BAD NEIGHBORS

FIRST TIME

Ms. Wang was extremely proud of her "baby". He was a handsome and strong man, kind, polite, independent, a hard worker... But she just couldn't help but worry about him.
The coming and going of many women in his apartment made her nervous.
She would have loved to see her son happy with only one girl.
In her entire life, she had never seen him in love and it saddened her deeply.
That was Wang He Di's birthday.
Like every year she had made him the chocolate cake that he liked so much.
Once she got to the door of his apartment, the woman knocked three times and then waited.
After only a few seconds, Dylan opened it and beamed at his mother.
"Happy birthday, honey! Daddy went to visit your grandpa, he will call you later!"  Ms. Wang exclaimed.
"Mommy! Thank you! Come in, come in!"
"Here's your cake! Eat it all, okay? You have to get fat!"
"Tsk. I've already put on a few pounds recently, can't you see?"  Dylan grinned.
With all the sweets that Shen Yue made, it was impossible not to get fat!
"Actually yes... But you can do better" the woman replied, peering at him carefully.
"Okay, okay! Thanks for the cake, Mom."
Ms. Wang stroked his face fondly and went into the kitchen to set the cake.
She was surprised to find another one already on the table... That too was chocolate and on top of it, with icing sugar, was written: "Happy birthday Didi!"
Dylan walked up to her and he realized what she was looking at.
"Um... the girl who lives in front of my apartment made it for me. Want to taste a slice? It's not a chocolate cake like the others! I haven't been able to get her secret yet, but it's really something special!"  he explained to her enthusiastically.
Ms. Wang didn't know if she felt more surprised or more hurt by what she had just heard.
What was so special about that cake?  Was hers no longer the favorite of her beloved son?
"A girl?" she asked.
"Yup!"
"Wang He Di".
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Hao is a very patient man, but sooner or later he will kick you out of here! You seduced that girl too, didn't you?! You'll make her run away too!"
Dylan burst out laughing.
"No, Mom! Believe me, this time the situation is very different. I tried to seduce her, I admit. But Shen Yue is... Different. She just wants to be my friend... She is a good neighbor. She beats me and scolds me often, you'd like her!"
They say that mothers never miss a thing... Well, Ms. Wang didn't miss the warm smile that had opened on Dylan's face as he talked about that girl.
"Come on, let me taste a slice of this special cake" she told him happily.
The two sat down at the table.
As soon as Ms. Wang brought a slice of the famous "Yueyue Cake" to her lips, Dylan asked her: "So?! How is it?!"
"At least let me chew it, you fool!"  she complained.
After a few moments, her eyes closed and her lips stretched into a smile.
"So?!"
"You must marry that girl" the woman said, her eyes still closed.
"It's delicious, right?! When I first tasted it I couldn't believe it!"
"it's extraordinarily good! So... Was this Shen Yue kind enough to prepare it for your birthday?"
"Yes! At midnight she knocked on my door with this in her hands... There was a candle on it and she forced me to blow it out, like you used to do when I was a child."
Perhaps the day of the miracle had really come! Maybe Wang He Di was falling in love, Ms. Wang thought.
"I hope I can meet this girl soon" she smiled.
"Uh? If you want, let's knock on her door... I'd be happy if you knew her."
This was another novelty.
The woman decided to seize this rare opportunity.
"Ok!" she replied.

===

When the door to the apartment across from her son's door opened, Ms. Wang held her breath.
Before her appeared a beautiful girl dressed in a flared white dress.
She looked like an angel. For a moment the woman was tempted to peek behind her back to see if there was a pair of wings.
She waited for her son to introduce her, but he seemed paralyzed. He stood there watching Shen Yue with his mouth wide open.
"Uh... You must be Ms. Wang, right? Dylan told me you were coming to visit him! I'm really glad to meet you, ma'am! My name is Shen Yue."
Yue bent down as a sign of respect.
"What a beautiful smile" said Ms. Wang, enchanted.
Yue blushed and looked down.
"Thank you" she whispered shyly.
"I'm happy to meet you. I tasted your cake... You are really great!"
"Yeah... She said I have to marry you" laughed Dylan, who was finally back in his almost full mental faculty.
"You said the same thing when you tasted it" Yue replied, amused.
Ms. Wang watched the two laugh together and suddenly she felt she was the third wheel.
"Please come in! May I offer you a cup of tea, madam?" Yue asked her.
"Another time, little tiger. We have to go out soon, right? I have to get ready. Mom, Yue and her friends are throwing me a birthday party" Dylan said.
"Oh, really?! What a kind thought! Thank you, Yue! Then I really have to decline the invitation... But I hope to see you again soon!" Ms. Wang exclaimed.
"Of course! When you want, you know where to find me!" Yue smiled.
Wang He Di and his mother greeted Shen Yue.
Before returning to his apartment, though, Dylan leaned towards Yue and whispered a very fast: "You're beautiful in that dress".