Running Towards You - Chapter 21.2

“An intellectual family!” Ji Yin’s admiration for her rose another level, her eyes brimming with envy. “No wonder they raised someone as outstanding as you. But how did you end up becoming a doctor? Was it because of some noble sense of mission?”

“Because it’s a stable job with good pay and no risk of midlife unemployment,” Lu Jiahe replied.

Ji Yin blinked, then laughed. “That’s such a down-to-earth reason?”

“That’s just life. Before hardship inspires any sense of mission, all I considered was how to secure a reliable, steady income,” Lu Jiahe said.

“Then why did you choose orthopedics? Isn’t that field especially exhausting?”

“Because I was young and hot-headed, I made a bet with a classmate.” Lu Jiahe chuckled. “He said women couldn’t handle orthopedics, that advisors wouldn’t pick female students, and even if they got jobs, they wouldn’t last long. The field requires a lot of physical strength, some surgeries take over ten hours. Factors like menstruation could affect both the surgery and their own health. But I refused to accept that. I had to prove to him that women could excel as orthopedic surgeons too.”

Ji Yin gave a sincere thumbs-up, about to shower her with praise, when Lu Jiahe picked up a magazine and said, “Found it.”

Following her mom’s instructions, she flipped to a certain page, took a photo, and sent it over.

Looking up, she noticed Ji Yin staring at her intently.

“What are you looking at?”

Ji Yin glanced up at the light, then back at her, asking with utmost seriousness, “Is it because of this light? Why do you suddenly look so beautiful, Dr. Lu? Like a fairy.”

“…”

“I didn’t get much schooling, so I can’t think of any fancy words, but you really do look like a fairy!”

“…”

“Dr. Lu, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“What should I say?” Lu Jiahe lifted her eyelids. “‘Thank you for the compliment’?”

“You’re welcome. Just calling it like I see it.” Ji Yin grinned.

Lu Jiahe smiled faintly and began gathering the magazines.

“Wait, can I take a look at this one?” Ji Yin picked up the business interview magazine she had flipped through earlier, which featured many familiar industry leaders.

“Sure.”

The two returned to the living room. Lu Jiahe continued watching the Spring Festival Gala, while Ji Yin immersed herself in the interviews, unexpectedly finding resonance in some of them.

At the same time, she noticed how the reporter’s questions always hit the mark, even the sharpest critiques were delivered gently, skillfully uncovering the interviewees’ inner worlds and drawing out their true personalities.

Ji Yin had never read such in-depth interviews before and quickly became engrossed, Except.

“Dr. Lu, how do you pronounce this character?” Ji Yin pointed at the magazine.

Lu Jiahe glanced over. “Bian.”

“What does this idiom mean?” Ji Yin asked again.

“‘Zhen bian shi bi.’ ‘Zhen bian’ refers to ancient acupuncture needles and stone probes used in medicine, while ‘shi bi’ means the social ills of the time. Together, it metaphorically means diagnosing societal problems like a doctor and urging reform.”

“Oh, got it.”

A while later, Ji Yin asked again, “How do you pronounce this character?”

“Zhuo. ‘Zhuo zu zhuo ying.’ It’s a metaphor that a person’s virtue or vice is determined by their own choices.”

“And this one? Three ‘tu’ characters stacked does it also read as ‘tu’?”

“Yao.”

By the time she finished the magazine, Ji Yin had not only learned about the lives of industry leaders but also picked up several new characters. “I’m going to grab a few more books to practice reading!”

“Why not just get a dictionary?” Lu Jiahe suggested.

“Do you have one here?”

“Well… actually, no.” Lu Jiahe thought for a moment.

Ji Yin fell silent briefly before asking, “Dr. Lu, do you think I’m stupid? Don’t want to teach me?”

“Not at all. I just think a dictionary might be more efficient. Go ahead and pick out some books first.”

Ji Yin rummaged through the bookshelf and pulled out what she considered the most challenging book. “There are so many characters I don’t know in here!”

Lu Jiahe looked over, it was her father’s chemistry textbook, filled with specialized terminology. She chuckled. “Those characters aren’t very common in daily life. Let me find you something else.”

“Thanks!”

Standing in front of the bookshelf, Lu Jiahe scanned the titles carefully and selected another interview collection. “You might like this one. It features professionals from all kinds of industries.”

Ji Yin opened it the first interview was with a clothing store salesperson. “Wow, this speaks to me right away.”

The second piece was about a supermarket employee.

“Wow, this interview feels like it was tailor-made for me.”

Lu Jiahe couldn’t help but laugh. “With all the jobs you’ve had, it’s no surprise. Out of the 360 professions, you’ve probably tried 350.”

“Not that many, but there are indeed a dozen or twenty lines,” Ji Yin glanced back and exclaimed, “Good heavens! Even a barber is listed!”

“You’ve worked as a barber too?”

“Not really. I originally wanted to be an apprentice, but the boss had me start by learning to wash hair. Later, a customer touched my hand, and he was right there but pretended not to see it. I scolded the customer, who then complained about me. The boss even made me compensate the customer, so I quit in anger,” Ji Yin said.

Lu Jiahe sighed, “Your career experience is quite eventful. I’ll have my mom interview you someday.”

“Am I even worthy?” Ji Yin said, feeling flattered.

“Why wouldn’t you be?”

Ji Yin shook her head firmly. “I’m not cut out for it. I have no education to speak of. If your mom asks which school I graduated from and I say Sanggoutou Elementary School, wouldn’t that be a joke?”

Lu Jiahe couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, my mom will do her research beforehand. She’ll know what to ask and what not to.”

“But I’m not exactly a successful person either.”

“What is the definition of success?” Lu Jiahe said. “None of the interviewees in this magazine have achieved worldly success; some are even struggling to survive. Yet, between the lines, there’s a sense of upward momentum. That’s such a rare quality and you have it too, don’t you?”

“Me? Do I?” Ji Yin pointed at herself in disbelief.

Lu Jiahe nodded. “You’re one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever met. As long as you don’t give up, you’ll grow from a little blade of grass into a towering tree.”

Ji Yin stared at her, unsure how to react, her heart swelling with quiet delight.

Many people had praised her before, but most of it was just polite flattery, she could always tell the difference. This was the first time she’d been praised so sincerely, and it made her a little bashful.

“If you keep this up, I’m going to get a big head.”

“You won’t. Look how skinny you are.”

Ji Yin burst out laughing and, without thinking, grabbed her hand. “Dr. Lu, I really want to be friends with you forever! I like you so much!”

Lu Jiahe smiled faintly and subtly tried to pull her hand back, but Ji Yin only held on tighter, even patting the back of her hand.

“Dr. Lu, let’s sleep together tonight.”

“That’s not appropriate,” Lu Jiahe said, startled.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Ji Yin insisted. “It’ll be warmer, and you won’t have to bother making another bed.”

“It’s no trouble. You can make your own bed. Your leg is injured, but your hands are perfectly fine, you can even grab my hand,” Lu Jiahe retorted.

“Alright then, I’ll make the bed myself.” Ji Yin paused, then grinned mischievously. “Dr. Lu, is it because you’re a germaphobe and don’t want anyone else in your bed?”

Lu Jiahe raised an eyebrow and played along, nodding. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

“Then what will you do when you start dating?”

“Make them sleep under the bed.”

Ji Yin laughed so hard she tipped over, leaning against Lu Jiahe.

Lu Jiahe slowly shifted away, but as she moved, Ji Yin lost her balance and tumbled forward, her head landing squarely in Lu Jiahe’s lap. She looked up with innocent, pleading eyes.

Lu Jiahe: “…”

They stared at each other for a moment until the New Year’s countdown started on the TV.

Lu Jiahe pretended to be captivated by the screen, lifting her gaze to the television, but she couldn’t ignore the intense stare from below.

“Help, Dr. Lu, how are you this good-looking even from this angle?” Ji Yin said, gazing up at her.

When the countdown ended, Ji Yin sat up, leaned close to Lu Jiahe, and said, “Happy New Year! The luckiest thing last year was getting to know Dr. Lu. I’m starting to look forward to the new year.”

Lu Jiahe glanced sideways, gazing at her face, unconsciously swallowing before responding vaguely, “Mm.”

“The things for showering are all inside. This is a disposable towel, make do with it.” Lu Jiahe led her to the bathroom. Fortunately, he had bought some extra disposable items not long ago while shopping with his parents.

“Okay.”

After Ji Yin went in, Lu Jiahe returned to his master bedroom’s bathroom to take a shower.

After finishing his shower, he played on his phone for a while and noticed Ji Yin hadn’t come out yet. Faintly, he heard a soft voice.

“Dr. Lu, Dr. Lu.”