Chapter 2 — The Lost Golden Bangle

Manager Luo motioned for me to take a seat in the reception room.

The headquarters is currently verifying the matter.

How long will that take?

Two to three business days.

Can I not view the shipping data right now?

We lack the necessary authorization.

I pointed toward the computer outside.

What was that page just displayed on the screen?

Daily operational data.

Does it contain my tracking number?

Internal information is not suitable for customer viewing.

Then please ensure that all data is carefully preserved and archived.

Naturally.

He slid a settlement proposal across the table.

Considering that your loss is relatively substantial, our branch can apply in advance for a financial assistance grant of five hundred yuan on your behalf.

This is not the final compensation.

It is merely a gesture of goodwill.

At the bottom of the document, a sentence caught my eye: Upon receipt of the aforementioned funds, the user acknowledges that the current delivery dispute has been amicably resolved by both parties and waives any further claims or liabilities related to this waybill. I rotated the paper back toward him.

Is this what you call financial assistance?

Manager Luo s expression stiffened.

It is a standardized form.

Your company certainly has a wide variety of standardized forms.

When a package is abnormal, you force the customer to admit they failed to declare its value.

Yet financial assistance requires the customer to forfeit their right to seek compensation.

He pulled the document back.

You are free to refuse it.

Naturally, I refuse.

Then you will simply have to wait for the headquarters to reach a decision.

I require a formal written record of this complaint.

It has already been registered.

Give me the complaint reference number.

He recited a string of digits. I immediately dialed the official customer service hotline for verification. After checking the system, the telephone representative informed me:

The system indicates that your issue is logged as External packaging intact, customer reports suspected omission of items by the sender.

I turned on the speakerphone.

Who registered that the external packaging was intact?

Manager Luo reached out a hand to switch off the speakerphone. I deftly avoided his grasp. The customer service representative continued with the explanation:

The situation uploaded on-site by the local branch is that the package weight showed no obvious anomalies.

I stared straight at Manager Luo.

Are two hundred and eighty-one grams and three hundred and eighteen grams considered to have no obvious anomalies?

He whipped his head around to interrogate the delivery courier.

When you uploaded the information, did you not write it down clearly?

The courier s face turned completely pale.

I have not uploaded anything yet.

The room fell into absolute silence. The courier had not yet uploaded the information. Yet the customer service hotline had already retrieved a conclusion submitted by the local branch. There was only one person who possessed the preliminary access rights to manipulate such data. Manager Luo tapped his fingers rhythmically against the desk.

Perhaps the employee selected the wrong option by mistake.

I spoke directly into the phone to the customer service representative.

Please preserve the original transmission timestamp, the submitting account, and the entire revision history.

The representative agreed to log the request. The smile on Manager Luo s face vanished entirely.

Just what is it that you ultimately want?

I want my bracelet found.

If it cannot be found, then responsibilities must be addressed according to the law.

You did not purchase insured shipping.

He finally stopped beating around the bush.

The waybill terms state very clearly that standard packages are subject to maximum compensation limits.

You shipped an item worth thirty-eight thousand yuan while only paying a little over ten yuan for shipping.

Now that an incident has occurred, expecting the entire branch to bear thirty-eight thousand yuan is that fair?

Whoever caused the loss must bear the responsibility.

That is true fairness.

First, you must prove that there were actually items inside the package.

I produced the packaging video, the repair receipt, photographs from the jewelry store s security cameras, and the confirmation text message sent by the pickup employee.

What more do you need?

Videos can be staged.

You might have personal connections with the jewelry store.

Repair receipts can be issued retroactively.

Weight data proves nothing at all.

Stuffing a little extra packaging cotton inside can easily create a discrepancy of several dozen grams.

He reeled off his arguments in a single breath, as if he had rehearsed them well in advance. I did not argue with him.

Write down everything you just said.

What?

Write down clearly that you believe the packaging video could be staged, the repair receipt could be fabricated later, and the weight data cannot be used as valid evidence.

And then stamp it with the branch s official seal.

Manager Luo glared fixedly at me.

I was merely analyzing the situation with you.

It does not represent the company s official conclusion.

Then when will the company reach a conclusion?

Wait for the headquarters.

Before the headquarters issues its conclusion, please preserve all relevant data.

I pulled out a prepared list: The pickup inspection record. The pickup weighing data. The scanning and weighing data at every transit node. The loading and unloading surveillance footage from the transit hub and the local branch. The package abnormality notes and modification logs. The license plate numbers of the transport vehicles, cargo cages, and consolidation bags. The roster of personnel on duty during those shifts. Manager Luo glanced over the list.

What is your profession?

E-commerce after-sales customer service.

In the past, I had handled countless delivery disputes. Broken phones. Stained garments. Customers receiving empty boxes. Most people merely photographed the aftermath after opening the carton. They lacked a complete unboxing video. They lacked packaging details. They lacked weight data. In the end, the seller claimed they shipped the item, the customer claimed they never received it, and the courier company stood squarely in the middle, repeating only a single sentence: