[You have a letter from September 26, 2025.]
The familiar notification DINGED in the quiet bedroom. Wendy Lynch jolted and sat up in bed. She swiped her phone screen and opened the newly arrived email.
[Goodbye, Jean Sutton. My good friend.]
[I still can’t believe that someone so optimistic and cheerful would choose to jump off a building.]
[It’s all because of that P2P investment platform called ’Coin Harvest.’ I heard she put in all her savings and even took out online loans to invest everything she had. Last night, the platform suddenly collapsed, and the owners vanished. She was left with absolutely nothing.]
[It’s too tragic. By the time they found her this morning, she was already... Sigh.]
[If only I had known earlier, I would have definitely stopped her!!!]
...
Wendy’s mind BUZZED as if she had been struck hard by a heavy hammer.
Jean Sutton? Jumped off a building?!
Her mind went blank. The blood in her entire body seemed to freeze in that instant, leaving her hands and feet terrifyingly cold. Jean Sutton was one of her best friends from her college days. She was the girl who always smiled like a little sun, the one who would drag her to skip class for hot pot, clumsily comfort her when she was feeling down, and solemnly vow that they would open a small shop together in the future.
How could this be...? How was this possible???
Wendy’s hand trembled uncontrollably as she gripped her phone. Forcing her eyes wide open, she reread the email from beginning to end, word by word.
Jean Sutton had lost every penny when a wealth management product called Coin Harvest went belly up. Unable to handle the blow, she had chosen to take her own life.
The email was dated September 26. Today was September 24.
That meant Jean’s tragedy would happen tomorrow or the day after!
She still had time!
She sprang from her bed, rushed to her desk, and flipped open her laptop. She couldn’t let this happen! Absolutely not!
As the screen lit up, Wendy took a deep breath, her shaking fingers typing "Coin Harvest" onto the keyboard. The search results quickly popped up.
At the very top was the official website of Coin Harvest. It was beautifully designed with a catchy slogan: "Start your idyllic life in the cloud and let your wealth grow as naturally as crops!"
Wendy clicked the link.
The website’s promotional copy was incredibly seductive, claiming to be an innovative financial model that answered the government’s call to combine the internet with modern agriculture. Users could purchase virtual land on their app, along with virtual seeds, fruit trees, and even virtual piglets and calves. Then, through "online farming" and "online breeding," they could earn considerable daily returns.
Wendy clicked the app download link and registered an account using her backup phone number. The app’s interface was extremely realistic. Not only did it feature growth progress bars for various crops, but it even included a so-called "real-time monitoring" function. Clicking into it revealed a vibrant farm scene under blue skies and Lyndales.
The official website’s built-in forum was filled with harmony and prosperity.
"This is amazing! I invested a hundred thousand, and I can see the returns rolling in every day. It’s way better than working!"
"My piglets have gotten fatter again. I’ll make a fortune when they go to market next month!"
"Looking to buy 100 units of paddy fields. DM me if you have any!"
"I redeemed 100 pounds of rice grown in my own field from the store the day before yesterday, and it was delivered to my door today. The speed is actually legit!"
"I’ve already recommended it to my relatives and friends. Let’s all get rich together!"
Screenshot after screenshot showing high returns, paired with immensely grateful texts, perfectly created an atmosphere of "everyone is making money, and you’re the only one still watching from the sidelines."
After looking around, Wendy quickly understood why Coin Harvest was so popular. For normal planting and breeding, the annualized yield could reach around 30 percent. If someone participated in buying and selling land, as well as various so-called crop futures, the annualized yield could reach a terrifying 100 percent.
The whole narrative was surprisingly self-consistent. If she hadn’t known the outcome in advance, she feared she might have been lured in by these exaggerated returns too.
Meanwhile, in the most prominent spot on the app, a massive event banner was scrolling past: [Coin Harvest Anniversary Celebration! Thanksgiving Giveback! Cash back on deposits, doubled returns! Event limited to 48 hours!]
Seeing this, Wendy’s heart turned completely cold. Anniversary celebration? Doubled returns? This was clearly the standard tactic of a Ponzi scheme right before it collapsed—harvesting one last crop of suckers and then absconding with the funds!
Wendy’s heart sank deeper and deeper. Without hesitation, she immediately closed the webpage, opened WhatsApp, and swiftly found Jean Sutton’s name in her contacts.
She clicked into Jean’s Instagram.
Sure enough!
Just a week ago, Jean Sutton had posted an Instagram update. The accompanying image was a screenshot of her returns from Coin Harvest, and the caption read:
"A newly discovered wealth management godsend, let’s go! A great investment with a 30% annualized yield! Contact me if you want to play along, I’ll send you an invitation code!"
Wendy no longer cared that it was the middle of the night and directly dialed Jean’s number. The phone rang for a long time before it connected. Deafening music and the clamor of a crowd immediately blasted through the receiver.
"Hello? Wendy? Why are you calling me at this hour?" Jean Sutton’s voice carried a hint of drunkenness and surprise, sounding like she was in a bar or a karaoke club.
"Justin, where are you right now?" Wendy tried her best to make her voice sound calm.
"I’m at Nightfall! Singing with friends. What’s up? We’re in room 212. Do you want to come over and hang out?"
"No, thanks," Wendy paused, then asked probing, "Have you... been using a wealth management app called Coin Harvest lately?"
On the other end of the phone, Jean Sutton clearly grew excited.
"Yeah! You found out too? Let me tell you, this is super profitable!
"Yesterday, I resold a pasture and easily made a month’s salary! Oh right, you should join in too!
"It’s their anniversary celebration right now, and the promotions are huge. I’m planning to take out a 600,000 loan tomorrow and invest it all.
"I’ve already thought it through. I’ll use the whole 600,000 to buy pastures. If I’m lucky, I can double it by the end of the year!!"
600,000!!!!
Wendy’s heart clenched fiercely. She wouldn’t think 600,000 was a small sum just because she had easily made over 600,000 through her future emails. Jean Sutton’s family background was even worse than her own, and her monthly salary was only around 5,000. If she really took out that 600,000 loan, she probably wouldn’t be able to pay it back in her lifetime. No wonder she couldn’t think straight and chose to jump off a building over it.
Wendy took a deep breath. She couldn’t afford to beat around the bush anymore.
"Justin, listen to me. That Coin Harvest is a scam!
"You need to withdraw all your money from it right now, immediately! Don’t leave a single penny behind!"
Her voice rose in urgency, sounding somewhat shrill.
The music on the other end seemed to dim slightly. Jean Sutton’s laughter drifted over, carrying a trace of dismissal.
"Wendy, what are you talking about?
"How could it be a scam? Didn’t you see the screenshots on my Instagram?
"I’ve already made almost 10,000 from it. Otherwise, how could I bear to take out a loan to invest?
"What we’re playing isn’t one of those Ponzi schemes. It has physical entities. These farms and orchards we invest in? The things we grow can be sold directly online or shipped straight to our hands via courier. How could that be fake?"
[Author’s Note: We’ve made it to the second round of recommendations. Please make sure to catch up on the reading every day, darlings. I thank you on my knees!!!]