016: Sister Yubao, How About You Get In and Give It a Try?

Blinking her large, peach blossom eyes, Tang Yubao stood in front of the washing machine with a confused expression.

"The washing machine is broken?"

She couldn't believe it and immediately pressed the switch again.

But no matter how much she tried, the washing machine wouldn't respond.

It was clear that the washing machine had short-circuited.

"What should I do? Hongyi has a lot of clothes he needs for work tomorrow."

Tang Yubao was so anxious that she couldn't help but stamp her little feet.

You might ask, The washing machine is broken, why not wash the clothes by hand?

Well, it's possible to wash them by hand, but the problem is that Tang Yubao's washing machine is a combination washer-dryer. Without it, the clothes wouldn't dry in time for tomorrow.

"Oh~ I'd better call Hongyi and see if he can do anything."

Tang Yubao pouted and went to get her phone.

Tuk-tuk-tuk~

Just as she was about to dial Liu Hongyi's number, there was a knock on the door.

Tang Yubao was momentarily stunned. "Who could it be at this hour?"

Putting down her phone, she went to the door. Peeking through the peephole, she saw Qi Lin standing outside.

"Huh? Why is it him?"

Tang Yubao was a little surprised. Before leaving, Liu Hongyi had told her not to open the door to anyone unless they were family or friends. Qi Lin, the neighbor across the hall, wasn't someone she had a bad impression of, though.

After hesitating for a moment, Tang Yubao opened the door.

"Sister Yubao, am I disturbing you?"

Qi Lin asked with a smile as he stood before her, his eyes quickly and unintentionally scanning her outfit.

She was dressed similarly to when they had met earlier: a T-shirt that covered her shorts down to her thighs, and underneath, a pair of short shorts. But now, she was also wearing 20D semi-transparent white stockings that slightly squeezed the flesh on her thighs, making them bulge like something out of an anime.

"No, no~"

Tang Yubao smiled politely.

She was about to ask Qi Lin why he was there when she suddenly smelled something delicious.

Most girls love food, and Tang Yubao, with her slight baby fat, was no exception.

Her gaze locked onto the clean takeaway box in Qi Lin's hand.

"What's that?" Tang Yubao asked curiously.

Seeing her curiosity piqued, Qi Lin knew he had chosen the right strategy with the braised pork.

Smiling, he opened the lid of the box and said, "My mom made braised pork. She asked me to bring some for you to try."

Qi Lin didn't mention that it was his idea. As a single man, offering gifts to a married woman could seem inappropriate.

When Tang Yubao heard that the food came from Qi Lin's mother, her eyes lit up with joy. "Xiao Lin, your mother is too kind! Please thank her for me."

"Of course."

Qi Lin smiled and nodded.

Taking the braised pork, Tang Yubao said with a smile, "Xiao Lin, you should head home now. I've got some things to do, so I won't keep you for tea."

With that, she prepared to close the door.

Qi Lin: "???"

If she closed the door, how would he bring up the washing machine repair?

*Boom boom boom~*

Just then, a deafening noise came from inside Tang Yubao's house.

It seemed like luck was on Qi Lin's side.

The short-circuited washing machine had powered on again, going wild and making a loud racket.

"Sister Yubao, what's that noise? It sounds scary."

Qi Lin asked, pretending to be curious.

Tang Yubao looked a bit embarrassed. "Haha, I, um, accidentally broke the washing machine while I was using it."

Qi Lin nodded, then asked, "Didn't Brother Hongyi fix it?"

Tang Yubao sighed. "Brother Hongyi is out running errands. I don't know how to fix washing machines, so I'm a bit worried."

Qi Lin smiled. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

"Sister Yubao, you should have told me earlier. I've learned a bit about repairing appliances. I can help you with this."

He wasn't lying. Qi Lin didn't get into a good university after high school, so he spent several years studying vocational skills. In the end, his mother had pulled some strings to get him a job as a security guard at the No. 1 Affiliated High School of China Normal University, but his talents had gone unused.

Tang Yubao's eyes brightened. "Really, Xiao Lin? You can fix washing machines?"

Qi Lin nodded with a smile. "Would you like me to help?"

The gesture of bringing braised pork had successfully earned Tang Yubao's trust.

Her eyes curved into crescent moons as she opened the door wider. "Of course, Xiao Lin. I'll leave my washing machine to you."

Once inside, they went straight to the malfunctioning washing machine.

Though it had been making noise earlier, the machine was now silent again.

Tang Yubao pressed the switch but said helplessly, "Look, it's not responding anymore."

Qi Lin quickly spotted the issue. "Something must be stuck inside. We just need to remove it and reconnect the wires."

Hearing Qi Lin's professional-sounding explanation, Tang Yubao nodded eagerly. "Xiao Lin, you're amazing! I don't understand any of this. You take a look while I get you some water."

Tang Yubao returned shortly, but she found Qi Lin frowning.

"What's wrong?" she asked, handing him the glass of water.

Qi Lin sighed. "I'm too big to fit inside the washing machine to check, so I can't remove whatever's stuck."

Tang Yubao glanced at the washing machine's opening, then at Qi Lin's size. It did seem like he was too large to fit.

"Then what should we do? Does this mean we can't fix the washing machine today?"

Tang Yubao asked, sounding disappointed.

Qi Lin didn't respond immediately. He just stared at her with his dark eyes.

Tang Yubao looked up, startled. "Xiao Lin, why are you looking at me like that?"

Qi Lin smiled slowly. "Sister Yubao, you're smaller than me. How about you get in and try?"

Tang Yubao: "··········"