The Unreturnable Refrigerator - Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Snacks
“Hahahaha, I’m dying of laughter.”
“I can’t believe Sheng Xiali actually agreed and took your two hundred and fifty.”
“Now that I think about it, Lu Yin, were you doing it on purpose back then?”
Cheng Siyu’s loud laughter came through the phone, and Lu Yin couldn’t help but join in. She hadn’t expected Cheng Siyu to remember all these details.
It had been almost ten years ago…
Lu Yin also hadn’t expected to remember it so clearly, even the feelings she had back then.
After Sheng Xiali said “fifty an hour,” she was surprised and happy, and she just wanted to tease her.
“Of course, I wasn’t doing it on purpose. Besides, if I was, I’d be calling myself a fool too. She took two hundred fifty, and I gave two hundred fifty. Who’s the bigger fool?”
Cheng Siyu laughed even louder after hearing that. Lu Yin reminded her to keep it down and not disturb the neighbors in the middle of the night.
Also… she glanced at the tightly closed window. Although she knew it was impossible, the thought of Sheng Xiali living across the hall made her worry that the person they were talking about would hear them.
This was probably what a guilty conscience felt like.
Cheng Siyu’s laughter subsided a bit, and she continued her reminiscence: “I remember how scary it was after Sheng Xiali took the money. That Saturday afternoon was worse than military training. She probably developed her habit of getting paid to do things back then.”
The memory was still terrifying. It was truly paying for suffering. Although she didn’t pay, all the money was given by Lu Yin, but they both suffered together.
Lu Yin gave a wry smile, remembering that afternoon and feeling a bit of regret…
She had originally thought it was a good opportunity to get closer to Sheng Xiali, but she hadn’t expected that after taking the money, this person would turn into a merciless demon drill sergeant, showing no mercy while training her and Cheng Siyu.
They didn’t even have time to talk, let alone drink water!
Song Xinlei, that petty person, came along, angry at first, but left with a smile.
The next day, both of them were completely incapacitated, unable to get up, and their backs and waists ached. Song Xinlei even mocked them for being useless.
For the first time, Lu Yin felt what it was like to ‘lift a rock to drop it on her own feet,’ ‘to lose the cheese while trying to steal the chicken,’ and ‘to feed a wolf with your child.’ She regretted it, deeply regretted it, and immediately gave up on any thoughts she had about Sheng Xiali.
Although she couldn’t be sure if Sheng Xiali was in the same camp as her, she was certain that this person had no feelings for her and never would.
They were two different kinds of people.
But later, something unexpected happened…
Lu Yin pulled herself out of her memories. She couldn’t continue thinking about this, or she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Cheng Siyu was still sighing on the phone: “No wonder Sheng Xiali is so successful now. She already had this money-making habit in college! Lu Yin, you don’t know this, but Sheng Xiali paid for her own tuition and living expenses in college.”
Cheng Siyu had only found out about this after she graduated and became Sheng Xiali’s client. Song Xinlei had mentioned it a few times during meals to show how amazing Sheng Xiali was.
As if she needed to say it…
Lu Yin smiled at this. How could she not know? She knew better than anyone.
Not just that, but Sheng Xiali also insisted on paying for their hotel room when they were together in college.
Once a month, 888 per night for a king-sized bed and a two-person jacuzzi.
…
The next day, Lu Yin woke up with a sore back and waist.
She knocked on her sore and swollen legs, lamenting that some dreams were really tough on the legs.
She knew she was in trouble when a two-person jacuzzi appeared in her dream last night.
Lu Yin sighed, pulled out the pillow that was wedged between her thighs, and threw it aside with a huff. She really regretted thinking about things she shouldn’t have before bed.
Especially thinking about a person she shouldn’t have!
Lu Yin kicked the pillow away, took off her sticky underwear, and went straight into the bathroom.
After a shower, she felt the soreness in her body gradually disappear as her mind became clearer.
She really needed to stop thinking about things she shouldn’t think about. Lu Yin looked at the pimple on the corner of her mouth in the mirror and reminded herself to stop staying up so late…
She had been having a great time chatting with Cheng Siyu last night and didn’t go to bed until 2 AM. Looking at her swollen gums, Lu Yin gave a bitter smile. She was getting a heat rash again.
After she finished her morning routine, she saw that it was only ten o’clock. Lu Yin hesitated about whether to go back to sleep, but she felt wide awake and hungry.
She couldn’t sleep while she was hungry.
Lu Yin opened her phone and scrolled through the takeout options, but nothing appealed to her. Especially with the heat rash, she didn’t want to eat any greasy, unhealthy takeout.
An idea for a store popped into her mind, mainly because of the cool and refreshing herbal tea they had.
It was a weekday afternoon, so there was a good chance she wouldn’t run into the person she didn’t want to see. That workaholic would probably be in her office, eating a sandwich with black coffee.
Lu Yin opened WeChat and sent a message to Bei Bei, asking her to have lunch.
Yang Beibei was in the middle of a job transition, so she had plenty of time but no money. Of course, she would accept a free meal.
She immediately replied and got up to get ready.
They agreed to meet at eleven.
It only took Lu Yin half an hour to get there, so she had plenty of time. She looked at the closed door of 902 across the hall through the peephole.
She didn’t know if Sheng Xiali had gone to work. Normally, she would have, but she drank too much yesterday. Would she be too tired to get up today?
Probably not. Lu Yin remembered that in the past, even if Sheng Xiali had a ‘drunken fit’ the night before, she would wake up on time and go to work as if nothing had happened.
Lu Yin thought for a moment and sent a message to Amy.
Amy received Lu Yin’s message asking if her boss was at work. She thought Lu Yin had a question for her: “My dear, if you have a question, maybe you can ask me first. The boss is in a meeting.”
She really did go to work. Maybe Sheng Xiali’s hobby was working. She probably had a natural program in her body that started automatically at a certain time.
Lu Yin typed back to Amy: “It’s nothing. No rush. We can talk about it another time.”
After confirming that Sheng Xiali wasn’t home, Lu Yin opened her door without a second thought and headed straight for 902. She opened the keyboard cover and typed in ‘888888.’
The action was flawless, and the password was wrong.
Lu Yin was frustrated. She continued to enter the other two combinations, ‘999999’ and ‘111111,’ and they were both wrong.
What was the password? Lu Yin punched the tightly closed door. Her hand hurt, and her heart hurt too.
She leaned against the door, thinking of the ‘children’ separated from her by this door. A tragic and mournful BGM suddenly started playing in her head.
“My precious babies, wait a little longer for your mom! I will definitely save you!”
…
On the other side, after Amy received Lu Yin’s message, she found it a bit strange but didn’t think much of it.
Sheng Xiali had told her as soon as she arrived that morning that she needed to revise a proposal and that it was urgent and had to be done before noon.
Amy rushed to finish it and was about to take it in for Sheng Xiali to review when Song Xinlei arrived.
“Sister Xinlei,” Amy said with a smile, putting the materials back on her desk.
Song Xinlei nodded in response and walked directly past Amy’s desk toward Sheng Xiali’s office. But when she got to the door, she stopped.
Song Xinlei thought about her failed confession yesterday. She felt a little hesitant and embarrassed. She didn’t feel ready to see Sheng Xiali again.
But she looked at the stomach medicine in her hand, and she was genuinely worried about Sheng Xiali.
In the past, when Sheng Xiali went to a dinner party alone like she did yesterday, Song Xinlei would usually follow up. Even if Sheng Xiali didn’t want her to pick her up, she would call to make sure she was okay.
It wasn’t that she was overly anxious. It was mainly because Sheng Xiali had once had a stomach bleed and fainted at home alone.
Song Xinlei felt a shiver every time she thought about it.
She hadn’t called last night because she had also been drinking.
After Sheng Xiali rejected her, she went to her usual lesbian bar and drank until she blacked out, hoping to forget what happened yesterday.
But when she woke up this morning, Sheng Xiali’s words, “just friends,” kept replaying in her mind like a broken record, making her feel agitated and giving her a headache.
Song Xinlei suddenly didn’t want to see this “friend” of hers. She backed away and handed the medicine to Amy: “Give this to your boss.”
With that, she put the medicine down and walked toward the elevator. But while waiting for the elevator, seeing that the numbers were not moving, Song Xinlei turned back and went to Amy: “Never mind, I’ll give it to her myself.”
Amy was about to take the medicine in with the revised design. When she heard this, she immediately gave the medicine back to Song Xinlei and decided to go in later.
She wasn’t going to be a third wheel for her favorite couple.
Song Xinlei knocked on the door. After hearing Sheng Xiali’s response, she took a breath, opened the door, and walked in.
Song Xinlei entered the room, saw Sheng Xiali, and smiled naturally: “I heard you drank Mr. Qian under the table last night. You’re so dedicated. Mr. Qian is famous for being a good drinker. Did your stomach hurt after drinking so much?”
As she said this, she naturally placed the medicine in front of Sheng Xiali: “Take the medicine if you don’t feel well.”
Sheng Xiali stopped her work and looked up at her: “Thank you, I’m fine.”
Song Xinlei smiled: “I know you’re a good drinker. Mr. Qian’s payment has already been wired this morning. So at least you didn’t drink for nothing.”
Sheng Xiali gave a faint smile: “Since the money has arrived, remember to transfer the first payment for the goods today.”
Song Xinlei nodded: “It’s being arranged.”
Sheng Xiali nodded.
The silence between them suddenly became awkward. Song Xinlei’s heart tightened. No matter how much she tried to act like nothing had happened, things were different between them now.
She regretted why she had so rashly confessed her feelings.
She had been too anxious. She should have waited for a better time.
She wanted to say something, but she felt that once this awkward atmosphere had been created, it would be very difficult to change.
Sheng Xiali looked more natural than she did: “Is there anything else?”
Song Xinlei shook her head. For the first time, she felt like she couldn’t stand being in Sheng Xiali’s office.
Amy was surprised that Song Xinlei came out so quickly. Just as she was about to ask if the boss was free, she saw her run away with red eyes.
Did they have a fight?
Amy was shocked. Could these two even fight?
Song Xinlei had never spoken loudly in front of the boss. She was always the first to support any of the boss’s decisions and was incredibly caring. How could she be angry with the boss?
Filled with questions, Amy picked up the organized documents and knocked on the door of Sheng Xiali’s office.
As soon as she walked in, she was shocked.
Her mature, steady, and elegant boss was crushing crackers…
The little raccoon on the packaging was alternately wrinkled and puffed up.
What was wrong with the boss? Was she under too much pressure?
She had read news about people going to supermarkets to crush instant noodles to relieve stress.
“Is it revised?” Sheng Xiali looked up at Amy, her hands still crushing the crackers.
As Amy got closer, Sheng Xiali finished crushing it, tore open the bag, and picked a piece to put in her mouth.
When Amy handed the revised design to Sheng Xiali, she shuddered for a moment at the sound of the crunch.
Her boss! Was actually eating crackers!
It wasn’t that Sheng Xiali couldn’t eat crackers. It was just that Amy knew her inside and out from being her assistant and often helping her order food. This person basically only ate food in its original state, with simple preparations.
She had never seen her eat snacks with ingredient lists that were dozens of lines long on the back.
So Amy would never think of sharing her snacks with the boss.
Wait, Song Xinlei left with red eyes just now. Could she have seen the boss eating crackers?
And felt bad for her? Was it a scene from an idol drama?
“Boss, are you hungry? Do you want me to order you some food?”
Amy was really not used to the crunching sound.
Sheng Xiali didn’t even look up: “No need, I’m not hungry. Have a seat. There are a few places that need to be changed.”
After saying that, she picked up another piece of cracker and put it in her mouth, then took a wet wipe to clean her hands, and then a paper towel to dry them. While chewing with a loud crunch, she used a pen to circle the problematic areas on the design.
Amy saw that they were about to talk about work, so she quickly pushed all the messy thoughts out of her head and seriously looked at the problems Sheng Xiali had circled.
She listened as Sheng Xiali told her the specific requirements and how to revise them.
She could learn a lot from Sheng Xiali. When she pointed out problems, it was never just the problem itself. Although she wouldn’t give the answer directly, she would give suggestions. Amy listened attentively and took notes on the important points.
After Sheng Xiali finished, she put the cap on her pen and handed the draft back to her: “Take a look. Is it difficult to complete?”
“If not, submit it before the end of the day.”
Amy quickly looked it over carefully. If she agreed to Sheng Xiali’s deadline and didn’t complete it on time without a valid reason, she would have her performance bonus deducted.
“Take these with you later and distribute them.”
Amy thought it was a new assignment and looked up, her eyes wide.
Was that a box of snacks?
Amy’s gaze went to the bottom of the box, which was filled with crackers and little bear cookies. The entire box was full of food.
The boss had really changed. Not only was she eating snacks, but she was also stocking up on them!
“Um, boss, aren’t you keeping any?”
This was too much.
Sheng Xiali casually picked up another box from under her desk and showed it to Amy: “I have more.”
Amy looked at the box in her hand in shock. It looked just as full as the other one, a box full of food.
Sheng Xiali put the box back on the floor. Last night, she had unpacked all the snacks Lu Yin had given her.
She sorted them all and determined that even if she ate these snacks every day without stopping, she couldn’t possibly finish them all before the expiration date.
Besides, she didn’t even like snacks. Sheng Xiali looked at the little bear cookies on top of the box. The little bear with a hat made her think of Lu Yin, who had shown up that night saying she was there to bring her warmth, wrapped up like a rabbit, and running away as fast as a rabbit.
Amy was about to say thank you when she saw a sudden smile on her boss’s face…
The boss had changed so much. Did eating snacks make her this happy? Or were these crackers exceptionally delicious?
Amy also wanted to go back and open a bag to see if the ones the boss bought were different and could be so delicious that they made a person this happy…
Just as she was about to speak, Sheng Xiali’s phone rang.
Sheng Xiali waved her hand, signaling Amy to wait a moment, and answered the call.
“Sheng Xiali, what do you mean by turning my place into an herbal tea shop? And saying that if you mention your name, you can get herbal tea? Why didn’t you just say that if you mention your name, it’s free? Are you the boss or am I the boss? Do you boil the tea, or do I boil the tea?”
As soon as the call connected, Yang Sanhao started her rapid-fire questioning.
She rarely came to the shop, and the one time she did, she caught Sheng Xiali using her stuff to curry favor. Of course, she was going to get a good deal out of Sheng Xiali.
Although it was just a bowl of herbal tea, she shouldn’t underestimate it. It was quite a hassle to make. She had asked a famous doctor for the recipe, used top-grade medicinal herbs, and even improved the taste. The store didn’t sell it for takeout, and she would only give some to her regular customers when she made a larger batch.
The last time she made a pot, Sheng Xiali took the whole thing. She hadn’t even had a sip when she returned to the store. She hadn’t even had a chance to settle the score with Sheng Xiali yet, and today she just happened to run into this.
Yang Sanhao looked at the two girls sitting by the window from a distance. She wondered which one Sheng Xiali was interested in?
After Sheng Xiali answered the phone, she just listened. As she listened, her gaze fell on Amy, who was looking at the snacks.
Amy felt her gaze, looked up, and realized that the boss was indeed looking at her.
Why was she looking at her? Did the phone call have something to do with her?