BAD NEIGHBORS

THE NEW NEIGHBOR

Wang He Di woke up early, like every morning, and after a quick breakfast he got ready for work.
Three cars had arrived at his workshop the day before to be repaired by the end of the week and he had to get moving.
He put on his blue overalls and left the apartment.
Fortunately, the workshop was right in front of his building.
While he was intent on closing the door, a voice startled him.
"Good morning, Wang He Di".
"Woah! Mr. Hao, you scared me!" he exclaimed.
Mr. Hao, a big fat middle-aged man with a very long black mustache, was the owner of the building. He had a kind heart, but it was better not to make him angry.
The man smiled at Dylan and then pointed a chubby finger at his nose.
"Your new neighbor will arrive today. Make sure you don't make this one escape too" he threatened him.
"Hey! I don't make anyone escape! So... Is it a girl?"
Mr. Hao didn't miss the flash of excitement in Wang He Di's eyes.
He shook his head and clapped him on the shoulder.
"My boy, the last four people who have lived in the apartment opposite yours have left because of you" he said, holding back a laugh.
He loved Dylan, he had seen him born: he was the son of his closest friend.
Mr. Hao was a retired old mechanic.
The workshop in front of the building was his own.
One day, when Dylan was still a little boy, Mr. Wang brought him to him and begged him to teach him the trade.
That boy was a mess at school and his grade in behavior was the lowest of all.
His parents were exhausted. This is why they decided that the time had come to teach Wang He what it meant to work hard, sweat, earn with his efforts... They wanted to make him understand what it meant to be in the world.
Life wasn't just about girls and fun. It was also responsibilities and duties.
Mr. Hao agreed to take him under his wing... After all, a little help would also have been useful.
Dylan, initially, didn't welcome the decision of his parents. But over time, his attitude changed... He discovered that he was good at mechanics and he became passionate about engines against all odds.
Realizing he was talented and useful helped him to behave more responsibly.
Although he had not given up on some of his vices, such as playing with the hearts of several girls or smoking, he had nevertheless become a man capable of taking care of himself and those he loved.
When Mr. Hao retired, he offered the boy to take charge of his own workshop and Dylan eagerly accepted.
He had been living in the apartment that Mr. Hao had proposed him to occupy for five years now, and since then, to Mr. Wang's great pride, everyone in their neighborhood knew him as the best mechanic in the area.  He was even better than Mr. Hao.
"Just because I played some prank on them? It's not my fault they don't know how to have fun" snorted Dylan.
"Do you think I don't know you, little rascal? You torment men to make them leave, hoping that the next person who will occupy the apartment will be a woman. And when a girl comes along, you seduce her and play with her feelings. Too bad the apartment is too small to accommodate a family, otherwise I would know how to get your head right" said Mr. Hao, exasperated.
"What an exaggeration! So? My new neighbor... is it a girl or not?"
The man shook his head and left without giving him an answer.
"Hey! Mr. Hao! It's a girl, right?!"  Wang He Di yelled from a distance.
Mr. Hao's silence made him hope.

Later, while he was in the workshop fixing one of the cars he was working on, he saw a moving truck through the open door.
He quickly wiped his hands with a piece of cloth and he ran across the street.
A girl was giving instructions to the men from the moving department.
"Shen Yue?" Dylan whispered, surprised to see the speed date snob again.
It couldn't be. Was she his new neighbor?
He walked over to her and gave her a little pinch on her arm.
"Ouch! What the...?"  Shen Yue whirled towards him, annoyed by that gesture.
"You!" she exclaimed wide-eyed.
"Me! Hi, cutie!" he grinned.
"What... What are you doing here?"  Yue asked, confused.
"I work right over there" Dylan pointed to his uniform first and then to the garage across the street.
"Oh..."
"... And I live right up there" this time the boy pointed to a window on the top floor of the building, where the moving men were carrying the boxes.
Shen Yue realized that this was the apartment right in front of hers.
"NO!" she exclaimed.
"Yes! Welcome home, my lovely neighbor!" Dylan smiled, winking at her.
"No, no, no, no!"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes!"
Yue seemed to think for a few seconds.
"Okay. Um... Let's start over. Nice to meet you, I'm Shen Yue" she finally said, reaching out to him.
"Oh, I know. Let's see if you remember my name..." Dylan grinned, shaking her hand.
He held back a laugh in Yue's face.
She looked like she was about to explode trying to remember his name.
"Forgive me, I don't remember" the girl finally said, mortified.
"Tsk. Snob" he commented.
"Hey!"
"It doesn't matter. I'll engrave my name on your heart, cutie."
"Don't start over! I already told you that..."
"Shushhhhhhh..." Dylan placed a finger on her lips, making her blush suddenly.
He leaned over to her and whispered in her ear:
"My name is Wang He Di, anyway."
In a second, a small foot pressed hard on his, forcing him to pull away in pain.
"Stop flirting with me, Don Juan! Keep your distance!" Yue threatened him.
"Ok, little tiger! I have to get back to work... See you soon!"  Dylan chuckled.
"I really hope not" she muttered.
"Grrrrr!" he growled, scratching the air with invisible claws.
"WANG HE DI!"
"Aaaaaw! My name from your lips is like music!"
"I swear that if you don't stop..."
"Ok, ok! Bye, cutie!"
Shen Yue watched him go and she let out an exasperated sigh.
She couldn't believe that with all the people in the world, her neighbor had to be him.
"Miss, we're done here" one of the moving boys called her.
"Uh! You were very fast! Thank you so much!" she smiled enthusiastically.
When she was left alone, she ran into the apartment and rolled up her sleeves.
She was going to have a day of hard work.