Lan Jin pressed her lips together, thinking for a moment before agreeing. "Alright. I'll pack everything up."
She hung up the phone, pulled on a pair of gloves, and carefully collected all the "trash" into a resealable plastic bag. Once both security doors were shut tight, only then did Huang Jinghe breathe a sigh of relief.
"Okay, Sister Lan. Please be careful."
"I'm alright," Lan Jin replied. "I've got a dog at home, and Nana's really alert. But what about you?" Her tone held a thread of concern. After all, if her door couldn't be forced open, then the next likely target would be Huang Jinghe.
Huang Jinghe swallowed hard and put on a brave front. "Don't worry, Sister Lan. I'm not scared. It's already late into the night. I'll just stay awake and brace the door. Even if that guy has his eyes on my place, he won't be able to get in so easily."
Lan Jin said, "Alright. Then boil a kettle of water and leave it by the door, just in case. You've got two security doors too, right? If he really won't leave, throw the hot water at his face. It won't kill him, but it'll make him wish it had."
It was a harsh method, sure, but an effective one.
"Got it, Sister Lan. I know. No matter what, staying alive comes first. If it really comes down to it, I won't hesitate."
It wasn't just Huang Jinghe who couldn't sleep that night. Lan Jin had also been startled awake and lay in bed, wide-eyed. And they weren't the only ones. The building's chat group was unusually lively. Everyone was stuck at home, after all, and no one was moving around. There wasn't much else to do but scroll through messages.
But as Lan Jin read through the chat, someone started complaining about dogs barking in the middle of the night.
Only two households in the building even had dogs, and one of them had already denied it. It didn't take much guessing to figure out whose dog it was.
So Lan Jin replied directly: "Someone tried to pick my lock just now. My dog heard it, that's why he barked. Everyone, please be careful at night."
The group chat instantly exploded.
"Did you report it to the police?"
Lan Jin replied, "Actually, someone was tailing me yesterday after I picked up supplies. I already reported that. But after tonight, I'll definitely follow up again. I'll wait until morning."
The conversation quickly veered off topic, as people started swapping horror stories about how chaotic other buildings had become. Honestly, maybe it was because someone had died in their building already that residents here were far more cautious. In comparison, they were practically model citizens.
Lan Jin didn't say much more after that, but the man who had tried to pick her lock was reading the chat too. Seeing the message, he gritted his teeth and muttered in frustration.
"That filthy woman. Reporting me to the cops? Just wait. Once the heat dies down, I'll make sure she pays."
The Next Morning
Lan Jin contacted the community office first thing to report everything that happened last night. It didn't take long before the police arrived at her door again. They hadn't expected the guy to act so boldly and so soon.
And the "trash" in Lan Jin's hands? It was obviously a lockpicking kit.
"I didn't know what it was either," Lan Jin told them. "Xiao Huang from upstairs heard my dog barking and called me. I opened the door and saw some stuff on the ground. He told me to use gloves and collect it into a bag, said there might be fingerprints on it. With both the items and a witness, he said not to damage anything. So I packed it up carefully."
The officers exchanged a glance. Hearing Lan Jin call the tools "trash" over and over was almost comical. They doubted even Huang Jinghe realized just how accurate Lan Jin had been when she described them.
"Alright. Since he didn't succeed last night, he might come back," one officer said. "It's probably quiet during the day, but tonight I'll bring a few men and we'll wait upstairs in Xiao Huang's place. If your dog hears anything again, don't make a sound. Just call us right away. We'll come down immediately."
They chose Huang Jinghe's apartment because Lan Jin lived alone, and they didn't want to put her at risk unless absolutely necessary. Besides, Huang Jinghe was likely one of the intruder's targets. The two apartments were close together, and stationing officers at his place made it easier to rush downstairs if needed.
"That works," Lan Jin nodded. "But there's no guarantee the guy will come back tonight."
"That's fine. We can wait him out a few more days."
That night, the man didn't show. He was holding back, playing it cautious.
But it only lasted one night.
The following evening, unable to contain himself any longer, he showed up again. No one knew where he got a new set of tools, but as soon as darkness fell, he crept up to Lan Jin's door and began tinkering with the lock.
Nana had already been instructed to sleep by the door and stay alert every night. The moment he heard something outside, he darted back into Lan Jin's bedroom and tugged at her sleeve.
She stirred awake, bleary-eyed, and looked at the little dog bristling with tension.
"Someone outside?" she whispered.
Nana nodded.
He remembered Lan Jin's instructions: if he heard someone at the door, he must not bark, just come tell her quietly. So now he kept nodding over and over, as if afraid she might miss the signal.
Luckily, Lan Jin always left a nightlight on, so she could see Nana clearly even in the dim room. She gently stroked his head, afraid he might strain his neck from nodding too hard, and with her other hand, quickly called Huang Jinghe upstairs.
Huang Jinghe had been staying up late every night alongside the officers. He hadn't dared close his eyes even once. As soon as he saw her call, he picked up immediately.
"Hello? Sister Lan, is someone out there?"
"Yes. Nana woke me up. I asked him, and he nodded."
The moment he confirmed her words, Huang Jinghe signaled the two officers with him. They moved in sync, opening the door and heading downstairs fast and quiet.
The man outside Lan Jin's door didn't even have a chance to run. He was caught red-handed.
Pushed to the ground, he stared up in shock and stammered, "Who... who are you?"
"Police," one officer said curtly. "We've been watching you for two days. Come with us."
The man's face drained of color. He had assumed the police would ignore something like this. He never expected them to be lying in wait for him in the dead of night.
"I didn't mean anything by it. I just..." The man tried to explain, but before he could finish, Lan Jin had already opened her door.
She stepped out and cut him off.
"You just what? Came to visit me in the middle of the night? Do I even know you? Even if you wanted to see me, you wouldn't be able to from out there."
The man saw Lan Jin and felt a surge of rage. He shot back defiantly, "It was you! You told me to come up! You were flirting with me! We've been hooking up this whole time! Don't act like you don't know me. You invited me. Now you're turning on me and getting me arrested?"
Even the officers were stunned by how fast he flipped the story.
Lan Jin's face hardened.
"Are you crazy? Who's been hooking up with you? Me? With you?" She sneered. "Do you think I'm blind? Don't make things up."