Chapter 11 — The Day I Locked the Villa Door

“Is that all you reacted to?”

“You're almost a celebrity now!”

“A lot of people left comments supporting you!”

“Say you're very beautiful!”

"There are also people who curse Chu Huc's entire family for being shameless."

“The comment area is now as chaotic as a battlefield.”

I took a sip of coffee.

“Does anyone recognize the specific location of the villa?”

“Not yet.”

“But sooner or later this matter will be dug up.”

“You have to prepare yourself.”

I nodded.

“There's one more thing.”

To Dao hesitated for a few seconds.

“Chu Huc's uncle, Zhou Daguo…”

“Is there some influence in the district?”

“Urban construction management.”

“Yesterday when he left, he said 'don't look for me'.”

“But this morning…”

“Someone in the district called my company to ask if they knew you.”

My movements stopped a bit.

“What did they say?”

“Not specific.”

“Just ask a few questions then hang up.”

“The tone is normal, not threatening.”

To Dao is completely serious.

“I don't like this feeling.”

“The villa thing is getting too big this time.”

“That uncle of Chu Huc definitely lost face.”

“Perhaps he will do something.”

“You have to be careful.”

I put the coffee cup on the windowsill. Sunlight shines on the back of the hand. The mud was washed away, but there was still a small black streak in the gap between my fingernails.

“He doesn't dare.”

“How do you know?”

“Sit in that position…”

I leisurely looked out into the yard.

“The biggest fear is getting into trouble.”

“This case is already on the hot search.”

“At this moment, he jumped out to help Chu Huc…”

“It's like pushing yourself into a fire pit.”

“He's not that stupid.”

To Dao thought for a moment.

“But what if?”

I don't answer. The phone vibrated again. This time it wasn't a call. It's the message. The sender is an unsaved number. The content is only one line.

"Aunt Phuong told me to pass on the message. The old lady has already asked. If you need anything, just say so."

I looked at that message. For five seconds. Then lock the screen, put the phone back in your pocket.

“Who texted that?”

To Dao asked.

"Nothing."

I turned around.

“Help me see where the tent is in the backyard.”

To Dao looked at me with eyes like "you're hiding something from me". But in the end, I still didn't ask anymore. The two of them went to the backyard together. Someone from the cleaning company is removing the tent frame. The metal pipe was taken down and thrown onto the grass, making a continuous clanking sound. The wound on the lawn was more serious than I thought. Just watering and fertilizing is not enough to recover. Perhaps the whole thing needs to be dug up and redone. I squatted down. Raise your hand to touch the soil. This lawn is also taken care of little by little by myself. The first year, I sowed the seeds, watered them, and waited for two months to see green shoots sprout. The second year, I planted additional bare areas. In the third year, the grass grew thickly. On summer afternoons, I often sit on the balcony looking at that green space in amazement. Chu Huc had never sat next to me at that time. He doesn't like the garden. He said the grass had many mosquitoes. Mosquito bites make him angry. I stood up. Brush dirt off your hands. The phone rang again. This time it's Chu Huc. I looked at the screen. Didn't pick up the phone. The phone rang for more than ten seconds and then hung up. Thirty seconds later the call came again. Still Chu Huc. To Dao came over.

“Do you hear that?”

The third time the phone rang, To Dao couldn't bear it anymore. She snatched my phone. Turn on speakerphone. Her voice was cold. On the other end of the line was Chu Huc's voice. Not just a little darker than yesterday.

“I'm Chu Huc.”

“I want to talk to you.”

“About yesterday.”

“She doesn't want to talk to you.”

To Dao replied.

“Who are you?”

“Her friend.”

“If you have anything, just tell me.”

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

“Give the phone to Lam Ha.”

To Dao looked at me. I shook my head slightly.

“She's not here.”

“Please say something.”

Chu Huc took a deep breath.

“Tell her…”

“I will handle your mother's matter.”

“Jewelry will be returned.”

“As for changing the door lock, I'm sorry.”

“But the livestream thing…”

“The influence is too great.”

“Can you think of a way to delete some online videos?”

To Dao almost laughed out loud.

“Are you dreaming?”

“Five million views, you told them to delete it?”

“Do you think this is the loudspeaker from your hometown?”

“Unplugging the power cord will stop the sound?”

Chu Huc called her by name. The voice was filled with pent-up anger.

“This has affected Tieu Man!”

"Tran Hao's family wants to annul the marriage!"

“Your mother cries every day now!”

“Isn't it enough that you guys won?”

“Do you have to push people to the end?!”

To Dao said word by word:

“When you stole someone else's house…”

“Did you ever think this day would come?”

The other end of the line was silent. To Dao hung up the phone. Throw the phone back to me.

“You heard that too.”

“Tran Hao wants to cancel the marriage.”