Running Towards You - Chapter 42.1

Ji Yin was idling in the living room, desperately looking for something to do, so she started cleaning.

By the time Lu Jiahe finished showering, Ji Yin was mopping the bedroom floor.

After mopping for a while, Ji Yin had already started to feel warm and instinctively rolled her sleeves up to her shoulders.

“Almost done,” Ji Yin said as she mopped her way to the doorway, about to leave, when Lu Jiahe suddenly grabbed her arm.

“Wait a second.”
“What’s up?” Ji Yin turned to look at her.

“What’s this?” Lu Jiahe pointed to Ji Yin’s upper arm.

Ji Yin glanced down at the spot she was pointing to there was a black design there. “A tattoo.”

They’d known each other for so long, but with the cold weather and layers of clothing, Lu Jiahe had never noticed the tattoo until Ji Yin rolled up her sleeves.

“When did you get it?”

Ji Yin thought back. “Around sixteen, I think.”

“That early?”

“Yeah.”

“What made you want to get a tattoo?”

“To look cool.” Ji Yin felt a bit embarrassed.

“…”

Ji Yin peeked at her a couple of times before muttering, “I was working at a pool hall back then. There were a lot of tough guys there, all covered in tattoos looked really intimidating. No one dared to mess with them. I just wanted to be like them, you know? Look tough and unapproachable.”

Lu Jiahe traced the tattoo with her fingers. “Right, you wanted to look tough… so you got a big-faced cat?”

“…”

Ji Yin scratched her head sheepishly. “I was originally going for a tiger left a dragon, right a tiger, the whole deal! But turns out I couldn’t handle the pain. By the time half the head was done, I had to switch to a cat on the spot.”

Lu Jiahe couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re not even scared of getting into fights, but you’re scared of this?”

“Guess pain has its specialties,” Ji Yin mumbled awkwardly, pulling her sleeve back down. Then, in a small voice, she asked, “So, what do you think of my tattoo?”

“Cute.” Lu Jiahe tugged her sleeve back up with two fingers, grinning as she studied the black, big-faced cat.

” Ji Yin blinked. “You don’t think it’s. inappropriate?”

“Why would I?”

“After I got it, within a few days, everyone around me started saying I was going down the wrong path. They used me as a cautionary tale to warn their kids to study hard.”

“Their prejudice is their problem, not yours,” Lu Jiahe said, still stroking the big-faced cat.

Ji Yin froze for a moment before slowly softening, her eyes filling with a gentle light.

“If only everyone in the world were like you.”

Back in her teens, how could she have known what prejudice even was?

When everyone said she was a lost cause, accused her of hanging around shady places, and predicted she’d never amount to anything, she’d started doubting herself, was her life really over before it began?

But sometimes, she also thought the more people looked down on her, the more she wanted to prove them wrong.

Caught in this back-and-forth, she grew more and more desperate to leave, to escape those judgmental eyes, to find a place where no one knew her and just make a living.

That was why she’d fallen for that scammer’s lies so easily. The outside world had opportunities, but it also had dangers.

“If everyone were like me, would you still be friends with me?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Of course I would,” Ji Yin blurted out without hesitation. “Even if everyone were like you, no one could ever be you.”

Lu Jiahe couldn’t help but smile, gently patting her cheek. “Your words are getting sweeter by the day. I almost feel like rewarding you.”

“What reward?” Ji Yin looked at her eagerly, her anticipation evident, mixed with an inexplicable nervousness she couldn’t quite understand.

Lu Jiahe gazed at her lips and whispered, “A candied hawthorn stick. I’ll share one with you.”

“Fine.”

Outside, the rain had stopped at some point.

They both lay down, gazing out the window in unison, drifting into a peaceful and contented sleep.

Early the next morning, as dawn barely broke, Ji Yin was already up.

After buying breakfast downstairs, she ran into Yanzi and Dong Xiang.

Since they rented apartments on different floors of the same building, running into each other was common, but at this hour, it was rare.

“Why are you up so early?” Ji Yin asked.

“Toothache kept me up half the night. Couldn’t sleep at all,” Yanzi said, her eyes dull. “You’ve already bought breakfast? Perfect, share some with me.”

“Not a chance. Buy your own,” Ji Yin quickly tucked the food away.

“Who are you kidding? There’s no way you can finish all that alone.”

“Who said I’m eating alone? Dr. Lu is here too.”

“Huh? Why is she staying at your place again?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I stayed at her place for ages during the holidays,” Ji Yin retorted before striding into the elevator.

Yanzi clutched her cheek, grumbling as she headed out to get her tooth pulled.

When Ji Yin returned home, she found Dr. Lu still asleep.

Glancing at the time, she knocked lightly on the door. “Dr. Lu, are you awake?”

No response came from inside.

“You’re going to be late,” Ji Yin murmured, carefully pushing the door open. Seeing Lu Jiahe still asleep, she crouched by the bed, plucked a stray strand of hair from the pillow, and began brushing it lightly across her face.

“Mmm.”

Hearing the soft, kitten-like sound Lu Jiahe made, Ji Yin’s lips curled into a smile. She gathered more hair and swept it over her eyelids. Lu Jiahe’s lashes fluttered before her eyes slowly opened, her gaze locking directly onto Ji Yin’s face.

Their eyes met, and Ji Yin brushed the hair against her nose again. “Morning. Time to get up, or you’ll be late.”

“Don’t wanna,” Lu Jiahe murmured, swatting the hair away.

“Doesn’t matter if you don’t wanna. Thirty is the age to hustle. Up you go.” Ji Yin grabbed her hand and pulled her upright. Seeing her sitting drowsily on the bed, head drooping like she could barely stay awake, Ji Yin started tickling her palm.

Lu Jiahe burst into laughter, yanking her hand back. “Stop, that tickles”

“Time to rise and shine,” Ji Yin said, encouraged by the reaction. She escalated her attack, going straight for Lu Jiahe’s sides.

Lu Jiahe laughed loudly, squirming under the covers. Ji Yin yanked the blanket away, kneeling on the bed as she pinned Lu Jiahe’s waist with both hands, relentlessly tickling her.

Tears of laughter welled in Lu Jiahe’s eyes as she writhed, trying to escape. “Okay, okay! I’m getting up now ahahaha!”

Ji Yin finally relented, both of them panting.

As she looked down, her breath caught. Lu Jiahe’s shirt had ridden up, revealing a soft, slender waist and to her surprise, two faint lines of muscle.

She lifted her gaze to look at Lu Jiahe, who was still catching her breath, her face tinged with a faint blush, lips slightly parted as she exhaled in slow, steady breaths.

Ji Yin stared at her in a daze.

Lu Jiahe’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, her dimples appearing as she extended a hand. “Help me up.”

Ji Yin pulled her up, and they found themselves face to face, nearly colliding.

Flustered, Ji Yin quickly sidestepped and nimbly got out of bed, glancing at the time. “Oh no, hurry, hurry! If we don’t get up now, we’ll really be late!”

“Alright, you go out first. I need to change.”

After Ji Yin closed the door behind her, Lu Jiahe blinked, turned off the alarm that had gone off half an hour earlier, and energetically changed her clothes.

After a rushed breakfast, Ji Yin was eager to drive her to work.

“Wait,” Ji Yin said before leaving, grabbing the bouquet of roses from the table and placing them in Lu Jiahe’s car.

“Give me the keys. I’ll drive you can catch a little more sleep.”

“Okay.”

After work that evening, Lu Jiahe went to her parents’ place for dinner.

“Where did you stay last night?” Liu Jia suddenly asked.

Lu Jiahe nearly choked. Looking up at her parents’ expressions, she knew they had noticed she hadn’t come home the night before.

“A friend’s place.”

“Which friend?”

“Someone you don’t know.”

“Is it the person you’re pursuing?”

Lu Jiahe silently sipped her soup.

“How far along are you two?”

“One step away we’re almost officially together.”

“So you’re not together yet?” Liu Jia frowned at her. “You stayed over at their place before even defining the relationship?”

“It wasn’t like that. It was pouring rain yesterday, so I just stayed the night.”

“So did you two”

“No, I took the bed. She slept on the couch.”

“That’s better,” Liu Jia sighed in relief. “I told you to take initiative, but you still need to keep boundaries in mind.”

“I know.”

Professor Lu, however, was fixated on something else. “She only has one bed at her place?”

“Yeah.”

“Her place isn’t very big, then.”

“It’s rented.”

The elderly couple exchanged glances. Professor Lu pressed further, “How old is she? Does she have a stable job?”