Chapter 4
On the morning of the sixth day, I took the initiative and knocked on Aunt Wang’s door.
When she opened it and saw me, she froze for a moment, then smiled with obvious satisfaction. “Oh? You finally figured it out?”
“Aunt Wang, I want to apologize to you.” I lowered my head and kept my voice very soft.
“You were right. I shouldn’t have been so antisocial.”
“That’s more like it!” Aunt Wang beamed. “Come in, come in.”
I went into her apartment. The decor was old, but it was clean.
The living room walls were covered with photos from dance parties and framed group shots with banners. There was also an occasional photo of a young woman, probably her daughter, but I didn’t ask.
“I’m telling you, people need to socialize.”
“Look at me. I’ve lived in this complex for fifteen years, and everyone has to call me Sister Wang when they see me.”
She sat on the couch with her legs crossed.
“Aunt Wang, I want to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“You said I was sick. What kind of sickness?”
She froze. “What kind of sickness?”
“You said I was sick, that my parents didn’t raise me right, and that I was a loser. I want to know how you came to that conclusion.”
Aunt Wang’s expression changed. “What are you trying to say?”
“I just want to ask.” I took my phone out of my pocket. “Take your time. I’ll write it down.”
“What are you doing with that phone? Recording me?” She stood up.
“No, I’m just taking notes. Didn’t you say I don’t know how to deal with people? I’m learning.”
“Don’t pull that on me!” Aunt Wang pointed at me.
“I’m warning you, don’t play games with me! I’ve seen people like you before—sly and nasty!”
“Aunt Wang, I’m not playing games. I really do want to know what I did wrong.”
“You’ve been calling me names for days, so there has to be a reason, right?”
“I called you names? That was me educating you!” Her voice went sharp. “Don’t be so ungrateful!”
“Fine. Education. Then tell me, what exactly do I need to be educated on?”
Aunt Wang got stuck and her face flushed bright red.
The bedroom door next to us opened, and a middle-aged man peeked out. “Mom, what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing, go back inside!” Aunt Wang shoved him back in, then turned and glared at me. “Liam, what exactly do you want?”
“I just want to make things clear.” My expression stayed calm. My palms were covered in sweat, but my voice stayed steady.
“You came to my door on the very first day I moved in. I didn’t open up, and you wouldn’t leave.”
“When I didn’t go to your event, you started insulting me in the group.”
“When I skipped the community event, you said I was sick on the loudspeaker. I want to know what, exactly, I did wrong?”
“You don’t fit in! You don’t know the rules!”
“What rules? The complex’s rules, or your rules?”
“Of course the complex’s rules!”
“Then what are the complex’s rules? Where are they written down? Does management have a document?”
Aunt Wang opened her mouth, but no words came out.
“Aunt Wang, I looked it up.”
“There’s no rule in this complex saying residents have to attend events.”
“And the loudspeaker system can’t be used by private people.”
“You insulted me in the group and talked trash about me on the loudspeaker. If I wanted to pursue this, I could file a complaint over all of it.”
“Are you threatening me?” Aunt Wang’s face went pale.
“I’m not threatening you. I’m just telling you that I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You think I don’t fit in? That’s your opinion. It doesn’t mean I’m sick.”
I turned and walked out.
When I reached the door, I looked back once—Aunt Wang was standing there with her mouth open.
When I got back to my room, my hands were still shaking.
For the first time in my twenty-six years, I’d confronted someone head-on.
My heart was pounding, but for some reason, I felt amazing.
I opened the document and wrote down today’s conversation.
Then I opened the resident group and sent a message:
“Hello, neighbors. I’m Liam. Sorry for bothering everyone these past few days.”
“Aunt Wang said I’m sick and that I have no manners. I accept her criticism.”
“But I’d like everyone to witness this—starting today, I’ll work hard to get better, and I’d like Aunt Wang to keep educating me.”
“I’ll record every round of this education and post it in the group so everyone can see how I’m improving.”
After sending that, I left the group chat.
Three minutes later, Aunt Wang blew up in the group:
“What do you mean by that! What are you recording? What are you trying to do!”
No one replied.
She sent another message: “Everyone, tell me if I’m wrong! This punk is threatening me! He recorded me! Is he trying to extort me or what!”
Still no one replied.
I guessed that the people who had backed her up before were probably scrolling back through the chat history now, checking what they had said.