Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 330: (Extra 4)

The new neighbor was a strikingly handsome man with mixed heritage, who spoke fluent Mandarin and had a refined, gentle demeanor. He was notably polite and soft-spoken when interacting with others.
Tianbao had always loved pretty dolls — especially the ones with emerald green or crystal blue eyes. When she was younger, she had even asked Yu Zhenzhen why her own eyes weren’t colorful. “Colored eyes are so pretty! Like rainbows in the sky, like shiny, sparkling jewels.”
Of course, kids’ interests shift quickly. That fascination faded soon enough, though whenever Yu Zhenzhen took her out and they passed by a foreigner on the street, Tianbao would always sneak a few extra glances.
So, the moment she laid eyes on the new neighbor, she liked him instantly. For the past couple of days, since Yu Xi hadn’t gone out much, Tianbao had been constantly tugging at her, saying she wanted to go visit the handsome big brother next door.
To Yu Xi, the neighbor was a little… odd. On the day he moved in, despite the pouring rain, there was no furniture, no luggage — just four or five cardboard boxes.
The movers made several trips up and down, bringing up a dozen or so extra-long, wide, flat boxes, each wrapped in waterproof material.
Then three or four of them rolled up their sleeves and actually started replacing the windows on the south-facing balcony.
Replacing windows on a rainy day?
Because Tianbao refused to leave, and Yu Zhenzhen was busy rushing a manuscript, Yu Xi stood with her to keep her company.
Some of the workers unboxed new window panes and bundles of long, stainless steel strips — purpose unknown. Others went straight to the windows with tools and began dismantling the glass panes from the frames.
It was raining moderately with wind, and the moment the glass was removed, the rain came flooding into the balcony, drenching the floor.
Tianbao gasped and clapped her hands. “Auntie, look! A waterfall! Big brother’s house turned into a waterfall!”
Yu Xi: …
She really wanted to comment, but since this was only their first meeting and they hadn’t even exchanged more than a few words, she decided to just stand quietly beside Tianbao.
Unexpectedly, the man came over from inside, holding a cup of bright red pomegranate juice in one hand and a cup of milk tea in the other, and offered them to the two of them.
“I ordered too much earlier,” he explained gently. “Thanks to your sister lending me a battery just now — otherwise I couldn’t open the smart lock and would’ve had to go out again.” He seemed worried she might refuse and added a bit more explanation.
Tianbao loved drinks with bright colors. The translucent red, the cute straw, and the clear cup made her eyes light up. She looked at Yu Xi with big pleading eyes, and only after getting a nod did she take the pomegranate juice, saying in her soft little voice, “Thank you, big brother.”
“Call me uncle,” he said with a smile, ruffling her little ponytail, then offered the milk tea again to Yu Xi. “It’s taro milk tea with boba — low sugar. Don’t be shy.”
His clear, deep blue eyes settled gently on her face. Normally, being stared at by a stranger like this would make her uncomfortable, but somehow, she didn’t feel that way at all. His gaze was focused but without judgment, probing, or aggression.
She happened to like that flavor, so she accepted it with a thank-you, already planning to bring something over later in return. Though she had stored most of her supplies in her space, she had left a bit at home — otherwise, coming back empty-handed every day would’ve seemed strange to Yu Zhenzhen.
While they spoke, the workers had already fastened a stainless steel frame around the window using tools. Then they unfolded the long strips, and Yu Xi realized in surprise — they were stainless steel louver shutters.
Unlike ordinary blinds, each steel slat was thicker and wider, with significant overlap when closed, making them much more sealed. The installation team worked quickly and skillfully, soon fixing the heavy-duty shutters outside the window frames.
Once the shutters were fully closed, no more rain came in. They quickly cleaned the sill and began installing the new glass.
The new window frames matched the original ones exactly — probably pre-measured — but the new glass panes were clearly much thicker.
The man pushed the door open a bit more and said to her, “Come take a look. These are bulletproof glass panes, double-layered.”
“Double-layered bulletproof glass?” Yu Xi was surprised. With the thick stainless steel louvers, was he turning his apartment into a bulletproof fortress?
Maybe he sensed her skepticism, because he added, “In mid-rise buildings like this, when it rains, the wind can be quite strong. It’s better to have sturdy windows.”
“…Is it really necessary to be
this
sturdy?”
“When the wind and rain are mild, of course not,” he replied. “But if they get worse, ordinary glass breaks easily.”
“Is that so?” she replied casually, though her eyes stayed fixed on the workers.
They were swift and experienced — after finishing one pane, they’d move on to the next. Each time a window was removed, rain would blow in. Even though the men wore raincoats, their faces were soaked and their pants drenched, but they paid no attention to the harsh conditions. Their hands stayed steady the entire time.
Before long, the entire balcony had been refitted — stainless steel louvers on the outside, double-layered bulletproof glass on the inside.
It looked… incredibly secure.
For a moment, Yu Xi couldn’t help but feel a surge of envy.
Yu Xi: …
She was speechless with herself.
Once the workers finished removing the old glass windows from the balcony, they took their tools and moved into the rooms on both sides, preparing to replace the south-facing windows there as well.
Because this unit was in the first building and flanked by other structures on either side, with the hallway to the north, only the south side had windows. The layout was small, with just two rooms and a balcony, so there weren’t that many windows to replace. Now that the major work on the balcony was done, replacing the room windows went even faster.
Over half an hour later, Yu Xi only realized she and Tianbao had watched the entire process when Yu Zhenzhen didn’t come over to remind her.
She asked Zhenzhen to take Tianbao home first, then turned back to ask the man, “How long does it usually take from ordering to installing custom-made glass and stainless steel shutters like this?”
“It goes faster if you pay extra,” he said, then gestured toward the workers still packing up. “They’re right here—if you want to order, you can just ask them directly.”
One of the workers had already overheard her and came over before she could even ask. “Miss, you thinking of installing the same setup? If you live next door, the layout should be exactly the same. For a small rush fee, we can have it ready by tomorrow and come install it.”
Yu Xi glanced toward her own place, already lived in and full of furniture, including beds. “But I’ve been living there a while, and there’s furniture in the way. With this rain, wouldn’t installation be a hassle?”
“No problem,” the worker said. “You can place the order today, and we’ll get all the materials prepped. Then tomorrow or the day after, whenever the rain eases, just call us. Our shop’s on the next street over, so we can be there in ten minutes. We handle moving, water and electric installs, custom furniture, window and door refits — everything! If you’re worried about getting your furniture dirty, we’ll lay down plastic sheets and absorbent mats during installation…”
The man seemed like the boss, sharp and business-savvy, so Yu Xi quickly placed the order and paid a deposit.
Just as she was about to leave, something occurred to her, and she asked, “Do you also do front door renovations?”
“Yes!”
A short while later, after the workers had finished measuring the door, Yu Xi passed by her neighbor’s apartment again and saw him inside, mopping the floor.
She thanked him and was about to leave when he called out to her. He casually found a clean shirt from one of the boxes, wiped his hands, then stepped out and held one hand toward her. “My name’s Xing Min. And you?”
She looked at his pale, slender fingers, surprised that someone would introduce themselves so formally these days — especially with a handshake — graceful like a gentleman.
Still, she extended her hand. “Yu Xi.”
Xing Min gently closed his hand around hers, his eyes softening and the corners of his lips lifting into a smile. “Yu Xi, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
**
Although Xing Min had politely told Tianbao to call him “uncle,” she still happily insisted on calling him “handsome gege” nonstop. At the moment, she was holding a box of mixed fruit that Yu Zhenzhen had washed — blueberries, grapes, kumquats — and dragging Yu Xi to the neighbor’s to bring him a snack.
She hadn’t gone out the last two days, but the weather finally let up — the heavy rain eased into a light drizzle by the afternoon, and the wind died down a bit too. Yu Xi immediately called the window installer and had him come over.
Her apartment, after all, was a furnished unit. Though the location was average, the complex had once been marketed as “petite bourgeoisie style,” so all the doors had smart locks. The only problem was the door panels — especially in Yu Xi’s eyes now — felt flimsy. The other day when she threw Yu Jun out, her toe had accidentally dented the bottom of the door with a single kick.
Yu Xi had felt helpless. After deciding to reinforce the windows, she realized the front door also made her feel unsafe, so she planned to replace it.
When the installer came to inspect it, he said the smart-lock door was actually quite secure — since it had no keyhole, it was harder for burglars to break in. If she really wanted extra protection, she didn’t need to replace the door; she could just install an interior security gate.
The collapsible gate could be pulled out and locked when needed, and tucked away when not in use. Even if the outer lock got broken, the inner gate would still block intruders.
But Yu Xi still wasn’t satisfied. The iron gate had holes, and if the outer door got busted, the inside of the home would be completely exposed.
In the end, she added a retractable roll-down metal door behind the security gate. Like the gate, it could be rolled up and hidden when unused, and pulled down for extra protection.
Yu Zhenzhen didn’t know any of this until the door/window installers started bringing tools and materials into the apartment — and by then, it was too late to turn them away. So Yu Xi once again received her big sister’s patented death glare.
While chatting with the workers, Zhenzhen learned that quite a few families in other cities had also started reinforcing their doors and windows recently, mainly because several areas had been hit hard by typhoon rains.
In some cases, tree branches had been blown into windows and shattered them, sending shards flying into homes and injuring people who didn’t react in time.
In others, glass windows from high-rises had shattered and fallen, letting in torrents of rain and flooding entire apartments. Fortunately, no one had been standing underneath when the glass fell — if someone had gotten hurt or killed, there would’ve been endless trouble with legal claims later…
As for H City — yes, it had always been considered a “lucky” place, where even during typhoon season, it usually just rained for a week or so.
But disasters… who could really say?
Just like this time — many cities’ weather forecasts had said the typhoon would pass in about a week, but now it had been well over a week, and the rain still hadn’t stopped. The wind came and went, sometimes strong, sometimes soft. Some nights, you could even hear it howling outside as you slept…
And just like that, it only took Yu Zhenzhen one hour to go from confused to fully accepting, and even thankful, for their neighbor Xing Min.
“I wonder if he has a job? Feels like he’s always at home. I also don’t know if he cooks for himself. How about this — I made beef stew with potatoes and bamboo fungus chicken soup today. Later, you take some over to him, consider it a return for the milk tea.”
So, on the first day, Yu Xi brought Tianbao along and delivered the beef stew and chicken soup. That evening, the neighbor returned the favor with a box of salmon sashimi, a platter of assorted sushi, a slice of matcha cheesecake, and a bag of coffee beans.
Now, when Tianbao mentioned going next door again, Yu Zhenzhen silently handed over a box of freshly washed fruit and told her to ask if he had any plans for dinner, and if not, whether he’d like to come over for hotpot — as long as he didn’t mind joining them.
After all, it was awkward if he sent more food again during dinner. And from the way he returned the favor last time, it was likely he didn’t cook for himself much.
Sure enough, Xing Min was home. The apartment was already tidy and spotless inside, though there still wasn’t much furniture — the space felt clean but devoid of daily life.
“You’re here,” he said, opening the door and gesturing for them to come in.
Tianbao rushed forward, tugged at Xing Min’s sleeve, and held up the box of fruit: “Pretty gege, eat pretty fruits! Look, blue ones, purple ones, and gold ones too…”
“Thank you,” he said with a smile, gently patting her little head. She instantly lit up with joy, twirling like a corkscrew to signal she wanted a hug from her pretty gege.
Yu Xi: …
Xing Min set the fruit aside and said to Tianbao, “Call me uncle, and I’ll hug you.”
“Pretty uncle!”
“Mm.” He bent down and picked her up, then looked at Yu Xi.
Yu Xi had the odd feeling that his gaze carried a bit of heat, as if saying: Tianbao wants me to hold her — what about you?
Yu Xi: …………
“My sister asked me to see if you’re free tonight, and if so, whether you’d like to come over for dinner—” She hadn’t even finished when he nodded.
“Free. I eat anything. Thank you.”
Yu Xi: …
**
So that evening, when Xing Min came over with drinks for dinner, Yu Jun showed up again.
Yu Xi had been so busy dealing with window and door upgrades these past couple of days, she had practically forgotten about that scumbag. He arrived holding a large bag of fruit, only to see Xing Min standing at their doorway — and he jumped like a cat whose tail got stepped on.
“No wonder you haven’t replied to any of my messages! So you’ve already found someone new? Wow, what’s this, some pretty-boy service you paid for? Must’ve cost a fortune to hire this kind of high-end
escort
…”
Yu Jun’s face twisted, and he immediately began spewing insults.
The reason Yu Zhenzhen hadn’t replied to him these past few days was because she had already discovered the truth about his cheating — the photos and videos were real, irrefutable proof.
He was scum through and through. He wanted to play around with women but refused to split the house, didn’t want to give money, pretended to reconcile while hiding a mistress in a hotel. Yu Zhenzhen had initially planned to deal with him coldly — hand everything over to the lawyer and let them sort it out.
But now? He dared to turn around and blame her?
She didn’t want her daughter to see this kind of father. She picked up Tianbao and walked straight into the room, her voice low but firm as she told Yu Xi, “Get rid of him. And do it like you said before — I agree now.”
She knew Yu Xi was strong — she had no worries leaving this to her.
Yu Xi didn’t hesitate. She grabbed a bowl of spicy red hotpot broth, kicked him straight out the door, then splashed it right into his face.
The broth had been scooped out earlier because the hotpot pot was too full. It wasn’t hot anymore, but it was full of chili oil. When it hit his face, it still stung like hell.
Yu Jun screamed instantly, dropped the bag of fruit, and desperately tried to wipe his face with his shirt. But the chili oil had already gotten into his eyes — he was screaming in pain like a kid calling for his mom.
“You don’t spit ivory from a dog’s mouth. You think everyone’s like you, running around in heat every day? If you cheated, just admit it! What, you really think my sister’s a fool? Let me tell you — the divorce is final. You’re not getting the house, and you’re not touching a cent of the savings either! The lawyer will be contacting you about everything from here on. Don’t ever show your face in our neighborhood again — if I see you once, I’ll beat you once!”
Yu Xi gave him a few more hard kicks and was just about to drag him to the elevator and toss him in when Xing Min gently held her wrist.
“Let me handle him. At the very least, the property office and security need to know so he won’t be let in again.”
Yu Xi turned to look at him, hesitated for two seconds, then nodded in agreement.
Xing Min seemed pleased that she trusted him. He smiled, reached down, grabbed the still-howling Yu Jun, and dragged him into the elevator with no effort at all.
Once Yu Xi had calmed and distracted Tianbao, easing the fright caused by Yu Jun’s twisted, vicious face, Xing Min returned upstairs after dealing with the situation. The four of them closed the door and finally sat down to a warm hotpot dinner.
After dinner, once Yu Zhenzhen had put Tianbao to bed, she came into Yu Xi’s room. Yu Xi was at her computer, busy — on the screen were the photos and videos of Yu Jun with the mistress. She planned to email them to his department head, to two coworkers Zhenzhen knew, and to public platforms and gossip forums that loved this kind of drama.
Yu Zhenzhen reviewed the text she’d written. After confirming everything was in order, she said, “Send it.”
A few hours after the photos and videos were sent out, Yu Jun began calling Zhenzhen non-stop. He was promptly blocked.
Xing Min had been efficient. Despite Yu Jun’s tantrum, he couldn’t get back into the community, and with his calls going unanswered, all he could do was circle around outside like a madman.
But neither Yu Xi nor Yu Zhenzhen paid him any mind. They washed up and went to bed.
Yu Xi didn’t know how long she’d been asleep when she was suddenly jolted awake by a sharp rattling against the windows.
She woke up immediately. Because of the rain, all the windows in the house had been kept shut these past few days. But the windows had been upgraded to reinforced double-layer bulletproof glass, so the outer stainless steel shutters had been left open for airflow. The sound she now heard was something knocking against the glass.
She walked to the window and pulled back the curtain — only to find she couldn’t see outside clearly at all. Rainwater was streaming in sheets down the glass, and the wind whipped it around so violently that it looked as if the whole house were submerged underwater.
And mixed in with the wind and rain were intermittent heavy thuds, as if something were slamming hard against the glass.
Yu Xi reacted quickly. She immediately closed the steel shutters in her room, then rushed to the living room and shut the balcony shutters as well. Finally, she ran into Zhenzhen’s room and closed the shutters over those windows too.
Her movements weren’t loud, so Tianbao didn’t wake, but Yu Zhenzhen stirred instantly. “What’s going on?”
“Outside… it looks like the weather just turned.”
…
Thingyan
: Next chapter is password locked. Please find pw in TOC.