At twenty-eight, Shen Jingshu moves into a home in a school district, thinking better days are finally ahead.
But her downstairs neighbor, Zhou Min, shoves a schedule at her: no noise before eight in the morning, after nine at night, or between eleven in the morning and three in the afternoon. Her child’s footsteps are too loud, cooking is too noisy, even breathing is wrong. Shen Jingshu puts down soundproof mats, wears soft-soled slippers, and covers the whole place in carpets. She does everything she can.
Zhou Min still isn’t satisfied.
She pounds on the door, hurls abuse, and hacks at the security door with a knife. Shen Jingshu’s daughter is so frightened she develops a high fever. Giving in brings no reconciliation, only increasingly vicious bullying.
On the ninth day, Shen Jingshu decides she’s had enough.
She calls in her half-brother, who is deaf and mute: 187 centimeters tall, with eight-pack abs, a professional fashion model whose fans call him “the Silent Handsome Man.” On livestream, her brother swings a sledgehammer at the wall while fans send virtual rockets to choose the spot. One hour in the morning, one in the afternoon, all entirely legal.
The neighbor downstairs calls the police, files complaints, goes to the property manager, blocks fans, and attacks people. The whole internet watches. The crazier she gets, the more popular the livestream becomes. Two months later, the home has become a viral tourist attraction.
Six months later, Zhou Min kneels at the door and begs her to stop.
A year later, a rental sign appears downstairs.
If you think my home is too noisy, then I’ll show you what it means to live in true
Never-Ending Turmoil.
