With the number of followers and the influence this account had, it could have easily wiped out all opposing voices and created a complete information bubble.
But it didn’t.
It left those opposing voices in place, allowing them to win the support of some parents in the comments. If anything, that made the account seem more credible and open-minded.
Was this a sign of broad-mindedness?
Or was there another motive?
Something didn’t feel right. There was money involved.
Yu Xiaxing clicked on the profile of “Counselor Zhou.”
The profile looked perfectly legitimate. The account picture showed a middle-aged man wearing glasses.
His bio read: National Level Two Psychological Counselor, Adolescent Family Relationship Repair Specialist, Focused on Parent-Child Communication, Internet Addiction Intervention, School Refusal Intervention, Family Systems Repair…
After looking through it for a while, Yu Xiaxing switched to her secondary account.
Dian Dian’s Mom: “Hello, Teacher Zhou. I saw your comments under the Break Free account. I think my daughter may have been brainwashed by that account recently.”
“She keeps saying that I’m controlling her, and she even says she wants to cut ties with me.”
“She’s only a sophomore in high school, but she’s already shouting about dropping out. She won’t listen to anything I say. I’m at my wits’ end. What should I do?”
Teacher Zhou replied quickly: “Your daughter Dian Dian’s situation is fairly typical. She has been brainwashed by the internet and has developed an antagonistic attitude toward her parents.”
“Accounts like this take advantage of children’s rebelliousness during adolescence, magnifying their parents’ shortcomings. They interpret normal discipline as control and family conflicts as abuse.”
“If you don’t intervene in time, your child’s entire future could be ruined.”
Dian Dian’s Mom: “Teacher Zhou, what you’re saying makes so much sense! What should I do?”
Teacher Zhou sent several voice messages in response.
Yu Xiaxing played them. The man’s Mandarin was quite standard, and he used very professional terminology.
In just a few voice messages, he had thrown out a whole lot of obscure psychological jargon. The gist was:
The child couldn’t be harshly scolded, nor could the parents simply try to reason with her. The parents needed to learn scientific intervention methods.
If they handled the situation improperly, they might only make the child believe the blogger even more.
They first needed to conduct a family relationship assessment, followed by cognitive intervention. If necessary, they could arrange one-on-one therapy.
Dian Dian’s Mom: “How do I arrange one-on-one therapy?”
Teacher Zhou: “We offer a psychological intervention course specifically designed for the effects of extreme online parent-child content. Each session costs 1,280 yuan, with a minimum enrollment of six sessions.”
Teacher Zhou: “If your child has already shown signs of wanting to drop out, cut ties with the family, or run away from home, we recommend signing up directly for the intensive intervention program.”
Soon, a course poster was sent over.
Adolescent Online Brainwashing Intervention Course
Six-Session Basic Package: 7,680 yuan.
Twelve-Session Advanced Package: 14,800 yuan.
In-Depth Family Repair Program: Starting at 39,800 yuan.
At the bottom of the poster, it even said: Limited-time availability.
Important Warning: If you miss the critical intervention window, your child’s entire life could be ruined!
Yu Xiaxing stared at that line and let out a laugh.
So that was how it worked!
So this was how they made their money!
Break Free was responsible for inciting the children.
These “anti-Break Free” accounts were responsible for fleecing the parents!
No wonder Break Free never blocked the accounts that constantly opposed it.
So you aren’t trolls at all. You’re simply part of the same supply chain! Distributors!
Behind all that negativity surrounding parent-child relationships was money!
Yu Xiaxing quickly took screenshots and saved the entire chat history.
Then she contacted the account that appeared to belong to a parent, “I’m a First-Time Mom.”
Dian Dian’s Mom: “Hello. I saw that you also left a comment under Break Free. Has your child been brainwashed by it too?”
I’m a First-Time Mom replied instantly: “Yes!”
Dian Dian’s Mom: “I also contacted a Teacher Zhou under that video. He told me to sign up for his course, but I’m not sure whether he’s a scammer…”
I’m a First-Time Mom: “He isn’t a scammer. I actually signed my child up for the course a few days ago. After just two lessons, my child learned to be grateful and stopped arguing with us. Now, at home, they do nothing but study and help with the housework. They’re incredibly filial. I have access to an insider discount, so I can refer you.”
Yu Xiaxing didn’t reply. Instead, she continued contacting several other accounts.
Sure enough…
They all directed her toward the same psychological counseling course!
There were countless shills in the video’s comment section, waiting to collectively lure parents into the trap!
She had once read a market research report claiming that raising a child to the age of eighteen in a middle-class family cost approximately three million yuan.
But only 500,000 yuan of that actually benefited the child.
The remaining 2.5 million was all money wasted on useless products and services.
As for well-off and lower-income families, as well as the wealthy and the ultra-wealthy, their pain points and anxieties were different, and so were the scams targeting them.
Shengde happened to have the largest concentration of middle-class families.
Yu Xiaxing’s hand grew sore from taking screenshots.
Once she was finished, she bundled them all together and sent them to Lu Yanzhao.
Yu Xiaxing: “Over the next few days, organize this material into an anti-scam guide and send it to the students and their parents. There’s no rush. Don’t work overtime on it.”
“These parents at Shengde have money, but they shouldn’t let those scammers outside take it from them.”
“Save it for when Shengde goes under. Then they can use it to pay for the children’s transfer fees!”
Only after sending the message did she realize that it was already midnight!
She had actually burned through her own health for the sake of the students and their parents!
She absolutely had to take the afternoon off tomorrow!
Yu Xiaxing sent Lu Yanzhao another message:
“I won’t arrive at school until four tomorrow afternoon. Contact Jiang Tinglan and her mother ahead of time. If they want to discuss withdrawing from school with me, have them come between four and six in the afternoon. I won’t be there at any other time.”
After sending that, she hurried off to sleep.
—
Wellness Center.
At this hour, Yu Zhining was still awake as well.
She was still trying to understand the situation between Huo Mian and her mother, Qin Mei.
Fortunately, this was a high-end wellness center with excellent soundproofing, so the disturbance wouldn’t affect the other elderly residents’ rest.
The conflict that night was actually quite simple…
Huo Mian had brought over a psychological expert, hoping to treat her mother. She had told Qin Mei that her excessive desire to control her daughter was a psychological disorder.
Qin Mei insisted that there was nothing wrong with her and refused to cooperate.
The psychologist had insisted on speaking with her. Qin Mei then filed a complaint and demanded that the wellness center drive the psychologist away.
The nurse had originally intended to ask Huo Mian to leave, but Huo Mian had revealed that she was Director Yu’s fiancée. The nurse hadn’t dared take any action and had called Yu Zhining over instead.
At that moment, Yu Zhining stood outside the room, thinking about how to handle the complaint.
Inside the room.
Qin Mei sat in a wheelchair, a light gray shawl draped over her shoulders. Her hair was neatly pinned up, and she looked gentle and perfectly composed.
It was just that the things she was saying to her daughter were truly vile…
