Chapter 1 — My House Is 42 Degrees Hot, Turns Out It's A Horrifying Plot

My House Is 38 Degrees Celsius All Year Round, When Moving Day Comes, The Upstairs Neighbors Really Panic My house is as hot as an oven all year round. In summer, the indoor temperature can reach up to 42 degrees Celsius, and in winter it is never lower than 35 degrees Celsius. The building management board has come to check seven or eight times, but still cannot find the cause. In the end, they simply concluded that my apartment had "special physical properties". Last month, I really couldn't stand it anymore, so I signed a contract to buy a new house and prepared to move. On moving day, the neighbor upstairs suddenly rushed down with two milk crates. The smile on her face was even more unsightly than crying. She was determined not to let me move out. I asked why. She hesitated for a long time, and finally uttered a sentence that made my scalp tingle. My house looks like a giant oven. In summer, it's 40 degrees Celsius outside, but inside my house it can reach up to 42 degrees Celsius. In winter, it's minus 5 degrees Celsius outside, but inside the house is still stable at 35 degrees Celsius. The air conditioner turns down to 16 degrees Celsius, but the air blowing out is still warm. The electricity bill every month is more than 1,500 yuan (about 5.25 million VND), yet I have never had a cool night. The head of the building management board, Mr. Truong, has come to my house eight times before. The first time, he brought a repairman to check the air conditioner. The technician confirmed that the air conditioner is completely normal and its cooling ability is still very strong. The second time, he brought the investor's engineer to check the insulation outside the building. The engineer said that the insulation layer was constructed according to the latest national standards and only has a heat-insulating effect and cannot generate heat on its own. The third time, they pried up the entire floor to check the underfloor heating system. In the pipe there is only cold tap water, the valve is tightly closed, no problems at all. They checked the ventilation system. Check the power line. Test everything that can be tested. The last time, Mr. Truong stood in the middle of my living room, sweating profusely. He used a handkerchief to wipe his forehead, smiling awkwardly and politely.

“Miss Khuong, we really can't find the reason.”

“Perhaps... perhaps your apartment has a rather special physical type.”

“Easy to accumulate heat.”

I looked at him, feeling like I had just heard the world's wildest joke. Physicality of the apartment. Easy to condense heat. I nodded.

“Okay, I understand.”

I saw Mr. Truong out the door. The moment the door closed, I made a decision. I don't service this damn oven anymore. I opened my computer and started looking for houses on real estate sites. My request is very simple. House available. Complete interior. Sign the contract the same day, you can move in next week. I've had enough. I don't want to stay another day. Phone calls from brokers kept coming. I don't waste even a moment of time. The very next day, I chose an apartment of one hundred and twenty square meters. The house is open to both North and South directions. Minimalist interior style is exactly my style. Most importantly, when I stand in the living room, I feel the cool breeze passing through the house. The feeling of a gentle breeze passing through my skin, a cool feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time, almost made me cry. I signed the contract on the spot. Pay the entire rent. The broker smiled widely and told me I was a customer The most determined person he's ever met. But I just want to run away. The faster the better. Get out of the steamer that maintains a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius for twenty-four hours. After receiving the keys to my new house, I immediately contacted the moving company. Appointment on Saturday morning, three days later. Those three days, I lived like a countdown. With every passing minute, the sweat on my body reminded me how right this decision was. I packed all my belongings. Living utensils. There is nothing in this house that makes me nostalgic. All objects were burned by this terrible heat to the point of losing their original color. Book pages turn yellow. Cracked leather. Even the pot of betel that my grandmother kept had jaundice and was about to die. At exactly eight o'clock on Saturday morning, the moving company's car stopped under the building. The leader was a driver named Ly, with a muscular body and typical Northern man characteristics. As soon as he entered the house, he took off his coat, revealing his toned bronze back.

“Girl, your house is really hot.”

“I guess the heating hasn't been turned on yet, right?”

Uncle laughed. I smiled bitterly.

"Uncle Ly, it's been hard for everyone. Let's finish moving quickly, I'll invite the whole team to chilled soft drinks."

"Okay!"

Everyone immediately got to work. Carton. Each item was moved downstairs. The room emptied at a speed visible to the naked eye. My heart gradually became more relieved. Goodbye, oven. Goodbye to this ridiculous so-called "special physical condition". My new life is about to begin. I stood on the balcony, watching the truck downstairs gradually fill up, and breathed a long sigh of relief. Right at that moment. The doorbell rang loudly. I'm a bit surprised. Who's coming again? I walked to the door and looked out through my magic eyes. Standing in front of the door was a woman. It's Luu Phuong, the neighbor who lives on the upper floor of my house. She looked extremely impatient, her forehead was sweaty, and she was carrying two cartons of milk in her hands. I'm not close to her. We only met a few times in the elevator, at most it was a nodding and greeting relationship. Why is she coming to me now? I opened the door.

“Is something wrong?”

My voice was very calm. As soon as she saw me, Luu Phuong felt like she had met a savior. She quickly pushed two milk crates into my almost empty house, a smile on her face that was more ugly than crying.

“Tieu Khuong, you... what are you doing?”

“Why is everything in the house cleaned?”

I leaned over to avoid the two milk crates she brought.

“I moved house.”

The smile on Luu Phuong's face immediately stiffened.

“Moving house?”

"Why do you have to move? Aren't you living very well here?"

I looked at her, feeling this question was ridiculous.