Chapter 354: Let Your Mom Take You

When they arrived at Chen Da-Jie’s house, a group of middle-aged women was already gathered at the door. As soon as they saw Chen Da-Jie, they swarmed her, saying, “Xiao Lei’s mom, is it true? Are those people really scammers?”, “Xiao Han’s mom is so stubborn. She kicked all of us who believed you out of the group chat and even called Teacher Gao. I heard they moved up their plan and are now sending cars to pick up the kids.”, “Luckily, you warned us in time, or my child would have already been taken!”

“What?” Chen Shi said, “The scammers are already in action?”

“And you are…?”

“A private detective and police consultant.” Chen Shi flashed his badge, which bore the words “Long’an Public Security Bureau.” It had the desired effect, as the women looked at him with hope, as if he were their savior.

They all began speaking at once, hoping Chen Shi could help them recover their money. Chen Shi said, “Let’s set the money issue aside for now. The priority is to prevent your children from being taken away. We will do our best to recover the money later. I will notify the police to get this case on record.”

“Of course, we will cooperate!”, “Thank you so much.”, “You are our savior.”

Chen Shi added, “Right now, we need to be flexible. I’ve arranged for a young police officer to pose as a student and infiltrate their group. Do your kids know each other?”

“No, they don’t.”

Since the children didn’t all know each other, the undercover plan could work. Chen Shi said, “Da-Jie, find a set of your child’s clothes. Also, the scammers likely won’t come to you now, so who can pretend to be the undercover officer’s parent?”

The women looked at each other. One mom stepped forward, “I can do it!”

“Thank you! Contact Xiao Han’s mom and tell her you’ve changed your mind and want to send your child. Arrange a location nearby.”

Considering that it would be risky to intercept the car with just him and Wang Haitao, even with Xu Xiaodong joining later, Chen Shi decided it would be safer to go along with the scammers’ plan.

“Alright, I’ll contact her now,” the mom said.

Chen Shi was getting anxious. Where was Xu Xiaodong? He checked his phone. KK and Sun Zhen had already arrived at the office and were urging him to hurry.

Just then, a car pulled up, and Xu Xiaodong jumped out excitedly, “Brother Chen, what special mission do you have for me?”

“Undercover!”

“Undercover? No way. Don’t you remember I failed the last time? You had to save the situation.”

“This is different. It’s a scam gang. My mature face can’t pass for a high school student. Go with your mom to change clothes. She’ll explain on the way.”

“My mom?”

Chen Shi pointed at Xu Xiaodong and asked the mom, “What’s your child’s name?”

“Wang Xiaoming.”

Chen Shi patted Xu Xiaodong on the shoulder, “Xiaoming, go with your mom. When you reach the destination, find a way to contact us and give us the address.”

“Who’s Xiaoming? Brother Chen, what’s going on?”

Xu Xiaodong, bewildered, was dragged off by the women. They began undressing him in a circle, and Xu Xiaodong screamed, “Help… help!”

Chen Shi waved to Wang Haitao, “Give me your phone.”

Xu Xiaodong was quickly dressed in a student’s uniform, complete with glasses and a new hairstyle, making him look convincingly like a student. Chen Shi handed Wang Haitao’s phone to him, “Take this phone just in case.”

“Can you explain things clearly?” Xu Xiaodong said, distressed.

“Just go!”

Xu Xiaodong, still confused, was pulled away by his “mom.”

Wang Haitao praised, “Efficient as always!”

Chen Shi smiled, “No choice, we’re running out of time!”

Chen Shi turned to the parents, “Also, give me any information you have on the scammers and contact details of other parents and children involved.”

Xu Xiaodong, led by his “mom,” reached a bus stop. He had understood the situation by now, astonished at how pervasive scammers could be.

Before long, a school bus arrived, already filled with “students.” A bearded man asked, “Is this Xiao Ming’s mom?”

“Yes, please take care of my child.”

The bearded man let Xu Xiaodong on the bus. He was nervous, afraid someone would recognize him. He sat at the back. The bus was silent, and everyone was quiet. The girl next to him kept smiling at him.

Xu Xiaodong awkwardly smiled back. The girl asked, “Why do you look older than us?”

“I… uh, I was born early in the year. I’m also nineteen today.”

“Oh! I didn’t really want to come. I think it’s cheating, but my dad said if I don’t get into Peking University, he’ll disown me. My mom came up with this idea… Why do adults measure everyone by their college entrance exam scores? Bill Gates didn’t go to college!”

“Yeah, I agree. Lu Ban, Li Bai, and Jing Ke didn’t go to college either!”

“Haha, you’re funny. They didn’t have universities back then… Do you play Honor of Kings? Wanna team up? It’s so boring on the bus.”

Several students were playing on their phones. Xu Xiaodong checked his phone’s battery. It was low. “My phone’s almost out of power. It might shut down.”

“What’s your name?”

“Xu… uh, Wang Xiaoming!”

“I’m Li Mengran.”

“Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too!”

The bus stopped, and a stern-looking man with slicked-back hair and transition glasses boarded. He looked around, “Is everyone here? I’m Teacher Gao. You’ve heard about me from your parents and know where you’re going, right?”

“Hello, Teacher Gao.” The students responded weakly.

Teacher Gao nodded, “Your parents made a wise choice and stuck with it till the end…” He emphasized “stuck with it,” possibly hinting at the parents who backed out. “Success requires not only hard work but also opportunities. Meeting me is your great fortune. I’m giving you a shortcut in life. Passing the college entrance exam doesn’t mean smooth sailing. You still need to study, intern, and interview at prestigious universities to truly succeed. I’m merely helping you cross the river, avoiding the narrow bridge of the college entrance exam. So, should you thank Teacher Gao?”

“Thank you, Teacher Gao,” a few students said.

Teacher Gao cupped his ear, “I can’t hear you. Louder!”

“Thank you, Teacher Gao!” the students shouted in unison.

Satisfied, Teacher Gao continued, “I need your absolute trust and obedience, without any doubt. I’m taking a huge risk. If anything leaks, I could go to jail! If anyone disobeys, I won’t show them the exam papers and will ask them to leave now!”

He pointed outside at the barren countryside. They were already in the suburbs.

Several students nodded fearfully. The atmosphere of obedience quickly spread, and even Xu Xiaodong nodded along, feeling like he was in a classroom listening to a stern homeroom teacher’s lecture.