Heart Flutter

Chapter 89

During the final days of winter break, Tang Yan barely left home. On one hand, she was busy catching up on assignments she had fallen behind on. On the other, she wanted to get a head start on next semester’s coursework, studying alone with her laptop and following lessons she found online.

Aunt Ji hadn’t gone to work either. She spent most of her time in the study, facing her computer. Tang Yan didn’t dare ask what she was working on—and didn’t plan to. If Aunt Ji hadn’t mentioned it, then it probably wasn’t something Tang Yan needed to know.

Some evenings, after dinner, the two of them would take walks along the green path beside the lake in their neighborhood. When they passed a certain spot, Aunt Ji would still joke and laugh with her, saying that it was right there where Tang Yawen had once knocked her flat. It was as if she were talking about someone else’s life, not her own.

Tang Yan had kept in touch with Xiaoyun during the break, but the latter was either at work and couldn’t talk or already asleep from exhaustion. Still, Tang Yan had the sense that something was off with her—something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. That strange vibe persisted right up until the night before Tang Yan was due to return to school.

That evening, Xiaoyun called her and asked to meet.

Over the phone, Xiaoyun sounded hesitant, evasive. “Anyway… let’s just talk in person when you get here, okay?”

“Sure, okay.” After hanging up, Tang Yan immediately went to tell Aunt Ji.

Upon hearing about it, Ji Yuqing offered to drive her there. Tang Yan didn’t object and nodded in agreement.

As for the drinking incident, Ji Yuqing never brought it up again. Tang Yan had earned her complete trust.

They arranged to meet at a lively food stall in University Town, full of the scent and sound of street food. From across the street, you could see the owner dramatically tossing ingredients in a flaming wok.

As she unbuckled her seatbelt, Tang Yan asked, “Aunt Ji, why don’t you come with me? You’re already here, after all.”

Ji Yuqing smiled. “I’ll pass. It’s a dinner among your peers. Call me when you’re done, and I’ll come pick you up.”

“Okay!” Tang Yan got out of the car reluctantly and reminded her, “Drive safe on your way back.”

“I will.” Ji Yuqing gave a soft smile, rolled up the window, and drove off.

Tang Yan looked both ways before crossing the street. Xiaoyun was already seated inside and waved her over. Tang Yan hurried over and sat down across from her.

“You said you had something to tell me on the phone. What is it?” she asked.

Looking a bit bashful, Xiaoyun slid the menu over. “Why don’t you order first? There’s someone else coming. I’ll tell you everything once they’re here.”

Tang Yan pouted but lowered her head to look through the menu. She couldn’t help but guess—was Xiaoyun in a relationship? Maybe she wanted to introduce her partner?

While she was placing the order and the waiter stood beside her, Xiaoyun suddenly blurted, “She’s here!”

Instinctively, Tang Yan looked up—and her head went blank. Senior Shen? What was she doing here? Could it really be what she was thinking?

“Hey, Tang Yan! You got here early.” Shen Yuyin waved at her cheerfully.

Tang Yan forced a smile and turned to Xiaoyun. “Don’t tell me the person you meant… is Senior Shen?”

Scratching her head awkwardly, Xiaoyun smiled. “Yeah, who else did you think it was?”

Tang Yan let out an embarrassed laugh. “I thought you were introducing me to a boyfriend or something. Hahahaha…”

It was a moment best smoothed over with awkward laughter.

But halfway through laughing, Shen Yuyin interrupted, “You guessed right. I am introducing someone—us.” She squinted playfully. “We’re together.”

Tang Yan immediately choked on her own breath. That bombshell completely fried her brain. Sure, she’d long suspected that Shen Yuyin might like women, but she’d always assumed Xiaoyun was straight. And how on earth had they ended up together?

Xiaoyun’s face turned beet red, clearly flustered that Shen Yuyin had spilled the news so quickly. But Shen Yuyin seemed unfazed and declared proudly, “What’s there to hide? We’re not ashamed of anything.”

Tang Yan pulled a tight smile, her mind still struggling to catch up. “So… when did this happen?”

“It’s a long story,” Xiaoyun said, sneaking a glance at Shen Yuyin.

“Yeah, not something you can explain in just a few words,” Shen added.

Looking slightly embarrassed, Xiaoyun said, “Yanyan, I know this might be hard for you to accept at first… Honestly, before this, I always thought I liked guys too. I never imagined I’d fall like this. The whole thing happened so fast, I barely understood it myself.”

“No, no!” Tang Yan quickly responded. “I can accept it. Actually, I also…”

“You also what?” Xiaoyun asked curiously.

Tang Yan quickly shook her head with a laugh. “No, nothing.” She didn’t have the courage to admit she also liked girls—especially not that she had feelings for Aunt Ji. She was afraid they’d keep asking until she blurted it out, and then they’d think she was twisted for crushing on her guardian.

To hide her awkwardness, she picked up her teacup. “Anyway, I’ll use tea in place of wine today—to congratulate you both.”

“Thank you, Yanyan…” Xiaoyun looked genuinely touched. She hadn’t expected Tang Yan to be so open-minded. She had feared rejection or even disgust.

Shen Yuyin smiled at her. “See? I told you Tang Yan would understand.”

Tang Yan’s body tensed slightly. Shen Yuyin glanced at her with a knowing look, as if she saw right through her. Tang Yan kept sipping tea to hide her nerves, barely touching the barbecue they ordered.

That dinner turned into a full-on lovefest. Tang Yan was force-fed more than enough sweet couple moments to fill her appetite.

Shen Yuyin said that the thing that brought her and Xiaoyun together was alcohol. Alcohol could break people apart—but it could also bring them together by accident.

Tang Yan envied how quickly and passionately their love had bloomed. Her own journey seemed so much longer, and the road ahead, uncertain.

But then again, wild passion had its thrill, and slow-burning love had its own kind of romance.

“Why are you eating so little, Tang Yan?” Xiaoyun asked.

Tang Yan waved it off with a grin. “Your PDA already filled me up.”

“You better work harder too!” Shen Yuyin called out meaningfully as Tang Yan was leaving.

Xiaoyun tilted her head. “What does that mean?”

Shen Yuyin puckered her lips mysteriously. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

“That was quick,” Ji Yuqing said when she arrived to pick her up.

Tang Yan fastened her seatbelt. “They were going to watch a movie later, but I didn’t join them.”

“They?” Ji Yuqing asked. “So someone else was there besides Xiaoyun?”

Tang Yan nodded, hesitating on whether to share what happened. Maybe she could use this chance to gauge Aunt Ji’s views—so she could prepare herself.

Seeing her frown, Ji Yuqing asked, “Something on your mind?”

Tang Yan nodded and finally blurted it out. “Xiaoyun and Senior Shen… they’re together.”

Ji Yuqing was silent for a while. Tang Yan guessed she must be just as shocked—or maybe, she thought same-sex relationships were disgusting. That was what Tang Yan feared the most.

“Together as in… the way I think you mean?” Ji Yuqing asked.

“Mm-hmm.” Tang Yan’s heart raced as she nodded.

“Well, that is surprising.”

That’s it?

Tang Yan couldn’t help but ask, “Aunt Ji… what do you think about it?”

Ji Yuqing chuckled lightly. “Love is free in this society. Whether you like men or women—it’s not something others can decide for you. What surprises me is that those two ended up together. They seemed like people from two different worlds, like parallel lines that were never meant to meet.”

Relief washed over Tang Yan. A heavy weight lifted from her chest. She smiled. “Yeah, I was surprised too. Maybe it’s fate. Some things just can’t be avoided.”

“Enough about them—what about you?” Ji Yuqing asked. “School starts tomorrow. Any plans?”

“I hope I can do even better this semester… and maybe get my driver’s license before sophomore year.”

“Good. I support you.”

From her fear of riding in cars and driving six months ago, to now wanting to learn herself, Tang Yan had truly grown. Under Ji Yuqing’s guidance, she had adopted a mindset of being prepared for everything.

The next day, she packed up her things and, like thousands of other students, joined the sea of traffic heading back to school in Huadu.

The last time traffic was this bad was at the start of freshman year.

Private cars packed the campus roads bumper to bumper, leaving barely an inch between them. Tang Yan was amazed at how skillfully everyone navigated such tight spaces. Aunt Ji simply said that once you drive enough, you get the hang of it.

Still, for some reason… that line felt oddly suggestive.

Back in the dorm, the most talked-about topics were winter break and final grades. The results had already been posted before the holidays, and could be checked online. When Tang Yan shared her grades, her entire dorm went silent with shock.

Xia Zihan patted her shoulder solemnly. “Girl, that scholarship is as good as yours.”

The other two chimed in, “You owe us dinner! And karaoke too!”

Tang Yan felt flustered by the praise. She scratched her head modestly. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

“With grades like that, if you don’t get the scholarship, there’s definitely something shady going on!” Xia Zihan said offhandedly.

Nobody expected those words to become reality.

That day, everyone showed up to class on time—no absences. With the counselor present, skipping would’ve taken real guts.

As usual, the class monitor took attendance and handed the roster to the counselor. Mr. Chen checked his watch and stepped to the center of the platform, polite and composed.

Though it wasn’t the first time they’d seen him this semester, it was the first homeroom session. He greeted the class, reviewed last semester’s progress, and then got to the main point—announcing the scholarship recipients.

Only two students from their class received awards.

Before the names were read, everyone had been whispering, and Tang Yan overheard her own name mentioned often. Everyone thought she was a shoo-in.

But when the results were announced, her name wasn’t on the list. Even the second awardee looked completely stunned, like they’d won the lottery.

“I know some of you may feel surprised,” the counselor said. “The class monitor will now pass around last semester’s grade sheet for everyone to review.”

Xia Zihan nudged a stunned Tang Yan. “What’s going on? How did you not get it?”

But how could Tang Yan possibly know?

When the grade sheet reached them, Xia Zihan took one look and gasped as she passed it to Tang Yan. “What the hell—this is insane. They deducted that much?”

Tang Yan stared at it. She had scored the highest in every subject—but the counselor’s comprehensive evaluation had significantly lowered her overall score.

Just like that, the scholarship slipped through her fingers.