Chapter 1 — The Door Lock Changes, Marriage Also Locks

Last night, I returned from a business trip and stood in front of the door of my new house. I entered the password three times but still couldn't open it. Smart door lock coldly announced:

"Password is incorrect."

I thought I remembered wrongly. Just as I was about to call Chu Canh Hanh, the door opened from the inside. The person who opened the door was a girl. She was wearing guest slippers that I had bought myself last month, holding a glass of hot milk in her hand, her hair tied in a bun, looking like she had just taken a shower. Seeing me, she was stunned. But he quickly smiled.

"Sister Hua, don't misunderstand."

"Mr. Canh Hanh has been so busy these past few days. There are so many things to take care of in the new house, from cabinets, electrical appliances to furniture. He was afraid that you would still have to worry about me coming home from work, so he asked me to come over and help first."

I didn't step in. I bent down to look at the front lock. A line appears on the screen: Administrator rights have been changed. My fingerprints are gone. She followed my gaze, her smile stiffening for a moment.

"This... probably when the installer accidentally deleted it. I don't know."

At that moment, Chu Canh Hanh walked out of the office. Seeing me, he frowned slightly.

"Why do you keep standing outside the door?"

"My fingerprint has been erased."

He stepped forward, his voice carrying a bit of impatience.

"The lock has just been installed. It's probably a system error. Trinh Vu only helped you look after the house for two days. As soon as I got home, I thought everything was so complicated."

Trinh Vu immediately bowed his head.

"Sister Hua, I'm really sorry. At first I didn't intend to let you know I had been here, I was afraid you would feel uncomfortable."

I looked at her.

"You don't want me to know you've been here?"

"So why did you open my door from the inside just now?"

Her face immediately turned pale. I put my suitcase aside and took out my phone.

"Chu Canh Hanh, first of all, don't say I think too much."

"You answer me."

"She took over the house for me, why does she have administrative rights?"

"She took care of the renovations for me, why were my fingerprints erased?"

"More..."

I raised my head and looked down at the sandals on her feet.

"Who let her move in?"

The mysterious area was silent for two seconds. The cup in Trinh Vu's hand shook slightly, the milk in the cup rolled close to the edge, forming a thin layer of white foam. She looked at Chu Canh Hanh first. Just a very quick look, so fast that it was like an instinctive reflex, waiting for him to speak up to relieve the situation. Chu Canh Hanh rubbed his hand between his eyebrows.

"She didn't move in."

"Then why is she wearing my sandals?"

"Those slippers were originally for guests."

I nodded.

"So why is it that when she holds hot milk, her hair looks like she just washed it?"

His eyebrows furrowed tighter.

"Do I have to ask like that?"

I looked at him.

"How to ask?"

"It's like you're interrogating someone else."

"I asked you two three things."

"But none of that was answered."

Trinh Vu pursed his lips and finally spoke.

"Miss Hua, tonight there is a set of buffet cabinet doors that need to be taken apart and rebuilt. The installer arrived in the afternoon and worked for a long time. Mr. Canh Hanh is in the office handling the work. I'm afraid he won't be able to do it, so I'll stay and help for a while."

"What happens after the look is finished?"

"It's late so I...sit in the guest room for a while."

Having finished speaking, as if feeling that the explanation was still not convincing enough, she hastily added:

"I'm not sleeping."

I looked straight at her.

"I asked if you were sleeping or not?"

Trinh Vu immediately fell silent. The pink color on her face gradually drained away, even the fingers holding the cup stiffened. Chu Canh Hanh walked over and stood between me and her. The movement wasn't too obvious, but just managed to obscure half of my vision. He spoke up.

"Trinh Vu just conveniently helped me with something. Before you left for work, didn't you tell me that the cabinets and electrical appliances would be delivered this week and told me to pay more attention?"

"I told you to pay attention."

I looked at him.

"I didn't tell you to find someone else to live in my place."

"She didn't move in."

"Then tell me clearly."

I looked inside. Next to the shoe cabinet is an additional pair of light gray women's sneakers. Not mine. On the dining table were two bowls, one of which still had some tomato sauce on it that hadn't been wiped clean. On the kitchen counter is a bottle of dishwashing liquid that has just had its seal removed. In the trash there is a food delivery receipt. The time on the invoice is 9:47 p.m. The delivery address is this place. In the notes section write:

"Please leave it at the door, there is someone in the house."

I stared at that text for a few seconds. Trinh Vu noticed my eyes and immediately walked quickly to pick up the bill and clasped it in his hand. The move was too hasty. So quickly that even she realized something was wrong and stood frozen in place.

"Both Canh Hanh and I haven't had dinner yet."

She said in a low voice.

"The food was delivered just in time, so I ate with him."

"Who is the recipient's name?"

Trinh Vu put the glass of milk on the shoe cabinet and said softly:

"Before, I only came to help measure the size."

"How many times have you come in total?"

She didn't answer. I turned to look at Chu Canh Hanh.

"Just how many times has she been here?"

Chu Canh Hanh did not look at me. He bent down to carry my suitcase, as if he wanted to temporarily put this story aside.

"Go inside first and then talk."

I don't let go.

"Chu Canh Hanh, I asked her how many times she came here."

"I don't remember."

"You don't remember?"

He raised his head, a hint of irritation finally appearing in his eyes.

"During the time of renovating the house, there were so many people coming and going, do you have to record it every day?"

"You don't need to take notes every day."

I calmly replied:

"Just tell me, why did she come here so many times that you didn't feel the need to tell me?"

Chu Canh Hanh let go of the suitcase. The chandelier in the living room, which took me a long time to choose, is still on. The light gently shone down, making the floor as clean as if it had been covered with an extra layer of light. In the new house, there is still the smell of paint, wood and the smell of electrical appliances just unboxed. It's a scent I used to really like. The smell of a new life has just begun. But at that moment, standing in front of my house, I suddenly felt like someone who had just returned temporarily to check on progress. Trinh Vu bowed his head. Chu Canh Hanh's face darkened. No one gave me an answer. I don't ask anymore. I dragged my suitcase into the living room. The wheel glides across the floor, making a very soft friction sound. Chu Canh Hanh seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He thought I was finally going to put this aside again. However, I stopped the suitcase next to the sofa, took out my phone, and opened the smart door lock management application.

"Open the admin page first."

Chu Canh Hanh looked at me.

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"Hua Chieu Ninh, do you have to make a big deal of it just because of a door lock..."

"I didn't do it because of the lock."

I raised my head to look at him.

"I did it because today, standing in front of my own house, I couldn't enter."