Mrs. Xu had never really wanted the money. The fact that these young people were willing to spend time with her already made her happy.
She was just about to tell them to take the money back and buy themselves something to eat.
Before she could finish typing, another message popped up.
Yusheng Animated Drama Studio: “We’re sorry, but we have some very painful news to share. Our project has ultimately been canceled because we no longer have enough money for approval and distribution.”
Mrs. Xu: “What? Distribution costs money too? I thought you could just upload it and people would watch it.”
Yusheng Animated Drama Studio: “That wouldn’t generate any income. We have a dedicated platform for animated dramas, and there are quite a few expenses involved afterward—platform review, copyright registration, publicity and promotion… All of that costs money.”
Yusheng Animated Drama Studio: “Ms. Xu, we’re truly sorry. We managed to scrape together five thousand yuan as payment for your voice-acting work. Please don’t think it’s too little. It’s the last bit of money any of us young people have.”
Yusheng Animated Drama Studio: “Wasting a month of hard work isn’t a big deal, but it’s such a shame that a voice as wonderful as yours may never get the chance to be heard by the public.”
After reading their messages, Mrs. Xu did consider the possibility that she was being scammed.
But then she thought about it. Producing an animated drama must require quite a lot of money, right? She had looked it up online, and even making a single episode could cost a fortune.
There was no reason for them to go to such lengths just to swindle her.
Besides, before disbanding, the young people had even paid her wages.
Mrs. Xu asked: “How much are you still short?”
Yusheng Animated Drama Studio: “All things considered, about eight hundred thousand yuan.”
What a coincidence. Ms. Xu happened to have roughly that amount in savings.
She struggled with the decision for a long time, but in the end, she decided to continue supporting her dream.
And what if the animated drama became a huge hit after its release? She might even be able to earn the money back.
Mrs. Xu: “I’ll provide the money. I’ll be your investor. Once you make a profit, give me my share.”
Yusheng Animated Drama Studio: “Yes! Ms. Xu, we’re so grateful! Our hard work will finally see the light of day! Thank you for using half a lifetime of savings to light the torch that will guide us toward the mountains and the sea!”
Mrs. Xu’s eyes grew warm, and her blood began to surge with excitement.
She lowered her head and carefully entered her bank-card number.
Just as she was about to press the confirmation button, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
“Ms. Xu, please open the door. Police.”
Mrs. Xu hesitated before standing up and walking over to open it.
Two police officers stood outside.
One of them held a freshly printed document. After looking at Mrs. Xu and confirming her identity, he asked, “You were approached by someone offering to make an animated drama with you, and then asked to pay the distribution fees, correct?”
Mrs. Xu was puzzled. “How did you know?”
“You’ve been scammed,” the officer said. “They’re part of a criminal fraud ring. After investigating the elderly people’s backgrounds, they create personalized scam scripts for each target. Everyone in your tour group was given a different script.”
Mrs. Xu’s face instantly went pale. “That’s impossible. They didn’t ask me for money at first. They transferred five thousand yuan to me, and I didn’t even want to take it… I was the one who offered to pay them!”
She hurriedly pointed at her computer. The chat window was still open.
“Look! They even paid me for my work. Why would scammers give me money first?”
The officer walked over and glanced at the screen.
“They tailor their scripts to each person’s personality. Look here. In the profile they prepared for you, they wrote that you’re softhearted.”
Mrs. Xu leaned over for a closer look.
The table contained her personal information and life history.
There was also an assessment based on their investigation:
[Spineless and softhearted. Her son teamed up with his wife and the rest of the family to bully her, and all she could do was leave in disgrace without daring to fight back. A pity-based approach may work.]
She also caught sight of Old Gu’s assessment below it.
[Extremely concerned with his reputation, strongly patriotic, hot-tempered, feels guilty toward his children but will never admit fault. A macho heroic storyline may work.]
They really had prepared a different script for each person…
The police officer glanced at the animated drama playing on the computer and said to Mrs. Xu, “They didn’t spend much to scam you. This entire animated drama was generated using free software.”
Mrs. Xu slowly sank back onto the sofa, tears streaming down her face.
Her computer screen was still glowing, frozen on the transfer page. Only one final confirmation remained.
She had nearly transferred all her retirement savings away.
After taking some time to recover, she was escorted out to join the others.
The police had borrowed a conference room from the resort and gathered everyone there.
By then, nearly all the elderly members of the tour group had been brought over.
Some were still struggling to accept the truth and insisting they hadn’t been scammed.
Others, after seeing all the evidence, had already come to their senses.
Their money was meant to support them in their old age—or to leave to their children. What good would it do to leave it to scammers?
Some of the elderly people’s children had rushed over during the night, and the entire conference room was now filled with noisy discussion.
“The script they gave me was supposed to help me fulfill my dream of becoming an actor… Luckily, the police arrived just as I was about to transfer the money!”
“I just found out that Qin Mei and her daughter were part of the fraud ring! I can’t believe I trusted them so much!”
One elderly person’s child said, “You should really thank Director Yu for taking responsibility! He brought his younger brothers and sisters here overnight to save you!”
“If they hadn’t come, your retirement savings might have been gone by morning.”
“That’s right. I saw them fighting the scammers outside just now. Director Yu and the others were only three people, but they took on several criminals! They risked their lives to protect your money!”
“Dad, I work until nine or ten every night. I was genuinely worried you’d be lonely, so I sent you to this highly regarded senior-care center. If you don’t want to stay there, just tell me. I’ll bring you home!”
Old Gu’s children had also arrived.
Although they still hadn’t forgiven him, how could they ignore him after receiving word that something had happened?
Old Gu now knew he had been deceived, but he still refused to admit it.
“I’ve felt dizzy and foggy-headed these past few days. I must have been drugged and controlled. Qin Mei struck me on the head, and after that, I didn’t know what was happening!”
His child let out a cold laugh. “Struck you? What kind of drug would do that? The police already received your medical reports. You were never exposed to any substance that could control you!”
Old Gu waved dismissively and said with absolute certainty, “The police made a mistake. I was drugged. I know I was.”
His child couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore. The old man was too proud to admit he had been scammed and could only come up with excuses.
“You can forget about us wanting that money,” his child said. “There are four of us siblings, and none of us wants it. If you want to let scammers take it, go ahead!”
“If you lose everything, we’ll only provide you with the minimum amount required by law—just a few hundred yuan a month for your living expenses!”
“At that point, don’t even dream of staying in a private room at a senior-care center like this. Given the cost of living in Pu City, you can look forward to sleeping under a bridge!”
Old Gu’s face turned bright red with anger.
Bai Xian, Yu Zhining’s assistant, walked over.
He had finished checking the samples and had come to deliver the original report to the police. On the way, he was also helping the director look after the elderly people.
Bai Xian had been running himself ragged, but he didn’t feel tired in the slightest. The Yu family’s seven-way succession battle had reached a critical point.
As long as their own Director Yu came out on top, Bai Xian, as his trusted aide, would surely rise along with him.
So far, only Yu Xiaxing and Yu Zhining had yet to complete their contract-renewal tasks.
One of the two was going to receive a yellow card.
This was the perfect opportunity to help his own director complete the task!
