Running Towards You - Chapter 33

Ji Yin stood up for her employees and earned their admiration and praise.

Yet, only Dr. Lu said she was worried about her.

Ji Yin didn’t know how to describe what she was feeling. She thought back to when she comforted Li Fang, whose tears of gratitude wouldn’t stop flowing. At the time, Ji Yin had even laughed at her, saying there was nothing to be so moved about.

Now, she was nearly moved to tears herself.

The boomerang almost came back to hit her.

The air was thick with the smell of medicated oil, overpowering any fragrance on her. She urged, “Dr. Lu, go wash your hands quickly.”

“Mm.” After Lu Jiahe finished washing her hands, the takeout arrived.

She stepped aside to call her mom: “I won’t be coming over for dinner tonight.”

“Going out to eat with friends again?” Liu Jia asked.

“Yeah.”

“Honestly, you don’t need to come over for meals every day lately. It’s just a hassle reheating the food over and over. Just eat out with your friends properly.” Liu Jia said.

Lu Jiahe glanced over at the person unpacking the takeout. “Okay.”

“If there’s a chance, you could bring your friend home for a meal too.” Liu Jia added.

Lu Jiahe immediately caught her implication and chuckled softly. “It’s not like that yet.”

“Then take the initiative! Don’t always wait for others to chase you. Strike when the time is right!” Liu Jia urged.

“Message received. Rest assured, Comrade Leader.”

“The seasons are changing, be careful not to catch a cold.”

“Got it. You guys take care too. Alright, I’m going to eat now. Love you.”

Ji Yin had already set out the chopsticks. Seeing her hang up and walk over, she asked, “Were you calling Teacher Liu Jia?”

“Yeah.”

Ever since Ji Yin read the interview magazine, she’d gotten into the habit of addressing Liu Jia by her full name, respectfully adding “Teacher,” as if she’d picked it up from the entertainment industry.

“I always hear you two on the phone. Your relationship is really nice,” Ji Yin remarked wistfully.

“Can’t help it I’m a mama’s girl. Annoying, isn’t it?” Lu Jiahe sat down with a smile.

“Not at all.” Ji Yin’s eyes were full of longing. “You have no idea how much I envy that kind of relationship.”

“You and Yanzi’s mom must have a good relationship too, right?”

“It’s fine, but I’m not good at expressing myself.”

For many, expressing affection to elders feels awkward. Ji Yin’s family situation was especially complicated, toward the only blood relative she had, there was only resentment, let alone love.

At ten years old, Yanzi and Chen Yanhua became her new family.

At first, Yanzi hated her, feeling like she’d stolen half of her mother’s love.

Ji Yin didn’t get along with them either, especially before the marriage, she never gave Chen Yanhua a single kind look. The moment the mother and daughter stepped through the door, she’d slam it in their faces.

No matter who it was, she didn’t want anyone following in her mother’s footsteps.

The day before they registered their marriage, Chen Yanhua took her and Yanzi shopping, buying each of them a new outfit.

Ji Yin took hers off and threw it on the ground without a second thought, humiliating them outright. Yanzi burst into tears and swung her fists at her.

Ji Yin, equally furious, shoved her to the ground. Yanzi wailed loudly.

“Ji Yin! If you have a problem with me, fine, but don’t take it out on my daughter.” Chen Yanhua scolded her on the spot, picked up the clothes again, paid for them, and asked the shop owner to keep an eye on Ji Yin for a while before taking Yanzi, who was crying uncontrollably, away first.

After a while, Chen Yanhua returned, only to find Ji Yin was nowhere in the shop. Anxiously grabbing the owner, she asked, “Where’s the person I asked you to watch? Where’s my daughter?!”

“In the restroom,” the owner replied.

Chen Yanhua hurried to the back and saw Ji Yin standing alone in the dimly lit hallway. She rushed over, only to find Ji Yin’s eyes brimming with tears.

“Why are you crying? Were you scared because you couldn’t find me? Or are you upset that I scolded you earlier?” Chen Yanhua wiped her tears and explained, “Didn’t I tell you? I took Yanzi back first for her nap. She gets cranky if she doesn’t sleep in the afternoon, she’s got quite the temper.”

Ji Yin smelled the sweat on her and felt the rough palm resting on her head, bringing her an unprecedented warmth.

“You’re not married yet. I’m not your daughter,” she said stubbornly.

“Starting tomorrow, you will be my daughter,” Chen Yanhua said, noticing her too-short pants and pulling her along. “Old Ji really dropped the ball you’re growing so fast, and he didn’t even buy you enough clothes. Come on, let’s go get you some more.”

The five years after Chen Yanhua married into the family were Ji Yin’s happiest, a time when she truly experienced what it meant to have a home.

If Chen Yanhua hadn’t gotten cancer, Ji Yin might have been like Dr. Lu, staying by her side until old age, caring for her until the end.

Ji Yin snapped out of her memories with a bitter smile. “When she passed, I didn’t even have the courage to say ‘I love you.'”

“The words ‘I love you’ carry great weight, yet they’re also light especially in family bonds. Even if you don’t say them, she would have understood,” Lu Jiahe said.

Ji Yin pressed her reddened eyes and mocked herself, “Ugh, lately it feels like I’ve become such a crybaby.”

Lu Jiahe said gently, “You’re allowed to cry.”

“No way, it’s too embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing how? No one will laugh at you at least not here,” Lu Jiahe replied. “How about I join you?”

“How would you do that?” Ji Yin asked curiously.

Lu Jiahe looked at her quietly, and after a moment, tears actually welled up in her eyes, leaving Ji Yin stunned.

A single glistening tear rolled down, like a full moon dropping into a still lake.

Ji Yin’s heart rippled as she stared, mesmerized, at those damp eyes.

She had always thought the phrase “a weeping beauty” was just abstract poetry until this moment, when it became vividly real.

Without thinking, Ji Yin reached out and brushed her finger against Lu Jiahe’s cheek, catching a trace of warm wetness. She examined her fingertip with fascination. “Dr. Lu, did you take up acting on the side?”

Lu Jiahe laughed. “A little trick for softening hearts. My parents swear by it.”

“That’s incredible,” Ji Yin murmured, studying her face. How could someone look this beautiful even while crying? It made her heart melt.

Over the next few days, Ji Yin went to the pool hall every evening to keep an eye out for troublemakers.

Weekends brought more customers. After finishing takeout with Dong Xiang, Ji Yin got a message from Lu Jiahe asking where she was.

She replied that she was at the pool hall.

So Lu Jiahe booked a table and brought a few friends to play.

Among the group, apart from Li Chenyao whom she knew, the rest were all men.

“Ji Yin, want to join us for a game?” Li Chenyao invited.

“Sure.”

“Let me introduce you this is my friend Ji Yin. She works here, so if you ever feel like playing, just come by,” Lu Jiahe said.

Everyone exchanged greetings with Ji Yin, and she took turns learning their names.

At that moment, Li Fang came running over with a few bottles of drinks, smiling as she said to Ji Yin, “Yin-jie, is this enough?”

“Plenty,” Ji Yin replied, then turned to the group. “Help yourselves to whatever you’d like.”

“Then we won’t hold back,” Li Chenyao said, grabbing one first, followed closely by the others.

“You guys go ahead and play. I need to use the restroom,” Lu Jiahe said, turning to Ji Yin. “Where is it?”

“I’ll take you.” Ji Yin led her to the restroom and asked quietly, “Are those all your classmates?”

“Some are classmates, some are colleagues, but they’re all pretty terrible at this. You’ll get to show off later,” Lu Jiahe said with a laugh.

Ji Yin chuckled too. “Is this some kind of gathering for you guys today?”

“Sort of. We didn’t know what else to do, so I brought them here to play.”

Ji Yin waited outside the restroom for a while. When Lu Jiahe came out to wash her hands, she rummaged through her bag for a long time.

Ji Yin thought she was looking for hand sanitizer and was about to go fetch some from the shop when she saw Lu Jiahe pull out a lipstick and apply it in front of the mirror.

“How’s the color?” Lu Jiahe asked, looking up.

“It’s beautiful,” Ji Yin said, her gaze fixed on Lu Jiahe’s lips. She noticed how perfectly shaped they were soft and coated with a sheer red, glistening like a delectable dessert.

“Let’s go.”

Lu Jiahe smiled faintly and walked ahead, casually pulling off her hair tie and shaking out her hair, letting it fall loosely around her shoulders.

Ji Yin followed behind, noticing how many men turned their heads to look, their eyes lingering on Lu Jiahe with a mix of awe and curiosity.

She quickened her pace to walk beside Lu Jiahe as they returned to the table.

In the short time they’d been gone, the group hadn’t managed to sink a single ball.

Turns out Lu Jiahe wasn’t just being modest they really were that bad.

They seemed to be having fun anyway, though they were more interested in chatting than playing.

They also enjoyed talking to Lu Jiahe, who was the organizer of this little gathering.

Among them were an orthopedic surgeon, a programmer, a teacher, and someone in finance, all meeting for the first time, so the conversation flowed easily.

Ji Yin listened for a while and found their discussions varied and deep, yet never boring. It was actually pretty interesting.

She just couldn’t find a way to join in, standing awkwardly to the side.

“Enough chatting. So far, only Li Chenyao has sunk a single ball,” Lu Jiahe said, amused. She turned to Ji Yin. “Come on, show them how it’s done.”

Ji Yin took the cue, stepped up to the table, and cleanly pocketed a ball.

The group erupted. “Whoa, nice!”

She sank a few more in quick succession.

Their cheers and applause didn’t let up, making Ji Yin feel a little embarrassed.

It was probably the first time so many high-achievers had ever applauded for her.

When the last ball dropped, the men practically reverted to their primal instincts, whooping and hollering like they were ready to lift her up and toss her into the air.

“Lu Jiahe, why didn’t you tell us earlier how amazing she is?” a colleague exclaimed.

“Big shot, take me under your wing!”

“And me, please, teach me how to play!”

“No problem,” Ji Yin said.

Lu Jiahe stood by, watching her teach. The students were full of enthusiasm, constantly cheering and clapping.

Seeing Ji Yin flustered by all the praise, Lu Jiahe smiled to herself and secretly recorded a video.

“Aren’t you going to join in and learn?” Li Chenyao walked over and asked.

“Nope. There are too many people. If I’m going to learn, I want one-on-one lessons,” Lu Jiahe replied.

“Tsk tsk, well, I’m going then,” Li Chenyao said, immediately heading over to practice.

As Ji Yin grew more familiar with the group, her demeanor became more relaxed. She confidently taught each of them, sometimes serious, sometimes stifling a laugh her life now vibrant and lively.

Lu Jiahe snapped another photo of her bright, confident smile and sent it to Ji Yin.

Over the next few days, the group came regularly, though not always all at once, whoever was free would show up.

Ji Yin grew closer to them and occasionally joined in their conversations.

On Wednesday, the shop wasn’t too busy, so they took three tables. Ji Yin moved between them, giving pointers. When she reached one table, she noticed one of Lu Jiahe’s colleagues.

“How come you guys come every day? Don’t you have to work overtime?” Ji Yin asked.

“We come when we don’t have overtime. If we do, then there’s nothing we can do sorry about that,” the colleague said.

Ji Yin didn’t understand what he meant by “sorry.” “What does it matter to me whether you come or not?” she asked.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“You stood up for a colleague and got into a fight, right? Lu Jiahe was worried those people might come back for revenge, so she rounded us up to come play here,” the colleague explained.

Ji Yin’s cue stick missed the ball entirely. She straightened up in disbelief and slowly turned to look at Lu Jiahe at another table.

No wonder she’d been getting messages from Lu Jiahe every evening, asking where she was working.

No wonder they always waited until she was off duty before leaving. She had assumed they were just really into playing.

“Ji Yin’s looking at you,” Li Chenyao whispered.

“Is she?” Lu Jiahe glanced at Ji Yin out of the corner of her eye, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and tilting her chin slightly to show off her best side profile. She smoothly pocketed a ball.

“Tsk, you’re improving way too fast. It’s kind of annoying,” Li Chenyao grumbled.

“It’s not that hard. Just control the force and plan the angles. Sinking a few balls isn’t difficult, what’s tough is being like her, able to pocket every single one,” Lu Jiahe said.

“Can you talk without spraying perfume oh, she’s coming, she’s coming!”

Lu Jiahe turned around and smiled faintly. “Here you are. Time to teach us?”

“Yeah…” Ji Yin stared at her, her heart burning, but she didn’t know what to say. She glanced down at the table. “You’ve already sunk this many?”

“Li Chenyao did most of them. I just got lucky with one.”

Li Chenyao:

Lu Jiahe: “You can just teach me. No need to bother with her.”

Li Chenyao: “…”

Lu Jiahe leaned over the table, eyes fixed on the ball ahead. “Can I take this shot?”

Ji Yin: “Sure.”

Li Chenyao: “…”

Lu Jiahe gave a gentle push and completely missed the ball. “Oops.”

“It’s okay, let’s try again. I’ll help you.” Ji Yin grasped her hand from behind, catching the familiar and intoxicating scent that lingered around her.

As the weather grew warmer and the air conditioning hummed in the room, their clothing was much lighter than during their first hands-on lesson. Lu Jiahe wore only a thin, fitted wool sweater, while Ji Yin had on a simple shirt.

They stood so close that Ji Yin suddenly realized she was practically pressed against Lu Jiahe’s body. She stiffened for a moment, not daring to move.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Jiahe turned her head, blinking.

Ji Yin met her gaze. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have thought anything of it this was just standard teaching, especially between good friends.

But now, knowing that Lu Jiahe liked women, and with the two of them standing this close, she couldn’t help but blush slightly, afraid Dr. Lu might think she was deliberately taking advantage.

“Do you mind if I teach you like this, hands-on?” she asked softly, seeking permission.

“Not at all. Teacher Ji can teach me however she likes,” Lu Jiahe replied with a light laugh.

Li Chenyao: