Running Towards You - Chapter 67

Old Mrs. Li found that she really couldn’t haggle the price down any further, so she still bought a box of ginseng and left first, using the excuse of needing to take care of the children.

Ji Yin continued to stroll through the supermarket with the three members of the Lu family. The elderly couple walked arm in arm ahead, whispering to each other about who knows what.

Ji Yin followed behind, holding hands with Lu Jiahe, also whispering about who knows what.

Yanzi: “…”

There was no place for her to fit in. She was about to tell Ji Yin she was leaving when Ji Yin stopped her.

“Uncle, Teacher Liu, let Yanzi accompany you for a while. I need to go discuss something with the manager.”

“Alright, go ahead and take care of your business,” Liu Jia said.

Ji Yin nodded and hurried off to find the manager.

Once she left, Yanzi found herself facing the elderly couple and couldn’t help but feel restrained, cautiously staying close to Lu Jiahe.

Lu Jiahe couldn’t help but laugh. “I can understand why Ji Yin would be nervous, but why are you so nervous too?”

“Jiahe-jie, you don’t know ever since I was little, aside from my sister, the people I’ve been most afraid of are teachers,” Yanzi replied.

Professor Lu and Liu Jia slowed their pace to walk alongside them. Hearing this, they smiled and asked, “Why are you afraid of teachers? Is it because you couldn’t finish your homework?”

“Yeah, and our teachers only liked students with good grades. They even told the good students not to play with me, afraid I would affect their studies,” Yanzi said.

“Why wouldn’t they let them play with you?” Liu Jia asked, puzzled.

“Some people called me a jinx, so I got into fights with them. When I couldn’t win, my sister would come to school and settle the score with those people, beating them until they knelt and begged for mercy. After that, no one dared to insult me again. Everyone thought I had an older sister who was part of the underworld and that I was not to be messed with.” After saying this, Yanzi quickly clarified, as if afraid they would misunderstand, “But my sister isn’t the type to resort to violence easily. She only steps in when someone bullies me.”

Liu Jia nodded with a gentle smile. “You two have a very good relationship.”

“Actually, it wasn’t always like that. When we first became sisters, we often argued and had disagreements. But my sister is the kind of person if you’re harsh with her, she’ll be even harsher. But if you show her even a little kindness, she’ll treat you even better.”

Lu Jiahe deeply understood this point.

Before long, Ji Yin returned. Yanzi bid them farewell and hurried off to attend to her own tasks.

Lu Jiahe asked, “Did you finish discussing everything?”

“Yeah, it was just some staffing issues. After the new store opens, some of the older employees will be transferred there. I was just confirming the list,” Ji Yin said. Just then, as they passed by the checkout area, she noticed Li Fang looking unwell, barely able to stand straight. She stepped forward and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Li Fang, pale-faced, stammered, “Yin-jie, I think my stomach condition is acting up.”

“Go to the hospital right away.”

“But here.”

“Don’t worry, someone else can handle it.”

“Okay, thank you, Yin-jie.” Li Fang clutched her stomach and hurried to the hospital.

There were still people waiting in line to check out. Ji Yin started handling the cash register while contacting the supervisor, but everyone was busy at the moment, and there was no extra staff to help.

“Ji Yin, you go ahead and take care of things here. We’ll head back first to prepare dinner. Remember to come over for dinner once you’re done,” Liu Jia said considerately.

“Okay, thank you, Teacher Liu!” Ji Yin said gratefully.

“This kid, even thanks us for doing her own job.” Liu Jia smiled, then left arm in arm with Professor Lu.

Lu Jiahe stayed behind, standing to the side and watching her with great interest as she handled the cash register. Her movements were crisp and efficient, and her focused, hardworking demeanor was quite captivating.

“Need any help?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“It’s fine, don’t just stand there it must be tiring. You should go back and rest,” Ji Yin said.

“Standing isn’t tiring. When I perform surgeries, I stand for even longer than you do.” Lu Jiahe chuckled as she walked over to her side and started helping bag items.

Ji Yin turned her head to look at her, unable to hold back a smile.

The cashiers at the other stations occasionally glanced their way, clearly curious about Lu Jiahe.

“Tired?” Ji Yin asked after a while.

“Not tired.” Lu Jiahe quickly got the hang of it, working more and more smoothly with Ji Yin, even managing to chat with her from time to time.

“Truly a doctor your hands are so skilled,” Ji Yin remarked, looking down at her hands.

Lu Jiahe choked up for a moment: “…”

“Is there really nothing that can stump you? Are you just good at everything?”

Lu Jiahe looked at her with a faint, teasing smile. “I’m not really sure. Maybe you should test it out?”

“Test what?” Ji Yin asked, confused.

Lu Jiahe curled her lips into a smirk.

Unable to get a clear answer, Ji Yin felt that her smile had suddenly turned a bit sinister and unsettling. Was she plotting something bad?

Not long after, Dong Xiang returned from his errand and, seeing the two of them at the cash register, asked in surprise, “Dr. Lu, what are you doing here?”

“You came just in time. Here, I’ll leave this to you,” Ji Yin said cheerfully.

Forced into duty, Dong Xiang took over while Ji Yin took Lu Jiahe’s hand and led her back to the office to discuss purchasing two more self-checkout machines with the manager.

Lu Jiahe sat to the side, quietly drinking water and listening as Ji Yin calculated costs and analyzed the pros and cons with clear reasoning. The smile in her eyes grew deeper and deeper.

After the discussion, as the manager was about to leave, he glanced at Lu Jiahe and asked Ji Yin, “Manager Ji, is this lovely lady your friend?”

Ji Yin opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything, Lu Jiahe answered first, “Yes.”

“Nice to meet you,” the manager said with a smile and a nod before leaving the office.

Only then did Ji Yin turn to Lu Jiahe, her face slightly flushed. “Why were you staring at me like that just now? It was a bit embarrassing.”

“If a few stares make you blush, what would happen if I kissed you a few times?” Lu Jiahe teased.

“All talk and no action,” Ji Yin retorted, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her.

Lu Jiahe chuckled softly, stood up, walked over to the desk, lifted Ji Yin’s chin, and leaned in for a kiss.

Ji Yin’s eyes curved with a triumphant smile as she closed them, savoring the kiss. But just then, the door suddenly swung open

“Oh, I almost forgot, you uh… I uh… she uh…” The manager pushed the door open, only to be utterly shocked by the scene before him, unable to form a complete sentence.

Lu Jiahe stood up and turned to look at him.

The manager stood there, dumbfounded.

Ji Yin stood up and said, “Let me reintroduce you this is my girlfriend.”

Lu Jiahe smiled knowingly.

“You two, uh.” The manager looked back and forth between them in surprise, nodded, then turned to leave. “Sorry for interrupting, I’ll get out of your way!”

“Come back,” Ji Yin called out.

The manager scurried back in, cold sweat pouring down his face had he stumbled upon a secret? Was he about to be silenced?

“What was it you wanted to say earlier?” Ji Yin asked.

“Oh, right. With the new store opening soon, staff reassignments, and senior employees training newcomers, things are about to get pretty hectic. So, I was thinking we could organize a team dinner or a team-building event,” the manager explained.

“Fine, you handle the arrangements. If there’s nothing else, we’ll head out now,” Ji Yin replied in a businesslike tone.

“Of course, take care.”

Ji Yin held Lu Jiahe’s hand and walked leisurely out the door, getting into the car before letting out a panicked shriek: “Oh my god, that scared me to death! How could he just barge in without knocking? Thank goodness we weren’t doing anything else, how infuriating!”

Seeing her like this, Lu Jiahe couldn’t help but laugh. “I was wondering how you stayed so calm turns out you were just pretending.”

“What else could I do? Punch his head off?” Ji Yin grumbled indignantly.

“Alright, alright, he didn’t mean to,” Lu Jiahe said soothingly, stroking her head as he leaned closer, his voice gentle. “But I didn’t expect you to openly admit our relationship to him.”

“Why wouldn’t I admit it?” Ji Yin thought back to how she’d kept it a secret from Yanzi and Dong Xiang before, feeling a pang of guilt. “I was just afraid things might not work out between us, so I didn’t know how to tell people close to me. But with outsiders, it doesn’t matter.”

Lu Jiahe smiled faintly, brushing aside a stray lock of her hair before planting a soft kiss on her cheek. “I like you.”

Ji Yin’s face lit up. “Really?”

“Just kidding,” he retorted, rolling his eyes.

Ji Yin:

Winter nights came early, and by a little past five, it was already dark.

When they stepped back into Lu Jiahe’s parents’ home, Ji Yin no longer felt the nervousness she had that morning. Still, as they entered, she instinctively tried to pull her hand back, only for Lu Jiahe to grip it tighter.

“Be careful your parents might see.”

“So what if they do? Want me to kiss you right here?”

Oh my god, how could there be such a sweet form of torture in this world?

Part of her wanted Lu Jiahe to kiss her, but she was terrified he might actually do it in front of his parents she would die of embarrassment!

So she stopped resisting and let him lead her inside by the hand.

As soon as they entered, the aroma of food from the kitchen wafted over, making her mouth water.

“You’re back,” Liu Jia said with a smile. “All done with the supermarket business?”

“Yes,” Ji Yin replied, peeking toward the kitchen. “It smells amazing!”

“Hungry? Go wash your hands dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay!”

Passing through the living room, Ji Yin noticed Professor Lu sitting on the sofa. He looked up, his gaze briefly resting on their intertwined hands.

Ji Yin’s heart leaped into her throat, but the awkward scene she’d imagined never happened. Instead, Professor Lu simply said, “Zaozao, come help me figure out the next move.”

“Just a moment we’ll wash our hands first,” Lu Jiahe said, pulling Ji Yin toward the bathroom.

Ji Yin finished washing her hands in just a few quick motions.

“That’s it?”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

Lu Jiahe squeezed some hand soap into her palms and meticulously scrubbed her fingers and the spaces between them. “I’ll teach you the seven-step handwashing method when we get back.”

“Do we really need to go to that much trouble?”

Lu Jiahe shot her a look.

“Yes! Absolutely!” Ji Yin immediately corrected herself.

Professor Lu, who had paused at the doorway, shook his head with a quiet chuckle upon hearing Ji Yin’s enthusiastic reply, then turned and headed to the kitchen to wash his hands.

The dinner atmosphere was pleasant. After Liu Jia and Professor Lu got to know her a bit, their warm and friendly expressions helped Ji Yin relax.

Once she relaxed, Ji Yin became quite talkative. She had countless stories from all walks of life and was even able to engage in a lively discussion with Liu Jia about various customs and cultures from different places.

Professor Lu couldn’t help but look at her with newfound respect and said with a smile, “Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles. Ji Yin, you’ve taken a different path ahead of everyone else. Though it might have been a bit tough, your perspective is broader than many who are stuck in their ways.”

“Really? Am I that impressive?” Ji Yin asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Liu Jia chimed in. “Zaozao is right. We never had the chance to get to know you properly. You’re far better and more interesting than we imagined.”

Ji Yin was both flattered and astonished. She never expected to earn the recognition and praise of these two esteemed individuals and couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear.

After the meal, Professor Lu insisted that Liu Jia finish their unfinished chess game.

“We won’t disturb your battle, then. We’ll head back first,” Lu Jiahe said.

Professor Lu waved them off. “Be safe on the road. Oh, and Ji Yin, feel free to drop by our home whenever you have time.”

“Sure, Uncle!”

Lu Jiahe took Ji Yin back to her own home. As soon as they stepped inside, Ji Yin rubbed her hands together excitedly and asked, “Did I pass your parents’ test?”

“Yes, you were amazing!”

“Ahhh, that’s great!”Ji Yin puffed out her chest like a triumphant general who had just conquered a city, both proud and imposing.” “Finally cleared that hurdle! So satisfying!”

“You’re absolutely outstanding.”

Ji Yin chuckled a couple of times, feeling completely drained after such a tough battle, and slumped onto the sofa.

Lu Jiahe sat down beside her, and Ji Yin wriggled over, resting her head on Lu Jiahe’s lap, eagerly recounting the emotional journey of the day.

As she spoke, she noticed the affectionate gleam in Lu Jiahe’s eyes a gaze full of love, smiling warmly at her.

“Zaozao.”

“Huh?” Lu Jiahe was slightly taken aback. “What did you call me?”

“Zaozao, can I call you that too?”

“Of course,” Lu Jiahe replied with a radiant smile.

Ji Yin sat up, leaned in close to Lu Jiahe, blinked, and asked, “Zaozao can I stay over tonight?”

“Move aside for a moment,” Lu Jiahe said.

“What’s up?”

Ji Yin shifted to the side and watched as Lu Jiahe pulled out a nail clipper from under the coffee table and started trimming her nails.

Ji Yin was puzzled. “I asked if I could stay over, and you suddenly start clipping your nails? Answer me, can I stay or not?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Lu Jiahe said, extending her hand for Ji Yin to see. “What do you think? Is this okay?”

Ji Yin took her fingers and examined them. “Here, let me tidy them up for you. I’ll make them even prettier.”

Lu Jiahe handed her the nail clipper and smiled. “Alright, shape and trim them however you like.”

“Sure thing, boss! Leave it to me I’ll make sure you’re satisfied!” Ji Yin promised.

“No, the main thing is to satisfy Boss Ji,” Lu Jiahe said with a playful smile.

Ji Yin: OvO?