I'm back in 1990

Chapter 967: Cause and Effect

On the weekend, Huang's children, as usual, went back to their parents' house for dinner.

"Xiao Chuan? When did you get back?" Huang Erhe was a little surprised to see his younger brother sitting in the living room eating oranges.

"These tangerines arrived last night. Yuangen brought them over. Come and try them." Huang Xiaochuan invited Huang Erhe to eat tangerines together.

Huang Erhe knew who his younger brother was talking about, Yuangen, who was Qian Yuangen, the nephew of his aunt Qian Jiazhen. He had contracted several hundred acres of hills in his hometown and planted many fruit trees, mainly loquat, bayberry and orange.

However, Huang Erhe's mind wasn't on the oranges. When he saw his younger brother, he wanted to ask him for advice as soon as possible.

"Xiao Chuan, let's go to the study. I have something to discuss with you."

Seeing his second brother Huang Erhe's solemn expression, Huang Xiaochuan knew that he must have something important to tell him, so he got up and headed to the study on the first floor, with Huang Erhe following closely behind.

After entering the study, Huang Erhe made sure to close the door.

Huang Xiaochuan then asked, "Second Brother, what's wrong?"

"Fan Yingrong has been arrested. The police told me this a couple of days ago when they came to me to ask about the situation. They said she is suspected of pyramid schemes and fraud."

"A pyramid scheme scam?" Huang Xiaochuan was also surprised to hear this news.

"Yes, that's what the police told me. Now the question is, should I get involved? The key is that I'm worried this will affect Maowa in the future." In front of his younger brother, Huang Erhe expressed his concerns.

After listening, Huang Xiaochuan pondered for a moment.

After a moment, he said, "Here's what we'll do! We don't know the exact situation yet. I'll arrange for a lawyer to look into it. We need to do everything according to the law and regulations. Don't try to pull strings or ask around blindly; that won't be good for you."

Huang Erhe agreed without hesitation. His younger brother was right; it was better to find out about these things through proper channels. Besides, she was his ex-wife after all. If it weren't for his son Maowa's future, he wouldn't have asked at all.

A few days later, Zhou Zheng, a renowned lawyer specializing in economic crime cases, arranged by Huang Xiaochuan, met with Huang Erhe at a teahouse.

"Hello, Mr. Huang Erhe!"

"Hello, Attorney Zhou!"

The two shook hands.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhou Zheng got straight to the point.

"I have learned about the preliminary details of your ex-wife Ms. Fan Yingrong's case through legal channels," Zhou Zheng said, opening his laptop.

"Based on the materials we have so far, Ms. Fan Yingrong was indeed deceived by someone's scheme, but the main reason lies in her own greed and some improper behavior, which led her to get involved in a criminal case."

Huang Erhe nodded solemnly, signaling the lawyer to continue.

"This story goes back to last year. At that time, Ms. Fan Yingrong received five million yuan from you. However, you didn't know the real reason she asked you for this money. She met a so-called friend at a beauty salon, and this friend recommended an 'international wealth management platform' that was disguised as legitimate."

Zhou Zheng turned the notebook towards Huang Erhe, pointing to a picture on it and saying, "This platform ostensibly deals in overseas real estate investment, promising an annualized return of 40% to 60%. Ms. Fan Yingrong initially invested 500,000 yuan just to try it out, and received 25,000 yuan in 'dividends' in the first month, which made her start to believe in the platform."

Zhou Zheng was worried that Huang Erhe might not understand, so he explained again: "This is a typical Ponzi scheme opening."

He then added, "But things didn't end there. The other party had a huge appetite. Ms. Fan Yingrong's friend told her that if she could develop a downline, she could not only get a 20% commission on the downline's investment, but also be promoted to a regional partner of the platform company and enjoy the company's equity dividends. So Ms. Fan Yingrong started actively recruiting people. The first downlines she developed were several mahjong friends she often played with."

Because she was financially well-off and generous, she projected the image of a wealthy woman. This led to two direct consequences: first, many people, trusting her, invested varying amounts and did receive some initial returns, totaling over 20 million yuan; second, her perceived ability attracted the attention of fraud rings.

"So, in January of this year, the fraud gang, which is the so-called platform company, sent a man who claimed to be the vice president to contact Ms. Fan Yingrong."

This person told Fan Yingrong about a plan, claiming that according to inside information, casino licenses in a small Southeast Asian country were about to be issued, and if they could raise funds to buy them now, the return could be more than ten times.

Hearing this, Huang Erhe knew the answer: "She definitely believed it."

Zhou Zheng nodded: "Yes, she not only believed it, but she also became a key link in the scam. The so-called vice president said that because Ms. Fan Yingrong has outstanding personal abilities, the platform company intends to make her the general agent for the China region of this project, but the prerequisite is that she needs to invest five million as a deposit and also promise to raise at least fifty million within three months."

Huang Erhe now understood the real reason why Fan Yingrong had asked him for five million.

Zhou Zheng continued, "Under the guidance of that so-called vice president, Ms. Fan Yingrong raised funds from her downline and newly developed investors by promising a high monthly interest rate of 10%. She intentionally or unintentionally built a complex hierarchical system, with herself at the very top."

At this point, Zhou Zheng emphasized to Huang Erhe, "This is a typical pyramid scheme structure."

Huang Erhe nodded heavily, indicating that he understood.

Zhou Zheng continued, "In order to achieve their goals, the fraud group specially produced exquisite promotional materials, and even forged government documents, casino design drawings, and so-called pre-approved licenses from a Southeast Asian country, which made Ms. Fan Yingrong even more convinced."

She was also invited to Southeast Asia to attend an international investment summit, which was actually an elaborate scam. The fraud ring rented a conference room in a high-end hotel near Marina Bay and hired some low-level foreign actors to play government officials and industry experts. Ms. Fan Yingrong was seated in the front row and awarded an award for outstanding Asian investor. This was filmed and shown to domestic investors after she returned home to gain their trust and secure new investments.

Huang Erhe was stunned. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that Fan Yingrong was vain and greedy. These swindlers were taking advantage of her and had her completely under their control.

"After that, Ms. Fan Yingrong developed her downline even more aggressively. According to police investigation, by the time of the incident, more than 100 million yuan had been invested directly or indirectly through Ms. Fan Yingrong, involving more than 400 investors."

Upon hearing this, Huang Erhe's head throbbed even more, and he rubbed his temples with his hands.

He continued, "And then what happened?"

"Then came the final stage of the whole scam. In September of this year, the platform suddenly announced that the casino project had encountered a temporary policy adjustment. Immediately afterwards, the platform could no longer withdraw money, and the so-called vice president also disappeared without a trace. Investors who found something was wrong reported to the police. After accepting the case, the police quickly opened an investigation. Since Ms. Fan Yingrong was at the top of the domestic level of the fraud group, she naturally became the prime suspect."

Huang Erhe asked, "What about that fraud gang?"

"Based on the information I have gathered, this is a transnational fraud ring. The mastermind is located overseas and has been operating from behind the scenes. Currently, the police have frozen all of Ms. Fan Yingrong's assets, but she has very little left. Even worse off than her are most of her downlines, who have lost everything."

Huang Erhe nodded heavily, "I understand, thank you, Attorney Zhou!"

"You're welcome. This is my job. If needed, I can serve as Ms. Fan Yingrong's defense lawyer. Currently, Ms. Fan Yingrong's defense lawyer is appointed."

"Okay, I'll definitely contact you if I need anything!" Huang Erhe stood up and shook hands with Zhou Zheng.

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