You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 45

Xu Qingqiong held the stack of letters, hesitating for a few seconds. She sat on the sofa and was just about to pull one out when she was suddenly embraced from behind.

Lin Konglu had come out of the room at some unknown point. She hugged her from behind, resting her chin on Xu Qingqiong’s shoulder, and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Xu Qingqiong shook the envelope in her hand to show her. “Letters.”

Lin Konglu gave an “oh,” hugging her even tighter as the tip of her nose grazed her cheek.

With that soft breath fluttering over her and such intimate proximity, Xu Qingqiong had no choice but to set the letters on the table and reach back to take Lin Konglu’s hand.

Lin Konglu looked up, saw her movement, and asked again, “Are you not going to read them?”

Xu Qingqiong hesitated for a few seconds. “I’ll read them when I have time.”

She had wanted to read them just now, but Lin Konglu’s affectionate embrace made her feel a bit shy.

How did she not know before that Lin Konglu could be so clingy?

Lin Konglu’s gaze swept over the envelopes, pausing for a few seconds. “Sister…”

“Hmm?” Xu Qingqiong turned her head to look at her. Seeing that she didn’t speak, she followed her gaze and saw her staring at the envelopes, so she reached out to pick them up again.

Lin Konglu’s breath hitched for an instant, looking a bit nervous. Then, she suddenly and rapidly changed the subject. “What do you want to eat for breakfast?”

Xu Qingqiong’s hand holding the envelope froze mid-air, and she put it back down.

She felt Lin Konglu’s attitude was a bit strange—as if she both wanted her to read them and didn’t want her to at the same time.

However, she didn’t have much time to overthink it; she had to head to the art museum soon.

It was only when the two of them sat across from each other at the dining table for the second time that Xu Qingqiong belatedly realized Lin Konglu hadn’t woken up early to head to the office today.

When she was ready to head out, Lin Konglu followed her down the elevator and took the initiative to offer, “Let me drive you.”

Xu Qingqiong asked, “Will you have enough time?”

Lin Konglu replied, “I will.”

Xu Qingqiong said, “Oh.”

When they arrived at the art museum, the car stopped. Xu Qingqiong unbuckled her seatbelt, preparing to get out.

Lin Konglu’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. She looked at her with a hint of hesitation and suddenly called out to her, “Are you going to work now?”

Xu Qingqiong didn’t quite understand. “Hmm?”

She noticed the other woman was hesitating, clearly wanting to say something.

In a moment of sudden insight, Xu Qingqiong leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, testing the waters: “Is this okay?”

Lin Konglu took the opportunity to kiss her on the lips. She looked up at her and said in a muffled voice, “It’s not.”

Xu Qingqiong: “…” How can she be so demanding?

Xu Qingqiong pinched her cheek and said teasingly, “You don’t get the final say.”

She checked the time, got out of the car, and waved at her. “Alright, see you tonight.”

Lin Konglu kept watching her, her eyes filled with nothing but Xu Qingqiong’s reflection. “Mm, see you tonight.”

Xu Qingqiong walked a few steps but couldn’t help looking back. She found that Lin Konglu’s gaze was still fixed tightly on her, following her figure. She looked remarkably like a puppy left behind at home—knowing she couldn’t come along, but still looking like she desperately wanted to follow.

Xu Qingqiong felt a sudden softness in her heart. Subconsciously, her footsteps paused. After a moment’s thought, she walked quickly back to the car.

She tapped on the car window, signaling her.

Lin Konglu’s eyes visibly brightened as she looked at her expectantly. “What’s wrong, Sister?”

Xu Qingqiong asked, “Are you not going to the office today?”

Lin Konglu shook her head.

Xu Qingqiong ventured, “Then… do you want to come to the art museum with me?”

Lin Konglu pursed her lips and said softly, “Can I?”

She tried to remain calm when she asked this, acting reserved on the surface, but the anticipation in her eyes was almost overflowing.

Xu Qingqiong couldn’t help but smile, thinking she was quite cute. She wondered to herself: How did I ever used to think Lin Konglu was cold and hard to read?

“Of course you can. Get out of the car.”

While Xu Qingqiong was busy working, she didn’t have time to look after her, so she found a place for her to sit.

Lin Konglu sat there alone, her gaze drifting toward her from time to time. She watched her quietly, not feeling bored at all.

At noon, they went to a nearby restaurant for lunch with Xu’s colleagues.

Halfway through the meal, one of the colleagues looked at their phone and suddenly wore a “gossiping” expression.

“What’s happened?” someone asked.

The colleague hissed. “A curation team over at Ses—they had an exhibition all set up. The construction team was supposed to start the installation today, but the venue they booked suddenly backed out, saying someone else had already reserved it.”

“Now the exhibition has a massive gap in the schedule, and they’re asking us if we have any empty halls to help in an emergency.”

“Huh? How did that happen?”

The colleague lowered their voice. “I heard that several high-level executives at Ses are having a conflict. They can’t stand each other, and naturally, the people under them are following suit, starting to sabotage one another…”

“Internal strife?”

“Ses is such a massive company with such a complex web of relationships; this is definitely going to cause some serious damage.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing. I feel like Ses was due for something like this. Do you remember the cooperation for the Autumn Exhibition last month?”

“Of course I remember. It was so frustrating. There were so many issues, feedback was never timely, and the process was long and tedious. Whenever you asked anything, they’d say they were waiting for leadership’s approval. Who knows where all those damn ‘leaders’ came from.”

Xu Qingqiong caught the keyword: Ses.

She looked up at Lin Konglu and instantly connected it to her unusual behavior over the past few days. Feeling a faint sense of worry, she looked at her with an inquiring gaze.

Lin Konglu lowered her eyelashes, helped her pick the cilantro out of her noodles, and pushed the bowl back in front of her. “It’s going to get cold. Eat quickly.”

Xu Qingqiong: “…Oh.” She took a bite, feeling that Lin Konglu’s attitude was very off—she was a bit too calm.

Was the situation at the company already extremely serious? Had Lin Konglu been affected by the fallout?

After finishing lunch, Xu Qingqiong made an excuse that she had something to do and pulled Lin Konglu into a quiet storage room.

Closing the door, Xu Qingqiong got straight to the point. “What’s the situation with Ses lately? Is it very serious?”

“What’s this internal strife about? Have you been dragged into it?” Her tone was anxious, and her eyes were filled with genuine concern.

Lin Konglu, however, wasn’t focused on that at all. She loved the way Xu Qingqiong was looking at her. Grabbing her wrist, she suddenly leaned in, seizing the moment to lower her head and give her a kiss.

Xu Qingqiong hadn’t finished her sentence when she was caught off guard by the sudden “attack.” Stunned, she covered her cheek, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “What was that for?”

Lin Konglu replied bluntly, “I wanted to kiss you.”

“…”

“You’re not allowed.” Xu Qingqiong rubbed her warming cheek and created some distance between them, saying seriously, “Explain everything to me clearly first.”

Lin Konglu gave her a general rundown of the situation.

Lin Shuhai currently holds 49% of the shares and undoubtedly wields the greatest decision-making power on the board.

However, several directors have suddenly formed a united front. Combined with medical reports obtained from the hospital proving that Lin Shuhai is showing early signs of Alzheimer’s—and pointing out loopholes in several major decisions he made previously—they have now called for a board meeting to replace the chairman.

Lin Shuhai was likely currently overwhelmed with the crisis.

As for her, she only holds shares in two of Ses’s subsidiaries. They aren’t large-scale; they generate revenue, but not a significant amount. Lin Shuhai had only given them to her two years ago to keep her steady and ensure she continued working herself to the bone for him.

Furthermore, she had even split half of those shares with Xu Qingqiong when they signed the pre-marriage agreement.

Xu Qingqiong: “…”

Once she realized Lin Konglu wasn’t being dragged into the mess, she felt relieved and couldn’t help but smile. “What were you worried about? Did you think I would divorce you because of this?”

Hearing the word “divorce,” Lin Konglu instinctively tightened her grip on Xu Qingqiong’s wrist and said softly, “Don’t.”

Xu Qingqiong rubbed her head. “I won’t.”

She spoke very earnestly: “Bringing up breakups or divorce every time there’s a fight only erodes love. I won’t bring it up lightly.”

Lin Konglu knew she wouldn’t, of course. She was just worried because the corporate chaos was a trap she had personally orchestrated from the shadows. What would Xu Qingqiong think of her? Would she think she was a bad person?

And then there was that matter Lin Shuhai had mentioned before… it had been weighing on her heart. Should she tell Xu Qingqiong?

Seeing her lowered eyes and hesitant expression, Xu Qingqiong asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something else?”

Lin Konglu said with a hint of hesitation, “Actually, I have something else to tell you…”

At that moment, someone called out: “Qingqiong, come quick, we need your help here!” Their conversation was interrupted.

“Okay, I’m coming!” Xu Qingqiong turned back to look at her, confused. “What were you just saying?”

Lin Konglu hesitated for a few seconds and then gently shook her head.

In the end, she chose not to speak.

“Nothing, it was nothing.”

Once the company matters were resolved, Lin Shuhai wouldn’t have another chance to make a comeback and would no longer be a threat.

It was better not to tell her; she just wanted Xu Qingqiong to be happy every day.

At the end of the workday, a colleague suddenly stopped them. “Qingqiong, Xiao Lin, wait a second.”

“Do you two have plans for Qixi (Valentine’s Day)?”

Xu Qingqiong shook her head. “Why?”

The colleague pulled two paper tickets from her bag and handed them over. “I have two tickets for a music festival next week. You two should go.”

Xu Qingqiong didn’t take them, saying in surprise, “Sister Rui, didn’t you say before that you were going with your husband?”

Sister Rui pressed her temples in annoyance and complained, “Yeah, I originally planned to go to the music festival for Qixi, but he secretly booked a trip abroad. The flight and hotel are already paid for and non-refundable.”

“The lineup for this show is great; the live performance should be amazing. It would be a waste to let these two tickets go, so why don’t you two go together?”

Sister Rui stuffed the tickets into her hand and winked at them. “Treat it as a date night out.”

“Okay, thank you, Sister Rui.”

“But I do have one condition,” Sister Rui laughed. “They aren’t totally free; remember to film some videos of the performances for me.”

Xu Qingqiong laughed too, standing tall and giving a playful salute. “Mission guaranteed!”

Suddenly, they had two tickets to a music festival.

Xu Qingqiong had never been to one before. On the way home, she curiously researched the schedule and the performers.

Come to think of it, she had never been to a music festival.

Suddenly remembering something, she turned to ask Lin Konglu, “Have you been to one?”

Lin Konglu shook her head.

During her university years, she was constantly occupied with company matters. She had no leisure time of her own and was often exhausted, working almost beyond her limit. Let alone a music festival, she didn’t even have time to watch a movie.

After a while, Xu Qingqiong suddenly smiled at her, her eyes curving and her voice full of infectious joy. “I’m so looking forward to it!”

Lin Konglu’s gaze lingered on her face as she said softly, “Mm. Me too.”

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