Insider Information

The living room was warm and cozy. A thin layer of sunflower seed shells had accumulated on the glass coffee table, resembling some kind of peculiar brown snowflakes. Sunlight streamed in obliquely, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air, and also illuminating Aunt Wang Guifang's face, which was slightly flushed with excitement and beaming with joy.

Her declaration about her son Sun Penghui earning "hundreds of thousands a month" was like a large stone thrown into a calm lake, the ripples of which had not yet completely subsided. Aunt and Uncle still had amazement and envy on their faces, Zhang Fen's smile was somewhat stiff, and Lin Jianguo drank his tea in silence, the smoke rising from the cigarette between his fingers.

Perhaps to ease the subtle awkwardness caused by the overly blatant boasting, or perhaps out of the instinctive curiosity of ordinary people about professions that "make a lot of money," Zhang Fen followed up the conversation and asked in a seemingly natural tone, "Making so much... What exactly does Penghui do abroad? It sounds really impressive."

She asked the question casually, just like any mother who hears about someone else's successful child would casually ask, "What does he/she do?"

However, this question seemed to have triggered a special switch on Aunt Wang Guifang.

Her eyes lit up, and she leaned forward slightly, almost instinctively glancing left and right—even though there was no one else in the living room but her family. The ostentatious openness on her face subsided slightly, replaced by a mixture of mystery, pride, and a desire to share—"I'm only telling you this."

She even deliberately lowered her voice, although the volume was still loud enough for everyone to hear, but this act of lowering her voice itself created an atmosphere of "telling a secret".

"What exactly do they do... oh well, they're a high-tech company, their business is very complex." Wang Guifang's tone became vague and profound. She rubbed her fingers together, as if weighing something intangible. "Mainly... they do investment! They're in finance! You know, right? It's the kind where money makes money!"

She paused, observing everyone's reactions. Seeing that they all wore expressions of "I see" or "That sounds really high-tech," she continued in a revealing tone, "Their company is incredible! They have insider information! Real internal channels! They specialize in investing for extremely wealthy clients, and every investment is a sure thing, making huge profits! The profits, wow..." She clicked her tongue, her face showing boundless longing, as if she were witnessing a sea of gold with her own eyes.

"What about Penghui and the others..." Auntie San couldn't help but interrupt.

"Hey! They just help with the operations and maintenance, they only earn a pittance!" Wang Guifang immediately waved her hand, but her tone didn't reveal much regret for her son "only earning a pittance." Instead, it seemed she was emphasizing the value of that "pittance," saying, "The ones who really make big money are the clients who invest with us! They're the ones who make money while lying down!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, her eyes shining. "To be honest, I'm tempted! Who wouldn't want to make some money with such a great opportunity? I even mentioned it to my son, Penghui, about investing even just a few hundred thousand to test the waters!" At this point, her face suddenly fell, revealing a hint of helplessness and resentment. "But guess what my son said? He said the company has strict rules: employees' immediate family members are absolutely forbidden from investing! It's to avoid suspicion, prevent insider trading, and all that... the rules are pretty strict!"

She sighed, as if she had missed out on hundreds of millions. "Besides, their company has very high standards! They don't even look at small projects like ours, which cost a few hundred thousand! They deal with big clients who have millions or tens of millions! Our little bit of money isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap."

These words not only elevated the "class" and "standards" of her son's company, but also cleverly provided a perfect excuse for her (and the relatives present) not being able to participate in the investment. "It's not that I'm unwilling, but that I'm unable."

However, the dejection on her face lasted for less than three seconds before being replaced by a stronger, almost excited sense of "a glimmer of hope." She lowered her voice again mysteriously, leaning closer, her voice brimming with barely suppressed triumph:

"However... there's always a way out!" She kept everyone in suspense, successfully capturing everyone's attention once again, "At Penghui's company, there's a colleague who's very close to him. Knowing I'm Penghui's mother, she contacted me privately!"

She glanced around, noticing the curious looks on everyone's faces, and a sense of satisfaction welled up within her. Then she revealed the answer, "That colleague said he has special connections! He can find a way to quietly 'link' our small amounts of money to the orders of his company's super-large clients! We can operate together and share the profits! That's called... free-riding! Yes, hitching a ride!"

Her face radiated a smug satisfaction, as if she had mastered a secret weapon. "They said they only opened this back door because of my Penghui! Most people wouldn't even dream of it!"

Finally, she waved her hand generously, adopting a "share the good fortune" attitude, and glanced at Zhang Fen, her third aunt, and the others. "You're all my sisters, family! When this special channel really works out, I definitely won't hide anything! We'll all invest together, and we'll make money together! Don't worry, with Penghui's connection, it'll definitely be reliable!"

"Oh! That's great!"

Guifang, you're so loyal!

"I'll really be counting on you then!"

Auntie and Uncle immediately agreed with smiles, their tone half-joking and half-expectant. Zhang Fen could only smile back and mumble, "We'll see, we'll see."

Lin Feng, who had been quietly peeling oranges and occasionally sipping tea, felt a strange sense of familiarity and wariness rise to a new level after hearing his aunt's "supplementary explanation."

"Investment company", "insider information", "helping clients operate", "high profits", "employees' relatives are prohibited from investing", "small amounts are not considered", "special channels", "affiliating with large orders", "free-riding"...

These words and tactics are practically copied directly from the standard scripts of "pig butchering scams" in some telecom fraud parks! They progress step by step, first establishing a high-end image and unattainable thresholds to create anxiety and desire, and then using "insiders" to provide seemingly illegal but tempting "special channels" to precisely target people's greed and trust in "insider relationships."

According to the information K relayed, this kind of secondary development targeting "employees' families" or "families" is a common tactic used by these industrial parks to expand their funding sources and strengthen their control. They use the family relationships of the "employees" (who may themselves be victims of coercion or brainwashing) to weave a tighter network of trust and extract more funds from them.

Lin Feng was almost certain that the "partner with whom he had a particularly good relationship" that his aunt mentioned was definitely suspicious. Either he was a member of a fraud ring, or Sun Penghui himself was cooperating in another round of "performance development" under pressure or inducement.

It seems that Sun Penghui's situation over there is far less glamorous than his aunt boasted. He might have a high salary, but that money is a liability, accompanied by unimaginable control and risks. He himself may even be deeply mired in trouble, unable to control his own destiny.

Lin Feng put the last segment of orange into his mouth and chewed it slowly. After the initial sweetness, a very faint bitterness, belonging to the orange pith, rose on the tip of his tongue.

He looked up at his second aunt, who was still engrossed in her "soon-to-be-rich" fantasy, her face beaming with excitement. He then glanced at Sun Penghui, who seemed oblivious to the situation, still playing on his phone, neither denying nor participating in his boasting to his mother (perhaps he was currently contacting that "colleague" on his phone?).

Should we just call it out?

Lin Feng immediately dismissed the idea. First, during the Lunar New Year, directly telling relatives, "Your son might have fallen into a scam ring, and you're being exploited," would be tantamount to a public falling out, putting his mother in a difficult position and creating an extremely ugly scene. Second, he knew that some "key personnel" in the telecom fraud industrial park could indeed make money, even a lot of money, despite the dirty and dangerous nature of that money. It was difficult to determine Sun Penghui's exact position—whether he was a perpetrator or a semi-victim—based solely on his aunt's flawed account.

But they are relatives after all. Although her mother complained, she still cared about their sisterly bond. A little reminder might make her more vigilant and avoid greater losses.

Lin Feng put down the orange peel, took a tissue to wipe his hands, then looked up at his second aunt, his tone as casual as if he were just chatting, and asked a seemingly unrelated question:

"Second Aunt, is Brother Hui not coming back for Chinese New Year this year?"

Wang Guifang, who was in the middle of a lively discussion, was interrupted. She paused for a moment, then gave a look that said, "You just don't understand." She waved her hand and said in a tone that was a mixture of understanding and boasting:

"Oh, Xiao Feng, you don't understand! People abroad don't celebrate our Spring Festival! They don't have a holiday! The company is very busy, it's the perfect time to boost sales! Holiday? We work as usual! Being busy is good, it means business is good, and we're making money!"

As she spoke, she glanced at her son. Sun Penghui had just put down his phone. Hearing his mother's words, his face remained expressionless, and he simply gave a vague "hmm" in confirmation.

Lin Feng nodded, said nothing more, and simply picked up the slightly cooled teacup and took a sip.

He had asked what he needed to ask and listened to what he needed to listen to. His aunt's answer further confirmed his guess—not being allowed to return home for the Spring Festival, a time of family reunion that is so important to China people, was a management style of so-called "foreign companies" that was too inhumane and more in line with the characteristics of those black industries that treat people as expendable resources and strictly control them.

But he didn't press further, nor did he attempt to analyze or warn. Some things are best left unsaid. Saying too much might alert her or make her more rebellious and convinced of his suspicions.

He simply placed the teacup back on the coffee table, making a soft clinking sound.

In the living room, the conversation had already shifted to the newly opened shopping mall in the county town and which store was having a gold jewelry sale. The sun was still shining warmly, and the sounds of sunflower seeds crackling, laughter, and songs and dances on the television blended together to create a peaceful and lively New Year's scene.

Only beneath Lin Feng's slightly lowered eyelashes, a cold, thoughtful glint flashed deep within his eyes.

It seems that during the Spring Festival, besides dealing with relatives and that inexplicable classmate reunion, K might also need to keep an eye on the so-called "Penghui Technology Company" and the "good colleague" who took the initiative to contact his aunt, to see what kind of people they really are.