He found his pace faltering, now suspecting that the “good fortune of finding money” the girl named Tang Xin had just told him about was probably quite unreliable.
Yet, just as he considered observing from a distance, Tang Xin, happening to glance up, caught his eye.
Like a startled rabbit, she bounded towards him, shouting his name.
“Xing Yan, Xing Yan, we’re really going to get rich this time!”
Her tone alone betrayed her intense excitement, and the hand clutching her phone trembled without cease.
Pei Xing Yan offered a perfunctory smile.
He had, after all, heard such pronouncements countless times from this girl, who, perpetually dreaming of striking it rich, always managed to conjure up some outlandish scheme.
He desperately needed money—an immense fortune, both substantial and quickly acquired—far more than could be earned by simply taking on a few extra jobs.
Thus, he always found himself willing to believe her, clinging to the slim hope that perhaps one day she truly would stumble upon a golden business opportunity.
“Listen, listen to me.
I’ve finally figured it out: to make money, you can’t earn from the poor.
You have to earn from the rich! The poor have already had all their money siphoned off by life; what’s left for us?” Tang Xin said excitedly.
“But the rich aren’t fools, right?
They have money, but getting them to part with it is harder than climbing to heaven—”
“Big Sis, I snuck out of class for this.
Can you make it quick?”
“Can’t you have a little patience?
This is a huge deal!
What class are you taking that teaches you how to earn a hundred thousand a month?”
Tang Xin chuckled confidently, then flashed her transfer record.
Pei Xing Yan leaned closer, his eyes widening as he saw the figure: a ‘3’ followed by four zeros.
“Thirty… thousand… Thirty thousand?!” He finally showed a hint of surprise.
“How did you get that?”
“That’s just the deposit~” Tang Xin began to proudly sway her head.
She narrowed one eye and asked haughtily, “So, want to go into partnership?
It’s a three-seven split once it’s done~”
“Why only thirty percent…”
“Thirty percent is mine!” Tang Xin threw an arm around his neck.
“The seventy percent is for you.
How about that?
Pretty generous, right?”
Pei Xing Yan knew intimately that no such thing as a free lunch existed.
Especially when a money-obsessed individual was willing to cede their own interests, if one ruled out the possibility of romantic affection, then there was certainly a pitfall, and likely a colossal one.
He cautiously rolled his eyes, his tone wary.
“You’re not going to make me do something illegal, are you?
Then, after we get caught, you’ll claim I was the mastermind or something…”
“How could I?!” Tang Xin vehemently denied.
“Didn’t I just tell you?
We’re going to earn money from the rich!”
Without further ado, she pulled Pei Xing Yan closer and sent him a software application, complete with a risk warning.
With a twitching corner of his mouth, Pei Xing Yan followed her instructions to install and log in.
In an instant, he found himself designated as the official manager within the application, with Tang Xin listed as his assistant.
The software she sent was deceptively simple: merely a chat application.
Its logo boldly featured the character for “sugar,” and beneath it, its name: [Tang Xin].
‘Tang Xin App?’
Pei Xing Yan’s brow furrowed.
He had a growing suspicion that this project might, in fact, be far from reliable.
Furthermore, his earlier anxieties about Tang Xin implicating him as the mastermind of a criminal scam might not be mere paranoia after all…
Tang Xin, however, was oblivious to such concerns.
She continued to elaborate on her brilliant idea, “What we need to do is sell emotional value to these rich people, especially to those naive young women.
What do you think?
That’s not illegal, is it?”
“That sounds even more like it! Isn’t that a pig-butchering scam (TL Note: A type of romance scam where the scammer ‘fattens up’ the victim with affection and promises before swindling them)?”
“Were you even listening?
We collect the money first, then provide spiritual solace services.
How is that related to a pig-butchering scam (TL Note: A type of romance scam where the scammer ‘fattens up’ the victim with affection and promises before swindling them)?”
“Spiritual solace?” Pei Xing Yan keenly seized upon the term.
“Exactly!
Do you think rich ladies need to pay for boyfriends?
Wouldn’t it be much better for them to find a ‘puppy boyfriend’ (TL Note: A younger, often innocent and devoted man) to date?” Tang Xin declared confidently.
“What we’re offering is irreplaceable spiritual comfort.
Right now it’s just a hundred thousand, but in the future, it could be millions or tens of millions, hehe…”
Pei Xing Yan fell silent, acknowledging the surprising validity of Tang Xin’s words.
Before his life had devolved into this hand-to-mouth existence, he had known many scions of wealthy families.
For them, emotional value was certainly not a prized commodity.
Only truly precious, genuine emotions would compel them to willingly give their all, much like the profound feelings he held for a certain girl he knew…
Just then, his phone chimed.
His sole client had already sent a message in a flurry, their avatar a tear-streaked teddy bear.
[I really want to see another world.]
Though merely a few simple words, the underlying pressure was palpable.
While the message itself seemed gentle, it was not the kind of sentiment a psychologically stable person would typically express.
What normal person would begin a conversation with such a statement?
A chilling image of a stereotypical “landmine girl” (TL Note: A Chinese slang term for a girl who appears normal but has severe emotional issues and is prone to outbursts or self-destructive behavior) suddenly materialized in Pei Xing Yan’s mind: a utility knife clutched in her hand, a truly unnerving smile on her face.
He couldn’t help but shiver involuntarily.
Tang Xin also leaned over.
She blinked twice, a little confused.
“That’s not right.
I recruited this girl offline; I’ve met her.
She seemed so quiet and gentle, and her voice was so sweet.
How could she say something like that?”
“You probably don’t know the struggles of the world.
Everyone in society is under immense psychological pressure right now.
Do you think quiet-looking girls wouldn’t feel this way?” He began to take the lead, turning to educate Tang Xin.
“Wrong! Children like that are under even greater pressure.”
Tang Xin nodded blankly, mumbling a vague “Right, right, right.”
“And look, we just connected less than five seconds ago, and she already sent a message.
What does that tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Tang Xin asked foolishly.
“It means her mind is on the verge of collapse, and she’s treating this software like a lifeline.” Pei Xing Yan suddenly asked, “What did you tell her when you recruited her?”
“I just… exaggerated a bit…” Tang Xin said timidly, not daring to speak loudly.
“I just said that no matter what troubles she had, we could cure them here or something…”
…
Pei Xing Yan felt an overwhelming urge to smash his phone and flee immediately.
He now understood precisely why Tang Xin had so easily secured a thirty thousand deposit: she had found a desperate, high-pressure gas tank of a rich lady.
If this particular landmine were to detonate, its destructive power would far exceed that of an atomic bomb.
Yet, as the saying goes, great wealth is found in great risk…
“Hurry up and reply to them, another new message just came in.” Tang Xin pointed at his phone screen, shifting the topic back.
[I really want to leave this place.]
The tone had intensified… Pei Xing Yan could discern that if this wasn’t merely some otaku (TL Note: A Japanese term for a person with an obsessive interest in popular culture, often anime or manga) with a classic case of “yu-yu zheng” (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang term, literally ‘jade jade syndrome,’ used to describe someone who frequently expresses exaggerated sadness or depression, often for attention) melodramatically moaning, then it was genuinely a gas tank on the verge of exploding.
The girl’s messages arrived like a relentless bombardment, each sentence steeped in profound despair.
“You don’t know how to reply, do you?” Tang Xin said, a hint of anxiety in her voice, wanting to take over for him.
“Just tell her that life is beautiful, to think more about her family and those who love her, and try to calm her down first.”
Pei Xing Yan let out a cold, cynical laugh, then swiftly typed out a few words.
[Actually, leaving might not be a bad thing.]
Tang Xin was utterly dumbfounded, as a future where police sirens wailed at their door for incitement to crime seemed to beckon her.
“Are you insane?
How can you say that?” She quickly tried to snatch Pei Xing Yan’s phone, wanting to retract the message.
“You’re the one who’s insane.
Do you know about a certain bridge in Korea?” Pei Xing Yan said slowly.
“The Mapo Bridge.
To prevent people from jumping, the authorities put up many slogans like, ‘Go see your loved ones now,’ or ‘The brightest moment is coming soon.’ Guess what happened?
A year later, the number of people who jumped from Mapo Bridge increased sixfold.”
“H-how could that be?” Tang Xin was even more stunned, her mind struggling to process the information.
In her understanding, shouldn’t one always use comforting words to dissuade those on the brink of psychological collapse?
“If they really had anything worth loving or cherishing, they wouldn’t be saying such things.
Your words would only agitate her.” Pei Xing Yan sighed helplessly.
“You said it yourself, this is a rich lady, the kind who can hand over a thirty thousand deposit in one go.
Who do you think would make a young miss like that have a psychological breakdown?”
“It’s…” Tang Xin finally understood.
“Exactly, it’s the people around her, and most likely close relatives—perhaps even her parents.”
“Ah?” Tang Xin felt a pang of disappointment, realizing that this money might not be as easy to earn as she had imagined.
After recovering, she remembered another question.
“But it’s not appropriate for you to send messages like that either… What if you provoke someone?”
Pei Xing Yan curled his lips into a smile.
While typing, he also said, “For a girl like this, we need to use a ‘scumbag’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term for a manipulative man who plays with women’s feelings) strategy.
Do you know why ‘scumbags’ always succeed in relationships?”
“Sc-scumbags (TL Note: A Chinese slang term for a manipulative man who plays with women’s feelings)?” Tang Xin hadn’t expected him to suddenly talk about this.
Lacking any experience in romantic relationships, she found herself momentarily speechless.
“Because in the early stages, ‘scumbags’ always recklessly pander to their chosen targets, providing emotional value, giving them what they want, saying what they want to hear.
Sometimes they even use deception or outright PUA (TL Note: Pick-up Artist, a term referring to manipulative seduction techniques), caring only about achieving their goal, regardless of the outcome—the exact opposite of honest people.”
He was still smiling, but his expression had long since transformed into the confident smirk of someone certain of victory.
“First, like a scumbag, we must use every means possible to make her abandon this idea.”
Another line of text was dispatched.
[Because I’ve thought that way too, and I’ve tried it several times, but unfortunately, it never worked.
Now that you mention it… I think trying again wouldn’t be so bad…]