“If you don’t want to meet Dong Hui directly, I can have her return the key to the landlord instead,” Chen Xiao said over the phone. 

Lu Nan checked the time. “No need, I’ll head back now.” 

Chen Xiao was slightly surprised. “Right now?” If she went back now, Dong Hui was probably still packing. Running into each other like that—wouldn’t it be a bit awkward? 

But Lu Nan had clearly made up her mind and wasn’t going to change it just because of someone else’s concerns. “I think someone from our dorm should be present when she moves out, just to avoid any disputes later.” 

She had a point, so Chen Xiao agreed. “Alright, wait for me. I’ll go with you.” 

Lu Nan insisted she could handle it herself, but it was clear that when it came to being stubborn, Chen Xiao was no less persistent than she was. 

In the end, Lu Nan gave up arguing. “Do whatever you want.” 

By the time Lu Nan finished checking out at the front desk, Chen Xiao was already sitting in the hotel lobby, waiting. It was obvious he had arrived while they were still on the phone. 

Sensing Lu Nan’s impatience, Chen Xiao didn’t say much on the way to Xingguang Yipin. 

When they got to the apartment and stood at the door, Lu Nan glanced at Chen Xiao. 

His eyes signaled her: Open the door. 

Fine, she’d open it. 

Lu Nan unlocked the door and immediately saw two suitcases and a few bags stacked in the living room. It seemed like Dong Hui had packed up quickly. Well, she’d only lived here for less than three months—she probably hadn’t even bought any fall or winter clothes yet. 

Hearing the door open, Dong Hui came out of her room. When she saw Lu Nan, she shot her a vicious glare. “Talking behind my back—aren’t you afraid of getting blisters on your tongue and ending up in the Hell of Tongue Extraction?” 

A pathetic loser still barking away—how annoying. 

Lu Nan didn’t bother arguing. She just gave Dong Hui a cold glance and said, “Make sure to leave the key on the dining table when you go. I don’t think I need to see you off.” Then she turned and went upstairs. 

Lu Nan’s indifference only made Dong Hui angrier. She clicked her tongue in disdain and rolled her eyes as Lu Nan walked up the stairs. 

Then she looked up and noticed Chen Xiao standing at the corner of the entryway. Realizing he had heard every word she had just said, Dong Hui’s hatred for Lu Nan grew even deeper. That idiot definitely did this on purpose so Brother Xiao could hear me. She’s just relying on him to back her up. 

In her mind, Chen Xiao and Lu Nan were now on the same side. Still, her last bit of rationality made her force an awkward smile at Chen Xiao before placing her last bag of bedding on top of her suitcase. She took out her phone and called her boyfriend. 

“I’ve almost finished packing. I’m getting ready to take everything to the elevator. Has the car you called arrived? Alright, I’ll head down now.” 

As she spoke, she went to the bathroom to grab a few remaining toiletries, then lowered her voice. “No need to come up. She’s back… and Brother Xiao is here too… Just wait downstairs.” 

Chen Xiao had sharp hearing. He wondered whether Dong Hui was keeping Zhou Lei from coming up to overcompensate for her mistake last night or simply because she didn’t want him to face them out of embarrassment. 

Judging by how she acted when Lu Nan opened the door, Chen Xiao was pretty sure it was the latter. 

Because of this, when Chen Xiao saw Dong Hui, a girl, frantically moving things with both hands, he unusually chose to stay put and watch without getting involved. 

Lu Nan, who had just gone upstairs and opened the door to her room, stepped back a few paces and spoke from the second-floor staircase to the people downstairs, “Dong Hui, did you go into my room?” 

Dong Hui had just finished her call and was coming out of the bathroom holding a basin. Hearing Lu Nan’s words, she slammed the basin onto the sofa, causing the toiletries inside to clink loudly. “What’s wrong with you? Who went into your room? If you’re sick, go see a doctor. Paranoia can kill you.” 

Lu Nan took a few steps down the stairs, still looking down from above. Her voice wasn’t loud but was firm as she said, “I’ll ask you again, did you go into my room? If you keep denying it, I might have to call the police.” 

“You’re crazy. Who would go into your room? Who knows what shady stuff is in there?” Dong Hui shouted, as if speaking loudly made her words any more reasonable. 

“Dong Hui, speak properly,” Chen Xiao said with a frown, his tone serious. He then turned to Lu Nan, asking, “What’s going on with your room?” 

“Someone’s been in my room, and gone through my things,” Lu Nan said confidently. 

Dong Hui sneered, “How is that possible? Don’t you treat your roommates like thieves all the time? You lock your room every time you leave. Who could have gotten in?” 

Hearing this, Lu Nan chuckled. “Exactly. But how do you know I always lock my door when I go out?” The only way you’d know is if you tried to turn the doorknob when I wasn’t home. 

“You’re insane. I don’t want to argue with you,” Dong Hui said, picking up the basin from the sofa. She was planning to take everything to the door and wait for the elevator to take everything downstairs in one go. 

Chen Xiao reached out to stop her. “Then how do you explain someone entering Lu Nan’s room?” 

Frustrated, Dong Hui snapped, “You just believe whatever she says? Brother Xiao, even if you’re biased, at least have some limits. Who knows? Maybe she invited someone over yesterday. Or maybe she’s just making things up to frame me and Zhou Lei.” 

Chen Xiao really wanted to refute Dong Hui’s unreasonable claims, but he knew that if he mentioned, “Lu Nan wasn’t even in the dorm from afternoon till late last night,” she’d just use that against him. So, he tightly pressed his lips together and looked up at Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan didn’t bother arguing. Instead, she stood on the stairs and dialed the police. “Hello, I want to report a possible break-in at my place. The address is Xinguang Yipin xxxx. Yes, I didn’t stay last night, but when I got home just now and opened my door, I found my things had been moved. No, I haven’t entered the room yet. Alright, I’ll wait for your officers to arrive. Thank you.” 

After hanging up, Lu Nan casually remarked, “If you insist on leaving, you’ll only be making a simple matter more complicated. What happens next, I can’t guarantee.” 

Dong Hui didn’t expect Lu Nan to actually call the police. 

She thought Lu Nan was just putting on a show. 

But Lu Nan’s words left her in a bind. She wanted to leave but worried that if she did, Lu Nan would frame her. 

Besides, she wasn’t entirely innocent. Dong Hui quickly reassured herself: The police might not even have evidence that I was the one who entered her room. As long as I refuse to admit it, I’ll be fine. And it’s not like I did anything… Right, I didn’t actually do anything. 

After repeating this to herself several times, Dong Hui adjusted her mindset and planned to continue moving the things. 

“Since Lu Nan has already called the police, you might as well wait until the officers come before moving anything, so things don’t get complicated,” Chen Xiao said, clearly siding with Lu Nan, blocking Dong Hui’s way. 

At this point, Dong Hui knew she was at a disadvantage, both in numbers and in presence. She no longer cared whether Zhou Lei would feel awkward—she immediately called him and told him to come upstairs. 

When Zhou Lei arrived, he didn’t know what had happened upstairs. He was a little surprised to see Chen Xiao but greeted him nonetheless. 

Chen Xiao glanced at Zhou Lei and gave him a cold nod. 

Dong Hui quickly led Zhou Lei to the balcony, where she quietly explained the situation. 

Zhou Lei stared into his girlfriend’s eyes and asked, “So, did you go into her room or not?” 

“…I didn’t go in to steal anything,” Dong Hui initially didn’t want to tell the truth, but seeing her boyfriend’s serious expression, she realized the situation was serious. She quietly admitted it and immediately started defending herself. “The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Why should she get away with it? She can bring Pan Sasha to stay overnight in the middle of the night, and you’re from our company, not some random guy. The dorm was empty during the holiday; what’s the big deal with spending one night here? Why escalate it to Manager Wang?” 

Zhou Lei pinched the bridge of his nose. “So, what exactly did you do in her room?” 

Dong Hui weakly replied, “I didn’t do much. I just added a little something to her toner—I just wanted to teach her a small lesson.” 

“Added what?” Zhou Lei asked. 

“…Toilet cleaner.” 

Zhou Lei looked at Dong Hui with a gaze full of disappointment, the kind that says “You’re not living up to expectations.” 

He was probably thinking, ‘I can’t believe you’ve messed this up so badly.’ 

Dong Hui felt nervous under his gaze. She had just graduated from college, and while she had a history of not getting along with people, it had never escalated to the point of calling the police. Now, she didn’t know what to do. “What should I do?” 

Zhou Lei didn’t know either. He had no experience with situations like this. 

At this moment, he actually agreed with Dong Hui—Lu Nan had to be crazy. Was this really that big of a deal? Did she have to go this far? 

“You just stick to your story that you didn’t go in,” Zhou Lei could only suggest. 

In that moment, Zhou Lei felt a deep sense of regret. Not for the fact that he had given in to temptation the night before and made the reckless decision to stay over at the girls’ dorm, but for the fact that he had chosen Dong Hui as his girlfriend. 

Earlier, he thought that having a girlfriend with a good figure but not much intelligence was a lucky thing for a man. Now, he realized that some things are beyond help: she couldn’t even tell if her roommate had gone home, she dragged him into spending the night when things were uncertain, and when trouble came, she didn’t think about getting out of the situation quickly but instead went to another person’s room to retaliate—yet she didn’t even do that properly. It was pure stupidity! 

The police responded quickly, arriving in just over ten minutes. Two officers came, one younger and one older. The older officer walked into the open door, surveyed the area, and looked at everyone present before asking, “Who made the call earlier?” 

It was then that Lu Nan came downstairs. “Hello, I was the one who made the call,” she said. 

“Can you tell us what happened?” the older officer asked, while the younger officer took notes. 

After speaking with Lu Nan, they questioned Dong Hui, who was clearly in the process of moving, followed by Chen Xiao and Zhou Lei. 

Once they pieced together the sequence of events, the officers found the situation rather straightforward. 

Although Dong Hui denied everything, and Zhou Lei claimed not to know anything, the officers had already figured out who was behind it. 

It was just a civil dispute. 

The younger officer glanced at his senior, as if asking whether they should mediate. 

Still too inexperienced. The proper procedures need to be followed, and we haven’t even checked the scene yet. 

 The older officer said, “We’ll take a look in your room and see if anything valuable is missing.” 

“This way.” 

Lu Nan led the officers upstairs, with Chen Xiao following closely behind. 

Dong Hui and Zhou Lei also trailed after them. 

The older officer opened the door to the room and asked, “Did you lock the door when you left?” 

“I don’t remember,” Lu Nan replied with an apologetic smile. 

It was understandable. Everyday habits, like locking a door or turning off the gas, weren’t something most people would pay close attention to. If asked multiple times, they might even start doubting themselves. Did I do it or not? 

The officer checked and saw no signs of the lock being tampered with. 

Standing in the doorway and looking around, the room was neat and clean with no abnormalities. 

The younger officer asked, “How did you figure out someone had been in here?” 

“My skincare products on the vanity were moved,” Lu Nan said, pointing. “I have a habit of placing them with the labels facing forward, but when I came back today and opened the door, I noticed the bottle on the far left was at a different angle from the others.” 

The two officers looked at the vanity: sure enough, it was as Lu Nan said. But was this enough to conclude someone had been in the room? 

“When I saw it, I was sure someone had been in my room,” Lu Nan said firmly. “Because I never let any bottle in that row be out of place.” 

The officers carefully inspected the room and found that all items with labels had the labels facing outward. 

The younger officer thought to himself, Is this some kind of OCD? This level of precision is impressive… 

He cleared his throat and asked, “So, you haven’t had a chance to check if anything was missing from your room before reporting this, right? Would you like to check now?” 

Lu Nan shook her head. “No need. I don’t usually keep valuable items in my room. But… something’s definitely not right.” 

She picked up the toner, opened it, and sniffed it. “There’s something unfamiliar added to this.” 

Dong Hui, holding Zhou Lei’s hand, subconsciously tightened her grip. 

The two officers exchanged a look. 

… 

Lu Nan didn’t even have the chance to witness the dramatic fingerprint analysis or drug testing you see in TV shows. After just two rounds of questioning, Dong Hui couldn’t handle the psychological pressure and “confessed”—mostly because there were too many contradictions in her words, and in the end, her mental state collapsed. She broke down and confessed everything in a hysterical outburst. 

“I went into her room. So what?” 

“She said herself there were no valuable items, so I didn’t steal anything.” 

“I just wanted to teach her a lesson. It’s not like I disfigured her!” 

“Even if this is considered a crime, it would just be an attempt, wouldn’t it…?” 

From her initial bravado to growing panic, her change in demeanor was so obvious that even the officer taking notes felt speechless. Seriously? If she had access to something more dangerous, would she have actually poisoned someone? 

In the end, since the toilet cleaner Dong Hui added to Lu Nan’s toner wasn’t considered a poisonous substance by legal standards, it couldn’t be classified as a poisoning crime. The officers gave her a stern warning, made her sign the statement of her confession with a fingerprint, and had her write an additional letter of guarantee, also signed and fingerprinted. Lastly, they made her apologize to Lu Nan, bringing the matter to a close. 

The letter of guarantee only served to hold Dong Hui accountable morally—it wouldn’t result in a criminal record. But the officers didn’t explain this in detail. They hoped this girl would learn her lesson and avoid making bigger mistakes in the future. 

Lu Nan asked, “Can I take a photo of the letter of guarantee? If she tries to retaliate against me later, I think it could serve as evidence, right?” As the “victim,” Lu Nan’s request was entirely reasonable, and the officers agreed. 

Clearly, Dong Hui was quite shaken, her eyes red as she stared at Lu Nan. 

This time, her tears didn’t fall like they did at the KTV, but now she was genuinely crying. 

As for Lu Nan, she didn’t have anything to say, nor did she feel any sympathy for the other person. 

If you didn’t want this outcome, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place. 

And seeing how Zhou Lei seemed to be trying to distance himself from Dong Hui this afternoon, Lu Nan thought, I hope Zhou Lei doesn’t break up with her over this. They should really stay together forever.