The Tenant from Hell

Three days before rent collection, my tenant sent me a WeChat message:

"Lower my rent."

Just this abrupt sentence with no context.

I thought she sent it to the wrong person and ignored it. An hour later.

Another message came: "The rent is damn high. Are you going to lower it or not?"

I froze for a few seconds, then calmly replied.

"Follow the contract. No increases, no decreases. Pay rent on time."

She got angry and threatened me:

"Then just wait!"

I was stunned by her words.

Who exactly is the landlord here?

Chapter 1

When Xiaoxia first moved into my apartment.

She paid her rent without fuss—18,000 for the year arrived instantly.

She was quite polite to me.

Of course, I wasn't bad to her either.

When she moved in, she requested a new mattress and new washing machine.

Considering the appliances were quite old, I readily agreed to replace them.

Out of gratitude.

In those early days, whenever I came to the residential complex to handle matters.

She would always make small desserts and bring them to me.

Of course, I would reciprocate.

Back and forth like this.

We had developed a fairly familiar landlord-tenant relationship.

She had been renting my apartment for almost a year.

Three days before collecting the next year's rent.

I suddenly received her WeChat message.

"Chen Jie, lower the rent for me."

I thought it was a joke and casually replied:

"We agreed on the price beforehand, you know."

She immediately followed up: "But other places have lowered theirs. Your rent is damn high! We get along so well, just give me a symbolic discount!"

I froze for a few seconds and politely replied:

"Xiaoxia, let's follow the contract terms."

"Fine, you won't lower it? Then just wait!"

Her instant reply left me stunned.

I directly voice called her on WeChat:

"Xiaoxia, make yourself clear. What do you mean by 'wait'?"

"You're so educated, can't you understand these few words?" she said sarcastically, her attitude turning nasty, "You won't help with such a small favor. After all the good food I brought you!"

"Did you forget our contract? Three-year lease, 18,000 per year paid annually. The annual rent is already much lower than market rate. I can't lower it. Follow the contract."

"Contracts are dead, people are alive. Why are you so rigid?" the young woman scoffed, then challenged me, "Are you going to lower my rent or not!"

After she said this.

All my previous impressions of Xiaoxia as humble and peaceful disappeared.

She turned hostile in an instant, our amicable relationship completely severed.

Not to mention her domineering and rude tone.

Calling me rigid—I was instantly furious.

I didn't want to speak nicely to her anymore.

"No reduction. Follow the contract!"

"Do you know how bad the economy is right now? You can't find jobs at all!" Xiaoxia couldn't help but burst out with some choice curse words.

"Oh? Can't find them, or you're not even looking?"

I knew Xiaoxia wasn't looking for a job because my neighbor told me.

She would complain to me from time to time.

She said cigarette smoke constantly drifted from my balcony to hers all day long.

And every day, people would ring the doorbell at regular times.

"What do you know? You're just a carefree landlord living off mobile games, you can't empathize with us! You won't even lower the rent a bit—so stingy. I'm the only one who signed such a long lease with you. Look around—who else doesn't change tenants every three months? With me as your stable meal ticket, you should be grateful! You don't know what's good for you!"

Feeling this wasn't enough, she started with the moral blackmail.

"I'm telling you, everyone is lowering prices. I rented at a high rate back then, so you must lower it for me now!"

Threatening me? I don't indulge such behavior!

"I wouldn't lower it even if you held a knife to my throat! You can stay if you want, move out if you don't. But per the contract, the deposit is non-refundable."

When I rented to her, considering it was a long-term lease, I had significantly lowered the rent for her.

Plus, my apartment is a corner unit with excellent lighting and great views—I never have trouble finding tenants.

"Damn it, you heartless landlord. Just you wait, you bastard!" Xiaoxia cursed with all sorts of swear words.

She hung up with a "click."

The next evening.

I was applying a face mask and about to sleep.

My neighbor sent me a voice message:

"Here we go again. The cigarette smell is drifting over again. My son even woke up choking!"

I wasn't on-site and didn't know how serious it was, so I asked her.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Figure it out yourself!!!!"

My neighbor used several exclamation marks—I knew she was getting angry.

But I was helpless.

After all, she's smoking in her own home, and the smoke drifts over. Air circulates, and with a breeze, it dissipates.

It was quite a dilemma.

Xiaoxia had been confrontational with me today, and I wanted to collect my rent in peace.

I didn't want to provoke her.

I thought for a moment and decided to wait.

"Alright, I'll talk to her."

After saying this, I tossed my phone aside and got up to remove my face mask.

Preparing for my nighttime skincare routine.

But within minutes.

My neighbor called me repeatedly.

"This is unbearable! Have you said anything yet? Now there's not just cigarette smoke, but also dance music, occasional screaming—how can anyone sleep!"

I could tell my neighbor was completely furious.

"You go knock on the door first. I'll call the tenant immediately."

"I went, but no one answered. It was fine when I went there, but as soon as I returned, they started wildly dancing and screaming again!"

"Wait, I'm calling the tenant right now."

After hanging up with my neighbor, I immediately sent Xiaoxia a WeChat message.

But the moment I sent it.

I received a red exclamation mark instead!

She had deleted me!

We had always communicated through WeChat.

We rarely called, and I hadn't saved her number.

I quickly took out the contract and found the phone number Xiaoxia had left on it.

"Hello, the number you have dialed is not in service..."

I froze on the spot.

What was she playing at!

Deleted me on WeChat, and the number was not in service!

Unable to contain my doubts and agitation.

I quickly put on my clothes.

Went to the underground garage, started my car, and sped toward my apartment.

Chapter 2

I knocked several times, but no one answered the door, though I could faintly hear voices inside.

"Open the door! Xiaoxia!"

When they heard me speak, the noise inside became even more brazen.

"Call the police." my neighbor said angrily, "I think your tenant is trying to start a revolution."

Because I had left in such a hurry, I hadn't brought the spare key.

I had no choice but to call the police.

Perhaps hearing the police siren downstairs.

The room immediately fell silent.

"Call a locksmith to open the door." The police said calmly after understanding the situation.

"Go ahead and open it. I'm the landlord—I have the right to use my property."

The police made a phone call, and a familiar locksmith arrived within minutes.

After making a few circles around the lock with his professional tools.

Just as he was about to take out another tool.

Xiaoxia opened the door with a "bang."

My neighbor couldn't help but peek into the room.

"Get out! What are you trying to do! Take one more step and I'll report you for illegal entry." Xiaoxia was very rude, using her body to block my neighbor's view.

"Try reporting me." I stepped forward, standing before Xiaoxia, "You blacklisted the landlord, left a virtual number on the contract—you'd better prepare your testimony when we go to court."

She started making things up.

"I wrote the wrong number. You're ridiculous. At worst, I'll call you now and you can save it. Making a big deal out of nothing—haven't you seen the world?"

Xiaoxia's arrogant speech was too much even for the police.

"Your landlord knocked on your door for a long time. Why didn't you open it?"

"Knocking wildly on my door in the middle of the night—isn't that scary! Who knows what you're plotting?"

"You know it's the middle of the night too—disturbing the peace, don't you? Mobilizing police resources for such a small matter—I think you'd like to come back to the station for some tea?"

The police put her in her place—I couldn't have enjoyed it more.

Xiaoxia's face turned red with frustration, and she was speechless for a moment.

"Alright, quickly call your landlord." The police looked at me, "You save her number too."

"As a tenant, you should reasonably follow the apartment regulations. Making noise in the middle of the night is your fault. Quickly apologize to your neighbor!"

Under police supervision.

Xiaoxia very reluctantly apologized to my neighbor.

After it was done, we saw the police off.

She gave me a glare and was about to close the door.

I quickly pressed my hand against it and said seriously:

"Don't bother paying your rent the day after tomorrow. Just move out."

After all the anger had risen to my head.

I no longer wanted her to continue living there.

She looked at me in disbelief, arms crossed, and asked:

"You old witch, what do you mean?"

"You can understand the contract well enough. Your education level isn't low—can't you understand these few words?"

I threw her own words back at her from earlier.

Her face twisted with anger, and after a few more curse words, she said:

"Kicking me out? You'll have to pay breach of contract fees!"

"No problem. I have plenty of money—as long as you leave."

She clearly hadn't expected me to agree so readily, which left her speechless.

"Let me tell you, old witch—the lease isn't up, and I'm not moving out!"

With that, she slammed the door shut.

Two days later, I came to collect the apartment.

As soon as I reached the door, I froze.

The spare key was completely useless because she had changed the lock to a digital one.

I quickly called Xiaoxia, and when she answered, she laughed mockingly:

"I changed the lock—to keep you out. Let's see how you get in! The lease isn't up. Why should I move out?"

It's true—you really do laugh when you're speechless.

"Get this straight—the house is mine, you have no right..."

Before I could finish, she hung up directly.

I gritted my teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

I've been renting for years, and this is the first time I've encountered such an infuriating tenant.

With no other choice, I called property management.

The maintenance technician from property management fiddled with it for a long time but couldn't open the lock.

We knocked and tried to persuade her nicely.

When that failed, I called the police again.

When the police arrived, Xiaoxia had no choice but to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, she almost accused me.

"She's unilaterally breaching the contract! You need to stand up for me!"

Xiaoxia started playing the victim.

After listening to the whole story.

The police shook their heads, looking helpless.

"I suggest you communicate better internally, meet each other halfway, alright."

"No discussion. The lease isn't up—I'm not moving out!"

"No discussion. I'm the landlord, and I'm not renting out the house anymore!"

Xiaoxia and I shouted simultaneously.

After speaking, she turned to glare at me and slammed the door into her room.

Leaving me, the police, and property management outside, all stunned.

"Your tenant is quite something!" the property manager said consolingly, patting my shoulder as he left.

That evening.

I was thinking of ways to get Xiaoxia to move out.

When her phone call came in.

"Chen Jie, I've changed my mind!"

Chapter 3

"I was wrong, Chen Jie. My attitude was bad before. Let me apologize. I hope you can continue renting the house to me. I've lived here for a year and have grown attached to it, treating it like home. I hope you can continue renting to me. I won't ask for a big rent reduction—just give me a symbolic discount, okay? Oh, right, the password—I'll tell you the password for the lock I changed. The password is..."

Heh.

A cold snort escaped my heart.

How quickly she changes her face.

Not to mention the fake apology, she still had the nerve to ask for a rent reduction.

To avoid future trouble, I had to make up a ridiculous excuse.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoxia, but I've already decided to sell the house."

Xiaoxia was stunned for a moment, silent.

She clearly hadn't expected me to use selling the house as an excuse to brush her off.

"No, Sister Chen, our contract hasn't expired. My older sister also rented a place in this complex, and I want to be close to them. Just rent it to me for two more years. You can sell it later then. Besides, the economy is so bad now—your house won't sell right away anyway." she said confidently.

I could only continue making things up.

I refuse to believe I can't get my house back!

"As it happens, I've already sold the house to a relative. You should pack up and prepare to move out tomorrow."

"But even if I'm moving out, you need to give me some time. I have a lot of things! How about this—give me a month, and I'll move out gradually."

That's impossible. Three days—I'm only giving you three days. No discussion." I issued my command.

My refusal probably made her even angrier.

She didn't speak for a long time.

But I didn't care—such a terrible tenant, if I let her stay longer, who knows what trouble she might cause me out of spite.

The air grew still for a moment.

I thought she hadn't heard me, so I repeated the moving instructions.

And顺便 added the compensation amount:

"According to the contract, I'll compensate you with three months' rent as breach penalty. After you move out, I'll deduct any overdue utility fees and refund any difference."

Still silence on the other end.

"Can you hear me?"

To my surprise, she directly started cursing.

"Hear your sister, hear!"

"Damn it, who was blind enough to buy this broken house from you! I'm telling you! For a landlord with no contract integrity like you, even if you sell the house, people will back out! This is your retribution."

This comment directly enraged me.

To be fair.

I really wasn't bad to her.

When she first moved in, she asked to replace old appliances and bedding. I didn't choose the cheap rental package—I spent several thousand replacing them for her.

She gave me homemade desserts—how much were those worth?

The gifts I gave her in return were all quite valuable.

Thinking of how difficult it must be for a young woman living alone.

But just because I wouldn't help with some online game event where people ask friends to click for discounts.

She directly severed all the previous good impressions.

Plus my neighbor's frequent complaints.

Comprehensive consideration led me to this solution—even paying breach penalties to terminate the contract.

I had originally planned to give her three days to move out.

Now it seemed she was constantly testing my patience.

I couldn't even wait one more day and issued my final ultimatum.

"Fine, since I'm a landlord with no contract integrity, I'll be completely without integrity. Your three-day grace period is gone too! Tomorrow at noon, vacate on time. I'll come to collect the apartment. Don't try any tricks with me!"

As soon as I finished speaking.

Naturally, I was cursed at.

Then immediately hung up on.

What answered me was an angry "嘟...嘟..."

The next day.

I asked my agent friend to accompany me to collect the apartment.

But unexpectedly.

Xiaoxia completely ignored what I said yesterday.

Let alone collecting the apartment.

She still wouldn't even open the door.

I tried the password she casually mentioned yesterday.

"Password incorrect, please re-enter."

Good heavens—even the password was wrong. Luckily I hadn't softened my heart and continued renting to this pathological liar.

Just as I was thinking about calling the police again.

Xiaoxia's triumphant voice came from inside the room.

"Don't think about calling the police again. I'm telling you, I'm not afraid even if the police come! Not moving means not moving."

My anger level gradually rose.

I can't even return to my own home?

Are tenants the masters now?

"Xiao Fang, do you know any technicians who can open smart locks? Please ask him to come help open the door." I said to my agent friend while searching on my phone for nearby locksmiths.

"Sister Chen, don't open the lock yet. Look quickly, what is this?"

As soon as he spoke.

Xiao Fang handed me his phone.

I opened my eyes wide and looked closely, and my pupils immediately dilated in shock.

Chapter 4

One shocking phrase after another appeared before my eyes.

"Warning about Chen, owner of unit 18, Building A, Central Garden—unilaterally breaching contract, no integrity, trying to kick me out."

Xiaoxia was actually posting a warning about me online.

She struck first!

And the post had just gone up, showing some important contract clauses.

Netizens started jumping on the bandwagon, condemning me word for word.

"Such a shameless landlord—support the original poster! Support using magic to defeat magic—you need to be even more shameless than her!"

"Just keep squatting in her house—let's see who has more ability!"

"What floor is the apartment on? Private message me—I'll definitely avoid this landlord!"

"Same complex, same Building A, all the owners on the 18th floor are old ladies—so noisy!"

Damn.

This had escalated to personal attacks on my appearance.

Absolutely cannot tolerate this.

I directly pressed the power button and returned the phone to Xiao Fang.

"Sister Chen, what should we do now?"

"Forget calling the police. I'm going directly to the station."

Unable to hide the anger on my face, as soon as I entered the station, I encountered the same police officer who had handled multiple calls to my home.

I went straight to the point.

I reported the entire situation to the police in detail.

"Is there any good way to get my apartment back?" At the end, I asked urgently.

"Your tenant is indeed difficult. For refusal to vacate cases, issue a formal demand letter and eviction notice directly."

With police assistance.

Things began to proceed more smoothly.

In the following time.

I was busy running around, and after getting the necessary documents.

I immediately brought my lawyer and rushed to my doorstep.

Before arriving.

I had already contacted a locksmith.

After some fierce操作, the door was pried open.

I saw Xiaoxia standing with hands on hips, blocking the doorway.

Her face was fierce—expressions of viciousness and malice completely unsuitable for someone her age.

"I'm going to report you for illegal entry, you bunch of..."

I didn't give Xiaoxia the chance to continue speaking.

I directly unfolded the demand letter and held it before her.

"Rao Xia, please move out of my home! Immediately. Right now." I shook the demand letter, emphasizing my tone.

Xiaoxia's eyes widened as she leaned in for a closer look.

After quickly reading the contents.

I saw her brow furrow into a knot.

In a moment of carelessness, she suddenly reached out to tear the demand letter and eviction notice from my hand.

Fortunately, I was prepared.

I dodged to the side, and the demand letter remained intact.

"You old woman, playing dirty tricks with me! Fine, you win! I'll move out! Transfer the breach money to me immediately through WeChat. Also, for the smart lock I changed, 500 each—transfer that over too."

"The smart lock—you changed it without my permission, you bear the cost yourself."

"Stingy! You won't pay, right? I have plenty of ways to make you pay!"

As soon as she finished speaking.

She slammed the door shut again.

Xiao Fang sent me a screenshot.

It was Xiaoxia's post warning about me.

That account had posted a new update.

The content was about how I refused to reimburse her for the smart lock I kindly let her change.

This speed was really something.

Fortunately, my agent friend Xiao Fang, who knew the whole story, defended me in the comments section, posting some before-and-after screenshots and evidence of the eviction notice.

Netizens all called her "exposing herself."

The public outcry was too much—she couldn't withstand the online attacks.

Not long after, Xiaoxia deleted that post.

At this point.

She didn't mention the 500 yuan reimbursement for changing the lock again.

With the eviction notice in hand, Xiaoxia didn't dare to defy it.

Soon, her small figure pushed out two 28-inch suitcases.

When she passed me, she stopped.

Took out her phone and "poked" me on WeChat.

"Hurry up and refund my breach money. You're delaying me from finding a new place—I want an extra month added to my breach penalty!"

"I told you, I need to check the utilities first before I can refund you."

"Stop trying to fool me. For someone with no integrity like you, there's a probability you won't even refund the breach money!"

I snorted coldly.

Took out my phone and started recording.

"Don't believe me? Fine. I'll record a video for you. If I don't pay, you can post it or report me anytime."

After receiving the video recording I sent over, she had evidence.

She had nothing more to say.

Then, pushing her luggage, she walked out of my sight.

After Xiaoxia had completely left.

I saw my lawyer off.

Put on gloves, and began to collect the apartment.

But the moment I opened the door.

Looking at everything before me.

I almost vomited.

Chapter 5

Approaching the house.

In the entryway, clumped cat litter was scattered all over the floor.

A breeze blew, bringing the disgusting smell of urine straight to my nose.

My brain started to feel a bit fuzzy, with a wave of dizziness.

Walking further into the living room.

One leg of the sofa had collapsed, with obvious dents in the edges—the foam padding seemed completely destroyed. Dirty socks were flying everywhere.

Even black stockings wrapped with dried white fluid.

My expression completely darkened.

I unconsciously gritted my teeth.

In the bedroom, the mattress had a urine-soaked stench, and the white floor was covered with a thick layer of—I immediately lost my composure.

At this moment, the property management's utility information also came through.

For the last quarter.

Three months, utilities cost 5,000 yuan.

My pupils completely dilated in shock.

Even with lights on morning and night.

My house doesn't have floor heating, and it wasn't the season for fans or heaters.

Normal usage—how did she manage to average over 1,800 yuan per month?

I thought perhaps my home's electricity meter was malfunctioning.

After having property management check it out, they informed me the meter was normal.

I took out my phone and forwarded the property management's billing screenshot to Xiaoxia.

At this moment.

I suddenly remembered I had spent nearly 6,000 yuan on a height-adjustable desk and chair set. Because my desk at home was perfectly adequate and I had no extra space to place another, while the study happened to need a desk, I left it in this house for the tenant to use.

Thinking of this.

I turned and rushed into the study.

I was stunned by what I saw.

The original desk space was long empty.

And the books on my bookshelf were scattered everywhere—some missing pages, others crumpled and creased.

Even more infuriating.

My matching ergonomic chair was also falling apart.

Damn.

Even if a cow rolled on it, it wouldn't be this bad—how much force did she use!

I completely lost it.

She didn't reply to my forwarded utility information.

I directly called her.

"Where is my desk?" I didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"I moved it out. This is part of the price of your breach. Moving out one of your desks isn't excessive, is it?"

"Have you no shame? You wrecked my house like this—I'm not even charging you for cleaning fees, and now you're secretly moving my height-adjustable desk. If you liked it, you could have told me—I could have sold it to you at a discount. What is this? Do you understand this is theft?"

My words became more intense, but Xiaoxia didn't seem intimidated.

"So what? Your breach cancels everything out!"

This sentence directly filled me with rage again.

I originally thought there was no need to argue with her, but Xiaoxia kept challenging my bottom line.

"So what if I breached the contract? This is my house—I don't want you living here, so what?"

She had no shame—I had to be even more shameless.

Unexpectedly, it actually worked.

This sentence directly left Xiaoxia speechless.

"I'm telling you, getting complaints from neighbors every few days, the contract amount is clear in black and white—throwing a tantrum when I won't lower the rent. For a tenant with no public morality like you, unwilling to vacate and trying to occupy the house, landlords should stay far away from you."

"Also, did you see the property management's utility bill I sent? For the last quarter, you exceeded electricity usage and owe 5,000 yuan. The breach penalty should be 4,500 yuan according to the contract, plus your 1,500 yuan deposit, you should have 6,000 yuan total. But you unauthorizedly moved my several-thousand-yuan height-adjustable desk and damaged my chair. I'll count that as 3,000 yuan at half price, plus utilities, totaling 8,000 yuan. You still owe me 2,000 yuan."

Xiaoxia actually snorted coldly.

"Heh, you've really got some nerve calculating like that. Owe you 2,000 yuan? I'll owe your sister that! Dream on!"

"What trick are you trying to pull now?"

My heart tightened, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Just wait and you'll see, won't you?"

The next day, I finally understood what she meant by "wait and see."

I was about to continue "debt collecting" from Xiaoxia.

A call from an unknown number came in first.

"Is this Ms. Chen? Someone reported you for tax evasion."

Chapter 6

"Please log into the tax system to pay the penalties..."

Before the other person could finish speaking.

I habitually thought it was a scam and hung up directly.

Until the phone rang again.

I froze.

After some information verification.

The staff member said that because I operated a rental property without issuing invoices to tenants, I needed to pay the penalties as soon as possible.

My knuckles turned white from anger gripping the phone.

I didn't need to guess who reported me.

When we signed the contract, I asked if she needed an invoice.

Xiaoxia waved her hand dismissively: No need.

Because communication was smooth and she was very polite, I didn't think much of it.

Who knew she had been holding this card.

I blame myself for not being as cunning as the post-2000s generation.

Now.

I could only swallow this bitter pill—wronged but unable to speak out.

I opened my computer and logged into the tax system.

"Damn it."

Seeing the tax amount due, I couldn't help but explode.

I had to pay nearly 3,000 yuan in taxes.

Plus Xiaoxia taking my height-adjustable desk and chair set.

Good heavens.

Rounding off, I worked for nothing for a year.

After reluctantly paying the taxes.

I called Xiaoxia again.

Who knew, after just two rings.

She hung up.

I called again, she hung up again.

She wouldn't answer calls, and WeChat was no better.

Sure enough, I was deleted as a friend on WeChat again.

I sent a text message:

"If you don't want me to sue you, you'd better appear voluntarily."

Not long after, a reply text came quickly.

It was a triumphant emoji.

"That was you reporting me to the tax bureau, right? You were the one who refused my invoice request!"

Xiaoxia didn't answer my question directly, but laughed to herself instead.

"Now you know what it feels like to be 'debt collected,' right? This is exactly the effect I wanted—to see you in this miserable state! It's hilarious."

Now that things had come to this.

There was no way to part amicably with her.

"Fine, don't admit it. So you have no intention of paying me for the desk and chair, is that it?"

"Be more confident—drop the 'no intention.' I never intended to pay."

"You..." My anger surged—I was almost losing my grip on rationality.

But seeing me so furious I couldn't speak, Xiaoxia seemed to have achieved her goal.

"Hahaha, your face must be all wrinkled with anger now. Perfect—this is all your retribution!"

She wasn't wrong.

My anger level was indeed at maximum.

These days.

Being a landlord is really difficult—for a bit of rent, you have to humble yourself.

Even so, I couldn't let Xiaoxia's arrogance grow.

"Fine, just wait for the court summons. I'll make you spit out this money. If you don't want to pay, then return my desk and chair set. We'll see about this."

After sending the message.

I immediately arranged two things.

First, I scheduled my regular cleaning lady to do a whole-house cleaning.

Second, I called my lawyer friend and told her the whole story about Xiaoxia.

"Do you have all the evidence?" my friend asked urgently.

I sent over screenshots of text messages and some recent ineffective WeChat communications.

My friend tsk-tsked and shook her head:

"The evidence isn't quite enough. We're still missing some more direct and effective evidence. See if you can collect any?"

"You can try to provoke her into saying something incriminating, then record it."

Following my friend's advice.

I tried to initiate some topics to draw Xiaoxia out.

But Xiaoxia started playing disappearing act again—not a single text reply.

I worried about it for a day with no progress.

Just as I was puzzling over how to get Xiaoxia to incriminate herself.

My cleaning lady Gu Jie called me with her "death call" series.

"Xiao Chen, um, that..."

I asked her what happened.

Cleaning lady Gu Jie stammered, finding it hard to speak.

"The things under the bed, you should come see for yourself." At the end, she said in a low voice.

Chapter 7

After hanging up, I hurried to my apartment.

As soon as I entered.

Gu Jie led me to the bedroom, pointing to the dirty things she had sorted out.

I looked closely.

Before my eyes were all types and brands of children's "burp cloths," lingerie, sex toys, and even more disgustingly, even the bread for human consumption was banana-shaped.

Gu Jie and I put on a glove, and after putting it on, I squatted down and picked up a playing card.

"Truth or dare: lick the other person's toes."

"Truth or dare: ride on the other person,牵着 them with stockings to crawl around the room."

"Truth or dare: stick your butt up for the other person to spank for 10 seconds."

"Truth or dare: perform 'Guanyin sitting on lotus' for one minute."

And scattered around the playing cards were various brands of condoms—Sagami 001, Elephant lubricated...

The quantity was so large that you'd think she was running a small store specializing in adult products.

I picked up the banana-shaped bread.

So disgusted I almost vomited.

"Xiao Chen, look over here."

Following Gu Jie's finger, I got up and opened the closet.

The closet was overflowing with cigarette cartons, and the moment the door opened, they all poured out.

"Your tenant is up to something—I don't think she's simple. You'd better investigate this thoroughly." Although Gu Jie was just a cleaner, from her years of experience, I read another meaning in her words.

Perhaps.

She really was engaged in some unscrupulous activities in my house.

But this was just my suspicion.

I notified Gu Jie to thoroughly disinfect the house inside and out.

If she was really doing that kind of thing in my house.

I can't imagine how dirty it must be.

After making arrangements.

I was about to send another text message to Xiaoxia.

But I unexpectedly received a rare proactive text from Xiaoxia first.

Previously.

I had already had my friend file the lawsuit.

By now, Xiaoxia should have received the court summons.

I guess she was starting to get nervous.

"Chen, what do you mean by this? Tell me! So scheming—I really didn't see it before!"

I replied with a cold laugh:

"I have you to thank for this. If it weren't for that 2,000 yuan, I never would have discovered my talent for being scheming!"

"Crazy! All you think about is money, money, money—have you fallen into a money pit? Don't you know how hard it is to find work now..."

"Hey, stop there. Not going out to find work doesn't mean you can't work from home."

I tried to fish for information, and also wanted to verify what I saw in the room today.

Who knew, Xiaoxia didn't even think and replied instantly.

"Those things aren't mine."

I paused, then smiled.

"Did I mention what things? Why are you so quick to shift blame?"

"Damn it, you're fishing me!" This retort directly angered Xiaoxia.

"I am fishing you! If you know what's good for you, quickly pay me the 2,000 yuan you owe me! Or obediently cough up my height-adjustable desk."

Suddenly, there was silence on the other end.

The sudden silence made me think things might turn around.

The text message didn't come for a long time.

After a while, Xiaoxia called from an unknown number:

"Chen, I'm telling you, don't even think about getting a penny from me! Sue me in court, right? I have plenty of time to waste. Even if they enforce it, I have no money and nothing valuable. You just fished me, right? You're the one who provoked me. I'll make you pay! Fishing me—let you fish me, wait 10 minutes and see what happens."

Xiaoxia spoke with undisguised anger and curses.

10 minutes later.

Chaos erupted outside my door.

Through surveillance.

I saw a group of unfamiliar young people "causing trouble" outside my door.

Just as I was about to open the door, my friend's call stopped me.

"Is your home being surrounded? Don't open the door! Don't go out! That post denouncing you on the social media platform is trending again. It says you're not paying the breach money anymore, and the tenant even has to pay extra! Your door number and photos of your door are posted clearly online, along with chat records between you and your tenant—the records are obviously photoshopped. Now netizens only think you're a landlord with no contract integrity, and they're all on her side."

I tried my best to calm my emotions.

After I calmed down, I said:

"Don't argue with fools. When the time comes, the truth will reveal itself. Let's see how long she can hide."

"Don't worry, as long as you can wait, once she appears, it won't just be about money. Fabricating negative facts and exposing her personal privacy will be enough for her to drink two cups of tea."

But even so.

No matter what method I used, I couldn't draw her out.

Waiting for the first court hearing would take quite a long time.

With no other choice, I had to use some clumsy methods, continuing to search for her.

This way, the timeline was stretched quite long.

Just when I was at my wit's end.

I came across a complaint post.

Chapter 8

"Strong cigarette smell drifting from the neighbor's place at night—any good ways to persuade them to move out?"

This familiar format caught my attention.

I clicked on her profile to look.

It was a newly created small account.

All her posts were complaint and help-seeking posts.

Almost every post repeated the same content: pungent cigarette smell, doorbell rings at fixed times.

Oh, and there was one more thing.

Every day, she found spoiled, rotten garbage at her door. Through the transparent trash bags, it was all tissues.

I immediately opened the private message dialog with her.

"Is your neighbor male or female?"

"A very strange girl, almost never see her go out. Three meals a day are all takeout. It seems like people are always looking for her."

"Do you have photos?"

"Who thinks to take photos!"

"Where do you live?" I eagerly asked the key question.

"Who are you?"

Seeing her hesitation, I proactively told her about the same situation that happened to me.

And, I strongly suspected her neighbor.

Was my former tenant Xiaoxia.

"Damn it, I live in Building B of Central Garden!"

Getting this answer.

I was amazed by such a coincidence.

Xiaoxia was actually hiding in our residential complex!

"I'll go knock on the door tomorrow and take photos directly." she offered proactively.

"Good, waiting for your photos."

We added each other on WeChat.

After some communication, she told me she knew about my existence.

She had also seen that post about "warning about the landlord with no contract integrity."

Initially, she had sided with the tenant, but after my explanation and sending her screenshots, she was determined to help me dig out this "rotten apple."

We spent a restless night.

It wasn't until the next evening that I received the photos from her WeChat.

"Take a look, is this your weird tenant?"

I opened the photos, and the original image loaded.

It was her!

It really was her.

Now that I had found Xiaoxia's hiding place.

I wasn't in a hurry to startle her.

I told my lawyer friend my suspicion that Xiaoxia was involved in prostitution in my house, in complete detail.

My friend's righteous and fiery temper was even less patient than mine.

She directly took me to the police station.

Coincidentally.

The police station had recently set up a net in our residential complex, investigating a batch of hidden "brothels."

My effective evidence.

Accelerated their case progress.

Within two days.

The police went directly to Xiaoxia's home to investigate.

I followed behind the police.

When Xiaoxia's door opened, a disheveled man opened the door.

Seeing the police.

His face turned pale, and he directly knelt with hands on head.

When Xiaoxia came out, she tried to turn and hide in the bedroom.

But it was too late.

She was immediately stopped by rushing police officers.

When the police led Xiaoxia out in handcuffs.

Xiaoxia saw me, and her eyes immediately filled with anger.

She wanted to say something but stopped.

Finally, she snorted coldly.

Walked past me.

I didn't forget to pursue my debt: "Still saying work is hard to find. Don't forget my meager 2,000 yuan—send it to me."

Xiaoxia suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Turned around, and gave me the middle finger.

I learned from my friend that.

The team providing sexual services led by "Xiaoxia" had a den in our Central Garden complex.

They almost occupied the entire building.

After Xiaoxia confessed, the police directly raided the entire operation based on the room numbers she provided.

Plus the series of incidents connected to the money she owed me that my friend had submitted.

Xiaoxia's charges multiplied by several more.

Just as my friend had said.

Enough to "drink two cups of tea."

In court, her attitude was still arrogant, full of lies, and she refused to pay me the 2,000 yuan she owed.

Finally, it went straight to enforcement.

I received the compensation that was originally mine.

Afterward.

I hired a renovation team to completely renovate the house with deep remodeling—demolishing what needed demolishing, building what needed building, painting what needed painting.

After completion and handover, I arranged for Gu Jie to come for a week, doing deep disinfection and cleaning of the house daily.

When everything was ready.

The blogger from Building B who had posted also corrected the widely publicized breach of contract incident for me.

A wave of people became interested in my house because of its soft furnishings.

They纷纷 scheduled viewings and booked the apartment.

Life began to return to order.

So I say, existence is rational.

Don't ignore the law and destroy your future for your own selfish interests.