Heart Flutter

Chapter 130

Ji Yuqing met her gaze—and in that moment, she saw something in Tang Yan’s eyes she’d never seen before. A rare kind of resolve, even recklessness. She looked away quickly, and after a pause, she said with some difficulty, “I’m so much older than you…”

“I don’t care. I really don’t care about age or anything like that. I just like you, simply because you’re you,” Tang Yan interrupted, anxious and firm.

Ji Yuqing went on, “I’m still someone you call Aunt. How could we possibly be together? And besides, your mother would never allow it.”

“I don’t care. So what if I call you Aunt? We’re not even related by blood—it’s only because of my mother…” Tang Yan bit her lip in frustration, then snapped, “Fine. From now on, I won’t call you Aunt anymore.”

That hit Ji Yuqing hard. Her long-shut heart had already been stirred up by this girl in front of her, and now it was pounding out of control. She gripped the bedsheet tightly, fighting down the storm of emotions rising inside her.

Just then, her phone rang.

Tang Yan scrambled off her in a panic. It was a call from the nursing home—her mother’s condition had worsened again. They asked her to come immediately. Ji Yuqing’s face darkened as she calmly responded, “I’ll be right there.”

“What happened?” Tang Yan asked instinctively.

“I need to go to the nursing home,” Ji Yuqing said as she started gathering her things.

“I’ll come with you,” Tang Yan offered.

Ji Yuqing turned to look at her. “No need. Don’t you have work tomorrow? I probably won’t be back tonight.”

That one sentence shut Tang Yan down. She stood there silently as Ji Yuqing walked out. The sound of the door closing echoed in her ears long after.

Dinner was still on the table—just a simple meal: one dish, a soup, and rice. Not much, enough for one. Tang Yan sat down alone and finished it all so it wouldn’t go to waste. Then she cleaned up, and sat in the living room in a daze.

Her phone had been ringing in her pocket for a while before she noticed. It was Mr. Chen. She hurried to answer.

“Sorry, Mr. Chen, I just saw your call.”

“It’s fine. I think I left a document with you by mistake. Are you free now? I can come pick it up,” he said.

“Ah…” Tang Yan looked around. “Yes, I’m free.”

“Great. Send me the address, I’ll head over now.”

“Okay.”

She hung up and sent him her location. Then she opened her suitcase and found the file—sure enough, it was something Mr. Chen had asked her to hold onto, but he hadn’t mentioned it again until now.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuqing was already driving on the expressway when she got another call from the nursing home. They asked her to bring her mother’s past medical records, just in case. She had no choice but to take the next exit, turn around, and head back.

Chen Yuyan arrived at the address quickly. He was surprised this girl lived in such a neighborhood. Tang Yan handed him the document, and he asked, “Where’s your family?”

“I’ve been staying at my aunt’s while studying. I’m not from here,” she replied.

“Same here. I’m not a local either,” he said with a laugh.

Tang Yan looked slightly surprised. She wouldn’t have guessed.

“Yeah, doesn’t show, right? I stayed in Huadu after college. It’s been nearly twenty years. Where’s your hometown?” he asked.

She told him—a small county. That actually startled Mr. Chen.

They ended up chatting about hometown stuff for a while. When he was about to leave, Tang Yan was also preparing to head out, suitcase in tow.

She planned to see him off, then catch a cab to her rented place.

“You’re leaving too?” he asked.

Tang Yan nodded. “Heading back to my rental.”

“I’ll drive you,” he offered without hesitation.

“No, no. It’s really fine, I’ll take a cab,” she declined politely.

“I insist. It’s late, not safe for a girl to be alone in a cab. Don’t turn me down—it’ll hurt my boss pride,” he said, half-joking.

“…” Tang Yan had no choice but to nod. “Alright, thank you.”

At that very moment, Ji Yuqing’s car pulled into the complex and happened to stop near the house. She saw, with her own eyes, Tang Yan putting her suitcase into another woman’s trunk and getting into the car with her.

That car turned around and began driving in her direction. Instinctively, Ji Yuqing turned her steering wheel and pulled into a corner, only exposing the back of the car—afraid Tang Yan might see her.

“Rumor has it you finished most of your college coursework by your sophomore year?” Chen Yuyan asked with interest, visibly impressed.

Tang Yan turned her head slightly to look at him—right at the moment their car passed Ji Yuqing’s. But she didn’t notice.

“It’s just a rumor… I still went to class after that.”

“You’re too modest. I’ve seen your resume. You placed third in the national collegiate programming contest in your junior year, and then developed software with a team that ended up being bought out for a high price. That’s no small feat.”

Tang Yan flushed at the praise. “I just traded my playtime for study time, that’s all.”

As they drove past, Ji Yuqing sat alone in her car, heart pounding. She didn’t even know what was happening to her anymore. Seeing that scene had left her strangely unsettled. She clearly couldn’t accept being with Tang Yan, couldn’t get past it herself—and yet, she hated seeing her with someone else. She couldn’t stand her own reaction.

Chen Yuyan chuckled, clearly fond of her. “I like that drive in you.”

Tang Yan paused, then looked away without replying.

“Are you seeing anyone?” he asked suddenly.

“No, not really—” she started, but before she could finish the sentence about having someone she liked, he cut her off.

“Not surprising. A girl like you wouldn’t settle for just anyone.”

“Yeah,” Tang Yan said, her thoughts drifting back to Aunt Ji. “The person I like… she’s someone I admire deeply—someone who’s incredible, whether in my eyes or anyone else’s.”

Chen Yuyan glanced at her, maybe piecing it together. “From the way you talk, sounds like your heart’s already taken?”

Tang Yan took a deep breath and looked straight ahead. “She refuses to accept me, but I can feel it—she cares. I know she does.”

“The woman you like must be very mature,” he said thoughtfully. “People like that tend to be cautious when it comes to love. They think more, weigh more, and worry more.”

It was like he had read her mind. Tang Yan nodded. “There’s a big age gap between us…”

“Big?” Chen Yuyan laughed. “Bigger than me and you?”

Tang Yan paused, lowered her gaze. “Roughly the same.”

“I think I know who it is,” he said with a knowing smile.

Tang Yan looked surprised. Was it that obvious?

They soon arrived at her rental. Chen Yuyan parked, pulled the handbrake, and turned to her with a serious expression. “Women our age may look tough on the outside, but we’re soft on the inside. If you really care about her, don’t give up too soon.”

Tang Yan understood exactly what he meant. She nodded eagerly. “I won’t. Thank you, Mr. Chen.”

She hopped out of the car and retrieved her suitcase from the trunk.

After saying goodbye and watching his car disappear down the road, she headed upstairs. But before she could sit down, another call came in—it was Peiwen.

“So? How did it go? I’ve been dying here worrying. She didn’t run off again, right?”

“Not yet,” Tang Yan said, her mood mixed. “I went to see her tonight. I said everything I needed to say.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That I’m going to pursue her.”

“Pfft!” Peiwen burst into laughter. “That direct? I bet my sister freaked out again.”

“Huh?” Tang Yan’s heart sank a little.

“And then what?”

“I came back to my place. Aunt Ji got a call from the nursing home and had to leave.”

“So what’s your next move?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never chased anyone before. Got any advice?”

“Hold on. Let me look up some dating guides and send you a few tips.”

Tang Yan waited obediently, nearly falling asleep by the time Peiwen sent her a massive text full of strategies. Tang Yan, being a science major, felt like her head was about to explode. “Is this… really going to work?”

“Guaranteed—unless my sister’s not actually a woman!” Peiwen promised, patting her chest in full confidence.

Not long after Tang Yan left, Ji Yuqing pulled up alone and went inside.

She couldn’t calm down at all. Her head was full of that girl. She even forgot what the nursing home had asked her to bring. She sat blankly on the sofa in the silent house, but her mind was anything but quiet. Over and over again, Tang Yan’s words replayed in her head.

“I like you. Even though you were gone for so long, I still like you…”

“I missed you so much I thought I was going to lose my mind…”

“From now on, I’m going to pursue you…”

“I don’t care about age—I only care that it’s you I like…”

“Fine. From now on, I won’t call you Aunt anymore…”

If that’s how she felt, why did she get into another woman’s car? But maybe… maybe that’s for the best. Just as she had wished.

But Ji Yuqing couldn’t bring herself to feel relieved. If anything, she felt even more unsettled. Inside, she was caught in a storm of guilt and conflict. Taking that step—it was just too hard.

She knew from experience—it’s never that simple. And Tang Yan, she was still so young. Ji Yuqing didn’t want her to bear that kind of burden.