Chapter 1 — Behind the 50cm Wall Is a Secret

The house opposite has air conditioning, four heaters pointing straight at my wall. The noise was as thick as hammering, every night I had to wear earplugs to sleep. I knocked on the door to talk, he waved his hand, his tone was arrogant:

"That wall isn't yours, why don't you let me install it on it?"

Calling management is useless. He stood there, full of arguments:

“The outside wall is a common area, I can install it wherever I like.”

That night, I silently got to work. On the inside of my house's wall, I sealed ten thick layers of soundproofing cotton, leaving no gaps. Twenty days later— The person who used to be so arrogant is now banging on my door like crazy. His voice trembled, almost crying:

“Please… please take that thing off…”

The vibration started early in the morning. Like a giant stubborn woodpecker, constantly chiseling into the common load-bearing wall between me and the house opposite. My name is Chu Vu, a freelance writer. To me, silence is the only means of production. As for that sound, it is its natural enemy. I fasted all morning. By afternoon, the drilling sound finally stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the nightmare was over. But when I pulled back the curtains, I knew—the real nightmare had just begun. Four brand new air conditioner heaters, like four giant white tumors, were stuck to the wall outside my bedroom. They were lined up so neatly that it sent chills down one's spine. Pipes are tangled, like metal vines, covering the entire wall. It belongs to the house opposite—Vuong Chan. A man who had only moved in three months ago, I had only seen him twice in the elevator. I don't even know how big his house is, but it requires four air conditioners. Very quickly, I knew. All four heaters start up at the same time, emitting a low, long sound. The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a ghostly sound piercing my ears, through the wall, and straight into my brain. My temples began to twitch. I tried wearing noise-canceling headphones, but that low-frequency resonance still traveled along the floor, along the wall, straight into my bones. This is no longer noise. This is pollution. I took a deep breath and walked to the house opposite. Cup, cup, cup. The door opened, and the smell of alcohol mixed with food delivered rushed straight into my face. Vuong Chan was shirtless, his beer belly was bulging, his eyes still looking at me lazily.

“What's going on?” His voice was filled with annoyance.

"Hello, Mr. Vuong." I try to stay polite. "Your air conditioner heater... is it installed in the wrong place?"

He paused for a second, then laughed contemptuously.

“What's wrong, it's in the right place.”

“But that's the wall outside my bedroom.” I pointed towards the wall.

“I know.” He said it like it was obvious.

“Four heaters running at the same time, the noise and vibration affect me greatly.” I tried to suppress my anger.

Vuong Chan waved his hand, not paying attention.

“This wall is not yours, it was built by the investor, what right do you have to not let me install it?”

His argument made me momentarily speechless.

“The outside wall is indeed a common area, but you cannot install things towards my house, directly affecting me.”

“In the common area, I can install it wherever I like.” He scratched his ears, "Besides, why is it so loud like you said? You're just too sensitive."

With that, he slammed the door. I stood there, so angry that my whole body was shaking. I live on silence, this sound is like directly smashing my rice bowl. I immediately called management. Fifteen minutes later, a manager named Tieu Truong, wearing glasses, appeared. He reassured me a few words, then knocked on Vuong Chan's door. The door opened again. Seeing people from the management board, Vuong Chan's attitude was still as stubborn as before. Tieu Truong smiled wryly and explained my request and the regulations of the residential area. Vuong Chan crossed his arms, leaned against the door frame, and laughed coldly after listening.

“The outer wall is a common area, you guys know this better than me.”

“According to regulations, householders are not allowed to arbitrarily discharge waste, cause pollution or noise, or affect the legal rights of others.”

"Is my air conditioner waste? Is it trash? If the government allows me to sell it, I have the right to install it."

He said it with certainty.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing to discuss about this. If she sees the noise, go buy earplugs and use them."

Tieu Truong was about to say more, but he interrupted.

“Okay, don't bother me anymore.”

The door slammed in my face again. Tieu Truong looked at me with an awkward expression.

"Miss Chu, this matter... Mr. Vuong... we have no right to force it, we can only try to reconcile."

“Conciliation like letting me go buy earplugs myself?” I asked back.

He pushed his glasses and awkwardly said something like "we will continue to discuss" and "hope you understand". I don't listen anymore. I got it. Thanks to the management board, the road is not passable. Returning home, the four hot spots still diligently emitted each wave of vibrations. In my world, there is only one sound left. I turned on the computer, but couldn't write a word. At night, I lay in bed, wearing the most expensive noise-canceling earplugs. The body still feels it clearly—the reflector under the back is vibrating slightly with each rhythm transmitted from the wall. A white night. The next day, with dark circles under my eyes, I went to the management again. Still the same old words. On the third day, I called the city's hotline. They said they would send the relevant department to verify, and told me to wait for notification. A week passed. The noise is still the same, Vuong Chan is still the same, and my insomnia... is still the same. I feel like an insect trapped in a drum. There was a constant knocking sound on all sides, with no way to escape. I looked at that cold wall, despair rising like a tide. The turning point occurred during an extremely important video conference. It was a project that I stayed up three nights in a row to get the chance to do. The opponent is a famous company in the industry. For this meeting, I prepared for three days, edited each document, tested each device, and even put on very neat makeup. The meeting begins. I looked at the camera, smiled, and presented the plan with a clear, coherent voice. The first ten minutes, everything went smoothly. The person in charge on the other side continuously nodded, expressing satisfaction. Just as I got to the core idea— That familiar buzzing sound suddenly increased. It was as if Vuong Chan's four air conditioners had discussed in advance and simultaneously entered "overload" mode. The sound was so loud that my headphones started to interfere. I see The person in charge on the other side frowned. He adjusted his headphones and asked:

“Miss Chu, what's that noise next to you?”

My heart sank.

“Sorry, it might be a small device issue.” I try to hide.

While continuing to speak, I secretly adjusted the microphone's noise cancellation level to the highest. But to no avail. That low frequency resonance, like a ghost, crept everywhere.

“This sound… like a house being repaired?” another person asked.

My face started to get hot.

"Sorry, it's the neighbor's air conditioner, maybe it's a bit malfunctioning."

My explanation is so weak that I don't believe it myself. In the second half of the meeting, my rhythm was completely broken. I saw clearly—their attention was no longer on my plan. They whispered, their expressions changing from appreciation to confusion, and finally to obvious disappointment. When finished, the person in charge used a very polite tone:

“We have received the plan, Ms. Chu. We will discuss it internally, thank you for your time.”

I understand. This deal... failed. I turned off the video and leaned back in my chair. In the room, the buzzing sound from the four hot spots now sounded like they were laughing. They don't just destroy my sleep. But it also ruined my career. This is the final straw. All the anger, anger, helplessness... in that moment disappeared. Instead there was a cold feeling to the bone. I suddenly saw how funny the previous times of negotiating, complaining, and reasoning... were. When dealing with scoundrels, you speak the law. He will play scoundrel. When dealing with scoundrels, you speak morality. He will compare to see who is more brazen. I was wrong. It was wrong from the beginning.