367 Loans and Deception ? (2/2)
Ishida bit his lip. ”Well, if his family is in some money trouble…”
An idea struck him.
”Matsuo, you must have his mobile number, don't you?”
Every user of a money-lending platform must create an account before being able to use its services. Basic information like contact details is always collected during registration.
Matsuo, the middle-aged man, laughed. ”We absolutely cannot share the personal information of our clients.”
”I'll buy his info for a hundred thousand dollars.”
”Oh, well, if that's the case, thank you for doing business with us.”
Half an hour later, Ishida hovered over his assistant, dictating the message that will be sent to Zhao Yao.
The first message read, ”Excuse me, are you Zhao Yao?”
The response was almost immediate. It was neither a confirmation or denial.
”Who are you?”
Ishida took some time to craft the next one. ”I'm just a fan of your super healing abilities. I've heard much about it.”
”What do you want?”
This reply took an even longer time to create.
”I also heard that you're facing some financial issues right now. I would like to help you.”
”Add me on WeChat. We'll talk there.”
Ishida's eyes lit up. A rare smile graced his lips. ”Seems like I can buy my way to success.”
”You are a genius, my lord!” the assistant praised, eager to please, ”We won't even have to lift a finger!”
”We don't know for sure yet. He is a rich man. We might not have the appetite to swallow his demands.”
They added Zhao Yao on WeChat and browsed through his friend's list.
”These are all cats. Are they all his?” Ishida asked.
”I believe so. I've definitely seen this one in the cafe before. He's alarmingly fat, so he made quite a big impression on me.”
Ishida nodded, then asked his assistant to fire a greeting to Zhao Yao. ”Hello!”
Zhao Yao skipped all formalities. ”How much money will you give me?”
The straightforward question stunned the both of them momentarily.
”He's a bit too direct, isn't he?” Ishida commented.
He thought about what he should say next. ”There's a Japanese waitress at your cafe, right?”
”Why?”
”A friend of mine greatly admires her. Can we get to know her?”
”$1,000.”
Ishida's face contorted in shock, then rage. ”Is he asking me for money?! What does he think Hanako is?!”
”Lord Ishida, now is not the time to get angry.”
”I know, I know,” he waved the assistant off.
He stifled his fury and arranged for the money to be transferred to Zhao Yao.
”Could you please arrange for Hanako to have a meal with us?”
Ishida knew that he could not take action anywhere near Zhao Yao or the cafe. He planned to meet Hanako somewhere else and take her back to Japan.
He waited patiently for 20 minutes. However, a response never came. He asked his assistant to send another message to Zhao Yao.
It failed to send. Zhao Yao had blocked their number.
Ishida gawked at the phone,
”Wait a minute. What's happening? Why has he blocked us?”
The assistant wiped the sweat from his brows. ”Lord Ishida, I believe we have been conned $1,000.”
Ishida was so furious that it felt like his lungs were ballooning to the verge of explosion.
What kind of monster were they dealing with?