The Unreturnable Refrigerator - Chapter 33.2

Chapter 33.2

“Ah—”

Lu Yin was completely unprepared. After the corner, she saw them seemingly about to crash and flip over. She instinctively screamed, forgetting her plan to remain tucked in and avoid touching Sheng Xiali for the entire ride. She instinctively grabbed the leg Sheng Xiali had wrapped around her.

The raft dropped quickly. The confined space and the inability to see what was ahead made her even more nervous. Even knowing there was no real danger, the successive impacts were terrifying. Lu Yin leaned her entire body against the person behind her, seeking a sense of security.

Finally, after another quick spin, they slid out of the tube and into a shallow pool of water, slowing to a stop.

Seeing the light again, Lu Yin exhaled. The relaxation after the tension was exhilarating, until the person behind her reached out and held her hand. Only then did Lu Yin realize that she was still clutching Sheng Xiali’s leg.

Lu Yin awkwardly let go and tried to stand up, but Sheng Xiali didn’t move. She was trapped by her legs and couldn’t move. She could only pat the other person’s leg: “Get up quickly.”

She could already see Yang Beibei standing not far away, holding up a phone, clearly taking pictures.

I have to make her delete those later.

Sheng Xiali got up and reached out to help Lu Yin, but Lu Yin pretended not to see her hand, quickly climbed out, and walked quickly toward Yang Beibei and the others.

As soon as she got closer, she heard Yang Beibei exclaim excitedly: “Yinyin, your expression just now was hilarious! I took pictures of everything and sent them to you! Look at them later.”

Yang Sanhao looked at Sheng Xiali, smiling meaningfully: “I took a few videos too. If you want them, ask me later.”

Of course, there would be a price. She wasn’t going to be Sheng Xiali’s photographer for free.

She thought of the camera roll just now, where Sheng Xiali’s gaze was fixed on Lu Yin, like it was glued on. And the way she protected Lu Yin, as if a simple slide was the most dangerous thing in the world.

She really cherishes her.

And Lu Yin, the way she naturally relied on Sheng Xiali, she probably didn’t even realize it herself.

She didn’t know what these two were agonizing over. They clearly still had feelings for each other. It would be so much better if they just sorted things out and got back together sooner.

If these two ended up together, they would have to treat her to a meal.

She smiled and pulled Yang Beibei, who was about to show Lu Yin the pictures: “You already sent them to Lu Yin. Let her look at the photos when she gets home. Let’s go to the next ride now.”

Yang Beibei immediately put her phone away, hanging it back around her neck. Looking at the hand holding hers, she smiled foolishly: “Right, right, right. Let’s hurry up and do the popular rides while the lines are short.”

With that, she followed Yang Sanhao. Lu Yin called out, but they didn’t stop. She hadn’t even given her excuse about not feeling well, and she couldn’t just leave without a word, so she had to follow.

She also had something she needed to tell Yang Beibei: to remind her to delete the pictures she had just taken of her and Sheng Xiali.

She hadn’t had a chance to look closely. Yang Beibei’s phone was in a waterproof bag, and there were water droplets all over the outside. She only saw that she and Sheng Xiali were very close. Their faces were unclear, but the posture was definitely intimate.

Yang Beibei and Yang Sanhao walked quickly. Lu Yin had to quicken her pace to keep up. Several times she tried to bring up the topic of the photos with Yang Beibei, but the person was engrossed in conversation with Yang Sanhao, and she couldn’t break in.

Lu Yin walked behind them, feeling like a third wheel. She sighed, gradually slowing down and creating a bit of distance from the two in front.

This meant she was walking alongside Sheng Xiali.

Not speaking seemed even more awkward, so Lu Yin broke the silence first.

“Weren’t you on a business trip?”

When Sheng Xiali brought Kuaikuai, she said she was going on a business trip and needed her to look after him.

Sheng Xiali pursed her lips: “Yes. I came back last night.”

Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. She didn’t ask, ‘Why didn’t you take Kuaikuai back if you returned?‘. She wouldn’t return Kuaikuai to her anyway.

Not wanting to continue that topic, as they walked, Lu Yin noticed the pattern on Sheng Xiali’s ankle again and asked casually: “Is that a tattoo?”

Sheng Xiali followed her finger and looked at her ankle: “Yes.”

Lu Yin straightened her lips. It really was a tattoo, not drawn or transferred.

“When did you get it?”

She was certain she didn’t have it when they were together.

Sheng Xiali spoke calmly, without discernible emotion: “A couple of years ago.”

Lu Yin teased: “I didn’t know you had this hobby.”

Sheng Xiali glanced at her but didn’t say anything.

If this were Qi Qing, Lu Yin would definitely warn her about getting addicted, but it was Sheng Xiali, and she had no right to tell her what to do.

“I saw that there seemed to be words on it. What does it say?”

Lu Yin internally justified that she wasn’t trying to pry; she was just curious. Everyone has curiosity.

Especially a person like Sheng Xiali, what would she tattoo? Anyone who knew Sheng Xiali would be curious too.

Generally, people tattoo a pattern or text that has special meaning to them.

Lost in thought, Lu Yin realized the person beside her had stopped walking. She had gone past her by more than half a body length. She turned back and saw Sheng Xiali staring at her intently.

Lu Yin’s heart lurched. No, it couldn’t be… related to her?

But two years ago, how could it be related to her? She had been gone for three years.

“Wh- what’s wrong?” Lu Yin was uncomfortable with the look in her eyes and felt a little flustered.

Before Sheng Xiali could speak, Lu Yin heard Yang Beibei’s shout from behind.

“Yinyin, hurry, hurry! Let’s line up for this ride first. It’s a four-person slide! Come on, all four of us together!”

Lu Yin didn’t move; she wanted the answer. But Yang Beibei was anxious and immediately grabbed Lu Yin, pulling her to the line. The line was short this time, and once the group ahead left, it would be their turn.

During the ride, she didn’t get a chance to speak, but after it ended, Lu Yin asked again.

Sheng Xiali looked down at her: “Do you really want to know?”

Lu Yin felt the question was inappropriate. Actually, she didn’t really want to know. She shrugged, her tone casual: “I’m just a little curious. I’ve never seen that pattern, and the lettering looks like text.”

Sheng Xiali slightly curved her lips: “What if I told you it’s related to you?”

Lu Yin replied without thinking: “How is that possible!”

Sheng Xiali slowly dropped her smile, looked down at the pattern on her leg, and after a moment of silence, spoke.

“The design was created by the tattoo artist; it doesn’t mean anything—it’s just aesthetically pleasing. As for the words—”

Lu Yin’s heart pounded with anticipation. She was a little surprised that Sheng Xiali was willing to explain it in such detail and also a little worried that it might actually be related to her. She strained her ears, worried about missing a single word.

“It means ‘Become wealthy soon’.”

Lu Yin happened to step on a patch of sand that someone had spilled. She was fully concentrating on Sheng Xiali’s answer and was so startled by the response that she failed to mind her step, slipping and nearly poking her toes out of her sandals. She stumbled backward.

Sheng Xiali managed to catch her: “Be careful.”

Lu Yin regained her balance, clutching her pounding chest, and looked at the solemn-faced Sheng Xiali: “Are you serious?”

Sheng Xiali raised an eyebrow.

Lu Yin’s expression was complex: “You tattooed ‘Become wealthy soon’ on your leg?”

Sheng Xiali’s lips lifted slightly as she watched her animated reaction: “Why, is that not allowed?”

Lu Yin was truly dumbfounded. Was this still the Sheng Xiali she knew?

Was she that desperate for money?

She had always felt Sheng Xiali was someone who could master money. Although she worked very hard to earn it, she understood its purpose and spent it on what was necessary. She wasn’t a person who became nervous or overly cautious because of money. She would openly admit she was short on cash and wasn’t self-conscious about financial issues. It was genuinely hard to believe that this Sheng Xiali would now tattoo ‘Become wealthy soon’ on her leg.

Lu Yin even felt embarrassed that she had initially suspected the words were about love…

She was actually worried it was about her.

And it turned out to be about money.

“Are you very short on money?” Lu Yin looked up at Sheng Xiali.

Sheng Xiali nodded: “Yes, I am.”

Lu Yin looked away and walked forward silently. She was also short on money, but she wouldn’t tattoo ‘Become wealthy soon’ on her leg… She must be out of her mind.

What was this, a belief in money?

While Lu Yin was conflicted, Yang Beibei had already led them to another popular ride the river ride.

In the circular man-made river, two people on one rubber raft drifted along, and they could also see the whole park from the outer perimeter.

Lu Yin didn’t struggle anymore and accepted the arrangement of sharing a raft with Sheng Xiali.

By the time they set off, Yang Beibei and the others were completely out of sight. There was no one in front or behind them.

This felt a bit like a private date. Lu Yin thought again about today’s inexplicable encounter.

“This whole thing today, was it a setup by you all? It wasn’t a coincidence, was it?”

Sheng Xiali pursed her lips, very honestly: “Yes.”

Lu Yin knew it!

“Whose idea was it?”

Sheng Xiali smiled: “What if I said it was mine?”

Lu Yin raised an eyebrow: “What do you want?”

Sheng Xiali: “To create opportunities to spend time together. You can look at it as me pursuing you.”

Lu Yin was now less surprised by anything Sheng Xiali said, especially after learning that she tattooed ‘Become wealthy soon’ on her leg.

“Stop pursuing me. It’s not going to happen.”

She finished speaking and turned to the other side, focusing on the water and not looking at Sheng Xiali.

Sheng Xiali stared at the person, suppressing her emotions. Gradually, the light reflecting on the water’s surface rippled in her eyes.

“Why did you leave back then?”

Lu Yin’s hand, which was splashing the water, paused. She turned back in surprise, astonished by the sudden shift in topic and also surprised that Sheng Xiali was asking this question now.

She thought she wasn’t going to ask. They had run into each other so many times. Why ask this question now?

Lu Yin looked away, focusing on the ‘wealthy’ tattoo on Sheng Xiali’s leg, and felt that leaving back then was the right thing to do.

She shrugged, feigning lightness: “Why? I just didn’t like you anymore.”

Sheng Xiali’s heart violently hammered. She had wanted to ask this question since the day she saw her again, but she was afraid of the answer…

Suppressing her emotions with great effort, Sheng Xiali’s throat felt instantly blocked with gravel, making her windpipe ache.

“You suddenly stopped liking me?”

“Are your feelings of liking and disliking always so sudden?”

“You appeared suddenly back then, and then you suddenly left. Are liking and disliking that easy to control?”

Sheng Xiali’s questions were heavier and more shaky than the last.

Lu Yin continued to twist her body and splash the water, not daring to look at Sheng Xiali. She tried to steady her heart and respond with a calm tone.

But when she opened her mouth, she felt she couldn’t make a sound. Her throat felt clogged with metal dust, and if she forced herself to speak, it felt like she would cough up bl00d.

Silence reigned. The raft drifted slowly. Suddenly, Lu Yin felt her face get wet.

She reached up to wipe it, but the water kept coming.

“Quick, fire at them! Aim the water gun carefully!”

Lu Yin heard the sounds coming from the shore and looked up. She saw that they were passing a pirate ship-shaped structure, and cannons were protruding from the ‘ship’s body’, spraying water at them.

Lu Yin immediately understood. They were passing through the ‘danger zone’, a common ‘attack’ in water parks. She quickly tried to shield her head, but a figure blocked her.

The torrent of water hit Sheng Xiali, quickly soaking her hair and leaving her looking disheveled.

Lu Yin craned her neck to peek from Sheng Xiali’s embrace and saw water droplets constantly falling from her trembling eyelashes and her slightly red eye sockets…

Perhaps the water jet had irritated her eyes, but Sheng Xiali looked as if she were crying.

Lu Yin broke free, pulled Sheng Xiali’s head down, and cupped her hands over her eyes, blocking the ‘attack’.

After passing through the ‘hail of gunfire’, both of them were drenched and disheveled.

At the finish line, Yang Beibei and the others were wiping their hair and smiling, offering them towels.

Yang Sanhao looked at Sheng Xiali’s somewhat red eyes and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Sheng Xiali lowered her head and wiped her soaked hair: “Water got in my eyes.”

Yang Sanhao didn’t quite believe her and turned to Lu Yin. Lu Yin nodded: “Those people were playing too aggressively.”

Yang Beibei was annoyed: “Same with us! We begged them to stop, but they didn’t let up. The water jets hurt a bit when they hit you.”

Yang Sanhao had blocked most of it for her. She was heartbroken and kept begging them to stop, but the people didn’t care.

She would go and give feedback to the resort later. The water jets in this area shouldn’t be so powerful. It’s dangerous if it hits someone’s eyes.

Unfortunately, Yang Beibei had planned to play beach volleyball afterward, but canceled it because of Sheng Xiali’s eye discomfort. They only played some more leisurely games later on.

By the end of the day, Yang Beibei had a lot of fun. On the way back, she even created a group chat for the four of them and posted the photos she had taken.

Lu Yin sat in the passenger seat, looking down at her phone to alleviate the awkwardness.

She had wanted to sit in the back, but the two people in the back insisted she sit in the passenger seat since she and Sheng Xiali lived together and were the last to be dropped off.

Lu Yin looked at the photos on her phone, seeing many pictures of her and Sheng Xiali together, and the awkwardness intensified.

Since the person was right beside her and Yang Sanhao was still in the car, Lu Yin couldn’t ask Yang Beibei to delete the photos.

Looking at the constantly popping messages in the four-person group chat, Lu Yin wanted to ask Yang Beibei how much storage she had. How could she take so many photos, and so many completely unnecessary ones?

Lu Yin looked at a newly posted picture from their first ride, where she was nervously holding onto Sheng Xiali’s leg. Yang Beibei had captured the whole thing.

Looking at Sheng Xiali behind her in the photo, her head was lowered, and her gaze was clearly focused on Lu Yin. Was she smiling?

Lu Yin couldn’t help but slightly turn her head to look at Sheng Xiali, who was driving.

After their conversation during the ‘river ride’ earlier, Sheng Xiali hadn’t spoken to her alone again. Although they often teamed up for subsequent rides, she was always polite, engaging only in necessary communication.

Was she angry?

Lu Yin sighed internally. That’s good. She won’t look for me again.

After Yang Beibei and Yang Sanhao were successively dropped off, Lu Yin felt the atmosphere in the car become even more awkward.

Fortunately, Sheng Xiali drove quite fast and steadily. Lu Yin looked at the traffic light at the intersection ahead. Once they passed this intersection, they would be at their apartment complex.

She could even see the sign for their complex by the roadside.

Finally, they were almost there…

After this, Sheng Xiali probably wouldn’t arrange any more ‘coincidental encounters’. Lu Yin quietly glanced at the calm-faced Sheng Xiali.

She seemed to have accepted her words well. That was good…

As they gradually approached the red light, Lu Yin felt the car slow down, and her heart began to relax.

The car slowly entered the solid line but, unexpectedly, did not stop…

Lu Yin looked at the red light ahead and glanced in surprise at Sheng Xiali, who had activated her right turn signal.

???

They were at the complex if they went straight. Why turn here?

Taking a detour to another gate?

But after the car turned right, it entered the auxiliary road and then made another right turn, completely moving away from their apartment complex.

“Huh?” Lu Yin turned to look at the person, who seemed unaware she had taken the wrong turn and was now accelerating. “You took a wrong turn. The complex is that way.”

The streetlights outside were already on, and the light and shadow quickly retreated. Lu Yin looked at Sheng Xiali’s profile, which looked somewhat profound in the shifting light, and her eyebrows gradually furrowed.

Seeing that Sheng Xiali didn’t respond, Lu Yin turned to look ahead, intending to find a spot to ask Sheng Xiali to pull over and let her out. She looked up and saw a freeway sign ahead.

Lu Yin exclaimed: “Where are you going?!”