Heart Flutter

Chapter 169

Tang Yan figured this wasn’t something that could be explained over the phone in just a few words, so she arranged to meet in person at a café. Naturally, she brought Aunt Ji along—when it came to discussing serious matters, Tang Yan still felt a bit nervous, and Aunt Ji was definitely more experienced.

Wei Yufan showed up with full enthusiasm, dropping all his plans to make it. From a distance, they saw a tall, buzz-cut, sunshiny young guy waving energetically at them.

Tang Yan had never been one to beat around the bush. She wasn’t good at playing coy—straightforward and direct was her style. Before Wei Yufan even had time to warm his seat, she had already laid her cards on the table.

Wei Yufan was stunned. And honestly, kind of impressed.

“Junior, I gotta say, I admire your guts. But this path you’re taking? It’s seriously risky. And the funding you’d need… that’s no small number.”

Tang Yan sat up straight, her smile brimming with confidence.

“That’s exactly why I called you. I know you’ve got the skills. We’ll slowly build up the tech team, just like back in college. There’s nothing we can’t handle. Plus, I already have a working prototype of the software.”

Wei Yufan still looked hesitant.

“But money-wise… I’m really strapped. Tried starting something with a buddy recently and lost everything. I’m still cleaning up that mess.”

Tang Yan grinned and gestured grandly.

“Well, then you really don’t have to worry. Ta-da! Our biggest investor hasn’t even spoken yet.” She turned to introduce the person beside her.

Ji Yuqing smacked Tang Yan lightly, half exasperated, half amused.

“What are you even saying?” Then she looked at Wei Yufan. “We’ve met before, remember?”

Wei Yufan chuckled and nodded.

“We have! You’re Tang Yan’s girlfriend—can’t forget that!”

“As for funding, don’t stress about it at all,” Ji Yuqing said, with the calm of someone who had money to burn. “You two just focus on the development. Once the product’s ready, I’ll hire professionals or hand it over to a marketing agency for promotion and launch.”

Wei Yufan blinked, surprised. He hadn’t expected Tang Yan’s girlfriend to be some low-key hidden tycoon.

Tang Yan leaned forward again.

“So, have you decided? We really need you on this team. Are you in?”

After a moment’s thought, Wei Yufan nodded and said yes. He was going all in. After all, he was done being disrespected at other companies, and working with Tang Yan—someone he already knew and trusted from college—sounded way better than working with strangers.

Tang Yan continued reaching out to other former classmates from her major—ones who’d done well back in the day. Some agreed to join; others declined. She didn’t push.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuqing quickly handled company registration, found a decent office in a convenient location, and signed the lease. As the new office was being renovated, they temporarily worked out of a recently vacated space. Recruitment was ongoing.

At this stage, the company was still burning cash and hadn’t made any revenue yet. Tang Yan felt a lot of pressure. After all, there was no guarantee of success. If it all failed, it would mean Ji Aunty had thrown away a lot of money on her.

But Ji Yuqing always reassured her,

“Don’t stress yourself out too much. I have a good eye for people. I believe in you. If I say you’ll succeed, then you will.”

Tang Yan asked quietly,

“But what if I don’t?”

“Then I still won’t regret it. At least we tried, didn’t we?”

Maybe Ji Yuqing didn’t mind failure—but Tang Yan did. She only allowed one outcome: success.

Thankfully, all their effort paid off. The tech team worked around the clock and finally delivered results.

The original software—just a rough draft when Tang Yan first coded it—was now polished, tested, and upgraded into a professional, fully functioning product.

Ji Yuqing’s marketing department officially launched it, and once it hit the internet, it caused a stir. It was groundbreaking—no one had done anything like it before.

Shen Yuyin, busy with her own company, only found out when she saw it online—and was totally shocked. She hadn’t seen her sister or Tang Yan in a while, and now they’d teamed up to pull off something huge.

She didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Zhao Xiaoyun and the two of them immediately bought a 100-year VIP membership each—supportive and absolutely extra.

After registering, Shen Yuyin even called Tang Yan to complain.

“Xiao Tang Tang, your app still needs work.”

Tang Yan was surprised.

“We just rolled out an update a couple of days ago. What’s wrong?”

“Oh, there’s a problem alright,” Shen Yuyin said from her office, chin in hand. “I was trying to buy VIP access and had to tap like, a hundred times. Paid a hundred times, too. Xiaoyun and I together did it two hundred times! Why don’t you have a one-click option?”

Tang Yan blinked.

“But there are options—monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually…”

“Yeah, so we each bought 100 years. We’ll be your VIPs until the sun explodes. Cool, right?”

Tang Yan: …???

One hundred years??? Who does that? She did a quick mental calculation—almost fifty thousand yuan! Only someone like Shen Yuyin would spend that much without even flinching, like she was buying roasted sweet potatoes on the street.

Still, Tang Yan was genuinely grateful. At this early stage, every bit of revenue counted.

After the public release, glowing reviews flooded in. Users called it “the freshest, most unique queer app on the market.” Even the logo featured a rainbow—its only distinctive mark.

The positive buzz snowballed. Influencers posted their reviews, and advertisers soon came knocking.

It was clear—they’d made it.

People said they were lucky, that they’d caught the wave at just the right time.

But Tang Yan knew the truth: without Ji Aunty’s funding and unconditional support, they never would’ve gotten off the ground. They would’ve drowned in the harsh reality of startup life.

Now, with sponsorships and partnerships pouring in, they began developing software in other domains too. The company got busier. More staff were needed. Hiring never stopped.

But Ji Yuqing kept a tight grip on key positions. Even after candidates passed HR interviews, she would personally conduct a second round. It wasn’t just about skills—the person’s character mattered more. She had zero tolerance for opportunists or bootlickers. In her past work life, she’d seen too many of those types cause real damage.

One day, HR knocked on her office door.

“Boss, someone’s here for an interview. Thought you might want to take a look.”

“I’m busy with a contract,” Ji Yuqing said, waving her hand. “You handle it.”

The manager hesitated, looking uncomfortable.

“Actually, you should really come yourself. She said she used to work under you.”

Ji Yuqing immediately looked up, surprised—but skeptical. Still, she followed the manager out… and was stunned to see who it was.

Pei Wen.

At first, Ji Yuqing assumed she was just visiting—like Zhang Miya, her good friend, who had visited a few times and somehow ended up getting her husband hired as a manager…

But Pei Wen was all business.

“Nope, I’m here for a job. Just don’t know if you’ll take me.”

Ji Yuqing laughed, delighted.

“Of course I’ll take you! Though putting you in a basic role would be wasting your talent. I need a manager in Marketing—perfect for you.”

Pei Wen smiled, calm and confident.

“I won’t let you down.” She was a seasoned pro now, nothing like the clueless girl Ji Yuqing once mentored. Ji trusted her completely.

“Everyone’s a manager now, but Tang Yan’s still just a code monkey?” a colleague joked—someone who used to go to school with her.

Tang Yan grinned, seated at her computer.

“Because I want to be. Got a problem with that?”

Wei Yufan chimed in.

“Why are you worrying about her? She’s the boss’s other half—this company’s basically hers. Our little Tang just keeps a low profile.”

Tang Yan quickly waved her hands.

“No, no, I’m happy being her employee. I’d be thrilled to have her boss me around for the rest of my life.”

“Ew, ew, ew—why am I getting force-fed dog food at work? This world is so unfriendly to single folks!”

“When are you guys getting married? We want wedding wine!”

“…”

Everyone joked around, and Tang Yan turned red.

“Back to work! Stop teasing me.”

With that, she grabbed her mug and slipped away on the pretense of getting water.

She pushed open Ji Yuqing’s office door. Ji Yuqing looked up, ready to remind whoever it was to knock first—then saw it was Tang Yan and smiled.

“What are you doing here?”

Tang Yan struck a mock-serious pose and held up her cup.

“Needed a break. Hydration is important.”

Ji Yuqing raised a brow and smirked.

“All hydrated now?”

“Not yet. Still missing one thing.” Tang Yan leaned on the desk and kissed her.

They were still kissing when a knock came at the door. The assistant turned the handle—and the two of them quickly sprang apart.

The assistant looked horrified, like she wanted to disappear.

Tang Yan cleared her throat and held up her cup.

“Um. I’m good now. Back to work.”

Ji Yuqing burst out laughing.

“Alright.”