Chapter 2 — Don't Touch My Limits

A week on business, so busy that my feet couldn't touch the ground. The customer's constant requests and changes to the plan until two or three o'clock in the morning are a daily occurrence. Only sleep three or four hours a day. The body was already weak and even more exhausted. By the last few days, I felt like I didn't have the strength to even talk. Every night after work, I video call Cao Trung Dan and ask about the situation in the house. And always don't forget to ask one question:

“Are the items in the warehouse still intact?”

He smiles every time:

"Don't worry, it's still there. I haven't even entered the spare bedroom yet, so what's going on? Just finish your work and go home early, I'll cook chicken soup for you to nourish."

Hearing him say that, I felt completely reassured and put all my mind into my work. Finally, on Friday afternoon, everything was done and I got on the plane to return. When the plane landed, it was already past seven o'clock in the evening. Cao Trung Dan drove to pick me up. As soon as we met, he took my suitcase in my hand, asked me all kinds of questions, asked me if I was tired, said the chicken soup had finished stewing, and I could eat it right away when I got home. Seeing him so busy warmed my heart. The fatigue of the business trip seems to have disappeared by more than half. Coming home, opening the door, the living room is tidied up. On the dining table are chicken soup and some of my favorite dishes. While feeling emotional, the first thought in my mind was... Go see ten boxes of flowers delivered. I said to Cao Trung Dan, then went straight to the spare bedroom. As soon as I reached the door, I saw something was wrong. When I left, the room door was closed. But now... a small gap opened again. My heart "thumped" and a feeling of insecurity immediately rose. I pushed the door open and walked quickly to the warehouse door. With just one look, I saw— The lock… wasn't broken. But the door... wasn't locked at all. I raised my hand and gently pushed. Inside… empty. The ten flower delivery boxes that were originally stacked neatly in the innermost corner—one box was also gone. In the empty warehouse, there were only a few dusty old barrels left. Not a single trace of the flowers remained. My head then made a "buzzing" sound and turned white. Blood seemed to rush to my head and immediately turned cold. My hands and feet were cold, I stood frozen in place, still unable to recover for a long time. Why is it gone? Obviously, before I left, I locked it carefully, and the ten flower delivery boxes still remained here. Yet after just one week of work... it all disappeared?

"La Mai? What's wrong?"

Cao Trung Dan heard the commotion and came over. Seeing me standing at the warehouse door, my face pale, he quickly asked:

“What's going on?”

I turned my head to look at him, my voice trembling:

"Cao Trung Dan... where are the delivered flowers? Where are the ten boxes of delivered flowers my mother bought for me...?"

He followed my gaze into the empty warehouse, the smile on his face immediately stiffened, his expression bewildered:

"Huh? It's lost? How could it be lost? I... I didn't touch it!"

“You won't touch it?”

I looked at him, anger immediately flared up.

"How many times did I warn you before I left, and you still assured me firmly? Now everything is gone, and you say you won't touch it?"

“I really didn't touch it!”

Cao Trung Dan panicked and quickly explained, "After you left, I worked overtime at the office every day, always coming back until nine or ten at night. When I got home, I took a shower and then went to sleep. I never even entered the spare bedroom, let alone touched anything in the storage room! Even the drawer where you kept the key, I never opened it!" I looked at his face His impatience... doesn't look like he's lying. I forced myself to calm down. Don't be chaotic. The more chaotic it is, the less clues we can find. I took a deep breath, walked to the dressing table, and pulled out the drawer. The warehouse key that I placed neatly in there before leaving... Disappeared. The other things in the drawer, my jewelry, my cosmetics... all remained intact, untouched. Only... that key is no longer there. My mind immediately became clear. Not a thief. If it's a thief, you can't just take flowers from the warehouse, not touch the TV or computer in the living room, or take jewelry from the drawer. Furthermore, the lock showed no signs of being broken. Obviously... the person with the key opened the door and entered. The key to my house, besides me and Cao Trung Dan... There's only one person left. My mother-in-law — Truong Nguyet Cam. I turned my head, looked at him, and asked word by word:

“During a week when I go on a business trip… will your mother come home?”

Cao Trung Dan paused for a moment and scratched his head:

"It seems... twice. She called me and told me to come clean the house and open the door. I didn't see anything, so I didn't stop her."

Hearing this... The last bit of hope in my heart... shattered. Of course it was her. Besides her... it couldn't be anyone else. Cao Trung Dan looked at my cold face and began to understand, and quickly waved his hand:

"That's not right, that's not right, Lap Mai, it can't be my mother! She just came to clean, how could she take the flowers delivered to me? She knows that it was my mother who bought it to nourish me, she can't do that!"

"Cannot?"

I laughed coldly.

"This kind of thing... is she doing so little? Cao Trung Dan, you know better than anyone else in your heart. Don't fool yourself anymore."

He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end he couldn't say a word. His face was sometimes white, sometimes red. He understands better than anyone... how many things like this his mother has done. I forced myself to stay calm. Now is not the time to argue. The most important thing... is to find evidence. Must confirm... whether she took it or not, and where she took it. I say frankly:

"Don't explain to me, and don't defend your mother. Now, come with me to the management board and extract the elevator camera. See who comes into our house in this week and who takes my things away."

Cao Trung Dan still hesitated:

"It's not that bad, Lap Mai... we're all family, if there's a misunderstanding, it'll be very unsightly if we make a big deal out of it..."

“Misunderstanding?”

I looked at him, his eyes so cold that they no longer had any temperature.

"Ten boxes of flowers delivered, eighty thousand yuan, not eight yuan! Now the things are gone, I must investigate clearly! If you don't go, I'll go myself!"

After speaking, I picked up my phone and bag, turned around and walked straight out. Cao Trung Dan had no choice but to quickly run after him. All along the way, he kept babbling, saying it must be a misunderstanding, his mother couldn't do that, told me not to be angry, say something slowly. I didn't hear a word. There was only one thought in my mind— I must have proof. We have to see... what she is planning in the end. When I arrived at the management board, I explained the situation to the receptionist, saying that valuables had been lost in the house and that I needed to extract the elevator camera from the past week. Staff is very cooperative. After confirming my identity as the head of the household, they took us to the surveillance room and opened the door recording of the corresponding floor. I sat in front of the screen, my hands shaking slightly, rewinding little by little. Very quickly, the images stopped on Saturday morning—the second day after I left for work. On the screen… It was so clear that it was undeniable. My mother-in-law, Truong Nguyet Cam, carrying an empty pineapple bag, stepped into the elevator and pressed the 18th floor—our house's floor. My heart... immediately sank to the bottom. Image continues. About an hour later, the elevator door opened. She walked out from inside, holding two large boxes in her hands— They were the type of flower delivery boxes. Logo printed on the box... clearly visible under the camera. She dragged the box downstairs, placed it on the side of the road, then turned back to the elevator and continued to the 18th floor. Next to me, Cao Trung Dan stared at the screen. His face was... pale. Couldn't say a word. I didn't speak up. Just keep watching. Three o'clock that afternoon… The screen appeared again. Truong Nguyet Cam appeared again. Besides her, there was another person— My brother-in-law. Gao Xiaojuan. The two of them entered the elevator together and pressed the 18th floor. This time, they stayed there for two hours. During that time, the elevator went up and down continuously. The two of them took turn after turn, moving each box from top to bottom. A total of eight boxes, all of which were loaded into Gao Xiaojuan's white car parked downstairs. On the last trip, after moving all their belongings, the two of them got off the elevator together, still smiling on their faces, talking and laughing, closing the trunk, then driving away. On the surveillance screen, the time, character, number of barrels, even the shape of the barrel... all were clear and undeniable. The evidence... is as strong as steel. I took the USB and asked the manager to copy the entire video and save it to my phone. Stepping out of the office, the night wind blew, I was cold from the inside out. I was so careful... Still couldn't stop it. My mother told me over and over again, don't let my mother-in-law know, don't let her give it to my brother-in-law as a gift. As soon as I left, she took her daughter with her and emptied ten boxes of my flower deliveries. Don't leave a box behind. Cao Trung Dan walked behind me, his head bowed low, not daring to say a word. I turned around and looked at him, word by word coldly:

“Gao Zhongdan, now… what else do you have to say?”