She pulled out her phone from her bag and typed 110 while walking, her thumb hovering over the call button, ready to press it at any moment.
The footsteps behind her grew closer.
One step.
Two.
...
Her heart was in her throat, and her breathing grew heavy.
Then—
A couple brushed past her, the guy with his arm around the girl's shoulder, whispering flirtations.
Phew.
Zeng Keqin let out a long breath. She was just scaring herself.
She quickened her pace to follow the couple, using them for courage. It was because of everything that had happened recently that she'd become so jumpy.
Just as she exited the alley, before she could relax, a hand suddenly tapped her shoulder from behind.
Zeng Keqin flinched, nearly screaming. She turned around—
A familiar face appeared.
It was Fang Yu.
She stood in the shadows, her expression unclear.
Zeng Keqin, still shaken, pressed her hand to her chest. "What are you doing here?"
Fang Yu's lips moved as if she were hesitating. Finally, she seemed to make up her mind. "I have something I want to tell you."
Zeng Keqin's heartbeat quickened. She pretended to reply to a message, quickly opening the voice recorder. "What is it?"
Fang Yu's voice trembled. "I, I think I've also encountered... a scam."
Zeng Keqin froze.
"Three months ago, I got a friend request on WeChat. The note mentioned the name of a game I used to play a long time ago. Out of curiosity, I accepted. He said he was a member of the same guild, that he'd always remembered me and missed those pure times, and asked if I wanted to revisit the game together."
"At first, I was skeptical, but then he added me to a group. Most of the people in it were old players like me who hadn't played in a long time. Gradually, I let my guard down. He would chat with me often. Later, in the group, he shared a new game and asked if we wanted to play together and form a new guild. I saw everyone enthusiastically joining, so I signed up too."
"After that, he became even more attentive, always asking how I was. He would also post life photos on his Moments—a sunny, handsome guy with a nice voice. I couldn't resist, so I married him in the game. But to level up in that game, you had to get stronger, which meant spending money. At first, he paid, but then I felt bad and started covering the costs. All in all, I spent nearly ten thousand yuan..."
Zeng Keqin remembered the message that had popped up on her screen when she borrowed her phone last time: "Has the top-up finished?"
"That money was all my living expenses. Recently, I ran out of money, and he seemed to notice, becoming less enthusiastic. But I didn't want to give up on this relationship, so I thought about taking out an online loan. It wasn't until you mentioned the scam last time that I realized what was happening."
Zeng Keqin's mind raced. "So, you've been secretly watching me these past few days?"
Fang Yu nodded, her eyes reddening. "I didn't dare tell anyone. But..." She lifted her head, a sincere look in her eyes, her voice choked. "You're different. You're from the law department, you're really capable, and since you know someone who was scammed, you have experience. I want to ask you to help me figure out what to do."
Zeng Keqin silently stopped the recording.
This was a classic 'pig-butchering scam,' just with a different approach.
"Do you have any transfer records?"
Fang Yu quickly nodded. "Yes."
"What about chat logs, especially from the group?"
"I still have them."
"Save all of that first. Don't tip him off. If he contacts you again, tell him something happened at home and you have no money for now..."
Zeng Keqin was about to say more when the lights in the dorm building suddenly went out. She quickly said, "Let's go inside first. We'll talk more tomorrow."
"Okay."
Fang Yu wiped her tears, and the two ran toward the dormitory.
*
The next morning, Zeng Keqin went to the library.
She had a clear goal: to find case studies and legal provisions related to 'pig-butchering scams' and game fraud.
She went to her usual seat, placed her canvas bag beside her, opened her laptop, and soon filled several pages of notes.
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
She glanced at it—The Arrogant Redhead.
Zeng Keqin hesitated for a moment, then answered, lowering her voice. "Hello?"
The caller got straight to the point. "Are you done with your interview?"
Zeng Keqin instinctively denied it. "No."
"No?"
Jiang Shiyu's voice turned cold, sounding almost gritted. "Do you think I'm easy to fool?"
"What do you mean?"