Running Towards You - Chapter 10

“Are you free now? Come to the hospital and take this box of apples back,” Ji Yin called Yanzi.

“What for? Aren’t you going to eat them?”

“I’m a country bumpkin through and through, can’t stomach refined grains. Don’t waste money; this box must’ve cost a fortune,” Ji Yin said.

“But the round trip gas would cost me a lot too.” Yanzi struck her weak spot with a single blow.

Ji Yin fell silent.

The next moment, she said, “Forget it then. I’ll keep the apples here. Don’t bother coming anymore, gas is too expensive.”

Yanzi: “…”

I give up! I really give up!!!

The next day, risking a beating, Yanzi rushed to the hospital and stormed in, yelling, “Are you out of your mind?”

“If you already know, why ask? How’d you get here?” Ji Yin asked.

“By bus! It only cost two bucks!” Yanzi roared.

“Alright, alright, stop shouting. You’re scaring my friends, their morning grumpiness is about to vanish.” Ji Yin pointed at her roommates.

Yanzi stomped to her bedside, too annoyed to speak. She glanced at the apples on the nightstand, picked up the lone one, placed it on the box, and hoisted it up to leave.

“Wait.”

“What now, my dear lady?”

“Leave that one for me.”

Yanzi looked down, baffled. “Didn’t you ask me to take them away?!”

“That one’s not from the box. Dr. Lu gave it to me,” Ji Yin said.

Yanzi was speechless. Is that proud look on your face for real?

“Why did Dr. Lu give you an apple?” She set the box down and shoved the lone apple into Ji Yin’s hand, rubbing her own arm.

“Last time, I gave her a discount, so she gave me this.” Ji Yin tossed the apple smugly.

“You didn’t just give her a discount, you threw in vouchers too. Basically, you paid her. And now you’re satisfied with one apple?” Yanzi said, amazed.

“What nonsense. Dr. Lu is such a good person. What’s wrong with giving her a few vouchers? She’ll still spend them at our supermarket anyway,” Ji Yin retorted, shooting her a glare.

“I’m not saying she’s not worth it. I’m just surprised that a penny-pincher like you would make such an uneven deal.”

“Business is business, favors are favors. What does Dr. Lu have to do with business?”

“Oh, fair enough.” Yanzi rummaged through the box, picked an apple, washed it, and crunched into it. After finishing, she noticed Ji Yin still hadn’t touched hers and reached out. “Want me to wash it for you?”

Ji Yin tucked the apple away. “Just take one from the box.”

“Wow, look how precious you are with it.” After washing one, Yanzi came out to find Ji Yin had placed the apple on the nightstand, deliberately clearing the space around it, looking as reverent as if offering it to Buddha.

“Should I light three sticks of incense too?” Yanzi asked.

Ji Yin glared at her.

Yanzi sat down beside her. “It’s just an apple. Why the fuss? It’s not like you’ve never gotten nice things before.”

“This one’s different.”

“How?”

Ji Yin pondered but couldn’t put it into words.

Too little ink in her belly, she didn’t know how to describe the feeling.

“You bring me things because we’re close. Others give me gifts because of business dealings. But Dr. Lu gave me an apple just an apple.”

A single apple, nothing expensive. It was as if she was eating one herself and suddenly thought of giving it to someone, so she did.

“Exactly! Not a pound or a whole box just one,” Yanzi emphasized. “What profound lesson did you learn from this one apple? Newton’s law of universal gravitation?”

“Ugh, are you showing off your knowledge again?”

“…”

“Never mind, I’m done talking to you.”

Ji Yin couldn’t make her understand. After all, that feeling was hard to put into words. Simply put, she was happy, delighted, as if she had received something plain yet genuinely equal for the first time.

“Oh, by the way, that guy Xu came to the shop again, asking to take you out to dinner,” Yanzi said.

“Tell him to drop dead.”

Yanzi laughed. “Hasn’t he been chasing you for years now?”

“Only because he’s after my wallet. Tell him to get lost, my money isn’t up for grabs.” Ji Yin huffed. “You didn’t tell him I’m hospitalized now, did you?”

“Of course not. We all said you were away on a business trip.”

It was about time, so Yanzi got up to leave. “The supermarket’s going to be really busy the next few days, so I might not be able to visit. Dong Xiang will come instead.”

“You don’t need to come every day anyway. Just have a box of cherries delivered to me tomorrow.”

“I thought you hated those because they’re expensive?”

“I’m giving them to someone.”

“Dr. Lu again?”

“Yeah, I don’t even know what she actually likes to eat.” Ji Yin pondered, then worried it might cause misunderstandings, so she added, “Just put her name as the recipient.”

“But I don’t have her phone number.”

“I’ll text it to you later.” Ji Yin remembered Lu Jiahe’s number was listed on her WeChat profile.

To be absolutely sure, she dialed the number that night.

“Hello?” Lu Jiahe had just finished dinner at her parents’ place and returned home when she received a call from an unknown number.

“Dr. Lu?”

“Who is this?”

“It’s me, Ji Yin!”

“Oh, it’s you. What’s up?”

“Nothing, just wanted to confirm if this is really your number.”

“Why do you need to confirm that?”

“To make it easier to contact you.”

“Why would you need to contact me? Are you up to no good again?”

“Wow, is that how you see me? As someone who’s always causing trouble?”

“No.”

Ji Yin was about to smile when Lu Jiahe added, “Not always just every other day.”

“…”

“Anything else? If not, I’m hanging up. I need to shower.”

“Let’s do it together!”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I’m about to shower too. Let’s shower at the same time, I’ve already got one foot in the bathroom. What about you?”

“I just got home.”

“Well, I’m ahead of you, but I take my time undressing. Let’s try to get under the water together.”

“That really isn’t necessary,” Lu Jiahe said, amused.

“I’m starting to undress now. What about you? How far along are you?”

Lu Jiahe suddenly felt like she was in some kind of phone flirtation. Hearing rustling sounds on the other end, she didn’t know how to respond and took a tactical sip of water.

Ji Yin suddenly yelped.

“Did you fall?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“I think I’ve gained weight. There’s fat starting to show on my stomach. Staying in the hospital really makes it too easy to put on pounds. Dr. Lu, have you taken your clothes off yet? When are you starting your shower? I’m feeling a bit cold.”

“Hurry up and shower. I won’t be ready for a while.”

“What else do you need to do? I’ve already taken my pants off, and you’re telling me to wait?”

“…”

The conversation was getting worse by the minute.