful face was partially visible.

The eyes were long and narrow, carrying a hint of flamboyant charm, but the aura was too cold. Clad in a sharp, stern suit, she suppressed that flamboyance, making her look like someone who could not be trifled with.

Xu Qingqiong’s first reaction was to awkwardly tug at the brim of her hat. She looked down at her own outfit—a loose T-shirt with English letters on the chest, casual jeans, and sneakers. Her steps faltered; she felt inexplicably self-conscious.

Realizing what she was doing, she stubbornly moved her hand away.

She adopted a purposefully scattered, almost rebellious attitude. She snatched off her baseball cap, tossed it onto the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Looking at the woman opposite her, she said:

“Since you agreed to this blind date, hear my conditions first.”

“I want to get married—preferably within two months—and I want the marriage certificate officially registered.”

“If you can’t agree to that, we don’t need to keep talking. I hate wasting time. Bye.”

She finished speaking at lightning speed, her courage already drained. She grabbed her cap and made a move to get up and bolt.

Lin Konglu lifted those cold eyes and spoke her first words:

“Sit down.”

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