You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 55

In just a single day, too many things had happened. It felt as though everything had been set to fast-forward.

Yet, when the sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains the next morning, casting a golden streak across the pillow, opening one’s eyes made it feel like just another ordinary day, no different from the one before.

As usual, the two of them ate breakfast together and headed to the art museum.

The difference today, however, was that while Xu Qingqiong returned to her office to work, Lin Konglu did not follow her as she usually did. Instead, she went to the coffee shop across from the museum.

Currently, the SES empire was on the verge of collapse. High-level internal strife was rampant, and relevant authorities had moved in for a strict investigation. Many employees had already chosen to jump ship, while those remaining were observing from the sidelines, preparing to find their next move. The company was restless.

Lin Konglu’s prestige within the company was higher than Lin Shuhai had ever imagined.

To put it simply, a dedicated leader is always more convincing than a chairman who only shows his face once a week; after all, everyone could see Lin Konglu’s capabilities. Furthermore, rumors regarding Lin Shuhai’s Alzheimer’s were becoming more widespread. Not to mention, Lin Shuhai was now under investigation, and those with a sharp intuition realized that this storm would be anything but small.

Following Lin Shuhai’s investigation, Lin Konglu released news that she intended to start her own venture.

She had already made ample preparations during the early stages. She held the connections and resources she had accumulated over the years, possessed her own savings, and had the support of several minor directors willing to join her in establishing a new firm. Consequently, a steady stream of former SES employees sought to defect to her side.

Lin Konglu took a straightforward approach, choosing the coffee shop opposite the art museum as her meeting spot.

Taking a break from her busy morning, Xu Qingqiong watched as wave after wave of people entered the cafe. Among them were many familiar former colleagues. Seeing these faces felt like a lifetime ago; she hadn’t seen them in ages. The last time she had seen them was back when she was still at SES.

Back then, she and Lin Konglu had just gotten married. Although they lived in the same room and slept in the same bed, their relationship had been colder than ice.

It was only now that Xu Qingqiong felt a sense of reality: Lin Konglu hadn’t lied to her. The crisis erupting at SES really was Lin Konglu’s doing.

To be honest, after Lin Konglu’s confession yesterday, Xu Qingqiong hadn’t fully digested all the details. Lin Konglu had kept far too many things from her. Now that she had processed it, Xu Qingqiong felt that her previous worries must have looked quite silly in Lin Konglu’s eyes.

When lunchtime arrived, Xu Qingqiong left work punctually.

Lin Konglu wasn’t finished yet, so Xu Qingqiong sat at a nearby table with her chin in her hand, waiting. She was quite familiar with this area; she had grown up here and frequently visited the art museum as a child. However, decades had passed, and the shops in the vicinity had changed hands countless times.

She ordered a coffee and watched Lin Konglu work with great interest, finding it to be a novel experience.

Lin Konglu glanced in her direction and quickly wrapped up her work. Ba Fu organized the documents scattered on the table and, sensing the mood, said her goodbyes and departed.

They had a lunch appointment with Auntie Chun today.

Auntie Chun naturally knew about the SES situation. The art museum had collaborated with many SES curators in the past. It was the biggest topic in the industry lately; it was almost impossible not to know. SES may have been the industry leader, but there were plenty of competitors eager to take its place and kick it while it was down.

During the meal, the conversation naturally drifted toward the subject.

Auntie Chun suddenly remembered: “Regarding the exhibition that girl was in charge of—the one you called me about before—oh right, her name was Xiao Mi, wasn’t it?”

“She recently took on another exhibition, also held at our gallery. I remember bumping into her a few days ago.”

Xu Qingqiong was speechless. She had almost forgotten about that incident. She couldn’t help but look at Lin Konglu, remembering how jealous Lin Konglu had been back then.

Their eyes met, and Lin Konglu gave her a puzzled look.

Lin Konglu: “I know.”

Xu Qingqiong let out an “Ah”: “You actually knew?”

Lin Konglu: “But I’m not jealous.”

Lin Konglu: “You don’t like her, do you?”

Xu Qingqiong: “…”

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Xu Qingqiong detected a hint of righteous confidence in that tone. Xu Qingqiong reached out to squeeze her hand, affirming her words.

She felt a bit bewildered. She thought to herself: Who was the person crying last night saying they felt insecure? How could someone change so much in one night? Is this still Lin Konglu?

Thinking this, she let go of the hand, ready to end this little interlude and continue eating.

However, Lin Konglu continued to stare at her intently: “You haven’t answered me yet.”

It turned out that “You don’t like her, do you?” was actually a question! Xu Qingqiong finally realized it and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Of course. I only think of her as a friend.”

“But the fact that she’s busy with a new exhibition means she’s doing well now. I’m very happy for her.”

After the meal, Xu Qingqiong revealed her true intention for coming.

She wanted to know about her junior high school years—specifically, why her grandmother had never told her about any of this. She wasn’t sure if Auntie Chun knew the details, but she felt it was better to ask just in case.

To her disappointment, after listening to her, Auntie Chun gently shook her head. “Jiawei never mentioned this to me. I don’t know why either.”

“I do, however, know a little bit about other things,” Auntie Chun added, unable to suppress a smile as the topic shifted. “Back then, the two of you were incredibly close. Jiawei even thought you were in a ‘puppy love’ relationship and worried about it for a long time. She used to call me constantly, sounding so troubled. I can’t tell you how many nights she lost sleep over it.”

Mentioning Xu Jiawei brought a look of deep nostalgia to Auntie Chun’s eyes as she remembered her old friend.

Xu Qingqiong asked, “Were we really that close?”

“Of course. Back then, you’d bring Konglu to the museum almost every day after school. I had never seen you get along so well with any other friend.” Auntie Chun couldn’t help but tease, “What, did you lose your memory? How is a young person’s memory worse than an old lady’s like mine?”

Xu Qingqiong nodded, not realizing anything was amiss. “Yes, after the car accident, I didn’t really remember anything regarding Lin Konglu.”

This time, it was Auntie Chun who was stunned.

After several minutes of silence, the realization finally dawned on her. “No wonder you never mentioned Konglu once after the accident, even though you used to talk about her every single day.”

“Besides that, did you forget anything else?”

Xu Qingqiong shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Auntie Chun felt a pang of heartache and patted her head. She had watched Xu Qingqiong grow up; even without a blood relation, the girl was like her own child.

“Does it still hurt?”

Xu Qingqiong smiled. “Auntie Chun, it’s been so long. It stopped hurting ages ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell us at the time?” Auntie Chun asked, before immediately realizing how silly the question was—if Xu Qingqiong didn’t know what she had forgotten, how could she have said anything?

“It’s all the fault of that deadbeat… what a piece of work. Doing something so wicked,” Auntie Chun muttered, unable to resist cursing Ye Jianguo under her breath again.

However, Auntie Chun frowned and said hesitantly, “You know that because of what happened with your mother, Jiawei was always very hesitant regarding your affairs.”

“But for truly important matters, she always respected your opinion. She would never deliberately hide something from you. My guess is that Jiawei might have been just like me—she simply didn’t know.”

Xu Qingqiong froze.

She was right. Just as Auntie Chun had pointed out, if Xu Qingqiong herself didn’t even know she had forgotten something, how would her grandmother have known?

She realized she had been stuck in a logical fallacy until this moment.

Auntie Chun, being more open-minded, offered some comfort: “Don’t be too anxious about it. Perhaps forgetting is just the brain’s way of protecting you.”

Xu Qingqiong remained silent. She only had a blurry impression of the accident left, so she couldn’t refute that statement.

However, what made her feel a surge of anger was the unfairness of it all: Why did she remember everyone else—even that old man Ye Jianguo—yet she had forgotten Lin Konglu alone?

“Of course, this is just my speculation,” Auntie Chun said with a smile. “Jiawei kept all your things from when you were growing up. Why don’t you go look through them when you have the time?”

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