I bought an apartment four years ago, never even moved in or furnished it. Two years later, I suddenly got a collection notice for overdue utility bills. Completely baffled, I went back to check it out. And found strangers living there! After work, my phone buzzed with a utility bill collection notice. I stared at the unfamiliar apartment number on my screen; it took a while for my brain to catch up, but then I remembered – oh, right, I actually owned an apartment with that number. It was an apartment I’d bought years ago, saving up for the down payment and taking out a loan after I started my career. But then I’d made a last-minute decision to study abroad, so the apartment had been sitting empty ever since it was renovated. A flicker of doubt sparked in my mind. Logically, no one should be living there. So where were these utility bills coming from? A knot of confusion tightening in my gut, I headed for the complex, following the route etched in my memory. … Standing before the apartment door, I frowned. The developers had originally installed a drab, industrial-looking door, but this one was brand new, sleek, and black. I double-checked the number, just to be sure. “808. Yeah, this is it…” The starkly different black door, combined with the faint scent of perfume wafting from beneath it, sent a chill of dread through me. Without hesitation, I called a locksmith! The locksmith arrived quickly, his gaze sweeping over me, sizing me up. “This your place?” I quickly pulled my apartment deed and ID from my bag, handing them over. “Of course. Here are the papers, check them out.” The locksmith took the documents, studied me carefully, but still seemed hesitant. Desperate to get inside, I quickly said: “I’m in a hurry. I can pay extra. How about a hundred bucks?” He finally handed the papers back, crouched down, opened his toolbox, and muttered under his breath: “That’s weird. Wasn’t a young lady living here last time?” “What was that?” I didn’t quite catch it. Just as I was about to ask again, a shrill voice cut through the air behind me: “What are you doing?! What in the world are you doing?!” My shoulder was roughly shoved. A stylishly dressed young woman stormed over to the locksmith, pointing a finger at his nose and unleashing a torrent of abuse: “Oh, you actually dared to break in, right in broad daylight! You’re trying to rob my home!” As she spoke, she reached out, trying to grab the locksmith’s tools! The locksmith, caught off guard, pointed at me: “I’m not a thief! This has nothing to do with me! She’s the one who asked me to open the lock!” The girl’s face whipped around. Her eyes raked over me, then snagged on the watch on my wrist, a greedy glint flashing in them! She stomped towards me, muttering curses under her breath: “You psycho! Trying to break into my place in broad daylight? I’m going to teach you a lesson you won’t forget!” With that, she lunged at me! I frowned, instinctively stepping back a couple of paces. The girl missed, her eyes darted around, and the next second, she plopped herself onto the ground! “Oh, help me! In broad daylight, a big man is not only trying to break into my home but also bullying a poor, defenseless girl like me…” Her voice was like a siren, and within moments, neighbors were peeking out of their doors, drawn by the commotion. I’d never encountered such audacity in my life. I felt an urge to retreat. Seeing the crowd gather, the girl wailed even louder, reaching out and grabbing onto my pant leg: “You’re not going anywhere! You just pushed me to the ground, and now I can’t move! You have to take responsibility!” What?! I hadn’t even touched her! “Ma’am, you need to be careful with your accusations! I haven’t laid a hand on you! The locksmith can back me up!” My pleading gaze landed on the locksmith, but he just averted his eyes, not daring to look at me or say a word! A flicker of triumph crossed the girl’s face. She tightened her grip on my pant leg. “See? Anyone with a conscience wouldn’t testify for you. You better just pay up, honestly!” Her eyes were fixated on my watch, greed practically screaming from them. Her motive was crystal clear! Realizing no help was coming, I took a deep breath, calmed myself, and let out a cynical chuckle. “So, how exactly do you want me to compensate you?” The girl’s eyes lit up. She pointed directly at my wrist. “I can’t even stand up! A hospital visit will cost at least ten to twenty thousand! But I’m a really kind person, so how about you just give me that watch on your wrist as compensation, and we’ll call it even!” I nodded. “Alright. But before I do, can you answer two questions for me?” Her eyes practically gleamed at the mention of money. She nodded without a second thought. “What do you want to ask?” I gestured towards the black security door, a faint smile playing on my lips, and asked: “Is this your home?” “Duh! Of course, it’s my home!” the girl blurted out without thinking. I continued: “Oh, really? Then why is the apartment I bought suddenly your home?” Her face froze. She stammered out: “You… what do you mean? I don’t understand!” “Exactly what it sounds like. Why are you living in my apartment?” A flash of guilt darted through her eyes. She jutted out her chin, snapping back: “What do you mean, your apartment? This is clearly my boyfriend’s apartment! I live here! What proof do you have that it’s yours?!” “Of course I have proof!”
Slowly, deliberately, I pulled the apartment deed from my bag, opened it to the first page, and pointed to the owner’s line. My name was clearly written there! Behind me, the neighbors’ murmurs suddenly grew louder: “It can’t really not be her place, right?” “That girl comes and goes every day, I thought she was the owner…” “She looks so young, but the apartment isn’t hers?” … Hearing the whispers, the young woman’s face flushed with rage. She lunged at me, trying to snatch the deed! I quickly raised my hand, holding the deed high, and looked at her with a wry smile. “Couldn’t stand up, remember? Is this some kind of miracle recovery?” The girl realized she was indeed standing. She shoved me hard, snarling: “I’ve lived here for ages, so it’s my apartment! Who even are you, just showing up out of nowhere?!” I almost laughed, it was so absurd. “So, according to you, nobody needs to buy an apartment anymore? Everyone just moves into someone else’s place, and poof, it’s theirs?!” “The apartment I live in is mine!” Amidst the shouting, a young man in a security guard uniform rushed over. The girl’s eyes lit up. She immediately burst into a dramatic wail: “Ben, you’re finally here! This guy came to break into my place and said my apartment is his! Tell him off!” Ben, the security guard, immediately shielded her, his eyes bulging as he glared at me: “How did you even get in here? Do you know where you are? How dare you harass an owner here?!” I thrust the apartment deed at him, declaring loudly: “Look closely! Who’s the real owner here? I am the owner of this apartment!” Ben’s face instantly froze when he saw the deed. Noticing the other residents giving him strange looks, he lunged to snatch the deed from my hand! Having learned my lesson moments before, there was no way I was just going to hand it over. I quickly dodged back. “Hey! What are you doing? I’m holding it right here for you to see!” Ben fumed, enraged: “Who knows if your deed is real or fake?! You think you can just show up with a forged document and try to steal an apartment?! Get out of here, now!!” He moved to push me, but the girl behind him seized the opportunity, quickly pulled out a key, and unlocked the apartment door! The moment the door opened, a nauseating mix of perfume and old takeout odors hit me. Through the crack in the partially opened door, I saw unfamiliar furniture and women’s belongings everywhere. “Ah!” I feigned a startled gasp! Before I could react, the girl had already slipped inside, slamming the door shut! Just as I was about to rush over and knock, Ben, towering like a wall, blocked my path, brandishing a riot stick. “Still here? Believe me, I’ll force you out!” Perhaps feeling a pang of guilt for his earlier silence, the locksmith, still standing nearby, kindly warned me: “Don’t bother knocking. That girl, Tiffany, is Liam’s girlfriend. And this security guard, Ben, is her brother. We’re all scared to get involved with them; there’s no reasoning with her!” He said, then hurried off with his toolbox! Staring at the hulking figure of Ben, I had no choice but to swallow my anger and leave for now!
As soon as I left the complex, I rushed straight to the police station. To my astonishment, Tiffany and her brother Ben were apparently already ‘well-known’ regulars there. The officer who greeted me looked utterly helpless. “This is tricky for us. The security guard is her brother, and he insists it’s his sister’s apartment. We can’t just forcibly remove her…” His words were diplomatic, but I easily read between the lines. Essentially, the siblings were notorious for causing trouble, and the police couldn’t do much. The officer offered a sympathetic suggestion: “At most, we can mediate. For this civil dispute, you can choose to sue, and the court can issue an eviction order…” A court-ordered eviction? How long would that even take?! The thought of the disgusting mess I’d glimpsed in my apartment made my stomach churn. Tiffany was practically turning my place into her private territory! I took a deep breath, a sudden idea flashing through my mind. I turned back to the officer. “Officer, it’s not illegal for me to enter my own apartment and clean out my belongings, right?” The officer cleared his throat. “If there’s no rental agreement, then no, it’s not illegal. Just make sure no one gets hurt.” Well, isn’t that just perfect! Armed with that clear answer, a surge of clarity and determination coursed through me. I strode out of the police station. Just outside the station, I spotted Tiffany down the street, on her phone, with Ben standing beside her, holding her shopping bags. I paused, then quickly moved closer, hiding behind a storefront sign. Their conversation drifted to my ears. “Ben, that guy showed up. They’re not actually going to take the apartment back, are they?” “Don’t worry. Next time, I won’t even let him set foot in the complex!” Well, well, well. No wonder Ben’s attitude was so strange. They were clearly in cahoots, ripping people off from the inside! Their conversation continued: “He has the deed! What if he calls the police later?!” Ben thumped his chest, boasting: “No problem. Next time, I’ll find an opportunity to just snatch the deed and tear it up. Then he won’t have any proof!” A muscle in my cheek twitched. These two clueless idiots were almost making me laugh out of sheer exasperation! Did these legal illiterates really think tearing up a deed would make it disappear?! Gazing at my phone screen, which displayed “Video Recording Ended,” a chilling smirk spread across my face.
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