Exposed by a Fake News Debunker, I Took Revenge

My dad just got back from Daraton with a huge bag of uncut jade.

I set them up in the store, and someone came in and smashed them all.

This guy was live-streaming, yelling into his phone, "Folks, send a gift and I'll smash once. Let's show this crooked shop owner what you've got."

During the live, he smashed every piece of jade in the display into dust.

Just then, I appeared at the doorway, casually puffing on a cigarette.

Calmly, I opened the bank app on my phone, flashed my account number to the camera, and said, "All these were worth 12 million dollars. Guys, you gonna help him foot the bill?"

***

Dad always brought back loads of gifts from his trips. This time from Daraton, known for its jade, it was a big bag of uncut jade.

Reluctantly, I ended up opening a jewelry store to offload them.

This was about the umpteenth store I'd opened because of Dad's impulse buys.

That day, I woke up without an alarm, ready to take the new business license to the store.

Waiting at a red light, I killed time scrolling through short videos on my phone.

After watching a couple of dance videos, one live stream grabbed my attention.

It was "Hammer," the anti-fraud streamer who'd recently risen to fame.

"Guys, today a loyal fan tipped me off about a jewelry store nearby selling fakes. Let's hit a million likes, and I'll take you all on a live fake-busting raid!" "Hammer" was rallying his viewers.

I even found myself hitting the like button.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I pulled out my phone again across the street to keep watching.

The whole anti-fraud scene was buzzing online. It had started with exposing food additives, now moved to smashing counterfeit goods.

Lots of people were jumping on the bandwagon to grab some attention.

Hammer had snagged a slice of fame from this anti-fraud wave, becoming somewhat of a local celeb.

But the street he was on looked just like mine.

With a growing suspicion, I watched even more closely.

"Guys, this is the shop we're hitting today. The loyal fan says it doesn't even have a proper license. Definitely a shady operation," "Hammer" announced.

He swung his camera around, and there was the sign for Dragon Jewelry.

"What the fuck? That's my new store!" I blurted out.

Right then, the live stream's chat was buzzing.

[Cut the talk, man. Get to it. I wanna see you bust some fakes.]

[My ex-husband left me last year because I bought a fake bracelet. I'm all for what you're doing!]

[Hey, to the comment above. Maybe your ex left because you're clueless. Has nothing to do with the store.]

[Host, got any proof this place is a scam?]

I tossed in a comment too, just to see how "Hammer" would tackle these doubts.

But he just kept thanking folks for their gifts, completely ignoring my question.

Deciding not to head back just yet, I grabbed a coffee at a nearby café and watched his next move.

"Thanks for all the gifts, folks. Haven't followed yet? Hit that follow button. We get to a million, and the fake busting begins," Hammer announced into his phone.

I glanced up just as his follower count was shooting through the roof, hitting a million in no time.

Just then, a young girl walked into frame, smoothly unlocking the shop door as if it was all rehearsed.

I recognized her instantly on the livestream. It was Alice, the clerk I had recently hired.

I had given her a spare key for convenience.

It never occurred to me that she was the loyal fan "Hammer" mentioned.

This made me even more puzzled.

"I've been nothing but good to her. Why would she turn on my store?" I wondered.

Lost in thought, I didn't even realize Hammer's stream had now reached 100,000 viewers.

The chat was so flooded I couldn't see anything. I turned off the chat overlay.

On the screen, "Hammer" actually pulled out a hammer from his bag.

Then, pointing at a jade piece, he said, "Look at this, folks. A damn stone marked up to over a million dollars. Isn't this a scam?"

With a loud crash, he smashed the display window.

Turning the camera back on himself, he egged on the viewers, "Folks, send a gift and I'll smash once. Let's show this crooked shop owner what you've got."

Instantly, the screen was flooded with gift animations.