Running Towards You - Chapter 70

Footsteps sounded ahead. Ji Yin opened her eyes and saw it was Nurse Qiu.

Nurse Qiu had come for her night shift but unexpectedly stumbled upon this scene. She froze for a moment, then awkwardly turned around and hurried into the inpatient building. Before entering, she glanced back curiously, craning her neck, but the two figures were already gone.

The lighting was dim, so she had only clearly seen Ji Yin’s face and had no idea who the woman in Ji Yin’s arms was. She was dying of curiosity.

“You must be hungry,” Ji Yin said, grabbing a bag of bread from the back seat and handing it to Lu Jiahe. She pointed to a thermos nearby. “Have something to eat first. There’s hot water here. We’ll go get a proper meal right away.”

“Mm,” Lu Jiahe replied, feeling utterly famished. She quickly started eating the bread. After a while, she picked up the thermos. The water inside was just the right temperature. She drank most of it, leaned back comfortably in her seat, and studied the cup for a long time.

“This cup is quite cute. Is it yours?”

“No,” Ji Yin said. She wasn’t the type to prioritize health habits. “I bought it while waiting for you out of boredom. Aside from this design, the others were all old-fashioned styles. So, do you like it?”

“I do,” Lu Jiahe replied with a smile, looking at her. “Since when is Boss Ji so thoughtful?”

Ji Yin gave an embarrassed smile.

She chose a beef hot pot restaurant known for quick service, and soon they were enjoying steaming hot beef.

Lu Jiahe was exhausted and spoke very little during the meal.

Ji Yin busied herself cooking the meat, continuously adding portions to Lu Jiahe’s bowl. After they finished eating, she drove Lu Jiahe home.

A few messages came in on her phone. After glancing at them, she said, “You look really tired. Get some rest. I should head back now.”

“I’m sorry for making you wait so long and not even having a proper chat with you,” Lu Jiahe said apologetically.

“What are you talking about? There’s no need to apologize for that,” Ji Yin said, gently pressing her down onto the sofa. “It’s just that there’s something I need to take care of at the new store. I have to hurry over.”

“Alright, go ahead,” Lu Jiahe said, leaning to the side.

Ji Yin bent down and kissed her forehead before rushing off to the new store.

With the opening date approaching, everyone was quite busy. One employee, dissatisfied with the supervisor’s arrangements, had gotten into an argument that nearly turned physical.

The manager had already clocked out for the day, and Dong Xiang had been accidentally injured while trying to break up the fight.

Ji Yin hurried over and asked about the cause. Both sides stuck to their own stories, making it difficult to mediate.

Listening to the supervisor’s explanation, Ji Yin found no major issues with the arrangements. The employee, however, was seething with resentment. It seemed like he was already dealing with frustrations in his personal life and had brought that negativity to work, feeling as though the supervisor and others were deliberately targeting him and making things difficult.

Ji Yin patted his shoulder and had just said, “Calm down,” when he shoved her hand away.

“Calm down, my ass! You’re the boss, of course you’re living the good life. It’s easy for you to talk without understanding the struggle! I work my ass off from morning till night for peanuts, and that guy has the nerve to say I’m slacking off. You’re all just bloodsucking capitalists! I quit!” Furious, he tore off his uniform and stormed out.

“Sis Yin, should I go after him and bring him back?” Dong Xiang asked.

“Forget it. If he doesn’t want to work here anymore, let him go. Tell him to come tomorrow to complete the resignation process,” Ji Yin said, turning to Dong Xiang. “Where did he hit you? Does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt. It was just an accidental bump. It’s nothing,” Dong Xiang replied.

“Alright.”

Ji Yin turned and instructed the supervisor to continue working without being affected, then walked out the door. Standing at the entrance, she gazed at the sky, lost in thought for a while, completely emptying her mind, unsure of what to do next.

Just then, her phone rang.

“Have you finished handling things?”

Hearing Lu Jiahe’s gentle voice, she nodded. “Pretty much.”

“I’m planning to bake some egg tarts. Do you want to come over and have some?”

“Sure.”

Ji Yin tucked her phone away, rubbed her hands together, and had just stepped down when she heard Dong Xiang running out, asking worriedly, “Sister Yin, where are you going? Do you want to head back together?”

“No, I’m going to Jiahe’s place.” Ji Yin smiled as she got into the car.

“Alright.” Dong Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, watching the direction she disappeared in, then picked up his phone to continue talking to Yanzi. “She went to Dr. Lu’s place.”

“That’s good. It seems we don’t need to worry about her,” Yanzi said.

“But I don’t think Sister Yin seemed unhappy. She seemed pretty normal.”

“Her unhappiness never shows on her face. Unless it’s something major, she never complains to us she just deals with it herself. What do you, a rough guy, know? Hurry up and finish your work. The water pipe at home is leaking.”

“Got it.”

Ji Yin entered the password, pushed the door open, and was greeted by a sweet aroma. “It smells amazing.”

“You came just in time. They’re almost done.” Lu Jiahe, wearing an apron with her hair pinned up, came over to sanitize her hands.

“What made you think of baking egg tarts? Aren’t you tired?” Ji Yin asked.

“I’ll feel better after eating. I just suddenly felt like making something sweet.” Lu Jiahe glanced up at her expression. “Did you finish handling things at the supermarket?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why do you seem a bit down?”

“Do I?” Ji Yin was slightly surprised, touching her face and wondering if her emotions were that obvious.

“Yes, your eyes look lifeless.”

“You can read people’s eyes now?” Ji Yin followed her to the kitchen to wash her hands.

“Maybe it’s because your happy and unhappy states are so different. I could tell at a glance. Do you want to tell me what happened?” Lu Jiahe bent down to check the egg tarts in the oven.

“It’s nothing major.” Ji Yin also leaned over, watching as the egg tarts slowly puffed up, their sweet fragrance filling the air.

“You can still talk about the small things.” Lu Jiahe turned to look at her, a faint dimple appearing on her cheek.

“An employee had an argument with the supervisor and quit in a huff.” Ji Yin explained the whole situation to her and smiled wryly. “Fine, let him go. But he even called us a bunch of bloodsucking capitalists. After all these years, I never thought I’d become the very person I hate most in others’ eyes.”

“How annoying. Give me his number I’ll give him a piece of my mind,” Lu Jiahe said.

Ji Yin looked at her in surprise. “How would you scold him?”

“Of course, I’d tell him he’s uncultured, blind, and rude. How dare he talk about our little Ji Yin like that?”

Ji Yin’s eyebrows lifted, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“He has no idea how many capitalists have screwed over Boss Ji for her to get to where she is today. That’s why he’s not as good as you. Faced with the same difficulties, you managed to overcome them, while all he did was vent his frustration with insults utterly useless.” Lu Jiahe untied her apron and started tidying up the utensils.

Ji Yin felt a wave of relief wash over her after hearing her words. “Exactly, what a useless guy!”

“Exactly. Since he’s a useless guy, don’t waste your emotions on him. Ji Xiaoyin, cheer up.” Lu Jiahe held the remaining blueberries and fed them to her.

Ji Yin ate them all in one go, licking her fingers: “So sweet.”

Lu Jiahe lifted her head and tasted the flavor in her mouth: “Not as sweet as your lips.”

Ji Yin grinned, unable to close her mouth, and wrapped her arms around her waist, about to go in for a deep kiss when the oven let out a “ding.”

“The egg tarts are done.” Lu Jiahe put on heat-resistant gloves, took out the baking tray, and her expression changed slightly. “What happened?”

Ji Yin glanced at the burnt egg tarts and laughed.

“I followed the recipe exactly, and the timing was right too, Is the oven broken?” Lu Jiahe bent down to check the oven.

“It must be because you haven’t used it in a while, so some parts are faulty,” Ji Yin agreed.

“Right, that must be it. What a shame about these egg tarts,” Lu Jiahe lamented.

“It’s okay, they’re still edible.” Ji Yin picked up an egg tart, but it was so hot she immediately put it back down. After blowing on it for a while, she picked it up again, took a few bites, and gave a thumbs-up. “It’s fine. Except for the burnt parts, the rest is edible and still sweet.”

“Really?” Lu Jiahe tried a couple of bites too. It was passable. “I thought this would be easy, not even requiring me to control the heat. How did it still fail? Am I really that bad at cooking?”

“This isn’t your area of expertise anyway. Someone who’s both beautiful and good at cooking is like a Midea rice cooker,” Ji Yin said.

Lu Jiahe laughed: “Thanks, I feel comforted.”

“Your hands can create much greater value, so leave the cooking to me!” Ji Yin declared ambitiously.

Lu Jiahe glanced at her: “Your skills aren’t that great either.”

“That’s because I’ve never taken it seriously. If I really put my mind to it, I’d be a master chef. Believe me?”

Lu Jiahe couldn’t help but chuckle: “I believe you, I believe you. Our Ji Xiaoyin can succeed at anything.”

The two took early showers and got into bed.

Ji Yin didn’t mention leaving, and Lu Jiahe didn’t ask it was an unspoken agreement that she would stay over.

But it was only a little past eleven, and Ji Yin was still wide awake. She quietly held Lu Jiahe.

“I’m a bit sleepy,” Lu Jiahe said.

“I know, go to sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Listening to her even breathing, Ji Yin felt both full and at peace.

Coming home, being able to share worries with each other, vent a little, snack on some treats, and pass the time laughing and chatting all troubles could disappear.

This was probably what “home” felt like in concrete form.

She began to long for moments like this every day.

The next day, Lu Jiahe woke up to an empty space beside her.

She was used to Ji Yin waking up early. Yawning, she went out to wash up and saw a figure in the kitchen, immediately rushing in: “What are you making?”

“Noodles,” Ji Yin said.

“Dry noodles?”

“They were supposed to be soup noodles,” Ji Yin sighed.

Lu Jiahe didn’t hold back her laughter: “We really are two peas in a pod.”

Fortunately, neither of them was picky as long as there was food, it was fine. After finishing the dry noodles, Ji Yin took her to the hospital and then headed to her new shop.

As Lu Jiahe walked through the main entrance, she ran into Nurse Qiu, who had just finished her night shift.

“Dr. Lu!” Nurse Qiu called out to her with a gossipy expression, pulling her aside and whispering, “Do you remember Ji Yin? That patient who always gave you a headache?”

Lu Jiahe looked puzzled. “What about her?”

“I saw her yesterday!”

Lu Jiahe nodded. “Oh, really? What a coincidence.”

“And there’s an even bigger coincidence!” Nurse Qiu glanced around, lowered her voice, and said excitedly, “Last night, I saw her kissing someone by the flower bed. It was definitely someone from the hospital and a woman! Do you know who it was? I asked a few colleagues, but no one had seen her before.”

“…” Lu Jiahe turned her head to look in the direction of the flower bed. “If it was last night, that person was probably me.”

Nurse Qiu: ?

It was an outpatient day, which meant a slightly lighter workload. The thought of Nurse Qiu’s utterly incredulous expression as she walked away made Lu Jiahe want to laugh.

She went about her work in high spirits. Her relationship was progressing smoothly, and even her job felt more energizing.

Her colleagues all remarked that she had been glowing lately, as if the usual work fatigue had vanished.

During lunch in the cafeteria, a few more nurses came over to ask about Ji Yin. “Dr. Lu, we heard Ji Yin was kissing a woman. Do you know”

“It was me.”

Lu Jiahe’s shocking reply caused the surrounding chatter to abruptly cease. Everyone turned to stare at her, mouths agape.

Most of Lu Jiahe’s colleagues were aware of her sexual orientation, but since she had never been in a relationship, it had largely been overlooked. Hearing her say this so suddenly left them stunned. Soon, they gathered around her with their trays, eagerly pressing for details.

“Are you and Ji Yin dating?”

“Yes.”

“Who pursued whom?”

“She confessed first, but I fell for her first.”

“How long have you been together?”

“Four months.”

“I should’ve guessed something was going on between you two!” a male colleague chimed in. “Back then, you specifically invited a few of us to the pool hall under the pretense of playing, but you were actually there to protect Ji Yin. I should’ve figured it out then!”

“Exactly! We really thought she was just your friend, not your girlfriend!” another added. “So, when are you treating us to a meal?”

“Anytime, you decide,” Lu Jiahe replied with a smile.

After work, she sent Ji Yin a message but didn’t get a reply she was probably busy.

So, she headed to her parents’ house for dinner.

Pushing the door open, she found Professor Lu brewing tea in the living room, a movie playing on the TV, and the range hood humming in the kitchen.

It was the most familiar scene to her.

“Dad, Mom, I’m home,” she called out as she changed her shoes in the entryway.

“Welcome back,” Liu Jia said, stepping to the kitchen doorway to glance at her.

Then, a head popped out from behind Liu Jia. “You’re back!”

Lu Jiahe stared blankly at Ji Yin. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to learn how to cook,” Ji Yin said, waving the spatula in her hand and gesturing toward Liu Jia. “Teacher Liu is officially my instructor now.”

Lu Jiahe looked at her in disbelief. Just a couple of days ago, this woman had been too nervous to even step inside the house, and now she was here alone, learning to cook?

You really succeed at everything you do, Ji Xiaoyin!

“So, how’s it going, Master Chef?” she asked, walking into the kitchen to wash her hands. At a glance, she spotted the plate of overcooked, yellowish greens on the counter and couldn’t help but laugh.

“High-end ingredients often require the simplest cooking methods. After two hours of hard work, Chef Ji has decided to settle for some instant noodles,” Ji Yin said helplessly.