Chapter 3 — Two Houses and One Border

The breathing on the other end of the line was disordered. My heart also became cold. Manh Dao knew I had moved house. She didn't know I bought a house. But she knows which zone I'm in now. Because last month she came here to work, I went downstairs to give her an umbrella. I don't let her come up to the house. She only saw the gate of the apartment complex. I asked: "What did you tell her?" My mother said in a low voice: "I said your father is not feeling well. I want to send you some hometown medicine. Tell her to tell me where you are." I looked out the window. Fingernails pressed into palms. “What happens after that?” “She only said the name of the Nam Loan area.” “What about the building?” “She didn't say.” My mother quickly explained. “She really doesn't talk.” Before I could open my mouth, WeChat rang again. This time it was Manh Dao who sent it. There is only one screenshot. In the photo, a strange man uses a secondary account to friend her. The profile photo is a black car. The other person said: "I'm Duong Hoa's cousin. She owes rent and can't pay. Tell me what building she lives in, I'll give you five thousand." There is also a new message below. "It's okay if you don't say anything. I found out she bought two houses." “Tomorrow, if she doesn't return to her hometown, we will go to her company to find her.” 04 I looked at the screenshot Manh Dao sent, my heart felt like it was pressed down by a cold hand. The sub-account's tone was too familiar. It's not negotiation, it's intimidation. What's more fatal is that he mentioned two houses. Can Nam Loan can also follow people into the apartment complex to track them down. But the apartment is in the university area, I have never lived in it, nor have I ever brought any acquaintances there. People who know it can only come from the transaction stage. I called Manh Dao. She listened very quickly, her voice trembling. “Duong Hoa, sorry, I really didn't know your mother was trying to get information from me.” I said: "Don't apologize first, tell me everything you know." She sniffed. "Last month, your mother added me to WeChat, saying that your father's old illness had recurred. She wanted to send you a folk remedy, but was afraid that you would find it annoying and not accept it." “She also said you've been under a lot of pressure lately, please don't tell me.” “I only said the name of Nam Loan area, I really didn't say the other things.” I asked: "When did that strange man add you?" “It's after eight o'clock tonight.” “He said he was my cousin?” "YES." “You don't answer?” "I answered that I didn't know him, and told him not to look for me anymore." Manh Dao paused. “After that, he asked for the other two houses and said he wanted to come to your company.” I look at the avatar in the screenshot. I've seen that off-road vehicle before. The year Duong Khai got married, his eldest uncle borrowed money to buy a car and once posted a circle of friends. The end of the license plate is seven twenty nine. The representative image in the screenshot is blurry, but the tail of the license plate is half exposed. I said: "You record the screen of his WeChat profile, then export the entire chat history. Don't delete it for now." Manh Dao immediately agreed. I said again: "If he continues to look for you, don't argue, don't scold him, just ask him who he is and where he knows this from." “Did I accidentally say something wrong?” “You just asked, didn't provide any information.” After hanging up the phone, I saved all the screenshots in chronological order. Recording calls, threats on WeChat, photos, messages from the area manager, letters from the home sales consultant, I have all backed up a copy. I don't sleep. I sat in the living room, listing all the people who could leak information. Sales center. Brokerage channel. Bank mortgage department. Area management registration department. Company personnel. Express delivery platform. And also my mother. At 1:60 a.m., home sales consultant Wei Thanh sent a text message. "Ms. Duong, I just asked a colleague to take a look. Recently, you don't have a schedule to show customers the old house, but last week someone came to the sales office to ask about you." I stared at the screen. "Who?" Two minutes later he responded. “It's not convenient to say it in words.” I answered frankly. “Then tomorrow I will bring a lawyer to your company.” This time, he answered very quickly. “It's a man with the surname Duong, bringing along a middle-aged woman.” “

They said they were your relatives and wanted to buy more furniture for you. They wanted to confirm how many floors of the building you bought." My finger stopped on the screen. Middle-aged women. My mother is not in the provincial capital. My uncle-in-law has never come either. I asked: "What did you say?" Wei Thanh was silent. I sent another sentence. “Now every word you say will decide whether I complain tomorrow or call the police.” Finally he answered. “The person who received them was a temporary clerical worker at the project. She thought she was a family member so she accidentally mentioned the building, but didn't say the apartment number." “The photo may not be a problem on our part.” I looked at the sentence "accidentally said building", the corner of my mouth turned cold. Not saying the number of apartments, but the building and floors are enough for people to ambush. I asked: "So what about two houses?" This time, Wei Thanh did not answer immediately. Full ten minutes later, he sent a sentence. “Apartments in the university area are not our project.” I replied.