You Should’ve Said Earlier that you’re Such a Little Flirt! - Chapter 56

Chun Yi’s words had been a sudden realization for her.

Everything from her childhood had been carefully preserved by her grandmother in a specific room.

Since Lin Konglu had once appeared in her life, she believed there had to be some trace of her left behind.

She even felt a flicker of annoyance at herself—why hadn’t she thought of this sooner?

However, Xu Qingqiong hadn’t returned to the house in a long time since the last incident. Although the items were right there and weren’t going to run away, she still put the visit on her immediate agenda.

On the weekend, the weather was clear. The sunlight was gentle but not dazzling, and the grass by the roadside had turned a withered yellow, covered in a layer of white frost.

The two of them decided to make the trip back.

Regarding the areas that Ye Jianguo had previously trashed, Wen Lanjing had thoughtfully restored the furniture and decorations to their original positions before moving out. Now, the house looked almost exactly as it did when her grandmother was still alive. It was just that after several months of vacancy, the rooms felt a bit hollow and lonely.

Xu Qingqiong could still recall the scene from a few months ago when she and Lin Konglu had come here together.

At that time, they weren’t particularly close—they weren’t even considered friends, at least from her perspective back then. She hadn’t expected that in just a few short months, while time itself seemed to leave no physical mark on the house, everything else would change so drastically.

The house came with a small courtyard. She had hired someone to tend to the plants, so it remained orderly, looking as if her grandmother had never left. In the backyard stood two flowering trees, but since it was now late autumn, the leaves had fallen, leaving the branches bare.

The actual square footage wasn’t large, but it carried a warm atmosphere, with traces of life visible everywhere. It felt like a true home.

Xu Qingqiong fell silent for a moment.

Lin Konglu didn’t speak either, quietly waiting for her and giving her space.

Her bedroom was on the second floor, where Lin Shuhai had stayed for two months. Because of her health, her grandmother lived on the first floor. Although an elevator had been installed for convenience, her grandmother rarely went upstairs except to use the second-floor study. Most other parts of the house were Xu Qingqiong’s space, still holding many of the marks she had left behind.

Paintings Xu Qingqiong liked hung on the walls; the Lego sets she had built previously sat in the living room…

She loved floor-to-ceiling windows, so her room on the second floor had a large one that let in clear, bright sunlight.

These were details she usually didn’t pay much attention to, but her grandmother had remembered them all for her.

Even though months had passed since the incident, every time she thought about it, she still felt a sense of regret. She felt that if she had discovered things sooner, Ye Jianguo wouldn’t have had the chance to strike. If she had been more observant, or if she could have come back earlier when her grandmother’s health was failing, would things have turned out differently?

Even though Ye Jianguo was now in prison, it still did nothing to offset the loathing and hatred in her heart.

If Lin Konglu hadn’t been by her side to react in time, she might have been even more lost and helpless. For that, she was eternally grateful to Lin Konglu.

But in reality, there is no medicine for regret.

The only way she could comfort herself was by knowing that if her grandmother were still here, she would surely want her to be a little happier and more blessed.

Xu Qingqiong was lost in thought when the pressure on her hand suddenly tightened, breaking her cycle of negative emotions.

It was Lin Konglu gripping her hand.

Xu Qingqiong met her eyes and suddenly realized: if Lin Konglu had known her since middle school, then she must have met her grandmother.

Xu Qingqiong turned to her with an inquiring look. “You’ve met Grandma before, haven’t you?”

Lin Konglu nodded.

Grandma Xu was very gentle and loving. Among the elders Lin Konglu had encountered growing up, she mostly met people like Lin Shuhai. That rare quality of warmth was something she found almost impossible to forget.

Perhaps it was that difference that made her and Xu Qingqiong who they were.

The difference between her and Xu Qingqiong was that she had never learned how to love someone unconditionally. She had to admit—she hoped for a response from Xu Qingqiong.

The belongings were all on the third floor, so the two went up.

Although everything was neatly organized and stored in cabinets, the room was filled with a stale sense of dust because no one had entered for so long.

Xu Qingqiong didn’t care about such minor details; her eyes were searching.

Items from every stage of her life were properly collected together, one cardboard box next to another. She found the box from her middle school years. It was heavy, and she exerted some effort to pull it down.

Having not been moved for a long time, a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the surface of the box, drifting into the air as she opened it.

Inside were books, used stationery, some toys she had loved back then, and several very rudimentary drawings.

There was a period when Xu Qingqiong was interested in oil painting. Her grandmother had bought her a full set of tools and found a teacher. At first, she managed to stick with it, but later her efforts became sporadic. Painting was a bit tedious for her; she preferred appreciating art rather than sitting still for long hours. She hadn’t practiced the basics well from the start, so she soon gave it up.

Lin Konglu picked up those few drawings and looked through them one by one very seriously.

Xu Qingqiong had intended to look at the textbooks in the box, but seeing how intently she was looking, she couldn’t help but ask, “Well? What do you think?”

Lin Konglu said solemnly, “Very good. The use of color is very bold and spirited.”

Xu Qingqiong couldn’t help but laugh. “Really? You’re not lying to me?”

Lin Konglu nodded earnestly.

Xu Qingqiong couldn’t hold it in anymore; between laughter and tears, she said, “Is your filter for me a bit too thick?!”

She pointed at the very unrefined lines and the messy colors. How could Lin Konglu even manage to praise this?!

Lin Konglu, however, looked genuinely fond and appreciative as she carefully placed the drawings back to the side.

From that stack of drawings, a photograph fell out. It was unclear why it was there.

Xu Qingqiong hesitated for a few seconds, then leaned over to pick it up.

It was indeed a photo, but to be more precise, it was a sheet of “purikura” (photo stickers) that had been ubiquitous in every street and alley a decade or so ago.

In the photo, the two of them were leaning close together. Xu Qingqiong was smiling brightly. Although Lin Konglu’s lips were pressed together, a faint trace of a smile lingered in her eyes.

Xu Qingqiong was pleasantly surprised the moment she saw the photo, not expecting to find something related to Lin Konglu so easily. However, once she took a closer look at the content, she said in disbelief, “Was I really this ’emo-mainstream’ back then?”

In the photo, Lin Konglu was wearing a headband with little bee antennae, while Xu Qingqiong wore a pair of rabbit ears.

The background was pink, soft, and cute, but it was decorated with stylized “Mars script” (internet slang) that read: You are not truly happy.

Xu Qingqiong: “…”

She took another look, unable to accept that she once had such an image, and quickly shoved the photo into Lin Konglu’s hand.

It was way too embarrassing.

She pretended to keep rummaging through the box, attempting to dispel the shame, but her flushed face and ears betrayed her.

Lin Konglu, on the other hand, admired the two people in the photo quite seriously before tucking it into her pocket.

Noticing that Xu Qingqiong was still struggling to accept it, Lin Konglu mimicked Xu’s earlier habit—clumsily pinching Xu’s red ear—and tried to take the “blame” herself. “I was the one who made you wear it back then. I wanted to see it.”

“…” Xu Qingqiong refused to believe her. “Given your evaluation of my paintings just now, I don’t think your words are very credible.”

Xu Qingqiong warned, “Don’t bully me just because I don’t have memories of that period.”

There were quite a few things in the box, but aside from that one photo, she couldn’t find anything else related to Lin Konglu.

Xu Qingqiong felt a bit discouraged.

She had thought this trip would yield a significant harvest, but in the end, they only found one photo. It seemed the best way forward was still to ask Cong Yun.

She sat down on the sofa in disappointment and sighed.

Outside the window, the scenery was bleak with the heavy air of autumn, but the sky was vast, with the occasional bird soaring past. The location here was somewhat remote and very quiet; the houses were spaced far apart, and it was a long way from the city center.

One could often see birds here; without tall buildings blocking the view, you could see a vast expanse of the distant, boundless blue sky.

However, the home she currently shared with Lin Konglu was very convenient. It was only ten minutes away from the art museum and only thirty minutes away from SES.

Wait.

She mentally re-sorted the thought she just had unconsciously.

Xu Qingqiong had never thought about it this way before, but she was now realizing a problem in hindsight.

Why was it ten minutes from the art museum, but half an hour from SES?

Under normal circumstances, one would surely choose a residence closer to their company. Furthermore, Lin Konglu had other options—she remembered Lin Konglu had another apartment under her name that was less than a five-minute walk from SES.

Why go the long way around?

She slowly turned toward Lin Konglu, asking the question as it came to her.

Lin Konglu didn’t seem to expect this sudden question and froze for a moment.

Almost in the next second, Xu Qingqiong got her answer through Lin Konglu’s expression.

She asked tentatively, “Is it because of me?”

She felt like an examinee who had just found the answer key. Before she knew that Lin Konglu liked her, she had viewed Lin Konglu as a difficult math problem. But now that she had the key clue, all the previously ignored details began to click into place, leading to the correct answer.

She had thought it was just a coincidence, but now she finally understood—this was likely a location Lin Konglu had deliberately chosen to accommodate her.

Lin Konglu must have guessed that Xu Qingqiong wouldn’t stay at SES but would definitely go to the art museum, and so she chose the location of their current home accordingly.

Xu Qingqiong: “Am I right?”

Lin Konglu looked at her blankly, nodding slightly. Her mind was still lingering on the sentence Xu had just said; she loved that Xu Qingqiong used the word “home”—a beautiful word representing a sense of security.

A home of her own.

A home that belonged to them.

She didn’t know how long she had waited for this, and now that it was finally coming true like a dream, her nose suddenly felt a bit prickly. She couldn’t hold it back.

Xu Qingqiong was about to say more when she was stunned by the sudden onset of tears. She hurriedly fumbled for a tissue to help wipe them away.

But she also suddenly realized that she now seemed to have a good grasp of what made Lin Konglu cry.

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