Running Towards You - Chapter 54

As someone passed by ahead, Ji Yin’s heart pounded wildly. But the thought that Lu Jiahe’s hand was covering her ear, making it impossible for others to guess what they were doing only made her blush harder.

“You, isn’t this moving even faster?” Ji Yin asked, her heart racing with nervous excitement.

“Is that not allowed? You can hold my hand, but I can’t kiss your ear?” Lu Jiahe asked with an innocent expression.

“O-of course it’s allowed!”

Ji Yin stole a glance at her out of the corner of her eye, waiting with restrained anticipation, only to realize Lu Jiahe didn’t seem to get the hint, she didn’t lean in again.

Turning her head, Ji Yin looked at Lu Jiahe’s profile. Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, she mimicked Lu Jiahe’s earlier action covering her ear with a hand, quickly leaning in to plant a kiss, then retreating with a triumphant grin.

Lu Jiahe’s lips curved into a smile.

That night, after returning home, Lu Jiahe called Li Chenyao.

“Are you free tonight? Let me treat you to dinner.”

“I’m not home, I’m traveling with colleagues,” Li Chenyao replied.

“Alright then. I was going to introduce my girlfriend to you.”

“What? Girlfriend?!” Li Chenyao’s voice shot up. “Who? Ji Yin?”

“Yeah, her,” Lu Jiahe chuckled.

” Oh my god, you actually managed to crack her open? I’ll find you two for a meal when I’m back!”

“Sure.”

After showering, Lu Jiahe lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, hugging the blanket, and smiling to herself.

Just then, her phone rang.

It was a video call from Ji Yin. When she answered, the screen showed only darkness. “Where are you?”

“The emergency stairwell. Someone’s asleep in the ward,” Ji Yin whispered.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“Couldn’t sleep. because I missed you.” After blurting it out, Ji Yin feigned composure, lowering her head to fiddle with her hair, really just hiding her shyness.

“Look up,” Lu Jiahe said softly.

After a long pause, Ji Yin finally raised her head bashfully and coughed. “What?”

Lu Jiahe pressed a kiss to the screen, sending it through the air.

Ji Yin:

Ji Yin lost sleep again, giggling under the covers like a fool.

Even when Yanzi visited the next day, she noticed something was off.

“What’s up with you lately? Sighing one second, grinning like an idiot the next you look possessed.”

In response, another eerie laugh bubbled out: “Hehehe, hihihi, hohoho, hahaha.”

Yanzi stared at her blankly, while Dong Xiang, unfazed, continued reporting on the billiards hall and renovation progress.

As the meeting wound down, Lu Jiahe arrived.

Ji Yin had just opened her mouth when Yanzi cut in first.

“Dr. Lu!” Yanzi greeted her warmly at the door. “Welcome! I heard you were away on a business trip, when did you get back?”

“Yesterday.”

Once Lu Jiahe sat down, Yanzi handed her a bowl of washed fruit, grinning. “I also heard you’re about to start dating? Is it true?”

“Oh? Who told you that?” Lu Jiahe asked, smiling as she glanced at Ji Yin.

“My sister, of course. She mentioned you went on a blind date and might be getting into a relationship,” Yanzi said.

Lu Jiahe: “Oh? A blind date?”

“…” Ji Yin awkwardly looked away.

Yanzi: “Hmm, so your blind date was a success?”

“No.” Lu Jiahe looked at Ji Yin with an amused expression. “I ended up with someone else.”

“Whoever it is, we’re happy for you, right sis?”

“Ah? Mhmm.” Ji Yin nodded repeatedly.

“If there’s a chance, let’s all have a meal together. I’m really curious about what kind of person would catch Dr. Lu’s fancy,” Yanzi said dreamily.

“Sure, I’ll introduce her to you when there’s an opportunity,” Lu Jiahe replied, suppressing a laugh.

After some more casual conversation, Lu Jiahe noticed Yanzi and Dong Xiang showed no intention of leaving. Glancing at the time, she stood up and said, “I need to go handle some matters. You all take your time chatting.”

Ji Yin watched her leave reluctantly while Yanzi enthusiastically saw her to the door. Turning back, Yanzi saw Ji Yin’s darkened expression and sighed, “Why are you angry again? Your moods are so unpredictable lately!”

Ji Yin said, “If there’s nothing urgent these next few days, you don’t need to come by to check on me.”

“But Dr. Lu specifically told us to keep an eye on you no running around, just focus on recovering properly.”

“I’m practically discharged already. What could possibly happen? Keeping an eye on the shop for me would be the biggest help.”

Yanzi exchanged a helpless look with Dong Xiang before reluctantly agreeing.

During rounds the next day, Lu Jiahe examined Ji Yin’s arm, having her perform some lifting motions. “Recovery is going well. You can be discharged the day after tomorrow.”

“Great.” Ji Yin was eager to return home, there were countless tasks awaiting her at the new shop.

“For the first two weeks after discharge, moderate exercise is allowed. Remember, moderate.”

“Got it.” Ji Yin pulled the blanket over, secretly taking Lu Jiahe’s hand under the covers.

Lu Jiahe looked down at her, smiling warmly.

Ji Yin feigned composure, continuing to ask about post-discharge precautions, only releasing her hand after all the other doctors had left.

Lu Jiahe pocketed her hand and left with a smile.

On the day of discharge, Yanzi and Dong Xiang were both busy. Ji Yin handled all the procedures herself and lingered outside Lu Jiahe’s consultation room twice.

Seeing how occupied she was, Ji Yin left quietly without disturbing her.

After dropping her luggage at home, she glanced at her arm. Though it no longer needed a sling, it still ached when exerting force. Unsure if she could ride or drive, she hailed a taxi and headed straight to the new shop to check on progress.

Dong Xiang was discussing wiring issues with a worker when he spotted Ji Yin and called out, “Sis Yin.”

“Don’t mind me, carry on.” Ji Yin stood to the side, listening silently as he communicated with the worker.

Once Dong Xiang finished, he instinctively looked to her for confirmation. “Is this okay?”

“Perfect.” Ji Yin patted his shoulder with a smile. “You’re really coming into your own.”

“All thanks to your guidance,” Dong Xiang chuckled.

He had been a greenhorn with no particular skills, poor academic performance, and a disastrous major. After graduation, it was Ji Yin who took him under her wing. Though he did all sorts of odd jobs, he gained extensive knowledge and experience in the process.

Moreover, Ji Yin was generous with her teachings, instructing him hands-on in everything. There was no better mentor than her.

“If there’s nothing else later, maybe we could go pick out some lighting fixtures?” Dong Xiang suggested.

“Sure.”

As Dong Xiang drove, he brought up another matter: “My parents won’t be coming here this month.”

“Why? Didn’t we say we’d have them come look at the house?”

“We’ve been so busy lately. Even if they came, we wouldn’t have the energy to entertain them properly. Let’s wait until after the new store opens and things stabilize before inviting them over.”

Ji Yin nodded approvingly. “That works. After the new store opens, you can take over as the manager here.”

“Really?” Dong Xiang couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Weren’t you originally the manager of the pool hall? Isn’t this a demotion for you?” Ji Yin teased with a laugh.

“Managing a pool hall is nothing compared to the complexity of a supermarket. The workload is much lighter there.”

Though, to be honest, it wasn’t exactly easy either. Whenever the supermarket was short-staffed, he’d be pulled over to cover shifts.

He was like a brick in the supermarket moved wherever needed, and without extra pay at that.

Fortunately, he had never complained.

Ji Yin had also been deliberately tempering him. He had familiarized himself with every aspect of the supermarket’s operations, and now his work had become increasingly meticulous and steady.

“The store manager’s position will remain unchanged, he’ll still be in charge. But with two stores, he might not be able to handle everything alone, so you’ll need to take on more responsibility. Try to avoid conflicts with him when making decisions,” Ji Yin instructed.

“I understand.” Dong Xiang knew that their relationship might invite gossip among the employees, so Ji Yin’s decision to appoint him as a manager was both reasonable and fair.

The car stopped at an intersection, waiting for the light to turn green. Dong Xiang gazed at the newly built apartment buildings on either side and said, “Actually, the main reason I don’t want my parents to come yet is because Yanzi doesn’t seem ready for marriage.”

Ji Yin sighed. “Yeah.”

Dong Xiang turned to look at her and smiled. “She said she wants to wait for you, her older sister, to get married first.”

“I’ve told her countless times, I’m not getting married.” Ji Yin massaged her temples in exasperation.

“That’s what you say, but she still thinks you’ll eventually fall in love and marry someone.”

“I never even considered marriage before, and now it’s even more impossible.”

“Why?”

Ji Yin’s lips curled slightly as she raised her head, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “The light’s green let’s go.”

After spending half the day browsing the lighting store, they finally picked out a few fixtures. While negotiating with the owner, Ji Yin’s phone rang.

She glanced at the screen and quickly stepped aside, answering cheerfully, “Hello ”

Only then did she realize how sickeningly sweet her voice sounded.

She immediately reined in her smile and feigned seriousness, staring at the mirror in front of her.

Lu Jiahe chuckled softly on the other end. “You’ve been discharged from the hospital, right? Are you home now?”

“I’m out running some errands. Are you off work?”

“Yeah. When will you be done? Want to grab dinner together?”

“I’ll be finished soon!” Ji Yin hurried over to Dong Xiang and whispered, “You handle the haggling. If the price is right, go ahead and finalize it. I’m heading out first.”

“Got it.”

Ji Yin rushed to the meeting spot in a hurry. As soon as she got out of the car, she spotted Lu Jiahe standing across the street.

The light had two seconds left.

She broke into a sprint.

Horns blared as Ji Yin leaped onto the curb, charging toward her with a gust of wind.

“Be careful. Don’t just dash across like that, what if something happened?” Lu Jiahe steadied her.

“The moment I saw you, I forgot everything else,” Ji Yin said, her gaze burning into her. “Besides, I’m really fast.”

Lu Jiahe laughed. “Traffic rules aren’t something you should forget.”

“Got it.” Ji Yin nodded obediently.

There was a small park near the restaurant. After dinner, the two strolled along a tree-lined path.

The autumn weather was pleasantly comfortable, with a gentle breeze brushing against the face. Occasionally, as they passed by osmanthus trees, waves of subtle fragrance would waft over them.

The two had been walking for over half an hour, yet Ji Yin showed no signs of fatigue. In the dappled light, she turned her head to glance at Lu Jiahe’s strikingly handsome profile and thought to herself that she could stroll like this all night!

It wasn’t just them many people loved taking walks in such a place.

Up ahead, a young couple walked together. The girl took a few bites of her ice cream, decided she didn’t like it, and the boy took it from her and finished it off. The girl happily grabbed his hand, smiling sweetly.

“How enviable.” Ji Yin couldn’t help but sigh.

Lu Jiahe’s fingers twitched slightly as he asked with an amused smile, “Envious of what?”

“There aren’t any shops around here, right? Yet she managed to buy ice cream. I really want some too.”

Lu Jiahe: “…”