Volume 1 Chapter 20 Brainstorming

Mrs. Liang Zhenghua slumped into a chair at the school’s administrative office, her fingers gripping her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her head buzzed with noise, and on the surveillance screen before her, her son sat unharmed in the classroom, diligently working on his homework.

She had been deceived. Five hundred thousand yuan—vanished into thin air.

Her chest heaved violently, and her stomach churned as if she might vomit. Fixated on the phone screen, her heart pounded so fiercely it felt ready to burst. Then—

The phone rang again.

It was the same number.

Her fingers trembled, nearly tossing the phone as if struck by electricity. The vibration alert on the screen whispered like a demon’s voice, driving her fear to its peak.

She knew she shouldn’t answer, yet she couldn’t restrain her trembling hand from pressing the call button.

“Madam, please stay calm.” The voice on the other end was low and steady, with an undertone of reassurance, like an experienced psychologist soothing a patient’s anxieties. “Five hundred thousand yuan is but a minor oversight for you. But if this continues, it will no longer be a matter of money.”

“What do you want from me?!” Her voice was sharp, edged with hoarseness, eyes bloodshot. Her fingers dug into the leather of her handbag, leaving deep scratches.

A light chuckle came through the phone, as if the caller had anticipated her reaction. “Madam, we do not intend for you to lose that money. In fact, you can get your five hundred thousand back.”

Her eyes snapped wide open, pupils contracting sharply. “What… do you mean?”

“It’s simple.” The voice was calm. “We are an overseas financial consulting firm specializing in asset optimization. Your five hundred thousand hasn’t vanished—it’s just temporarily held in an account. If you’re willing to make a small ‘investment,’ the money will return to you quickly, potentially even doubling.”

Her mind exploded with confusion.

Investment? What did that mean?

Her reason warned her it was a scam, but her emotions had been stretched to the limit—humiliation, anger, and fear intermingling so thoroughly she had lost all capacity for calm judgment.

“How… how can I trust you?” Her voice wavered.

“Very simple. We won’t let you invest blindly.” The voice softened, slowing. “Please open your phone. We will assign you a dedicated investment advisor who will guide you on how to recover your five hundred thousand quickly—and even earn more.”

Her reason fought back, but her fingers instinctively unlocked her phone and, following the instructions, downloaded an app called “Global Investment Management.”

The interface looked highly professional, complete with real-time financial market analysis, scrolling candlestick charts, and global interest rate fluctuations—everything resembled a legitimate international financial investment platform.

“Madam, let’s try a test first,” the voice said gently. “You still have some balance in your account, right? Buy a small amount at random. Let’s see how it performs.”

Her heart raced, fingertips trembling slightly, but she followed the instructions, investing one hundred thousand on the platform without much thought.

Ten minutes later—

Her account showed a profit of fifty thousand!

Her eyes widened in disbelief, breath quickening. Though she had been scammed out of five hundred thousand, she had just earned fifty thousand in ten minutes?!

“How’s that?” The voice chuckled. “This is just a small demonstration. Madam, if you’re willing to invest another five hundred thousand, we can grow your account by over 50% within two hours.”

Her heart pounded fiercely.

Five hundred thousand? Could it really become seven hundred and fifty thousand in two hours?

She swallowed hard. Her reason told her this was too smooth, too perfect for a real market, but her emotions were now completely driven by greed and hope.

If it was true, not only would she recover her loss, but she could also make a substantial profit.

“But…” she hesitated, “what if…?”

“Madam, you’ve just tried it, haven’t you?” The voice was patient, almost pitying, as if comforting a confused investor. “And we’re willing to offer a special guarantee to give you peace of mind.”

“What… guarantee?”

“If your investment fails, we will compensate you 100%,” the voice said calmly. “All you need to do is increase your investment to three million yuan. We will provide an electronic agreement to ensure your funds’ safety.”

Three million?!

She gasped sharply. Though the recent profit had shaken her resolve, three million was far beyond what she could bear.

Instinctively, she wanted to refuse, but the caller clearly anticipated her.

“Madam, don’t rush,” the voice smiled. “You can start with one million. Try it. Once you profit, you can add more. After all, opportunities won’t wait.”

Her head throbbed, body trembling slightly.

She knew she should hang up, but her fingers, as if possessed, entered a transfer amount of one million yuan into her banking app, her heart pounding as if to explode.

Confirm payment.

Transaction successful!

She held her breath, eyes glued to the fluctuating funds on the investment app.

One minute passed.

Ten minutes passed.

Half an hour passed.

Her account truly began to profit, rising to one and a half million!

Her eyes widened, almost rising to her feet in excitement.

She had made money! Truly made money!

She exhaled deeply, her taut nerves finally loosening a bit.

Then suddenly, the phone screen flickered black, and immediately a red popup exploded onto the screen—

“Your account is suspected of illegal activity and has been frozen. Please contact customer service.”

Her breath stopped instantly. Her blood seemed to flow backward, and a chill spread over her entire body.

“Wha… what’s going on?!” she frantically tapped the screen, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t withdraw any funds.

The phone rang again.

Her hands trembled so much she barely held the phone. When she answered, the familiar low voice returned, laced with a teasing smile: “Madam, it seems your account has encountered a minor problem.”

“You lied to me!!” Her reason finally shattered completely. She screamed hysterically, “Give me back my money!!!”

“Don’t be impatient.” The voice remained unruffled. “To unfreeze the account, you only need to deposit another two million for fund verification. The system will unlock your account immediately.”

“Dream on!!!” Her voice rose to a shriek, like a cornered beast.

“Then there’s nothing more to be done.” The voice sighed, chuckling softly. “I hope your husband doesn’t blame you when millions vanish into thin air.”

The call ended.

Her world collapsed utterly. Her legs gave out, and she sank to her knees on the office floor, crying helplessly, utterly broken.