Heart Flutter

Chapter 22

The train sped along underground, and they occasionally swayed with its gentle rocking.

“Were you two sleeping together at night?” Zhao Xiaoyun asked curiously.

“Of course not!” Tang Yan denied it outright, her face turning slightly red. “Why would I sleep with Aunt Ji? We each had our own separate rooms.”

“Oh… so does that mean your Aunt Ji had a pretty big place?” Zhao Xiaoyun asked, looking full of longing.

Tang Yan pursed her lips uncertainly. “I guess it was decent enough… You’ll see for yourself in a bit.”

“Could I visit and look around too?” Zhao Xiaoyun asked in surprise.

“You’re my best friend, so Aunt Ji will definitely let you come over.”

On the other side of the crowd, Ji Yuqing stood watching Tang Yan and glanced in her direction from time to time. It looked like the two girls were happily chatting.

“Do you think her family might have a problem with me or look down on me somehow?” Zhao Xiaoyun asked worriedly. “I’m from the countryside, I’m not very educated, and my clothes are pretty plain.”

“They won’t, they won’t. Aunt Ji isn’t like that,” Tang Yan assured her quickly. “When I first got to Huadu, I was even more out of place than you—like a big country bumpkin. I got carsick and threw up in Aunt Ji’s car. Believe me, you’re doing way better, and your outfit today looks really nice.”

“Really?” Zhao Xiaoyun perked up a little.

Tang Yan nodded firmly. “Don’t think too much about it. I’m here with you.”

After a few transfers, the three of them got off the subway around eleven in the morning. Checking the time, Ji Yuqing said to the two girls, “Let’s grab some lunch first.”

She led them to a nearby restaurant she knew fairly well. As they walked, Zhao Xiaoyun whispered to Tang Yan, “So what kind of work does your Aunt Ji do?”

Tang Yan shook her head, admitting she had no idea. “I think she works at a pretty big company, but I don’t know any details beyond that.”

When it came time to order, Ji Yuqing handed the menu to the two girls, telling them to pick whatever they liked. Seeing the prices, Zhao Xiaoyun froze for a moment, wondering if all of Huadu was this expensive or if they had simply come to a pricey restaurant.

Tang Yan had the same thought. Both of them found the prices steep and ended up each picking one of the cheapest dishes.

Helpless, Ji Yuqing took the menu back and ordered a few more dishes herself. She also reminded Tang Yan, “Your best friend is visiting Huadu today, so we, as hosts, need to treat her well, understand?”

We.

Tang Yan felt a surge of happiness. Aunt Ji was treating her as if they were on the same team.

She immediately changed her tone and turned to Zhao Xiaoyun. “Right, don’t hold back. Order whatever you want. No need to worry about saving money or anything.”

Zhao Xiaoyun’s lips twitched slightly: She sure changed her tune fast.

When the dishes arrived, there were seven or eight in total, all beautifully plated. Famished from her trip, Zhao Xiaoyun dug in heartily, saying she was lucky to eat so well thanks to Tang Yan’s invitation, her cheeks stuffed like a hamster as she spoke.

Tang Yan felt deeply grateful to Aunt Ji for helping her entertain her friend. She was determined to repay her kindness one day.

After the meal, they left the restaurant together, crossed a pedestrian bridge, and found Ji Yuqing’s car parked in the underground lot of the mall across the street. It was easy to find.

They put Zhao Xiaoyun’s luggage in the trunk, and Tang Yan joined her in the backseat so they could talk.

It seemed like second nature for Ji Yuqing to open all four windows before driving off.

“Your aunt’s car was a big Ben,” Zhao Xiaoyun whispered in awe.

Tang Yan tilted her head. “A big Ben? What’s that?” She really knew nothing about cars.

“It’s a Benz,” Zhao Xiaoyun explained again.

Tang Yan nodded. “Well, I’ve heard of BMWs,” she said before giggling. “Isn’t there a saying about how someone would rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle? Ha ha ha…”

“You’re still as clueless as ever, QAQ,” Zhao Xiaoyun remarked, momentarily speechless.

Driving, Ji Yuqing caught bits of their conversation in the rearview mirror. She curved her lips into a smile. She was amused by how adorably silly Tang Yan could be.

All along the way, Zhao Xiaoyun admired the scenery outside the window. She was full of exclamations, exactly how Tang Yan had been when she first arrived. Even now, Tang Yan still felt overwhelmed by the bustling big city. Huadu was so vast that there were countless places waiting for her to explore and leave her footprints.

Finally, they arrived at their destination.

The moment Zhao Xiaoyun walked into the house, she praised it without holding back. “Auntie, your place is so clean and organized!”

Smiling, Ji Yuqing turned to Tang Yan and said, “Take Xiaoyun to the room next to yours and help her put her luggage away. That’s the guest room.”

Tang Yan nodded obediently and was about to go do it when Ji Yuqing stopped her. “Wait, I’ll take her there myself. You go change your pants.”

Tang Yan realized what she had almost forgotten to do and hurried off to her room, red-faced.

“Sorry for the trouble,” Zhao Xiaoyun said.

“It’s no trouble. Any friend of Yanyan’s is my guest,” Ji Yuqing replied, picking up the luggage and leading the way. From what she saw, Zhao Xiaoyun seemed like a decent person. No wonder Tang Yan spoke of her fondly in every conversation.

Not wanting to interfere with the two friends catching up, Ji Yuqing showed Zhao Xiaoyun to the guest room and then left. Zhao Xiaoyun, though, could not just sit still in a new environment; she went looking for Tang Yan, who had just changed into clean pants.

“Your Aunt Ji’s place is seriously huge. She even set aside a guest room for me,” Zhao Xiaoyun marveled. She had originally planned to either bunk on the floor in Tang Yan’s room or stay at a nearby inn.

“Aunt Ji is very thoughtful. She always covers every little detail,” Tang Yan said.

“Yanyan, we haven’t seen each other in over half a year. I have so much to tell you,” Zhao Xiaoyun said, pulling her hand in a familiar, affectionate way.

“Eight months to be exact,” Tang Yan replied, pausing before adding, “Honestly, I feel the same. There’s so much on my mind too.”

“You go first!” they both said, perfectly in sync.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. Tang Yan quickly said, “You go first.”

Zhao Xiaoyun pursed her lips. All at once, her mood seemed to sink, and she let out a sigh.

Tang Yan felt her own anxiety rise. “Did something happen?” she asked.

“The truth is, I came to Huadu without my family’s permission. They were completely against it, so I quit my job on the spot and bought a ticket here,” Zhao Xiaoyun admitted awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Yanyan. I lied to you.”

Tang Yan shook her head. “Don’t apologize. You have the right to live your own life. None of us are anyone else’s property. You’re not your brother’s accessory, nor your parents’. You’re just you.”

Zhao Xiaoyun nodded. “I made up my mind. I wanted to come to Huadu and try my luck, for my own sake. I planned to start from the bottom as a salesperson. No matter how tough or exhausting it got, I wouldn’t be afraid.”

“Xiaoyun, I don’t even know how I can help you,” Tang Yan said, dropping her gaze. She felt powerless, seeing her best friend go through so much.

“Please don’t say that, Yanyan. We both came from humble backgrounds. We can only rely on ourselves. I hope we can stand side by side, so we can both have good lives one day. That’s how I see it. You focus on your studies while I work. On weekends, we can go out shopping and hang out, just like before!”

“That sounds great. It’s settled.”

That evening, Aunt Ji cooked dinner herself. It was a chance for Xiaoyun to try her cooking, which Tang Yan had praised endlessly on social media.

After dinner, Tang Yan roped Zhao Xiaoyun into helping wash and clear the dishes, which greatly relieved Ji Yuqing’s workload and let her rest for a bit and watch some TV.

Ji Yuqing loved watching suspenseful thrillers that really made her think. She often became so absorbed that she lost track of everything else. But before she knew it, the two girls had disappeared from the living room. Zhao Xiaoyun had a set of her own pajamas, on the mature and slightly sexy side. Hearing footsteps, Ji Yuqing glanced that way. She saw Xiaoyun, in her nightwear, head into Tang Yan’s room, which snapped her attention into focus.

A series of questions ran through her mind.

Why were they still awake so late, and what were they up to?

She felt it would be awkward to intrude on them, so she stayed in the living room, half-absently staring at the TV, no longer able to fully concentrate on her show.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaoyun walked in with a mysterious air, carrying two booklets that looked like manga. She settled on the edge of Tang Yan’s bed, propping one leg up.

“What are those?” Tang Yan had finished bathing early and was lying on her bed writing in her journal. Seeing Xiaoyun enter, she hurriedly tucked the diary under her pillow.

“Look here—have you read these? They’re really good,” Xiaoyun said, thrusting the two comics into Tang Yan’s hands.

Tang Yan read the words on the cover aloud: “A Most Moving Love Story. It’s all… Wait, what is danmei?” She flipped through a few pages, eyes widening at the sight of two men holding each other intimately.

“I can’t fully explain it. It’s basically romance between two men,” Zhao Xiaoyun answered.

Tang Yan blurted in surprise, “What about if two women are dating? What’s that called?”

“Yuri, or lace,” said Xiaoyun.

Tang Yan flipped another page. “Then what do they mean by gong and shou?”

“You really know nothing, huh?” Xiaoyun teased in annoyance. She demonstrated with her hands, placing one on top of the other. “The one on top is gong, and the one lying underneath is shou.”

Tang Yan frowned. “Oh, so that’s what it meant.”

It felt a bit like a risqué film to her… She tried to be a well-behaved girl, QAQ.

Back in the living room, Ji Yuqing found it hard to keep her mind on the screen. She kept glancing toward Tang Yan’s door, wondering why the two of them still had not come out and what they could possibly be doing in there.