Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

The door opened, and Chen Fang led Chang Hao, who was dressed in a police uniform, and two other police officers in.

Behind him was his uncle, Chen Jingge, carrying a briefcase and looking serious. After graduating from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, he is now the editor-in-chief of a new media company. Yesterday, Jiang Haoran told him that the factory had a big order and asked him to come back today to check it out. He had just returned early this morning and met with his sister, Chen Fang.

"Dad, not only is the mortgage document fake, but the contract is a trap!" Jiang Haoran's voice was like ice, instantly piercing the oppressive atmosphere of the office. "These people are complete swindlers!"

Jiang Tao's face darkened instantly, then he adopted a wronged expression, his eyes even showing fake redness: "Haoran, those words are hurtful. I was kindly helping our family get orders, running around connecting with big companies like Hengtong, and you're accusing me of slander?"

"Still not giving up, huh?" Chang Hao stepped forward, flashing his badge crisply. "Jiang Tao, I'm Chang Hao, captain of the Economic Crime Investigation Team of the ZJ City Criminal Investigation Detachment. We suspect you of involvement in a series of contract frauds. Come with us to the station for questioning."

"Scam?" Jiang Jianguo jumped up, the chair legs scraping loudly on the concrete floor. "Captain Chang, isn't there some misunderstanding? Taozi is my distant nephew, how could he possibly scam me?"

Jiang Tao, grasping at a straw, frantically reached for his briefcase: "Uncle, do you think this is a misunderstanding? Hengtong is a big company in Suzhou, and their parent company is a listed state-owned enterprise with a market value of tens of billions. How could they lie to us? These documents all have official seals, take a look!"

But as soon as his wrist touched the document, the police officer grabbed him firmly and he couldn't move. The two people next to him were also taken into custody.

"No need to look anymore, all the qualifications are forged." Chang Hao slammed a stack of verification documents stamped with official seals on the table, his voice as cold as ice. "After joint verification with the SZ Market Supervision Bureau and the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Hengtong Company's registered address is fake, and the so-called 'subsidiary of a listed state-owned enterprise' is a complete fraud. It can't even be found in the enterprise credit information system."

"As for the copper futures collateral, we have already checked with the Shanghai Futures Exchange, and the corresponding warehouse receipts do not exist at all. We also went to the warehouse to check in person, and there was nothing there except for empty shelves covered in dust."

Jiang Tao swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead and into his collar. His fingers unconsciously fiddled with the edge of his briefcase, yet he still stubbornly insisted, "You're talking nonsense! Hengtong has an excellent reputation in Suzhou's foreign trade circle. How could they be fraudsters?"

Jiang Haoran sneered inwardly—these scams were utterly naive and laughable in his eyes, given his experience of weathering the storms of the future.

Who could have imagined that those giants who would later stir up the capital market, such as Evergrande with a market value of trillions and Zhongzhi Group with a financing scale of hundreds of billions, would not rely on empty promises but instead use complex related-party transactions to trap countless suppliers and investors.

Compared to those shocking scams that easily trigger a chain reaction, Hengtong's trick of defrauding hundreds of thousands of yuan in advance payments with fake mortgages is not even a beginner's level.

"Stop pretending." Jiang Haoran took half a step forward, his voice firm and resolute. "Last year, your trading company in Suzhou was sued by your partner for embezzling two million yuan of company funds. You poured all that money into the online game 'Myth' to buy top-tier equipment and support your guild."

"Now you're being sued by your former company, listed as a dishonest debtor, and your partners are besieging your home every day demanding repayment. You're hoping to use this 'fake deal' to swindle money to cover your losses. Am I right?"

Jiang Haoran took half a step forward, his eyes sharp as knives. "You created the 'Number One Under Heaven' guild in the game, and over the years, you've spent millions on top-tier equipment, becoming the number one 'Brother Tao' in the entire server, wielding immense power in the virtual world. Half of that money was embezzled public funds, and the other half was advance payments you fraudulently obtained from other factories. Am I right?"

"How did you know..." Jiang Tao's voice cracked instantly, like a rooster being choked, and the color drained from his face at a visible speed.

He kept this secret more closely than his life—in his previous life, even his parents didn't know how much money he had spent on online games until the police followed the clues, froze his game account, and retrieved his recharge records.

The office was so quiet you could hear the sparrows fluttering outside the window. Jiang Jianguo stared at Jiang Tao's deathly pale face, his voice trembling: "Taozi, is what he said true? You embezzled public funds to play games?"

"He's spreading rumors!" Jiang Tao panicked completely and struggled to grab the contract on the table, but the police officer pinned his arms behind his back and pressed him against the table.

Chang Hao took out his phone and shoved the screen in front of Jiang Tao's eyes: "This is the recharge record that the operators of 'Myth' just sent."

"You've spent a total of 2.76 million in the past three years. Of that, 1.2 million was company funds from your former company, and 1.56 million was the hard-earned money from three factories. For the sake of the 'Brother Tao' title in the game, you even swindled your own uncle. Has your conscience been completely devoured by dogs?"

Faced with irrefutable evidence, Jiang Tao's mental defenses completely collapsed. He slumped into his chair with a thud, trying to steady himself by bracing his hands on the table, but the chair slid back half a foot along with him.

His voice trembled uncontrollably, and he cried as he explained, "I really didn't mean to... I spent several thousand yuan on equipment at first, but then I lost in PvP and got mocked, so I kept spending more and more because I was unwilling to accept it. Dozens of people in the guild call me 'Brother Tao,' saying they can't hold up without me. If I didn't have money to buy potions and supplies, they would have disbanded long ago..."

"For that fleeting spectacle in the game, you ruined yourself and dragged more than a dozen factories down with you?" Uncle Chen Jingge finally couldn't help but speak, his voice almost bursting with anger.

"My brother-in-law treated you like a savior, emptying his savings to raise the initial investment. That 300,000 yuan was his money saved to pay the workers' wages! There was also a million-yuan bank loan. By lying to him, you're throwing the livelihoods of dozens of workers to the ground!"

Seeing Jiang Tao's distraught state, Jiang Jianguo turned to look at his son, his eyes suddenly welling up with tears, the bloodshot veins clearly visible.

He recalled pointing his finger at Haoran this morning and yelling "meddling!", remembered his son going out early to find evidence, and remembered how he almost pushed the factory into a fire because of greed. He raised his hand and slapped his thigh hard: "Foolish! I'm really getting senile!"

"Dad, it's alright." Jiang Haoran stepped forward and supported his father's trembling arm, his tone steady. "We haven't signed the contract yet, and Jiang Tao has been arrested. The police are investigating. Our factory hasn't suffered a single penny in losses."

Chang Hao gestured to the police officers to help the limp Jiang Tao up. Before leaving, he patted Jiang Haoran on the shoulder and said, "Young man, the clues you provided were crucial. They helped us dismantle a fraud gang involved in over ten million yuan. I'll let you know as soon as there are any updates."