Running Towards You - Chapter 14

“Sis, when are you coming back for dinner?” Yanzi asked over the phone.

“I’m eating out with Dr. Lu. Don’t wait for me.”

“What? Which Dr. Lu? It couldn’t be”

Beep.

Ji Yin hung up directly and looked up at Dr. Lu, who was washing his hands across from her.

Just then, Dr. Lu handed her some hand sanitizer. She instinctively held out her palm, took a bit, and happily rubbed her hands together. “I never expected such a coincidence, running into you on my very first day out of the hospital!”

“Meeting your doctor on your first day out of the hospital doesn’t exactly sound like good luck,” Lu Jiahe said with a laugh.

“Of course it is! I thought I’d never see you again, which was kind of a shame. I was even thinking that if my bones ever act up again, I’d book an appointment with you,” Ji Yin replied.

“That’s not something you should hope for. You’re supposed to come back for a check-up in two weeks anyway,” Lu Jiahe said, raising an eyebrow slightly before smiling again. “But you’re already back on your bike the day you’re discharged? Tired of living?”

Ji Yin: “…”

“It snowed the past couple of days, and the roads are slippery with patches of ice. It’s easy to have an accident. You really do forget the pain once the wound heals,” Lu Jiahe remarked.

Ji Yin chuckled sheepishly. “I was just picking up my bike, and I rode really slowly. Don’t worry, I won’t ride tomorrow. Seriously.”

Lu Jiahe nodded, deciding not to press further. She was already discharged, if she wanted to court disaster, it was no longer his concern as her doctor.

The restaurant was efficient, and their food arrived quickly.

“Dr. Lu, what do you usually do on weekends?” Ji Yin asked, grasping for conversation.

“Sleep, relax. What about you?”

“Work overtime.”

“Your industry must be pretty busy on weekends, huh?”

“Yeah.”

It was practically nonstop all year round.

Partly because the workload was heavy, and partly because Ji Yin simply couldn’t stand being idle.

Time was money. The moment she had nothing to do, she felt like the passing hours were thieves, stealing her hard-earned cash!

No one, not even time was allowed to take her money!

So even if she had nothing to do, she’d sit in the office, if only to serve as a decorative prop.

“Is your job exhausting?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.”

Which was a completely useless answer.

Ji Yin mentally kicked herself. Her lack of education was showing, she might as well have said nothing!

“Well, make sure to balance work and rest,” Lu Jiahe said.

Ji Yin’s eyes lit up. Dr. Lu wasn’t laughing at her, he’d even given her advice!

“Got it. You too.”

Just then, the motorcycle shop owner sent her the address of the bar. She skimmed it quickly and suddenly asked, “Dr. Lu, do you want to check out a bar this weekend?”

“A bar?”

“Yeah, just asking. A friend’s band is performing there and asked me to come support. Want to join the crowd?” Ji Yin inquired.

Lu Jiahe didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he asked, “Which bar?”

Ji Yin had already forgotten the name and checked her phone again. “Wangfan Bar. Never heard of it no idea if it’s any good.”

Lu Jiahe: “…”

It was definitely “good” because it was a lesbian bar.

“You want to go?” Ji Yin asked again.

Lu Jiahe fell into an odd silence for a few seconds before countering, “You’ve never been there before?”

“I’ve been to bars, but not this one. I don’t know what it’s like inside. If you’re worried, you don’t have to go,” Ji Yin said.

“…” I’m more worried about you.

Seeing her hesitation, Ji Yin assumed she was too polite to refuse outright and changed the subject: “How’s the food here? Does it suit your taste?”

“Yeah, it’s really good.” Lu Jiahe even took a photo and sent it to her mom, smiling. “My mom said now she knows why I don’t want to come home for meals.”

“Did you just send that to your mom?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“That’s really nice.”

“What’s so nice about it? You could send pictures to your mom too.”

“My mom passed away.”

Lu Jiahe’s smile faded slightly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know ”

“Why apologize? It’s not like you caused it.” Ji Yin chuckled, her laughter tinged with an indescribable sense of resignation. “It was breast cancer. By the time they found it, it was already terminal. We couldn’t afford treatment, so we just… watched her go.”

Lu Jiahe was quiet for a moment before refilling Ji Yin’s cup with hot tea. “Have some tea. It’ll warm you up.”

“Mm.” Ji Yin took a few sips, savoring the taste. “Mellow and smooth, with a subtle floral note. This is Da Hong Pao, right?”

“You can tell?” Lu Jiahe took a sip but couldn’t distinguish the flavor at all.

“When you drink with certain people often enough, you pick up a thing or two. Some elders love to lecture about tea.” Ji Yin grinned.

“That’s true. My dad’s always going on about it too,” Lu Jiahe said.

After the meal, Lu Jiahe got into her car and waved through the window. “Be careful on your bike. Stay safe.”

“Got it. Let’s eat together again sometime, Dr. Lu.” Ji Yin flashed her a smile, put on her helmet, started the engine, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

They headed home in opposite directions.

On Sunday evening, Lu Jiahe was working on her thesis in her room when she heard a knock. “Come in.”

“Zaozao, we’re heading to the supermarket. Want to join us?” Liu Jia asked.

“Sure.” Lu Jiahe closed her laptop and left with her parents.

The older couple was about to go on an overseas vacation and wanted to pick up some travel essentials.

“Let’s go to Yanhua again,” Liu Jia said as soon as they got in the car.

Ever since they got a membership card at Yanhua Supermarket, the family had pretty much stuck to shopping there. The prices were a bit higher, but the quality was better, the environment was nicer, and it was close to home.

“I’ve made a list. See if we’ve missed anything.” Liu Jia handed the list to Professor Lu, and the two began discussing what they needed.

Lu Jiahe parked the car and walked into the supermarket arm-in-arm with her mother. Professor Lu pushed the cart beside them, checking items off the list one by one. “Zaozao, see if there’s anything else you need.”

“Everything’s stocked at home. I don’t need anything,” Lu Jiahe said.

“Fair enough. If you do, you can always come here to get it. I just wonder if Yanhua closes for the New Year.” As Liu Jia spoke, she noticed a staff member crouching by a shelf ahead and approached her. “Excuse me, will you be closed during the New Year holidays?”

“We’re open on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the year,” the staff member replied cheerfully, standing up. But when she caught sight of Lu Jiahe, she paused, surprised. “Dr. Lu!?”

“Do you know each other?” Liu Jia turned her head to look at Lu Jiahe.

Lu Jiahe nodded. “The sister of one of my patients. She works here.”

Liu Jia immediately caught on and asked in a low voice, “Is she the family member who gave you a discount last time?”

Lu Jiahe nodded again.

“So it’s you! Thank you, kiddo.” Liu Jia beamed at Yanzi.

“K-Kiddo?” Yanzi touched her face, flattered and surprised, and laughed. “I’m already in my twenties.”

“You’re still young,” Liu Jia said with a smile.

Yanzi was overjoyed and escorted them all the way to the member checkout lane. “Let me handle the payment for you.”

“Such an enthusiastic kid,” Liu Jia remarked with emotion.

Lu Jiahe watched as Yanzi worked swiftly and cleverly. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Yanzi’s name tag, which read “Liang Yan.”

“Your surname is Liang?” Lu Jiahe was taken aback.

“Yeah, I’m Liang Yan,” Yanzi replied without looking up, her hands never pausing.

“You and Ji Yin don’t share the same surname?”

“No, we’re from a blended family,” Yanzi said.

“I see, So she stayed with her mom?”

“No, she stayed with her dad. Her mom left her when she was six or seven.”

Lu Jiahe was shocked. “Didn’t her mom pass away from breast cancer?”

Liang Yan suddenly looked up, incredulous. After a long pause, she laughed. “Looks like Dr. Lu is pretty close to her if she told you that. It was my mom who had breast cancer. We couldn’t afford treatment, so she dropped out in her third year of middle school to work and earn money for the medical bills… That’ll be 438, with a 5% member discount.”

Snapping back to reality, Lu Jiahe pulled up her member code and glanced around. “Why haven’t I seen Ji Yin?”

“She went to a bar. Said she promised a friend,” Yanzi replied.

Tsk.

Lu Jiahe suddenly remembered, there was such a thing.

After dropping her parents off at home, she sat on the sofa, feeling uneasy, and sent Ji Yin a message.

[Lu Jiahe]: Where are you?
[Ji Yin]: Just got to the bar, the one I mentioned last time. Dr. Lu, wanna come? My friend’s covering all the drinks!
[Ji Yin]: There are so many girls here, and they’re all super friendly!

Lu Jiahe put down her phone and took a sip of water. “Mom, don’t make dinner for me tonight.”

Liu Jia came out of the kitchen and saw her putting on her jacket. “Where are you going?”

“To rescue the Tang Monk from the Spider Spirits’ lair.”