Running Towards You - Chapter 39

After a few seconds of silence, Ji Yin shouted frantically into her phone, “Not you! It wasn’t you! How could it be you? Don’t you dare jump to conclusions!”

Lu Jiahe pursed her lips and smiled. “So I guessed wrong?”

“Absolutely! Positively! Not! You!” Her voice echoed through the entire room, hoarse from shouting.

“Then which friend did you dream about?” Lu Jiahe suppressed her laughter, feigning calm as she asked.

“An old friend. You don’t know them, and you’ve never met them. Ugh, it’s getting late, I need to head out. Let’s talk later, bye!” Ji Yin hung up guiltily.

Lu Jiahe stood by the window, lowering her phone. Catching sight of her smiling reflection in the mirror, the corners of her lips curled even higher.

“Come out for dinner.” Liu Jia pushed open the bedroom door and was startled to see her daughter grinning foolishly at the window. “What are you doing?”

Lu Jiahe turned around with a smile, walking over with light steps before slinging an arm over her mother’s shoulder and steering her toward the living room. “Dinner time, dinner time.”

“What’s that smell?” Liu Jia caught a whiff of perfume on her. “Since when do you wear perfume? Isn’t it against your workplace rules?”

“It’s fine to wear it off-duty,” Lu Jiahe replied.

“But you’ve never liked perfume before. The ones I bought you in the past, I’ve never seen you use them.”

“Well, I like it now. Is that okay?” Lu Jiahe took her seat and sniffed her wrist. The faint fragrance lingered, surprisingly long-lasting.

She wondered if Ji Yin’s bed still carried the scent.

Before leaving, she had secretly spritzed a bit of perfume on the sheets Ji Yin’s favorite scent.

Just thinking about her little mischief made her grin uncontrollably.

“Look at her she must have romance blooming,” Liu Jia said, handing chopsticks to her husband.

“Xiao Zao, are you seeing someone?” Professor Lu asked.

“It’s still too early for that,” Lu Jiahe replied.

“Where are they from? What do they do?” Liu Jia pressed curiously.

Lu Jiahe paused, scooping soup into her bowl with an air of nonchalance. “What’s the rush? I haven’t won them over yet. Let’s talk after I do.”

“Oh my, so you’re actually the one pursuing them? Must be someone special. Let us meet them sometime,” Liu Jia said eagerly.

Lu Jiahe lowered her head to sip the soup, immediately sticking out her tongue. “I know you’re eager, but don’t be too hasty. Rushing will only get you a mouthful of scalding soup.”

“Slow down.” Liu Jia’s gaze settled on her outfit. “I’ve never seen you wear this before.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s not your usual style.”

“Styles can change. Who knows? Maybe I’ll start experimenting with a lot of new looks. Mom, I’m even thinking of dyeing this” she pointed to her hair “green.”

“Don’t you dare.”

Of course, Lu Jiahe didn’t actually dare. She was just deflecting, and thankfully, the topic moved on.

In the blink of an eye, Labor Day arrived. The weather was clear, and Lu Jiahe turned on the air conditioning.

After packing away her seasonal clothes, she glanced at the hoodie lying on her bed it was time to return it to its owner.

Nearly ten days had passed since their last phone call.

Lu Jiahe figured Ji Yin needed time to process things. Even if it was just a dream, it was enough to leave Ji Yin tangled up for a while.

Ten days.

That should be enough time to sort things out.

If she didn’t seize the chance to reconnect soon, she worried the budding feelings might retreat back underground.

She dialed Ji Yin’s number. Half a minute later, the call finally connected.

“Hey, Dr. Lu?”

Hearing her breathless voice, Lu Jiahe asked, “Where are you?”

“I’m out of town on business. What’s up?” Ji Yin replied.

“When are you coming back? I need to return your hoodie.”

“Not sure yet. I’ll head back once I’m done here.”

“Alright, just shoot me a message when you’re back.”

“Got it.”

The call ended in under two minutes. Lu Jiahe held her phone, wondering if Ji Yin was really on a business trip.

Just then, her phone rang again. It was Li Chenyao calling.

“Today’s our math teacher’s 60th birthday, remember?” Li Chenyao asked.

They hadn’t been in the same class in high school, but they’d shared the same math teacher, a beloved figure known for his effective teaching and kindness.

“He’s already 60?” Lu Jiahe mused.

“Yep! A few of us are planning to visit him tonight. You in?”

“Definitely. I’ve got time today.”

After settling on a time, Lu Jiahe changed clothes and headed to Li Chenyao’s place so they could go together.

As soon as she got in the car, she spotted the gifts in the back seat and realized, “I didn’t bring anything.”

“These can count for both of us,” Li Chenyao offered generously.

“No way. Swing by Yanhua first, I’ll grab something before we go.”

“Fine.”

At the supermarket, Lu Jiahe picked up a bottle of wine, a fruit basket, and a pack of gum. She remembered how their math teacher loved chewing gum, always working his jaw.

“Dr. Lu!” Yanzi beamed at her. “Buying gifts?”

“Yeah.” Lu Jiahe glanced around.

“Need them wrapped? I can do it for you,” Yanzi offered.

“That’d be great.” Lu Jiahe watched her tie a ribbon around the wine bottle and smiled. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Your sister’s out of town?”

“Yep, super busy lately. Heavy rain earlier this year messed with produce prices, so she’s checking stock in person.” Yanzi boxed the wine and handed it over with a grin. “All set! Come back soon.”

“Thanks.” Lu Jiahe didn’t have time to ask more.

She couldn’t quite figure out Ji Yin’s job handling logistics, negotiating prices, coaching pool. How did she juggle it all?

“Ha! I got gum too!” Li Chenyao laughed from the car, rummaging through the bag. “Teacher’s gonna call us rebels!”

Laughing, they arrived at the teacher’s place, where two classmates were already waiting.

The teacher grinned at them. “Li Chenyao, that hairstyle’s something else. Lu Jiahe, you haven’t changed a bit. Look at me my hair’s all white now.”

“You’re still young at heart, that’s what matters,” Lu Jiahe said.

“True, true. Come on in.”

They chatted with the others until another knock came.

“How many people did you invite today? Hope we’ve got enough space,” the teacher chuckled, heading to the door.

“I only invited these few, and now everyone’s here. Teacher, with your students spread far and wide, I’m sure there are still other ‘peaches and plums’ who’ll come by.” Li Chenyao said as she peeled an orange.

“Cheng Jingwen? Is that you, Cheng Jingwen?!” The teacher’s surprised voice came from the doorway.

“It’s me, Teacher Li. Long time no see. I hope this impromptu visit isn’t interrupting anything?”

Everyone turned to look and saw Cheng Jingwen walking in carrying gifts, their expressions a mix of surprise.

Cheng Jingwen exchanged glances with them, seemingly just as taken aback to run into familiar faces especially Lu Jiahe.

“Of course not! It’s been so long since I last saw you. You were so thin back then, but look at you now so much more beautiful. And what perfect timing, your old classmates are here too. Come, sit down and catch up,” the teacher said.

The other two classmates were from Li Chenyao’s class. They knew Cheng Jingwen but weren’t close, only aware that she and Lu Jiahe used to be good friends. Assuming Lu Jiahe had invited her, they asked, “Jiahe, why didn’t you mention Cheng Jingwen was coming earlier?”

“I didn’t know either,” Lu Jiahe replied.

“I just happened to remember it was Teacher’s birthday today and decided to drop by. I had no idea you all would be here,” Cheng Jingwen explained.

“So where are you working now?” The two classmates struck up a conversation with her.

Li Chenyao turned her head and noticed Lu Jiahe quietly peeling a pomelo, her head lowered. She reached over to help and whispered, “Did you two have a falling out? Why aren’t you even talking?”

Lu Jiahe shot her a glance, and Li Chenyao immediately understood, pulling her into the kitchen to help the teacher’s wife.

Cheng Jingwen’s gaze unconsciously followed her retreating figure.

By dinnertime, the others had also picked up on the awkward tension between them and asked curiously, “Jingwen, weren’t you and Jiahe the closest before? Why aren’t you saying a word to each other now?”

Finally, Cheng Jingwen looked directly at Lu Jiahe. After a moment of silence, she raised her glass. “Jiahe, it’s been a long time.”

Lu Jiahe glanced around at the expectant faces before clinking her glass with a faint smile. “Long time no see.”

“I’ve missed you all these years.”

“…”

Apart from Li Chenyao, who caught the underlying meaning, the others simply took it as nostalgia between friends and expressed their envy.

Li Chenyao, noticing Lu Jiahe’s flustered reaction, raised her own glass and clinked it with Cheng Jingwen’s. “Well, well, Cheng Jingwen, you’re back and didn’t even tell us? Are we not friends anymore?”

“Yeah, Jingwen, are you just visiting, or are you planning to work here now?” the others pressed.

Cheng Jingwen had no choice but to respond to their questions.

The weight of the gaze on her finally lifted, and Lu Jiahe exhaled in relief, discreetly giving Li Chenyao a thumbs-up.

After enduring the dinner like sitting on pins and needles, Lu Jiahe excused herself early, citing work the next day.

Naturally, Li Chenyao left with her. Once downstairs, she asked, “Did something else happen between you two that I don’t know about?”

“Last time we met, I told her I was pursuing Ji Yin,” Lu Jiahe murmured, lowering her head.

“No wonder she looked so crushed.”

“Did she?”

“She did,” Li Chenyao said. “Are you really not going to consider her? I think she’s a great match you’ve known each other for so long, and she’s liked you for years. She’d definitely treat you well.”

“…”

Lu Jiahe thought to herself, If you knew she even gets jealous of you, you definitely wouldn’t be saying this.

Li Chenyao continued on her own, “I’ve only met Ji Yin a few times. She has a good personality, but that’s all I know about her. What does she do for a living? A billiards coach?”

“Billiards coach is probably her side job.”

“Then what’s her main job?” Li Chenyao asked curiously.

“She’s an employee at Yanhua Supermarket.”

“What.” Li Chenyao slowly widened her eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Li Chenyao pressed her hands on Lu Jiahe’s shoulders in disbelief. “You’re not messing with me, are you?”

“I’m not,” Lu Jiahe said, lifting her gaze. “Is there a problem?”

Li Chenyao took a deep breath. “Alright, at least she has a proper job. Which school did she go to before?”

“She dropped out of middle school. She only has an elementary school diploma.”

Li Chenyao could hardly believe her ears. “An elementary school diploma? In this day and age?”

“Yes.”

Seeing Lu Jiahe’s serious expression, devoid of any jest, Li Chenyao snapped, “Lu Jiahe, have you lost your mind?”

“I haven’t.”

“Did you know this from the start, or did she hide it from you?”

“She never hid it.”

“You’re absolutely love-struck! Good grief, I never thought you could be this foolish!” Li Chenyao poked Lu Jiahe’s forehead in frustration. “Right now, you’re just infatuated, you think everything about her is perfect. But once the novelty wears off, all that’s left is a dull routine. Do you two even have common topics to talk about? Are your ways of thinking and levels of understanding even compatible? Forget about me, would you dare let your parents know about this?”

The words struck a nerve with Lu Jiahe. She could freely discuss these things with Li Chenyao, but she didn’t dare confess directly to her parents, afraid they’d crush this budding relationship before it even had a chance to begin.

“Don’t tell them for now. When the time is right, I’ll talk to them myself,” Lu Jiahe said.

Li Chenyao scoffed.

“Yao Yao, you’re the first person I’ve told. You have to keep this a secret for me.”

“I wish you hadn’t told me at all!”

“You were the one who kept asking.”

“Ugh, my big mouth,” Li Chenyao said, slapping her own lips.

Lu Jiahe chuckled and turned her head, catching sight of a figure in her peripheral vision. When she looked back, she saw Cheng Jingwen standing there, looking utterly defeated. It was unclear how much she had overheard.

Cheng Jingwen slowly walked up to her, her expression still filled with shock and confusion. “Jiahe, you rejected me, for a supermarket employee with an elementary school diploma?”

“Her name is Ji Yin. Don’t refer to her with all those labels,” Lu Jiahe said.

Cheng Jingwen let out a bitter laugh. “Tell me, what part of me isn’t better than her? I stayed up all night studying until I fainted just so I could stand beside you. I worked overtime alone until I became anemic, all to be worthy of your family background. And now you’re telling me I lost to someone with only an elementary school diploma? Were all my efforts over the years just a joke?”

“Your efforts weren’t in vain. They helped you achieve the life you wanted, didn’t they?” Lu Jiahe sighed, wishing she could pat Cheng Jingwen’s shoulder like she used to, but the situation made it impossible now.

“Jingwen, thank you for having liked me, but we really aren’t compatible.”

“Is a dropout like her really suitable?!”

Lu Jiahe’s expression turned stern: “You’re drunk, so I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. You work hard, but you don’t see the effort others put in. Yes, she dropped out, but if any of us were in her shoes, we might not have done as well as she has myself included.”

Ji Yin returned home and didn’t even have time to take a sip of water before heading straight to the supermarket for a meeting, where they made some minor adjustments to vegetable prices.

After delegating all the tasks, she slumped into her chair, weakly sipping water.

Yanzi, who hadn’t left yet, said, “Dr. Lu asked me to give this to you.”

“What?” Ji Yin sat up.

“She gave it to me the other day when she came to the supermarket.” Yanzi pulled a little yellow duck from her pocket.

Ji Yin snatched the duck and squeezed it in her palm, her lips curling into a smile.

It wasn’t the same duck she’d bought from the little boy who’d fallen earlier. She had a gut feeling, this was the original duck Dr. Lu had rewarded her with.

Grabbing her keys, Ji Yin hurried out.

“Where are you going?” Yanzi called after her.

“The hospital!”

“Why are you so happy about going to the hospital?” Yanzi muttered, watching her leave.

By this time, work hours were over. Ji Yin parked her car and called Lu Jiahe, but no one answered.

After several unanswered calls, she figured Lu Jiahe wasn’t at home, she was probably in surgery.

Ji Yin waited in the lobby when suddenly, she heard someone call out “Jingwen.”

The name sounded familiar.

She looked up and saw Cheng Jingwen helping an elderly woman walk past her.

Their eyes met briefly before Cheng Jingwen coldly averted her gaze.

Ji Yin immediately rolled her eyes.

Still as detestable as ever!

Annoyed, Ji Yin crossed her legs, only to notice Cheng Jingwen’s disdainful glare sharpen like a blade, as if she wanted to slice off Ji Yin’s casually crossed leg.

Startled by her own imagination, Ji Yin stuck out her tongue at Cheng Jingwen’s retreating figure.

Half an hour later, she finally saw Dr. Lu emerge, looking faintly exhausted.

“Dr. Lu!” Ji Yin waved and strode forward.

Lu Jiahe paused, a smile tugging at her lips. “You’re back?”

“Yeah, wanna grab dinner?”

“Sure.”

As they walked out, Ji Yin began, “I just saw”

She stopped mid-sentence.

“Saw what?”

“Nothing.” Ji Yin didn’t feel like bringing that person up again. Hesitating, she glanced at Lu Jiahe, as if wanting to say more.

Just as Lu Jiahe was about to get into her car, Ji Yin stopped her.

“You look exhausted. Ride with me.” Ji Yin pointed to her motorcycle.

“Okay.” Lu Jiahe agreed readily.

While fastening Lu Jiahe’s helmet, Ji Yin’s movements slowed, her expression still hesitant.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Jiahe looked up.

After securing the buckle, Ji Yin gazed at the beautiful face framed by the helmet. “Dr. Lu, you and that Cheng Jingwen were high school classmates, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, last time, you mentioned dreaming about kissing a close friend was it her?” Ji Yin asked slowly.

“Let’s be precise you were the one who dreamed about kissing a close friend, not me,” Lu Jiahe replied with a smile.

Ji Yin’s eyes widened. “You clearly said it was a friend! How can you backtrack now?”

“You’re the one being dishonest. I have a recording do you want to hear it for yourself?” Lu Jiahe raised his phone and said.

Ji Yin was stunned. “How could you even record that?”