You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 32

Still unable to figure out who the sender was, Xu Qingqiong carried the flowers upstairs first. Once home, she placed them on the living room table and examined them closely for a while.

The flowers were full-bodied and delicately beautiful—perfect for taking apart to make a floral arrangement. Her hands felt a bit itchy with the urge to start, and she couldn’t resist flicking a petal with her finger.

However, since she hadn’t clarified who sent them, she felt it wouldn’t be appropriate to display them openly in her room; she felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of Lin Konglu seeing them. After some thought, she left the bouquet exactly as it was and placed it out on the balcony.

But she wasn’t in a hurry. Whoever sent them surely had a way to let her know. No “fool” would do such thankless work, performing a “good deed” without leaving a name.

She then headed out to the art museum for her scheduled meeting with Auntie Chun.

Auntie Chun took her on a general tour of the museum, introducing the basic operations. Xu Qingqiong’s previous studies had been purely theoretical, and the actual practice was quite different. Although she had been exposed to it since childhood, doing it herself was another matter entirely. Experience is something that can’t be taught; you have to apply it personally to truly understand it.

The museum had two new constant temperature and humidity exhibition halls that had just been put into use this year.

As they walked, Auntie Chun said, “These two halls just opened this year. Maintaining constant temperature and humidity on such a large scale is considered quite a high technical difficulty in our region…” She paused mid-sentence. “What’s this? A mosquito bite?”

Xu Qingqiong gave a small “Ah,” and looked down to find a very noticeable red mark on her collarbone. It had been covered by her jacket earlier, but she had taken it off because she felt a bit hot. She hadn’t noticed it herself and didn’t expect Auntie Chun to spot it.

She had woken up once in the middle of last night, feeling dazed. Lin Konglu had been holding her by the waist, her face pressed into the crook of Xu Qingqiong’s neck. Xu Qingqiong herself hadn’t been much better, her limbs tangled around Lin Konglu like an octopus.

So, this must have been Lin Konglu’s handiwork.

She lamented internally that drinking really does mess things up—she couldn’t remember a thing. She laughed it off and gave a vague, perfunctory excuse; after all, Auntie Chun didn’t know about her relationship with Lin Konglu yet.

When she returned home that evening, it was a bit late. She found Lin Konglu already there, squatting in front of the fridge stuffing it with ice cream.

There were two whole boxes of ice cream, so many that the freezer was nearly bursting. Xu Qingqiong stood by and watched for a moment, then washed her hands and picked one at random. She took a bite and found it was chocolate flavored. It was quite delicious.

However, she didn’t understand why Lin Konglu had bought so much. It was already early autumn; even if there was an “Autumn Tiger” heatwave, the weather would soon turn cold. There were only two of them; they couldn’t possibly finish it all.

She took another bite.

Suddenly, Lin Konglu asked her, “Can I have some?”

The question was bizarre. Didn’t she buy them? Why was she asking her? Besides, there were so many; she could eat as many as she wanted.

Then she realized Lin Konglu’s gaze was fixed… on the one in her hand.

Did Lin Konglu want to eat the one she was holding? But she had already bitten into it; her teeth marks were right there.

Under Lin Konglu’s gaze, Xu Qingqiong tentatively held out the ice cream. “Then… you eat it.”

Lin Konglu hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t take it from her hand. Instead, she looked up and took a bite directly from Xu Qingqiong’s hand.

Xu Qingqiong was standing by the fridge, while Lin Konglu was half-squatting. With the height difference… this posture was exactly like feeding a puppy.

The thought instantly popped into Xu Qingqiong’s head. She had raised a puppy when she was little, and it was just like this. It would rest its chin on her palm, and sometimes its tongue would accidentally lick her fingers—wet, warm, and ticklish.

The thought made her face feel hot.

Technically, there was nothing wrong with the gesture. They had kissed so many times, so what was wrong with sharing an ice cream? But it was precisely this kind of naturally flowing intimacy that made her heart feel a bit numb.

Lin Konglu only took one bite before heading back to the study to work.

The “second-hand” ice cream had instantly become “third-hand.” Xu Qingqiong had no choice but to finish it herself.

After finishing the ice cream, she went to the guest room to start a live stream, planning to broadcast for two hours.

A viewer in the chat asked about Lin Konglu. She glanced at it but didn’t answer. She had only mentioned Lin Konglu twice before and hadn’t said much since. Occasionally, she might mention a thing or two in passing, but she wouldn’t let it take up the bulk of the content. After all, most people were there for the gaming content, not her love life.

She was very good at controlling the pace. She was interesting without being vulgar, and the interaction in the chat was lively, with everyone chatting noisily. Simply put, the streaming industry relies heavily on personal charisma. One needs substance to make people want to know more; a shallow attraction won’t last long.

When the stream ended, it was past 11:00 PM. She went to take a shower.

After her shower, Lin Konglu was in the living room and called her over. Xu Qingqiong didn’t know what was happening and thought Lin Konglu had something important to discuss.

A folder was laid out on the table, presumably for her to look at. To her surprise, Lin Konglu went to the bathroom, brought out the hairdryer, and told her to sit down first.

Lin Konglu: “Your hair is wet. You’ll get a headache if you sleep like that.”

Actually, the temperature wasn’t low, and her hair would have dried quickly before bed anyway, which is why she hadn’t blown it dry. But she didn’t refuse. “…Oh.” She sat down.

Lin Konglu stood behind her. The hairdryer hummed, and a gentle, warm breeze blew over her. She felt a bit restless and accidentally moved her head.

Lin Konglu’s hand slipped, and her fingers brushed against Xu Qingqiong’s ear. Whether intentional or not, she pinched the tip of her ear. Xu Qingqiong’s spine went numb, and her ears turned bright red instantly.

Xu Qingqiong was very ticklish; if someone touched her eyelashes, she felt itchy, and her ears were quite sensitive. This was especially obvious in bed—she would pull away if kissed there.

There was no way Lin Konglu didn’t know this.

Xu Qingqiong wanted to tell her to stop touching, but Lin Konglu seemed to have done it accidentally. Aside from that one flick, she didn’t touch her again.

After drying her hair, Lin Konglu showed her the documents. She had listed the wedding essentials, a tentative guest list, and a detailed comparison of the pros and cons of the shortlisted venues. It was all very meticulously organized.

Xu Qingqiong hadn’t expected Lin Konglu to show her this.

Lin Konglu: “Do you think this is okay?”

It was more than okay. A wedding is an exhausting endeavor, full of trivial and complex details. Lin Konglu had considered almost everything that needed to be considered. She hadn’t expected Lin Konglu’s initiative to be so strong. Although Lin Konglu didn’t say much, this indirectly proved her attitude.

Xu Qingqiong: “What about the wedding date? Is it confirmed?” Lin Konglu: “There are some options here.”

She lowered her head to read them carefully.

Lin Konglu looked toward the balcony and suddenly spoke, “Do you want me to help you arrange the flowers in a vase?”

Xu Qingqiong was caught off guard, not realizing she had seen them. “Uh, no need for now.” She still hadn’t figured out who sent them, so she figured she shouldn’t touch them until she found out.

Lin Konglu asked her very seriously, “Do you not like them?”

Xu Qingqiong froze for a moment, then it finally clicked. “You were the one who sent them?”

Lin Konglu nodded.

Xu Qingqiong felt a wave of relief. If someone else had sent them, she would have felt pressured. Much like Xiao Mi’s sudden confession, it felt burdensome because she couldn’t reciprocate, leading to awkwardness. But since it was Lin Konglu, she accepted it with ease.

Why the sudden gift? Was Lin Konglu trying to end their “cold war” by showing goodwill?

She hummed a “yes,” feeling quite happy. “I like them.” Receiving flowers is always a happy occasion, especially when they are so beautiful.

Lin Konglu nodded. “I see.”

Xu Qingqiong thought for a moment and specifically added, “I only put them there because I didn’t know they were from you.”

Lin Konglu suddenly smiled. “Mm.”

Since they were from Lin Konglu, there was no psychological burden. She contentedly took the bouquet apart, found two vases, trimmed the stems, added nutrient solution, and set them up in the living room. These beautiful roses would now bloom in the vases for a long time.

After tidying up, Lin Konglu went to shower.

Xu Qingqiong was also a bit tired after a busy day. But lying in bed, she felt very fulfilled. It felt as if life was getting on the right track. It seemed like nothing major had happened, but as time flowed quietly by, it brought a sense of stability and satisfaction. She loved this feeling of tranquility.

She lay on the bed playing with her phone for a while, finding even her phone extra entertaining today.

After Lin Konglu finished her shower, she leaned over, reached out from behind to hug Xu Qingqiong’s waist, rested her face on her shoulder, and kissed her ear and cheek.

“Goodnight.”

Xu Qingqiong was a bit surprised and stammered, “G-goodnight.”

Lin Konglu stared at her and didn’t move.

After a few seconds, under that gaze, Xu Qingqiong had no choice but to lean over and kiss her cheek in return, saying again, “…Goodnight.”

Only then did Lin Konglu change her position to lie down, though her arm remained draped around Xu Qingqiong’s waist.

The lights were turned off. In the darkness, Xu Qingqiong listened to the rise and fall of Lin Konglu’s breathing but couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.

She couldn’t help but reach up and pinch her own flushed ear, thinking to herself: It’s not my imagination, is it? Why is Lin Konglu being so proactive today?

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