Running Towards You - Chapter 13

The elevator doors opened, and the two finally managed to squeeze their way out.

The earlier conversation had been abruptly cut off, but that didn’t stop Ji Yin from feeling pleased.

Dr. Lu had definitely just complimented her on her looks!

“You can go in by yourself,” Lu Jiahe said, stopping short of escorting her all the way to the ward.

“Okay, thank you, Dr. Lu.”

Lu Jiahe watched as she entered the room before turning to leave.

Her phone vibrated, Li Chenyao had sent her a message saying she was in the emergency room.

Tucking her phone away, she hurried over and spotted Li Chenyao as soon as she walked in.

“What happened?” Lu Jiahe scanned her friend’s body for injuries.

“Not me one of my students suddenly fainted,” Li Chenyao said, gesturing toward the student lying on the bed receiving an IV drip. Then she pulled Lu Jiahe aside to talk. “Her family will be here soon. Do you have anything else going on right now?”

“Nothing urgent. I’ll wait for you so we can head back together.”

“Bestie!”

“What’s the student’s condition? Is it serious?”

“Anemia caused by malnutrition. Her family’s struggling financially, and she’s been pushing herself too hard with studying, only eating one meal a day, spending every spare minute on practice problems. Ended up wrecking her health.” Li Chenyao sighed.

Lu Jiahe could only sigh along with her, glancing at the pale-faced student.

“Does she remind you of anyone?”

“Who?” Lu Jiahe asked, puzzled.

“Cheng Jingwen,” Li Chenyao said. “Every time I see this student, I think of Cheng Jingwen from back then, the scholarship student from your class who came from a poor family.”

Lu Jiahe fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, “I think I might’ve seen an old acquaintance at the hospital earlier.”

“Who?”

“Cheng Jingwen.”

“Seriously? I thought she was working in Shanghai?” Li Chenyao asked, incredulous.

“Which is why I might’ve just been mistaken,” Lu Jiahe said.

“Not necessarily. What if she suddenly decided to come back to chase after you?”

“You really think that’s possible? It’s been so long since we last talked, we might not even recognize each other if we met again.”

“You two were so close back then. Why did you stop contacting her?”

“She deleted me.”

“Why?”

“No idea. Maybe, her pride was hurt?”

Before long, the student’s family arrived.

After giving them some instructions, Li Chenyao left with Lu Jiahe. As she drove, she mentioned that final exams were starting the next day.

Listening, Lu Jiahe pulled out her phone, someone had sent her a message.

[Ji Yin]: Dr. Lu, when are you free? Let me treat you to a meal!

[Lu Jiahe]: Did you forget you’re being discharged tomorrow?

[Ji Yin]: Can’t I treat you to a meal after being discharged? I can’t let you put in all this effort and expense without giving back it doesn’t sit right with me!

[Lu Jiahe]: Then just get some sleep early and leave the hospital safely tomorrow. Consider that your repayment, okay?

[Ji Yin]: Dr. Lu, don’t you want to have a meal with me? [sad face]

[Lu Jiahe]: That’s not it. After you’re discharged, we can have a meal together when we’re both free.

[Ji Yin]: Yay!

[Lu Jiahe]: After discharge, don’t engage in any strenuous activities right away. Take better care of yourself.

[Ji Yin]: Got it, got it!

The next morning, Yanzi arrived at the hospital early to handle her discharge procedures, carrying a bouquet of flowers.

“Wasting money on something so unnecessary, how much did this cost?” Ji Yin asked.

“No matter how much it costs, the sense of ceremony is what matters most. If you don’t want these flowers, I can just pass them on to Xiangzi, he’d probably be moved to tears,” Yanzi said.

“Then give them to him. Consider it my contribution to your ridiculous love story.”

Yanzi snorted a couple of times, took her out for a meal, and then drove her straight back to the supermarket.

“Aren’t you going home first?” Yanzi asked.

“Haven’t been to the store in a while. I’ll feel better after sitting there for a bit.” Ji Yin stretched in the passenger seat. “Where’s my car?”

Yanzi was driving her car, though Ji Yin rarely used it, she preferred riding her motorcycle, so Yanzi usually ended up behind the wheel.

Yanzi knew she was asking about the bike and replied, “It’s already fixed. The shop owner called me last night, but I was busy and haven’t picked it up yet.”

Ji Yin spent some time inspecting the supermarket, then held a meeting with the manager and a few supervisors that lasted over an hour.

Outside, the sky was growing dark.

After taking a sip of coffee, Ji Yin set off to retrieve her bike.

“You’re here,” the shop owner greeted her. A man in his thirties, he repaired motorcycles by day and played rock music by night.

They’d known each other for a while, Ji Yin had bought her bike here. The owner, impressed by her vibe, had once casually invited her to join his band.

Ji Yin had refused on the spot: “I’ve got no skills, no education. the most I could do is rap.”

The owner had laughed so hard they ended up becoming friends.

“Did a full service for you and adjusted the brakes. Wanna test it?”

Ji Yin walked over to her bike, carefully inspecting the body and parts before gripping the brakes. “Hmm, not bad. Twenty percent off.”

“No warm-up, just straight to haggling? And since when is that how you bargain?”

“Pretty please, twenty percent off,” Ji Yin said flatly.

“…”The owner thought for a moment. “Our band’s playing at a bar the day after tomorrow. You coming?”

“Nope.”

“Come on, it’s our first gig there. We need to draw a crowd. I’ll cover your drinks if you show up.”

“Deal. Send me the address. Later.” After transferring the payment, Ji Yin put on her helmet, revved the engine, and left the owner in a cloud of exhaust.

Rush hour traffic was heavy, slowing things down.

Ji Yin hadn’t felt this free in a long time, though she didn’t dare speed too much, the memory of her last crash still lingered.

At a red light, she stopped in the front, one foot planted on the ground as she glanced up at the countdown.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the window of a white car beside her rolling down.

“Cool bike,” the driver said with a smile.

Ji Yin: “…”

It happened all the time, people complimenting or trying to chat her up while she was riding. But this time.

Seeing her lack of response, the driver added politely, “No ill intent, just admiring your ride.”

Ji Yin hesitated for a few seconds, watching the numbers on the traffic light dwindle before suddenly turning to ask, “Want to grab dinner together?”

“Huh?” The driver blinked, pointing at himself. “You mean me?”

Ji Yin nodded, then lifted her visor. “Dr. Lu, it’s me.”

Lu Jiahe: “…”

Behind them, impatient honking erupted, the light had turned green, and the car behind was urging them to move.

“I’ll wait for you at the next intersection.”

Before Lu Jiahe could even respond, she saw Ji Yin fasten her visor and ride ahead, leading the way.

Left with no choice, Lu Jiahe followed, slowing to a stop beside her only after seeing her pull over.

Ji Yin parked, removed her helmet, shook out her hair, and tucked the helmet under her arm before striding toward her.

The sky had darkened, and she failed to notice the low step in front of her. Her confident stride faltered abruptly, and her hands landed squarely on Lu Jiahe’s bike.

They locked eyes for a moment before Ji Yin gave an awkward chuckle. “What a coincidence! This time, I have to treat you to a meal!”

Lu Jiahe glanced at her, dismounted, and walked over. Leaning in slightly, she asked, “Did you hurt your knee just now?”

“It’s nothing, really. We women are meant to endure pain, after all,” Ji Yin declared with an air of righteousness.

“…”

Lu Jiahe sighed. “Impressive how quickly you found a way to laugh off your own bad joke.”