You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 30

“Why are you crying?”

It was that same sentence again, those exact same words.

Lin Konglu could easily recall the first time she met Xu Qingqiong. Because it was so vivid, so intense—like sunlight leaking through the shade of a tree at high noon in midsummer; no matter what, the color would never fade.

For as long as Lin Konglu had memories, she had no father. Her mother was a mess of a human being, but not quite rotten to the core. She had a sliver of compassion, but not much. This manifested in her occasionally holding Lin Konglu and crying, but most of the time, she treated her with cold indifference.

Indifference didn’t mean she neglected Lin Konglu’s basic needs, but rather that her eyes simply didn’t see her. She treated her like the air in the house. Even a cat or a dog would get a glance, but Lin Konglu did not.

So, when Lin Shuhai suddenly took her back, she thought things might get better—at least they couldn’t get worse. But later, she realized she was wrong. Lin Shuhai was also a piece of trash, and a malicious one at that.

However, at the time, what was even harder to accept than Lin Shuhai was the malice from her peers. In a new environment, the cruelty of children is both innocent and devastating. Faced with such malice, a child has no defenses; the most instinctive reaction is to curl up and hide.

There was an abandoned storage room on the top floor of the school filled with scrapped sports equipment. No one ever went there, and no one paid attention to that dusty corner. Thus, when Lin Konglu was suddenly caught crying, she felt a surge of shame. Her instinctive reaction was to reach out and push the intruder.

Xu Qingqiong was pushed back, losing her balance and pressing her palms into the ground. She didn’t get angry, though. Instead, she looked at Lin Konglu with curiosity: “Why are you crying?”

Lin Konglu was furious. “None of your business! Get lost.”

Xu Qingqiong squatted in front of her, pouting slightly. “But my hand hurts,” she said, showing her palms. The fair skin was now scraped, marked by two stinging red streaks of blood. “It hurts so much,” she emphasized her tone. “It hurts, you have to make it up to me.”

Lin Konglu felt like she had truly invited trouble. With a look of extreme displeasure, she led Xu Qingqiong to the infirmary. The wound looked messy, but there was actually nothing wrong with it; it was just disinfected and covered with two band-aids.

Afterward, Xu Qingqiong held two ice creams and handed one to her. Lin Konglu didn’t want to eat it; she thought this girl must be crazy. To be innocent to such an extent—wasn’t that a form of madness?

But Xu Qingqiong forced it into her hand. Kindness, accompanied by a sweet fragrance, rushed into her senses. With sparkling eyes, Xu Qingqiong said, “Hurry up and eat. I’m taking you somewhere.”

Lin Konglu looked at her silently, thinking: She must be a pampered little princess.

But in the blink of an eye, she watched as Xu Qingqiong grabbed her backpack, led her over a wall, and cornered the group of classmates who had been bullying her, giving them a thorough thrashing. The physical gap between young teenagers isn’t that large, so in such situations, combat skill becomes crucial—and Xu Qingqiong was clearly a “repeat offender” with technique.

One punch for each of them. Before long, they were all groaning on the ground.

Once it was all settled, Xu Qingqiong turned around. In that same tone of kindness, she said, “Don’t cry next time, okay?”

Amidst the surrounding moans of pain, Lin Konglu silently took a step back under her gaze.

…

It wasn’t until the elevator beeped with a timeout warning that Lin Konglu snapped out of her thoughts. She realized she had lost her composure, and right in front of Xu Qingqiong.

To reiterate: Xu Qingqiong was the type who could be swayed by kindness but never by force. Even though she was currently a bit dizzy and her thoughts weren’t very clear, she instantly forgave Lin Konglu in her heart.

The roles of helplessness shifted from Lin Konglu to her. Xu Qingqiong reached out to cup her face. “Don’t cry.”

Lin Konglu quickly regained control of her emotions and said reflexively, “I’m not crying.”

Xu Qingqiong froze for a moment, let go of her face, and muttered to herself, “Fine, fine, lying to me again.”

Lin Konglu: “I’m not lying to you, it’s just…”

Xu Qingqiong cut her off naturally: “I know. It’s not really lying, you’re just being stubborn.”

Lin Konglu was stunned, surprised by her sharp intuition. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if Xu Qingqiong was truly drunk or not.

Xu Qingqiong continued, “Actually, I’m being stubborn too. I’m still quite upset. Even though I just told you it didn’t matter and it was fine, I still wanted you to explain it to me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep.”

Xu Qingqiong looked down, tapping aimlessly on the digital keypad. She got the password wrong twice. One more mistake and it would be locked. She said irritably, “You open it. I can’t get it.”

Lin Konglu was now certain she was drunk. She reached out and entered the code.

As soon as the door opened, Xu Qingqiong headed straight for the fridge. She opened it, scanned the contents, and looked back with disappointment. “There really isn’t any?”

Lin Konglu: “I’ll buy some tomorrow. Tell me which flavor you want.”

Only then did Xu Qingqiong feel satisfied. Like a cat inspecting its territory, she paced slowly around the room, turning this way and that. Suddenly remembering something, she found a cabinet and pulled out a file envelope.

Lin Konglu recognized it immediately. It was the envelope Wen Lanjing had returned to Xu Qingqiong earlier. She didn’t know exactly what was inside, only that there seemed to be some letters.

She gave Xu Qingqiong some space and prepared to head to the bedroom.

Xu Qingqiong opened the envelope. Every letter was in its own envelope, stamped and addressed. She carefully looked at one, which had a mailing address, a recipient, and a sender’s name.

“Lin Konglu?”

Hearing her name, Lin Konglu turned back. She realized Xu Qingqiong wasn’t calling her, but reading the sender’s name on the envelope.

Xu Qingqiong held one up for her to see: “The letters you wrote to me.”

Every envelope was perfectly sealed, never opened. Lin Konglu stood frozen by the door.

While she was dazed, Xu Qingqiong had already torn one open. She unfolded the paper and began to read seriously, but after a moment, she shook her head to herself and stuffed the letter back in. “I’m drunk, I can’t see straight.”

She stood up, her head swimming, and flopped onto the bedroom bed.

Lin Konglu finally found her voice and followed her, unable to help asking: “Do you still remember me?”

Xu Qingqiong didn’t quite grasp the deeper meaning, but that didn’t stop her from rambling: “Of course. You’re Lin Konglu.” She reached out and pulled her down to lie beside her.

Lin Konglu reached out to brush against her eyelashes, remaining silent. It tickled too much; Xu Qingqiong refused to let her continue, closing her eyes and turning her head away.

Lin Konglu asked: “Are you clear-headed right now?”

Xu Qingqiong was very honest and self-aware, shaking her head. “Not clear. I’m drunk.”

Lin Konglu: “Then how about I explain everything to you tomorrow?”

Sensing the gravity in her tone, Xu Qingqiong didn’t want to make things difficult for her. She said again, “It’s okay. Like I said, you don’t have to explain if you don’t want to.”

Lin Konglu: “I know.” She reached out to touch her eyelashes again.

Xu Qingqiong endured it for a bit, but eventually couldn’t take it. “Stop touching them, it itches.”

Lin Konglu leaned in and kissed her. “How about this?”

Xu Qingqiong said primly, “Barely acceptable.” Then she added, “You can kiss me again, if you want.”

Lin Konglu: “Can I?”

Xu Qingqiong: “Of course.”

Having received permission, Lin Konglu didn’t kiss her eyes. Instead, she kissed the corner of her lips and said, “I like you.”

Xu Qingqiong hummed twice. “I know. You’ve said it before.”

Lin Konglu: “When?”

Xu Qingqiong held up three fingers. “Excluding just now, you’ve said it a total of three times. Once just now in the garage, and once in the letters.”

Lin Konglu chuckled softly. “You have a good memory.”

Xu Qingqiong’s gesture changed to a four.

Lin Konglu was surprised. “I didn’t speak.”

Xu Qingqiong said naturally, “But your eyes told me.” She tapped her finger against Lin Konglu’s chest. “And right here. Your heart is beating very fast.”

Lin Konglu froze. She took Xu Qingqiong’s hand and held it against her chest, sighing. “If only you knew this when you were sober.”

Xu Qingqiong: “I do know. Every time you hold me, your heart beats so fast. Do you think I’m an idiot?”

That one sentence made Lin Konglu pause.

But then she heard Xu Qingqiong say, “But I don’t believe it. When people are rational, they weigh pros and cons; they scrutinize themselves and others; they become cautious. Your fast heartbeat might mean you like me, but it’s more likely just a physiological response to hormones and excitement… After all, my figure is pretty good, isn’t it?”

Xu Qingqiong looked at her inquiringly. “Seeing a hot body like this, it’s normal for your heart to beat a bit faster, right? Say something!”

Lin Konglu said earnestly, “It’s incredible!”

Only then was Xu Qingqiong satisfied. She continued, “And you usually act so cold. It’s hard to believe you actually like me. Adults aren’t children; they don’t make impulsive decisions based on just one thing.”

“You’re right.” Lin Konglu smiled. “So what should I do, Great Philosopher?”

“You have to tell me. If you tell me, I’ll know.” Xu Qingqiong blinked softly. “If you don’t say it, I’ll never know.”

Lin Konglu said playfully, “But you don’t like me. Even if I say it, it’s useless.”

Xu Qingqiong looked at her with a “you’re the worst student I’ve ever taught” expression. “How can you be like this! If I don’t like you, are you just going to stop pursuing me? You’re too focused on the outcome!” She paused, her tone turning awkward. “Besides, you haven’t even tried. How do you know?”

Lin Konglu hesitated. “Then… should I try?”

Xu Qingqiong snapped, “Try faster!”

“…” Lin Konglu laughed. “I’ll listen to you, Teacher Xu.”

She never expected that one day her crush would be teaching her step-by-step how to pursue her.

“Will you remember our conversation tonight when you wake up tomorrow?”

Xu Qingqiong shook her head frankly. “Of course not. I’m not clear-headed right now, after all. Even if my brain might not remember, I will still remember you. You’re here.” She pointed to where her heart was.

That sentence sounded too much like a confession of love. Even though Lin Konglu knew she didn’t mean it that way, she couldn’t help asking, “Why?”

Xu Qingqiong said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “Because you’re beautiful. I wouldn’t forget you after seeing you once.”

Lin Konglu thought: Xu Qingqiong is occasionally so sincere it makes one feel ashamed.

“I feel like crying a little.”

Xu Qingqiong pulled her close, saying generously, “It’s okay, cry all you want.”

Lin Konglu: “I also want to kiss you.”

Xu Qingqiong thought about it for a second. “I suppose that’s okay.” She tilted her face toward her. “Go ahead.”

Lin Konglu gave her a kiss but said, “Not there.”

As she spoke, her fingers traced the lines of Xu Qingqiong’s body, sliding down and catching her knee. “May I? You taught me a lot just now, so I want to teach you something too. Teacher Xu, may I?”

Xu Qingqiong looked into her eyes with a dazed expression. Under her expectant gaze, she slowly nodded and obediently opened her pressed-together knees.

…

Lin Konglu had always felt she was a sweetheart—wrapped in a seemingly hard shell, but actually a girl who was incredibly soft inside. As long as one was patient enough, the shell could be peeled away to reveal the soft, sweet core and the juice within.

Sweaty skin pressed against skin, temperatures melting together, creating the illusion that time had stopped.

Lin Konglu’s heart thudded. She pressed her ear to Xu Qingqiong’s chest and said, “Your heart is beating fast too.”

Xu Qingqiong: “Of course. You’re holding me.”

That was a wonderful thing to say. It made one wonder: was the heart racing because of the action of being held, or because it was her doing the holding?

Lin Konglu: “Am I in your heart right now?”

Xu Qingqiong looked at her for a while without speaking, then squinted her eyes and gave her a smile.

One more chapter to follow.

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