The Unreturnable Refrigerator - Chapter 22.1
Chapter 22.1: Taking Her In
Hengminghui KTV, Presidential Suite 888.
Yang Sanhao leaned back on the sofa, propping her head up, and watched Sheng Xiali with a relaxed expression. She was acting very unusually today, drinking one glass after another, as if the alcohol were water, and not refusing anyone.
Although Sheng Xiali had a smile on her face and was happily saying encouraging words to her subordinates, and today’s gathering was to celebrate the completion of her clothing contract and the signing of a new big one, Yang Sanhao had a gut feeling that she was in a bad mood, a very bad mood.
Since she knew very well how tight-lipped Sheng Xiali was, it was almost impossible to find out what had happened from her. She chose to investigate herself.
She was also bored. She didn’t like to sing, mainly because she was tone-deaf.
Seeing Cheng Siyu finish a song, Yang Sanhao enthusiastically waved her over to sit next to her.
The two of them had just met tonight. She knew that Sheng Xiali had gone to her store’s opening ceremony today, which was the official end of the clothing contract.
“Your singing is really good, Ms. Cheng,” Yang Sanhao started the conversation.
Cheng Siyu took a sip of water. Hearing the compliment, she smiled happily. She also glanced at Song Xinlei, who hadn’t arrived yet, and said with a smile: “It’s alright. It’s just that Xinlei isn’t here. She sings much better than me. She even won an award at school.”
Speaking of this, Cheng Siyu recalled another funny memory: “The most interesting one is Lu Yin. She can sing every song in the same tune.”
“Lu Yin?” Yang Sanhao repeated the name.
Cheng Siyu glanced at her and then realized: “I forgot you don’t know her. She was my dorm roommate in college. It’s been many years since we’ve seen each other. She also came to my store opening, but unfortunately, she had something to do at home and went back at noon.”
Yang Sanhao hadn’t expected that with just one sentence, she was already close to the right answer.
She glanced at Sheng Xiali on the other side, who was still drinking alcohol like it was water. So Sheng Xiali’s unusual behavior today was because she had seen Lu Yin?
Thinking about the last time this person came to her store pretending to run into her, Yang Sanhao smiled. There was definitely something going on between these two, and it was the kind that was “to be continued.”
Yang Sanhao smiled and replied to Cheng Siyu: “I know Lu Yin. She came to my store to eat last time, and Sheng Xiali was also there. But I was busy, so we didn’t talk much. I didn’t know you were all classmates.”
Cheng Siyu nodded: “Lu Yin, Song Xinlei, and I were in the same major and dorm. Sheng Xiali wasn’t in our major. We just had a volleyball class together in our first year.”
“Volleyball class?” Yang Sanhao caught the key phrase.
Cheng Siyu had just reminisced about the volleyball class with Lu Yin, so the memory was fresh: “Yes, it’s quite interesting. At that time, Lu Yin and I weren’t very good, and we almost failed the exam. Sheng Xiali taught us, and it even made Xinlei a little angry.”
Speaking of this, Cheng Siyu let out a laugh and said with a sigh: “It’s good to be young. Thinking back on these things now is so interesting.”
It sounded very childish, but it was full of youthful energy. It was unlike now, where everyone was so slick, and you couldn’t tell what they were thinking.
Yang Sanhao went along with her words and talked about her own youth. Her youth was even further away, and she didn’t have many feelings about it anymore. What she wanted to know now was what was going on between Sheng Xiali and Lu Yin.
She remembered the doubt that Sheng Xiali had expressed at the last dinner party, which was also about volleyball.
There was a story here.
While she was thinking, her phone rang. A message came in, and she saw that it was Yang Beibei again.
Her phone had almost become the Yang Beibei hotline these past few days. How could this little girl have so much to say in one day?
Yang Sanhao glanced at the message. It was a continuation of their previous conversation, sharing the plot of a TV show she was watching.
Yang Sanhao smiled. She looked at these irrelevant messages, but each one had a hidden theme. This little girl had a crush on her.
She didn’t know she still had this charm at her age, enough to make someone fall in love at first sight.
Yang Sanhao looked at the messages that were constantly coming in. Girls these days were indeed quite proactive. She thought of Lu Yin. When she saw her and Yang Beibei last time, Yang Sanhao felt that they had a strangely similar innocent quality.
She later learned that one had not had a real job after graduating, and the other had just graduated.
No wonder their eyes were so clear.
Yang Sanhao thought of Yang Beibei’s silly appearance. She felt a little guilty about trying to get information from her, but it was just a little. It didn’t stop her from wanting to gossip.
She sent Yang Beibei a picture, a promotional image of a newly developed tourist spot. It was a man-made beach, known as the “Maldives of Hengcheng.”
“A friend recommended this place. It’s said to be a lot of fun, and you can even play beach volleyball. I remember you mentioning that you know how to play volleyball. Do you want to go sometime? Just so you know, I don’t know how to play, so I might need you to teach me.”
The other person quickly replied: “I don’t know how to play either. Lu Yin is the one who knows. How about we ask her to come and teach us?”
Yang Sanhao chuckled and continued to probe: “Is she any good? I have a friend who’s quite good. It’s more fun to play if the skill levels are similar.”
Soon, Yang Sanhao received a video. She opened it and saw a volleyball match. Yang Sanhao recognized Lu Yin in the video at a glance. She was indeed quite good.
If she was that good in high school, how could she have a “poor skill level” and almost fail the exam in college? How interesting.
Yang Sanhao replied: “Then ask Lu Yin when she’s free and let’s make a plan.”
This time, it took a little longer for the other side to reply: “Yinyin hasn’t replied to me. She’s probably still sleeping. I’ll get back to you when she wakes up and replies to me.”
Yang Sanhao: “She’s sleeping at this hour?”
Yang Beibei: “Yinyin’s sleep schedule is all messed up. She had finally adjusted it a while ago. But after she came back from your store last time, she went back to being unable to sleep at night and unable to wake up during the day.”
Yang Sanhao raised an eyebrow. Sheng Xiali was also at her store last time.
She turned to look at Sheng Xiali. She was leaning back on the sofa, pinching her brow, looking like she was already drunk.
What a coincidence. One person acted unusually after seeing Lu Yin, and the other person also acted unusually after seeing Sheng Xiali.
While she was thinking, the private room suddenly fell silent. In the short pause between songs, Amy walked in holding a large bouquet of roses.
Everyone was about to start teasing, but Amy waved her hand and pointed to Sheng Xiali. Everyone understood and pretended they didn’t see anything, going back to what they were doing and making the room lively again.
Amy sighed, feeling the flowers prick her. She walked to Sheng Xiali with the bouquet.
Feeling someone approach, Sheng Xiali opened her eyes. Seeing the roses Amy was holding, her eyes darkened.
Amy explained: “I just came back from the restroom and met the delivery guy at the door. I was about to refuse, but the person just left. I couldn’t stop them.”
She said this and handed the card from the flowers to Sheng Xiali: “It’s still Mr. Qian.”
She had already told the front desk at the studio to refuse Mr. Qian’s flowers. She hadn’t expected Mr. Qian’s flowers to be delivered here. She suspected there was an informant working for Mr. Qian at the studio. Otherwise, how would he know that Sheng Xiali was here?
Fortunately, the contracts had already been signed. Otherwise, she would have been worried that if she refused, the contract would fall through.
While Sheng Xiali was looking at the card, Amy looked around and saw that Song Xinlei hadn’t arrived yet. She was getting new appliances installed at home tonight and would come after they were done. It was a good thing she wasn’t here yet. Otherwise, it would have been upsetting for her to see this.
It was also because their boss was too outstanding.
Amy put the roses on the table. The bouquet was too big for her to hold. The vibrant flowers bloomed silently under the light. If she received such a large bouquet of roses, regardless of whether she liked the person or not, she would be moved for a few seconds.
She looked at Sheng Xiali, who had only glanced at her at the beginning and then at the flowers. After that, she didn’t look at them again.
She was truly worthy of being her boss. How many roses must she have received to have such a calm and indifferent demeanor?
Sheng Xiali tore up the card and threw it in the trash can. She lit up her phone and transferred 20,000 yuan to Amy: “I’m leaving now. You take care of things here. The tab is on the company.”
Amy accepted the money and agreed. As an assistant, she was familiar with all the procedures. She would just settle the final payment later.
Seeing Sheng Xiali stand up and sway a little, she was a little worried: “Boss, do you want me to drive you?”
Sheng Xiali waved her hand and walked out.
Yang Sanhao watched her stumble and raised her eyebrows high. Was she really drunk?
As she passed by, Yang Sanhao got up and held her: “I’ll drive you.”
It was a good opportunity to dig up some gossip. People were most unguarded when they were drunk.
As soon as they went out the door, Sheng Xiali pushed her hand away: “No need.”
Yang Sanhao was not discouraged: “You look like you’re in a bad mood. Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll talk to you about it.”
Sheng Xiali’s lowered eyes lifted, and she gave her a look of disdain.
Yang Sanhao found it amusing. Sheng Xiali’s expression became more lively when she was drunk: “I won’t let you talk for nothing. I have something good in my hands.”
She said this and winked at Sheng Xiali.
Sheng Xiali looked away, turned, and walked forward. She waved her hand without looking back, as if she wasn’t interested in what she was saying at all.
Yang Sanhao chuckled, opened her phone, looked at the video, and raised her voice to comment on the person in the video.
“Tsk, tsk, Lu Yin looks so different from this angle. Wow, her arms are really strong—”
Before her words could land, her palm felt empty. Yang Sanhao looked up in surprise. Her phone was already in Sheng Xiali’s hand…
Her movements were too fast! When did she turn around? Why didn’t she make any sound?
The corridor lights were dim. The light from the phone illuminated Sheng Xiali’s eyes, which had been emotionless a moment ago. As the screen changed, her eyes gradually became deep.
“Give it back to me.” Yang Sanhao reached out to grab the phone. She was going to use this to exchange for important information.
But when she got her phone back, not only was the video of Lu Yin gone, but the entire chat history with Yang Beibei was deleted!
Yang Sanhao looked at Sheng Xiali’s departing back and laughed in frustration. She didn’t know Sheng Xiali had such a shameless and overbearing side. Then she looked at her large, confident steps. Was she really drunk or not?
Lu Yin looked at the security camera and gave a definitive answer: she was drunk, and very drunk at that.
Sheng Xiali actually came to knock on her door and told her to open it…
Lu Yin’s mood was very complex right now. She even pinched her thigh, and it hurt. She looked at her reflection on the matte tiles on the floor and confirmed that she wasn’t dreaming.
The person she had just seen in her dream was now at her door. This feeling was truly indescribable.
Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, the doorbell rang again abruptly. In the quiet night, the sound was piercing and sudden. Lu Yin’s heart pounded.
Feeling the persistence in the doorbell, and that it was disturbing the neighbors in the middle of the night, Lu Yin opened the door in annoyance.
Screech, the door was only ajar when a hand suddenly reached in and with a bang, it grabbed onto the door. Lu Yin was startled.
The door was pushed open urgently by the hand. Lu Yin had to take a step back. She looked up and met a pair of deep eyes with red rims.
The person with red eyes held onto the door with one hand and propped the door frame with the other. Her collar was open, revealing a large portion of her collarbone. The pearl pendant she had seen in the daytime was now askew, trembling with her rapid breaths.
The smell of alcohol mixed with an undeniable heat from Sheng Xiali’s body rushed toward her. Lu Yin couldn’t help but take another half step back. This half step was just enough to create space for one person.
Under Lu Yin’s shocked gaze, Sheng Xiali’s slender but not thin figure entered her private space. With just a turn of her body, she closed the door that she had only wanted to open a crack.
Looking at the pointed single shoe that was almost touching her slipper, Lu Yin was stunned and took another step back.
After she realized that this was her home, that Sheng Xiali had entered without her permission, and that she had been so shocked by her inexplicable aura that she had backed up again and again, Lu Yin said with annoyance.
“What are you doing? You’ve got the wrong door. Your home is over there!”
She had only opened the door to remind her of this. This drunk person had probably come to the wrong door.
Lu Yin said this and was about to open the door, wanting to push Sheng Xiali out. But this person was like a pillar, not moving at all.
Lu Yin regretted it and was a little flustered. She was a fool. How could she open the door for a drunk person?
She quickly turned sideways to reach for the lock behind Sheng Xiali, wanting to get her out as soon as possible.
The hand she reached out hadn’t had a chance to touch the lock yet when it was caught.
So hot. Lu Yin’s wrist trembled. The temperature of Sheng Xiali’s palm was astonishingly high. How much did she drink? Lu Yin frowned and looked at Sheng Xiali.
Her face was unnaturally flushed, and her eyes were red like a rabbit’s, staring straight at her.
“What are you doing? Go crazy somewhere else. Let go of me, or I’ll call the police too.”
Lu Yin remembered how Sheng Xiali had threatened her in the same way before, saying she was robbing her home.
Was she robbing her home? Was there a robber who broke into a home to deliver supplies? Thinking about that night, Lu Yin got angry, and there was also a sense of grievance she didn’t want to admit.
Lu Yin struggled to pull her hand back, pulling with all her might. Unexpectedly, Sheng Xiali let go at the same time. She couldn’t stop her momentum and staggered backward, hitting a box on the floor of the entryway.
“Ah—”
Lu Yin cried out, falling backward. Just as she felt she was about to hit the wall, a hand was placed on the back of her head. She saw panic in Sheng Xiali’s eyes.
Click, the next second, the entryway was plunged into darkness.
Lu Yin was stunned. Her eyes, which had just been trying to see clearly, couldn’t make out any emotions in the darkness.
A hand was placed on her waist, and she was lifted up. After she stood up, Lu Yin realized that she had just hit the light switch.
In the darkness, a hot breath brushed against her ear and went into her ear.
A trembling, low, and slightly hoarse female voice sounded in her ear.
“I’m back.”
Lu Yin’s heart skipped a beat. She was surprised to hear such a sentence in this situation.
She was a little unable to distinguish between her dream and reality again. She remembered that summer when she was 20, the days they lived in the same dorm. Every night when Sheng Xiali came back, she would go up to her and say, “You’re back.”
Later, Sheng Xiali would gradually reply, “I’m back.”
Even later, the year they lived together after graduation, Sheng Xiali would be the first to say, “I’m back.” She would hold her tightly, just like now. Lu Yin would kiss her with a smile and ask her, “Was your day a good one?”
They would eat together and share their experiences, joys, and sorrows from the day…