Chapter 124 Jinjiang's Exclusive Pig Butchering Scam

Su Ruyi felt somewhat helpless. Aunt Liu had listened to her advice and expanded her house, which resulted in her receiving more compensation for the demolition. She was very grateful to her and had even given her a pair of large gold bracelets.

That big gold bracelet was so heavy that it was impossible to wear normally, and Su Ruyi had no choice but to accept it.

"Xiao Tao, your family has thanked me so many times, I really don't dare to face you again if this continues."

Su Ruyi noticed that Aunt Liu hadn't come to set up her stall today; only the helper they had hired was there.

Because business was good, Aunt Liu even hired a relative from her maternal family to help out at her food stall.

If she were passing by normally, Aunt Liu would definitely stuff a bunch of food into her hands as soon as she saw her, but this location is so good that there's no way to avoid it.

Jiang Xiaotao quickly said, "Sister Ruyi, this time it's because of something else..."

"I know you guys too well. You come up with a new excuse every day." Su Ruyi looked like she had seen right through you.

Su Ruyi knew very well that the Jiang family wanted to befriend her not only because of the information she had previously revealed, but also because she was their landlord.

The food street has been open for less than a year, but based on the current trend, the foot traffic will remain high in the future.

Therefore, many stall owners took the initiative to renew their contracts with Su Ruyi, fearing that they would not be able to continue renting stalls or get their current good locations after a year.

These small stalls don't sign long-term contracts; they're all signed one-year contracts.

The store lease term will be a bit longer, but it's basically a two-year lease.

The food street has a very high foot traffic, and anyone who sets up a stall here can make money; it's just a matter of how much.

Another advantage here is that the management is very strict, and there are dedicated people to coordinate if conflicts occur.

Evil forces have no way to enter this place, so they don't need to pay any extra fees besides rent.

The monthly cleaning and management fees are not high, and you can see real benefits.

Therefore, people who are committed to doing business honestly, even if they feel there are too many rules here and they may not necessarily earn more here than outside, are more willing to stay here.

Jiang Xiaotao's newsstand was in the middle, which everyone envied.

If it weren't for their connection, Jiang Xiaotao definitely wouldn't have gotten such a good position.

In addition, Jiang Xiaotao's father is a contractor who occasionally gets work from Lu Ting, so he is even more eager to befriend Su Ruyi.

Therefore, when this family encounters Su Ruyi, they always try to get close to her and curry favor with her. Although it doesn't make people feel disgusted, it inevitably puts some pressure on them.

"No, not this time!" Jiang Xiaotao raised her hand to swear. "Sister Ruyi, Aunt Tong hasn't had a chance to tell you yet, has she?"

"say what?"

After opening her braised food shop on the food street, Tong Dahua's business has been booming.

The advertising sign for the braised food shop has always been displayed on the "Happy Club" program. This is a special treatment given to Su Ruyi by the TV station, allowing her to stay there without spending any money.

This is the kind of treatment you get on TV, which is why braised food shops, which don't advertise much on TV these days, have remained popular.

Thanks to effective advertising, everyone now recognizes "Sister Mei" as the go-to brand for braised food.

Nowadays, vacuum packaging is also available, and many tourists visiting Chiang Mai province will take 'Sister Mei's Braised Food' back as a local specialty.

Although Tong Dahua no longer needs to make things herself, there are only her and Zhang Dagui in the shop. Zhang Shitou is currently working on a construction site with Cao Fei, so he is very busy every day and eats at the shop. Su Ruyi and she haven't sat down for a proper chat in a long time.

“Our village was demolished, and many people were scammed and killed! Luckily, you told Aunt Tong to spend all the money she had, and we followed suit, so we didn’t lose any of our money.”

Su Ruyi frowned. Although she didn't have a good impression of Xinghua Village, she didn't want to see the farmers who had lost their land lose all the money they had.

What kind of game?

"They said it was an investment project with monthly dividends, and the more you invested, the more you would receive. For the first few months, everyone received their dividends, but just a few days ago, they discovered that they hadn't received their dividends, and when they went to check, the place was empty. All the money everyone had invested was gone! They've already reported it to the police, but I heard that given the current situation, it's probably going to be very difficult to get the money back."

Jiang Xiaotao still feels lingering fear when she talks about it, as someone had previously tried to recruit her family into the business.

At first, they also thought that there was no such thing as a free lunch, but seeing that the villagers could receive so many dividends every month without doing anything, it would be a lie to say that they were not tempted.

If you invest 1,000, you'll receive 100 in dividends in the first month, and 125 in the second month. If you invest 10,000, you'll receive 1,200 in dividends in the first month, and the dividends will accumulate over time.

At first, everyone invested a small amount of money to try it out, and then, seeing how easy it was to make money, they invested all their savings.

Then when they receive dividends, they are reluctant to withdraw them and continue to invest them.

Jiang Xiaotao heard that at the peak of the dividends, some people earned tens of thousands of yuan a month!

How much money do they get from the demolition? And such opportunities are rare and hard to come by. It's too easy for money to grow these days.

At the time, the whole family discussed it and regretted it a bit. They shouldn't have put all their money into buying a house. Although house prices have been rising, the increase is far less than the return on their investment in this project.

The Jiang family members were not good at selling houses or mortgaging them for money. They always felt that selling houses was wasteful, and although they felt it was a pity, they did not intend to get involved.

Unexpectedly, the outcome saved their lives! If they had mortgaged their house, they would have lost everything like the other villagers!

"It's fortunate that this matter was exposed relatively early, otherwise my family would definitely have been unable to withstand it and would have had to get involved," Jiang Xiaotao sighed.

Su Ruyi was all too familiar with this kind of operation; it was a typical "pig butchering scam," and even decades later, many people were still being deceived by this old trick.

Telecommunications fraud often uses the same tactics to swindle money, and some people still believe it without question, no matter how much their family or the police try to stop them or persuade them.

They always felt they had inside information and that their investments were guaranteed to make money, so they easily transferred the money.

Banks have set up various barriers, making it twice as difficult for ordinary users to withdraw or transfer money, but this has not stopped these people from giving away their money.

By the time the money is transferred, people often realize something is wrong, but by then it's often too late; the money has already gone to an overseas account and can't be recovered.

Many people are aware that there are shady dealings involved, but they always think they are the ones who can make money, and so they get trapped.

This kind of scam is easier to fool people now than it will be decades later. Now is indeed the golden age for investment. The money Su Ruyi made from investing in so many projects is much easier to earn than it will be decades later.

Many people think they are just as lucky, and that's how they get scammed.

Especially those who became rich overnight due to land expropriation in places like Xinghua Village, it makes many people less concerned about the difficulty of making money, and they always feel that making money is not a difficult thing.

Moreover, because they become rich so easily, they find it difficult to earn money steadily and are more likely to take shortcuts than ordinary people.

These people are also easily targeted by a group of people with ulterior motives, making them more likely to be dragged into the abyss.

There are far too many similar examples around Su Ruyi. She herself is also one of the most easily targeted groups. Second-generation demolition beneficiaries and single young women are simply a big piece of fat meat in the eyes of many people, and everyone wants to take a bite.

In this world, Su Ruyi encountered quite a few scams.

Therefore, Su Ruyi immediately told Tong Dahua's family to spend the money and leave the place, otherwise they would be too easily targeted.

It's rare for anyone in this world to be completely immune to scams; at most, they just haven't encountered a scam that suits them. Even seasoned anti-fraud police officers have been scammed.

It's always safer not to have that much cash on hand.

Selling or mortgaging the house is relatively more troublesome, adding an extra hurdle, but it can still provide some protection.

That's just how the Jiang family is. If they had cash on hand, it's hard to say what their current situation would be like.

"The losses were severe?"

Jiang Xiaotao sighed, "Most of the villagers have invested their entire life savings. Some even borrowed money from outside to invest, including the Yao family. They mortgaged all their cars, and now they have no cars and are heavily in debt. They deserve it. They weren't willing to give their married daughter a single penny back then, and now they've all been swindled."

Su Ruyi couldn't feel any sympathy for the Yao family, and she was also glad that Yao's third and fourth sisters had run away, otherwise she would have been entangled with this family for the rest of her life.

When things are good, we don't think of them, but when something goes wrong, they're the first people we'll ask for money from.

"We're so glad we left. Being scammed is only one thing. My mom said that many people in the village have money now and have gone astray by following outsiders. Finding women outside is nothing compared to gambling and taking those harmful drugs! My neighbor's older brother used to be so honest, but now he's been led astray and turned into a scoundrel. He's been in and out of the police station countless times."

Jiang Xiaotao was very emotional. Who could have imagined that such a great thing would end up like this?

Few families in the village have fared well now. In the past, even the poorest families had a place to live and land to cultivate, but now they have nothing.

When the Jiang family wanted to use the money to buy a house and a shop, Aunt Liu even talked to the neighbors and invited them to join in.

The family said they would look around some more, as they wanted to find a better place to buy a house than Ya Yuan.

Because Xinghua Village is relatively close to the provincial capital, the people there are quite familiar with it. They always felt that Yayuan was located in a very remote area, not even considered part of the city, and not much better than their poor, remote mountain village.

But the house is so expensive, I feel it's not worth it, and I want to look around some more.

As a result of this delay, the money was swindled away shortly after it was in hand, and the person even went astray.

"This also serves as a reminder to us."

Jiang Xiaotao wholeheartedly agreed: "That's why my parents said we have to thank you properly. If our family hadn't followed your advice, we don't know what would have become of us."

Not only Jiang Xiaotao's family, but also Jiang Xiaotao's uncle's family and several other families who were on good terms with him, all listened to Jiang Hong and thought he was insightful, so they all followed suit and bought houses and shops together.

The property prices in Yayuan are rising day by day, and the booming commercial street has also driven up the rents of the shops, which are all being rented out at good prices.

Moreover, because someone manages everything, they don't need to worry about anything and can get a decent amount of rent every month.

I used to think that the rent was pitifully small compared to the investment dividends, but now I realize that this kind of money is the one I feel more secure receiving!

Those families were still shaken, but thankful that they had followed Jiang Xiaotao's family in buying houses and shops, and had given them many gifts as thanks.

Jiang Xiaotao's family felt that everything was because of Su Ruyi, so they wanted to express their gratitude.

Upon hearing this, Su Ruyi no longer refused Jiang Xiaotao's invitation, so as not to make the Jiang family feel uneasy.

The Jiang family not only invited Su Ruyi, but also invited Tong Dahua's family to dinner.

During the meal, Su Ruyi shared the scams she knew, hoping everyone would be wary.

"There are so many deceptive scams out there, it's impossible to guard against them all!" Aunt Liu's heart pounded as she listened.

Jiang Hong: "As long as you don't believe in free lunches, you won't be fooled."

Aunt Liu disagreed: "But in the examples that Mr. Su gave, there were also cases of people lying and saying that a family member had been in a car accident and needed money for medical treatment. If I knew that one of you was injured, I would definitely panic."

Jiang Hong fell silent. Indeed, if he encountered a similar situation, he might also be deceived.

Seeing the heavy atmosphere, Su Ruyi said, "In the future, when we encounter things involving money, we'll be more careful, but we don't need to worry so much. Scammers usually cast a wide net; as long as we're a little harder to fool than others, they won't focus their energy on us."

Jiang Hong: "From now on, let's not be too flamboyant when we're out in the world. We still need to live a down-to-earth life."

Those present nodded in agreement. The demolition compensation had indeed made them a little too proud. They should still follow the old saying: "Don't flaunt your wealth, and keep a low profile."

Before going to bed that night, Su Ruyi opened the script that Liu Quan had given her.

Once I started watching, I couldn't stop and stayed up all night to finish it.

It must be said that the current script is very solid and compact, with extremely rich content, a dramatic and captivating plot.

The script and the novel are not the same format. Both are about scenes and dialogues. When Su Ruyi read it, her mind was playing out the scenes like a TV series.

The story is an episodic drama set in a modern city, with each episode addressing a current hot topic.

This format is already very old-fashioned for Su Ruyi, but she is not afraid of the story framework being old-fashioned, as long as the content is interesting.

The screenwriter is very talented; each story is very interesting, and the overall style is lighthearted and humorous, yet highly satirical and extremely bold.

Just like many sketches today, it satirizes various negative social phenomena, but unlike works from decades later, the ending always involves making dumplings.

I'll curse you if I want, so what?

Su Ruyi was very satisfied with the script and immediately contacted Liu Quan, agreeing to invest.

"If we film this, will it be broadcast?" Su Ruyi only asked this one question.

Liu Quan assured, "Of course, this is a key project supported by our province. As long as it can be filmed, it can be broadcast."

Without saying a word, Su Ruyi had a contract drafted, and as soon as the contract was signed, she transferred the money directly, being extremely decisive.

On the contrary, Liu Quan hinted: "The main characters in this film cannot be changed. The actors chosen are all good actors with good acting skills and audience appeal. However, there are still many promising supporting roles that have not been decided."

Su Ruyi would occasionally recommend guests for the show, such as Zhou Tongyi and Fang Yusheng before, so Liu Quan also gave Su Ruyi, the big spender, some choice.

Liu Quan couldn't confirm his specific role, but it wouldn't be difficult for him to get a chance to appear on screen.

Currently, many production teams operate this way: major investors have a certain degree of control over casting, and as long as they don't cross any lines, most production teams will agree.

"I don't know any actors, so you guys figure it out yourselves. Just make sure the commercials are inserted smoothly without ruining the atmosphere."

For Hunan TV, placing advertisements in the dark is already a familiar and effective tactic.

The production team will also use this experience to insert the advertisements that Su Ruyi needs to place.

Su Ruyi and Lu Ting's products are all related to people's livelihoods, so inserting advertisements is very simple and won't seem out of place.

"You can rest assured about this; the director knows what he's doing," Liu Quan assured him.

"We can also provide filming locations, it just depends on whether the director needs them."

Liu Quan laughed even more heartily: "That's great! The director mentioned before that he really liked your model rooms. Some of them are very suitable for filming and fit the character settings."

Each building has a corresponding model apartment for its main unit type. The model apartments have different decoration styles and use high-quality materials. Once the model apartments are taken down, you can move in immediately.

Many people buy a house after seeing the model room and then entrust the decoration to Lu Ting's decoration company, hoping to make it just like the model room.

The designer will make adjustments based on the client's specific needs and family members, and so far there have been no complaints.

The renovation company built a good reputation, and orders kept coming in.

Liu Quan originally planned to organize a gathering, inviting Su Ruyi, the director, screenwriter, and several main actors from the production team. Su Ruyi declined, only agreeing to attend the filming on set.

"If there is anything you need, the director or producer can contact my secretary directly, and we will cooperate fully."

Liu Quan exclaimed, "The production crew is really lucky to have met such a big spender like you. There aren't many messy things going on, and you're quick to pay up."

"That's because I trust Director Liu. Otherwise, I would definitely have checked everything thoroughly and be very cautious about spending money."

Liu Quan was very pleased to hear this and returned the favor.

"The program you planned before, 'Supermarket GO Shopping,' has been approved by the station. It will be managed by Zhang Li, who was personally trained by Chen Mingsheng. What do you think about giving young people a chance to learn and grow?"

Su Ruyi is no stranger to Zhang Li, who served as the assistant director on "Taste of Life" but has not yet independently led a program.

“Okay, let’s go with him.” Su Ruyi had no objections.

She wasn't very confident about the show, and the investment wasn't large; it would be difficult to hire a top-tier director and producer like Chen Mingsheng. Zhang Li is quite capable and already has the ability to carry the show on her own.

Zhang Li is a very efficient person. On the third day after he received the project, he delivered the detailed plan to Su Ruyi.

"There's no need to be in such a hurry," Su Ruyi said, looking at Zhang Li, who had very dark circles under his eyes.

Su Ruyi had only given an outline; the specifics of how to proceed required careful consideration.

Zhang Li's manner made it seem as if she were exploiting people.

Zhang Li flashed a big white smile: "I can't wait to get the show out. This is my first show that I've directed independently, and I'm very interested in it, so I want to get it done as soon as possible."

Zhang Li seized this opportunity. Although the show wasn't particularly outstanding, it was an investment by Su Ruyi!

Su Ruyi's aura of "everything goes smoothly" is only one aspect; more importantly, Su Ruyi is very generous, and there are no messy things when working with her, making the work process more comfortable.

The competition for the Economic Television Station is fierce. It has to withstand the pressure of ratings while also taking into account the feelings of investors and sponsors.

Unlike shows like "Happy Club," where sponsors practically beg for cooperation, most programs need to curry favor with their big spenders.

If the sponsor is demanding, recording the show will be a huge headache.

Content creation is difficult enough, but if an outsider adds their opinions, it can drive you crazy.

If funding is subject to various restrictions, it becomes even more difficult.

These problems wouldn't have occurred if we had worked with Su Ruyi. Everyone hopes that Su Ruyi can offer some guidance.

"You still need to take care of your health; health is the foundation of everything."

Su Ruyi knew that this industry was stressful, and kindly reminded him that she didn't want to see anyone die suddenly.

Zhang Li readily agreed, but clearly didn't take it to heart.

Excellent people work themselves to the bone, afraid of falling behind.

Su Ruyi had no objections to the proposal and directly approved the payment.

The first episode was filmed right after the supermarket set up its goods and Su Ruyi left. She didn't participate in the subsequent recordings; she was only responsible for transferring money.

The production team was incredibly efficient; they aired the first episode the following week after filming it.

Su Ruyi did not go to review the filming or watch the program in advance, so she did not know how well it was filmed.

Hong Jiangtao also received the news and waited in front of the television with his family early in the morning.

He was very excited. He never expected Su Ruyi to be so generous and even arrange a special program for his supermarket!

After receiving the news, Hong Jiangtao immediately promised Lu Ting that his supermarket would move into any commercial area that Lu Ting developed.

Not only that, he also used his connections to give Lu Ting the green light, making Lu Ting's project proceed more smoothly.

It's not that Hong Jiangtao doesn't want to cooperate directly with Su Ruyi, but rather that he and Su Ruyi currently have nothing to cooperate on. Su Ruyi is currently very laid-back, and her various projects are stabilizing, so she doesn't need much external assistance.

When the program was being recorded, Hong Jiangtao originally wanted to go to the scene to see the excitement, but he had something to do at the time and unfortunately missed it.

Therefore, he didn't know anything about the program or its specific content, and waited for it to air like any other viewer.

It would have been easy for Hong Jiangtao to watch it in advance, but he decided to watch it at the appointed time, just like the other viewers.

Once the show started, Hong Jiangtao quickly forgot his identity as an investor and, like any ordinary audience member, slapped his thigh repeatedly, exclaiming, "Oh dear, I shouldn't have picked this! I should have chosen that one, but I've gone too far! Oh dear! Everyone said I shouldn't have taken that one, it's too easy to drop, what a waste!"

The content is very simple, but the production team made the atmosphere very tense and the sense of immersion extremely strong, making viewers wish they could jump into the TV and pick out the goods for the guests.

Su Ruyi was also surprised when she watched it; she couldn't believe that this kind of program could be so interesting. No wonder it appeared deep in her memory.

Those who are remembered by her must have some ability.

However, this was also thanks to Zhang Li's directing skills, who made the whole game very tense, even more exciting than outdoor challenges.

Outdoor challenge games are exciting, but because they are quite difficult, they don't provide the same level of immersion as supermarket shopping sprees.

After watching the first episode, Su Ruyi felt that the show should be quite good. It wouldn't be easy to become a hit, but it should be able to achieve the expected results.

The next day, the data was presented to Su Ruyi.

The viewership ratings have more than doubled!

The supermarket also took advantage of this opportunity to open, and the number of customers was so high that security guards had to be organized to maintain order.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the supermarket, crowd control measures will be implemented the following day.

Hong Jiangtao then took the drafted contract to Lu Ting and bought twenty apartments in the new development in one go. With the help of Ya Yuan taxis, he was very optimistic about the new development.

Lu Ting led Su Ruyi to the top floor of the building in Yayuan. The top floor units are very rare nowadays, with each unit being over 300 square meters and having two elevators serving two households.

"Haven't you always wanted a large apartment? This one is yours. I'm next door to you, and the rooftop is ours too. You can design it however you like. You can have a rooftop garden and a rooftop pool."

Although the two now live in the same community, they are not on the same floor.

After the building was completed, Lu Ting made no comment, and Su Ruyi didn't come to see it either.

Su Ruyi walked back and forth between the two apartments. The layouts were similar, with little difference.

"Let's combine the two apartments; I think this house would be a great wedding home."

Lu Ting stood there stunned, his gaze fixed on Su Ruyi, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Su Ruyi looked at him with a smile and said, "Let's get married."