You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 43

The colleagues in the office warmly invited Lin Konglu to come in and sit down. “Qingqiong is finishing up soon; come in and wait for her.”

Despite the invitation, Lin Konglu didn’t move. Instead, she instinctively looked toward Xu Qingqiong, seeking her permission.

Xu Qingqiong hadn’t expected her to arrive so suddenly and was caught a bit off guard. She gave a small nod. “In that case, come on in.”

Seeing the silent exchange between the two, several colleagues teased them on purpose. “What’s this? It turns out Qingqiong is so fierce at home that you have to listen to her for even a small thing like this?”

Xu Qingqiong immediately tried to clear her name. “I am not! Don’t slander me!”

“It’s Xiao Lin, right?” a colleague said kindly. “Come in, sit down. Qingqiong has a little more work to do, but it’ll be over very soon.”

“Have some water. We have snacks here, too. Do you want some?”

“Right, right, get Xiao Lin some snacks.”

The office suddenly became lively as a crowd gathered around Lin Konglu.

In truth, Lin Konglu visited the art museum quite often, but she usually arrived right at closing time to pick up Xu Qingqiong in a hurry. This had only caused the colleagues’ curiosity about her to grow, and now they finally had their chance to corner her.

Since it was almost time to clock out, the group lost interest in working. They surrounded her and began an interrogation: “Is work exhausting?”

“What are you two doing later? Going out to eat?…”

Surrounded by a group of women who were mostly of her older sisters’ or aunts’ generation, Lin Konglu was clearly out of her element. Her usually cold and aloof expression began to crumble; she looked flustered and couldn’t help but cast a pleading look toward Xu Qingqiong for help.

While Xu Qingqiong was busy with her work, she kept a constant eye on Lin Konglu through her peripheral vision.

For some reason, she actually detected a hint of “pitifulness” in that expression.

Xu Qingqiong gave her an innocent smile and tilted her head, pretending not to understand what she meant. However, the speed of her hands noticeably increased as she rushed to finish her tasks.

Finally, she rescued Lin Konglu.

As the two were leaving, the colleagues still seemed reluctant to let them go.

“Xiao Lin, come by and visit whenever you have time.”

“Yeah, you’re very welcome here!”

Xu Qingqiong answered for her, “No way, you guys are too scary. You were surrounding her like you were going to eat her alive.”

“Hey! You brat, how can you talk to your seniors like that!” A colleague feigned anger and rolled up her sleeves as if to cause trouble.

Xu Qingqiong gave them a cheeky grin and pulled Lin Konglu toward the parking lot.

The colleagues watched them go with benevolent smiles.

The coworkers were all very friendly and got along well; it was obvious that Xu Qingqiong was quite happy working there.

It made sense—Xu Qingqiong always had that ability. As long as she wanted to, she could make people like her.

After getting into the car, Xu Qingqiong buckled her seatbelt and asked casually, “Why are you so early today?”

Lin Konglu replied, “Something happened at the company.”

Xu Qingqiong leaned back. “Ah? Is it serious?”

Lin Konglu didn’t speak for a moment. Her eyelashes lowered slightly as if she were weighing how to broach the subject.

Xu Qingqiong already had her suspicions. Over the past week, Lin Konglu had been dealing with endless emails and phone calls, leaving early and returning late. Even her rest time had been squeezed. It was likely quite serious.

Observing Lin Konglu’s expression, Xu Qingqiong deliberately made a joke to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry. If the company goes bankrupt, I’ll support you.”

Lin Konglu suddenly turned her head and stared at her intently.

Xu Qingqiong laughed. “Why are you looking at me like that? Are you moved?”

“No need to be moved,” she said playfully, reaching out to pat Lin Konglu’s shoulder.

She had originally intended to say, Because you call me ‘Sister.’

But under Lin Konglu’s gaze, the words changed as they reached her lips: “You are my wife, after all.”

As soon as she said it, she shocked herself, nearly biting her tongue.

Even though they had been physically intimate many times, they had mutually and tactfully avoided such direct labels for their relationship.

When Xu Qingqiong was at the office and her colleagues occasionally mentioned Lin Konglu, she could accept the term calmly. But saying it out loud to her face made it feel entirely different.

It was so strange.

Xu Qingqiong felt a bit awkward—or more accurately, she felt at a loss. She glanced sideways at Lin Konglu.

Lin Konglu’s expression seemed natural, as if she hadn’t heard, but her ear tips were bright red, as if they were about to catch fire, betraying her inner thoughts.

The longer they spent together, the more she unconsciously understood Lin Konglu.

For example, Lin Konglu wasn’t as cold as she appeared on the surface. She was a bit like a Cannelé—the exterior was a burnt caramel shell used to disguise herself, but the inside was a soft, airy, sweet dessert.

Xu Qingqiong felt a bit more balanced mentally, comforting herself: So I’m not the only one feeling awkward.

However, because of that blunt remark, the atmosphere between them turned silent, filled with a wordless ambiguity and restlessness.

It felt as though the air was heating up, with sweet threads of sugar drifting around them. The car cabin had turned into an oven, and the two of them were like little buns being baked inside; as the temperature rose, it became difficult to even hide their blushing faces.

Silence followed them the whole way.

Finally, the car reached a destination and stopped.

Lin Konglu turned to her, her tone a bit unnatural. “We’re here.”

Xu Qingqiong avoided her gaze, pinched her burning earlobe, and deliberately changed the subject. “Are we eating here?”

Lin Konglu nodded.

After getting out of the car, the cool autumn breeze brushed against her face, finally cooling her blush. Xu Qingqiong let out a soft breath, finally feeling a sense of relief.

A waiter led them to a glass terrace on the second floor.

This was a private kitchen with exquisite dishes—typical Suzhou cuisine—and most importantly, the desserts were excellent.

Above them was the starry sky. It was peaceful, with just the two of them.

A small decorative vase on the table held a single red rose. After eating, Xu Qingqiong rested her face in her hand, bored, and poked the petals with her finger.

She was just that “cliché”—she liked flowers that bloomed passionately.

Lin Konglu suddenly called her name. “Qingqiong.”

Xu Qingqiong looked up at her.

Lin Konglu remained silent, her palm held open in front of her.

“Um… you want this?” Confused, Xu Qingqiong pulled the single rose from the vase and placed it in her hand.

With a deft flick of her fingers, Lin Konglu transformed it into a full bouquet of red roses and presented them back to her. The clusters of flowers, neatly tied together, bloomed passionately before her eyes.

Xu Qingqiong was startled and exclaimed in delight, “How did you do that?”

Normally, seeing someone use such a cliché trick would elicit a look of disdain, but when it happened to her, she still found it incredibly surprising.

Lin Konglu didn’t say a word. She shook her head with a smile and opened her palm toward her again.

Unsure of what she wanted, Xu Qingqiong tentatively tried placing the flowers back into her hand. This time, however, Lin Konglu quickly withdrew her hand.

She didn’t want the flowers. Then what…?

After a moment of thought, Xu Qingqiong hesitantly placed her right hand in hers.

She got it right! Lin Konglu’s fingers tightened, gripping her hand firmly. Then, she stood up and gave an elegant, slight bow, offering an invitation.

As the music began to play, Xu Qingqiong immediately understood why they were the only two people in the restaurant today. This had all been arranged by Lin Konglu.

Lin Konglu wrapped her arm around Xu Qingqiong’s waist, gently guiding her with her footsteps.

They danced gracefully as a light breeze drifted across the terrace. That feeling returned—it was as if they had once again become two little buns in an oven, the heat gradually rising with every step they took. Ambiguity was the frosting, and the music was the catalyst.

Their eyes met.

Lin Konglu looked at her with intense focus, her pupils perfectly reflecting Xu Qingqiong’s silhouette. Xu Qingqiong felt as though she were about to be fully baked—steaming hot, dusted with sugar, placed on a plate, and then devoured in a single bite.

As the music faded out, Lin Konglu lowered her head and performed a hand-kissing gesture. A warm, soft kiss was pressed onto the back of her hand.

Xu Qingqiong froze for a moment at the soft touch. She felt a jolt of electricity surge through her body, reaching her heart and causing a corner of it to gently collapse.

Then, she noticed something new on her finger—a ring woven from grass and flowers.

Xu Qingqiong blinked in surprise. However, she quickly asked, “Where’s the real ring?”

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