Running Towards You - Chapter 71

Lu Jiahe was very curious about why Ji Yin had appeared at his home.

“I ran into Ji Yin at the supermarket while buying groceries. She helped me shop, introducing different ingredients while asking about your favorite dishes,” Liu Jia explained.

“I figured, since I want to learn cooking, who could be more suitable than Teacher Liu? She knows your tastes well and lives nearby, so I shamelessly followed her home,” Ji Yin added.

Liu Jia smiled warmly. “How can you call it shameless? We’re all happy to have you here it makes the house livelier.”

Ji Yin chuckled and pushed Lu Jiahe out of the kitchen. “I’m going to continue my lessons now. You stay put outside.”

Lu Jiahe returned to the living room and noticed five or six cups of tea on the coffee table. “Dad, why did you brew so many cups? Are we expecting more guests?”

“No, it’s just us. I’m going to have Ji Yin taste them and guess what teas they are,” Professor Lu teased.

“Are you testing her?” Lu Jiahe sat down and reached for one of the cups, but Professor Lu lightly slapped his hand away.

“You don’t even like tea don’t waste my good leaves. Go drink your goji berries.”

“…” Lu Jiahe picked up his thermos unhappily, then said after a moment, “Could you not treat Ji Yin like one of your students? What if she guesses wrong?”

“She’ll definitely get them right she’s the one who gave me these teas.”

“But mistakes happen. What student can guarantee they’ll score full marks every time?”

“That’s a fair point.”

“So if she guesses them all correctly, you should give her a reward.”

Professor Lu raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a half-smile. “And what reward do you want me to give her?”

“I don’t know you figure it out. I’m just here to drink my goji berries.” Lu Jiahe leisurely sipped her health drink, secretly amused as she watched him get up and search around for something suitable to give as a prize.

“Chef” Ji had been busy in the kitchen for over half an hour, mostly assisting, or else dinner wouldn’t have been ready that evening.

While helping, she listened attentively to Liu Jia’s cooking tips, feeling confident that she’d mastered the basics and could impress everyone next time she tried cooking herself.

As she brought the dishes to the table, Professor Lu called her over to sample the teas.

“This is Da Hong Pao, this is Longjing, this is Pu’er, Maofeng… Hmm, this one is.” Ji Yin picked up the last cup, puzzled by the extremely pale liquid. She sniffed it but couldn’t quite place it.

“Well? Can you tell? You’ve got all the others right just this one left,” Professor Lu asked cheerfully.

“I really can’t tell what tea this is, but it tastes like goji berries,” Ji Yin said.

“Ha! Exactly it’s my goji berry tea!” Lu Jiahe excitedly gave her a thumbs-up. “Well, Dad? A bet’s a bet, right?”

“Fine.” Professor Lu took out a box and handed it to Ji Yin. “This is your reward.”

“There’s a reward just for drinking tea?” Ji Yin opened the box in delight, only to find a jade bracelet inside. It was high-quality and clearly expensive, startling her so much that she quickly closed the lid. “I can’t accept this, Uncle! Please take it back. All I did was drink a few cups of tea!”

“It’s fine, just take it. I secured this for you early on you must cherish it.” Professor Lu smiled.

Ji Yin looked at Lu Jiahe, who directly tucked the box into her coat pocket. “Take it back and keep it safe. Don’t lose it, or I’ll beat you up.”

Beat her up?

Ji Yin had a mischievous thought she was kind of looking forward to it.

But she still carefully placed the box in her bag and happily hurried to the kitchen.

Liu Jia was tasting the soup for seasoning and glanced at Ji Yin’s bare hands, free of any accessories. She smiled and said, “You probably aren’t used to wearing the bracelet on your hand, so just keep it safe. It was part of Zaozao’s grandmother’s dowry.”

“Ah?!” Ji Yin looked at her in surprise. “Really?!”

“Yes. Her grandmother left the bracelet to Zaozao, but she can’t wear it to work, so it’s been stored with us.”

After the initial shock, Ji Yin nodded silently and said solemnly, “I’ll take good care of it.”

During the meal, Lu Jiahe made a point of trying the failed vegetable dish. “Well, the presentation might be lacking, but the flavor is still good. Dad, Mom, you should try some too.”

Professor Lu and Liu Jia each took a taste.

Ji Yin watched as their expressions grew increasingly horrified. She looked at Lu Jiahe in confusion, only to see a mischievous grin on her face, she knew it was intentional.

Lu Jiahe winked at her, and Ji Yin couldn’t help but secretly smile.

After dinner, Professor Lu and Liu Jia started a game of chess, with Ji Yin watching from the side.

“Do you know how to play?” Professor Lu asked.

“No.” Ji Yin had only seen elderly folks in the village play chess. When she was young, she never had the patience to watch others play.

“Want to learn?”

“Yes.”

“Come on, we’ll teach you.”

“Okay!”

Ji Yin sat up straight, eager to learn chess with them.

Time flew by unnoticed, and Ji Yin finally grasped the basics. Just as she was about to try playing herself, she stood up, turned around, and noticed Lu Jiahe had fallen asleep on the sofa.

“It’s getting late; we should head back,” Ji Yin whispered.

Liu Jia glanced back and called out, “Zaozao, go sleep in your room. Don’t catch a cold out here.”

Lu Jiahe drowsily opened her eyes, feeling utterly exhausted and unwilling to move.

“Just stay here tonight,” Liu Jia suggested.

Lu Jiahe glanced at Ji Yin and shook her head. “Never mind, I’d rather go back.”

Seeing how tired she was, Ji Yin said, “I’ll carry you back.”

“Really?” Lu Jiahe asked softly.

“Of course.” Ji Yin slung her own bag over Lu Jiahe’s shoulder and crouched down in front of her. “Let’s go, time to sleep.”

“We’ll be off now,” Lu Jiahe said, leaning on Ji Yin’s back as she bid her parents goodbye, playfully winking at them.

Her parents: “…”

When they looked at Ji Yin, their expressions shifted.

They used to worry that their daughter, who had never been in a relationship, might be deceived by someone outside.

But now, looking at Ji Yin this sincere and earnest girl they weren’t sure who was more likely to be fooled.

Ji Yin carried Lu Jiahe all the way home. As soon as they reached the bedroom, Lu Jiahe stopped her.

“I haven’t showered yet. Just put me on the sofa.”

“Okay.” Ji Yin turned around and set her down on the sofa.

Lu Jiahe lay back, looking up, and asked, “You carried me all this way aren’t you tired?”

“You’re not heavy, and besides, I often carry heavy things. I’m used to it,” Ji Yin replied casually.

Hmm.

Lu Jiahe came to a realization it wasn’t that she was lacking, but that someone had too much stamina!

“Are you still going to take a bath?” Ji Yin suggested, “You’re so sleepy, why not skip it tonight?”

“No.”

After a while, Ji Yin asked, “The water’s hot now, aren’t you going to wash up?”

“I don’t feel like moving.”

“Then should I carry you to wash?”

Lu Jiahe spread her arms open: “Can you carry me?”

“I could even do squats while holding you.” Ji Yin mustered her strength and carried her to the bathroom, then went to fetch her pajamas.

Returning to the bathroom, she saw that Lu Jiahe was already soaking in the bathtub.

Ji Yin slowly placed the clothes down, her eyes darting around uncontrollably, and shuffled toward the door with small steps.

“Scrub my back for me,” Lu Jiahe suddenly said.

“Coming!” Ji Yin rushed forward in a flash, her mind wandering as she scrubbed Lu Jiahe’s back. After finishing the back, she moved to the front, and after the upper body… she scrubbed her stomach.

“Are you cold?” After drying her off, Ji Yin quickly helped her into her pajamas, carried her back to the bedroom, and tucked her under the covers. “Go to sleep now.”

Lu Jiahe peeked out with just her eyes: “What about you?”

“I, I’ll sleep too?”

“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

Ji Yin rushed through her shower and slipped under the covers, carrying a damp freshness with her.

“I saw Nurse Qiu this morning. She asked me which woman was kissing you by the flower bed.” Lu Jiahe turned over and wrapped her arms around her.

“How did you answer?”

“I said it was me.”

Ji Yin was surprised and looked down at her: “Really?”

“Was it fake? Or have you kissed another woman?”

“Of course not, you’re the only woman for me!” Overjoyed and moved, Ji Yin kissed her passionately. Feeling the smoothness of her wrist, she whispered, “Thank you for the bracelet. I’ll give you a gift in return tomorrow.”

“Why wait until tomorrow?”

“I don’t have the gift with me, I can only get it tomorrow.” Ji Yin said regretfully.

“Aren’t you the gift for tonight?” Lu Jiahe propped her head up, stroking Ji Yin’s cheek with a playful smile.

“Damn meow!” Ji Yin couldn’t hold back her emotions, pressed Lu Jiahe’s head down, and nibbled on her soft lips. “You’re so smooth with your words, one of these days you’re going to flirt me to death.”

Lu Jiahe chuckled softly: “Then I’ll give you CPR to flirt you back to life.”

“Flirt me back to life right now.”

Their positions were straining their necks, so Ji Yin flipped over, pinning Lu Jiahe beneath her, and kissed her body slowly, one spot at a time.

“Ah, it’s a shame I’m a bit tired today, I can’t make you feel good.” Lu Jiahe gazed at the ceiling and laughed lightly.

“I’ve got it.” Ji Yin whispered in her ear, “I’ll make you feel good today.”

Lu Jiahe had always known she was a fast learner, but for her to succeed on her first try was somewhat unexpected.

Perhaps it was because the buildup had been perfect their breaths intertwined, bodies burning, eagerly craving another kind of warmth.

Ji Yin’s cool fingers made her shiver slightly, and the other girl slowed her pace, gradually adapting to each other.

Ji Yin looked down at her face her eyes hazy with mist, cheeks flushed. In the rhythm of their movements, fragmented sounds escaped, chaotic and out of tune.

Ji Yin watched Lu Jiahe, growing more and more captivated, until she couldn’t help but whisper, “Baby.”

Lu Jiahe gazed at the person who had blushed instantly after being called an affectionate nickname. Though clearly the one in control, she was now both shy and speeding up her movements, making Lu Jiahe’s heart race and stirring wave after wave of sensation until both her body and mind spiraled out of control.

“Ji Yin, you really succeed at everything you do,” Lu Jiahe remarked with emotion as they caught their breath.

“Really?” Ji Yin nestled close to her and asked softly, “Want more?”

“As much as I’d like to, let’s save it for next time. We have work tomorrow.” After resting a while, Lu Jiahe succumbed to drowsiness and fell asleep.

But throughout the night, she was intermittently disturbed by Ji Yin’s restless, playful movements.

“Did you even sleep last night?” Lu Jiahe asked in the morning, eating the wontons Ji Yin had bought.

“I’m not sure. I was too excited to sleep and completely lost track of time. Did I bother you?” Ji Yin asked apologetically.

Lu Jiahe glanced at her a few times, too embarrassed to admit that she had actually enjoyed it.

Every time she opened her eyes in the darkness, she could feel Ji Yin’s intense affection.

After work, she saw Ji Yin’s message and headed straight to the parking lot to find her car.

As soon as she got in, a thermos was handed to her, along with a box of freshly baked egg tarts.

“Yanzi and the others are having hot pot at home. Do you want to join them?” Ji Yin asked.

“Sure.” Lu Jiahe unscrewed the thermos, smiled at the sight of the steeped goji berries inside.

Ji Yin first took her back to her own apartment. “It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve been back.”

“Well, what can you do? You’ve been bewitched by a little enchantress, unable to return home,” Lu Jiahe said with a straight face.

Ji Yin burst into laughter. “How about I bring a couple of sets of clothes to keep at your place? What do you think, little enchantress?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Ji Yin rummaged through her wardrobe, stuffed a few pieces of clothing into her bag, then mysteriously called Lu Jiahe into the room and even locked the door.

“I have something for you.”

“What is it?”

Ji Yin pulled out a vintage floral shirt from the bottom of a box and fished out a small metal case from its pocket, struggling a bit to open it.

Lu Jiahe leaned in curiously for a look. Inside were some cards and a few old photographs.

“Is this your old ID?” she asked, picking up one of the cards.

“Yeah, my first ID. It accompanied me through several underage jobs,” Ji Yin said with a laugh.

The person in the photo had short hair, drooping brows and eyes, a sharp gaze, and an expressionless face, exuding an intimidating, unapproachable aura that was quite frightening.

Lu Jiahe held the photo up beside Ji Yin’s face to compare. Her features hadn’t changed much, but her presence had.

The Ji Yin of now had a less aggressive look in her eyes, smiled more often, understood the ways of the world without being worldly, and had matured into a woman with a unique charm.

“Do I look good?” Ji Yin asked.

“You look beautiful. My girlfriend is utterly captivating.”

Ji Yin froze for a moment, her cheeks flushing slightly, then lowered her head to dig through the box and pulled out a bank card. “I don’t have a grandmother’s dowry, nor my parents’ blessings, and I don’t have anything particularly impressive to offer. All I have is this card.”

Lu Jiahe looked down at the card.

“The balance I showed you last time was from the corporate account. This one holds my personal savings it’s all my hopes and my safety net. I’m giving it all to you.”

Lu Jiahe was taken aback: “I wouldn’t dare accept this. You should keep it yourself.”

“I hardly spend much money normally. The funds in my other card are more than enough for me. Besides, don’t people usually hand over their salary card to their wife um, girlfriend?”

Lu Jiahe fixated on a different point: “Would it kill you to call me ‘wife’ once?”

“I’d die of embarrassment.”

“…”