After Master Wang turned against us, I stayed in Ruili for about a week. Almost all the victims showed up. While they couldn't be certain they were all swindled by Boss Xie, their detailed accounts of their fraudulent experiences to the police, coupled with the police's investigation and evidence collection, led to Boss Xie's guilt being established one by one.
With multiple counts of fraud and the involvement of human lives, it was impossible for Boss Xie to ever walk out of prison.
Some things are fated to be achieved or ruined by the same person. These victims all came to Ruili. It was because I had posted a thousand-word essay in the comments section of Boss Xie's forum post, sincerely detailing my own experience of being swindled.
I believed that my experience was similar to that of many other victims and would surely resonate with them. Most importantly, at the end of my post, I mentioned that a mysterious person had deposited the amount I was swindled out of into my account, because I had provided evidence to the police.
This was the ultimate use I found for that over four million yuan: returning the swindled money under the guise of a mysterious benefactor. For this, I meticulously recorded the names and accounts of the victims when they gave their statements to the police. I then cross-referenced them online and returned their money.
Some of the victims, after being swindled, completely cut ties with jade. They might have deleted their posts and never visited that forum again. I did my best to contact them. I believe some of them even exaggerated the amount they were swindled out of. Even so, after deducting the amounts I and Lao Tie were swindled out of, I was left with over a million yuan.
With money, I transferred Lao Tie to a good hospital in Beijing. Under meticulous treatment, Lao Tie woke up. His parents stayed in Beijing to take care of him, while I left them some money and returned to my hometown.
Life returned to its former state, and I once again became the useless shut-in.
Did this experience completely change me?
I decided to plan my life as a strategist. With money in hand, my first move was to invest in fixed assets. Being in the north, I bought two houses and five garages, and ten connected parking spaces in the basement of a residential complex.
I believed that houses would continue to appreciate, but I thought garages would increase in value even more. Due to the cold weather, garages had a profit margin beyond the fluctuations in housing prices.
After purchasing the garages and parking spaces, I quickly rented them out at prices slightly below market rate.
After this simple planning, my life completely transformed. I began to believe what Lao Gui had said: a strategist doesn't necessarily have to be involved in scams; life itself is full of strategic maneuvers.
Having quit my job, my time became abundant. I got a membership at a decent gym in the city and learned martial arts with a personal trainer. I joined a climbing club and learned alongside teenagers. I also hired a tutor to improve my foreign language skills.
After a busy month of this, I realized I was deliberately trying to suppress what I was thinking about. The experience in Ruili couldn't be described as just unforgettable; it was etched into my very bones.
I loved those thrilling days, loved being like a screenwriter, planning and deceiving people.
Every day, I deliberately indulged this fondness, while simultaneously running away from it, afraid to face it.
However, some things truly cannot be changed. I was actively preparing. One day, I went to a familiar bookstall where I often read fantasy novels. Sometimes, I would be so engrossed that I would spend my entire waking hours reading. The bookstall owner knew me well. He looked at me and said, "I have a few new novels. Do you want to rent them?" The covers of these new fantasy novels were alluring, but my mind must have been addled. I inexplicably asked, "Boss, do you have Sun Tzu's Art of War, or the Thirty-Six Stratagems?"
Time passed quickly, and Lao Tie fully recovered. His parents returned. Lao Tie told me via QQ that he wanted to stay and work in Beijing, believing that a big city would broaden his horizons and teach him more skills.
Since childhood, Lao Tie had always been smarter than me, and his learning ability was very strong. When we were in Ruili, if we hadn't encountered the swindlers, with the professional knowledge Lao Tie had acquired, our lives might have taken a different turn.
Constant learning and physical exertion didn't fill the void within me. I was like a sponge, absorbing different kinds of knowledge.
When sparring with my trainer, I became engrossed in the fight. When I knocked him to the ground, I suddenly realized he could teach me no more. I smiled, put down my fists, bowed to the trainer, and then paid for ten more private sessions at the front desk. I was very grateful for his dedicated instruction, and I knew I wouldn't be coming back.
I went to the climbing training area and, without safety ropes or climbing gear, scaled the wall barefoot and descended the same way. As I came down, I saw the furious trainer: "Tang Nan, are you crazy? You're risking your life!"
I smiled faintly and waved goodbye to the climbing coach: "Goodbye, Coach!"
I continuously enriched myself, planning for the future. When I discovered that no matter what I did, I couldn't fill the emptiness within me, I canceled all my study appointments and reverted to my original state.
Bored, I thought of computer games again. While playing online in an internet cafe, I noticed someone who was exceptionally skilled, landing headshots with every shot. I stood behind him, watching his gameplay intently. He was steady and incredibly focused, completely unaware of my presence.
I returned to my seat and pondered for a long time before downloading a cheat program online. The kid played very well, but in front of the cheat, he was utterly defeated. I saw him stand up in a rage, shouting, asking who was using the cheat program. I raised my hand: "I am."
"Are you using a cheat program?"
"Do you have proof?"
"I can tell by looking at your computer."
With that, he snatched my mouse without permission and found the screen was black. He sneered, "Even if you turned it off, the cheat is still there." He then tried to turn on the computer, but it wouldn't boot up at all.
I ignored the kid and waved to the owner. "My water spilled on the chassis, and the host seems to be fried. How much? I'll pay. Four thousand? Forget it. Is this computer even worth four thousand?"
As I paid the compensation and walked out, the kid still asked me, "Big brother, were you really using a cheat?"
I smiled faintly at him: "Goodbye."
After leaving the internet cafe, I went to the train station and bought a ticket to Ruili. Once on the train, I used my new phone to call my mother: "Mom, I'm going to Ruili. I might be gone for a while. The house is renovated, and I've paid for the moving company. You should move into the new house. Yes, don't worry, I'm going to see a friend, just want to meet him."