Running Towards You - Chapter 64

There was naturally no washboard, so Ji Yin ended up spending her most unforgettable night at Lu Jiahe’s house.

She lay sprawled over the desk, writing her letter of repentance for over an hour completely by hand until she felt completely numb.

After Lu Jiahe finished her shower, she inspected the repentance letter and even deliberately stuck it on the wall as a warning.

Ji Yin stared at the letter on the wall, utterly ashamed. “If your parents or Li Chenyao see this, I’ll be so embarrassed.”

“You know it’s embarrassing now? Next time you swear, you’ll write another letter of repentance. Let’s see how long it takes to cover this wall,” Lu Jiahe said.

“Wahhh…” No matter how much Ji Yin pleaded, she couldn’t change Lu Jiahe’s mind. So she grabbed Lu Jiahe’s wrist, pulled her onto her lap, and attempted to use her charm.

After a heated kiss, Ji Yin asked, “Can you take it down now?”

“Not a chance.”

“You… your willpower is something else!”

Wasn’t it said that people are most easily persuaded in bed? Could it be because they weren’t in bed right now?

Ji Yin fell into deep thought.

Lu Jiahe smirked, placing one hand on her shoulder and kissing her forehead while the other slipped under her clothes, cupping her breast.

Ji Yin trembled, easily flustered and melting under her touch. Just as she was about to speak, Lu Jiahe lowered her head and captured her lips, stirring her emotions slowly yet skillfully.

“Will you behave from now on?”

The hand on her neck kept kneading the nape, sending waves of pleasure and numbness. Ji Yin had no resistance left. “Yes, yes, yes!”

“Will you keep anything from me again?”

“No, no, no!”

“Who do you love the most?”

“You, you, you!”

“Are you going back tonight?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

“Hmm?” Lu Jiahe looked at her in confusion.

“The gifts I prepared for your parents are still at home. I have to go back,” Ji Yin explained.

“What about going back tomorrow morning to get them?” Lu Jiahe suggested.

“I’d rather go back now. Otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep at your place and won’t be in good shape to meet your parents tomorrow,” Ji Yin said earnestly.

“Alright then, be careful on your way back.”

“Mm.”

Ji Yin looked at her, suddenly lifted her pajama top, kissed her for a while, and then reluctantly left.

Lu Jiahe curled up in the chair, waiting for the flames of desire to subside.

She gazed toward the door, thinking to herself, She always lights the fire but never puts it out. Next time, I won’t let her off so easily.

Early the next morning, Lu Jiahe was called over by Liu Jia to help.

Professor Lu had gone out to buy fish, and Liu Jia placed two garlic bulbs on the dining table. “Peel these.”

Just as Lu Jiahe started, Liu Jia asked casually, “Did Ji Yin stay at your place last night?”

“No, she played for a while and then went back.”

Liu Jia looked half-convinced. “Then why was she avoiding me?”

“She’s nervous, afraid you wouldn’t be satisfied with her,” Lu Jiahe replied smoothly.

Liu Jia couldn’t help but laugh. “Are we that intimidating?”

“One of you is a teacher, the other a journalist. Who wouldn’t be nervous meeting you?” Lu Jiahe said.

Liu Jia shook her head, smiling, and went into the kitchen to marinate the chicken wings.

After peeling the garlic, Lu Jiahe brought it in and asked, “By the way, why did Dad suddenly change his mind and want to meet her?”

“Last time your dad went to the hospital, didn’t Ji Yin take him?” Liu Jia said.

“There was such a thing? She never mentioned it to me.” Lu Jiahe was slightly surprised.

“She only caught a distant glimpse of your dad during that fight, and that day your dad was wearing a mask, so she probably didn’t recognize him.”

Lu Jiahe nodded and smiled. “See, what did I tell you? Once you spend some time with her, you won’t hold any prejudice against her.”

“Let me clarify it’s not prejudice, it’s experience. I’ve seen too many mismatched marriages that ended in chaos and fell apart.” Liu Jia finished and, seeing Lu Jiahe about to argue again, smiled and said, “But experience isn’t always right either. Sometimes we misjudge. I hope we’re just mistaken this time.”

Only then did Lu Jiahe seem satisfied. After thinking for a moment, she added, “I can’t guarantee what will happen decades from now, but as things stand, every day since I’ve been with her has been really happy. I think that’s enough.”

“As long as you’re happy.” Liu Jia nodded in agreement.

The door opened, and Professor Lu returned, accompanied by the sound of conversation with a neighbor.

“Professor Lu, you’re already out buying groceries so early in the morning? Are you expecting guests?”

“Yes, Jiahe’s girlfriend is coming over for dinner,” Professor Lu replied.

“Oh, so Jiahe really has a girlfriend now?”

“That’s right. I’ll go clean the fish now we’ll chat later.”

After closing the door, Professor Lu carried the fish into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to clean it.

“Old Lady Li has been over the moon since she got a grandson, carrying the child around to visit everyone all day.” Liu Jia handed Lu Jiahe a bowl of washed strawberries. “She especially loves coming to our place, constantly showing off her family bliss.”

Lu Jiahe bit into a strawberry and laughed. “Just ignore her, then.”

“We see each other all the time, so we have to exchange a few words. But the underlying message is always how unfortunate it is that you didn’t take a liking to her son back then.”

“Well, there’s nothing to be done. No matter how outstanding her son is, he’s just not my type,” Lu Jiahe said.

Old Lady Li’s husband was a colleague of Professor Lu’s. The Li family had moved in as neighbors when Lu Jiahe was in college.

Old Lady Li had taken quite a liking to Lu Jiahe and wanted to set her up with her son. Unfortunately, Lu Jiahe had already come out to her family by then.

When Old Lady Li repeatedly came to play matchmaker and even brought her son over to meet Lu Jiahe, Lu Jiahe couldn’t hold back and told them about her sexual orientation.

But since she hadn’t been in a relationship all these years, Old Lady Li always believed Lu Jiahe had just made up an excuse to reject her son.

So whenever her son achieved something, she couldn’t wait to come and tell the Lu family.

“Just wait she’ll probably drop by again to join in the excitement,” Liu Jia remarked.

No sooner had she spoken than the doorbell rang.

Mother and daughter exchanged a look and sighed helplessly.

“Is it Ji Yin?” Professor Lu asked, noticing no one was answering the door.

“I’ll go check.” Lu Jiahe hurried over to open the door, only to find Old Lady Li standing there, holding her chubby, fair-skinned grandson and ready for a visit.

“Jiahe, you’re home! I thought you’d gone to pick up your girlfriend,” Old Lady Li said with a smile as she walked in. Passing by the kitchen, she greeted the older couple. “Oh, Professor Lu is cooking himself must be a very special guest!”

“Old Lu cooks often,” Liu Jia replied.

“Our old man just can’t match him in this regard he never steps into the kitchen.”

“Auntie, have some water. Talking too much strains your throat.” Lu Jiahe poured her a glass of water.

“Jiahe is so thoughtful.” Granny Li sat down with the child in her arms, took the water, and asked, “Is that girlfriend of yours real or fake?”

“I’ve brought her home, how could she be fake?” Lu Jiahe chuckled.

“Who knows? I was watching a drama recently where the male lead hired a fake girlfriend to appease his parents.”

“If I wanted to do that, I would’ve done it long ago. I wouldn’t have waited until now.” Lu Jiahe sat down and played with the chubby little boy in her arms.

The boy was plump and adorable, blinking his big eyes dazedly. His little hands reached out into the air, grasping toward her.

“Oh my, this child likes you,” Granny Li said.

Lu Jiahe leaned in closer, staring wide-eyed at the chubby little boy. The boy grinned, and Lu Jiahe smiled back.

“Isn’t he cute?” Granny Li asked.

“Very cute.”

“Why don’t you have one too?”

“Then give me this one,” Lu Jiahe said, pointing at the chubby baby.

“Huh?” Granny Li was puzzled. “This is my grandson.”

“You told me to have one, so I want this one.”

“…” Granny Li looked at her serious expression and couldn’t tell if she was joking. “Are you teasing me?”

“Yeah, couldn’t you tell?”

“…” She really couldn’t.

Liu Jia came out with a plate of fruit and laughed. “Don’t mind her. The older she gets, the more mischievous she becomes.”

Lu Jiahe stuck out her tongue.

Granny Li laughed and then pressed on with her gossip. “So, what does her girlfriend do?”

“She works at a supermarket,” Liu Jia said.

“A supermarket. What school did she graduate from?”

“What school was it again?” Liu Jia couldn’t remember and looked at Lu Jiahe, leaving it to her to answer however she pleased.

“Sangoutou,” Lu Jiahe said, picking up another strawberry.

“Sangoutou?” Granny Li was baffled. “What kind of school is that? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Because it’s a local elementary school in her hometown. It’s normal you haven’t heard of it.”

“Elementary school?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Granny Li’s astonishment was written all over her face. “Oh, Jiahe, you… What were you thinking? Did you just pick someone randomly because you’re getting older?”

“No, she’s a beauty I carefully selected.”

“…” Granny Li clearly disapproved. “Can good looks put food on the table? What matters most is a person’s ability.”

“Zaozao, bring me a pair of scissors,” Professor Lu called from the kitchen.

“Coming.” Lu Jiahe found a new pair of scissors and brought them into the kitchen, handing them to him.

Professor Lu took the scissors and lowered his voice. “Why did you tell her all that?”

“If I answer her questions now, she won’t have to ask Ji Yin directly later,” Lu Jiahe explained. “We can’t hide it forever. If she asks Ji Yin in front of everyone later, Ji Yin might feel too embarrassed to lie openly. Wouldn’t it be even more awkward for her to answer herself? It’s better to clarify things in advance.”

Professor Lu smiled. “Alright, as long as you don’t mind.”

“Why would I mind? I’m worried about you two. Once she knows, soon the whole building will know.”

“What can we do? Your girlfriend is Ji Yin that’s just the way it is.”

Lu Jiahe smiled, remembering there was something he hadn’t had the chance to tell them yet. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang.

“It’s Ji Yin.” Lu Jiahe answered the call. “Hey, are you here?”

“I’m in the neighborhood. Where should I park?”

“You can park at the foot of Building 3.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Lu Jiahe immediately ran to the balcony.

“Is she here?” Liu Jia asked.

“Yes.”

“Let me see.” Granny Li, holding the child, walked toward the balcony and saw a car slowly approaching. Shortly after, Lu Jiahe hurried out to greet the person.

“That’s a nice-looking car,” Granny Li remarked. “Could it be his girlfriend inside?”

“Probably not, right?” Liu Jia looked doubtfully at the car parked downstairs. A woman stepped out, though her face wasn’t clearly visible.

“Is she here?” Professor Lu also came out of the kitchen to see what was happening.

“Is that person Ji Yin?” Liu Jia pointed at the figure downstairs.

“I only wear reading glasses, not binoculars,” Professor Lu replied.

“Probably not. I’ve seen this car before. When my son was car shopping, he asked about it it’s too expensive, we couldn’t afford it. The person inside must be wealthy, definitely not Jiahe’s girlfriend,” Granny Li said.

But there was no one else or any other car passing by, and the woman was unloading things from the car, looking very much like she was carrying gifts for a visit.

“Could it really be her?” Liu Jia wondered aloud.

“I heard a young man downstairs is also bringing his girlfriend home this month. Maybe it’s them.”

The next moment, Lu Jiahe appeared in their line of sight.

He exchanged a few words with the woman, kissed her, and then they walked into the building together, carrying the items.

The three of them exchanged bewildered glances. Liu Jia said in confusion, “Did I see that right?”

Professor Lu remarked, “Has my eyesight gotten worse?”

Granny Li exclaimed, “It can’t be that we all saw wrong! Jiahe really kissed that woman!”

Inside the elevator, Ji Yin hunched her shoulders, pacing nervously in place. “What do I do, what do I do? I’m so nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous.” Lu Jiahe kissed her again. “Still nervous?”

“Super nervous. Maybe we should try a French kiss?”

Lu Jiahe chuckled and patted her head. “No time for that now.”

The elevator doors opened, and Ji Yin timidly followed behind him, watching as he opened a door to reveal three people staring intently at her.

“Mom, Dad, Ji Yin is here.” Lu Jiahe stepped aside to introduce Ji Yin to his parents.

“Hello, Teacher Liu Jia, hello, Uncle.” Ji Yin immediately switched her demeanor, smiling politely and nodding in greeting. Tall and elegant, she stood out with an impressive presence.

Lu Jiahe watched her calm and poised expression,who would have guessed that just moments ago, she couldn’t even stand up straight from nerves?

“Hello, please come in,” Liu Jia called out warmly.

“Okay.” Ji Yin stepped inside and noticed an elderly lady standing behind Liu Jia. Respectfully, she asked, “You must be Grandma, right?”

The three members of the Lu family nearly burst out laughing, and Lu Jiahe had to turn his back to hide his amusement.

Granny Li: “???”