Heart Flutter

Chapter 138

At that moment, everyone in the room—those laughing, eating, scrolling through their phones—all froze, their eyes fixed on the two of them.

Faces were full of shock and disbelief, and behind the stunned expressions you could almost read their thoughts: How did they end up together? That’s wild. And the age difference is huge.

The ones most surprised were probably Tang Yan’s old roommates. After living together for years and sharing everything, they hadn’t suspected a thing. She’d hidden it way too well.

“Yanyan, congrats to you two!” Zhao Xiaoyun was the first to stand and clap, clearly thrilled.

Shen Yuyin raised her glass right after, “Wishing you a long and happy future together!”

Their reactions set off a chain—others chimed in with congratulations. But Zhang Miya’s expression turned a little sour. She offered a couple of polite words, then suddenly turned to Ji Yuqing and said, “Come outside with me. I need to talk to you.”

Tang Yan looked at Ji Yuqing with concern, but Ji Yuqing gently squeezed her hand in reassurance before following Zhang Miya out of the private dining room. The two walked downstairs and out of the restaurant, surrounded by the usual traffic and pedestrians.

“Is this for real?” Zhang Miya still couldn’t wrap her head around it. She hoped it was just some elaborate joke.

Ji Yuqing said nothing. Her silence was answer enough.

Zhang Miya pressed a hand to her forehead. “Oh my god. How could you not tell me something this big? When I heard it just now, my brain almost short-circuited. You and Tang Yan, that kid?”

“I know… It’s hard to believe. And you might not be able to accept it right now. But it’s the truth,” Ji Yuqing replied calmly.

“I just can’t believe it. The age gap alone! And then all the complicated ties between you two… God, does her mom—Tang Huiyi—even know about this?”

Ji Yuqing didn’t speak, just stared at her.

Zhang Miya had her answer. “I’ve got a bad feeling there’s a storm on the horizon.”

“I’ll explain everything to her,” Ji Yuqing murmured, eyes cast down. She knew full well that walking this path with Yanyan meant facing whatever came together.

“This isn’t just about explaining things. Come on, Yuqing, Tang Huiyi would never approve of this relationship. Put yourself in her shoes—if I were her, I couldn’t accept it either.”

Zhang Miya was upset, but Ji Yuqing understood. She knew her friend meant well. She gently patted Zhang Miya’s shoulder. “Let’s head back. If we take too long, people will start wondering.”

Zhang Miya sighed. “Fine, fine, let’s go. This kind of thing isn’t something you can talk through in a few minutes anyway.”

They went back inside.

Tang Yan’s eyes never left Ji Yuqing from the moment she walked in, watching her closely until she sat down beside her.

“It’s fine,” Ji Yuqing said with a small smile, trying to reassure her.

Tang Yan pressed her lips together. She could more or less guess what had happened. But no one brought it up again. The dinner carried on—eating, drinking, chatting. By the time it ended, it was already around 10:30 p.m. Some people lived far away, others had work the next day, so the group slowly began to disperse.

Shen Yuyin, always the showstopper, rolled up in her flashy sports car from the parking lot to pick up Xiaoyun at the restaurant entrance.

Zhao Xiaoyun gave Tang Yan a quick hug and whispered, “You got this.”

“You too,” Tang Yan replied—maybe to herself as much as to her friend.

Then Xiaoyun hopped into the convertible with Shen Yuyin, and the two of them waved cheerfully as they sped off.

“Alright, I should head out too,” said Pei Wen.

“Want us to drive you?” Tang Yan offered.

“No need. I know this area well—come here all the time with coworkers. I’ll grab a ride home myself.” Pei Wen waved her off with a smile, then disappeared into the night.

After a bit, Zhang Miya’s husband pulled their car up to the curb. The window rolled down, signaling them to get in.

“I’ll take Doudou home now,” she said.

“Drive safe,” Ji Yuqing replied with a gentle smile.

“Bye Aunt Zhang, Uncle—take care on the road,” Tang Yan added.

Zhang Miya nodded, holding a fast-asleep Doudou as she climbed into the backseat. The car pulled away, and just like that, only Tang Yan and Ji Yuqing were left.

Ji Yuqing looked at Tang Yan, a hint of weariness in her voice. “Let’s go home.”

“Yeah.” Tang Yan nodded. “I’ll go get the car.”

“Okay.” Ji Yuqing stood there holding her bag, waiting.

During the drive back, Ji Yuqing kept yawning in the passenger seat. Tang Yan noticed every single one.

“Tired from the day?” she asked softly.

Ji Yuqing let out a long breath and chuckled. “More exhausting than a full day of meetings…”

“Then just lie back and rest. We’ve still got a bit to go.”

Tang Yan turned on some gentle, calming music to help her relax.

By the time they got home, it was nearly 11:30 p.m. Both of them were beat—up since 6 a.m. for the graduation, running around nonstop till midnight.

“Go to bed early. Good night.” Ji Yuqing waved and yawned, heading into her room.

“Good night!” Tang Yan returned to her own room, grabbed some clothes, took a quick shower, and crashed onto the bed.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuqing was showering too. Through the door, the faint sound of her phone ringing could be heard. It rang several times. When she came out and checked, sure enough, she had several missed calls—all from Zhang Miya. Sensing something was up, Ji Yuqing called back immediately.

“You home yet? Still awake?” Zhang Miya asked.

“Just finished showering,” Ji Yuqing replied.

“I’m waiting at Jinshan Bridge. Come talk with me.”

Ji Yuqing hesitated. “Alright. I’ll change and head over.”

She didn’t tell Tang Yan—didn’t want to disturb her rest. Quietly, she changed, grabbed her keys, and drove out. After parking nearby, she walked onto the bridge. From a distance, she spotted Zhang Miya standing alone at the center, her hair blowing in the wind, looking a little melancholy.

“There you are,” Zhang Miya turned to her.

Ji Yuqing walked up beside her, glancing at the river flowing under the bridge. “What’s up? Why did you call me out?”

“Nothing big. Just feeling stuffy inside and needed someone to talk to,” Zhang Miya said after a pause. “I was gonna say something earlier, but I had to take Doudou home first.”

Ji Yuqing glanced at her. “You and your husband… everything okay lately?”

“I keep picking fights with him. And now he’s saying I’m hitting menopause,” Zhang Miya scoffed, then sighed. “Maybe it’s true. Being a full-time housewife for so long… it messes with your sense of security. I’m afraid of being replaced by some fresh-faced twenty-year-old.”

“Let’s not talk about that. It’s been forever since we came here, hasn’t it? I remember we used to hang out on this bridge, drinking and talking about life.”

“That was ages ago. We were still girls back then.” Ji Yuqing smiled.

“Well, speaking of drinks… I actually brought some tonight.” Zhang Miya gestured to her bag, revealing a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of vodka.

“I can’t drink—I drove.”

“It’s not for you. I brought it for myself. I just want to get drunk and sleep like a rock. No worries, no stress.” Zhang Miya sat down on the ground, right by the railing where the cars zoomed by behind them.

“It’s been, what, over ten years since your last relationship?” she asked.

“Yeah, about that,” Ji Yuqing nodded.

“I remember telling you to start over, find someone new, start a new life. But you wouldn’t hear of it. You just buried yourself in work for over a decade. I honestly thought you’d die alone.”

Ji Yuqing gave a self-deprecating laugh, eyes lowered. “Honestly, I… thought so too.”

Zhang Miya looked at her thoughtfully. “I just don’t get it. That kid Tang Yan—what is it about her that made you willing to throw everything aside, risk it all, and go against the world just to be with her?”

“Everything,” Ji Yuqing replied softly, a faint smile on her lips, eyes full of affection. “Everything about her draws me in. It’s hard to put into words.”

“Well, I guess it’s true—whether it’s men or women, we all like someone younger.” Zhang Miya laughed, teasing her.

Ji Yuqing shot her a look. “Then how do you explain Yanyan liking someone as old as me?”

“No clue. To each their own, I guess. And honestly, with how much you spend on skincare and treatments, your skin’s better than some girls in their twenties. Who would even guess you’re pushing forty?”

Ji Yuqing chuckled helplessly. Zhang Miya continued, “Tang Huiyi isn’t going to be easy. Have you thought about what you’ll do when the time comes?”

Ji Yuqing looked out toward the city’s dazzling lights, the towering buildings. “We’ll take it one step at a time. Even if Yanyan and I don’t get to walk through life together, this time we have now—it’s beautiful.”

The conversation turned bittersweet. Calm and rational as she usually was, Ji Yuqing suddenly reached out. “Give me the whiskey.”

“I thought you said you weren’t drinking?” Zhang Miya raised an eyebrow.

“Changed my mind,” Ji Yuqing winked.

So the two of them sat there on the bridge, sipping and chatting about life. Two women with nearly eighty years between them, suddenly full of sentiment. In the end, Zhang Miya barely drank at all—Ji Yuqing finished most of it.

When things started feeling off—when the woman who was just talking a moment ago went completely quiet—Zhang Miya quickly pulled out her phone and dialed.

At 2 a.m., Tang Yan was jolted awake by the sound of her phone ringing. She sat up groggily and answered.

On the other end came Aunt Zhang’s voice: “Tang Yan, your Aunt Ji… she’s drunk. Come get her before I can’t carry her.”