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Chapter 16: Discovered! Li Huanhuan on the Surveillance…

Qin Shi had become particularly sensitive to phrases like “neighbor on the same floor.”

Especially since his cousin, Dongfang Jiao, had specifically mentioned that the resident of unit 149 was a woman.

His eyes landed on the middle-aged woman in front of him, and a surprised expression gradually appeared on his face. Could she be the resident of unit 149?

Although they had never met, he had always assumed the person was younger.

Looks like his cousin had been too conservative with her description.

But soon, the middle-aged neighbor dispelled Qin Shi’s suspicion:

“I live in unit 148.”

148, not 149?

For some reason, Qin Shi let out a silent sigh of relief. Perhaps it was because the thought that the person he’d been discussing food with via notes for the past week might be someone around his mom’s age made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Young man, may I borrow your surveillance footage?” the middle-aged woman asked anxiously.

The property manager beside her also chimed in.

Qin Shi had installed an electronic lock mainly for convenience—to free his hands and avoid carrying keys. The camera on it was a branded one chosen by the renovation company to charge extra. Since installing it, Qin Shi had never actually checked the footage.

And because of that, he had no idea who his neighbor in 149 was. Male or female (even though Dongfang Jiao said female, it could still be a man in disguise)? Old or young? Tall or short? Fat or thin?

He had only gone off instinct and his cousin’s vague clues, assuming it was a relatively young woman.

Qin Shi valued privacy and had never checked the camera footage. But now, with the neighbor’s home burglarized and the elevator surveillance conveniently broken, the neighbor and property manager had come to him…

“Would it be okay?”

The middle-aged woman asked again.

Qin Shi’s appearance was very deceptive—tall, broad-shouldered, slim-waisted, with long legs. Standing in front of someone, he gave off a very intimidating aura. Especially now with a mask on, only his deep, cold eyes were visible, giving the impression of a distant and difficult person.

Zhou Jianyu once said that Qin Shi’s impressive and intense appearance made him seem cold, but in reality, he had a soft and easily swayed heart—a classic “cold on the outside, warm on the inside” type.

The opposite example would be Fox Zhang Canyang from CoolPlay.

Zhang Canyang had golden hair, a sunny smile, and an angelic face. Always smiling, he seemed gentle and easygoing. But in reality, he wore a “mask” of an angel while being emotionally cold, moody—a textbook “warm outside, cold inside.”

Time had proven Zhou Jianyu right.

Despite looking unfriendly, Qin Shi had many friends.

Zhang Canyang looked like an angel but, as far as Zhou Jianyu knew, had none.

But back to the moment—

Although Qin Shi didn’t like interacting with neighbors and increasing his exposure, the request was made in front of him. Though reluctant, he agreed.

It was already getting dark.

Qin Shi stepped out of the elevator with his dog, Shaokao (BBQ), followed by the property manager and the middle-aged woman from 148.

“Please wait outside,” Qin Shi said at the door, glancing sideways at the anxious neighbor.

Like Shaokao, Qin Shi was highly territorial and disliked letting outsiders into his space.

Ding dong.

The electronic lock clicked open.

As Qin Shi entered, he noticed the dog hadn’t moved. “Let’s go, Shaokao.”

He was already used to this.

Turning back, sure enough, that silly dog was squatting in front of unit 149, tail wagging at the door.

“Shaokao,” Qin Shi said warningly, tugging harder.

Reluctantly, the dog returned home.

Before long, Qin Shi returned to the hallway with a tablet.

“It’s him!” the 148 neighbor gritted her teeth after viewing the footage.

The video showed a medium-built middle-aged man.

Qin Shi, masked and hands in pockets, remained silent.

The property manager’s eyes sparkled with curiosity—clearly intrigued by the neighbor’s reaction—but had to suppress it due to professional boundaries.

“Thanks, young man,” the neighbor said, returning the tablet without asking for a copy or mentioning the police.

Clearly, she recognized the man in the footage and intended to settle the matter her own way.

“It’s nothing,” Qin Shi replied calmly, taking back the tablet.

The property manager also thanked him, but Qin Shi’s demeanor remained distant, making further conversation impossible.

The 148 neighbor thanked him again and stormed into the elevator, clearly heading to confront the man.

The manager quickly followed—whether out of awkwardness from Qin Shi’s silence or eagerness to witness the drama was unclear.

Ding—

The elevator doors closed.

Qin Shi was alone in the hallway.

The surveillance video on the tablet had been paused. When he accidentally hit the fast-forward button, the footage skipped ahead rapidly.

Qin Shi frowned and was about to close it—then froze, as if seeing something unbelievable.

Two seconds later, he quickly scrubbed back through the footage.

Recently, only Qin Shi and his opposite neighbor in 149 had been regularly on this floor. Units 148 and 147 were usually empty, with the owners living elsewhere most of the time.

The footage showed that at 6:37 a.m., before dawn, Qin Shi had taken Shaokao for a walk. Before entering the elevator, the dog barked softly at 149, and Qin Shi tugged it inside.

At 7:20 a.m., 43 minutes later, a middle-aged man appeared from the elevator and walked toward unit 148, disappearing from view.

At 7:40 a.m., the man reappeared with a backpack—likely containing the stolen goods—and left via the elevator.

That was when the video had originally been paused.

But due to the accidental fast-forward, it skipped to 7:50 a.m., ten minutes after the man left.

The footage resumed at normal speed.

Suddenly, Qin Shi saw the door of 149 open from the inside. A foot stepped out. The person at the door turned as if speaking to someone inside, showing the back of their head to the camera.

“Don’t follow me. I’m just going downstairs to grab something.”

Qin Shi turned up the volume.

A familiar voice with a hint of a smile echoed in his ears. His grip on the tablet tightened.

Then a “meow” was heard.

Shaokao, lying in the living room, perked up his ears.

“Meow meow~”

“Don’t squeeze. Why do you always try to ‘escape’?”

The woman gently pushed the clingy cat back inside. The familiar voice now carried a relaxed, indulgent tone, making it sound unfamiliar in a strange, pleasant way.

Once she had shut the door, the woman finally turned around.

In the high-definition footage, Qin Shi clearly saw her face.

Li. Huan. Huan!

The person in the surveillance was actually Li Huanhuan?!

Qin Shi froze completely.

His pupils contracted as he stared in disbelief.

The neighbor in 149 was Li Huanhuan? The mysterious foodie he’d been corresponding with was Li Huanhuan? Just last night, he’d dreamed of her choosing Fox over him.

He thought he was still dreaming.

He shut his eyes tightly, then opened them—Li Huanhuan’s face was still there.

Her features weren’t extraordinary, but somehow, they came together to form a face that was comfortable and inexplicably likable.

Qin Shi gripped the tablet harder.

In the footage, Li Huanhuan, holding her keys, walked to the elevator, pressed the down button, and while waiting, turned to glance at unit 150.

At 8:07 a.m., the elevator doors opened again.

Li Huanhuan appeared, this time carrying a large box. It looked heavy; she was breathing hard. With the volume turned up, every breath was clear in Qin Shi’s ears.

He stiffened, gripping the tablet tighter, his expression slightly uncomfortable.

She re-entered unit 149 with the box.

At 8:11 a.m., the elevator doors opened again. The footage now showed Qin Shi himself, returning from his morning jog with Shaokao.

Qin Shi rewound to 8:07 a.m., the moment Li Huanhuan stepped out with the box.

Looking at her box and her jacket, he suddenly recalled the familiar back view he’d seen earlier that morning downstairs.

So the back view that reminded him of her—it really was her?

If he’d come back just a few minutes earlier, he might’ve seen her in the elevator.

“Li Huanhuan.” Qin Shi replayed the moment again.

Then looked up at the tightly shut door of unit 149.

So the neighbor he moved in next to, trying to escape paparazzi and stalkers… was Li Huanhuan.

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