Chapter 1 — The House You Can't Buy

I had just bought a good deal on an old house when the phone suddenly rang. The voice on the other end of the line was exactly like mine: "I'm the girl three years from now. Absolutely don't buy that house!" “In the living room wall is hidden the body of a woman!” “At that time, you will be considered a murderer and sentenced to twenty years in prison!” I thought this was a joke. I was about to hang up when she suddenly said: "In high school, during self-study at night, I secretly read a romance novel in class and was caught by the homeroom teacher. At that time, I cried all night in the office." Besides me, there is absolutely no second person who knows this secret. I immediately announced that I would not buy the house anymore. The homeowner's face changed and he did not agree. The broker also stood next to him, saying that the contract was valid, and if he changed his mind now, not only would he not be refunded the brokerage fee, but he would also have to pay a sky-high amount of compensation for breach of contract. I laughed coldly and took out my phone: "Then there's no need to return it. I'll call the police to handle it!" 1 I raised my phone, preparing to dial 110. The homeowner Trieu Kien Quoc's face changed. He stopped me: "Miss Lam, there's no need to call the police for such a small matter, right?" Ms. Vuong, the broker, also quickly stood in front of me: "If the sale fails, the relationship still remains. If there's something wrong, let's sit down and talk. Why call the police?" I stared at Trieu Kien Quoc. In the last phone call, the me from three years later made it very clear. In the living room wall there is hidden a female body. I was sentenced to twenty years in prison. But right now I don't dare talk directly about hiding the body. If Trieu Kien Quoc is really the murderer, after the incident is revealed, will he have a dog to help him pull out the fence? I tried to stay calm: "I don't want to buy this house anymore. You guys are forcing me to buy and sell it, so why don't you let me call the police?" Ms. Vuong was impatient. “What is called forced buying and forced selling?” "She came to see the house three times, and the price was negotiated by her own mouth." "At first, Mr. Trieu listed the price at one million, but she said the budget was limited so she bargained down to nine hundred thousand." “That's one hundred thousand, not ten!” She pointed at the people standing behind me. “You even brought the house repairman.” "Now there's only one last step left, you said you won't buy anymore. Who is it that has no thoughts in your heart?" The house repairman behind me is named Tran Thu Nghia, a distant relative from my hometown. Because the relationship is so distant, I usually call him worker Tran. Today I brought him in, originally wanting him to measure the dimensions and estimate the cost of the renovation. Trieu Kien Quoc wiped his face. “Miss Lam, in the end, if you are not satisfied, just say so.” “We had a good discussion before, why did you change your mind after receiving a phone call?” I don't answer. Just staring at the phone. The phone screen is stuck on the police call interface. Ms. Vuong's voice lowered. “If you firmly change your mind, the deposit will definitely not be refunded.” "According to the agreement, she also has to pay brokerage service fees and fines for breach of contract." "To coordinate with her, Mr. Trieu asked the tenant to move out, and also refused two other buyers." “These losses must also be clearly calculated.” I nodded. “I agree to pay compensation, but first I have to report it to the police.” “Whatever the police say I have to pay, I will pay that much.” Trieu Kien Quoc's face twitched. Right after that, he suddenly knelt down in front of me. I took a step back in fear. “What are you doing?” Trieu Kien Quoc did not answer, he bowed and began to bow his head. Bang bang bang, he hit it very hard. The sound-sensitive lights in the hallway all light up. Ms. Vuong rushed to help him. “Mr. Trieu, what are you doing?” Trieu Kien Quoc threw her away, cried and shouted to me: "Miss Lam, I beg you!" “My son has leukemia, the hospital is waiting for money to save his life!” “I really have no other choice so I have to sell this house at a low price!” “You suddenly changed your mind, maybe because you saw that I needed money so you wanted to continue

price pressure? His voice was very loud. The door next door opened first. Right after that, people from the opposite house, upstairs and downstairs all poked their heads out. In less than two minutes, the hallway was filled with neighbors. Some people were holding shovels to cook, some were wearing slippers, and some were holding up their phones to film. Trieu Kien Quoc's forehead was crushed to the point of bleeding. He looked up at me, tears streaming down his face. “Just say frankly how much you want to lose.” “Another fifty thousand or one hundred thousand discount?” “Just leave my son a way to live, I accept!” The neighbors' eyes simultaneously fell on me. I just wanted to report to the police, but suddenly I became a bad guy forcing others to kneel. An old lady pushed forward, pointed at me and scolded: "Young lady, you look so well dressed, why are you so focused on saving other people's lives?" I opened my mouth. Before I could explain, other criticisms rushed in. Trieu Kien Quoc was kneeling on the ground, looking at me through the crowd. 2 Trieu Kien Quoc quickly bowed his head and continued to cry. That look flashed by so quickly, so quickly that I doubted whether I was mistaken or not. But my palms were sweaty. Neighbors gathered in increasing numbers. A man wearing glasses looked me up and down. "Mr. Trieu's child is really sick, the whole building knows about this." "Last month his wife even went door to door to borrow money. It can't be an act." Another woman continued: "His house is much lower than the market price." "Buying a house is a bargain, but using people's lives to force the price is truly unethical." Ms. Vuong sighed. “Everyone, don't say that. Perhaps Ms. Lam also has her own thoughts." On the surface, she said she would help me, but in fact, she firmly affirmed that I wanted to force the price. Worker Tran pulled me aside. “Tri Y, just right.” "Buying a house is such a big deal, temporarily changing your mind is really unsightly." “People's children are waiting for money for medical treatment. Even if you don't think about others, you still have to accumulate some virtue for yourself." I looked at him. “Even you think I want to force the price?” Worker Tran frowned. “It's not that I feel that, but your way of doing things is a bit unethical.” "The house has been viewed, the price has been negotiated, the repairman has also called." “They've made all the concessions that need to be conceded, and I suddenly want to call the police. What can you do when the police come?" I cannot answer. Should I tell him that the me from three years later called me? Don't tell others, even the me of half an hour ago wouldn't believe it. Someone put a phone camera right in my face. “Everyone look, it's this woman.” "The homeowner's son has leukemia, she even took advantage of the house fire to loot." I raised my hand to push the camera away. “Don't turn me.” That person is even more enthusiastic. "Are you still afraid that people will turn you in if you dare to do it?" "Today you can force people to give up a hundred thousand, tomorrow do you still want to force people to die?" The more she talked, the more agitated she became, reaching out to push me. My shoulder hit the door frame. Worker Tran quickly caught me. "Don't move your hand. If there's anything, speak slowly." "She's already about to force people to death, so why don't you tell her?" Another man also stepped forward. “Tell the police. Don't you want to report it to the police?” “Just let the police see how unruly home buyers are now!” The crowd surrounding was getting tighter and tighter. Trieu Kien Quoc was still kneeling. The phone suddenly rang. I lowered my head to look, it was my boyfriend, Trinh Da. “Have you signed the contract yet?” Without waiting for me to answer, an aunt next to me deliberately shouted: "Not signed yet!" "Your girlfriend changed her mind, she still wants to continue to pressure the price!" "Someone else's child is waiting for money for medical treatment. She forced the homeowner to kneel!" Trinh Da was silent for two seconds. “Tri Y, what happened?” Just as I was about to explain, the woman holding the phone came closer. “Young man, you have to be careful.” “This type of person can force others to die for a hundred thousand, and marry you.

Surely it's just because of the bride price.” "If the wedding family says it's a divorce, it's a fake marriage!" There was a loud burst of laughter around. Trinh Da's breathing became heavy. “Tri Y, what are you doing?” 3 “Tri Y?” Trinh Da raised his voice on the phone. “You say it.” I stared at Trieu Kien Quoc. “I don't want to buy this house anymore.” Trinh Da was stunned for a few seconds. “Why?” “We've seen this house three times. The price is cheaper than the surrounding area, and it is also located in the enrollment area of Experimental Primary School.” "Yesterday I was calculating how much time I could save when my children go to school in the future." “Why did you suddenly change your mind?” He stopped. “You don't want to annul the marriage, do you?” Those words made my chest choke. We've been together five years. I spent six parts on the deposit to buy a house. He spent four parts. We also agreed to put both of our names on the home ownership certificate. But now, a few strangers randomly shouted a few words, the first thing he suspected was not that I was in trouble, but that I wanted to cheat. Neighbors immediately seized the opportunity. “Hear that? Her boyfriend sensed it!” “This type of woman has a lot of brains.” "Even if it's not a fake marriage, I still miss the groom's family's money all day long." "Before getting married, you dared to threaten the house. After getting married, won't you chase your husband's parents out?" Trinh Da's voice was completely cold. “Tri Y, first apologize to the landlord.” "If there's something going on, I'll wait until you come and tell me." I tried to suppress my anger. “You didn't do anything wrong, why should you apologize?” “People are already kneeling!” “It was him kneeling himself!” The other end of the line was silent. “Now you are becoming more and more unreasonable.” The phone is disconnected. The moment the beeping sound rang out, everyone around burst into laughter. “Even her boyfriend doesn't need her anymore.” “Deserve it.” I tightened the phone in my hand. Even the person who should have trusted me the most was on the opposite side. Trieu Kien Quoc was helped to stand up by a neighbor. He wiped the blood from his forehead, stooped and walked in front of me. “Miss Lam, I really can't reduce it any further.” “This nine hundred thousand is money to save my son's life.” Every word he said showed weakness. Everyone's eyes looking at him became more and more sympathetic. As more and more people gathered, I suddenly calmed down. There are many people like that around. Their phones are also filming. Even if Trieu Kien Quoc really killed someone, he wouldn't dare kill me in front of everyone. I took a step back, raised my voice and said: "I don't want to force the price." The crowd gradually quieted down. I pointed to the living room. “I didn't buy it because there's a body hidden in this house.” The hallway immediately fell silent. The woman who had just scolded her the hardest gasped, her phone still held in mid-air. The tears on Trieu Kien Quoc's wife's face stopped.