Running Towards You - Chapter 42.2

“Yes, she’s even a key employee at her company, handles all their major projects,” Lu Jiahe replied.

“That’s good.” Professor Lu adjusted his glasses, then remembered something important. “Do you know any good OB-GYNs?”

“Why?”

“You remember your cousin’s daughter, right? She’s pregnant.”

“What?! Didn’t she just graduate high school?” Lu Jiahe exclaimed.

There was a significant age gap between her and her cousin, and their families lived far apart, only reuniting every few years. Her impression of that niece was hazy just a quiet, reserved girl.

“She got involved with some unemployed guy from outside school,” Professor Lu said, phrasing it diplomatically. In simpler terms, he was a delinquent.

“Never did anything productive, dyed his hair blond, even got a rose tattooed on his neck, riding around on a motorcycle all day. Your niece thought he was different from everyone else, so… well.” Professor Lu let out a heavy sigh.

“What’s going to happen with the baby?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Her mother is too ashamed to go to a local hospital. Since you work in healthcare, she wants to bring her here for a checkup see if her body can handle terminating it.”

Lu Jiahe sighed, her heart heavy at the thought.

The atmosphere at the dinner table cooled down. Liu Jia shook her head and said, “Shuangshuang is just too young and hasn’t met enough people. She’s easily fooled by temporary excitement.”

“Exactly. At our school, there are often people from outside looking for girlfriends, mostly because they think the girls are naive,” Professor Lu said helplessly.

“When are they coming?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Next week. We’ll arrange for them to stay at your place, so you can stay with us.”

“Alright.”

On Saturday, Lu Jiahe was busy cleaning at home and had to turn down Ji Yin’s invitation to go out together.

Ji Yin felt a bit disappointed but then heard her say over the phone, “How about tomorrow? Let’s go see a movie. There’s one that just came out, and I really want to watch it.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up tomorrow then!”

“Sure.”

Humming a tune, Ji Yin put down her phone, reviewed the employee payroll, signed it, and handed it to the finance department.

After work, Yanzi pulled her aside and said, “I’m going to dye my hair. Come with me.”

“Where’s Dong Xiang?”

“At the pool hall. Just come with me, and maybe treat me while you’re at it,” Yanzi said with a grin, dragging her into the car.

“Don’t make me hit you.”

“Go ahead, hit me,” Yanzi retorted as she started the car, chattering nonstop. “I took a few makeup classes and realized how outdated I am! The other students all have such trendy hairstyles. I’m thinking of going pink!”

Ji Yin half-heartedly responded while engrossed in a lively online chat with Lu Jiahe.

At the salon, the manager noticed they were a pair and said, “If you both get services, you’ll get a 15% discount.”

Tempted, Yanzi turned to Ji Yin. “Why don’t you get something done too?”

“I’m not doing it.”

“Come on, you’ve had black hair for years aren’t you bored? A new color might give you a whole new look!”

“Then why don’t I just get plastic surgery?”

“Would you spend that kind of money?”

“No.”

“Exactly! Dyeing your hair isn’t expensive. Don’t you want to look even better?”

The manager chimed in, “That’s right! With hair as nice as yours, a new color could make your skin look even fairer”

Under their combined persuasion, Ji Yin thought for a moment and glanced down at her arm. Compared to Lu Jiahe’s, hers was indeed a shade darker.

“Fine… I’ll give it a try?”

The manager then asked what color and style she wanted. Ji Yin hadn’t given it any thought. “Just do whatever you think looks good.”

Yanzi, however, was full of enthusiasm. She’d been the one to take Ji Yin for haircuts before last time, it was a wolf-cut, and now she suggested a “catfish” style.

“Can’t I just have a normal human hairstyle? Why is it always named after animals?” Ji Yin asked.

“You don’t get it. These are super trendy and suit your vibe,” Yanzi insisted.

“I think my vibe suits a ‘Liu Yifei’ hairstyle.”

“Yeah, right.”

The manager interjected, “Actually, your current style is fine. We’ll just trim it a bit.”

The moment Ji Yin heard “trim,” she refused. “No cutting.”

“What, you growing it out now?” Yanzi asked.

“Is that not allowed?”

“Of course it is. Didn’t you always say long hair was a hassle?”

“Now I think long hair looks nice too. Once it’s longer, I’ll curl it, like Dr. Lu’s.”

“Alright, alright, no cutting then. Tony, just dye her hair.”

“My name’s David,” the manager corrected.

After leaving the salon, Ji Yin kept checking herself in the mirror. “Does this look good?”

“Absolutely stunning! You’re a total knockout now!” Yanzi gushed with envy.

“I still feel a bit weird about it.”

“That’s just because you’re not used to it yet. This flaxen brown suits you so well. Even Tony said it would shimmer in the sunlight.”

“First, his name is David. Second, there’s no sun right now, and it looks just average to me.” Ji Yin still wasn’t convinced and finally gave up on the mirror. “Whatever. I’ll ask Dr. Lu tomorrow. If she says it looks bad, I’ll just dye it back.”

“Why are you so biased? My opinion doesn’t count?”

“You’re the one who talked me into dyeing it. Of course you wouldn’t dare say it looks bad. I need an objective judge.”

The next day, the sun blazed brightly.

Ji Yin hated the heat, and the one thing she never skimped on was electricity, her survival depended on air conditioning.

She wore a loose sleeveless tank top and rubbed at the tattoo on her arm. Remembering that Lu Jiahe didn’t mind it and had even called it cute, she stopped worrying about it.

The movie was scheduled for the afternoon, so she called Lu Jiahe ahead of time to arrange lunch before the show.

Lu Jiahe had no objections.

So Ji Yin set off to pick her up.

Lu Jiahe checked the time, figured Ji Yin would arrive soon, spritzed on some perfume, and slung her bag over her shoulder before heading out.

Just as she stepped into the stairwell, her dad called.

“How’s the cleaning at your place? Need any help?”

“It’s pretty much done. They can move in directly,” Lu Jiahe replied.

“Good. They’re arriving tonight. Come over now I’ll pick you up on the way,” Professor Lu said.

“No need. I’m heading out now and won’t be back until evening. No luggage either you guys have everything there.”

As Lu Jiahe reached the gate of her complex, she spotted Ji Yin waiting and immediately hung up, striding over. “How long have you been here?”

“Just got here.” Ji Yin took off her helmet.

Lu Jiahe paused, eyeing her with surprise. “You dyed your hair?”

“Yeah.” Ji Yin ruffled her hair, a little shy. “Does it look okay?”

“It looks amazing.” Lu Jiahe reached out and touched her hair, admiring its shine and stylishness. “It really suits you.”

“Really?” Ji Yin’s lips curled up involuntarily. “That’s a relief.”

“Mm-hmm, it’s beautiful.”

Lu Jiahe gazed at her intently, her admiration so obvious it made Ji Yin blush. Ji Yin quickly handed her the helmet. “Hop on. Let’s grab lunch.”

“Okay.” Lu Jiahe put on the helmet and smoothly climbed onto the backseat, wrapping her arms around Ji Yin’s waist.

The bike roared off, kicking up dust.

“Jiahe!” A voice called from behind, but the two were already gone.

Professor Lu stared in shock at the direction they’d disappeared.

He had already been on his way when he remembered to call Lu Jiahe. As he neared the gate, he saw his daughter affectionately touching another woman’s head.

He immediately guessed it was the person his daughter liked, so he stood at a distance to observe.

But what he observed was bleached hair, tattoos, and a motorcycle.

Professor Lu closed his eyes, two words flashing in his mind:

We’re doomed!