Running Towards You - Chapter 8.2

Ji Yin nodded solemnly in agreement.

After the meal, Ji Yin raised her hand like a student. “Dr. Lu, can I hang around downstairs a bit before going back?”

“You looking to die?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“I just want some fresh air. The ward smells stuffy, and my young, beautiful body can’t take it anymore.”

“…” Lu Jiahe stuffed her hands into her pockets. “Can you promise you’ll go back to your ward afterward?”

“Of course! You only see me sneaking out, but you don’t see how diligently I study when I’m in the ward,” Ji Yin defended herself.

Lu Jiahe: “That’s probably because you don’t study at all.”

Ji Yin: “.”

Oh no, Dr. Lu, you’re impossible to fool!

As the New Year approached, group chats for gatherings started buzzing.

Lu Jiahe’s elementary, middle school, high school, and university alumni groups were all organizing reunions, tagging her repeatedly. Each time, she missed the best window to reply because of work.

Still, she responded to each one, explaining her reasons and declining the invitations.

“Too bad you’re skipping again. Everyone keeps asking about you,” Li Chenyao said as they jogged side by side at the gym.

“That’s because I don’t go. If I did, they’d probably get sick of me,” Lu Jiahe laughed.

“What kind of joke is that? Who would ever find you annoying?” Li Chenyao wiped the sweat from her forehead. “You’re the most popular one in the whole class, both guys and girls like you, and you have way too many friends. I used to get jealous all the time. Especially that Cheng Jingwen. You two were practically joined at the hip back then, she almost took the spot as your best friend.”

Lu Jiahe and Li Chenyao had been in the same class from elementary through middle school, but they were separated in high school due to different academic tracks.

But Lu Jiahe was just too popular. Every time Li Chenyao saw her laughing and chatting with other friends, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

“Tell me the truth, were you two dating back then?” Li Chenyao asked.

“No,” Lu Jiahe paused the treadmill and took a sip of water.

“Really?”

“Mhm.”

“Then why did you two suddenly have a falling out?”

Lu Jiahe didn’t come out until college, but Li Chenyao had always suspected she was dating Cheng Jingwen in high school.

“She confessed to me, and I turned her down. Probably hurt her pride, so she stopped talking to me.”

Li Chenyao stumbled, nearly falling off the treadmill, and quickly hit the stop button before gripping the handrail to step down. “No way! Cheng Jingwen was so pretty, and her grades were just as good as yours. You actually rejected her?”

“No feelings. I just saw her as a good friend.”

“Damn. Then what kind of person would actually make you feel something?”

“Don’t know. It’s about the vibe.”

“Could you not be so abstract about it?”

“Feelings are inherently abstract.” Lu Jiahe’s phone buzzed, and she glanced at Li Chenyao.

“Got it, got it. The hospital again, right? Go ahead.” Li Chenyao waved her off with practiced ease.

“Not the hospital it’s a patient’s caregiver.” Lu Jiahe opened the message.

[Caregiver for Bed 6]: Dr. Lu, Xiao Ji wants to go out for dinner again. Should I stop her?

[Lu Jiahe]: Is she going down in a wheelchair?

[Caregiver for Bed 6]: Yes. [Photo]

[Lu Jiahe]: Let her go.

Li Chenyao leaned over and saw the photo on the screen a woman in a wheelchair, just turning her head when the picture was taken, revealing only half of her profile.

“That girl’s pretty good-looking,” Li Chenyao remarked.

“You can tell she’s good-looking from just a side angle?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Her bone structure is great. Unless her front view isn’t as nice?”

“She’s pretty.” Lu Jiahe thought for a moment, then nodded. “You’ve seen her before, that patient we ran into in your neighborhood last time.”

“Oh, her.”

“You remember?”

“Pretty people tend to leave an impression. Is she your type?”

“Sure, I like women, but that doesn’t mean I’m into every woman I see, does it?” Lu Jiahe chuckled.

“Just curious. She and Cheng Jingwen are different kinds of pretty, what if she’s exactly your type?”

“You really have too much free time.” Lu Jiahe checked the time and started packing up. “I’m heading out.”

On her way home, she remembered her mom had asked her to pick up a bottle of olive oil, so she turned right at the next intersection and headed straight to Yanhua Supermarket.

Unexpectedly, there were quite a few brands of olive oil. She took a photo and sent it to her mom, asking which one she wanted.

Just then, a WeChat notification popped up.

[Ji Yin]: Dr. Lu, can I have beer?

[Lu Jiahe]: Preferably not.

[Ji Yin]: What about red wine?

[Lu Jiahe]: Are you an alcoholic or something?

[Ji Yin]: [Awkward cold sweat emoji]

[Lu Jiahe]: [Picture] Which of these olive oils is the best?

[Ji Yin]: The most expensive one.

[Lu Jiahe]: Oh, so that’s the simple and straightforward way to tell. Thanks, top salesperson.

Lu Jiahe shook her head with a wry smile and picked up the priciest bottle.

The next moment, a sudden voice call startled her, and she quickly turned the volume down. Staring at the caller ID in confusion for a second, she answered.

“Dr. Lu, when you check out, go through the VIP lane. Yanzi is on duty there today, she’ll give you a discount,” Ji Yin said.

“Is that allowed?” Lu Jiahe asked.

“Allowed, allowed, totally allowed. I’ll go tell her.”

Before Lu Jiahe could respond, the call ended. So she headed to the VIP lane, where one-on-one service was provided. From a distance, she spotted a girl waving her arms enthusiastically.

“Dr. Lu! Dr. Lu, over here!”

Carrying her items, Lu Jiahe walked over and smiled. “Ji Yin said I could get a discount, is it an employee discount?”

“Yep! Dr. Lu, do you have a membership card? If you sign up, you can get an extra discount and a free gift too,” Yanzi said, scanning the items while still promoting the membership.

“I’m already a member.”

“Perfect! Thanks for your support, Dr. Lu. Here’s your gift!” Yanzi pulled out a gift bag from behind the counter and stuffed it into her shopping bag.

Back home, Lu Jiahe handed the olive oil to Liu Jia.

“Goodness, why buy such an expensive one?” Liu Jia adjusted her reading glasses and squinted at the price tag.

“A patient of mine works at the supermarket and gave me an employee discount. They even threw in a membership gift.” Lu Jiahe took out the gift bag and emptied its contents, noticing it was different from the freebies she’d gotten when signing up for the card.

Inside were three vouchers, three pens, and a small box of chocolates.

“These gifts are actually useful. Maybe I should get a membership card too,” Liu Jia chuckled.

After calculating the savings, Lu Jiahe frowned. “Oh no. I bought a bottle of oil, and the supermarket basically paid me thirty yuan. Will their boss find out?”

“If they dared to give it to you openly, it must be within the rules. It’s not like she’d risk getting fired over this, right?” Liu Jia said. “We still have some apples at home, why don’t you take some to thank her?”

The next day during rounds, Lu Jiahe stashed the apples in her locker, waiting for the right moment to hand them over.

When she entered Room 302, her gaze landed on the empty bed, the blankets tossed haphazardly. Her smile froze instantly. “Where the hell is Ji Yin?!”

“I’m pooping!” Ji Yin’s voice echoed from the bathroom, hurriedly clarifying, “I didn’t run away! I swear!”

“…”