Last night, I was called by my uncle to have tea. The uncle who called me is from out of town, asking me to go to a certain place after work to meet him for an investigation on some matters. He didn’t say much, just that it wasn’t a big deal, and if it were, he wouldn’t have called me (implying that for a big deal, they would come and take you directly). I had just returned from a trip and had signed up for a tour group that included shopping inducements, and it seemed that a few families were induced to spend over a hundred thousand in total. I thought maybe some families reported the tour guide company, asking me to assist in the investigation, but I couldn’t think of anything else, considering I hadn’t been involved in any financial dealings in recent years 😂. So, after work, I happily went to that place and met two uncles from out of town. After greeting each other, one of them asked me if I knew someone. I said I didn’t know them, then he asked if I had a bank card ending in ****. I said it seemed like I did, and asked if that card could still be used. I said yes, and he asked if the card had ever been frozen, to which I replied that it had been frozen but later unfrozen. He then asked if I received a transfer from someone in November 2021. I said I didn’t remember and needed to check my mobile banking. After checking, I confirmed it was indeed a transfer from that person, and he asked where the money came from. I said I earned it by trading cryptocurrencies. He then asked where I sold it, and I replied that it was on a cryptocurrency trading platform. He asked which platform, if it was OKEx? (It seems that OKEx was known for a lot of dirty money). I said no, I hadn’t used OKEx, I used Binance and Huobi, but I couldn’t remember which platform this specific transaction was made on since it had been too long. Then they asked me to make a statement, saying they were also here on business and were handling this case since the amount was small, and it wouldn't be worth coming specifically for it. One of the uncles communicated the statement process with my local uncle while I chatted with the other uncle (we discussed the current cryptocurrency trading environment, but I won’t go into details here). The atmosphere was still quite relaxed, and I didn’t take it too seriously, after all, I am a law-abiding citizen. After the conversation, they took me into a room. What followed became increasingly frightening, and my face gradually turned grim; the darkest moment of my life had arrived... The general process was that the out-of-town uncle showed me a piece of paper, which was a summons, stating that I was suspected of concealing proceeds of crime. I asked how I became a criminal. The uncle said it was a suspicion, given that dirty money had been transferred to my card, and I was under suspicion. I had no experience and could only agree and sign. Next, they asked me to take out all my belongings and searched me against the wall, inquiring if I had any infectious diseases. They said that the place for the statement was at the case handling center, and we would need to drive there. What I never imagined happened next: one uncle actually came over with handcuffs to put them on me. I was stunned and asked the out-of-town uncle what was going on; I wasn’t a criminal, why did I have to wear this? The out-of-town uncle looked helpless and comforted me, saying they had no choice, this was the local standard procedure, and they had to comply. Anyone suspected of illegal activities had to go through this. I had no other choice; I firmly believed that a clean conscience fears no shadow. I accepted it, but what upset me the most was the process of being taken to the car, with many onlookers in the lobby witnessing it. I truly felt that this was the greatest humiliation of my life. After being taken to the case handling center, they conducted another body search, then I was asked to change into slippers and put on an outfit (which should have been the detention clothes), and then I entered a statement room. The next moment was also the darkest time of my life. The statement room looked just like the interrogation rooms we see on TV, and I was made to sit on a chair where my hands and feet were restrained. The out-of-town uncle still tried to comfort me, telling me not to worry; they had no other options, this was the local standard procedure, and they had to follow the local rules. They felt quite stifled as well, but there was nothing they could do 😂 (they were from the northeast and were quite friendly). The statement process started with them chatting with me to understand the situation, then they formally recorded my statement, asking questions like: 1. Your personal information; 2. Do you know this person? 3. Why did you receive this money? 4. Which platform did you use for the transaction? Please detail the transaction process; 5. Did you know this money was dirty? 6. Are you willing to return the funds? After finishing the statement, we negotiated about returning the funds, and then they let me go. How I answered, how we negotiated, and some frictions between the out-of-town and local uncles will be discussed next time!