Heart Flutter

Chapter 48

Tang Yan’s face grew burning hot.

Ji Yuqing took a mirror from the sales associate and asked, “Do you want to take a look?”

She waved it away. “No, I’m afraid I’ll scare myself…”

“How could that be? It looked great,” Ji Yuqing encouraged her.

Only then did Tang Yan try glancing at her reflection in the mirror. It looked like her, and yet it did not. She had to admit she looked prettier than before, but after only a few seconds, she put the mirror down, mumbling that she did not want to look anymore.

Ji Yuqing did not push her. After returning the mirror to the sales associate, the two of them headed to the next store with their purchases.

Walking through the mall, Tang Yan felt extremely self-conscious at first. It was her first time wearing makeup out in public, and she kept thinking everyone was staring at her strangely or whispering behind her back.

They went into a women’s clothing shop with soft, cozy lighting that made everything look warm and appealing. A sales assistant greeted them enthusiastically. “How can I help you today?”

Focusing on some clothing items, Ji Yuqing said, “I’d like to find something for this young lady.”

“We have a few styles that are very popular for this fall. Let me show you,” the assistant said.

Tang Yan did not like any of them; she felt they were too flashy, the kind that would draw too much attention on the street. She preferred something low-key, with soft colors—similar to Aunt Ji’s style, but maybe even simpler.

Holding up a top, Ji Yuqing compared it against Tang Yan’s figure. “I think it looks great. It’s perfect for a girl your age. Do you want to try it on?”

“That’s right, trust your sister’s taste. This style is super trendy right now,” the sales assistant added.

Hearing that, both Ji Yuqing and Tang Yan turned to look at the assistant in unison, who suddenly froze, not knowing what to do.

Ji Yuqing laughed. “I’m not her sister. I’m old enough to be her mother.”

“Wow, I couldn’t tell. You look amazing,” the sales assistant gushed. “Really, I would have guessed you were her sister.”

“Sister works fine too!” Tang Yan chimed in with a grin, fanning the flames.

Ji Yuqing lightly tapped Tang Yan on the forehead with her fingertips. “That’s mixing up the generations.”

Tang Yan puffed out her cheeks, grumbling inwardly that she preferred the idea of “sister” and definitely not “mom.”

They visited a few more shops, ultimately choosing clothes based on Tang Yan’s own preferences. Now that she had her own opinions about what she wanted to wear, Ji Yuqing felt she should respect that and give her as much freedom as possible.

When they finished shopping, they ate at a nearby restaurant. Because it was the weekend, the place was crowded with families, young couples, groups of friends, and some people dining alone.

Ji Yuqing ordered a dish and a soup first. She was in the habit of drinking soup before her meal to avoid overeating and to maintain her figure. She then handed the menu to Tang Yan. “See if there’s anything else you want.”

Tang Yan glanced at the menu. By now, she felt comfortable enough around Aunt Ji to order what she truly wanted. “Today I feel like having yuxiang shredded pork.”

“You can pick one more dish. Eat more vegetables and less rice,” Ji Yuqing advised.

Tang Yan obediently flipped through the menu. She knew Aunt Ji did not eat spicy foods, so she made sure to skip all the dishes that she herself might have liked but that Aunt Ji would not enjoy. In the end, she picked something they could both share. “How about stir-fried beef?”

“Sure.”

They ended up with three dishes and a soup—just the right amount. Tang Yan had a good appetite and finished two bowls of rice. Aunt Ji seemed to eat only half a bowl but drank a full bowl of soup. When they were done, Tang Yan patted her stomach and slumped in her chair. “I’m going to get fat.”

“You’re still young, so your metabolism is faster. Don’t worry. Wait here; I’ll go pay,” Ji Yuqing said, then got up and left.

Tang Yan kept massaging her stomach and ended up having one more piece of beef before finally setting down her chopsticks. She really needed to keep herself in check or she might become overweight. Ever since the start of the school year, she had gained almost ten pounds, all real weight—possibly even muscle?

Tang Yan was not sure. She had noticed her body felt stronger during the weeks of club training; she hardly ever got dizzy anymore when standing up suddenly.

She was lost in thought when Aunt Ji returned, having already paid. “What are you daydreaming about over there? Let’s go.”

Tang Yan snapped out of it, grabbed her things, and hurried after her. “Aunt Ji.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Nothing…” Tang Yan shook her head. She did not want to bring it up again and risk annoying Aunt Ji.

Once in the car, Tang Yan fastened her seat belt, ready to go home. On the way, she suddenly remembered another matter and asked, “How’s your mother doing? Has her health improved?”

Ji Yuqing seemed slightly surprised. She glanced at Tang Yan, then focused on driving again. “She’s much better. Are you thinking of her? Next time you have a break, we’ll visit her together.”

“That’d be great!” Tang Yan agreed. Then she asked eagerly, “Would we stay overnight?”

“Well…” Still looking at the road, Ji Yuqing said, “We can stay the night or not. It’s not far, and driving is easy. Do you want to stay overnight?”

Privately, Tang Yan did. That way, she could share a bed with Aunt Ji. She wondered if her real thoughts were too obvious…

She hesitated for a long moment, saying nothing.

“Yanyan?” Ji Yuqing prompted her again.

The next second, Tang Yan nearly blurted, “Yes.”

After hearing that, Aunt Ji fell silent. Feeling self-conscious, Tang Yan hurried to explain, “I just mean that you’re so busy with work—if we make the trip, we could spend a couple of days there. Plus, the environment is pretty, and the air is fresh. I think it’d be nice.”

“All right, we’ll do it your way,” Ji Yuqing replied with a faint smile.

Tang Yan sneaked a look at her, trying to gauge her expression and reaction. She silently wondered if Aunt Ji suspected anything or if she was overthinking. Tang Yan had the guilty feeling that she really had started to become a bit “bad.”

The afternoon passed quickly after they returned home. Aunt Ji took a nap while Tang Yan did some simple housework, then took the clean laundry out of the dryer, folded everything, and packed her bag for school. Scanning her room, she realized she had almost forgotten a teddy bear.

She walked over, flopped onto the bed, and held the teddy bear in both hands. With a crescent-eyed smile, she said, “I almost forgot you, my sweet little bear. I’m taking you with me wherever I go.”

Any gift from Aunt Ji was priceless in Tang Yan’s heart. Whether at school or back home for the holidays, she always kept it by her side. It was like having Aunt Ji around. She needed to hold it every night to fall asleep.

“How can you be so wonderful? Everything about you is perfect. I really like you,” Tang Yan murmured, hugging the teddy bear and giving it a quick kiss.

Knock, knock, knock. A soft rapping came from the door. Standing there was Ji Yuqing, fully dressed and ready to leave, trying her best to hide her amusement.

Startled, Tang Yan whipped her head around. Had Aunt Ji just woken up and come over? Had she seen everything? Probably not!

“Oh, Aunt Ji, you’re awake,” Tang Yan greeted her in a fluster, hastily stuffing the teddy bear into her backpack.

“I was worried we’d run into traffic soon, so I got up a bit earlier. Are you all packed?” Ji Yuqing asked.

“All set,” Tang Yan answered from the edge of the bed, zipping up her backpack.

Just then, Ji Yuqing walked into the room and took out a wallet from her pocket. It looked brand new. “I almost forgot I had this for you. I noticed it by chance during an outing last time. I thought you might like it. Even though we use our phones to pay for everything now, it’s still good to carry a wallet. You can put spare change, ID, and cards in it.”

Tang Yan was overjoyed as she accepted it. She had already received many wonderful surprises from Aunt Ji, but each new one still left her speechless. The wallet’s material, texture, and pattern were all perfect. “Thank you, Aunt Ji!”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.” She held the wallet like a treasure against her chest.

“I had a feeling you would,” Ji Yuqing said with a small smile.

That night, Ji Yuqing had worked overtime by herself until quite late. Leaving the office, she planned to buy coffee at the commercial street across the road. She happened to pass a shop that sold bags. A glance through the window brought that wallet to her attention—it stood out so much that she walked right in without a second thought. The instant she held it in her hands, she felt certain that Yanyan would love it. And as expected, she did. By now, she had a pretty good idea of the girl’s tastes.

They drove back to campus, and as usual, Aunt Ji dropped Tang Yan off at the school gates. Tang Yan got out of the car, said goodbye, and walked into the campus. At that moment, someone hiding in the shadows watched them intently. As soon as a student stepped out of a taxi, that person rushed forward and told the driver, “Follow that white car ahead.”

When Tang Yan arrived at her dorm room, her three roommates were all doing their own thing. She did not bother them, slipping quietly over to her desk and putting her belongings away. The moment Xia Zihan took off her headphones and turned, she froze in surprise. “Tang Yan, you’re wearing makeup!”

That exclamation caught the attention of the other two roommates. They gathered around her like they were looking at an animal in the zoo. “Oh my gosh, that is big news.” “I can’t believe Tang Yan is wearing makeup.”

Tang Yan bit her lip, feeling embarrassed as they stared at her. She covered her face and turned toward her chair.

“Come on, let us see. Don’t be shy,” they urged.

“Yeah, we think it looks really nice. We’re not making fun of you.”

“It’s just that we’ve never seen you like this. We noticed you were kind of cool-looking before, but now that you’re made up, you’re really pretty.”

They all tried to get a closer look, and Tang Yan’s cheeks blazed as she kept her head down. It took a while for the commotion to settle.

Xia Zihan sipped her milk tea, resting one arm across the back of her chair. “Tang Yan, you should do your makeup more often.”

“I don’t know anything about it. Aunt Ji was the one who did my makeup today,” Tang Yan admitted.

“Don’t worry. That’s easy. I’ll send you some beauty vlogger videos later, so you can watch them and practice.”

Tang Yan stayed at her desk reading until late. Her roommates had already gone to bed by the time she finally stood up, grabbed some makeup remover, and headed to the restroom. After an entire day, her makeup had started to smudge a bit, and the natural oils on her face had blended the foundation, giving it a dewy look.

Tang Yan cupped her face, studying every detail—from the base makeup to her eyebrows, then her eyes. Aunt Ji had applied it all herself.

She did not want to wash her face. She could hardly bear to remove any trace of it.