Chapter 3 — Scary Neighbors

“There are cameras in the hallway, we will extract them for verification.” "Okay." Criminal police team members quickly arrived. They dressed in civilian clothes and began examining the scene. Truong Tu Lan was helped up and sat on a chair in the hallway, with two people next to her. Her eyes were absent-minded, her lips kept moving, but no one could clearly hear what she was saying. I was invited to get out of the police car downstairs to take a statement. By the time the testimony was completed, it was already eight o'clock in the evening. The police said I could go home first, but I couldn't leave the city recently. I returned home, the security wire in front of the door was still there. The door of apartment 601 is closed, the outside is sealed. The smell has faded a bit but still lingers. I opened all the windows in the house, sat on the sofa, staring at the ceiling in a daze. The phone has dozens of unread messages. The resident group has exploded. Someone reposted a screenshot of Truong Tu Lan making my information public, along with the words: "It turns out she was right when she reported to the police. Something really happened to the old lady." “Is Ms. Truong's mother really dead?” “Oh my god, so when she was looking for someone to take care of her, her mother was already…” “So scary.” "Where are the people who scolded Tieu Yeu before? Why don't they come forward anymore?" Aunt Vuong sent a voice message in the group: "I told you, Tieu Yeu is a good child. This story definitely has a hidden meaning..." I didn't listen. I took a screenshot, saved all messages in the group and then turned off the phone. That night I almost didn't sleep. The next morning, the management posted an announcement in the group. Apartment 601 was temporarily blocked. We ask homeowners not to watch and not to spread false information. But the whole building knew about it. When I went downstairs to throw away the trash, I met Aunt Ly on the fifth floor in the elevator. The way she looked at me changed. “Tieu Yeu, were you the one who called the police yesterday?” "Yes." “How do you know the old lady passed away?” “I guess.” The elevator went to the first floor but she didn't get out with me. After taking out the trash, I turned around and she was still standing in front of the elevator door, holding her phone in her hand, not knowing who she was texting. At noon, I ordered food from outside. When the delivery person brought it, he lowered his voice and asked: "Is something wrong on your sixth floor?" I didn't answer, took the food and closed the door. At three o'clock in the afternoon, someone knocked on the door outside. I look through cat eyes. It was a strange man in his forties, wearing a dark blue polo shirt. “Hello, I am Truong Tu Lan's cousin.” I don't open the door. "What is up?" “I want to talk to you about my cousin.” “My sister and I have nothing to say.” The man outside was silent for a few seconds. “Young lady, I know you called the police out of good intentions, but there are some things you may not understand clearly.” “What?” “My cousin's mother passed away naturally.” "If so, why didn't she call the police? Why wasn't she taken to the hospital?" The man did not answer. “Open the door, we can talk directly.” “No need, just say anything outside the door.” His tone changed. “Young lady, don't consider yourself too important.” “When you reported it to the police, did you ever think you were ruining a person's reputation?” I leaned against the door, my hand tightening on the handle. “It's not me who ruined her reputation.” “But it's her.” The man outside snorted. Then, I heard footsteps leaving. I returned to the living room and turned on my phone. There were hundreds more messages in the resident group. Someone posted Truong Tu Lan's resume. "She works as a manager for a trading company, her income is not low." “Divorced, no children.” "Three years ago, her ex-husband got into a car accident and became paralyzed. She took care of him for two years." "Everyone, stop scolding her. It's not easy for her either." Below someone replied: "It's not easy and it's impossible to do that." "The old lady passed away without taking care of it, and even found someone to take care of her. What was her intention?" “Maybe she really wants to let Tieu Yeu take the blame for her.” "Don't make wild guesses, everyone. Maybe she's so heartbroken that she doesn't know how to face it." “It's heartbreaking

To the point of posting other people's IDs into the group?" The group was silent for a few minutes. Afterwards, Aunt Vuong sent a voice message: “I have known Tu Lan for five or six years. She's not that kind of person. Don't think people are too evil." Uncle Trieu also sent a sentence: "Perhaps there was a misunderstanding about this matter." I looked at those messages, pulled them up line by line. Scrolling to the top is the message Truong Tu Lan posted yesterday, making my information public. After that, she didn't say another word in the group. 6 On the third day, an unfamiliar phone number called. I picked up the phone. The other person was a woman: "Excuse me, is this Ms. Luc Yeu?" "It's me. Who are you?” “I am the lawyer representing Truong Tu Lan. My name is Phuong.” I immediately sat up straight. “What's wrong?” “My client wants to talk to you about reconciliation.” "Reconcile?"