The Unreturnable Refrigerator - Chapter 24.2

Chapter 24.2

Song Xinlei curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees, and stared blankly into space, repeatedly telling herself that it was impossible.

Xiali couldn’t possibly like Lu Yin…

She and Sheng Xiali had been classmates since elementary school. She knew her.

Xiali had always been a good student. She was first in almost every competition she entered.

She was as dazzling as the sun.

Unlike her, Song Xinlei had always been “ordinary.” Her grades were average, she followed the rules, she was timid and didn’t talk much, and she was the type of person teachers would forget about in class, as inconspicuous as a grain of sand in a sandpit.

During the summer break after elementary school, she hurt her leg. She ate a lot and moved little while she was recovering, and it happened to be her growth spurt, so she gained a lot of weight.

This made her even more self-conscious and silent.

She also became one of the easiest people to bully. Not long after the beginning of middle school, she stayed a little late to clean the classroom and was cornered by a group of delinquents on her way home.

Song Xinlei handed over all the money she had, but they still didn’t let her go and tried to snatch her backpack.

Her diary was in the bag, and she held on to it for dear life. When they saw that she wasn’t cooperating, they were about to beat her up.

That’s when Sheng Xiali appeared.

Song Xinlei would never forget that day. She was like a goddess who had descended from the heavens. She not only helped her get her bag back but also got the money they had stolen back for her.

When Sheng Xiali handed her the bag, the streetlights on the corner lit up one by one, dispelling the darkness and creating a beautiful, interwoven light. She was in a daze, thinking that Sheng Xiali under the lights was more radiant than the moonlight.

A few days later, the teacher arranged the seating, and she ended up being Sheng Xiali’s deskmate.

Song Xinlei felt that all her good luck had started then.

Because of Sheng Xiali, she stopped eating snacks and gradually returned to a normal weight. Because of Sheng Xiali, she started to study hard, and with her help, she even got into the best high school in their area with Sheng Xiali. Her good luck continued, and she and Sheng Xiali were still deskmates.

In high school, Sheng Xiali was focused on her studies. Song Xinlei held back her feelings, wanting to confess after they both got into college.

But Sheng Xiali was just as busy in college. Not only did she have to study, but she also had to work part-time to earn money for tuition. Her time was even more limited than in high school.

In college, she had actually asked Xiali if she would consider dating. Xiali had replied that she didn’t have time.

Yes, she didn’t have time. Song Xinlei thought it would be fine after they graduated. When they had jobs, Xiali wouldn’t have to work so hard.

But after graduation, her family insisted that she go back to their hometown and arranged a job for her through their connections.

Song Xinlei was miserable for two years, and in the end, she quit her job without telling them and went back to Hengcheng to find Sheng Xiali.

But at that time, Sheng Xiali had just started her own business and was going through a difficult time. Song Xinlei knew it wasn’t the right time to confess. She stayed by Xiali’s side and worked hard with her until today.

Finally, just when she felt the time was right, and her apartment was also renovated, she ran into Lu Yin.

What was so great about Lu Yin? She was so lazy and didn’t put her heart into anything. Her GPA was even lower than that idiot Cheng Siyu’s. What did she have besides money?

She did have schemes, though.

She knew she had intentionally caused the volleyball class incident. She could also sense that Lu Yin had feelings for Xiali, so she stopped inviting Xiali back to their dorm and stopped calling Xiali in the dorm.

In reality, Xiali had never lacked people who liked her. The number of people who had confessed to her was more than she could count on two hands. Song Xinlei had even been asked to deliver love letters a few times. Song Xinlei never took these to heart. She knew Xiali was completely clueless about romance, or maybe she just didn’t have the time and didn’t want to waste her energy on it.

But for some reason, Song Xinlei had a faint feeling of unease after Xiali met Lu Yin.

It might have been the first time she brought Xiali back to the dorm. When she introduced Lu Yin, Xiali’s gaze lingered on Lu Yin for longer than it had on Cheng Siyu, and even longer than it had in any similar situation before.

Xiali even caught the pear that Lu Yin threw to her…

Xiali was the kind of person who would never accept things easily. When they first met, she had brought so much food and wanted to share it with her, but she wouldn’t accept it. It was the same with gifts from others or snacks she had shared with them.

She would usually politely refuse, or at least her first reaction was to hesitate.

But that time, she had just caught it without even trying to refuse at first.

Song Xinlei instinctively felt a sense of danger, especially when she saw the sparkle in Lu Yin’s eyes, the admiration and affection overflowing from them.

She just hadn’t expected that after all these years, Lu Yin would still have those feelings.

Why, why did she have to compete with her?!

Her Xiali was so wonderful. How could she say she was just ordinary?

She said she was so indifferent about Xiali, so why was she going to such lengths to pester her? She didn’t believe it. Hengcheng was so big, and there were so many design firms. It couldn’t be such a coincidence that she found Xiali.

She was so fake, saying that if you like someone, you should just say it. She was the one playing games.

Song Xinlei wiped her tears. She couldn’t let Xiali be deceived by a person like that.

“Lu Yin, where are you? I need to talk to you.”

Song Xinlei wrote the message and sent it, but there was still no reply from Lu Yin.

Yang Beibei hadn’t gotten a reply either.

She checked her phone in the morning. It had been a whole night, and Yinyin still hadn’t replied. What was she busy with?

She sent another WeChat message.

“Yinyin, why aren’t you replying? How about Monday? It’s usually crowded on weekends, so let’s go on Monday.”

Anyway, neither of them had to work, so why would they go on a crowded weekend? After she confirmed the time with Lu Yin, she would reply to Yang Sanhao with the confirmed time.

Hengcheng Maldives, sun, sand, volleyball, bikinis, good sisters, here I come~

Yang Beibei sent another message: “Yinyin, are you free today? Let’s go pick out a swimsuit together~”

After waiting for a while, Lu Yin still hadn’t replied. Yang Beibei was getting a little anxious and called her directly.

When Sheng Xiali brought the cooled boiled water and the medicine she had found into the bedroom, she saw that Lu Yin’s phone was lit up.

After glancing at the name, Sheng Xiali put down the cup of water and answered.

“Hello, Yinyin, did you see the messages I sent you? What are you busy with? Why aren’t you replying?”

Sheng Xiali listened to the anxious voice from the phone and, after she finished talking, replied: “Lu Yin has a fever.”

Yang Beibei heard the very unfamiliar voice, took the phone away from her ear, and looked at it. It was correct. She had called Lu Yin.

“Who are you?”

“Sheng Xiali.”

Yang Beibei was shocked: “Sheng Xiali? That Sheng Xiali? The great designer?”

Sheng Xiali replied: “Yes, we’ve met.”

Yang Beibei quickly nodded, then remembered the other person couldn’t see her, and replied: “We have, we have. Why are you answering Yinyin’s phone? Are you at Yinyin’s place?”

“Yes.” Sheng Xiali looked at the person on the bed who was sleeping uncomfortably. “She’s sick and needs to rest. Do you have something urgent?”

Yang Beibei shook her head: “No, no. She has a fever? Then she needs to take medicine and get some good rest.”

Sheng Xiali: “Yes, I’m about to give her medicine.”

“Ah?” Yang Beibei was surprised and then quickly replied: “Oh, oh, you continue, you continue.”

After saying that, she quickly hung up.

Yang Beibei was confused after hanging up. Why was Lu Yin with Sheng Xiali? Were they talking about the apartment design? Didn’t Yinyin say she wasn’t going to ask Sheng Xiali to design it?

It was so strange. Were they very close? While she was hesitating, Yang Beibei had already opened the chat with Yang Sanhao. She thought for a moment and called Yang Sanhao directly.

After the other person hung up, Sheng Xiali put Lu Yin’s phone in the drawer, sat on the side of the bed, and woke up Lu Yin.

“Wake up, take your medicine and then go back to sleep.”

Lu Yin woke up in a daze. She saw Sheng Xiali and heard her voice. She cooperated and opened her mouth.

The warm water and the pill went down. A sharp pain came from her throat. Was she swallowing a pill? It felt like she was swallowing a razor blade.

Lu Yin felt a sharp pain in her head as well. She felt even dizzier and fell back asleep in a daze.

Sheng Xiali took Lu Yin’s temperature again, put a fever patch on her, and took the cups with unknown liquids and what looked like mold on them from the cabinet on her way out of the bedroom.

She put the cups in the sink, rolled up her sleeves, and then received a call from Yang Sanhao.

It was perfect. Sheng Xiali needed some things. Lu Yin’s place only had instant food, and only the eggs were healthy.

Yang Sanhao didn’t have time to gossip before Sheng Xiali started ordering food. She raised an eyebrow: “Where should I send it?”

Sheng Xiali: “My place. Leave it at the door.”

Yang Sanhao narrowed her eyes and didn’t hide what she knew anymore: “I thought you were at Lu Yin’s place. Why are you at yours now? Did you take her home?”

She was so fast…

Sheng Xiali was surprised that she found out so quickly: “She lives across the hall.”

Yang Sanhao knew Sheng Xiali’s address and also that her apartment building had two apartments on each floor. She was a little shocked when she heard that: “Tsk, tsk, neighbors. Close to home. That’s incredible, Sheng Xiali. Your charm is amazing. She even bought an apartment across the hall from you because of you!”

Sheng Xiali chuckled: “Because of me?”

Yang Sanhao assumed she was being sarcastic: “Don’t tell me it’s a coincidence. How can it be such a coincidence?”

Sheng Xiali silently looked in the direction of the master bedroom, her eyes rippling a little.

“I’m hanging up. Get the stuff here urgently and quickly.”

Sheng Xiali hung up the phone, transferred the money, and put away her phone. She looked in the direction of the master bedroom again. Thinking of Lu Yin’s shock when she saw her that night, her acting skills weren’t that good. It was indeed a coincidence.

Sheng Xiali smiled and continued to wash the cups. After they were clean, she poured the boiled hot water into them to sanitize them in the simplest way.

As soon as the hot water was poured in, one of the cups changed color, and a hidden pattern appeared.

She accidentally burned her hand with the hot water.

…

Lu Yin was woken up again by the discomfort. This time, she was more completely awake. She was helped to a sitting position and saw the person wearing a mask standing in front of her.

“If you’re afraid of getting infected, what are you doing here?”

“When you’re sick, no one cooks for you.”

Sheng Xiali said this while handing the bowl of porridge to Lu Yin. Lu Yin hesitated. She was eating someone else’s food. She also thought that what Sheng Xiali had just said sounded like an explanation to her?

That was rare. She was actually explaining things to her…

“It’s porridge made from your rice. I already ate some.”

Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. It was her stuff. That made sense. Sheng Xiali’s place had nothing, and what she did have was what Lu Yin had given her.

So she wasn’t eating someone else’s food.

Lu Yin took a small spoonful. Her throat still hurt so much. She stopped after eating half a bowl of porridge. It felt like torture.

Sheng Xiali handed her a cup: “Drink some water.”

She said this while reaching for the bowl in Lu Yin’s hand. Lu Yin avoided her movement. There was still half a bowl left. She would rest for a bit and then eat the rest later. It would be a waste of food otherwise.

Lu Yin reached out and pushed some things on the nightstand aside, making a little space to put the bowl down. She also saw the key Sheng Xiali had given her.

Since the person was here, Lu Yin pointed to the key on the cabinet and asked: “What did you give me this key for?”

Sheng Xiali looked at the key lying there and also at the photo frame peeking out from behind the stack of books.

Sheng Xiali’s grip on the cup of water tightened slightly. The fingertip that had been burned by the hot water earlier felt a dull ache.

She didn’t answer Lu Yin’s question. She reached out and took the photo frame that was hidden behind the books, placing it in front of the key.

“Who is this?”

When she had scalded the cups with hot water, one of the cups had a photo of the same person as the one in the frame, but in a different style.

Lu Yin had been on guard when Sheng Xiali made a move. She was a little surprised to see the photo frame she had found. This thing was actually here.

Looking at the bright smile in the photo, Lu Yin thought of her good luck.

The pain in her body felt a little better. Lu Yin smiled and looked up, about to answer, when she met Sheng Xiali’s gaze, which was low and serious. It didn’t seem like she was asking casually.

Lu Yin’s heart skipped a beat. Her fuzzy brain thought of the strange care she was receiving right now. Her smile slowly faded. She first averted her gaze and lowered her head.

When she looked up again, Lu Yin’s eyes were also very serious.

“It’s the person I like now.”