Chapter 3
It clicked. Chloe was doing this on purpose.
She knew perfectly well she’d been scammed, but she didn’t want to bear the loss herself, so she planned to make me pay for it.
The only thing that puzzled me was why Chloe, knowing my personality, would think I’d ever ask someone for money.
Even more, I was in my storage room selecting products at the time, my phone left in my room. There was no way I could have SnapChatted her for a loan.
Chloe’s room faced the storage room; she couldn’t not have seen me. Yet she still transferred the seventy-five thousand.
I was pondering the strange inconsistencies.
Chloe started sobbing again.
Caleb, who had just returned with a glass of water, quickly handed her a tissue and tried to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, Chloe. Since this whole thing involves Serena, I’ll make sure she takes full responsibility. You won’t lose seventy-five thousand for nothing.”
Chloe clutched Caleb’s arm tightly. “Really? I know you two run a million-follower account together, you don’t lack this kind of money. You’re such a good person, but Serena… can you guarantee she’ll pay me back?”
“Caleb.” I frowned, my gaze like a knife.
Caleb wriggled free from Chloe’s grasp. “Just stop crying, okay? We’ll figure it out when we get there.”
Not getting a clear promise from Caleb, Chloe’s expression stiffened slightly.
I pretended not to notice the silent exchange between them.
I mused that this incident might be the perfect opportunity for my account’s transformation.
And I could finally shed Caleb and operate the account independently.
As I was leaving the police station, Officer Davis, who I knew well, called out to me.
“Serena, you’ve always cooperated with us on anti-scam campaigns. I’ve seen all your hard work.”
“But this situation with your friend has had a terrible impact. Your role as a Cyber Safety Ambassador might have to be put on hold for a while.”
I froze.
As a top beauty influencer, I’d seen too many peers lose followers and plummet in engagement due to various unforeseen events.
I’d been planning for all possibilities for a long time.
The Cyber Safety Ambassador role was a strategic move to diversify my presence.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed.
I didn’t hide my feelings. “Officer Davis, Chloe is too emotional right now, and I can’t really reason with her.”
“I know this money is important to her, but if I pay her back, it sets a bad precedent for anti-scam efforts.”
In the future, anyone who encounters a similar situation might demand compensation.
Officer Davis understood my point. “You’re right, you shouldn’t have to pay. Legally speaking, no one can force you to compensate her.”
“Thanks, Officer Davis. Actually, I was thinking, if people are willing to start a fundraiser for Chloe, I’d contribute a significant amount myself to help her through this.” I voiced my true thoughts.
Everyone wanted to guilt-trip me into paying seventy-five thousand.
But when an actual fundraiser began, I wondered how generous these people would really be.
Officer Davis looked surprised. “Serena, you’re really too kind.”
I smiled, accepting her praise.
Little did she know, the transformation from a small-town girl to a million-follower influencer had nothing to do with kindness; it was all about calculated moves for maximum gain.
Back at my apartment, I finally had time to check the online chatter.
Chloe’s public kneeling video was already attention-grabbing.
My influencer status only added fuel to the fire.
The comment section of my latest video was a warzone, flooded with angry netizens.
They demanded to know why I wouldn’t pay her back, why I’d just stand there while my best friend knelt.
I opened various beauty forums and social media platforms; everywhere, people were calling for a boycott against me: This kind of unethical influencer should be blacklisted! Everyone unfollow her! Like if you agree!
Responses poured in.
A few reasonable people said, “It was an AI deepfake scam! Go after the criminals! Why should a rich person pay just because someone got scammed?”
Unfortunately, most people were selectively blind, continuing to hurl insults at me.
Until the police released an official statement.
Major beauty communities and influencer groups also put out alerts:
Ms. Yao, the best friend of a well-known beauty influencer, Ms. Fang, was scammed out of seventy-five thousand dollars through an “AI deepfake impersonation” on a social media app. At the time of the incident, Ms. Fang and Ms. Yao were living together in their shared apartment. Ms. Yao believed the AI-synthesized video call without verification and transferred the money, resulting in a loss. We hope all netizens learn from this and remain vigilant.
Both the police and social media platforms had made their statements.
After the incident was officially classified, Chloe became even more frantic.
She went straight to the apartment rooftop, claiming I had driven her to despair and she was going to commit suicide.
She was eventually rescued by firefighters.
She caused the scene, but I was the one getting dragged.