Running Towards You - Chapter 32

Lu Jiahe stood by the window. There was no one left at the front gate.

Cheng Jingwen’s final words just now had been deliberately shouted for Ji Yin to hear.

She had treated Ji Yin as an imaginary rival, intentionally revealing their past relationship. Unfortunately, Ji Yin was still a bit naive, making Cheng Jingwen’s provocation nothing more than an empty shot.

But Lu Jiahe had taken the opportunity to come clean, delivering a blunt blow to the unsuspecting Ji Yin. Far from being frightened to death, Ji Yin had taken it surprisingly well an unexpected delight.

“What did that girl mean when she said she’s liked you for a long time?” Ji Yin asked as she walked over to stand beside her.

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

Ji Yin thought for a moment. “She’s liked you for that long?”

“Not really. She deleted me right after high school graduation and only got back in touch recently.” Lu Jiahe poured her a glass of water. “Should we go out to eat or order in?”

“Let’s order in.” Ji Yin was a little worried that woman might still be lurking outside, glaring daggers at her. She didn’t want to run into her again. “I’ll place the order.”

“Sure.”

Lu Jiahe took the two books Ji Yin had returned and headed to the study. A short while later, Ji Yin followed her in.

“Order’s placed.”

“Mm.” Lu Jiahe organized the bookshelf, picking out the next book for her.

Ji Yin stood behind her like a silent sentinel, neither speaking nor moving, quietly watching her back.

“What’s on your mind?” Lu Jiahe asked without turning around. “Still thinking about me being gay?”

“Yeah. Why didn’t you tell me before?” Ji Yin asked.

“How was I supposed to bring it up? We weren’t that close back then. It’s not like I could just announce I like women the moment you said you wanted to be friends, right? How awkward would that be?” Lu Jiahe replied.

“That’s true.” Ji Yin nodded in agreement. Lu Jiahe had no obligation to tell her, but the fact that she’d come clean today meant she truly saw Ji Yin as someone close.

The thought lightened Ji Yin’s mood, and she asked without thinking, “Do your parents know? What about Li Chenyao?”

“They all know.”

Ji Yin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Your parents know too? And they accepted it? Not that they shouldn’t it’s just that I come from a small town, and I’ve never seen this kind of situation before. People there gossip a lot.”

Lu Jiahe shifted a few steps to the side, still browsing the shelves. “I came out to them in college. At first, they had a hard time accepting it, but there was nothing they could do. What’s done is done they had to adjust.”

“College?” Ji Yin asked curiously. “Did you fall in love with someone then?”

“No.” Lu Jiahe turned to look at her with a smile. “To this day, I’ve never been in a relationship.”

Ji Yin was even more surprised. “Then why did you come out to them?”

Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

“Because I was lost back then.” Lu Jiahe leaned against the bookshelf, reminiscing. “I realized I liked women in my third year of high school. I was panicked and didn’t know what to do, so I threw myself into studying. During winter break in college, my dad mentioned two girls at school who were dating, so I asked him and my mom what they thought about it.”

“What did they say?” Ji Yin pressed.

“My mom is very worldly and doesn’t find this sort of thing strange at all. My dad also thinks it’s no big deal, it’s just personal choice. Human emotions aren’t chemical formulas that have to follow strict standards. So, I took the opportunity to come out to them and ask for their advice,” Lu Jiahe said.

Ji Yin couldn’t help but sigh. “People with broad knowledge and high education really do have a different level of awareness. If this happened in our little village, it would’ve caused an uproar long ago.”

“High awareness is often just because it doesn’t personally affect them. If someone close to them were involved, they wouldn’t accept it immediately either, they’d need time to process it. Just like you.”

Ji Yin paused for a moment, then stepped closer to her, lowering her head with honesty. “I was a little surprised, yeah, but just a tiny bit. I’ve already processed it now.”

“That fast?” Lu Jiahe looked up, the corners of her lips curling slightly.

“Yeah. I’m still really happy to be friends with you. I like you for who you are, who you like has nothing to do with it.” Ji Yin watched as the dimples at the corners of Lu Jiahe’s mouth deepened, and on impulse, she raised her hands, pressing her thumbs against them.

Lu Jiahe:

“Even without dimples, you’re still so pretty. Dr. Lu, why have you never been in a relationship before?” Ji Yin asked, withdrawing her hands.

“Never met the right person, I guess,” Lu Jiahe replied, lifting her gaze.

“What does that girl downstairs do?” Ji Yin asked.

“She works at a foreign company, a department manager. I’m not sure exactly what her role is.”

“Oh.”

The conversation came to an abrupt halt. After a moment of silence, Lu Jiahe asked, “Still want to borrow a book?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind?” Lu Jiahe turned, her eyes scanning the shelves.

“This one.” Ji Yin reached up and pulled a book from the top shelf.

Lu Jiahe glanced at it, wasn’t this the introductory book she had deliberately given her last time?

“Haven’t you already read this?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t understand anything back then. I want to revisit it,” Ji Yin said.

“Why bother revisiting it?”

“I want to understand you better,” Ji Yin replied, gripping the book.

Lu Jiahe froze for a moment before a smile gradually surfaced in her eyes. In the brightly lit room, her gaze settled only on Ji Yin’s earnest face.

And in that moment, all her previous probing finally had a tangible answer.

She was probably really falling for this woman.

After dinner, Ji Yin was called away by a phone call from Dong Xiang.

There had been some trouble at the shop, a customer was insisting on a female assistant.

Many pool halls, to boost profits, flirt with the edges of propriety by hiring young, attractive female assistants with striking figures.

But Ji Yin’s place only had male assistants strictly for teaching so business had always been lukewarm.

Today’s troublemaker was a regular at various pool halls, accustomed to female companions, and threw a fit when told there were only male assistants available. He started demanding that the cashier come play with them.

Dong Xiang naturally refused, and the customer began arguing, nearly escalating into a fight.

By the time Ji Yin arrived, she heard the man shouting:

“What’s the big deal about having her play with us? Look at how she’s dressed, I thought she was here for that kind of service anyway! I even said I’d pay extra, it’s not like I’m asking her to do anything else. Besides, with a face like hers, I wouldn’t even take her for free if she offered! She’s not even fit to lick my shoes!”

The group burst into laughter, while Li Fang, who was naturally timid, was so upset her eyes turned red.

“Get the hell out of here, you asshole! If you don’t leave, I’m calling the cops!” Dong Xiang pointed at the man and cursed.

“Tch, who the hell cares? This shithole’s gonna go out of business sooner or later! Let’s go!”

The group stormed out angrily but was stopped at the door by a woman with a dark expression, her voice icy. “None of you are leaving.”

“Who the hell are you? What do you want?”

“Apologize to her.” Ji Yin pointed at Li Fang.

“Why the hell should I? If you don’t wanna do business, then don’t. You think I’m gonna apologize? Dream on! Move!” The man slapped Ji Yin’s hand away, but to his surprise, she stumbled back several steps.

The man glanced at his hand in surprise, thinking he hadn’t even used much force. Women so fragile. He smirked. “Scram if you don’t wanna get hit!”

With that, he swaggered out with his friends, only to have his leg suddenly kicked hard from behind. He staggered forward and fell to his knees.

The moment he turned around, a sharp slap landed on his face, burning with pain.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events, staring in shock.

“Apologize,” Ji Yin said coldly.

“Fuck you! Who the hell do you think you are?!” The man scrambled to his feet, raising his hand to strike back, but she effortlessly caught his arm, twisted it behind him, and elbowed his shoulder. He howled in pain.

His buddies finally snapped out of it. Seeing she was alone, they immediately closed in, trying to gang up on her and teach her a lesson.

But her sharp gaze swept over them. “Come at me. I’ll take down as many as you send.”

They hesitated. There was something ruthless in her eyes, more ruthless than any of them.

Because she was outnumbered, her ferocity was that of someone with nothing left to lose.

“Who dares?!” Dong Xiang emerged with a group of burly employees, surrounding them. “We’ve already called the cops. None of you are leaving until you apologize!”

The police arrived quickly. After questioning, Ji Yin pulled up the surveillance footage. “This bastard insulted our employee, refused to apologize, and even hit me first. I had no choice but to defend myself.”

After reviewing the footage, the officers reprimanded the group, forcing them to finally apologize to the cashier.

The man rolled his eyes as he muttered an apology.

“Officers, their apology isn’t sincere. Besides, this girl is only twenty and suffered serious humiliation. They should at least pay some compensation for emotional distress. If they refuse, we’ll take legal action we won’t let this go,” Ji Yin said.

“Don’t push your luck, bitch!” the man roared.

“Watch your mouth! You’re still threatening them in front of us?!” the officer snapped.

In the end, the police mediated, and the group was forced to pay 2,000 yuan as compensation to settle the matter privately.

Once things calmed down, Ji Yin handed the money to Li Fang. “You had a rough day. Go home and rest early. Don’t dwell on it don’t let trash like him get to you.”

Li Fang wiped her tears and whispered, “Thank you, Sister Yin.”

Originally, Li Fang could have just endured the few harsh words and moved on, but she never expected her boss to take such a big risk over those words and even help her secure compensation.

“Alright, alright, stop crying for now. Call your boyfriend to come pick you up,” Ji Yin said, patting her head.

“These are tears of gratitude,” Li Fang sobbed.

Ji Yin smiled and turned to the other employees still lingering around to watch the commotion. “Alright, everyone, break it up. Get back to work.”

“Boss Ji, you’re amazing!” The employees couldn’t help but cheer, impressed that she had stood up for even a cashier.

“Boss Ji, I want to keep working with you forever!”

After Li Fang was picked up by her boyfriend, Ji Yin took over at the front desk.

“Boss Ji, are you okay?” Dong Xiang handed her a bottle of cola.

“You did well earlier didn’t immediately start a fight,” Ji Yin remarked.

“Of course, I know. You’ve taught me so many times not to escalate conflicts directly,” Dong Xiang replied.

If he had thrown a punch, the situation would have been entirely different. People would assume he was acting arrogantly because of his connection to the boss, and it would affect how other customers viewed the place.

“But… are you hurt?” he asked.

Ji Yin touched her knee and winced. “That kick was a bit too forceful.”

“Patient Ji Yin, please proceed to Examination Room Seven. Patient Ji Yin, please proceed to Examination Room Seven.”

Hearing the announcement, Ji Yin picked up her medical records and walked into Room Seven. Under Lu Jiahe’s puzzled gaze, she slowly sat down and rolled up her pant leg. “Dr. Lu, my wound has been hurting these past couple of days.”

“What happened?” Lu Jiahe frowned.

“I got into a fight and forgot about my old injury.” Ji Yin admitted awkwardly.

Lu Jiahe stared at her expressionlessly. “What did you promise me when you were discharged? Didn’t you say you’d take care of yourself?”

“I did, but the situation was sudden. I didn’t think before I kicked.” Ji Yin broke into a nervous sweat.

Lu Jiahe took a deep breath. “What symptoms have you been experiencing?”

“Nothing usually, but it hurts a bit if I squat for too long.”

“Then be careful not to squat for extended periods. It’ll strain your knee and could even lead to hemorrhoids.”

Ji Yin: “Oh.”

“Go get another scan. Let’s check if there’s any ligament damage.”

“Okay.”

Ji Yin opted for an expedited scan. By the time she got the results, it was already 5:40. Returning to the examination room, she found Lu Jiahe sitting alone in his office, sipping tea. “Dr. Lu, you’re still here?”

“Waiting for a disobedient patient to come back and get scolded,” Lu Jiahe said, setting down his cup.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Ji Yin obediently handed over her scan.

After examining it carefully, Lu Jiahe sighed in relief. “Fortunately, no further damage. I’ll prescribe some medicated oil apply it daily. And don’t forget to take the calcium supplements I got you last time.”

“Got it. Dr. Lu, are you off work now?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s head back together. I’ll treat you to dinner.”

“That takeout place we ordered from last time was pretty good.”

“Sure, I’ll place the order now. It’ll be ready by the time we get there.”

Lu Jiahe took her home. As soon as they sat down, he held out his hand.

” Ji Yin tentatively placed her hand in his. “Meow?”

“What are you meowing for? Stop acting cute. Hand over the medicated oil.”

“Oh, right.”

“Pants.”

Ji Yin stood up and started to take hers off.

“What are you doing?”

Ji Yin smacked her forehead and sat back down. “Sorry, force of habit. Every time you mention pants at the hospital, I know it means taking them off for surgery.”

“Just roll them up. I’m applying medicine for you.”

Flattered, Ji Yin lifted her pant leg. Lu Jiahe poured some medicinal liquor into her palm and began rubbing it carefully over the injured area on Ji Yin’s knee.

The warmth spread across her knee, growing hotter.

Watching those slender hands kneading and massaging, Ji Yin felt a warmth rising in her heart too, like a well of cold water being stirred until it turned warm.

How could there be someone as wonderful as Dr. Lu in this world?

Lost in thought, she kept staring, staring, staring.

The more she looked, the more she adored her. Dr. Lu’s eyebrows were beautiful, her eyes were beautiful, her nose was beautiful, her lips were beautiful, her hands were beautiful, even her toes were flawless. There wasn’t a single flaw to be found.

“Why did you get into a fight?” Lu Jiahe asked.

Only then did Ji Yin snap out of her reverie and recount every detail of what had happened that night.

After finishing with the knee, Lu Jiahe looked up at her. “Even though you did the right thing, you could have just called the police from the start. Why did you have to throw the first punch?”

“I was angry! And they were about to leave. When I stopped them, he started cursing at me, which made me even angrier. It’s a miracle I didn’t beat him to death,” Ji Yin grumbled.

“Harming the enemy a thousand while damaging yourself eight hundred you hurt him, but you got hurt too, didn’t you? Try not to be so impulsive next time, okay?”

“I, I’m just used to it.”

Lu Jiahe gently patted her shoulder. “I know. You’ve suffered a lot in the past and had no choice but to fight tooth and nail to protect yourself in desperate situations. But if it’s not that kind of scenario, can you put your own well-being first? Avoid violence if you can?”

“It’s fine, I know my limits. I’ve trained for this. If I can’t win, I won’t fight,” Ji Yin chuckled.

Lu Jiahe’s expression turned serious. “What if you misjudge?”

“Then I’m just unlucky.”

“Aren’t you afraid of worrying your family?”

“The only family I have left is Yanzi, and she’s used to it by now,” Ji Yin said carelessly.

“What about me? I’m not used to it.”

Ji Yin froze.

The warmth from that stirred well seemed to overflow through her limbs, threatening to thaw even the coldest parts of her body.

“Would you… worry about me?” Ji Yin asked slowly.

“Yes.”