Running Towards You - Chapter 73

“Did you really black out?” Lu Jiahe asked during the meal.

“I vaguely remember a few scenes.” Ji Yin tried hard to recall.

“Like what?”

“We took a shower together.”

“Mm.” That was after their second round. Covered in sweat, Lu Jiahe insisted on taking a shower. As soon as she stepped into the bathroom, Ji Yin followed her in and stirred up trouble again.

“And you bit me,” Ji Yin said pitifully.

“Don’t you have any idea why I bit you?” Lu Jiahe retorted with annoyance.

Ji Yin replied guiltily, “So why did you bite me?”

“If I hadn’t bitten you, would you have stopped? If I’d let you keep messing around, I wouldn’t have been able to go to work today.” Lu Jiahe said.

Ji Yin blinked, slowly piecing it together: “So last night, it was me?”

Lu Jiahe nodded.

“Oh no.” Ji Yin patted her head. “Come on, remember! Stupid brain!”

How could she have forgotten something so important? She couldn’t recall how it felt at all and was filled with regret. “I won’t drink tonight. Let’s do it again”

“Stop right there.” Lu Jiahe immediately refused. “Tonight, we’re going back to our own places. I need a proper rest.”

If they stayed together for the next few days, her body really wouldn’t be able to handle it, especially since she had surgeries scheduled for the next two days.

“Alright.” Ji Yin sounded quite disappointed but added, “But the store opens on New Year’s Day. I’ll probably be very busy in the coming days and might not have time to pick you up after work.”

“It’s fine. Focus on your tasks. You don’t need to pick me up,” Lu Jiahe said.

After the meal, Ji Yin felt reluctant to part, knowing they wouldn’t be together that evening. “How about going for a walk?”

“No, I want to go home and rest,” Lu Jiahe said wearily.

“Then I’ll walk you home.”

Lu Jiahe stared at her without moving.

“I promise I’ll just walk you home and nothing else,” Ji Yin raised her hands in surrender.

Lu Jiahe smiled. “Let’s go.”

After seeing her home, Ji Yin couldn’t resist saying, “Can I stay and read for a while before leaving?”

“Go ahead.”

Ji Yin found a book in the study and sprawled on the sofa to read.

Lu Jiahe had finished her shower early and went to her room to rest.

Ji Yin read quietly. As it grew late, she rubbed her stiff neck, stood up, and walked to the bedroom. She leaned down to kiss Lu Jiahe’s forehead, smiled silently, turned off the light, and quietly closed the door before heading home.

Goods had started arriving, and the employees were busy organizing the inventory. Ji Yin, accompanied by the manager, inspected the items and labels on the shelves one by one to ensure there would be no mistakes on opening day.

“Sis, come eat something,” Yanzi called, bringing takeout into the office. After waiting a while and seeing Ji Yin hadn’t come in, she went out to call her again.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Ji Yin replied, currently in the seafood section discussing details with the fish butcher.

By the time Yanzi finished her meal, the food container had turned cold.

After a moment’s thought, she picked up her phone and called Lu Jiahe. “Jiahe, do you have a moment now?”

“Just finished lunch. What’s up?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“My sister is so busy she’s skipping meals. I’ve called her several times, but it’s no use. Could you talk to her? She always listens to you—your words carry more weight than mine,” Yanzi said.

“Alright.” Lu Jiahe hung up and immediately dialed Ji Yin.

“Hello?” Ji Yin answered the phone cheerfully. “What’s up?”

“Remember to eat,” Lu Jiahe said.

“Huh?” Ji Yin glanced at the time. “Oh, it’s so late already. I’ll go eat right away!”

Ji Yin hurried back to the office, where Yanzi had just reheated the meal. “Hurry up and eat.”

Ji Yin devoured the food, took a photo of the lunchbox, and sent it to Lu Jiahe.

[Lu Jiahe]: head pat.jpg

[Ji Yin]:

After eating, Ji Yin went back to work, not returning home until after midnight. She fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed and woke up early the next morning to meet with clients.

After four or five days of such busyness, the grand opening day finally arrived.

On New Year’s Day, after having breakfast with his parents, Lu Jiahe invited them to join the excitement at the new store and also brought Li Chenyao along.

“The new store is quite far,” Li Chenyao remarked, looking at the navigation. “Have you been there before?”

“No, I haven’t had much time lately. Besides, the place wasn’t ready before, so I didn’t want to add to the chaos,” Lu Jiahe replied.

“Did you order the flower basket for me?” Li Chenyao asked again.

“Yes, it was delivered last night.”

“Good, we’re almost there.” Li Chenyao excitedly looked out the window, craning her neck to take in the surroundings, then pointed at a building. “There are so many people at the entrance. This must be it.”

“Right.” Lu Jiahe had already spotted the Yanhua Supermarket sign from a distance.

After parking the car, the group walked to the entrance. With so many flower baskets lined up, it was hard to spot theirs at first glance.

A banner announcing the grand opening hung outside, and the store was bustling with customers.

“She’s over there. See her?” Li Chenyao pointed ahead.

“Yeah, I see her.” Lu Jiahe had noticed Ji Yin earlier. She was wearing the coat he had given her, arms crossed, chatting and laughing with a few people.

They tactfully refrained from interrupting and instead took in the surroundings.

Lu Jiahe, meanwhile, scanned the names on the flower baskets, curious to learn more about her social circle.

At the far end of the entrance, he spotted his own flower basket and smiled faintly.

Just then, Ji Yin turned around, her eyes lighting up as she instinctively moved to approach them.

Lu Jiahe waved her off, then gestured toward his parents and the store entrance.

Ji Yin immediately understood, nodded, and continued her conversation with the long-term business partners.

“Let’s go inside and look around,” Lu Jiahe said to his parents.

“Sure, we might as well see if there’s anything we need to buy,” Liu Jia replied.

With the grand opening promotions and wide variety of products, the store was packed. It was easy to bump into people or shopping carts if one wasn’t careful.

“Ji Yin must be making a lot of money today, with two such large supermarkets!” Li Chenyao remarked.

“Do you think there are no costs involved?” Lu Jiahe replied, noting the sheer volume of goods. The expenses were undoubtedly high, no wonder Ji Yin was always anxious about cash flow.

“But just looking at it feels satisfying. When I was a kid, I dreamed of running a small shop where I could eat whatever I wanted. I never imagined she’d open a supermarket and not have to clock in for work. She’s living the life I wanted!” Li Chenyao said enviously.

“Only those who run their own business know how tough it is. These past few days, she’s been sleeping less than five hours a night. She’s often traveling for work or attending business dinners it’s really exhausting,” Lu Jiahe sighed.

“That’s true, every profession has its hardships.” Li Chenyao turned around and suddenly laughed. “Uncle and Auntie have almost filled the shopping cart.”

Lu Jiahe glanced back and saw them engrossed in discussion, completely absorbed in the joy of discount shopping, and couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.

“Oh my god, the quality of this beef is so good, and the price is quite reasonable. Go get me a shopping cart, quick!” Li Chenyao leaned over the freezer, her eyes sparkling.

All the nearby shopping carts had been taken. Lu Jiahe walked a bit further and saw Dong Xiang pushing a whole row of carts over, so she hurriedly went up to get one.

“Dr. Lu, you’re here already?” Dong Xiang asked as he handed her a cart. “Did you happen to see Sister Yin?”

“I saw her, she’s at the entrance. How did things go for you today?”

“Smooth, very smooth.” Dong Xiang grinned from ear to ear, looking rushed as he said, “I’ll get going then, let’s catch up later.”

“Go ahead.”

The group made their way to the bedding section, where the crowd had thinned out and it was much quieter.

After sharing her great finds with Liu Jia, Li Chenyao turned and asked, “Zaozao, aren’t you buying anything to support your girlfriend’s business?”

“I am.”

Li Chenyao noticed her empty hands. “What did you buy?”

Lu Jiahe smiled and was about to speak when someone tapped her shoulder.

She turned around and was met with Ji Yin’s smiling face.

It had only been a few days, but she’d missed her more than she expected.

“Finished with work?” She took Ji Yin’s hand and asked.

“Yes.” Ji Yin stared at her for a few seconds before remembering there were others around and turned to greet them. “Uncle, Teacher Liu, thank you for coming all this way.”

“No trouble at all. Of course we’d come to support your grand opening, especially since we found so many great deals.” Liu Jia patted the shopping cart as she spoke.

“I’ll take care of the bill later,” Ji Yin said with a smile.

“That won’t do. You’re the boss it doesn’t make sense for you to pay out of pocket on the first day. You two go ahead and enjoy yourselves. We’ll keep shopping.” Liu Jia and Professor Lu continued chatting and laughing as they browsed.

Li Chenyao eagerly followed close behind.

“You came just in time. I want to buy something and need your advice,” Lu Jiahe said, looking at Ji Yin.

“Sure, what do you want to buy?”

Lu Jiahe pulled her down to sit on a nearby bed. “A mattress. Which one do you think is better?”

“Did your mattress break?” Ji Yin asked, surprised.

“No, I just want to replace it. Pick one you like.” Lu Jiahe smiled meaningfully.

Ji Yin immediately understood, feeling both flustered and delighted. “Are you changing it for me?”

“Not too slow on the uptake.” Lu Jiahe tested another bed. “This one seems firmer. Do you prefer soft or hard?”

“Either is fine, I’m not picky.” Ji Yin happily followed her, sitting down, standing up, sitting down again.

A nearby staff member watched them, dumbfounded, and couldn’t help asking, “Boss, do you still need me to introduce the products?”

“No need, you can go attend to other matters. Don’t worry about us,” Ji Yin replied.

“Alright.”

Lu Jiahe lay back on the bed, testing it for a moment. “How about this one?”

“Good.” Ji Yin turned on her side, propping her head up to look at her. “As long as you like it.”

“I’m picking it for you. It has to be to your liking.”

“If you’re satisfied, then I’m satisfied.”

“No, lie down again and really feel it. You have to pick one you truly like,” Lu Jiahe said.

Ji Yin lay back down, rolled over a couple of times, then sat up abruptly: “This one. This one’s good.”

“Really?”

“Mm.”

As soon as Ji Yin lay down, her mind involuntarily conjured images of the two of them lying in bed together chatting idly, stealing little kisses. Just the thought made her giddy with happiness.

“Then it’s settled. Let’s just buy a new quilt and a four-piece set too,” Lu Jiahe decided.

“Okay.”

As they browsed styles and debated patterns, Ji Yin realized she had never spent so much time picking out bedding before.

But she was happy.

Right now, they were like a newlywed couple selecting daily necessities. Though the task was small, it felt genuinely fulfilling.

When no one was paying attention, Ji Yin leaned close to her ear and whispered quickly, “I missed you.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“I missed you.”

“Didn’t quite catch that.”

“I missed you!” Ji Yin raised her voice. Nearby staff glanced over, but she straightened up and pretended not to notice.

Lu Jiahe suppressed a smile, beckoned her closer, and cupped a hand to whisper in her ear, “Have you been able to sleep alone these past few days?”

“You could say it’s been lonely nights with an empty pillow,” Ji Yin pouted.

“Come to my place tonight and test out the new mattress?”

“Don’t you worry about that. Our store’s mattresses are top quality strictly controlled, sourced from high-end manufacturers. If there’s any quality issue within a month, we offer full returns or exchanges,” Ji Yin instantly switched to customer service mode.

“…” Lu Jiahe turned and walked away.

Ji Yin laughed, quickly grabbed her wrist, and led her through the crowd into an office. After closing the door, a storm of kisses rained down on Lu Jiahe’s lips.

Lu Jiahe wrapped her arms around Ji Yin’s neck, fingers threading through her hair, tousling it playfully.

After a long while, Ji Yin lifted a hand to wipe the smeared lipstick from the corner of Lu Jiahe’s mouth and grinned, “Just teasing you. When we get back, let’s test that mattress until it breaks!”

Lu Jiahe: “You wouldn’t dare.”