Chapter 11 - 1.10 The Ignorant are Fearless

Lying in bed, Chen Yu tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind full of scenarios for tomorrow's interview. This Brother Zhang sounded very friendly, and he was a fellow townsman, so he probably wouldn't deceive him, right? He remembered the old saying from his village: "Rely on friends when you're away, rely on parents when you're at home." In this unfamiliar city, it was so lucky to meet a fellow townsman willing to help.Chen Yu never imagined that in this era of underdeveloped information, scammers had already begun to weave their evil nets using people's kindness and trust. In 1997 China, the internet was just starting, mobile phones were a luxury, and most information was still spread through newspapers, television, and word of mouth. International long-distance call fees were extremely expensive, and ordinary people simply couldn't afford the cost of cross-border communication, which made cross-border scams easier to succeed. For rural youths like Chen Yu, the outside world was full of both temptation and unknowns.At this moment, he was full of hope, awaiting tomorrow's meeting, unaware that this was the first trap set for him by a massive criminal network. The trap was so exquisitely designed because it exploited all the weaknesses of the era: information asymmetry, lack of regulation, weak legal awareness, and most importantly—the strong desire of young people from the lower class to change their destiny.Poverty made him desperate, and desperation made him lose his due vigilance. In the face of survival pressure, rationality is often replaced by emotionality, and caution is often swallowed by impulse. When a person is in a state of anxiety and despair for a long time, any semblance of hope will be infinitely magnified, and any possible opportunity will be seized regardless of the consequences.