The Stalker in My Building

In the middle of the night, I was scrolling online when I came across a disturbing post. "What should I do if I’ve fallen for my female tenant? I’ve never liked anyone this much before." At first, I thought it was just some sweet, secret crush story. But the more I read, the weirder it got. The photos he posted looked exactly like the hallway in my building. The description of the tenant matched me perfectly. But I’m not the tenant; I’m the landlord. People in the comments were giving him advice: "Women just play hard to get. Just go for a forceful kiss, and she’ll give in eventually." "Women love persistence. Plus, you’re handsome, OP. She won’t be able to refuse you. That’s how I got my wife. Once you sleep with her, she’ll listen to everything you say." The more I read, the creepier it felt. Isn't this just sexual harassment? Then, my tenant, Lucas, sent me a message. 1 "Hey, are you there? There seems to be something wrong with the plumbing in my apartment. Can you come take a look?" If I hadn't seen that post, I probably would have gone over. As a long-time landlord, I’m handy with changing lightbulbs, fixing pipes, and unclogging toilets. I always try to help my tenants with whatever I can. But now, I was terrified. Not only was the post creepy, but I had just done a full inspection of my property a few days ago. The water pressure, pipes, and electrical wiring were all fine. How could something break as soon as he moved in? I looked out the window at the dark sky and shivered, even though it was summer. A cold draft seemed to seep under my clothes. I decided to assume the worst. With trembling fingers, I typed a reply. "I’m not home right now, and I don't really know how to fix pipes. I’ll ask my boyfriend to come over tomorrow and check it out. What time works for you?" The status at the top changed to "typing..." repeatedly. He seemed to be struggling with how to respond. I didn't wait for his reply and went to wash up. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt like eyes were watching me from the shadows. I skipped the shower and dashed into my bedroom, jamming a doorstop under the door before I felt somewhat safe. Picking up my phone, I saw Lucas's reply. "How about 8 PM? I get off work then." I let out a sigh of relief. Maybe it was just a coincidence. After all, most apartment building hallways look similar, and there are countless girls with long black hair who are 5'6". Plus, the poster said he liked his female tenant, which wasn't me. Most importantly, Lucas looked very ordinary. You wouldn't notice him in a crowd. He wasn't the handsome guy in the post's profile picture. They say "eyes are the window to the soul," but who knew such a dirty heart could hide beneath a decent exterior? Just then, I saw the poster like a comment suggesting he force himself on the girl, and he replied, "DM me." This guy was definitely up to no good. Like many others, I saved the post to see what he would do next. But now I had a problem: where was I going to find a boyfriend for tomorrow? I was single. Thinking quickly, I called my close guy friend, Gary. I asked him to come over tomorrow and pretend to be my boyfriend. Better safe than sorry. Pretending to have a boyfriend could avoid a lot of trouble. 2 The next day, as I was leaving my apartment, I ran straight into Lucas. I rented him the unit above mine. The elevator wasn't broken, so he was intentionally waiting there. When I opened the door, I saw him take a step back, meaning he had been standing right against my door. My heart dropped. Flashes of news stories about women living alone being murdered raced through my mind. I regretted not asking Gary to come earlier. "Miss Shen? I thought you weren't home?" His words sent a chill down my spine. He thought I wasn't home, yet he was waiting outside my door. What was he planning? Suppressing my fear, I said coldly, "I got back late last night. What are you doing here? My boyfriend will be here soon. If you're free, he can come check your pipes now." Lucas scratched his head, looking sheepish. "My cat ran out. I thought I heard meowing coming from your place. Did it hide in there?" As he spoke, he tried to peer into my apartment, his eyes darting around. "I don't have a cat. Go look somewhere else." Ignoring me, he took a step forward and jammed his foot in the door. "Let me just check quickly. I won't bother you, just let me in." I instinctively tried to close the door, but I was no match for a grown man's strength, even a skinny one. "Stop it, or I'm calling the police!" Just then, my savior arrived. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Gary grabbed Lucas with one hand and threw him against the opposite wall. Lucas hit the wall with a thud and slid to the floor, groaning. "Trying to break in? I'm calling the cops!" Gary pulled out his phone, looking ready to dial 911. Ignoring the pain, Lucas scrambled up and started apologizing to Gary. "No, no, don't! I just wanted to look for my cat. She tried to close the door on my foot, so I pushed back. I wasn't breaking in, it's a misunderstanding." "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to!" Lucas then turned to me, still shaken, and bowed in apology. Calming down, I wanted to verify something. "This is my boyfriend. Didn't you say your pipes were broken? Let's go check them out." Lucas's expression flickered for a second before he said, "Oh, I managed to fix it myself yesterday. It's fine now. Sorry for the trouble." He turned and left quickly, not mentioning the cat again. I couldn't focus on work all day. My mind kept replaying Lucas trying to force his way in. If Gary hadn't shown up, I couldn't imagine what would have happened. Sitting on my sofa, Gary handed me a glass of warm water. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine. How did you get here so early?" Gary stuffed a bun into his mouth. "Your message last night freaked me out. I came straight here from the airport this morning. Good thing I did. "How long is his lease? Break it. Having someone like that around is a ticking time bomb." So I texted Lucas, telling him I wasn't going to rent to him anymore. He didn't reply for a long time. But then I saw an update on that creepy post. "My female tenant has a boyfriend. He's dark and muscular, but I think I still have a chance. Girls these days like pale, thin guys like me." "Today, I went to look for my lost cat at her door. She talked to me and was giving me the eye, but her boyfriend saw and punched me." "Now she says she doesn't want to rent to me anymore. Her boyfriend must have put her up to it. Can anyone tell me what to do?" Now I was certain the poster was Lucas. Even if it was a coincidence before, this couldn't be. The profile picture was definitely stolen. Some commenters were starting to see the truth. "Being a homewrecker is despicable." "Even if you're handsome, breaking up a couple is wrong." But some still believed that good looks justified anything. "She was giving him the eye too. It's not one-sided." "OMG, he's handsome and loves cats? I'm in love." "If there's mutual attraction, I love a forbidden romance." "Keep pursuing her! Maybe she'll dump her boyfriend for you. Tenant to landlady, what a upgrade." I forwarded the post to Gary. "'Dark and muscular'? I call this a sun-kissed tan. I worked hard for this! What does he know? Who would like a twig like him that gets thrown across the hall? My lean muscle is what's in style!" Gary swiped left to check the poster's profile. "Huh? Wait a sec. This photo." 3 "What about the photo?" Gary started gloating, pointing at the profile picture. "This guy is the son of my company's CEO. He's usually super arrogant. What do you think he'd do if he found out Lucas stole his photo and is posting this garbage online? "Or if the CEO found out someone was ruining his son's reputation?" Gary chuckled and forwarded the post directly to his CEO. "Big news! The CEO's son wants to be a homewrecker!" He waited exactly two minutes and fifty seconds before deleting the message. I asked if he was worried about getting in trouble. He shook his head. "The CEO isn't that petty. He might even thank me for the heads-up before his son does something worse." I silently prayed for Lucas. Sorry, not sorry. Lucas was still replying to comments. "Thanks for the support, everyone. I won't give up! I'll chase my female tenant even if I have to be the other man!" Hilarious. He's the tenant, yet he pretends to be the landlord. How insecure is he about his status? He clapped back at comments calling him a homewrecker. "You don't know shit. This is pursuing true love!" "I know you're just jealous because you don't have love and are miserable. I'm handsome and have multiple properties. Stay mad." "I'm not blind. I know she was giving me the eye. When she came to view the apartment, she wore a short skirt. If that's not seduction, what is?" Oh my god. Wearing a short skirt is seduction? Then every girl on the street is seducing him. It's summer! If I don't wear a skirt, should I wear snow pants? The more I read, the more disgusted I felt. How can a man be so ordinary yet so confidently delusional and deceitful? That familiar commenter, "Wild Soul," was back with advice. "Don't doubt yourself. Women wear short skirts to seduce men. I couldn't control myself because my wife wore a short skirt. She cried and made a fuss afterwards, but eventually she married me. Went from a village girl to a city wife, living the good life. You're too gentle. Just take what you want when her boyfriend isn't around. She won't say no." This is literally inciting rape. Do they think the internet is a lawless place? I saved screenshots as evidence and consulted a lawyer, but he said without a concrete act, it's hard to file a case. I was furious but helpless. Women face so much danger and malice in this world. Wearing a skirt is seen as an invitation, and walking on the street can get you "picked up." It's terrifying. Wild Soul's comment got a lot of hate, but he didn't care. He just blocked anyone who criticized him. I checked his profile. He was a piece of work. He posted about how trafficking women wasn't bad because it provided labor for rural development. He claimed women weren't having kids because they were too educated, and that women reading too much was bad for national unity. He even advocated for shortening compulsory education to increase birth rates. Total psycho. That night, Gary slept in my guest room. He skipped work, afraid something might happen to me. My mom told me to move out immediately. Losing money was better than losing my life. Talk about bad luck. A landlord forced to move by a tenant. While I was packing, Gary shouted from the window. "Our CEO's son is going upstairs with a baseball bat and five huge guys! His face looks red, maybe his dad slapped him. Now he's taking it out on Lucas." Gary and I hid in the stairwell and watched the young man kick Lucas's door. "Open up!" When Lucas didn't answer, the guy had someone pick the lock. "You're the one impersonating me online and ruining my reputation? You ugly freak!" 4 The young man and his crew stormed into Lucas's apartment. They ignored Lucas's threats about trespassing. Like he knows anything about the law. Reading his posts, I was convinced he was legally illiterate. I wanted to get closer to hear, but Gary pulled me back. "Come on, don't listen. We might get beaten up too." "Are they that violent?" "Why do you think I said he's arrogant? His family cleans up his messes. Lucas is screwed, but he deserves it." Gary hummed a tune as we went back inside. An hour later, Lucas's account posted an apology, admitting to stealing photos and making everything up for clout. This post didn't get as much traction as the previous ones. "Stole photos? And lied about being the landlord? The whole 'giving the eye' thing was probably his delusion too. What a loser." "He definitely got caught. He must be hideous to steal photos like that." "So who's the guy in the photos? He's totally my type." Someone found the CEO's son's account. Lucas had cropped him out of group photos. He thought no one would notice, or at most he'd just have to delete them. But he messed with the wrong person and got a visit. Serves him right! I saw the young man and his five goons leave the complex. Lucas messaged me, saying he wanted to break the lease. Probably afraid the CEO's son would come back. "Sorry, my job changed, so I have to break the lease." Seeing his message, a huge weight lifted off my chest. I agreed immediately. Before leaving, he asked for his deposit back, claiming he was broke. I pretended to be hesitant but agreed to avoid further entanglement. When he left, he was on crutches with a bandaged head. He tried to give me a bag of oranges. Ignoring my refusal, he reached through the door and dropped them in the entryway. "Thank you so much. I fell out of bed recently and broke my leg. I'm short on cash, so thanks for returning the deposit." Fell out of what bed to break a leg? But I didn't ask. I just murmured a polite response and hurried him along. He seemed to miss the coldness in my tone. "Thanks for taking care of me. I haven't met a girl as nice as you in a long time. If only you were my girlfriend." My internal alarm bells rang again. I flashed back to him trying to force his way into my apartment. Gary yanked the door open, glaring at Lucas. "Are you leaving or not?! Trying to steal my girlfriend? Who do you think you are?" He acted like he was going to hit him. Lucas stumbled back on his crutches. "No, no, I was just joking. Wishing you happiness and a baby soon. My ride is here, bye." Just when I thought it was over, Lucas posted again. "She definitely likes me. I broke the lease, said I had no money, and she returned the deposit without a word. She really likes me. I saw tears in her eyes when I left. She must be reluctant to see me go. But she's shy and won't admit her feelings." Shameless! Most commenters were shocked too. "I'm a landlord too. Returning the deposit quickly just means she wants you gone ASAP." "Are you sure those tears weren't from fear?" "Photo thief. You don't even dare use your own pic. You must be ugly." "Get lost! Seeing your posts is bad luck!" Lucas replied to the last comment. "You don't understand. She loves me. I'll take care of her forever. We'll have lots of kids. I'll have my mom propose to her family, and then I'll prove you all wrong."

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