Heart Flutter

Chapter 26

Zhao Xiaoyun found a part-time job handing out flyers through a coworker referral group. Without hesitation, she gave up her brief holiday to work on the streets. She was in dire need of money—her new job was still in its trial phase, and she would not receive wages until the following month. It was also possible that her initial pay would be lower than what she had earned at the factory, so she had to take advantage of whatever side jobs she could find to cover her living expenses.

The spot where she had to hand out flyers was not far. From her current dormitory, she only needed to walk a few hundred meters before taking the subway for three stops.

In October, temperatures dropped significantly in Huadu, and that particular day was especially windy. The gusts rattled the window frames. The restroom in her dorm looked rather old-fashioned, seemingly from the 1990s. After all, the building itself was quite old; the hardware was rusty, and the mirror was dotted with marks that had accumulated over the years.

Standing at the sink, Zhao Xiaoyun washed her face with cleanser. She thought she looked rather dark, likely from her years in the southern sun. But then, what girl did not want to be beautiful? She wished she could become just a bit fairer.

Once she was ready, she tied her hair into a simple ponytail—tidy and out of the way—picked up her phone, and went out the door.

It was early afternoon. Following the address posted in the group, Zhao Xiaoyun used her phone’s navigation and soon arrived at the store. The person in charge asked for her personal details and then handed her a thick stack of flyers, saying that once she finished handing them all out, she could return for her wages. She nodded and headed outside to start work.

During her three years working in the south, Zhao Xiaoyun had done nearly every kind of odd job: handing out flyers, running plates to tables, waiting tables, washing dishes. Eventually, because she was a bit older, she moved on to factory work. She had gotten used to leading such a tough life—after all, when she was younger, she hardly understood anything and simply obeyed her family’s every word. But Yan Yan once said something absolutely right: no one was born to be another person’s appendage, not even to one’s parents. In many ways, Yan Yan understood that truth even more deeply than she did.

She was very grateful to Yan Yan. If not for her encouragement, she might not have taken this step.

Although she was still just another working person doing the most ordinary, unremarkable tasks, she believed that as long as she kept her head down and worked hard, one day she would be able to live the way she truly wanted.

She had been assigned a narrow one-way street with heavy foot traffic, lined on both sides by tall plane trees. The falling leaves drifted everywhere, adding to the workload of the sanitation workers.

“Hello, we have a new promotion. Please take a look,” she said, handing flyers to every passerby. Some accepted them, others refused, and some simply walked by without a glance.

Suddenly, a strong gust swept along the length of the street, sending many flyers scattering from her hands. Panicked, she rushed off to collect them, paying no attention to the car coming straight toward her.

Shen Yuyin had only recently earned her driver’s license. Her family had rewarded her with a simple car for getting around, and she had taken it out for a drive during the National Day holiday. She never expected to end up hitting someone like that.

Horrified, Shen Yuyin slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car to check on the victim. A crowd of onlookers began gathering, pointing and whispering.

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt? How could you just run straight into my car like that?” she demanded. At first, she wanted to vent her anger—after all, the other person had dashed in front of her. But with so many onlookers, she held back her temper.

Seated on the ground, Zhao Xiaoyun waved her hand, still clutching the last flyer. “I am fine, really. I am fine.”

That was when a group of older ladies on the roadside started chiming in. “She is hurt. Take her to the hospital.”

“If you hit someone, you have to take responsibility.”

“…”

Their moral scolding was exactly what Shen Yuyin feared. She immediately crouched down, trying to help the young woman up. “I think it would be best if I took you to the hospital.”

When she heard she might be taken to the hospital, Zhao Xiaoyun waved her hands frantically. “No, no, really, I am alright. I just scraped my knee a bit.”

It put the driver, Shen Yuyin, in an awkward position. On one hand, the crowd kept urging her to do the right thing. On the other, the injured party insisted she did not need a hospital. What was she supposed to do?

“I still think you should come with me to the hospital.”

“No, really, I am fine. Besides, I have not finished handing out my flyers, and I will lose my pay this afternoon,” Zhao Xiaoyun persisted.

The people around them kept yammering and nagging, while Shen Yuyin felt like her head was about to explode. Finally, she grabbed hold of Zhao Xiaoyun by the wrist. “I will pay you whatever you were going to earn. We are going to the hospital!”

She then dragged the startled Zhao Xiaoyun into the car. She refused to linger there for another moment; her good mood had vanished.

Sitting in the back seat, Zhao Xiaoyun saw through the rearview mirror that the girl in the driver’s seat looked thoroughly upset. When the car turned onto another road, Zhao Xiaoyun spoke up, “You can drop me here, if you like. Those people back there were only making assumptions. You do not have to feel bad.”

Her words made Shen Yuyin let out a sarcastic laugh. Did she seem like the kind of person who would shirk responsibility? The more the other person insisted on leaving, the more determined she felt to see this through and get her to the hospital.

Realizing that this golden-haired girl was not the easiest person to communicate with, Zhao Xiaoyun decided it was best to keep her mouth shut.

Around the same time, Tang Yan and Aunt Ji arrived at the guesthouse they had booked. The building was a small, three-story house that truly faced the sea. Its old-fashioned exterior made it feel as though they had stepped back a hundred years into the Republican era, which gave it a unique charm.

“Are you Miss Ji?” the young woman at the front desk asked.

“Yes, that is me,” Ji Yuqing replied, presenting her ID.

“It is like this,” the receptionist said apologetically, “I am really very sorry, but of the two rooms you reserved, only one is currently available. The other room was vacated this morning, and our cleaning staff discovered an issue, so it is temporarily unusable. If you prefer to cancel the second room, we can process a refund for you. I am truly sorry.”

“It is alright. We can make do with one room,” she said.

She really liked the environment of this guesthouse: the location was excellent, and she had even reserved the same room number she had stayed in seventeen years ago. After they checked in, she signaled to Tang Yan, who was resting nearby.

“Yanyan,” she called, and Tang Yan rolled her luggage over. Aunt Ji explained the situation. “Only one room is available right now. Would you mind sharing a bed with me?”

Tang Yan lowered her gaze. For some reason, she felt her heart race. Her voice sounded small and uncertain when she answered, “I would not mind at all.”

“That is good,” said Aunt Ji with a smile.

They went upstairs and saw what was happening. In the adjacent room, staff were still cleaning and repairing things. Tang Yan took a peek inside as they passed and saw someone fixing the walls while debris covered the floor.

Using the keycard, Aunt Ji opened the door to their room. The window had been left ajar, letting in a cool ocean breeze that lifted their spirits. Tang Yan could not help exclaiming, “This is so pretty! The view is amazing!”

The sky shone deep blue, and the ocean looked equally vivid. From the balcony, they could see a stretch of beach where many tourists were sunbathing and having fun.

Standing there again, time seemed never to have passed for Ji Yuqing. Everything remained exactly as it was in her memories.

She loved the ocean—its wide expanse, its color, its endless mystery, and its constant change.

Tang Yan rushed onto the balcony and leaned over the rail, snapping pictures and recording short videos with her phone. She was already fully immersed in her own playful world, and watching her, Aunt Ji thought with a smile, Such a child. And indeed, she really was still a kid.

At eighteen, this was Tang Yan’s first time seeing the ocean in person, so close that she could almost reach out and touch it. It thrilled and fascinated her, having grown up in a small inland city.

As a child, she had believed that her world was limited to that remote village and its bleak little town. It was only after she grew older that she realized how enormous the world truly was—so large that it surpassed imagination.

The salty fragrance of the sea carried on the breeze, making Tang Yan’s hair flutter wildly around her face. Eager to share her excitement, she sent a picture to Xiao Yun, even though Xiao Yun herself had already seen the ocean before.

Soon, Tang Yan received a photo from Xiao Yun in return—she was at a hospital.

Tang Yan: Xiao Yun, what happened? Why are you at the hospital?

Xiao Yun replied with a helpless emoji: It is a long story. I took a part-time job handing out flyers this afternoon and got scraped by a car. It was partly my own fault for not paying attention, but the driver insisted on bringing me to the hospital.

Tang Yan: Are you hurt?

Xiao Yun sent a picture of her knee: Just a scrape. I think it is a bit of an overreaction.

Tang Yan: Be more careful! How could you be so careless…

“Yanyan, let’s head down to the beach!” called Aunt Ji.

But Tang Yan was too busy chatting with Xiao Yun to notice. Aunt Ji sighed and took some clothes into the bathroom.

When Tang Yan finished texting, she realized that the room was empty. She wondered where Aunt Ji had gone. She scratched her head and took a few steps, noticing that the bathroom door was closed and she could hear faint noises inside. She felt reassured that Aunt Ji was still around.

With nothing else to do, she wandered aimlessly around the room until the bathroom door finally opened from within, and out came Aunt Ji. Tang Yan instinctively turned to look, and the first thing that caught her eye was a pair of fair, shapely legs. Her gaze traveled upward, taking in the low-waisted bikini bottom and the perfectly flat stomach without an inch of excess fat. Then she saw the upper half, where the bikini enhanced the fullness of her chest, highlighting her defined collarbones and making her skin look even more luminous. She looked incredibly enticing—Tang Yan had never seen such an attractive figure before. The sight alone was practically overwhelming.

“So, what do you think? Does this look good?” asked Aunt Ji. “I got one for you too. It is a cute style—I am not sure if you will like it.” She walked over to the foot of the bed and leaned down to retrieve some clothes from her bag.

Tang Yan could not help glancing again. When Aunt Ji leaned over, her cleavage was partly visible, causing Tang Yan’s heart to flutter. She felt shaky, as if she were not in control of her own body.

“Here, this one is yours. It is more on the sweet side, but I am not sure if it suits your taste…” said Aunt Ji, turning around. She froze for a moment.

Tang Yan stood there with a startled expression and a sudden stream of blood trickling from her nose.