It began in January of 2023, a young Chinese woman, a teacher from the northeast looking to grow her TikTok channel and gain supporters so that she could earn money and buy her own home. It quickly devolved into a charade of lies and manipulation with love and money being the only prizes. The names of those mentioned in this story have been changed to protect their anonymity. Note: the story recounted in this series is based off of my experience and memory to the best of my recollection.