The Unreturnable Refrigerator - Chapter 16
Chapter 16: 2.5 Million
Lu Yin deeply regretted not checking the almanac before leaving the house today, and she also regretted why she had to go out for lunch in the first place.
Most of all, she regretted bringing Yang Beibei with her.
Seeing that Yang Beibei was about to answer Sheng Xiali’s question, Lu Yin picked up a slice of watermelon from the table, leaned across most of the table, and shoved it into Yang Beibei’s mouth.
“Eat some watermelon to refresh your brain. What volleyball team? My high school, high school, high school was a ping pong player!”
Lu Yin’s mind raced, pulling out a sport from the ball categories. She didn’t know if she was infected by Yang Beibei, but she stuttered a little, making her sound a bit guilty.
Yang Beibei’s mouth was full of watermelon. She quickly took a bite and swallowed. How did it become ping pong? She remembered it was volleyball.
She even had videos of Yinyin’s high school volleyball games. They were so exciting. Anyone who watched them would be captivated by her Yinyin~
Yang Beibei looked at Lu Yin and saw that her eyes seemed a little uncomfortable, blinking heavily.
After Sheng Xiali spoke, Yang Sanhao realized that things were not simple. Her tone just now was not like a question, but more like an accusation.
And Lu Yin’s nervousness. Was it so important to get the sport wrong, volleyball or ping pong?
There must be a story there.
And it should be related to Sheng Xiali. Yang Sanhao’s smile grew even wider. She really wanted to know!
She and Sheng Xiali had known each other for several years, but she knew almost nothing about Sheng Xiali’s past. Several times, she tried to get her drunk to get some information, but Sheng Xiali’s alcohol tolerance was too good, and she was the one who ended up getting drunk.
She spilled all her secrets, but Sheng Xiali didn’t let a single thing slip!
She had always been curious about how a person like Sheng Xiali could be single to this day.
Now it seemed, there was a story!
This wasn’t a new acquaintance; it was an old acquaintance!
An old acquaintance with a past~
Yang Sanhao glanced at the silent Sheng Xiali. For now, she suppressed her eager curiosity and decided to “help out.”
“Lu Yin likes to play ping pong? What a coincidence, I like it too. I happen to have a ping pong table in my office. Sheng Xiali is also pretty good. If you’re not in a hurry to eat, we could go and play a few rounds.”
Lu Yin refused without hesitation: “I’m in a hurry. I’m hungry, very hungry. I have no strength.”
Yang Sanhao wasn’t upset about being rejected, just a little disappointed.
She had an intention to help Sheng Xiali take a step closer. After all, with Sheng Xiali acting so reserved now, a past didn’t necessarily guarantee a future.
She was an older and wiser person and was worried that she would regret it.
Yang Beibei, eating her watermelon, noticed Yang Sanhao’s disappointment. She stood up abruptly and swallowed the watermelon in her mouth: “I’m not hungry. I also like to play ping pong. Um, I can play with you.”
Even though her skill level was mediocre…
Yang Sanhao looked at the straight-standing Yang Beibei, paused for a moment, and then suddenly smiled. Kids these days were really more and more interesting.
Since the other person was so proactive, Yang Sanhao, who never rejected anyone, tucked her neat short hair behind her ear: “Okay, then let’s go play for a bit.”
Yang Beibei immediately agreed. Amy stood up to let them pass and happened to see her boss across the table.
How should she describe that look? It was very similar to how she looked at a shoddy design during a Monday morning meeting, brewing up words to “humiliate” someone.
Amy pushed her chair back without a second thought and followed Yang Beibei.
“Me too, me too. I’m not hungry either, and I want to play a couple of rounds.”
As she caught up to Yang Beibei, Amy suddenly remembered that her boss couldn’t play ping pong. There was a ping pong table in the studio, and they had even held a competition, but her boss was eliminated in the first round.
Sister Xinlei said that the boss was good at volleyball.
Hmm? Volleyball? What a coincidence. No wonder the boss questioned Lu Yin’s claim of being a girls’ volleyball captain. Lu Yin’s height didn’t really look the part.
Usually, volleyball players were tall like her boss.
Amy fled with lightning speed while feeling confused.
The boss’s gaze seemed to be following her, which was frightening.
Lu Yin looked at the backs of the three people leaving at light speed, a piece of watermelon almost getting stuck in her throat.
After swallowing, she wanted to call out to them, but they were already gone.
She looked at the only two people left at the table, herself and Sheng Xiali. It was a disaster. She wasn’t hungry anymore. She also wanted to play ping pong.
Lu Yin really wanted to shout across the hall: “Sister Hao, I also want to play ping pong. Take me with you!”
What should she do? To get out, she would have to get past Sheng Xiali.
Lu Yin looked at Sheng Xiali’s crossed leg, which was like a car brake, completely blocking her path.
Lu Yin hesitated about whether to ask her to move, but her intuition told her that if she spoke, she would get an unexpected response.
She remembered the last time they ate together, all she said was that the space was a little cramped…
Forget it. She was indeed hungry, and her ping pong skills would instantly expose her as a former girls’ ping pong captain…
And her girls’ volleyball captain identity… Lu Yin glanced at Sheng Xiali. She was probably exposed. If she calmed down and thought about it, she would realize that her behavior was too guilty.
It would have been better if she had just smiled and said that Yang Beibei had remembered it wrong, or acted more calmly. Lu Yin took a sip of water to calm herself down.
She thought about how many years had passed since then. So what if Sheng Xiali knew? It would just mean she knew that Lu Yin had deliberately approached her with impure motives back then.
They were separated now. What was the point of all that?
With this thought, Lu Yin’s nervous heart calmed down. That’s right, they were separated. What did the past matter? So what if she lied? Sheng Xiali hadn’t suffered any losses.
Besides, had Sheng Xiali never lied to her?
Had she?
Lu Yin wasn’t sure. She flipped through the menu, recalling the years they were together, and if she had ever found Sheng Xiali to have lied to her.
Silence enveloped their small area until Sheng Xiali spoke.
“Cheng Siyu said you wanted to order a floral basket?”
Lu Yin had made up her mind that no matter what Sheng Xiali said to her, she wouldn’t respond, and she certainly wouldn’t admit that she could play volleyball and had pretended not to be able to. But she hadn’t expected Sheng Xiali to bring this up.
She had indeed told Cheng Siyu that she wanted to send a floral basket for her grand opening to show her support.
Cheng Siyu had said that Sheng Xiali was handling all the arrangements.
“Yes. She said to order from you. What’s the process?”
Lu Yin was concise, as if she didn’t want to say another word.
“288 each. How many do you want?”
Lu Yin thought about how good things come in pairs: “Two.”
“What’s the message?”
“Huh?” Lu Yin didn’t understand.
Sheng Xiali: “What do you want to write on the congratulatory card for the floral basket?”
Oh, that’s what it was. Lu Yin thought for a moment: “Congratulations on the grand opening and may your business be prosperous.”
“Okay, 576 in total.”
Lu Yin hadn’t expected their conversation to be so smooth. Sheng Xiali’s tone wasn’t as sharp as before. As she took out her phone to transfer the money, she glanced at Sheng Xiali, who looked aloof. She didn’t seem to want to “reminisce.”
Lu Yin was relieved. She opened her phone to transfer the money to Sheng Xiali, and when she opened their chat, she saw the voice call record from last night. Some memories from last night popped into her mind again. She quickly transferred the money and closed the chat.
After Sheng Xiali received the money, she placed her phone face down on the table and continued to look at the menu.
Lu Yin relaxed. Seeing that she had no intention of “chatting,” Lu Yin felt that her previous wariness was a bit “petty” and “overthinking.”
Thinking about how easily Sheng Xiali had received the money she just transferred, Lu Yin hesitated, then considered it again. She felt that there was no problem. She was giving money, not asking for it. Even if Sheng Xiali didn’t agree, things would just stay as they were.
After thinking it over, Lu Yin coughed and cleared her throat.
“Um…”
As soon as she spoke, she saw Sheng Xiali look up from the menu.
Meeting her somewhat serious gaze, Lu Yin’s heart still skipped a beat. She took a breath and continued.
“Um, about the fridge… I’ve been thinking, you were the one who paid for it. It’s not right for me to just take it without paying. How about I transfer the money to you, and you give me back the fridge?”
Lu Yin was a little reluctant in her heart. Sheng Xiali had said it was a gift, and she had given her a gift of higher value in return, which was why she had felt justified in taking it in the first place.
But to get the fridge back, she tried her best to maintain a smile.
Sheng Xiali looked at Lu Yin without saying a word.
“And also, Quick-Quick… You’re pretty busy with work. If it’s not convenient, I can come pick him up. It’s been so many years, thank you for taking care of him. Just tell me how much I owe you, and I can also pay you a caretaker fee.”
Sheng Xiali reacted: “Caretaker fee?”
Lu Yin nodded.
Sheng Xiali closed the menu, leaned back in her chair, and adjusted her position, turning slightly toward Lu Yin. Her crossed leg poked Lu Yin’s calf with this movement.
“Okay. How much will you give me?”
Lu Yin straightened her legs, ignoring her body’s reaction to the touch just now. She didn’t know how much to give.
“How much do you want?”
Sheng Xiali gave a light laugh, looking at Lu Yin’s innocent-looking face, which was good at lying.
“How about two fifty?”
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow, very surprised. She hadn’t expected Sheng Xiali to ask for so little just to mock her.
If she didn’t agree immediately, she would be the fool!
She quickly took out her phone and was about to say “okay” when she heard the word “million.”
“Two and a half million. You can take the fridge and Quick-Quick. I’ll even throw in the sink for free.”
The sarcasm in her words was palpable. Lu Yin looked at Sheng Xiali. The smile on her face was even more hurtful than her tone.
She knew it wouldn’t be that easy. For a second, she had actually believed her. She really was a fool!
“You might as well just sell me off and see if you can get that much!”
This was insane. Lu Yin angrily looked away, determined not to speak again. This person had no intention of having a proper conversation.
“Card number?”
“What?” The question came out of nowhere, and Lu Yin’s mouth was once again faster than her brain.
Sheng Xiali tapped the table, her long eyes half-lit and half-dark.
“Not to sell you. I’ll buy you.”