Heart Flutter

Chapter 52

Tang Yan did not know what frame of mind she had been in when she finished doing that. Even recalling it afterward made her blush and her heart race. Throughout the process, she had not dared look directly at Aunt Ji’s face. Yet she felt secretly pleased that Aunt Ji trusted her enough to let her help, rather than asking a nurse. If someone else had done it, Tang Yan would probably have felt jealous.

Under the white lights, Ji Yuqing’s cheeks appeared slightly red—much more flushed than they had been that morning. “You should get some rest,” she said gently.

There was a companion cot in the VIP room. Tang Yan planned to sleep on it that night and, in fact, would be staying there for the next several days while she looked after Aunt Ji.

“All right, I will.” Tang Yan, still feeling somewhat at a loss after tidying up, nodded quickly. “If you need anything, please call me anytime.”

Because she had come in such a hurry, Tang Yan had brought little in the way of clean clothes. She simply washed up in the restroom, then climbed onto the cot. At around ten o’clock, she switched off the lights and lay there. The window was right beside her, and she could faintly hear the occasional car horn from the street outside.

She tossed and turned for quite some time, unable to sleep. Then, in the darkness, she heard Aunt Ji’s voice.

“Still awake?”

“I have not fallen asleep yet. You have not either, Aunt Ji?” Tang Yan asked, trying to contain the surge of emotion in her chest.

A long exhalation sounded in the quiet room. Then she heard Ji Yuqing’s words. “It was my first time staying in a hospital, so I suppose it made sense that I could not sleep.”

Tang Yan bit her lip in guilt. “It was all my fault…”

Before she could finish, Ji Yuqing interrupted her. “Do not say that, Yanyan. To tell you the truth, I was really glad—truly glad—that you came today and stayed with me.”

She repeated “really glad” for emphasis, so Tang Yan believed she genuinely meant it. That made Tang Yan feel equally happy. If caring for Aunt Ji like this was all she had to do, even indefinitely, she would have been perfectly willing.

“This is something I should have done,” Tang Yan replied.

“No, there is no ‘should’ or ‘should not’ about it. You are a good kid, Yanyan—an excellent kid. Aunt Ji really liked you and wanted to see you succeed, to watch you become better and better.”

A warmth surged through Tang Yan’s chest at those words. She rolled over, facing away, and rested her cheek against the back of her hand. Quietly, in her heart, she replied, Aunt Ji, I like you too—more than anything.

Unknowingly, she drifted off to sleep, and in her slumber, she had a strange yet wonderful dream. In it, she supported Aunt Ji’s arm as the two of them walked down an aisle in a church, both dressed in identical wedding gowns. The pews on either side were filled with people, and a smiling priest waited for them at the end of the red carpet. It must have been a wedding ceremony, with Tang Yan and Aunt Ji as the brides.

Tang Yan smiled radiantly and held Aunt Ji’s hand tightly, fingers interlaced. Under everyone’s gaze, she even kissed her. The quickening of her heartbeat felt incredibly vivid in the dream, and when she woke up, the sensation of those soft, sweet lips seemed to linger at the corner of her mouth.

She raised her hand, rubbing her eyes, and realized she did not want the dream to end. If only it had been real.

Sitting up, she saw that Aunt Ji was still asleep. The nurse must have come by that morning to hang a fresh IV bag. Wanting Aunt Ji to rest longer, Tang Yan washed her face and left the room as quietly as possible.

The hospital’s inpatient unit offered breakfast, so Tang Yan followed directions to the cafeteria. There was quite a line, mostly family members of patients. While waiting, she received a text from Xia Zihan, who sent a photo from that morning’s class and teased Tang Yan for not having to get up early.

Tang Yan replied that it was not like that at all. She took a snapshot of the line and sent it back, explaining that she was waiting for breakfast at the hospital.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Sister Pei Wen, Aunt Ji’s assistant, calling to say she was already on her way to the hospital and that the injury assessment report had come out. She wanted to discuss what to do next.

Tang Yan did not say much or share any specific opinions. She simply told Pei Wen that Aunt Ji was doing fine and that she should not worry. When the call ended, Tang Yan sank into thought.

She had still not mentioned to Aunt Ji that her uncle had called the previous night. She felt afraid. On one side was her uncle, who had helped her several times over the years, and on the other side was her aunt by marriage, an aggressive and domineering woman. Tang Yan had no idea what might happen once they arrived in Huadu, or what sort of disaster might follow.

Tang Yan knew firsthand how her aunt had once cursed someone out in public like a shrew in order to avenge her cousin. Nobody had dared provoke her. She never cared about right or wrong; she cared only about her son. Tang Yan honestly did not like that woman and worried she might harm Aunt Ji—even if only verbally. Tang Yan would not have been able to tolerate that.

By the time Tang Yan returned with breakfast, Sister Pei Wen had already arrived and Aunt Ji was awake. They stopped chatting the moment Tang Yan walked in.

“I was wondering where you went when I woke up,” Aunt Ji said with a smile. “Why did you not sleep a bit longer?”

Tang Yan raised the breakfast tray in her hands. “The nurse said to go early if we wanted fresh, hot food.”

Pei Wen looked on and laughed. “She is such a thoughtful girl. They say a daughter is a warm little jacket for her parents—seems true enough.”

“Yes, it does,” Aunt Ji agreed.

Tang Yan wrinkled her nose. The remark somehow made her feel a little awkward.

She adjusted the head of the bed and set out the breakfast. The dishes looked light and simple, ideal for someone in recovery.

After a couple of bites, Aunt Ji noticed the two of them standing around and asked, “Yanyan, you have not eaten yet, have you? Come and join me.”

“No, that is all right. I am not hungry.” Tang Yan waved both hands in refusal.

Just then, an arm draped over Tang Yan’s shoulder, and a voice said into her ear, “Why not let me take you to the cafe downstairs? I rushed out this morning and did not eat either.”

“But I…” Tang Yan started, searching for an excuse.

Aunt Ji, spooning up more porridge, said, “I will be fine on my own. Go on with Pei Wen.”

And so, Pei Wen whisked Tang Yan away, leaving Aunt Ji alone in the room.

She could still manage small movements, such as using her less-injured arm to hold the spoon. Anything bigger, however, was difficult. She did not want to depend on anyone else for something as basic as eating, so although she still had an IV for nutrients the previous day, she was determined to feed herself now. After all, everyone had a sense of pride, and so did she. If she could still move at all, she did not want to trouble anybody.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Tang Yan glanced back nervously. “I just feel bad leaving her alone.”

Pei Wen turned to her with a reassuring smile. “Do not worry. She will be fine. Believe me, if we stayed there, she would only feel more uncomfortable. I have known Sister Yuqing for years, so I understand her well.”

“Really…” Tang Yan felt half-convinced.

Pei Wen continued as they walked, crossing her arms. “I first met her six years ago, right after I graduated. At that time, Sister Yuqing was already an executive at the company, and she happened to be in charge of my interview. My first impression of her was that she was strict but also considerate, an independent, capable woman overflowing with charm.”

“And then?” Tang Yan asked eagerly, wanting to learn more.

“A year later, I switched departments and became her assistant, so we spent nearly all our time together out on business calls. She was a powerhouse, and everyone in the team admired her—myself included. With her around, there were no deals or contracts we could not close. Even the company president often praised her.”

Tang Yan nodded her agreement. “I thought Aunt Ji was amazing too.”

“She was not just amazing. Her personal charisma—her femininity—had many people under her spell. You have no idea how many single men at the company tried to pursue her over the years—some even more than ten years younger than she was. Nowadays, people would call them ‘little fresh meat’ or something like that.”

“Did Aunt Ji accept any of them?” Tang Yan asked anxiously.

“Of course not.” Pei Wen glanced at her. “To be honest, for some reason, a woman as nearly flawless as she was never seemed to have much interest in romance or desire. Nobody could figure her out.”

Hearing that, Tang Yan quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a secret little surge of joy.

As they stepped out of the elevator, still talking, Pei Wen kept one hand on Tang Yan’s shoulder and smiled. “But I will admit I was taken aback when one day she suddenly told me a young girl was coming to Huadu for school and would be staying at her place.”

Tang Yan blushed slightly. “That girl was me, right?”

“Indeed. And you have to understand, in all the years I have known her, nobody else ever stayed at her home—apart from her mother, who went to a nursing facility a few years back.”

They reached a small breakfast shop, and Pei Wen asked Tang Yan what she wanted to eat. Glancing at the menu, Tang Yan said, “Anything quick. I want to get back soon. I am still worried about leaving Aunt Ji alone.”

“All right, we will keep it simple.” Pei Wen shut the menu and ordered beef noodles for both of them.

Tang Yan ate quickly, obviously in a hurry. Pei Wen reminded her, “Take it easy. You do not want to choke.”

“It is fine. Back at school, when I had early classes, I always ate like this,” Tang Yan answered with a smile.

After setting down her chopsticks, Pei Wen took a napkin from the table and handed another to Tang Yan. Then, peering up, she asked without warning, “Say, do you… have feelings for Sister Yuqing?”

Tang Yan, who had been swallowing her noodles, burst into a violent coughing fit at the unexpected question.