Heart Flutter

Chapter 114

The person Pei Wen mentioned was someone Tang Yan knew too—Aunt Ji’s college classmate and long-time friend of over ten years: Zhang Miya, or Aunt Zhang.

It made sense, really. After so many years of friendship, she was bound to know something about Aunt Ji’s past. The only problem was, Tang Yan didn’t know how to bring it up. Asking directly would just be too awkward.

“Forget it. I’ll think about it some more,” Tang Yan replied.

There was a brief silence on the line before Pei Wen spoke again. “I don’t think you need to worry too much. If anything were going to happen between them, it would’ve already. Just wait until you’re all back—then deal with it.”

Tang Yan didn’t say anything, but a quiet sense of unease lingered in her chest.

Pei Wen added with a teasing tone, “It’s not like that woman’s going to leave her husband to chase after Old Ji. Come on, don’t overthink it. Just bring me back something tasty from your trip.”

“Yeah, I will,” Tang Yan said. “Alright, Pei Wen-jie, I won’t bother you anymore. I’m heading back to the inn.”

“Okay, go on then.”

Ending the call, Tang Yan took a deep breath and headed back toward the inn.

From the window, she could vaguely see someone sitting in the first-floor lounge. As she got closer, she realized it was none other than the innkeeper’s wife, Zhou Qiluo, sitting there casually sipping tea like she’d been waiting for someone.

The moment Tang Yan walked in, she realized—she was the one Zhou Qiluo had been waiting for.

She froze. The air between them was awkward. After learning about her relationship with Aunt Ji and everything in their past, Tang Yan couldn’t see her in a neutral light anymore. She thought about pretending not to notice and heading straight upstairs, but Zhou Qiluo called out.

“Tang Yan.” She said her name as naturally as if they’d known each other for years.

Tang Yan turned around but didn’t ask what she wanted. She simply stood there quietly, waiting to see what Zhou would say.

With a gentle smile, Zhou Qiluo waved her over. “Want to sit with me for a bit? I made tea. Have a taste.”

Accepting might send the wrong message. But refusing would make it seem like she was afraid of her.

She wasn’t. What was there to be afraid of?

Tang Yan gritted her teeth and walked over.

She pulled out a chair and sat down. Zhou poured her a cup like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Try it.”

“Thank you,” Tang Yan said politely, her body stiff with discomfort. She took a sip—she wasn’t the type to appreciate tea, so she could only mutter, “It’s good.”

Zhou Qiluo smiled, eyes crinkling. “Isn’t it? It’s Yuqing’s favorite.”

Tang Yan almost choked. Her fingers jerked, nearly burning herself. She hurriedly set the cup back down and gave an awkward laugh, not saying a word.

Then Zhou asked, “How did you and Yuqing meet? You’re not related, are you? I’ve never heard of you before.”

“I… came to Huadu for school last year. I’ve been staying at Aunt Ji’s place temporarily. My mom and she are classmates,” Tang Yan explained.

“Oh… I see.” Zhou Qiluo dragged out the words, then a flash of realization hit her. “Your mom wouldn’t happen to be Tang Huiyi, would she?” She covered her mouth with a smile. “Of all her classmates, she’s the only one I remember with the surname Tang.”

Tang Yan was a little surprised. “How did you know I took my mom’s surname?”

“Just a guess,” Zhou said, still smiling, though her tone was coy. “I’m familiar with most of her friends.” That last line felt more like a boast, casually flaunting how much she knew about Aunt Ji in front of Tang Yan.

Of course Tang Yan didn’t like it—but she still kept her polite smile.

Seeing that, Zhou seemed encouraged and continued, “We were really happy together, you know. She’s an incredible woman. Actually, she seems even more mature now.”

Tang Yan wasn’t about to back down. She fired a question of her own. “If it was that great, then why did you break up?”

A silent war had officially begun—one without smoke or fire, but no less intense.

Zhou’s smile faltered for just a moment, her lips twitching. “You’re still young. You don’t understand how complicated adult life can be. Society isn’t kind to people like us. I won’t deny it—when it comes to that relationship, I was the one who hurt her.”

Tang Yan bit her lip. So Aunt Ji was the one who got hurt. That made her furious. How dare anyone hurt someone like Aunt Ji? But maybe… maybe that’s also why she now had a chance to love her.

“It’s okay. It’s all in the past. Aunt Ji doesn’t mind anymore,” Tang Yan replied with a bright smile. “Besides, you’re married now, right? Your husband seems to love you a lot.”

Zhou let out a cold chuckle, raised her head, and looked Tang Yan straight in the eye. “You’re just a kid. So naïve. It must’ve been hard for your mom raising you on her own. Now that you’re in Huadu, focus on your studies and be good to her.”

The subtext was clear: focus on your books, don’t get ideas, and stay away from Aunt Ji.

Maybe it was because she liked Aunt Ji so much, but Tang Yan picked up on every word beneath the surface.

She smiled sweetly. “I’ll definitely study hard. Because I want to become someone exceptional—so I have the confidence to pursue the person I love.”

Zhou’s expression stiffened. The tension between them was about to reach breaking point.

“Well then, good luck. From what I know, exceptional people tend to have a lot of competition. You’re going to need to work twice as hard.”

“I will,” Tang Yan replied with a wide, fearless grin. She stood up. “Thanks for the tea, Boss Lady. I’m heading upstairs.”

If it had been a year ago, Tang Yan would’ve shrunk under that kind of pressure. She wouldn’t have said a word, let alone fought back like this.

But time really does change people. At least, Tang Yan didn’t want to be that timid girl hiding behind Aunt Ji anymore. She wanted to be the one standing in front of her, shielding her from the storm.

After she left, Zhou Qiluo sat on the barstool, unmoving. She lifted her teacup and drained it in one go. A strange smile tugged at her lips. That girl wasn’t as easy to brush off as she looked. Brave little thing. Still, Zhou didn’t take her seriously. Just some naive, green country girl.

Not long after Tang Yan went back upstairs, He Xu stepped out from a small room on the first floor. Zhou heard the noise and glanced back at him. “You heard all that?”

He nodded silently.

She sneered and turned back to her tea, not bothering to explain a thing.

He Xu pressed his lips together and walked over, stopping less than two meters away. He spoke like someone trying to talk a sinner into repentance. “I don’t care about that kid. Or that woman. I just want us to live our lives in peace—even if things just stay the way they are.”

Zhou scoffed. “And you think you’re in any position to say that to me?”

He choked, clearly flustered. It hit him all at once. He drew in a sharp breath. “But… isn’t this inn your pride and joy? Why can’t you let her go after all these years? She obviously doesn’t love you anymore.”

“And how do you know that?” Zhou snapped, eyes sharp like knives. “Did you go behind my back to see her?”

“I… I…” He Xu stammered, guilty. “I just ran into her by chance. We talked a little. She’s clearly moved on. Why can’t you?”

“You think I’ll believe anything that comes out of your mouth?” Zhou’s fury boiled over. “How dare you go behind my back to see her. Do you even realize how disgusting that is?”

“I just… wanted to save our marriage.” He Xu lowered his head, defeated. “My grandma’s turning 80 next month. She wants us both to go back to Huadu. Until then, I don’t want anything to get in the way—especially not that woman.”

“Achoo!” Ji Yuqing jolted awake from her nap. The room was pitch black, with only the faint glow of moonlight spilling through the window. She’d forgotten to close the curtains, and the wind had blown them around like sails.

She couldn’t believe how long she’d slept—she hadn’t meant to crash for that long after getting back in the afternoon.

Rubbing her eyes, she turned over and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. The screen lit up, making her squint. It was 9:00 p.m. Already that late?

She stretched a bit, then slipped on her slippers and got out of bed. She hadn’t eaten dinner—or lunch, for that matter—and her stomach was rebelling. Even her gut ached a little. She really was getting older; her body wasn’t bouncing back like it used to.

If it hadn’t been for the cold air waking her up, she might’ve slept straight through to morning.

She rummaged through her suitcase but couldn’t find any snacks. Great. Looked like she had to go out and find food.

She wondered—had Yan Yan and the others eaten already? Should she go find them?