Volume One, Chapter Six: Be Ruthless and Make a Deal

When I first arrived here, I saw quite a few people and thought Ah Long’s company was fairly large.

But it turned out that aside from the seven people seated around the table in front of me, all under his management, the rest belonged to other companies.

Just a handful of people, mixed in with others like a chaotic stew, without a single private office. I wondered how Ah Long could even call this a company.

Still, since I was here to make money, I didn’t overthink it and directly asked him about the work, eager to understand because I couldn’t wait to start earning.

“Here, take a look at this script and process. If you don’t understand something, ask them or me,” Ah Long said, tossing a stack of documents onto the table before me.

“The first step is to create a suitable identity and role…”

After reading through the scripts and procedures, a chill ran through me.

Earlier, Ah Long had mentioned that what he was involved in was a gray industry. He hadn’t specified exactly what, only vaguely saying it involved leading people to play games, something like customer service.

Now, seeing that I was supposed to fabricate an identity, package myself as a successful person, and then engage in online romances on social platforms, gradually luring others to play this so-called game, I finally understood the true nature of this project.

Only at this moment did I realize why Ah Long was making money so quickly.

It was a scam. How could the money not flow fast?

With just a few taps on the phone, they could ruin someone financially.

Thinking it through, it made sense—if it wasn’t a scam, why would he come all the way to northern Myanmar?

If it wasn’t a scam, Ah Long wouldn’t have been driving a luxury car and throwing money around within just a year.

Coming back to my senses, I felt deeply deceived by Ah Long.

Had he told me upfront it was a scam, I’d never have come.

I had to go home. I must go back.

I really didn’t dare to earn money this way.

Not to mention that it was illegal, I simply couldn’t bear it in my conscience.

I had hoped to make some money and bring it back, but now I knew that dream was utterly shattered.

Remembering that Ah Long had said I could come have a look first and leave if it wasn’t suitable, I thought it shouldn’t be a problem to talk to him about leaving. So I went to find Hai Ge and told him I had something to discuss.

At the end of the corridor was a small room designated for employees to smoke. Ah Long led me inside, handed me a cigarette, and asked, “Dongzi, what’s up?”

“Take me back!” I said bluntly.

“Back?” Ah Long frowned, looking at me. “Why? You just got here and already want to leave?”

I didn’t want to beat around the bush. I told him clearly, “This project is a scam. I won’t do it; I can’t get over it in my conscience. Besides, I have to pretend to be in a relationship with men, and I can’t accept that.”

Ah Long smiled, “Dongzi, you’re already here. It’s not that easy to leave once you’ve come, so don’t have those thoughts.”

Before I could explain, he went on, “I know what you’re worried about. You’re afraid of getting caught and going to jail, right?”

I nodded. That was indeed the main reason I wanted to leave.

I was the only university graduate in my family for generations, finally bringing honor to my parents so they could hold their heads high among relatives. If I got caught for fraud and was imprisoned for a few years, it was hard to imagine what would happen next.

Suddenly, Ah Long put his arm around my shoulder, his expression serious. “Dongzi, let me be very clear. Doing this in China can easily get you into trouble, but here, don’t worry at all. China has no law enforcement power here. Even if they want to come, they have to negotiate with the local government first.”

“Do you know who backs this group? It’s the local government. The boss pays them a lot every month. If anything goes wrong, we’ll get the news first and pull out immediately!”

“If it weren’t for safety, who would come here?”

“As for your conscience, let me ask you—can conscience pay your debts? Can it buy the car, the house, or what you want?”

“Nowadays, money is everything.”

“Do you know how many people are running similar projects here right now?”

“If your conscience won’t let you do it, fine. But let me make this clear: if you don’t do it, someone else will. People will be scammed anyway; why not let the money go into our pockets?”

“Don’t overthink it. You’re already here. Try working for a while.”

“When you can make tens of thousands with just a few taps, you’ll realize all that talk about conscience is nonsense. Money is the only real thing!”

“You said you owe a lot now. If you don’t seize this chance to make some money and pay off your debts, how can you turn things around working a regular job for years?”

“Think about it: when you finish paying off your debts, how old will you be? You’ll have nothing left, and it’ll be hard to find a wife. Women nowadays are so practical. If you have money, they’re friendly and accommodating. If you don’t, do you think they’ll even pay attention to you?”

His last words struck me like a needle, reminding me of my recent breakup.

My girlfriend and I had gotten close in college. After graduation, I started a business, and she thought I had promise. We were close and even planned to marry in a year or two.

But reality crushed that dream. After my business failed and I fell into debt, her attitude changed drastically. She became indifferent to my messages, rarely reached out first, and if I asked too much, she’d get annoyed and argue. Eventually, we broke up.

After reflecting on Ah Long’s words, the thought of going home faded.

These days, having no money really is impossible to manage.

“All right, when you first come here, it’s always like this. You’ll get used to it soon. Don’t think about all those distractions. Working hard to make money is the way.”

“Stick with me, and I promise you’ll have a different life.”

So, despite initially wanting to discuss going home, I was vaguely led back to the office by Ah Long and started focusing on the script again.

During this time, I chatted with a guy sitting beside me, who went by the name Max. He gave me a brief introduction to the others and shared some of their backgrounds.

There were seven people in total—oldest about forty, youngest only sixteen. Mostly, they had nowhere else to go in China and came here to make quick money.

The oldest was Old Ma, the backbone of Ah Long’s team. Last month, he had the highest sales among everyone. This month, halfway through, he had already made close to a million in sales.

“A million? How much salary does that bring?” I asked out of curiosity.

“The higher the sales, the higher the commission. A million earns thirteen percent.”

Making 130,000 in half a month honestly shocked me. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Recalling Ah Long’s earlier words, I began to wonder if I should be tougher and make a big move. Otherwise, life would be hard forever.

Just as the conversation was getting lively, suddenly there was a commotion behind.

I turned to see the office door pushed open. A small cart carrying three suitcases was brought in.

Everyone in the office stood up, and I sensed their mood becoming restless.

What was going on?

Curious, I stared at the doorway.

The suitcases were placed on the table and opened. Seeing the contents, I instinctively clenched my fists.