Actor: Thank you.

The earliest known telephone scam dates back to 1939.

That year, Li Yunlong seized the equipment of a cavalry battalion, but the brigade commander made a phone call and took away three-quarters of the supplies.

In fact, there is a real case of this, and the "victim" was Brigade Commander Chen Geng.

Once, a brigade commander won a great victory and was showing off to everyone when he received a "Congratulations on getting rich" phone call from Marshal Liu Bocheng.

This is content from a TV series.

The first real fraud case in the country occurred in 60 when someone took a forged official letter to the head office of the People's Bank of China and withdrew 20 yuan in cash under the pretext that the Premier needed to allocate funds.

In 60, 20 yuan was a lot. Back then, an ordinary worker's monthly salary was only a few dozen yuan, and an eighth-grade worker only earned 100 yuan.

The guy who committed this crime truly embodied the ancient Chinese concept of "robbing the imperial treasury and visiting the empress's quarters."

Now, Zhang Yuan... or more accurately, Li Xin, has been scammed.

The girl tried calling several times but couldn't get through, wondering if the other party was too busy.

But Zhang Yuan, being an observer, had already realized what was happening.

"Really?" Miss Li looked bewildered after hearing his words.

Zhang Yuan rubbed his forehead.

His grandma's.

I'm usually the one who lies to others, but I even dare to lie to Hua Yi's father.

I stumbled today and got scammed!
I get drunk easily from alcohol and infatuated with beauty; I never thought I'd end up like this.

Zhang Yuan felt helpless.

I should have asked more questions myself.

"Then let me ask you, are you familiar with this number that called?"

“I don’t recognize it, it’s an unfamiliar number.” Li Xin shook her head.

"Do you know that person?"

“I think we know each other.” Ms. Li shook her head again: “The other person said he was my high school classmate and was in a great hurry to get money for medical treatment.”

"They said the person is already in the operating room and is dying."

"What accent does the other person have?" Zhang Yuan asked again.

Li Xin frowned and thought for a moment: "It sounds a bit like a Taiwanese accent."

"That's it." Zhang Yuan clapped his hands. "You heard that accent, didn't you have even the slightest doubt?"

Do you have any classmates from Taiwan?

"Yes!" Li Xin nodded vigorously.

"I..." Zhang Yuan was about to curse when he suddenly remembered that Li Xin was from Bacheng, which is in Kunshan.

Kunshan is home to 60% of all Taiwanese-owned businesses in China, and has more than 10 Taiwanese residents.

So it's normal for some of her classmates to have children of Taiwanese compatriots.

That was just a lucky coincidence.

However, this girl was really naive; she didn't even realize it was an obvious scam.

Zhang Yuan has also received many such calls, where the callers immediately claim to be classmates, colleagues, or distant relatives.

There were also those who claimed to be their superiors, speaking in a very stern tone, telling them to come to the office the next day to explain things.

When asked who he was, he angrily retorted, "You don't even know who I am?"

"Do they even respect their superiors anymore?!"

"Ah, so you're one of my superiors. Is there a new mission on the mainland?"

"Stealing nuclear bomb blueprints, or sabotaging the Three Gorges Dam?" That's how Zhang Yuan replied.

The other party hung up the phone abruptly.

"Do I know something I shouldn't know...?" the person on the other end thought.

These kinds of scams targeting government officials are all common tactics.

If you feel guilty, the other party will take advantage of the situation and continue to probe for information until they find your weakness.

They claim to be part of the same system as the courts, police, and even disciplinary inspection departments.

Some corrupt officials, feeling guilty, panic when they receive such calls.

Moreover, they were too afraid to report the scam to the police.

How to say?
The money I painstakingly saved up for the refrigerator has been swindled away. Is there no justice? Is there no law?

Therefore, there are also those who steal from the eaves, which are thieves who specifically target officials' homes because they are unlikely to be reported to the police.

In his previous life, Zhang Yuan had met international students at construction sites; some were from Australia, some from Britain, and some from Canada.

Every year, a large number of Taiwanese telecom fraud teams are deported from these Commonwealth countries.

Because the laws of these countries state that as long as you commit telecom fraud but not against our people, at most you will be deported, but you will not be sentenced to prison.

Hiding overseas makes it easier to launder money and avoids investigation by the mainland.

These countries are eager to see China make a fool of itself.

But karma is a cycle, and no one escapes the wrath of Heaven.

Later, one of the pillars of India's "service industry" was telecommunications fraud against these English-speaking countries.

After all, you guys like to use Indians as customer service outsourcing, and they have the advantage of being close to the source.

"Fine, whatever their accent or what they said."

"If you think the other person is related to someone, just call that classmate now and ask, and you'll find out."

Li Xin was completely bewildered at this point, but after hearing his words, she began to understand.

She's not stupid, just a little too honest.

Female celebrities who were cheated out of their money, such as Meng Guangmei, Yan Danchen, and Tang Wei, were deceived by either telecommunications fraud or their lovers.

These women all have a somewhat naive and straightforward quality.

Someone as clever as Yang Mi wouldn't be fooled.

Ms. Li managed to get her classmate's phone number from someone.

The fact that you have to ask someone for their phone number suggests that the relationship is just so-so, not that of close friends.

Even so, I still got scammed... It's just that I'm still a decent person, willing to help even strangers.

Just as he said, the other party said that he and his family were fine and told her to call the police immediately.

After putting down her phone, the girl stared blankly ahead, her eyes devoid of any expression.

In addition to the 20 yuan given by Zhang Yuan, she also paid 40 yuan of her own money.

This 40 yuan was her entire salary for filming "Dream of the Red Chamber"!

The entire process, from casting and training to filming, took more than three years.

All the income I've gained so far is a one-time, all-inclusive package!

How can you not be stupid?

Someone with a weaker mental fortitude might have contemplated jumping off a building.

After a long while, seeing that she remained silent.

"It's also my fault for not reminding you," he said, rubbing his temples.

If I had asked one more question, this might not have happened.

I saw that the other person was anxious to make amends because they had suffered even a little bit of emotional hurt, so I didn't ask any more questions.

"How can this be your fault? It's my fault for being stupid." She lowered her head, her voice trembling with tears.

It took him a while to lift his head.

"I will pay you back that money, but it will take some time."

"Now is not the time to bring these things up."

"I'm glad you're alright," Zhang Yuan comforted him.

"Hey."

Hearing him say that, the girl cried even harder.

Not only was he stupid, but he also got swindled out of all his money.

It also implicated others.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuan sighed, patted the other person on the back, and helped her catch her breath.

20 is not a particularly large sum for me right now.

At least it won't cause serious injury.

But the thought of it all going down the drain still makes me feel a little bad.

However, Li Xin must be feeling even worse.

Only then did he realize that he seemed to remember it.

This guy got scammed, and more than once.

Later, I think there was another time in Shanghai when I was scammed by someone impersonating a police officer.

It seems that it was because of her that ATMs across the country started displaying a series of signs warning against telecom fraud.

It can be considered as making a small contribution to society...

Seeing that her crying had subsided a little, Zhang Yuan said softly.

“I know you’re upset, but the most important thing right now is to call the police.”

"Hmm!" She suddenly remembered this.

He took out his phone to make a call, but Zhang Yuan stopped him.

"Wait a minute, don't rush, we need to go over the words."

"What word?" Miss Li asked, puzzled.

"How much money was scammed in total?"

“I have 40, you have 20, that’s 60 in total.”

"When the police ask during the investigation, 'Whose money is it? Are you planning to reveal my name too?'"

"if not?"

Zhang Yuan: …

Still young.

The film set was surrounded by spies.

Many paparazzi have extensive connections and connections within the system.

"Believe it or not, I'll tell you I'll lend you money today."

"It will be reported tomorrow."

"Then the audience will ask, why would I lend you money?"

"Besides, being scammed is not a good thing, and it will make the audience think I'm stupid."

Men and women are different.

When a woman is scammed, some fans sympathize with her, and some even find her silly and cute.

But when a man is scammed, the audience will just say "idiot".

Li Xin bit her lip lightly.

Yes, after I came clean, the other person didn't confirm our romantic relationship.

Although I really wanted to be his girlfriend, the kind with a formal title, I failed.

If she's not my girlfriend, why would she lend me money? This is something that viewers will definitely wonder about.

This could potentially affect his on-screen image.

Yup!

Li Xin suddenly realized that he didn't need to lend me money. After all, I wasn't his girlfriend.

But he still lent it to me without asking a single question. He simply said I needed it and gave it to me.

Now that I know there's been a problem with the money, they haven't blamed me at all.

He's so nice... and he's much more thoughtful than I am.

"How about this, I'll have my assistant do it for me, and you can just say it was lent to you by my assistant."

"Anyway, she has acted before, so it doesn't feel out of place."

I called the police as he instructed.

Zhang Yuan specifically asked Zhao Dandan to go back to his room with her to meet the police.

He himself never showed up.

He knew he wouldn't get the money back.

I have no idea which country's account it was transferred to.

Let's accept this loss and buy ourselves some peace.

It's better than having Cheng Hao find out and pull your ear after it's exposed...

It took about an hour before his assistant and Li Xin came to his room to report on the situation.

"The police have opened a case and said they will investigate."

"Leave us your phone number so we can stay in touch."

The assistant spoke steadily.

"I know, go and get some rest... Don't mention this when you get home," he instructed.

"Okay." The assistant nodded and then quickly left.

Li Xin sat back on the sofa, dejected.

Am I really that stupid?

"The police said that this kind of thing usually only happens to the elderly, because they are all senile."

"They've never seen a young person like this before."

“That’s because they’re not knowledgeable enough,” Zhang Yuan replied without hesitation.

There will be plenty of opportunities for these police officers to broaden their horizons in the future.

This is nothing.

In a few years, when the industries of the major families in northern Myanmar have become systematic, you will realize that this matter has no age limit.

"Are you just trying to comfort me?" Li Xin pursed her lips and looked at him.

"No, I'm serious. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Just learn from them."

"I understand, I will definitely remember it."

"Now that you've lost all your money, and you'll have to go back to the capital in a few years, will you have enough money to live on?" Zhang Yuan leaned forward.

"I……"

"You don't even have enough money for a train ticket back, do you?"

"We still have enough for the train tickets."

But that's only enough for the train ticket.

"You'll be staying with the 'Dream of the Red Chamber' production team for a while after you go back."

"Whether I go back to Shanghai or continue to develop in Beijing, I will need to rent a house, eat and drink, buy clothes, and take transportation."

Zhang Yuan counted on his fingers.

"How about this, I'll give you another 100,000, no, I'll lend you 100,000."

"Spend frugally, and you should be able to make it until you land a job."

"If that's not enough, you can call me... Why are you crying again?"

Zhang Yuan thought that she was a newcomer, and Rong Xinda's brokerage business was not very good, so it would be difficult for her to make money.

But as they were talking, the other person started crying.

I cried several times that night.

At first, I was angry and annoyed, feeling that I had misplaced my sincerity.

Later, I cried because I was so stupid.

I feel somewhat moved now.

He had said some harsh words and his attitude was very bad; he had completely turned his back on me.

But they still wanted to help me through this difficult time and continued to take care of me.

[Received a thank you message from Li Xin: Kunqu Opera Basics +3, Kunqu Opera Techniques +2, Wu Dialect Basics +4!]

Wow!
She suddenly leaned forward and reached out to hug Zhang Yuan's neck.

She buried her head in his shoulder and began to cry, her body trembling.

"Okay, okay, it's okay."

"A little setback, but I'll earn that money back quickly."

"My clothes are all wet from crying."

"And didn't you say before that you never wanted to see me again in this lifetime..."

Before Zhang Yuan could finish speaking, the girl's sobbing and trembling stopped abruptly.

Then, as he had done before, he quickly got up and jogged out of his room.

"I misspoke..."

He forgot that she was not even 20 years old, and young girls are easily embarrassed.

He was probably angry when his shortcomings were exposed on the spot.

"Alright."

"To avoid any further trouble."

He was tired and decided to go to bed to rest.

beep, beep...

But just as I lay down and started to feel sleepy, there was another knock on the door.

I rubbed my eyes and came to the door.

"What's going on today? My place is really popular."

Upon opening the door, a familiar figure appeared before me.

I'm so familiar with it that I've seen the exact same thing several times tonight.

It's still Li Xin.

Zhang Yuan looked completely bewildered.

Didn't you run away?

Why did they come back after only a few minutes?

The girl stopped crying and even looked a little shy.

"What's the matter?"

"Which student has a family member in trouble?"

"Oh dear..." she muttered, realizing the other person was joking.

After letting her into the house, the other person stopped and spoke.

"I haven't yet expressed my gratitude for the money you lent me before."

"Although I was scammed, I am still very grateful to you for helping me."

"Also, you just said you'd lend me money to live on."

“I’ve thought it through. I want it back, and I’ll pay you back the 20 yuan along with it later.”

Li Xin was unwilling to lend the money again, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

But then it occurred to her that if she borrowed money from the other person, she could reconnect after repaying it, so…

"Finally, I'd like to take back what I said earlier, is that alright?"

"What?"

"It's what I said... I never want to see you again." She lowered her head, swaying her body, and stammered.

"I didn't take it seriously in the first place."

He relaxed considerably after seeing that the other party had lifted the "personal restraining order".

No need to worry about hurting someone's feelings and affecting your ability to poach talent from Rongxinda.

"Really?"

"real."

"You don't hate me for what I did just now?"

"No, you're just angry. I'm partly to blame too."

"Don't say that, I just didn't do well."

"Whether it's how I interact with you or the way I handle things," Li Xin displayed an attitude completely different from when she "brought things to a showdown" some time ago.

They used to be quite tough.

Now it's like an 80-year-old man seeing a bikini-clad woman—he can't get an erection even if he wants to.

"Alright, you've been through a lot today, you must be quite tired."

"Don't blame yourself."

"I'll transfer the money to you tomorrow."

"Okay." She never looked up, as if she couldn't look herself in the eye: "Without you, I don't even know how I would live."

"If I call my parents to ask for money, I will definitely be scolded."

"They never wanted me to leave the Kunqu Opera Theatre, which was a secure job."

You can't say it's ironclad, but Kunqu Opera's situation is even worse than Peking Opera's. Even if you master it, you might not be able to make a living... Zhang Yuan understands his parents' desire for their child to have a stable career.

"Now that you're here, I don't have to worry about these things."

"Let's get this straight: if I ask you for money, you have to treat me according to the market standard."

"I'll give you bank interest, after all, it's several hundred thousand, not a small amount."

You can't refuse!

She stopped Zhang Yuan from speaking before he could.

"to make."

Girls also have self-esteem.

Moreover, this kind of straightforward self-esteem is stronger than that of ordinary people.

"It's good that you agree."

"Then I'll give you some interest now."

"Didn't you run out of money?"

Zhang Yuan was puzzled when he saw the other person pull out a dark-colored object from his pocket.

A jolt!
A pair of black, lace-trimmed, used stockings appeared on his bed.

She suddenly ran away just now to go back to her room to get her "equipment".

Zhang Yuan glanced at the stockings, then at the other person who was still looking down.

If you're using this as interest, then I'm not sleepy anymore! (End of Chapter)