Heart Flutter

Chapter 150

“Oh? What a coincidence.” Chen Yuyan slowly uncrossed her leg.

“Yeah, quite the coincidence.” Ji Yuqing offered a polite smile.

“Aunt Ji… President Chen… you two know each other?” Tang Yan asked, a little confused.

“We don’t just know each other,” Chen Yuyan chuckled and stood up, walking straight toward Ji Yuqing at the door, her eyes bold and completely unafraid, even tossing out an invitation. “Care to grab a drink downstairs?”

“Sure,” Ji Yuqing accepted head-on.

She stepped inside, set the shopping bags she’d brought back on the table, and turned to Tang Yan. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Oh, okay,” Tang Yan replied, watching as the two of them left the room together. She even helped close the door behind them, then stood frozen for a moment before darting over to reopen it. The hallway was empty, the elevator doors just closing—clearly, they had already gone down.

She never would’ve guessed that Aunt Ji and President Chen actually knew each other. Tang Yan tilted her head, full of curiosity about what they might be talking about.

Downstairs in the hotel café, the two women each ordered a drink and sat across from one another—polite and cordial.

“If I recall correctly, we first met… what, fifteen years ago? Competing for the same company deal, practically at each other’s throats.”

Ji Yuqing smiled faintly. “I think ‘at each other’s throats’ is a bit dramatic.”

Chen Yuyan lowered her eyes with a small laugh, stirring her coffee. “You’ve made quite a name for yourself in the industry over the years. Plenty of impressive accomplishments.”

“You’re doing well yourself,” Ji Yuqing replied calmly. “Climbed into upper management. I was pretty surprised to find out you’re Yan Yan’s boss.”

She had known since day one and felt a mix of emotions about it. But she had always seen it as a personal issue—no need to burden Tang Yan with it. The last thing she wanted was for Yan Yan to be affected at work because of her.

“And I was surprised that you left your old company. You were doing so well there. Any interest in joining us? With your background, we could offer you something great.”

Ji Yuqing knew that was just small talk. And frankly, she had zero interest. “I’ve gotten used to being a bum,” she joked lightly. “Not sure I could handle office life anymore. But thank you for the offer, President Chen.”

Chen Yuyan gave a helpless smile and took a sip of her coffee. “I really like that kid, Yan Yan. She’s grounded, hardworking, principled, and not one to suck up or play politics. Rare qualities these days.”

“She really is something,” Ji Yuqing replied with a smile that said it all—staking her claim right there and then.

Chen Yuyan was clearly annoyed by that, but kept her composure and smiled back. She wasn’t about to dive deeper into that conversation. “I’ve got a dinner to get to, so I’ll leave you two be.”

She signaled for the check, but Ji Yuqing beat her to it, paying for her own drink. She’d never been comfortable letting near-strangers treat her.

There was definitely some subtle tension between them—almost like they were on the verge of a showdown—but knowing Ji Yuqing, that fight was unlikely to break out.

“Aunt Ji, you’re back!”

Seeing her come in, Tang Yan jumped to her feet nervously. “President Chen didn’t say anything… weird, right?”

Ji Yuqing gave her an incredulous smile and shut the door behind her. “Are you scared of her?”

Tang Yan pouted. “Not exactly. It just felt like a parent-teacher meeting, you know? I suddenly had no confidence.”

“Pfft.” Ji Yuqing covered her mouth, laughing again. This kid always managed to catch her off guard.

She walked over, put a hand on her hip, and said in mock seriousness, “Do I really seem like your parent?”

“Nope, not at all!” Tang Yan immediately threw her arms around her waist and buried her face in her chest. “I don’t want you to be my parent—I want you to be my wife.”

Ji Yuqing squirmed from the ticklishness and tapped her on the forehead. “You little rascal.”

Tang Yan grinned up at her. “Aunt Ji doesn’t like rascals?”

“I do like them~”

Tang Yan hugged her even tighter. “Let’s shower. I want…”

They did. And it went on for quite a while. Tang Yan had been prepping herself all evening for what she expected to be a very intense night.

But then her phone rang—it was a call from President Chen.

Ji Yuqing had just come out of the shower, wrapped in a towel. She glanced over. “Who’s calling?”

Tang Yan frowned and turned the screen toward her. “It’s President Chen.”

“Go ahead and answer it—maybe it’s something important,” Ji Yuqing said graciously.

Tang Yan hesitated but picked up the call.

“Hello, Tang Yan.” Chen Yuyan’s voice was just as soft and warm as always.

“President Chen…”

“I’m downstairs at the hotel. Davis has a dinner tonight, and I’d like you to come with me.”

“Huh? Me?” Tang Yan shot a glance at Aunt Ji, who…

Ji Yuqing had already guessed what this was about. She didn’t stop her—just gave a small wave, granting silent permission.

“What’s wrong? Don’t want to come? This is a great opportunity. There’ll be senior execs from some major U.S. companies tonight.”

Tang Yan still didn’t really want to go and glanced at Aunt Ji again, worried she might be upset. But Ji Yuqing just bit her lip and whispered, “It’s okay. You should go.”

“…Tang Yan?” Chen Yuyan prompted again after a pause. “If you don’t show up tonight, I’ll be very disappointed in you.”

Tang Yan clenched her teeth and made a decision. “Alright, I’m coming down now.”

“Good. I’ll wait for you.”

As soon as the call ended, Tang Yan felt deflated. “Aunt Ji, I…”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me. Work’s important—I’d never hold you back. Go out there and make a good impression. Exposure like this is good for you.”

“Alright then…” Tang Yan changed clothes, preparing to leave. “I’ll come back early.”

Ji Yuqing smiled and waved. “Go on—and don’t drink, okay?”

Tang Yan nodded firmly.

After she left and the door closed behind her, Ji Yuqing’s smile finally crumbled. She sat quietly by the bed, expression hollow. As much as she didn’t want this, she’d still let her go. That was just who she was—always smiling while saying things she didn’t mean. But what else could she do? She couldn’t cling to her like a little girl and say, “Don’t go, stay here with me.” That just wasn’t realistic, nor was it something someone her age would do. She never wanted to be the reason Tang Yan missed out on her future.

Downstairs, Tang Yan met up with President Chen—who, unlike earlier, had changed again into something even more striking. Bright red lips, soft waves, nothing like her usual strict, no-nonsense office look.

“What’s the matter? Am I so good-looking you’re speechless?” Chen Yuyan teased.

Tang Yan scratched the back of her head. “No, it’s not that, I just…”

“Then are you saying I don’t look good?”

“No, no!” Tang Yan panicked, waving her hands. She wanted to explain but didn’t know where to begin.

“Alright, I forgive you. Let’s go, the car’s out front,” Chen Yuyan said.

Tang Yan nodded obediently and followed.

She’d assumed a couple of other coworkers would be attending the dinner, but it turned out to be just her and President Chen. Everyone else at the table was a foreigner. Her spoken English and listening weren’t great, so she could only catch bits and pieces. Chen Yuyan handled all the conversation. Tang Yan felt painfully out of place—like she was nothing but a decorative extra.

The dinner was a buffet, as most of these gatherings were. After some mingling, Chen Yuyan led her to a private table. “Grab something to eat. This restaurant’s pretty good.”

Tang Yan nodded and followed the unspoken command like a junior soldier.

Chen Yuyan laughed. “It’s just us—you don’t need to be so stiff. You can treat me like a friend.”

Tang Yan shook her head fast. “No way. You’re my boss. We can’t blur that line.”

“If I say the line can blur, then it can,” Chen Yuyan said with a smirk. The warm lighting made her red lips glow with mature charm.

Seeing that Tang Yan had ducked her head to focus on her food, Chen Yuyan took a sip of wine and continued, “Remember what I told you on your first day? You and I are from the same hometown. That’s why I’ve looked out for you.”

Tang Yan nodded. “Yes… thank you, President Chen, for everything…”

Chen Yuyan laughed again. “I’m not looking for thanks. Just chatting. Which school did you graduate from? Maybe we even went to the same one.”

Tang Yan named her high school, and to her surprise, they had gone to the same one. Chen Yuyan lit up. “What a small world! Has the school changed much?”

“They rebuilt the track, laid new rubber lanes, added a foreign teacher building and a new library,” Tang Yan answered.

“Wow… that’s a big change. Back in my day, the track was just gravel. Forget foreign teachers,” Chen Yuyan paused and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “But hey, that was twenty years ago.”

Tang Yan gave a polite laugh in return, unsure what to say. She decided it was safer to just listen.

“Do you think I’m old?” Chen Yuyan suddenly asked.

Tang Yan’s survival instincts kicked in hard—she shook her head without thinking.

“Really?” Chen Yuyan laughed. “Then what about compared to Ji Yuqing?”

Tang Yan froze. She had no idea how to answer without upsetting someone or lying through her teeth.

“Alright, alright, I won’t put you on the spot.”

That night, Chen Yuyan drank quite a bit. By the time they were leaving, she was so tipsy she could barely walk. Tang Yan had to help her into the car.

Chen Yuyan leaned her head against Tang Yan’s shoulder, clinging to her arm tightly. The scent of wine hung between them as she whispered into Tang Yan’s ear.

“I think I drank too much… walk me back to my room, will you?”