Running Towards You - Chapter 26

In the morning, Li Chenyao finished getting ready and glanced at the time. “Why are you so slow today? Breakfast is about to close. Hurry up, hurry up!”

“Done.” Lu Jiahe grabbed her bag and turned toward the door.

Li Chenyao caught a whiff of her perfume. “Tsk, Lu Jiahe, are you trying to show off?”

Lu Jiahe flashed her a faint smile. “I hope you’ll be tactful and watch your words. Don’t scare her.”

“I wonder who’s scaring whom.”

The two went to knock on the door next door. Ji Yin hurriedly opened it. “Just let me use the bathroom, and we can go.”

“Sure.” Lu Jiahe smiled gently.

Ji Yin paused, her gaze lingering on Lu Jiahe, who looked unusually different today. “Dr. Lu, your makeup looks really pretty today.”

“Thank you. I haven’t worn makeup in a long time. It’s rare to go on a trip like this.”

Ji Yin nodded. She really didn’t often see Lu Jiahe wearing makeup, and the sight of such a delicate and beautiful look was truly refreshing.

“Go ahead and use the bathroom,” Lu Jiahe reminded her.

“Oh, right!” Ji Yin turned and rushed to the bathroom.

Lu Jiahe crossed her arms and glanced at Li Chenyao, who was rolling her eyes so hard they might get stuck. She raised a brow. “The peacock display first signs of success.”

“…” Li Chenyao was speechless. Lowering her voice, she muttered, “If I’d known this was how you’d act when showing off, I wouldn’t have pushed you to date. You’re scaring me now.”

“Then get used to it. Otherwise, I might just have to find a new best friend.”

“You. Are. Heartless.”

Ji Yin came out after using the bathroom, slinging a crossbody bag over her shoulder.

The three stepped into the elevator. Ji Yin sniffed the air, her head tilting until she stopped right beside Lu Jiahe. “Dr. Lu, you smell so nice today.”

Lu Jiahe turned her head slightly, her eyes curving into crescents. “Do you like it?”

“I do.”

“As long as you like it.” The dimples at the corners of Lu Jiahe’s lips deepened.

Meanwhile, Li Chenyao: “…”

During breakfast, Li Chenyao outlined the day’s itinerary. “Later, we’ll head downtown to explore. In the evening, we’ll go to this viral rotating aquarium restaurant.”

“Stacking all the expensive buffs, huh? A rotating aquarium? And it’s a restaurant?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Yep. It’s an aquarium in the center, but the dining tables move slowly. You’ll see when we get there,” Li Chenyao explained.

Ji Yin couldn’t help but ask, “Is it expensive?”

“About five or six hundred per person.”

Ji Yin nearly choked. “Do we get to fish out the seafood and eat it raw on the spot?”

Li Chenyao: “…”

Lu Jiahe chuckled before asking, “Are there any cheaper options?”

“The others are all about the same. This one’s the most unique. Don’t you want to try it? We can always order less. We’re already here.”

No Chinese person can resist the phrase “we’re already here.” Lu Jiahe thought for a moment and asked, “Didn’t you borrow a membership card from a coworker for a discount?”

Li Chenyao: “Huh?”

Lu Jiahe gave her a pointed look, and Li Chenyao immediately caught on. “Right, if I hadn’t borrowed a coworker’s membership card, I wouldn’t have dared to splurge on something this pricey either.”

“Do you want to try it?” Lu Jiahe turned to ask Ji Yin.

Ji Yin wasn’t completely unfamiliar with expensive things, she certainly spared no expense when treating clients to meals. But in her personal life, she was all about saving wherever possible.

Seeing the eager looks in Lu Jiahe and Li Chenyao’s eyes, she smiled and nodded. “Let’s try it. I want to see what’s so special about this place that it makes so much money.”

Who knows? She might even pick up some inspiration. If she ever got the urge to open a restaurant herself someday, it wouldn’t hurt to learn from the best.

After breakfast, the three of them headed downtown to go shopping.

Ji Yin had already visited a few supermarkets yesterday, so today she tagged along with them to the mall, taking the opportunity to observe local shopping habits.

Li Chenyao grabbed several outfits and disappeared into the fitting room, leaving the other two waiting on the couch. Noticing Ji Yin craning her neck to look around, Lu Jiahe asked, “See anything you like?”

“Nope.” Ji Yin withdrew her gaze.

Lu Jiahe studied her outfit mostly casual wear. Today, she was in a cropped top, cargo pants, and a pair of Doc Martens. Simple, effortless, yet undeniably stylish.

Some people were just born to look good in anything.

“Where do you usually buy your clothes?” Lu Jiahe struck up small talk.

“Mostly picked by Yanzi. She loves shopping way too much, she handles both my and Dong Xiang’s wardrobes. We try things on, and if they fit, we reimburse her. Sometimes she even makes a little profit on the side,” Ji Yin explained.

Lu Jiahe chuckled. “Does she only buy this style for you?”

“Not always. She used to get me all kinds of stuff, especially dresses. Can you imagine me riding a motorcycle in a white lace dress?”

Lu Jiahe pictured it. “Ridiculous, but kind of intriguing?”

“…” Ji Yin wiped her forehead in exasperation. “Dr. Lu, how did your taste sink to Yanzi’s level? I made her return all those dresses, they weren’t practical for work. Eventually, she got tired of returning things every time and just stuck to this style.”

“I see.”

Ji Yin: ? Why do you sound so disappointed, Dr. Lu?

After lunch, the three strolled leisurely toward the restaurant. Along the way, they passed a bustling market filled with eye-catching stalls.

Lu Jiahe spotted a pair of earrings. “What do you think?”

“They’re nice,” Ji Yin replied without thinking.

The next moment, Lu Jiahe brushed aside her hair and held the earrings up to her ears, studying the effect. Then, with sudden curiosity, she pinched Ji Yin’s earlobe. “You don’t have piercings?”

“Nope.”

“What a shame. I was going to buy these for you,” Lu Jiahe sighed regretfully.

Ji Yin touched her own ear, then glanced at the pretty earrings adorning Lu Jiahe’s. “Should I get them pierced now?”

Lu Jiahe blinked in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Dead serious.” No sooner said than done, since the stall owner also offered piercing services, Ji Yin sat down. “Go ahead.”

Li Chenyao was stunned. “That’s some next-level decisiveness. If someone told you they wanted kidney skewers, would you just yank one out on the spot?”

Lu Jiahe elbowed her.

“Ah!” Ji Yin yelped.

“Does it hurt?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Not too bad. It just caught me off guard. I won’t scream for the next one AH!” Her face twisted in pain.

Li Chenyao and Lu Jiahe burst into laughter.

“Can I wear the earrings now?” Ji Yin asked, gingerly covering her ears.

“No, you’ll need to wait until your ear piercings have healed before you can switch to other earrings,” Lu Jiahe said.

“Then wasn’t this all for nothing?”

“Once you’re healed, you can wear whatever you want, whenever you want.” Lu Jiahe handed the earrings to her.

“Thank you, Dr. Lu! I love them!” Ji Yin carefully tucked the earrings away.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, they had to wait for a table, there were still several parties ahead of them. Li Chenyao was exhausted from all the walking and sat down to rest.

Ji Yin noticed a supermarket downstairs she hadn’t been to before and was eager to check it out. “I’m going to take a look downstairs. Call me when our table’s ready.”

“I’ll go with you,” Lu Jiahe said.

“Okay.” Ji Yin grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

Li Chenyao stared, dumbfounded, as the two of them walked hand-in-hand into the elevator. She couldn’t resist snapping a sneaky photo and sending it to Lu Jiahe.

[Lu Jiahe]: A lifetime photo saved.

Li Chenyao:

Lu Jiahe, oh Lu Jiahe, you’ve fallen!

Halfway through their supermarket trip, they reached the study section. Ji Yin spotted a dictionary and remembered Lu Jiahe’s earlier suggestion. “Dr. Lu, what if I bought a dictionary?”

“You really plan to use this to learn characters?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Is that bad?”

“Then open it and see how long you can last.”

Ji Yin flipped through a few pages, then put it down with a headache. “Ugh, I only see characters I already know. I don’t even want to keep going.”

“Mhm, reading a dictionary is boring. You’d be better off reading books, they’re more engaging.”

“Okay, I’ll keep watching interviews when I get back!”

“Our table’s almost ready. Let’s go eat,” Lu Jiahe said, checking the message from Li Chenyao.

“Alright.” Ji Yin turned to leave.

“Wait.”

“What?”

Ji Yin turned back to see Lu Jiahe extending her hand. Instinctively, she took it.

“It’s crowded in here. Let’s not get separated,” Lu Jiahe said with an air of righteousness.

“Okay.”

When they returned to the restaurant to find Li Chenyao, Ji Yin was immediately captivated by the cylindrical aquarium in the center. Fish of all colors swam inside, like a miniature ocean world.

After sitting down, Lu Jiahe noticed Ji Yin still gazing at it and smiled. “Seems like this restaurant was the right choice.”

“Of course,” Li Chenyao said smugly.

Ji Yin sat on the inner side, and a stingray swam right up to her. Its peculiar body made her laugh. “Look at this little guy it’s so funny-looking!”

“Yeah.”

Seizing the moment, Li Chenyao opened her camera and captured the scene. “Here, another lifetime photo.”

The two leaned in to look at the screen. In the photo, Ji Yin was pointing at the stingray while Lu Jiahe leaned toward her, smiling as she looked on.

“It’s such a great shot!” Ji Yin said happily. “Send it to me! This is my first photo with Dr. Lu!”

Li Chenyao thought to herself: Not anymore!

They exchanged WeChat contacts, and Ji Yin saved the photo immediately.

Though the view was nice, the food was just average. Ji Yin couldn’t help but ask, “Are they really not letting us fish from the tank? There’s so much seafood in there, it’s torture seeing but not eating!”

Li Chenyao burst out laughing. “Just a second ago, you thought it was beautiful. Now it’s just a tank?”

“Different mindset! When it’s mealtime, they’re just seafood.”

When it was time to settle the bill, Ji Yin realized they’d been played for fools.

“Next time, let’s just go eat at the aquarium. We can stand and snack while walking around it’ll be faster.”

Lu Jiahe: “Makes sense.”

Li Chenyao: “I can’t even argue with that.”

“Don’t worry, we get the member discount. Yao Yao, you go pay the bill. We’ll hit the restroom.” Lu Jiahe pulled Ji Yin away.

After settling the bill, Li Chenyao came out and saw Ji Yin waiting outside the restroom. “I’ll use the restroom too, wait a sec.”

Ji Yin stood still for a few seconds, then suddenly turned and dashed back to the restaurant. She approached the front desk and asked, “Excuse me, do you offer membership cards here?”

“No, we don’t.”

“We just dined at table C12. Could I get an invoice, please?”

“Of course.”

On the way back, Lu Jiahe grew drowsy, yawning repeatedly. Ji Yin said, “Dr. Lu, get some sleep.”

“Okay, wake me when we arrive.” Lu Jiahe closed her eyes.

Li Chenyao sat in the passenger seat. A moment later, she suddenly received a transfer from Ji Yin. Puzzled, she turned around and asked, “Why are you sending me money?”

“For the hotel these past few days and tonight’s dinner,” Ji Yin replied.

“That’s way too much. Just split the hotel cost. Lu Jiahe covered dinner, she was treating us,” Li Chenyao said.

Ji Yin: “I know you two never had a membership card.”

Li Chenyao: “…”

Ji Yin: “If I sent it to her directly, she probably wouldn’t accept it. So I wanted you to pass it along for me.”

“Fine.” Li Chenyao glanced at Lu Jiahe, who was now sound asleep against Ji Yin’s shoulder. To make her more comfortable, Ji Yin had been slouching the whole time. She suggested, “Why don’t you adjust her so she can lean against the seat instead?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the supposedly fast-asleep woman abruptly open one eye, lips twitching slightly.

Li Chenyao: “…”

Though Lu Jiahe merely gave her a faint pout, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the unspoken words were extremely crude.