Chapter 1 — Conspiracy Award

At the company's year-end party, I won a cash prize worth 880 thousand yuan. I excitedly brought the money to the bank to deposit, but the teller suddenly changed expression. “Fake money, all fake money!” I was stunned: "No way! This is the money the company just gave, how could it be fake money?" The teller laughed coldly: "Are you still pretending? Don't you know whether it's fake money or not? For 880 thousand yuan without a single real bill, do you think the bank is stupid?" “For the first time, I see someone who is not so afraid of death.” A bad feeling arose in my heart, my heart beat faster and faster. "I don't believe it. Give me my money back, I'll send it to another bank." The teller rolled his eyes: "Pay you? Making counterfeit money is a felony. Both you and your money must stay here until the police arrive." After speaking, she immediately called the police and called security to block the door. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to explode, but I burst out laughing. Actually, I suffer from severe persecutory delusion. I have rehearsed this situation in my head ninety-nine times. 1 The police arrived very quickly. The team leader is a young police officer, his name is written on his service card: Giang Nham. Chau Man immediately stepped up to greet him and brought a stack of forms to Giang Nham. “Officer Giang, this is the cash counting record of our branch.” “And here is the record of confiscation of counterfeit money.” "All the cash that this customer brought was machine-checked many times and determined to be fake money." Whole. She deliberately emphasized those two words. Eight hundred and eighty thousand yuan, more than five kilograms of cash. Don't have any real money? I realized early on that something was wrong, but I didn't expect it to be this unreasonable. Backstage at the year-end party, I counted that pile of money myself. Working as the head of the finance department for ten years, checking money has become an instinct engraved in my bones. Eight hundred and eighty thousand yuan were all fake money and I didn't realize it? But I gritted my teeth and didn't speak. The illness that lasted for many years taught me a moral. When the whole world wants to force you to die, the person who complains is often the one who looks the most crazy. I grabbed the stainless steel chair in the lobby and stood up. “Police, I will fully cooperate with the investigation.” “But I have a request.” Giang Nham stopped writing the minutes: "You say it." “I want to check the seal code of the money related to the case.” This is common knowledge. Each bundle of cash that has just been released from the bank has a unique red code on the seal. If this money is really the money I brought here from the year-end party. The seal code must definitely match the original code of the issuing bank. If it doesn't match, then the money has been swapped by someone else. The smile on Chau Man's face stiffened. In just half a second. But I caught that reaction. "Sorry." She raised her chin again. “This money has been converted into evidence of the case.” “Evidence must be sealed on the spot.” “Without approval from branch superiors and the police, no one is allowed to touch it.” She deliberately glanced at me. “Especially you.” Then, she pouted at Giang Nham. “Officer Giang, now she requests contact with evidence, most likely wanting to destroy the evidence.” This criminal hat was taken down both quickly and accurately. Before I could even smell the money, I turned into a suspect who wanted to destroy evidence. Giang Nham did not immediately respond. He picked up the confiscation record that Chau Man brought and carefully examined it. I used the corner of my eye to look behind. Two tall and muscular security guards stood on both sides, blocking the main door of the bank. The lobby manager wore a white shirt and red tie, clasping his hands and apologizing to the people in the lobby. "Sorry customers, the branch suddenly had some problems and had to temporarily close operations." “Everyone please leave through the side door.” No one moved. This big play is a hundred times more attractive than the New Year's program. The ladies immediately took out their phones and pointed the camera straight at my face. What situation am I in now?

Person blocked in branch. Money was retained by the counter. Even my bank account recently received a text message saying "transaction restriction". Changing to a normal person, he would probably have collapsed at this point. But I didn't panic. I have an illness, a very serious illness. Every day I imagine someone wanting to drag me underwater, wanting to put me in prison. To deal with those delusions, I have made plans for every possibility of being harmed. For the past three months, every day has been like this. Facing the scornful cameras around me, my voice was so calm that even I was surprised. “If I can't touch the money.” “Then I request officer Chau Man, right in front of police officer Giang.” “Write down the entire serial number, seal status and person in charge of each bundle of money in the minutes.” Giang Nham nodded: "This request is reasonable. Chau staff, please cooperate." Chau Man bit her lower lip. She picked up her pen and very reluctantly turned over the confiscation record. Through the bulletproof glass, I stared at the upper right corner of the paper. There is an extremely small row of machine-printed numbers. System timestamp: 14:07. My heart suddenly skipped a beat. I remember very clearly the time I walked into this bank. 2:15 p.m. Before entering the door, I also took a time-stamped photo in front of the stone lion at the bank gate. It's an act of self-protection that I do every day when I leave the house. At that time, it was eight minutes before I entered the bank. So why was my money confiscated eight minutes ago? I reached into my coat pocket, pressed the save button on the recorder, and started a new recording. I don't intend to expose the time difference right now. The police couldn't help but notice the problem so clearly. I didn't have time to ask Giang Nham to save a copy of the minutes. The computer screen inside the counter suddenly flashed. Chau Man quickly glanced at the screen, her already tense shoulders immediately relaxed. “Oh my.” She tapped the keyboard twice. “There was a bit of a problem with the system just now.” “The device is undergoing regular maintenance, data delays are unavoidable.” “It's working normally now.” I looked through the glass. 2:07 p.m. Turned into 14 hours and 22 minutes. In just a blink of an eye, the hole was filled. Someone is using authority in the bank's internal system to edit data. The network spread out was huge. But I didn't speak, just looked at Chau Man's proud face. Just fix it. Edit at will. In my pocket I had the original time stamped photo, and also a tape recorder that hadn't been turned off since I woke up. 2 The bank door was suddenly pulled open by someone outside. A man wearing a high-class dark gray jacket strode in. His hair was neatly oiled, without a single tangle. Luong Chinh Khon. Chairman of Hoanh Vien Group, my immediate superior's superior. Behind him are two men carrying briefcases, both of the company's best lawyers. “Tieu To!” Luong Chinh Khon looked extremely worried. The crowd's camera immediately changed direction, pointing towards him. “Chairman Luong.” My voice didn't waver at all. Luong Chinh Khon walked past me and proactively shook Giang Nham's hand. “Police Giang has had a hard time.” “I am the leader of To Can, chairman of Hoanh Vien Group.” “These eight hundred and eighty thousand yuan are the prizes for our group's year-end party.” "As soon as I heard the branch report to the police, I was so scared that I immediately ran over to see the situation." He let out a sigh. "Our company is ready to cooperate in investigating the entire incident. We absolutely cannot let counterfeit money circulate in society." His voice suddenly changed, lowered. Just loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly. “But police, there is a situation I need to report first.” "Recently Tieu To has been under too much pressure, her mental state is always unstable, and she also suffers from serious paranoia." "She is always suspicious of others. Initially, we were planning to give her a long-term leave to go to the hospital for treatment." “Things

The counterfeit money this time may be… related to her medical condition.” I took a deep breath. Too cruel. He personally came here just to label me as "mentally ill". To what extent will the testimony of a mentally ill person be doubted by the police? The surrounding chatter became louder. Giang Nham's eyes looking at me had indeed changed, and the pen that was writing the minutes also stopped. Luong Chinh Khon turned around and looked at me with gentle eyes like a father. “Tieu To, don't be afraid.” “Money is just a small thing, people are important.” "You hand over the fake bonus money to the bank and company to handle, and let me handle the rest." Recovering counterfeit money. Then destroy. Once the evidence disappears, I will be known for the rest of my life as a psychopath who uses fake money. At that moment, Chau Man knocked on the glass. “Officer Jiang, there is an automatic recording of the system here.” She took out a large printed piece of paper and stuck it on the glass. That's the customer's booking note. Time: five days ago. Content: Customer To Can asked if there was counterfeit money in a large deposit, would the bank's counting machine directly report it to the police? There was an eerie silence in the lobby. The aunts looked at me like they were looking at a death row prisoner. Even the motive was made up for me. Five days ago came to probe the limits of the bank. “I've never been here before.” I looked straight into Giang Nham's eyes. “This record is fake.” Chau Man smirked. “Miss To, you have to speak responsibly.” “The job ticket generated by the system has both employee code and network address. If you say it's fake, does it become fake?" I took a step forward, standing close to the bulletproof glass. “If it's a job ticket, is it my signature?” “Is there a two-way recording at the counter that day?” “Is there a camera recording me entering and leaving the bank?” Chau Man was asked until she was speechless. Indeed she doesn't. This type of booking note only requires an automated teller's finger to create. Seeing Chau Man unable to resist, Luong Chinh Khon immediately played a second card. “Tieu To.” He received a document from the lawyer and placed it on the stainless steel table in front of me. “Her spirit is not good, everyone can sympathize.” “To prove your innocence, please write a report about the process of receiving rewards at the year-end party.” “As long as you clearly write down the situation, the company's legal department will do its best to protect you.” A blank sheet of paper. I just need to write on it things like "receive the reward alone" or "receive and preserve it myself". They will be able to put a "crime-prone" hat on my head. Evidence, motives, and conditions for committing the crime. All is enough. I didn't even touch the pen. “I did not write this report.” Luong Chinh Khon pretended to regret and shook his head. He extended his hand to Giang Nham.