Heart Flutter

Chapter 119

“Beep, beep, beep, beep…”

Using the door code she got on her phone, Peiwen easily unlocked the front door to her sister’s place. She let out a surprised gasp but immediately felt a bit guilty. After all, there was someone else inside. She carefully stepped in and changed into a pair of slippers at the entryway. Just as she looked up—bam—there she was. No avoiding it. The inevitable had come.

Zhou Qiluo was wearing a face mask, a suitcase splayed open in the living room. She had on pajamas, her hair tied up lazily in a bun. Thinking it was Ji Yuqing coming home, she called out her nickname, “Yuqing?” But to her surprise, a stranger walked in instead.

Awkward silence.

Peiwen quickly introduced herself and explained her purpose. “Hi, I’m Yuqing-jie’s assistant. I came to pick up some files for the office.”

Zhou Qiluo’s face lit up instantly. “Oh, you’re her assistant! I’m Zhou Qiluo, your boss’s…”

“Ex. I know,” Peiwen cut her off.

Qiluo nodded with a shy smile, slightly embarrassed. “Oh… so she told you, huh?”

Peiwen turned her face slightly, frowning. This woman was way too confident. Yuqing-jie practically avoided her like the plague.

“You’re here for the files, right? I know where they are, I’ll show you.” Qiluo spoke with the ease of someone who clearly thought of herself as the lady of the house.

Peiwen gave a polite nod—she already knew where everything was. She’d been to Yuqing-jie’s place more than a few times.

Qiluo pushed open the study door and stepped inside. Peiwen followed, taking out the USB drive she brought along. She sat naturally in front of the computer, pulling the chair out like she belonged.

Qiluo, seemingly suspicious, stood by and didn’t leave.

So Peiwen explained again. Yuqing-jie had asked her to copy a document and bring it to the office. Qiluo gave a stiff laugh. “It’s fine, really. I’m just here in case you need help with anything.”

Peiwen chuckled awkwardly and turned her focus back to the task. The room sank into another round of silence.

Once the copy was complete, Peiwen removed the USB and stood up, gathering the stack of files on the desk—everything that needed to be taken back to the office. That’s when Qiluo finally spoke again.

“Did Yuqing say when she’d be home tonight?”

“Huh?” Peiwen looked up, a flicker of panic in her eyes. “I’m not really sure… maybe you could ask her directly?”

“I don’t want to interrupt her at work. How about this—just let her know for me, I’ll make dinner and wait for her at home.” Qiluo smiled sweetly as she gave the message.

Peiwen felt like she was carrying a mountain on her shoulders. One second she’s supposed to relay a message, the next she’s also expected to kick this woman out. Why was this so hard?

In the end, she didn’t do the last thing Yuqing-jie joked about—telling Qiluo to leave. It wasn’t a real instruction anyway, just a throwaway comment. And honestly, Peiwen felt she had no right to interfere in their mess. If anyone was going to be the bad guy, it should be Yuqing-jie herself.

Qiluo walked her to the door, waved goodbye enthusiastically as Peiwen drove off, even telling her to come hang out next time.

Peiwen started the car and made a quick U-turn—her only thought was to get back to the office as fast as possible.

As soon as the door closed, the smile vanished from Qiluo’s face. Her heart felt like it had been stomped on. Yuqing would rather send her assistant than face her directly. How much must she hate her?

On the way back, Peiwen made an urgent call to Tang Yan. Tang Yan, who was out with her roommates, excused herself to take the call in private.

“Hello? Peiwen-jie?”

“I figured it out,” Peiwen said, excited. “It’s not what you thought. At first even I wasn’t sure, but I know Yuqing-jie. She’s not that kind of person. That woman? She’s just her ex. She really did go to Yuqing’s place, and she’s been refusing to leave. Last night, Yuqing-jie checked into a hotel by herself, and came straight to work this morning. She even had me go home to get her files. Trust me—she’s clearly avoiding that woman.”

Tang Yan finally let out a huge sigh of relief. A smile returned to her face for the first time that day. “Thank god. I was a wreck all day.”

“I told you to stay calm and have some faith. But listen,” Peiwen paused, “this situation’s still a mess. Yuqing-jie can’t even go home. That woman clearly isn’t planning to leave. When are you coming back?”

“Not sure. Earliest, maybe a week from now,” Tang Yan replied. She was just as anxious—knowing the enemy was already inside the gates made it impossible to relax.

“A week… hopefully nothing too crazy happens. Honestly, I think Yuqing-jie’s the one under pressure now. Anyway, I’m almost back. Talk later.”

“Okay, bye.” Tang Yan hung up and rushed back to her friends.

Back at the office, Peiwen returned the files to Ji Yuqing. She nearly launched into a rant about everything she had just endured, but managed to hold it in. Gossiping behind people’s backs just wasn’t her style.

Yuqing took the USB and smiled as she plugged it into the computer. She already looked like she knew exactly what had happened. “Did she give you a hard time?”

“Not really,” Peiwen replied. “But she did ask me to pass on a message—said she made dinner and will be waiting for you to come home tonight.”

Yuqing instantly rubbed her forehead, face twisted in frustration. “I’m seriously going to lose my mind.”

“Why not call building management or the police?” Peiwen suggested. “She’s trespassing! There’s no way she can just stay there forever.”

Yuqing let out a sigh. “I just don’t want to make a scene unless I absolutely have to.”

Getting the property manager or cops involved would mean their past would come out. Yuqing had seen firsthand how fast gossip traveled through the neighborhood via the ever-watchful local aunties. It wasn’t that she had anything to hide—but her orientation would spread like wildfire, and that would definitely stir up trouble.

“Jie, if this doesn’t count as forcing your hand, I don’t know what does. She’s already barged into your home,” Peiwen exclaimed.

“I’ll just stay at a hotel for now. Work’s busy anyway, and it’s closer to the office. If she gets tired, she’ll leave,” Yuqing said, flipping through a file with clear annoyance, not wanting to think about it anymore.

“But what if she doesn’t get tired? You can’t just keep dragging this out.”

“We’ll wait for Yanyan to come back,” Yuqing said quietly, something stirring behind her eyes.

“That could work. I spoke to her—she said she’ll be back in about a week.”

Yuqing looked up in surprise. “That soon?”

“Well… not that soon, really. Don’t you want her to come back early? You look kind of guilty right now,” Peiwen teased with a grin, covering her mouth.

“Enough. Get back to work,” Yuqing replied with a serious tone, head down, expression sharp—the mood flipped in a second.