Running Towards You - Chapter 38

During breakfast, Ji Yin absentmindedly nibbled on her toast, stealing glances at Lu Jiahe every now and then, her mind completely occupied by the phrase “looks very kissable.”

What did that even mean?

Was it just a straightforward observation, or was there some deeper implication?

Unable to make sense of it, Ji Yin felt like her brain was overheating from the question. Meanwhile, Lu Jiahe seemed completely unfazed, chatting and laughing with Yanzi about housing prices.

“In a couple of months, Dong Xiang’s parents might come here. They’re thinking of buying us an apartment. Dr. Lu, since you’re a local, which area do you think would be best?” Yanzi asked.

“It depends on your budget. If money isn’t an issue, the city center is obviously the best choice. Next would be Haishi District lots of schools there, but fewer hospitals. For the suburbs, you could consider Beifeng District. Good scenery, fresh air, very livable,” Lu Jiahe replied.

Yanzi pressed for more details, and Ji Yin, sitting to the side, simply fixed her gaze firmly on Lu Jiahe.

Perhaps sensing the intensity of her stare, Lu Jiahe turned to look at her and smiled casually. “Why are you staring at me?”

“No reason.” Ji Yin felt inexplicably guilty and instinctively averted her eyes.

Only when Yanzi got up to use the restroom did Ji Yin seize the opportunity to lean in and whisper, “Dr. Lu, what did you mean by that earlier?”

“By what?” Lu Jiahe asked, sipping her milk.

“That, that phrase about being ‘very kissable’.” Ji Yin mumbled.

Lu Jiahe glanced sideways, her eyes curving into crescents. “Are you teasing me again?”

Ji Yin froze, looking at her in confusion. “Me? When did I?”

“Hmm? Wasn’t it you who carried me?”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t it you who put me on the bed?”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t it you who kissed er, bumped into my shoulder?”

“Yes.” As Lu Jiahe recounted the events, Ji Yin began to feel more and more convinced no wonder Dr. Lu had misunderstood! She had unintentionally done so many intimate things!

“Sorry, sorry, I really didn’t mean to!” Ji Yin clasped her hands together and hurriedly apologized.

“It’s fine. Since it was clearly unintentional, let’s just forget about it,” Lu Jiahe said with a laugh.

“Okay, okay! Dr. Lu, you’re so kind.”

Lu Jiahe got up to throw away her trash, glancing back at the girl who was now clutching her head, looking like she was about to tear her hair out. She couldn’t help but smirk.

“Got any clothes?” Lu Jiahe’s outfit from yesterday was still in the wash, and she was still wearing Ji Yin’s T-shirt.

“Yeah.” Ji Yin stood up and led her to pick something. “Just take whatever you like.”

After browsing through the options, Lu Jiahe chose a hoodie and a pair of jeans. When she came out dressed, Yanzi chuckled. “Isn’t that a bit too big? Dr. Lu, you could wear mine we’re about the same size.”

“Please, stop trying to drag Dr. Lu into your nonsense,” Ji Yin retorted.

Yanzi immediately punched her shoulder. “Still better than wearing yours.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just wear this. Oversized is in style these days anyway it looks good.” Lu Jiahe tied her hair up into a high ponytail.

“Hey, looking at it now, it actually seems quite fitting, like a college student,” Yanzi said.

“Of course, good-looking people can pull off anything. Even my clothes look better now,” Ji Yin remarked, resting her chin on her hand as she admired her with a pleased expression.

Yanzi checked the time it was almost noon and asked, “What are you all having for lunch?”

“Why do you care what we eat?” Ji Yin retorted.

“Let’s eat together, it’ll be lively. I’ll call Dong Xiang over,” Yanzi said, picking up her phone to make the call, only for Ji Yin to stop her.

“Hold on a second,” Ji Yin said, standing up and walking over to Lu Jiahe. She whispered very quietly, “Dr. Lu, do you want to have lunch with them? Shake your head if you don’t.”

Lu Jiahe remained motionless.

“Nod if you do.”

Lu Jiahe nodded.

“Go ahead and call him,” Ji Yin instructed after turning back. Then, after a moment’s thought, she couldn’t help but whisper to Lu Jiahe again, “We’re all rough around the edges, especially Dong Xiang. Don’t mind him when you meet him later.”

Ji Yin found a nearby restaurant with a private room. Shortly after they sat down, Dong Xiang arrived.

“Sorry I’m late, I’ll pick up the tab later!” Dong Xiang said cheerfully, taking a seat next to Yanzi. When he saw Lu Jiahe, he quickly stood up and extended his hand. “Dr. Lu, good to see you. It’s been a while.”

“Hello,” Lu Jiahe replied with a smile, shaking his hand. “Sit down. I’m not your boss no need to be so formal.”

“Just being polite, just being polite.”

Once the food was served, the conversation flowed. Lu Jiahe looked at the two across from him and asked, “I heard you two grew up together?”

“Yeah, we’ve been playing together since we were in diapers,” Yanzi nodded.

“And when did Dong Xiang meet Ji Yin?”

Dong Xiang ate quickly, finishing a bowl of rice in just a few minutes. As he scooped more rice, he answered, “I think it was after Ji Yin’s dad and Yanzi’s mom got married. Never met her before that.”

“I heard when she went out to work, you followed her?”

Dong Xiang recalled, “Yeah, that’s right. Back then, Yanzi’s mom had just passed away, and Yanzi was devastated. She refused to keep studying and insisted on going out to work with Ji Yin to earn money. Ji Yin beat her up and locked her at home to stop her.”

Lu Jiahe gave Ji Yin an amused look, and she awkwardly lowered her head, scratching her forehead.

“I knew Ji Yin just wanted to earn money to support Yanzi’s education, and Yanzi was afraid of being a burden both were just being stubborn. So I chased after Ji Yin when she left, but she ended up sending me back halfway.”

Yanzi laughed. “We both still have scars from her beatings.”

“That rough?” Lu Jiahe asked, surprised.

“Tsk, she’s brutal when she hits,” Yanzi said, clicking her tongue. “No sense of restraint she goes all out.”

“Really? Just now when she hit you, you seemed to be laughing pretty hard,” Lu Jiahe pointed out.

Everyone burst into laughter. Ji Yin interjected, “Alright, alright, let’s eat. No more airing my dirty laundry.”

“You call this airing dirty laundry?” Yanzi rolled her eyes, then eagerly shared more gossip. “Dr. Lu, let me tell you, she used to have no sense of direction and would get lost all the time, always ending up at the most obvious landmark: the widow’s grave, waiting for us to find her. Later, whenever people saw her wandering outside, they’d ask if she was off to visit the widow again.”

Lu Jiahe chuckled and turned to Ji Yin. “Do you still get lost?”

“Not anytime soon,” Ji Yin shook her leg and chuckled helplessly. “I’ve practically become a living map now.”

“And the first time she got her period, she thought it was because she ate too much pork blood at lunch. She refused to touch pork blood that evening and still won’t eat it to this day.”

Lu Jiahe burst into laughter, doubling over with amusement.

Ji Yin’s face darkened. By the end of the meal, all her embarrassing stories had been laid bare. Fuming, she snapped, “Dong Xiang, go settle the bill!”

“We’re heading back now. Dr. Lu, goodbye let’s have another meal together next time,” Yanzi bid them farewell and left with Dong Xiang once the bill was paid.

“So, what about us ”

“I should get going,” Lu Jiahe said.

“Ah? So soon?”

Reluctantly, Ji Yin walked her to the parking lot. As Lu Jiahe got into her car and rolled down the window, she said, “I’ll borrow this outfit for a day. I’ll return it to you another time.”

“Okay.”

“Remember to read when you have time.”

“Okay.”

“I’m off.”

Ji Yin didn’t respond with words, only nodding as she watched her drive away before trudging lazily back upstairs.

After lunch, drowsiness set in. She returned to her room, flopped backward onto the bed, and closed her eyes for a brief nap. A minute later, her eyes suddenly flew open. She turned onto her side and sniffed the bed.

A faint fragrance lingered the scent of Lu Jiahe’s usual perfume. It was stronger on the pillow. She inhaled deeply, confirming it was indeed the same aroma. Hugging the soft pillow, she felt as though she were drifting through a shadowy forest, and soon, she slipped into a hazy sleep.

In that short span, she managed to dream.

In the dream, someone covered her eyes from behind, embracing her while whispering incessantly in her ear. Regrettably, she couldn’t make out a single word.

All she felt was how comfortable and warm the embrace was.

She asked the person, “What are you saying?”

The figure moved in front of her, releasing the hold over her eyes. Ji Yin saw their face adorned with the smile she knew best drawing closer with a playful grin as they murmured, “Your lips look very kissable.”

Then, slowly, they leaned in and pressed their lips to hers.

She didn’t pull away.

It was a surreal experience.

Ji Yin slowly opened her eyes, her mind foggy, as if still suspended in the dream. She couldn’t believe it, yet she was somewhat enchanted by the memory.

Closing her eyes again, she tried to reconnect the fragmented dream.

But it wasn’t that easy.

Instead of resuming, the dream shifted to a new scene.

This time, she dreamed she was working a part-time job when she ran into Lu Jiahe. In the dream, they were already close friends, she called her “Zaozao,” and Lu Jiahe called her “Yingzi”.

Yingzi the name was so absurd it jolted her awake.

Pulling back the curtains, she was met with pitch-black darkness outside. She had accidentally slept straight into the evening.

Lying in bed, she ordered takeout and hugged the pillow, lost in thought. Recalling the two dreams from the afternoon, most of the details had already faded, but the indescribable kiss remained vivid.

It left her both unsettled and enthralled.

Unable to resist, she dialed Lu Jiahe’s number. “Hello, Dr. Lu?”

“What’s wrong? You sound exhausted.”

Hearing Lu Jiahe’s voice felt like an echo of the whispers from her dream. Ji Yin sat up, running her fingers through her disheveled hair from front to back.

Her hair had grown past her shoulders, she hadn’t trimmed it in a while. Staring at her reflection in the window, she faintly recalled that in the dream, her hair had seemed even longer.

Could it be that she dreamed of Dr. Lu kissing someone else?

“Ji Yin?” Lu Jiahe called again when she didn’t hear a response.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Did something happen?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Dr. Lu, have you ever.”

“Have I ever what?”

“Have you ever dreamed of kissing a girl?” Ji Yin asked before flopping onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow and pounding the blanket with her fists.

“Yes, I have,” Lu Jiahe replied.

“Really?” Ji Yin mumbled into the pillow.

“Mhm.”

“Isn’t that a pretty normal thing?”

“Of course. Otherwise, how would I have realized I actually like girls?”

Ji Yin’s eyes widened. She rolled onto her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. “You figured out you liked girls just from a dream?”

“Well, not entirely based on the dream. Dreams can be so wild if I dreamed I was an alien, would that make me one?”

Ji Yin chuckled. Talking with Dr. Lu always made things so clear!

“It was just a catalyst. After that, I started paying more attention to my own behavior and feelings, and gradually realized it,” Lu Jiahe explained.

“I see… So, if someone isn’t gay, could they still dream about kissing someone of the same sex?” Ji Yin asked.

“I’m not sure about that,” Lu Jiahe paused. “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

“It’s nothing, just I watched a movie earlier.”

“What movie?”

“Don’t worry about what movie. Anyway, there was a scene where someone dreamed about kissing their close friend. Or maybe they dreamed about someone else kissing that friend they weren’t sure, since it was just a dream.”

Lu Jiahe was silent for a long moment. “Share the link. I want to watch it too.”

” Ji Yin blinked in disbelief. “Dr. Lu! How could you watch something like that?”

“I’m just single, not a monk. Can’t I watch a movie?” Lu Jiahe laughed.

“…” Well, she couldn’t argue with that.

Mostly, it was because Dr. Lu’s image in her mind was so upright and noble it was hard to imagine her curled up in front of a computer watching some pixelated adult film.

But that wasn’t the point!

The conversation was almost derailed!

“Help me analyze this,” Ji Yin urged.

“Alright, let’s analyze. So.or rather, the protagonist in this movie you watched, were they shocked?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“They were just a little confused.”

“Confusion is normal. Your friend… I mean, the female lead in this movie has she never been in a relationship before?”

“No, she hasn’t.”

“Are you free later? I can analyze it in person… or rather, analyze the situation in this movie?”

Ji Yin fell silent for a while. “Dr. Lu, did you figure out I was talking about myself?”

“It wasn’t hard to guess,” Lu Jiahe chuckled softly. “So, want to meet up later?”

“No, I have plans tonight,” Ji Yin evaded.

“Got it.”

“What do you mean, ‘got it’?”

“The person you dreamed about was me.”

Ji Yin: