Healing Doctor

Chapter 732 Empathy – The Pig Butchering Scam

"You were the one who said divorce, why are you regretting it now?"

A mocking voice came from behind.

Ji Xiang stared intently at his surroundings.

This time it's observer mode. "You" are a middle-aged man in his thirties wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and a woman of similar age with a radiant face stands opposite you.

She should be "his" wife.

Divorce… Ji Xiang sighed. This is such a hassle.

Why waste time getting married and divorced when there are so many other things to do?

Ji Xiang didn't want internal strife, and having experienced similar internal conflicts firsthand, he unconsciously began to examine his marriage, friendship, and family relationships.

Perhaps this is the kind of difficulty that the system NPC mentioned, a difficulty that Ji Xiang is experiencing without even realizing it.

"I acted impulsively, please forgive me?" the bespectacled man said humbly.

"Heh." The woman just laughed, her tone contemptuous and condescending.

Although she didn't say anything, her micro-expressions said it all.

"The child is still young, and we must give him a complete family," the bespectacled man affirmed.

"What's the point of having a complete family?" the woman said. "Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, but what about us? One of us is out earning money, and the other is at home pushing the kids, while we have to pay the mortgage and car loan every month. To be honest, I've had enough of this life."

"Self" seemed to want to say something, but after moving his lips, he ultimately didn't say it.

"Let's get a divorce, really, there's no point in us continuing like this." The woman said sincerely, "Brother Liang, I know you're good to me, you work overtime every day like a dog, it breaks my heart to see you like this."

"I know what kind of temper you used to have. I still remember when we were in our senior year of high school, some thugs from the neighboring school came to our class to collect protection money, and you grabbed a shovel and chased them for three blocks."

As they reminisced about the past, the atmosphere of their conversation unconsciously became warm and cozy.

Ji Xiang watched the two of them with great interest.

It's clear that "he/she" is the one who doesn't want a divorce, while the woman on the other side is determined to get one.

However, their conversation was not tense, but rather strangely warm.

Ji Xiang searched his memory and was stunned by what he had just learned.

It turns out that the woman had a "romantic encounter" about a month ago. She met a mid-level manager of a multinational company on a chat app, and the two got along very well.

The other party went to the United States on a business trip, and the woman thoughtfully called him every day in the early hours of the morning for a long time. Finally, one day she "discovered" it herself.

The two had a big fight, and in a fit of anger, "he" said things like "divorce".

It's possible that the wife wanted to say "divorce" but hadn't brought it up. She seized the opportunity presented by "herself" and insisted on divorce.

So the bespectacled man tried to win her back, but the woman firmly refused.

It was really a headache, Ji Xiang thought of the scene he encountered in the emergency room.

Is it related?

It seems there is a little, but it also seems there isn't.

He continued watching quietly.

"Back in college, a professor tried to blackmail me by threatening to fail my exams. You were really ruthless; you hacked into his computer and printed out a lot of his chat logs."

"Hehe, back then firewalls were practically nonexistent, so it was easy to hack in." "Myself" laughed.

"Yeah, but look at you now. The boss says we have to work overtime, and you don't go home for days and nights without saying a word."

You're only 29 and you're already bald.

Liang, I know your temper, and I know you're doing this because you can't afford to lose your job, because you still have me and the kids, and there's the mortgage and car loan to pay.

"..."

"Oneself" remained silent.

"It's been three and a half years since we last went on a proper trip. It's been two years and three months since we last ate a proper meal together."

"Do you still think this kind of life is normal?"

"We're not the same as before, have you noticed? Before, when we talked about social friction, we just treated it as a joke. But now I really realize that we're being rubbed into the ground by society, and we still have to cheer loudly."

In response to the woman's words, "he" took off his gold-rimmed glasses and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Brother Liang, this isn't how you live your life. Look at me, I'm 1.7 meters tall and weighed 98 pounds when I married you, which was considered pretty and well-proportioned. But look at me now, I don't even have time to work out every day, and I've unknowingly gained 115 pounds."

"I can still comfort myself by being slightly chubby now, but in a few years, I'll be a typical haggard housewife."

"I...I...I will soon become a middle manager in the company, and the company is going public, so we have 5% equity incentives."

"Myself" explained awkwardly.

"What's the use of the middle floor?" the woman sighed. "Some things, look at those river-view apartments in our Northwest, you're born with them, and that's it. If you're not born with them, you'll never have them in your life."

"No matter how hard you work, you can only earn around 50,000 a month. With the year-end bonus and taxes, it'll be around 700,000 to 800,000."

"Brother Liang, let me go, and let yourself go too."

Although Ji Xiang didn't have much of a concept of money, he knew that an annual salary of seven or eight hundred thousand was not a small amount, especially considering that the bespectacled man was only 29 years old!

These values ​​are quite peculiar.

"I know I was wrong. Let's forgive each other, okay? I was emotionally unfaithful, but I can promise I haven't done anything outrageous yet."

"But that's now. As for the future... who knows?"

The woman sighed, but her eyes shone with hope.

"If we get a divorce, you won't have to go through all this trouble."

"Yuanyuan..." The bespectacled man thought carefully for a moment, and finally mustered up his courage to say, "Yesterday I saw an app on your phone with a bat icon."

"Yes, so what?"

"I know this software; our company even researched it last year," the bespectacled man said. "Bat is encrypted software that protects user privacy. Whether it's a group chat or a private chat, if someone takes a screenshot, it will notify the user. It uses..."

"Brother Liang, don't talk to me about these technical things," the woman said jokingly. "I know you're technically very skilled, but it's completely useless."

"No." The bespectacled man suddenly calmed down and said seriously, "It also has a read receipt function and other functions. This software is rarely used in China now; it's mostly used by telecom fraudsters."

When the topic of telecom fraud came up, the woman raised an eyebrow, exuding a cold and ruthless aura.

Huh? Ji Xiang was also taken aback.

Is this a pig butchering scam?!

Recalling the strange things that happened in the emergency room, Ji Xiang vaguely understood something.

"Believe me, I've never lied to you. If you don't want to live a good life, if you think I'm not capable of giving you and the children a good life, I understand. I know I'll never reach Rome in my lifetime, let alone Rome, I might not even make it past 35."

"But the person who encouraged you to use Batman to chat is very suspicious."

"Heh, are you channeling Conan? Trying to tell me there's only one truth?" the woman sneered.

"No, no, no, let me explain."

"There's no need, Liang. Rather than growing tired of each other in a few more years, it's better to separate now, so that we can still have some feelings for each other. Why bother? What's the point?"

The woman let out a soft sigh, and the slight tenderness on her face vanished instantly.

He tried to persuade her a few more times, but the woman was determined to leave. Ji Xiang knew very well that she was already infatuated and there was no way to stop her.

"Yuanyuan, he might really be a telecom fraudster!" the bespectacled man said bluntly at the end.

"Brother Liang, can't we just leave each other with our blessings? Why do you have to curse me?" The woman sneered. "Your habit is really bad."

The bespectacled man hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Have you been involved in any investment projects? Judging from your confident demeanor, you probably have."

"He went to the US headquarters to repair the software and discovered a bug. He could exploit the time difference to conduct risk-free arbitrage every day."

"..." The bespectacled man was stunned.

"..." Ji Xiang was also stunned.

"Brother Liang, you have to trust my intelligence. Back then, my grades weren't any worse than yours." The woman smiled sweetly.

"Did he ask you to invest money?!" the bespectacled man asked hurriedly.

"Of course not, do I not have this basic common sense? Originally, his mother should have done it, but it sounds simple, but it's extremely difficult to do. You have to find all sorts of jump servers and proxy servers, register and download a lot of obscure and unpopular software, and use an accelerator. An old woman can't do it."

"Myself" sighed deeply and shook his head slightly.

"I'm not going to explain anymore. My affairs are none of your business." The woman said firmly at the end, "Brother Liang, let's get a divorce. I only want the children. You can have the house and the car."

"No! The child absolutely cannot live with you!"

The two started arguing again about the child.

Ji Xiang knew that he had realized he couldn't keep the woman's heart, so he focused his attention on the child.

Their conflict is simple, and it seems that the vast majority of people have to face it.

However, it seems that the woman has encountered a windfall opportunity.

A middle manager in a multinational corporation

A young and wealthy bachelor

A great opportunity to become a millionaire within a few weeks.

This is all too perfect.

It seems to be a real "pig butchering scam".

Ji Xiang was also puzzled. It was said that some old professors from Tsinghua and Peking Universities had fallen victim to a "pig butchering scam" and lost hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Given the intelligence of professors from Tsinghua and Peking Universities, it shouldn't be that bad.

Ji Xiang didn't know much about "pig butchering scams," but he watched with great interest.

The two argued for a long time, sometimes with deep affection, sometimes with resolute rejection. They understood each other well and could be described as a match made in heaven.

pity.

Ji Xiang felt very sorry.

The two eventually reached an agreement to divorce and divide their assets. The woman took the majority of the cash, while the house and car went to the man.

The child will stay with "the mother" first. If the woman's assets reach more than five million within one month, custody will be awarded to the woman.

It seems the woman is absolutely convinced that she can earn a lot of money.

No matter how the man tried to persuade her, the woman firmly set the amount at five million, and judging from her expression, that amount was far from enough.

Ji Xiang also couldn't understand why the "pig butchering scam" was so powerful and could bewitch people.

A highly educated woman fell into this trap.

Perhaps it's the seven-year itch, the monotony of life, or the sudden appearance of a prince charming, but Ji Xiang just can't understand it.

Recalling the description from the system NPC, Ji Xiang became increasingly certain about the content of this empathy, and also became increasingly curious.

He wanted to know how telecom fraud could swindle a highly intelligent person out of all their money and leave them heavily in debt.

The two were also very efficient, completing the divorce proceedings and dividing their assets in the shortest possible time. They hugged and said goodbye, wishing each other well.

The bespectacled man got very drunk, but returned to work as usual the next day.

The heavy burden of mortgage and car loan payments left him no time for grief.

Moscow doesn't believe in tears.

Mortgage and car loan payments don't believe in tears.

Another two weeks later.

The bespectacled man received a call from a woman, and the two arranged to meet at a coffee shop.

It was already midnight, and there were hardly any people in the coffee shop; young people were partying in bars at this hour.

When the bespectacled man arrived, the woman was nestled on the sofa, a smile playing on her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

"I'm here, Yuanyuan. Something came up at the company, sorry I'm late," the bespectacled man apologized.

"Hehe, I'm used to it." The woman chuckled. "Come on, let me show you something you don't believe."

The bespectacled man sat down and ordered a glass of purified water.

The woman took out her phone, opened an app, and then placed the phone on the table between the two of them.

The app's interface is simple, or you could say it's a bit rough around the edges.

"How much money did you invest?" the bespectacled man asked.

The woman smiled slightly but didn't speak. Instead, she opened the account.

A series of numbers appeared before my eyes in a striking way.

It's an 8-digit number, and it starts with a 2.

More than 20 million!

There are over 20 million!!

The bespectacled man's face immediately turned ugly.

"Hehe, Liang-ge, look at you, what kind of expression is that?" the woman laughed. "Shouldn't you be wishing me well?"

"What's going on?" the bespectacled man asked.

"He didn't mention the investment to me at first, and I didn't want to take out any family money either. After all, it's shared property, right?"

"..." The bespectacled man looked up and stared intently at the woman.

"Later I invested 122 million."

"Where did you get so much money?"

"I maxed out all my credit cards."

"Are you crazy, Yuanyuan!" The man gripped the cup tightly.

"Life offers few opportunities to take a gamble," the woman said. "In two weeks, I've increased my investment by more than 11 times."

"It's a pity that this kind of opportunity can't be done year after year. The US headquarters has already noticed it. They told me that they won't do it anymore, and I can only take what I earn. I can start withdrawing money today."

"He said he could withdraw the money?!" The bespectacled man was taken aback.

"Of course." The woman smiled slightly, as if she had everything under control. "Brother Liang, there are more bad people than bad people in this world."

The bespectacled man remained silent, speechless.

He was thinking about what the other party's tactics were.

However, both the bespectacled man and Ji Xiang are technically skilled individuals and are not familiar with this kind of telecom fraud.

"Actually, I was scared too. Until today, he told me that I couldn't do it anymore. People can't be greedy. If this continues, the US headquarters will find out. A few million dollars is nothing to a company with a turnover of tens or hundreds of billions. I should stop now."

"People shouldn't be too greedy."

The woman became happier as she talked, and a blush appeared on her face.

Ji Xiang judged that the blood pressure was at least 160.

"And then?" the bespectacled man asked in a hoarse voice.

"And then? What else?" The woman paused, then laughed, "Oh, then I called you and asked you out. I wanted you to see for yourself how a windfall can fall from the sky."

"I'm withdrawing the money. It's enough for me to buy a large apartment, although the location is still a bit limited. But it's not bad. With the remaining money, my child's schooling and other expenses are covered."

"Brother Liang, I'll take care of the child, please don't worry."

The bespectacled man remained silent, his brows furrowed as he stared at the phone opposite him.

The interface is a bit rough, but the numbers on it seem to be whispering like a succubus, constantly telling their stories, with endless allure.

Ji Xiang thought about it carefully and felt that there was no flaw in his reasoning.

The other party actually told the woman not to be greedy. Is that something a conman would say?

Strange, very strange, Ji Xiang also looked at the string of numbers.

The returns are ridiculously high; even my own father couldn't achieve this level of return, especially considering it's risk-free arbitrage.

If this were true, I'd tell the old man myself, and he'd be so embarrassed he'd want to crawl into a hole.

Although it was just a short-term bug that was found.

In an instant, even Ji Xiang wavered and began to doubt whether it was true or false.

Is it really possible for a pie to fall from the sky?

"Hey Liang, I'm starting to withdraw the money." The woman smiled, elegantly extending her finger and hovering it over the phone screen.

"I'm so eager for you to get off work. If it weren't for the kids, I wouldn't be willing to show off in front of you."

With that, the woman's finger fell.

Click

withdraw

Both the bespectacled man and Ji Xiang held their breath.

"Ding-dong~"

In an instant, Ji Xiang felt that a system task had been issued.

But then he realized that the voice was coming from a woman's phone.

A dialog box appeared, and the woman froze for a moment, her face turning deathly pale.

Ji Xiang looked closely and saw a message in the dialog box indicating that the woman did not have enough permissions.

The woman hurriedly grabbed her phone, and in her panic, she lost her previous elegance, nearly dropping the phone.

"Yuanyuan..."

As soon as the bespectacled man spoke, the woman made a shushing gesture and started making a phone call.

"Honey, when I tried to withdraw money, a dialog box popped up saying I didn't have enough permissions. What does that mean?"

The man's expression turned extremely ugly upon hearing the woman's address on the phone.

Ji Xiang sighed.

These trivial family matters.

However, the woman made a call and the other party answered, which meant that things could probably continue, which Ji Xiang didn't quite understand.

The man and woman on the other end of the phone explained.

Soon, the woman's complexion returned to normal. However, she did not regain her original elegance and composure; she simply nodded and responded repeatedly.

After hanging up the phone, the woman smiled and said, "You need to become a VIP member first. There are some taxes and fees to consider later."

"It wasn't as simple as I thought. He thought I should know, so there was a misunderstanding."

As the woman explained, the bespectacled man's eyebrows furrowed even more deeply.

Ji Xiang also felt that something was wrong.

This shouldn't be the result of relentless exploitation just before the operation is over.

It's like Pinduoduo's "cutting" feature, where the final cut never ends.

The progress bar shows that it has reached 99%, but there are still countless steps to take in the internal settings. This is a road of no return.

The bespectacled man didn't say anything; he and Ji Xiang watched as the woman operated her phone.

The woman seemed to sense something was different, so instead of showing her phone to the bespectacled man, she held onto her phone and began to follow the instructions step by step.

"What's up!" the woman cursed.

"Yuanyuan, what's wrong?" the bespectacled man asked.

"It's nothing." The woman bit her red lips hard with her white teeth.

She seemed to be making a decision, but soon she started working on it again.

"Do I have to pay to become a VIP member?" the bespectacled man asked.

"It's not a top-up, it's a membership fee."

"No!" The bespectacled man reached out to snatch the woman's phone, but she dodged him.

"What are you doing!" the woman shouted angrily.

"Yuanyuan, don't you know? This is a trap!" the bespectacled man said hurriedly. "How much does it cost to become a VIP member?"

15.

"!!!" The bespectacled man was stunned for a moment, then pleaded, "Yuanyuan, it's not too late to stop now!"

"Why should I stop!" The woman's eyes were bloodshot, and she looked slightly ferocious.

Becoming a VIP member won't be the final step.

"Yes," the woman said, "He told me about the international taxes and deposit. He told me all of these things; he didn't hide them from me!"

The woman's voice became shrill, as if she was emphasizing that she had not been fooled.

But both Ji Xiang and the bespectacled man realized that she had fallen into their trap.

All the explanations now are just attempts to cover up their stupidity, and perhaps also their covetousness of the eight-figure "deposit" in the mobile app.

"Yuanyuan, this was fake from the very beginning, stop it right now!"

"No, absolutely impossible!" the woman exclaimed frantically. "The accelerator uses a Hong Kong IP address, which is converted to MISS (Mildis). These operations are too difficult. If it were a scam, they wouldn't have set up so many obstacles!"

"And then they used Quark's search engine. How could scammers set such a high barrier to entry!"

"Yuanyuan!"

"Shut up!" the woman snapped, her previous elegance and composure completely gone.

"I'll upgrade to VIP right now, and I'll show you that I can really withdraw money!"

The woman has gone mad.

"You've spent all your cash and maxed out your bank cards, where did you get the money?" the bespectacled man asked calmly.

"I can pay with a blank check."

"!!!"

"!!!"

The bespectacled man and Ji Xiang finally understood the purpose of the final step in the telecom fraud.

After realizing that there was nothing more to extract from the woman, he used the promise of huge profits to deceive her greed and trust, leading her to the final step of withdrawing money. He then instructed her to open her phone and borrow as much money as she could.

"don't want!"

*Smack!*

The bespectacled man tried to snatch the woman's phone, but she slapped him across the face, then grabbed her bag and quickly left.

"I'll prove it to you!"

The woman's voice still echoed in my ears, but she had already left the coffee shop.

The bespectacled man knew women's temperaments, so he didn't pursue her. Instead, he sat at the table and pondered for a long time.

It's over, Ji Xiang knew the woman was definitely finished.

Next, it seems to correspond perfectly to jumping off a building, serious injury, and being sent to the hospital emergency room for treatment.

Even if the person can be saved, what about the loss of over one or two million?

The woman has already pulled the bowstring to its limit, even considering online lending.

This amount of money is not something an ordinary family can afford.

it's over...

Ji Xiang sighed deeply.

The bespectacled man calmly paid the bill and left.

But after returning home, he couldn't sleep all night.

The next morning, he received a call and rushed to the hospital.

Just as Ji Xiang predicted, the woman jumped off the building to commit suicide, but was eventually taken to the hospital by a kind-hearted person who called 120 for emergency medical assistance.

The light flashed, the empathy ended, and Ji Xiang returned to the system's operating room.

(End of this chapter)