You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 41

Lin Konglu poured her a glass of warm water, but her phone rang, and she had to go to the study to take a temporary call.

Xu Qingqiong held the glass of water and sat on the bed in a bit of a daze, her cheeks still flushed. Recalling the scene just now, she felt that Lin Konglu had definitely done it on purpose.

She called her “Sister” when they were in bed, but stopped as soon as they got out.

She suspected that Lin Konglu might have some strange fetishes of her own!

After finishing the water, she found herself unable to sleep.

Xu Qingqiong searched on her phone and discovered that the movie they watched tonight was a re-release of a classic old film, and it was also available on streaming platforms.

Since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she turned on the projector, wrapped herself in the duvet, and watched the movie from bed. About a third of the way through, her eyelids grew too heavy to keep open. Closing her eyes, she instinctively leaned toward the side of the bed, only to find the space empty.

She opened her eyes for a moment and saw that the spot beside her was still vacant. She thought fuzzily to herself: Is Lin Konglu still busy? Has she not come back yet?

At that moment, in the study, Lin Konglu was staring at the screen with a frown.

On the other end of the line was Barfu, giving her a consolidated report on the recent situation.

The members of the Board of Directors were all “old gingers”—shrewd and experienced. To have survived for so many years under Lin Shuhai, not a single one of them was easy to deal with.

Whenever Lin Konglu said “one,” they would bring up “two.” First came the testing of waters, then the pushing and pulling. They were as slippery as loaches; it was impossible to pin them down or catch them in a mistake.

Let alone a young person like Lin Konglu, even a seasoned middle-aged veteran would struggle to gain any ground against them.

Worse still, they were currently in a passive position; the initiative was not in their hands.

Barfu said, “Regarding the directors we contacted previously… they’ve softened their stance, but…”

Lin Konglu understood. “But they’ve attached a lot of conditions, haven’t they?”

The directors clearly felt Lin Konglu was an easy target, and their demands were becoming increasingly outrageous.

Barfu replied, “Yes, they have already exceeded our original bottom line. If you agree today, even if you do take over Ses in the future, your hands will be tied at every turn…”

Barfu had been working herself to death lately, exhausted both mentally and physically. Dealing with those old foxes was truly draining; she felt as though she had aged several years.

Having finished her report, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Do we agree, or not?”

Lin Konglu, however, remained quite calm. She wouldn’t have acted so boldly if she didn’t have a plan.

She lowered her gaze, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk.

Because of Lin Shuhai’s obsession with control, Lin Konglu held no actual power and was restricted at every turn.

But by the same token… if this giant entity known as Ses were to suddenly collapse, she wouldn’t have to bear any of the risks.

To put it bluntly, Ses had no legal connection to her; she was merely an “employee.”

In fact, Barfu had gotten one thing wrong: Lin Konglu never actually wanted to take over Ses.

Ses was too massive; she couldn’t control it.

The company’s core departments were all built up by Lin Shuhai himself. Take the curation teams, for example—there were three major teams, and they reported directly to Lin Shuhai. Lin Konglu couldn’t interfere with them.

Therefore, rather than taking over Ses, she was more inclined to tear it down and rebuild it from scratch.

And to rebuild, it first had to move toward destruction.

The directors held equity but had long been suppressed. Now that they knew Lin Shuhai was showing early signs of Alzheimer’s—regardless of whether it was true—they were becoming restless.

Lin Konglu said, “Agree to it.”

Barfu hadn’t expected her to decide so quickly. “Huh?”

Lin Konglu added, “But don’t agree too readily.”

She smiled slightly. “Since my uncles and elders want it so badly, I’ll satisfy their wishes. As a junior, I will certainly cooperate to the fullest…”

The Chairman, Lin Shuhai, was losing his decision-making capacity, yet his desire for control and years of overbearing influence remained. Meanwhile, the directors were greedy and ambitious… It was a battle of jackals against a tiger.

In the coming period, the internal drama at Ses would surely be a sight to behold.

Rather than stepping into the fray herself, she preferred this kind of internecine struggle.

After finalizing the details with Barfu, Lin Konglu pinched the bridge of her nose. Her eyes felt strained from staring at the screen for so long.

Returning to the bedroom, the bedside lamp was still on. The projector was still running, but the volume was very low, creating a peaceful atmosphere. Xu Qingqiong’s face was buried in the pillow; her breathing was steady, and she was already asleep.

Lin Konglu turned off the movie and lay down quietly.

Perhaps sensing her return, Xu Qingqiong burrowed into her arms, her voice hazy with sleep. “You’re back.”

Lin Konglu whispered, “Yes. Did I wake you?”

Xu Qingqiong hadn’t been in a deep sleep; she had woken up when the movie was turned off. Perhaps she had grown accustomed to it, but she found it hard to sleep soundly when Lin Konglu wasn’t there.

Xu Qingqiong buried her face in Lin Konglu’s chest. “No.” Even as she said it, her voice carried a lingering, sleepy quality.

Lin Konglu felt a tug at her heartstrings, because a wide-awake Xu Qingqiong would never speak to her in that tone.

Xu Qingqiong usually had more of a “cool older sister” voice—cold and devoid of much emotion, carrying a natural air of indifference.

Lin Konglu leaned in closer and whispered, “Sister?”

Xu Qingqiong gave a soft hum in response, but she had already drifted back into a deep sleep.

Lin Konglu couldn’t help but break into a smile.

The two of them huddled together in the cozy warmth. As drowsiness surged, Lin Konglu quickly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Perhaps because the rest was so tranquil, Lin Konglu uncharacteristically overslept the next morning. When she opened her eyes, the curtains were tightly drawn, making it impossible to tell the time.

The spot beside her was empty; Xu Qingqiong was already up.

Lin Konglu changed her clothes and walked toward the kitchen out of habit, but she froze for a moment.

Xu Qingqiong was in the kitchen.

Lin Konglu didn’t say a word, standing by the door and watching for a long while.

Xu Qingqiong was staring intently at a frying egg. She hadn’t cooked in a long time and was terrified of burning it. Turning around, she noticed her. “You’re awake?”

She added, “Go wash up quickly, breakfast is almost ready.”

Xu Qingqiong didn’t really know how to cook, but she at least knew how to use a frying pan.

She had originally wanted to make congee, but the ingredients in the fridge hadn’t been restocked over the past few days, and the housekeeper wouldn’t arrive until after breakfast. She had no choice but to scrape together a meal with what was available.

Xu Qingqiong took a cautious little bite to make sure everything was alright. It had been so long since she’d cooked that she was genuinely worried something would go wrong.

She imagined a worst-case scenario where today’s news headline would read: Woman attempts to cook at home; poor culinary skills lead to food poisoning, sending both her and her wife to the hospital for emergency treatment.

By the time Lin Konglu finished washing up and sat at the dining table, Xu Qingqiong was just setting the breakfast down.

The toast was fried to a golden crisp around the edges, accompanied by the aroma of butter. A semi-set egg yolk oozed out when cut, and a layer of dense milk foam floated atop the coffee. The air was filled with a sweet, fragrant scent.

Everything was so wonderful it made one’s heart swell.

Xu Qingqiong asked, “It’s probably not as good as yours, but it’s passable, right?”

Lin Konglu cut a corner and put it in her mouth. An intense sweetness exploded in her oral cavity—it was so cloying it almost made her cough. However, she swallowed it silently and nodded. “It’s delicious.”

Xu Qingqiong didn’t expect Lin Konglu to be so supportive. Feeling quite happy, she said, “Then eat more!”

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