The viewership gradually broke through the ten million mark. The barrage and the video's comment section kept refreshing.
"Damn! Is this for real? Can it even be played like this? A scammer falling into his own trap, actively turning himself in—even TV dramas wouldn't dare to write this!"
"It must be true. Uncle Zhang's voice is so much like a gang boss; it scared me a bit when I first heard it."
"This is the first time I've seen such an outrageous incident. It's outrageous to a whole new level!"
Knowing the truth, the scammer must be collapsing on the inside.
"These scammers deserve a heavy punch! Well done, so satisfying!"
"..."
Every moment, more than ten new comments popped up, all discussing this outrageous case.
In recent years, scams have been rampant, causing grief to many. This video resonated with quite a few people. They all felt immensely satisfied seeing the scammer, scared sick by someone taking things seriously, turn himself in. The number of likes kept soaring.
Qin Mu also realized he had suddenly become famous.
In the video, to protect privacy, both the specific address of the nursing home and Zhang Qingyuan's personal information were hidden. However, to achieve a promotional and guiding effect, his name was made public and became known by many netizens, who revered him as the Number One Scammer Scarer.
As for this title, Qin Mu could only smile wryly. "Good thing they don't know it happened in Yangcheng," he muttered with a shrug. Otherwise, with the video's popularity, enthusiastic onlookers might have flocked to visit that very day.
Comparatively, having been reborn, he still preferred a more peaceful existence. Of course, it would be even better if, having awakened the system, he could make his quiet life a bit more comfortable.
After watching the video, he put down his phone and resumed his work for the day.
As a volunteer at the nursing home, he had various tasks, mostly helping the elderly with their daily routines and guiding their physical and mental well-being. His main job, however, was actually to accompany them in various recreational activities: joining Old Zhang for chess, helping Mr. Li with his calligraphy practice, playing badminton with Old Song, going fishing with Mr. Zhao, and so on. The workload wasn't heavy, but these elderly folks became more childlike with age, often creating messes that he had to clean up.
「In the afternoon.」
Qin Mu had just finished playing chess with Zhang Qingyuan. He had beaten him thirteen games straight, each time leaving Zhang Qingyuan with only a bare king. After such "therapy," Zhang Qingyuan's chess addiction was somewhat cured, and he no longer pestered Qin Mu to play.
Next, he went to find Mr. Li, Li Weiguo, and helped out a bit, accompanying him as he practiced calligraphy. Li Weiguo had been a middle school teacher before retirement and had taught for decades. Aside from playing chess, his favorite pastime was calligraphy. In his free time, he enjoyed tending to flowers and practicing calligraphy with a brush.
But as Li Weiguo was practicing, he suddenly put down his brush and looked at Qin Mu, his expression conflicted and hesitant. "Xiao Qin, could I... borrow some money from you?"
Qin Mu was taken aback. "Has your family encountered some difficulty?" he couldn't help asking. He had spent three years with this group of elderly people and was very familiar with their family situations. Although Li Weiguo was also in a nursing home, his children's families were quite affluent, so they normally wouldn't need to borrow money. Li Weiguo himself also received a monthly pension, which was more than enough for him to be self-sufficient. In fact, every month, Li Weiguo would use his pension to support impoverished students in Jin City, providing them with funds for tuition and living expenses. Over the past ten years, he had helped dozens of impoverished students embark on their educational journeys.
"It's like this," Li Weiguo began, frowning deeply and heaving a long sigh. "You know those three impoverished students I sponsored a while ago? Their parents just called me. They said school is about to start, but they haven't secured the tuition and living expenses for the children, and they asked me to figure something out. I calculated the pension funds I've saved for over a decade, and even if I add it all up, it's not enough..."
As he spoke, Li Weiguo hung his head. He supported these impoverished students on his own; none of his children approved of it. He couldn't ask his children for money, so he had no choice but to turn to his friends at the nursing home. "I asked Old Zhang and the others; they all promised to lend me some, but I'm still short fifty thousand yuan..."
After listening to Li Weiguo's explanation, Qin Mu couldn't help but furrow his brow. He felt something was off about this. In the nursing home, Li Weiguo was universally regarded as a good Samaritan; he was always the first to step forward whenever anyone was in trouble. For instance, he had taken the initiative to help raise money when Zhang Qingyuan was scammed.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Mu asked in a solemn tone, "Just tell me the truth, how much money did the parents of those impoverished students ask you for?"
Li Weiguo gave a bitter smile and was about to respond when his phone rang unexpectedly.
BRRRING—
It was another phone designed for the elderly, with a particularly loud ringtone.
"Hello?"
As soon as the call connected, a woman's rather arrogant and demanding voice came through. "Mr. Li, our child is about to start school. When will you be able to gather the 200,000 yuan? Otherwise, our child won't be able to afford Jin City High School and will have to drop out to work in a factory."
Li Weiguo's expression tensed. "No, please don't let the child drop out!" he hurriedly said. "Education is the only way to a bright future. Don't worry about the money; I'll have it all soon."
"Well, I'll give you three days," the woman retorted. "If we don't see the money in three days, we'll have to let our child go to work. You figure it out."
DOOT DOOT DOOT—
With that, the woman hung up, leaving only the busy tone.
Li Weiguo put down the phone and looked helplessly at Qin Mu. He said with a bitter smile, "You see? If I can't raise the money, these parents will send their children to work in a factory..." This was the source of his anxiety. Studying might not be the only path in life, but at fourteen or fifteen, not studying would mean far fewer options for the future. Moreover, he had been supporting these three students since elementary school, all the way through middle school. They were about to enter high school, and he couldn't bear to let them drop out now.
After listening to all this, Qin Mu was rendered completely speechless. Judging by the woman's unapologetic tone on the phone, it was clear these people were utterly ungrateful. Li Weiguo had sponsored their children from elementary through middle school, covering all their tuition and living expenses. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his kindness was life-changing for them. But now these people, because they supposedly couldn't afford high school, were using their children's futures to threaten Li Weiguo.
If he hadn't witnessed it himself, he would never have believed such shameless people existed in the world.