The Same Room

My name is Liliana Robinson, and my husband, Gene Cooper, and I live in a spacious 180-square-meter apartment in the heart of the city. That afternoon, I received a payment reminder from the electric company. When I opened it, I completely froze. This month's electricity consumption was a staggering 900 kWh. Normally, it's just Gene Cooper and me. During the day, we're both at work, and in the evening we only run the air conditioner and use some kitchen appliances. Before, our monthly bill never topped around 200 kWh. 900 kWh? How could that be possible? My first thought was that the electric company had made a mistake. I quickly pulled up the payment records from the past year and went through them one by one. Last month was 210 kWh, the month before that 198 kWh, and all the previous months hovered around 200. Only this month, the electricity usage skyrocketed to 900 kilowatt-hours. I grabbed my phone and rushed to the property management office. Reed, the guy on duty, frowned as he looked over the records. "Madam Robinson, your electricity consumption is definitely unusual. Could one of your appliances be malfunctioning? Like the fridge running nonstop, or the air conditioner not shutting off properly?" I shook my head. "Impossible. I check everything carefully every morning before I leave." "Both the air conditioner and fridge have been running normally, and the fridge has been in use for years without any prior issues." Reed thought for a moment: "Here's what I'll do: tomorrow, I'll have an electrician come to your home to check the wiring, to see if aging wires are causing leakage or if there's another issue." The very next morning, the electrician arrived. He carried his testing devices and meticulously inspected every socket and switch throughout the apartment—starting from the living room, moving to the bedroom, then the kitchen and bathroom—leaving no corner unchecked. I trailed behind him, my heart racing with worry. The test results came back: the electrician said the wiring was fine, all the appliances were working normally, and there was no leakage. "So then, how was this 900 kWh of electricity consumed?" My voice trembled with anxiety. The electrician scratched his head and said, "How about we take a look at the electric meter box? Sometimes the wiring inside can have issues." We walked together to the electric meter box in the hallway, opened it, and found the wiring inside was densely tangled. The electrician studied it carefully for a moment, then suddenly pointed to a wire. "Madam Robinson, look at this wire — it doesn't seem to belong to your apartment." I leaned in closer. I didn't understand wiring, but I could see that wire was connected to my electric meter, while the other end led to the apartment next door. "What's going on here?" I felt a sudden jolt in my chest. The electrician traced the wiring and discovered it was actually connected to the electric meter of Room 301 in the neighboring unit. "So, you mean Room 301 has been using electricity from your apartment all this time?" Reed arrived as well, and after inspecting the wiring, he said. I stood there, stunned, my mind completely blank. The neighboring unit, Room 301? I don't think I've ever seen anyone from that apartment before. Reed immediately got in touch with the owner of Room 301, and not long after, a well-dressed woman opened the door. She saw our group and looked confused. "Who are you looking for? What's going on?" Reed explained the situation to her, and the woman's expression changed instantly, shifting from confusion to panic. "No way, right? How could my place be using electricity from your home? Are you sure you checked correctly?" The woman said, forcing herself to stay calm. The electrician pointed to the wiring and said, "Look at this wire: one end is connected to Madam Robinson's electric meter, the other to yours. This is the proof." "Your home has been stealing electricity from Madam Robinson's place for over a year now."