An old man in Beijing, who was out bird-walking, had just hung his birdcage on a tree. Before he could admire his pet, he saw a female reporter in a light grey suit emerge from the side. The old man, unused to such a situation, felt a bit dizzy looking at the professional equipment of the photographer.
"What is this you are..."
As the old man was about to ask, thinking he shouldn't startle the bird, the female reporter thrust the microphone bearing the logo "Youth and the Internet" towards his face. The old man raised his eyebrows, determined not to lose face. He quickly found the camera, his expression stern and his posture upright.
"Sir, hello, I am a columnist reporter from 'Youth and the Internet' magazine. May I ask if you know about online dating?"
"You mean, after living all these years, is there anything I wouldn't know?"
"Then please say a few words."
"Oh, I can't do that, I'm bird-walking right now."
With that, the old man took down his birdcage from the tree, gave a proper military salute to the camera, and then 'fled in disarray'!
The胖子 (Pangzi), carrying the equipment, watched the old man recede into the distance and asked helplessly, "Lin Mei Mei, should we chase?"
"Chase what? If athletes had this kind of spirit, there would be no Black people in sprint races."
This female reporter in the light grey suit, with her neat and smooth hair, was Lin Han. The photographer carrying the professional equipment was 胖子. Following my instructions, they were conducting 'crazy' interviews in seven or eight communities centered around Lina's residential area.
As per my instructions, they could interview old men and women. With the professional photography equipment 胖子 had just bought, no one had yet suspected that 'Youth and the Internet' magazine was a fabrication.
Just then, our real target appeared. Lina emerged from the residential complex and was walking towards us. 胖子 patted the equipment and guided Lin Han's gaze towards Lina.
"Action!"
Lin Han said, and she started running in her high heels, with 胖子 chasing behind her with the equipment. The two of them ran past Lina like a gust of wind. Lina, who had returned from overseas and was dressed very fashionably, stopped in her tracks, attracted by the scene, and turned to watch the comical sight.
Past Lina, in the distance, there was a large Sophora tree. Under the tree, a group of old men were playing chess. One sharp-eyed old man saw Lin Han running past at lightning speed and shouted, "Damn it, it's that girl again. Scatter!"
The old men divided their tasks in an orderly fashion, some carrying chessboards, others small stools, and quickly retreated from Lin Han's interview range.
"Chase!"
Lin Han was a bit anxious. She was wearing high heels, and 胖子, carrying the professional equipment, was panting. They really couldn't catch up to these old men by speed.
"Don't chase anymore, let me catch my breath."
Just then, Lina walked over from the distance and greeted them, "Hello!"
Lin Han scanned the street, her eyes not on Lina. 胖子, on the other hand, looked timidly like he had seen a beauty, "Hello, hello!"
"Interview work must be very hard. Which magazine are you from?"
"Youth and the Internet."
"How come I've never heard of or seen this magazine before?"
Lin Han pouted, "Have you seen all the magazines in Beijing? You really have a lot of time. Don't you need to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom?"
"Why are you talking like that? You're a reporter, don't you have at least basic manners?"
With that remark, Lin Han successfully angered Lina. 胖子 pulled Lin Han along and then, as if incidentally, patted the lettering on the photography equipment, saying, "This is our website. Feel free to check it out online when you have time."
...
Lina watched Lin Han and 胖子 retreat and muttered, "They're all crazy. They want to understand online dating and go ask old men and women, what can they find out?"
At this moment, Chang Dachun drove past Lina. He had bought a new news command vehicle from a news agency. The vehicle had a satellite receiver on its roof, and large new characters were pasted on it: 'A magazine solely for young people, Youth and the Internet, helping you find that special someone on the other end of the internet who makes your heart flutter.' As he drove past Lina, Chang Dachun deliberately drove very slowly, using the website address on the vehicle to reinforce Lina's memory.
Around two o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Han returned to our base camp (Da Huang's home). She kicked off her high heels and walked into the living room barefoot, plopping herself onto the sofa. "These old men and women are truly worthy of being called guerrilla fighters, so hard to catch. You've worn this old lady out." With that, Lin Han reached for a cigarette on the coffee table, then her gaze flickered to me, sitting at the computer in the bedroom.
Unhappily, Lin Han threw the cigarette pack back onto the coffee table and said loudly, "Police uncle, didn't you have a place in the dormitory building? Why are you still hanging around here, refusing to leave?"
"I'll leave once I'm done with my work."
Hearing me say that, Lin Han quietly picked up the cigarette pack and walked towards the balcony. Without turning my head, I said to her, my back to her, "No smoking!"
"Who's smoking? I'm just going to the balcony to see if 胖子 bought the boxed meals yet?"
Lin Han said, putting the cigarette pack back on the coffee table, then strode into the bedroom and sat cross-legged on the bed. She saw me writing an article on the fake website again. She pouted displeasedly, "What story are you writing today?"
"A story about being tricked out of two hundred and ninety thousand yuan because I shared a liking for the same song with an online friend."
"Sharing a liking for the same song and being tricked out of two hundred and ninety thousand yuan? Isn't that just being foolish?"
"Of course not, it only shows the other party's skillful methods."
What I wrote on the fake website was a true story. Xiao Hong (pseudonym), while bored, searched and found a netizen from her city. After adding them, they chatted for a bit, and suddenly the other person asked, "I'm listening to 'Happy Breakup,' do you like this song?" Xiao Hong loved this song, captivated by its melody and lyrics. She quickly developed a good impression of this unknown netizen. Thus, they started chatting back and forth. The internet was virtual; since they didn't have to meet, Xiao Hong said anything she dared, and they became more and more comfortable.
Consequently, this netizen became familiar with Xiao Hong. From then on, every day when Xiao Hong logged on, regardless of whether the netizen was online, a thoughtful morning greeting would be sent to her. Gradually, Xiao Hong gained a clear understanding of the netizen's identity. The netizen was three years older than her and had much more experience than Xiao Hong, who had been working in Beijing for several years after college graduation. Most of the time, the netizen would talk about his hardships, his perseverance, and his resilient character.
Apart from that, the netizen never said anything inappropriate. Until one day, the netizen suddenly sent a picture. The picture was of a sapphire ring from the Qianlong era. He also attached a note saying he was recently involved in collection and investment, with professional assistance, and the risk was not high. He asked if Xiao Hong wanted to participate. Xiao Hong had worked in Beijing for a few years and was a decent white-collar worker. She had some spare cash and could afford to dabble in collection and investment. However, regarding investment, Xiao Hong remained cautious. She didn't believe in pie in the sky and politely declined.
The netizen didn't say much more. Afterward, the netizen increased the frequency of topics related to collection and investment, constantly laying the groundwork. He even sent Xiao Hong a website, which was an exclusive website for auction houses. The website listed antiques for bidding in real names. The person who bid the highest within the specified time would go to the auction house for collection verification. After verification, they could purchase the antique at the website's bid price.
Xiao Hong, having heard the netizen talk so much, subconsciously felt that such a purchasing process should be quite reliable. So, Xiao Hong decided to try with one thousand yuan. Under the netizen's guidance, she bought a ring from the Panjiayuan antique market for 850 yuan and then auctioned it online according to the process. The response was very good. Xiao Hong, with a clear conscience, took the ring to the auction house for appraisal. It sold for 2126 yuan, making a profit of over one thousand yuan, doubling her investment!
Unable to contain her excitement, Xiao Hong returned home and immediately contacted the netizen online. The netizen praised Xiao Hong as a little lucky star in the collecting world, then praised her vaguely. Because it was real money, Xiao Hong's trust in the netizen increased significantly, and the value of the antiques she bought later grew. The last item was a rare jade pendant, known as the "white glove."
The merchant asked for 350,000 yuan for this jade pendant. The netizen negotiated the price down to 290,000 yuan. 290,000 was almost all of Xiao Hong's savings. Moreover, before buying it, she specifically asked the auction house if, with imperial poetry from the Qianlong Emperor, this jade pendant would be worth at least ten times its price.
After listing this item on the auction website, Xiao Hong couldn't eat or sleep. She checked the bids every so often. The final price was set at 610,000 yuan. As Xiao Hong was about to proceed with the transaction, she received a call from the netizen. The netizen told her that a buyer was willing to pay 3 million yuan for the jade pendant.
Imperial white jade, for everlasting descendants. The netizen had long mentioned his target price. Xiao Hong felt she had already made a huge profit at 610,000 yuan, but 3 million yuan tempted her. With 3 million yuan, she could buy a house in Beijing and get a Beijing hukou.
After much deliberation, Xiao Hong canceled the auction house transaction and traded the jade pendant with a stranger. At the time, Xiao Hong saw the three million yuan transferred into her account, and when she checked, the three million yuan had arrived.
Just as Xiao Hong was happily returning home, she couldn't resist checking her bank balance again. As a result, her account was frozen.
It was then that Xiao Hong realized she had been tricked. She quickly called the police. Coincidentally, the police were also looking for her, as her account had engaged in transactions with an illegal account, suspected of money laundering. Xiao Hong had no way to explain her predicament. Not only was her money stolen, but she was also suspected of a crime. Most terrifyingly, the netizen had vanished without a trace, and the person she had traded with was also nowhere to be found.
...
After I finished telling the story, Lin Han rubbed her feet and said, "Imperial Qianlong white jade pendant for everlasting descendants? This jade pendant is also called the white glove, worth 3 million? That netizen didn't lie, this jade pendant is worth that price."
"I didn't expect you to know so much about jade."
"Just generally. My father likes these things, so I picked some up."
"Who is your father?"
"Is that any of your business?"
We spent the Mid-Autumn Festival together that day. Chang Dachun had said that Lin Han was a young sister he rescued from a nightclub after she was drugged. After being rescued, Lin Han started hanging around with Chang Dachun and the other two Beijingers.
Normally, Lin Han was very sensitive about questions regarding her past. I knew the time wasn't right, so I didn't pry further and returned to the topic, "What do you think of this story I wrote?"
"It's so-so. In the 'Heartfelt Advice' section of the website, there are three stories you've made up, all about foolish women who were scammed."
"Two of these three stories are fake, and one is real. This story about Xiao Hong is based on information my boss helped me obtain. I excerpted part of it and put it online, but I didn't write the most exciting part."
Lin Han blinked in disbelief, "What could be exciting about being scammed?"
"This Xiao Hong's real name is Jiao Lirong. After she reported the crime, her account was unfrozen. Although the 290,000 yuan she was scammed out of was not recovered, a few days later, 290,000 yuan appeared in her account."
Lin Han, who had been dozing off while listening to the story, sat up straight when I said this, her eyes shining with excitement, "A twist in the plot! What happened?"
"The person who deposited the 290,000 yuan into her account was Lina! This Jiao Lirong is Lina's university classmate."
"Damn, that's interesting. Alright, Police uncle, keep talking, keep talking."
"It indicates that Lina is looking for Leng Yan."
"She's looking for him herself, hiring someone to find him. This Lina is quite something. Is she seeking revenge?"
"That cannot be confirmed. It could be revenge, or she might have fallen completely in love with Leng Yan, the scammer. It's precisely because of this that I had you two pose as a fake magazine to lure Lina in. Whether Lina is seeking revenge or looking for her lover, I can confirm one thing: she does not want to cooperate with the police."
Lin Han listened excitedly, kicking her legs around barefoot, eager to say, "What should I do next? What should I do?"
"Wait for her to submit an article to our email, then you go interview her."