The Unreturnable Refrigerator - Chapter 28.2

Chapter 28.2

“Weren’t you originally on the C team for the roadshow outside? Why are you doing promotions inside? It doesn’t pay as much as outside, and there’s no commission. Although 

it’s a bit cold in a short skirt outside today. My legs were a little numb when I went out just now.”

“Oh, that’s a funny story. Sister Qi suddenly told me to switch. I didn’t want to at first, but she said I’d still get paid the same as the outdoor job.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Haha, she said some young lady wanted to experience this kind of work. She does the work, and I get the money. I even went to take a look just now. She was smiling like an idiot. Maybe rich girls just like to act cute and flirt in crowded places like this.”

Sheng Xiali pushed the door open with a “bang.” The laughter inside stopped abruptly.

The person who had been talking saw Sheng Xiali and relaxed. She had thought they were just talking about a person behind their back, and they would suddenly show up.

“Here for your meal? Over there. Remember to sign your name.”

Sheng Xiali glanced at her, walked over, picked up two lunch boxes, and signed both her and Lu Yin’s names.

As she walked past the person who had been talking, she said with a hint of sarcasm: “You take someone’s money and talk about them behind their back. Are you shameless?”

“Who are you? Who are you talking to?!” The person’s face turned red. She had been called out for gossiping behind someone’s back and was immediately so ashamed and angry that she wanted to get into a fight with Sheng Xiali.

Sheng Xiali didn’t retreat but stepped forward, standing in front of her and looking down at her with a cold expression.

The coldness made the other person’s momentum drop several notches.

“Forget it, forget it. If we make a scene, they’ll deduct our pay.” A peacemaker whispered to the person behind her, “She looks like trouble. Look at her height and her arm muscles. Get out of the way. We can’t beat her.”

…

Lu Yin looked around. The moment she saw Sheng Xiali, she smiled and walked toward her, taking the lunch box from her hand. When she heard that Sheng Xiali went to get the food, she guessed that she would get hers, too.

Sure enough, when she saw the two lunch boxes in Sheng Xiali’s hand, Lu Yin knew she was right.

She pulled Sheng Xiali into the mall. She had already found a seat in the food court and paid someone to hold it for her.

When she walked over, the person left the seat. Lu Yin smiled at Sheng Xiali, pretending to be surprised: “What a coincidence. There’s a seat available.”

She said this and happily pulled Sheng Xiali to sit down.

She put down the lunch boxes and first took out a bag she had hanging from her wrist.

“Wear this. It’s a little cold today. And these tights. Change into them in the bathroom later. I feel like the wind is getting stronger, and it might get colder this afternoon.”

Sheng Xiali looked at the scarf she was handed, which still had the tag on it. She also looked at the new pair of tights on the table, both from a brand in the mall. The value of these items combined was more than the money they would both earn for the day.

Sheng Xiali was silent for a while before speaking.

“Lu Yin, is this fun?”

Lu Yin had just placed the bag on the floor next to her when she looked up and saw Sheng Xiali’s deep gaze. Her heart tightened.

“What’s, what’s wrong?”

Lu Yin thought it was quite fun, but looking at Sheng Xiali’s expression, she knew that wasn’t the right answer.

“What happened?” Lu Yin was confused. Why had Sheng Xiali suddenly become so serious?

Sheng Xiali looked at her wide, round eyes, and the nervousness in them. Sheng Xiali tried her best to suppress the annoyance and helplessness in her heart.

“I don’t need these. The tags are still on. Return them.”

She put the items back into the bag at Lu Yin’s feet and started eating.

Lu Yin looked at the items in the bag and then at Sheng Xiali’s red legs, feeling a little annoyed. She should have just bought the tights and not the scarf. The tights weren’t that expensive. If it was just the tights, Sheng Xiali might have accepted them.

Lu Yin took out the tights: “How about you don’t return these? They’re actually pretty cheap.”

Sheng Xiali was eating her food and didn’t even look up: “I don’t need them.”

Lu Yin felt a little sad. Her hand, holding the tights, stayed there for a long time.

Finally, Sheng Xiali grabbed them and stuffed them back into the bag at her feet.

“I’m here to earn money, not to spend it.”

Lu Yin wanted to say that it was her money, and she was willing to spend it on her…

She remembered how much trouble she had gone through to get a job with Sheng Xiali, only to end up upsetting her.

Sheng Xiali didn’t speak to her for the rest of the day.

On the bus back to school, there were too many people to talk.

When they got off the bus, Lu Yin couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t want Sheng Xiali to be unhappy. She wanted to explain, but Sheng Xiali just started walking.

She had long legs and walked quickly. Lu Yin had to jog to catch up, but as soon as she did, Sheng Xiali started running…

Lu Yin couldn’t keep up at all.

Over the next few days, Sheng Xiali seemed to be avoiding her. Whenever she tried to say something, she would find a reason to leave.

Her plan to bond while working together during the National Day holiday was a complete failure.

Not only that, her subsequent plan to wait for her also didn’t work. Sheng Xiali stopped doing her tutoring job at night.

Autumn in Hengcheng was very short. It felt like winter had arrived overnight. After waiting a few nights, she felt like she needed to get her down jacket out. Sheng Xiali was probably cold at night, too.

It was probably a good thing she wasn’t doing it anymore.

Just as Lu Yin thought Sheng Xiali would be free at night, she saw her at the school’s bubble tea shop.

The bubble tea shop wasn’t cold. Lu Yin went every night, drinking one cup a night, and started having trouble sleeping.

And when she couldn’t sleep, she missed Sheng Xiali even more.

She was even a little envious of Song Xinlei. In the bubble tea shop, she could always chat with Sheng Xiali when there were no customers. Unlike her, Sheng Xiali would only look at her and respond when she was placing an order.

But soon, that little bit of interaction was gone, too. Sheng Xiali stopped working at the bubble tea shop.

It was probably because it was almost the end of the semester, and she was starting to study. Lu Yin went through several people to get to know Sheng Xiali’s roommate and found out that she was spending every night at the library.

But their school’s library was huge. When Lu Yin had bad luck, she would walk around for a whole night and still not find her.

To be honest, after a while, Lu Yin started to wonder how deep her feelings for Sheng Xiali were to persist like this.

Or maybe she had come to enjoy this feeling of unrequited love, a unique sense of challenge in the face of difficulty? Or maybe it was the belief that she had been instilled with by Lu Huiying since childhood to finish what she started…

No matter which one it was, the final result was very frustrating for her.

When winter break started, she saw Sheng Xiali even less. The messages she sent were like a stone sinking into the ocean.

Lu Yin had never been very enthusiastic about Chinese New Year, and this made her mood even worse.

Lu Huiying thought she was just being difficult and warned her to smile and look happy when she saw people.

It was funny to think that Wang Xingteng was her father, but there were many times when Lu Huiying made her feel like he was a “leader” she needed to work hard to please.

For Chinese New Year, Wang Xingteng naturally had to go back to his hometown, where there were people who would treat him as someone important.

Ever since her grandmother passed away and Wang Xingteng became successful, their New Year’s Eve dinner had been held at a famous hotel in Hengcheng, with Lu Yin’s two aunts and two uncles, a total of four families.

This year, they booked the “Jinxiu Hall,” which was even more upscale.

As soon as Wang Xingteng entered the hotel, he started introducing the dishes on the menu to the Lu family relatives, namely Lu Yin’s older and younger aunts, saying that the seafood was all flown in today.

He spoke as if he and the seafood had arrived on the same flight.

Lu Yin held back a laugh and cooperated perfectly, showing the same surprised expression as her two aunts, with a look of anticipation for the meal and gratitude toward Wang Xingteng, who had “bestowed” it upon them.

Lu Yin felt her acting skills had improved this year. At least Lu Huiying was very satisfied and immediately pulled out a red envelope.

“Thank you, Mom. It must have been hard to earn this.”

Lu Yin’s gratitude was sincere. Especially after working with Sheng Xiali, she knew how hard it was to earn money. No one’s money came from thin air. Although Lu Huiying hadn’t been with her since she was a child, she had always provided money on time.

Lu Huiying was surprised for a moment, shocked by the genuine warmth in Lu Yin’s eyes. She opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words. Finally, she said, “It’s worth it to work hard for you.”

Wang Xingteng was unhappy: “Did I make you suffer? I told you to stay home and rest, to be with our daughter, but you had to worry about everything.”

Lu Huiying’s mouth twitched slightly, almost losing her dignified smile.

If she didn’t keep an eye on Wang Xingteng, her Yin Yin might not even have a father anymore.

She was angry inside, but she kept a smile on her face: “Our daughter is all grown up. She’s in college now. After she graduates, she can take over your position. In the future, with Yin Yin, we can both rest.”

Lu Yin’s two aunts chimed in, praising Lu Yin.

Lu Yin’s two uncles followed the topic and praised Wang Xingteng, and also the virtuous sister-in-law and the obedient Lu Yin.

The family was filled with laughter and appeared very harmonious and warm. No one wanted to cause trouble on New Year’s Eve, so everyone tried to say pleasant things.

Lu Yin also did her best to play the part of a well-behaved child, cooperating with the scene of a warm and loving family.

As they were talking, Lu Yin’s older aunt turned the topic back to her: “Yinyin, when your age, Huiying was already married to Xingteng. How are things at school? Have you found any boys you like?”

Lu Yin’s heart skipped a beat. She was about to change the subject when her younger aunt interjected: “You have to keep your eyes open and find someone with good character.”

The implied meaning of this was probably understood by everyone present. Before her grandmother passed away, she had said that she hadn’t done a good job of vetting her daughter’s partner and that Lu Huiying hadn’t kept her eyes open and had found someone with bad character. She had warned her to be careful, saying that Wang Xingteng was a man with a wandering heart.

However, Lu Yin wasn’t worried about the atmosphere becoming tense. Sure enough, the next second, someone from Wang’s side, Lu Yin’s second uncle, said, “If you’re going to be picky, the other person’s family background can’t be bad either. They have to be well-matched.”

He then proceeded to praise how successful Wang Xingteng’s business was and how much his net worth had increased.

Wang Xingteng was happy to hear this. He clinked glasses with him and, after drinking it down, started to give his opinion.

“It’s good as long as Yinyin likes him, and he’s a good person. Money can be earned slowly. When I started out, I had nothing…”

Lu Yin listened to this annual New Year’s Eve speech, which was always about how he started from nothing and became a successful businessman, earning everyone’s respect.

Lu Huiying, despite disagreeing in her heart, cooperated and gave her a compliment on this special day.

Just as Lu Yin thought this part would pass harmoniously, her older cousin suddenly spoke.

“Yinyin, don’t be shy. Tell us, have you met anyone you like at college?”

Lu Yin thought to herself, I have, but if I say it, no one will be able to eat this New Year’s Eve dinner.

She smiled and said, “No. What about you, cousin? Do you have a boyfriend yet?”

She knew how to change the subject. As soon as she asked this question, her older aunt started to look worried: “Not yet. She’s been working for a few years now, and she still hasn’t brought anyone home.”

Perfect, her aunt’s family started to talk about this.

Everyone laughed and told her not to worry. Her aunt said, “How can I not worry? What if Yinyin gets married and her older sister is still single?”

Lu Yin smiled politely: “Auntie, you’re kidding. I’m still young.”

For some reason, this sentence tickled Wang Xingteng’s funny bone, and he suddenly burst into a loud laugh.

“Our Yinyin hasn’t figured things out yet. When she was little, she gave all the love letters boys wrote to her to the teacher. Hahahaha. Huiying even went to the school and asked the teacher to keep an eye on her so she wouldn’t start dating early. The teacher said that was impossible. She would never date early. Hahahaha.”

Everyone burst into laughter, and Lu Yin joined in.

Wang Xingteng was laughing so hard that he dropped his chopsticks on the floor.

“Waiter, get a new pair of chopsticks.”

The waiter who was serving them smiled and agreed, turning to another waiter in the corner where they were preparing food and calling out: “Xiaosheng, get a new pair of chopsticks.”

“Okay.”

This simple word, like a stone dropped into a calm pond, was unexpectedly heard clearly by Lu Yin despite the surrounding noise. She had a strange feeling that it was so familiar.

Xiaosheng? What a coincidence?

When she saw the person turn around and walk over with a pair of chopsticks, Lu Yin was completely stunned.

Sheng Xiali!

She suddenly stood up.

Everyone looked back at her. Lu Huiying said, “Yinyin, what’s wrong?”

Lu Yin watched Sheng Xiali approach, watched her place the chopsticks down, watched her get closer, and watched her crouch down to pick up the chopsticks on the floor.

Lu Yin was one step faster and crouched down. Just as she was about to reach for the chopsticks under the table, Wang Xingteng pulled her up.

“What are you picking up? Let the waiter do it.”

After Lu Yin was pulled away, Sheng Xiali crouched down and picked up the chopsticks from the floor.

Lu Yin watched as Sheng Xiali returned to the corner, with her back to her. Lu Yin couldn’t see her expression.

Wang Xingteng pulled her back into her chair: “The floor is dirty. Why are you touching it!”

Lu Yin opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she didn’t know what to say.

Wang Xingteng saw Lu Yin looking in the direction of the waiter and took the opportunity to lecture her again: “See, Yinyin, Dad told you when you were little to study hard, otherwise you’d have to do this when you grew up.”

Lu Yin’s second uncle immediately chimed in: “Oh, even if Yinyin doesn’t study hard, with the fortune you’ve accumulated, she wouldn’t have to do this, Big Brother.”

The other relatives followed suit, saying that Lu Yin was a good student, that getting into Qingda University was a great achievement, and praising Wang Xingteng for raising her so well.

The private room became lively again, but Lu Yin’s gaze was fixed on the corner where Sheng Xiali was.

Looking at that thin and lonely figure, Lu Yin’s heart felt sour.

Gradually, it started to ache.