Chapter One: Seventy Million That Wasn't Mine

Naturally, the first thing he did was investigate. Gu Changqing did not exist in public police records, corporate registries, or social media. The only result was a cached post from a long-dead forum: MR. GU CHANGQING FUNDS CHANGQING PRIMARY SCHOOL. Its publication date was tomorrow. Lin opened it. Halfway through loading the photograph, his phone went black. When it returned, his mother was calling. “Why didn't you tell me you were back?” “Back from where?” “Singapore. You lived there for three years. Uncle Gu said he'd welcome you home.” Lin stood on the pavement. The lottery center's glass reflected his face—but in the reflection he wore an expensive gray suit instead of his cheap jacket. He spun around. His clothes were unchanged.