He won 900 million in the lottery.

The third day after returning from the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Qiuya came to me and said, "The bar project failed. The four of them never intended it to be a business in the first place; they just wanted to scam people into investing and pocket their money."

I pressed my temples, wondering if Chen Sheng and that Director Zhang knew about this, whether they planned to frame me from the beginning, or if they were completely unaware and just wanted to go with the flow.

I took out my phone and called Chen Sheng directly: "Brother, the bar project has fallen through."

Chen Sheng's tone didn't change noticeably: "What happened?"

Me: "The company's evaluation didn't pass, but we still got in touch with Zhang Jiehui and the three people behind him. We've become acquainted with them. I'll let you know when there are new projects in the future."

Chen Sheng: "Okay, got it. Are you free tomorrow?"

Me: "There should be."

Chen Sheng: "Director Zhang and I will be going to your company tomorrow morning. Please make preparations."

After hanging up the phone, I started making plans in my mind.

It seems that Chen Sheng and Director Zhang were not deeply involved in the bar project; they were indeed involved halfway through and were unaware of the details.

In addition, they may simply be making introductions, casting a wide net, hoping to close as many deals as possible.

If you're coming to my company tomorrow, I suppose you have something to discuss.

Less than five minutes after I hung up the phone, I received a call from Haitao.

We were supposed to meet, but something came up and we had to cancel.

Haitao: "It's extremely urgent."

Me: "What?"

Haitao: "I need the money urgently."

Me: "How much?"

Haitao: "20."

Me: "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

When I need this amount of money, my first thought is that something must have happened to Haitao's family, and they urgently need the money.

Haitao: "Never mind that. Either lend me money or give me back my company shares."

I frowned: "The money has already been spent, how can we refund it to you? Even if we do, it will be at least next month, and your earnings will be reduced."

Haitao: "So how much do you have on hand right now?"

Me: "Tens of thousands of yuan, right?"

If someone asks to borrow a large sum of money from you, you can refuse directly and offer a very small amount. If they accept, be prepared that they might not be able to repay that tens of thousands of yuan in a short time, or that you don't need the money anymore. If they refuse, it's best not to lend them a single penny. Those who understand, understand; don't complain after you've already suffered a loss.

Haitao: "Okay, turn around now."

Me: "If you really need it urgently, ask your eldest and second eldest brothers; they have plenty of spare cash."

I'm not suggesting that Haitao borrow money from others, but rather indirectly inquiring whether he has borrowed money from anyone.

Haitao: "I've already borrowed from the eldest and second eldest brothers, so I'll stop here for now and we'll talk when we meet."

Haitao hung up the phone.

I thought to myself, "Oh no, he might have fallen victim to a telecom scam."

So he quickly called his boss: "Did Haitao ask you for money?"

The eldest brother, Zhang Luode, said: "I did call him. He needed 20 yuan urgently, but I didn't have that much on hand, so I didn't lend it to him."

Didn't you lend it?

I didn't investigate further at the moment, and quickly called my second brother, Zhao Chu.

"Yeah, he called saying he needed the money urgently, so I transferred it to him. Did he ask you for money too?"

"Um."

Zhao Chu: "Oh no, has he fallen victim to a telecom fraud?"

People say that when caught in a scam, those involved are often confused while bystanders see things clearly. Haitao must have been "brainwashed."

Me: "Quick! Call him and go find him!"

When I tried calling again, the phone was no longer reachable. I saw Haitao again in the evening at a local police station.

"What happened?"

Police officer: "Telecommunications fraud."

really.

After several rounds of questioning, Haitao finally recounted the entire process of how he was scammed by a telecom fraudster.

Liu Haitao is honest, loyal, and has no great ambitions; he's just a little womanizer.

The problem lies in its lust.

When he left his car in the morning, there was a small note stuck to his rearview mirror: "[Local xxx + QR code]"

Out of curiosity, Liu Haitao scanned the QR code, which turned out to be a download link for an app.

After downloading it, it turned out to be a local hookup site.

First, have Haitao register for a 998 membership. Note that the 998 will be refunded.

Then, they started demanding deposits and began reaping the profits.

After gaining Liu Haitao's trust, the other party continued to make him pay "dating deposits" and "confidentiality authentication fees," with amounts starting from several thousand yuan, and promised to refund them in full after meeting him.

At the same time, she used the excuse that "the hotel has been booked" to create the illusion of meeting him, urging him to transfer money.

After Haitao paid the deposit, the other party claimed that "the account was frozen due to an operational error and an unfreezing fee needs to be transferred", "the employee number was not entered, so no performance fee is awarded and a new transfer is required", and "a personal safety deposit and a camera deposit are required".

5000 had already been transferred in. The scammer tricked him into believing his account was frozen, so he transferred another 5000, promising to return the remaining 5000.

Those who are short of money will be unwilling to give up and will transfer another 5000.

People like Liu Haitao, who are not short of money, started with 5000, then 10,000, and finally paid a total of more than 400,000 before being blocked by the other party.

Even the best relationships and the strongest brotherhood will fall apart if someone borrows money and doesn't repay it.

More than 400,000 yuan is no small amount. If it were a failed investment, it would be one thing, but this kind of telecom fraud is something Haitao can't tell his family, especially his wife who manages the money.

This means that the money borrowed from Zhao Chu cannot be recovered in the short term.

When the money was finally returned to Zhao Chu, it was already the following year. By then, the relationship between Haitao and Zhao Chu had reached its lowest point.

Haitao believes that Zhao Chu is rich and not in a hurry to ask for money.

Zhao Chu believes that Hai Tao continues to live a carefree life and is simply a case of having money but refusing to pay back debts.

Later, Haitao came to me and Zhao Zifeng (mentioned earlier, a junior staff member who had just graduated and was also one of our friends in this circle) for dinner to complain.

Haitao: "Does Zhao Chu lack money? No, he does. For a few hundred thousand yuan, he calls me four or five times a month to ask for the money."

Me: "Your mindset is wrong right now. At that time, anyone who would lend you money is like a brother."

Zhao Zifeng: "Yeah, I only gave you 2, Tianyi gave you 4, and Zhao Chu gave you 16, which is more than the two of us combined. You shouldn't complain about him."

Hai Tao finished his drink: "Zhao Chu called you guys complaining that I have money but I'm not paying it back, right?"

Zhao Zifeng and I remained silent, which was considered tacit agreement.

Haitao: "What kind of person am I? Have I ever asked me for help? Zhao Chu usually lives out of town, but haven't I helped him with his family affairs? 16 yuan, does he think I can't pay it back, or is he afraid I'll run away?"

Me: "When you borrow money from someone, you have to be humble and patient. From now on, when we eat together, we should clink glasses and accept punishment when necessary; that's all fair game."

Haitao: "Hmph, I don't owe Zhao Chu any favors. As for the money, I'll find a way to pay him back."

Me: "How will you pay me back?"

Haitao waved his phone: "I think I'm a decent person, and everyone is willing to be friends with me. I have more than 100 people in my phone, and I can easily raise 10,000 yuan from each of them."

I took a swig of my drink. When it comes to borrowing money, only the person who borrows it knows. Just two months ago, I was the one begging and pleading for money.

Friendship and family ties are worthless when it comes to borrowing money.

Me: "You should call and borrow it first, and be mentally prepared."

Three days later, as expected, Haitao came to me again to drink alone.

"Haha, I didn't expect there to be more than 100 people. They would call each other to exchange pleasantries when they had nothing to do, and even call each other brothers when they met occasionally, but they didn't have a single ten thousand yuan."

Me: "Is it possible that after this pandemic, everyone will be left with no 1 yuan?"

Haitao: "Is it that difficult?"

Me: "When you're really short of money, you can't even come up with a thousand yuan, let alone ten thousand. By the way, how much did you manage to scrape together?"

Hai Tao, a grown man, downed two ounces of baijiu in one gulp: "Damn it, ten thousand yuan, more than 100 people, and we couldn't even borrow ten thousand yuan!"

Me: "How about it? I can lend you 16. Your relationship with Zhao Chu is pretty good, right?"

Haitao waved his hand: "Don't mention it, this industry. I thought we got along pretty well. I was the most idle at home, giving so much for free, and this is how I ended up. Boss Zhang Luode, I can't believe it, he didn't lend me a single penny!"

I fell silent again; I have no comment on this circle.

When I was going through the toughest time, my boss Zhang Luode helped me a lot, Zhao Zifeng also provided assistance, and Haitao also helped. No one else lent me money, but I didn't hold a grudge because I could see things clearly.

Haitao: "Tianyi, there's no such thing as brotherhood in this world! It's all fucking hypocrisy!"

Never try to borrow money from friends or family; relationships cannot withstand the test of money.