You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 38

Desire has always been a two-way street.

Amidst the rising and falling tides of their hearts, the warmth of their bodies melded together. The atmosphere was quiet and cozy; for a fleeting moment, it felt as if time had stood still, infinitely stretched and frozen in that single instant.

It was desire, but it was also love.

However, Xu Qingqiong soon reached her limit.

In the literal sense—she was exhausted.

Lin Konglu’s stamina was far superior to hers, and she had been consciously or unconsciously accommodating her the entire time.

Xu Qingqiong lay half-dead against Lin Konglu’s chest, feeling her back ache and her waist go sore. She truly felt like she couldn’t go on.

Then again, it made sense. She rarely exercised and was a bit on the lazy side; how could her stamina possibly be good?

Lin Konglu, on the other hand, was a master of time management. Between her busy work schedule, she still found time to hit the gym. It was impressive.

Xu Qingqiong shifted her position and poked the defined lines of Lin Konglu’s abdominal muscles, letting out a small, envious “Tsk.”

She asked, “How do you even train for this?”

Lin Konglu caught her hand and held it in her palm. “You can do it too.”

The tone was exactly the same as when she had just tricked Xu Qingqiong by telling her she was “doing great as a Top.” Xu Qingqiong didn’t quite believe her. “You’re just bluffing.”

Lin Konglu said seriously, “You have a foundation from before. It’ll be easy to train.”

Xu Qingqiong let out a confused “Huh?”

Lin Konglu added, “Didn’t you practice Muay Thai before?”

Xu Qingqiong froze. She hadn’t expected Lin Konglu to know even that.

She had practiced Muay Thai in middle school. So many years had passed that she hadn’t even remembered it herself.

Later, because her mental state had declined and her body couldn’t keep up, she naturally lost the motivation to exercise. She often stayed holed up in her room, falling into a vicious cycle where her physical health deteriorated.

She suddenly remembered Cong Yun telling her that all three of them had attended Shuren Middle School.

Lin Konglu spoke of these things so naturally, as if she knew Xu Qingqiong quite well. She even knew about the Muay Thai.

Xu Qingqiong thought to herself: Did Lin Konglu really know me before?

She felt a sudden impulse to ask, but when she turned her head, she found that Lin Konglu had closed her eyes and seemingly fallen asleep.

So fast?

She was actually quite tired herself. Now that she had finally relaxed, she couldn’t help but yawn. However, she hadn’t showered yet. Enduring her sleepiness, she got up to wash. When she returned to the room, Lin Konglu was still in the same position, seemingly fast asleep.

Standing by the bed, Xu Qingqiong watched her quietly for a moment. A thought struck her, and she turned to take out a ring box.

Their ring sizes were the same. After the custom ring was finished, she had tried it on herself, and it fit perfectly.

This was the first time she had ever done something like this. Feeling a bit shy, she knelt cautiously by the bedside and pulled Lin Konglu’s hand toward her.

Pinching her ring finger, she slid the ring on until it reached the base.

She studied it carefully; it looked beautiful. Just as she had imagined, it suited her perfectly. The pattern was like ocean waves—simple and quiet, with a somewhat cool, minimalist aesthetic. The inside was engraved with the initials of Lin Konglu’s name.

Lin Konglu’s hands were also beautiful—long and well-defined. The two complemented each other perfectly.

She held Lin Konglu’s hand and went to place it back in its original position.

At that moment, Lin Konglu’s hand suddenly tightened, catching her own.

Startled by the sudden movement, Xu Qingqiong looked at her blankly. “You weren’t asleep?”

Lin Konglu opened her eyes. She didn’t speak, only shook her head, her gaze fixed on the ring on her hand.

The setting wasn’t formal enough, and it was quite abrupt, but Xu Qingqiong had taken the ring out regardless.

Mainly, she had thought about it over and over and felt there would never be a “perfect” time to give it to her. Since today was their wedding, she felt she should give Lin Konglu a ring after all.

Seeing Lin Konglu staring at the ring, Xu Qingqiong asked, “What do you think? It’s pretty, right?”

“Though it’s definitely not as expensive as the one you gave me…” The money Xu Qingqiong currently had in her savings was left to her by her grandmother, and she hadn’t touched it. This ring was bought using her previous investment funds.

Lin Konglu said softly, “It’s beautiful.”

Xu Qingqiong felt a bit happy. “Of course!” She had picked it out very carefully for a long time.

Lin Konglu whispered, “Sister.”

Xu Qingqiong: “Hmm?”

For a moment, she felt like Lin Konglu wanted to say something to her. But in the end, Lin Konglu simply rested her head on Xu Qingqiong’s lap and wrapped her arms around her waist, remaining silent for a long time.

Xu Qingqiong keenly felt that the atmosphere was a bit off. In a lighthearted, joking tone, she asked, “Why aren’t you talking? Are you moved to tears?”

To her surprise, Lin Konglu answered seriously, “Yes.”

Xu Qingqiong was instantly amused. She rubbed Lin Konglu’s face, teasing her on purpose. “Really? Then you’re too easy to coax. Could someone kidnap you with just a lollipop?”

Lin Konglu didn’t answer. She looked up at her; under the clear, quiet lamplight, she pressed her lips together and gave a soft, gentle smile.

There was nothing inherently special about the look, but the unintentional trace of deep attachment in her eyes made Xu Qingqiong’s heart tremble.

Xu Qingqiong was dazed for a long while. Even after Lin Konglu turned away to fiddle with the ring, she still hadn’t quite recovered. Her heart was beating a bit too fast. She wondered: Why? Why would Lin Konglu look at her like that?

…

The next morning, Zhong Qingying arrived.

Xu Qingqiong had invited her to the wedding, but Zhong Qingying had been away on a business trip and couldn’t make it in time.

Zhong Qingying handed her a wedding gift, a polite smile on her face. “Wishing you a happy marriage.”

Xu Qingqiong gave a polite smile, accepted the gift, and said thank you.

Zhong Qingying went straight to the point: “Where is Cong Yun?”

Perhaps it was due to her features—thick brows and deep-set eyes—but she gave off a very strong sense of pressure. Or perhaps because they weren’t familiar, Xu Qingqiong still felt a sense of wariness toward her and kept her distance. “At the West Beach. They have snorkeling over there; she’s playing.”

Zhong Qingying gave a slight nod, a cold light flickering in her deep eyes. “Thanks.”

Maybe it was because the two were superficially similar, but Xu Qingqiong subconsciously compared them in her mind.

Lin Konglu was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, while Zhong Qingying was the type who was warm on the outside but cold on the inside. She never felt that Lin Konglu and Zhong Qingying were the same kind of person.

Strangely, even though Lin Konglu had acted very cold and seemingly dominant since their first meeting, Xu Qingqiong felt that Lin Konglu’s core was soft. Cold on the surface, but warm within.

She actually didn’t have much of a guard up against her. If she had been very guarded, she wouldn’t have signed that contract so easily.

Xu Qingqiong couldn’t help but think back to the way Lin Konglu looked at her last night. It was like a little snail crawling past, leaving a shimmering, wet trail in her heart.

It made her feel very uneasy. Why?

She even had a hazy dream this morning, once again dreaming of Lin Konglu in middle school.

That familiar, smaller version of her face—she was a bit shorter than Xu Qingqiong.

The scene was a scorching summer: lush green leaves, the noisy drone of cicadas, and sunlight filtering through the branches.

Xu Qingqiong sat by the edge of the playground, waving at her. “Hurry up, come here!”

Lin Konglu ran toward her clutching her schoolbag, but her expression wasn’t very happy.

Xu Qingqiong asked, “What’s wrong? Who made you mad?”

Lin Konglu shook her head and didn’t speak, silently sitting down beside her, hugging her knees and staring at the ground.

No one spoke for a while.

Understanding the silence, Xu Qingqiong shifted her position and squatted in front of her. Using the height difference of the steps, she tilted her head to look at her expression and asked curiously, “Why are you crying again?”

“Did they bully you again?”

“Is Lin Shuhai being disgusting again?”

…

Xu Qingqiong asked several questions in a row, but Lin Konglu kept shaking her head.

“Then what is it?”

Lin Konglu wouldn’t say. Xu Qingqiong simply gave up asking and sat back down beside her, pulling a tissue out of her own backpack.

“Why are you so prone to crying? You little crybaby.” Xu Qingqiong frowned and muttered under her breath, her expression seemingly impatient, yet her body was honest as she reached out to wipe the tears away.

Lin Konglu grabbed her sleeve, stopping her.

Xu Qingqiong: “What?”

Lin Konglu leaned her head in slightly and kissed her on the cheek.

A very pure kiss.

While Xu Qingqiong was still in a daze, a sudden sense of weightlessness hit her. The images shifted and flashed, instantly switching to another scene.

Ye Jianguo’s face suddenly zoomed in before her eyes. He was kneeling in front of her. “Qingqiong, I really know I was wrong. Forgive me, give me a chance. Regardless, I am your father, I have an obligation to take care of you. I just want to take you out for a meal…”

His high-pitched, sorrowful tone masked his hypocrisy.

All around were the heads of onlookers; the sounds of whispering and chattering drifted in.

Surrounded by the crowd, Xu Qingqiong looked bewildered, a massive sense of absurdity looming over her.

“That’s your father. There’s no grudge between father and daughter that lasts overnight…”

“It’s just a meal. Your father just wants to get along with you…”

“Even if there’s no credit, there’s the hard work he put in. This kid has no sympathy for her father…”

She was pushed forward a step by the crowd.

“You’re willing to come with me?” Ye Jianguo’s expression shifted exaggeratedly from surprise to joy. He immediately wiped away his fake tears and, with an eager smile, grabbed her to lead her to the car without letting her speak.

Lin Konglu stood behind her and quickly grabbed her hand. “I’m going with you.”

Dreams often lack logic—a jumble of fragments—but this felt incredibly real, like a revolving lantern of memories: flashing back, stretching out, repeating, and piecing together.

Her arms were wrapped tightly around Lin Konglu, her other hand shielding the back of Lin Konglu’s head…

A violent crashing sound, screams and crying, people running… piercing through her eardrums.

Xu Qingqiong’s chest felt tight. She opened her mouth to gasp for air, her eyes squeezed shut, yet she simply couldn’t wake up.

After a long time, everything finally went quiet.

The last scene of the dream—

Lin Konglu was walking alone with her schoolbag. She lost her balance, her body swaying, about to fall down the steps.

Xu Qingqiong sprinted over, wanting to catch her, but the scene suddenly shifted. Lin Konglu became like a pixelated character in a game; the screen glitched, and she vanished instantly.

She stood there blankly, looking down at her hands, clenching her fingers helplessly.

There was nothing…

Xu Qingqiong finally jolted awake. When she opened her eyes, she saw the adult version of Lin Konglu lying beside her.

The white noise buzzing in her brain gave her a disorienting sense of a flashback.

It was hard to describe, but it felt… as if she had missed a very important period of time in between.

She turned her head and stared helplessly at Lin Konglu’s face, unable to stop herself from making an expression that looked as if she were about to cry.

It was heartbreaking.

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