They Hacked My Phone to Cover Their Crime

The day I went back to swipe my card, my heart pounded as I faced the familiar scene. The despair from my past life was still fresh. That twenty-thousand-dollar bill felt like a bottomless pit. No matter how many times I paid, it reappeared instantly.

Back then, I had needed to use the card urgently, thinking I could repay it within the interest-free period. But after I paid and refreshed the statement, the same twenty-thousand-dollar debt stared back at me.

I thought it was a system issue and called customer service. They checked and said everything was normal. They had not received my payment. With the due date approaching, I had no choice but to pay again. Yet, the bill soon reappeared, unchanged.

Furious, I called the police. After investigating, they told me I had not made any payments and warned me not to waste public resources. No one believed me, no matter how I explained.

It felt like a loop. Every payment I made, the bill returned. Crushed by the endless debt, I eventually chose to end my life. Until my last breath, I could not understand why I could never clear that bill.

Now, I am back, reborn on the day it all began. This time, I will uncover the truth.

...

I flinched and quickly cancelled the credit card transaction. The horrific memories of my past death flooded back, leaving me terrified and bewildered.

Id used this credit card for over ten years without a single issue. And I was always careful with money, never linking it to any automatic payments. What was even more insane was that both the bank and the police claimed I hadn't made any payments. But I distinctly remembered paying, and the credit card had shown "payment successful." Why did the bill reappear moments later? If it wasn't a system issue, and I hadn't wronged anyone, why would someone deliberately target me?

My thoughts were still a tangled mess when my mom called, saying the hospital was pressing for Dad's medical bills. After hanging up, my face crumpled into a frown. Over the years, wed borrowed from every friend and relative to pay for Dads treatment. My salary hadn't come in yet, so the only way to get the money was to use a credit card.

Recalling the endless problems with this card in my last life, I gritted my teeth. This time, Id just switch to a reliable bank and get a new credit card. Surely, that would solve the problem, right?

No sooner said than done, I immediately called my cousin, Jenny, who worked at another bank. Wed grown up together, thick as thieves. Ever since Dad got sick, shed been a huge help to me. Sure enough, when I told her I needed a credit card for medical expenses, she immediately offered to lend me the money herself. I quickly declined. Jennys family wasnt well-off, and she had a son with a disability. I couldn't add to her burden.

Seeing my determination to get a card, Jenny relented. But to be safe, I still pressed her with a few questions:

"Jenny, are you sure your bank's system is solid?"

"Like, what if I pay, but a bill still mysteriously pops up?"

Jenny paused, then confidently stated:

"Skye, don't you worry!"

"Our bank is a national institution! It hasn't had a single problem in decades!"

"Besides, I'll be handling your card myself. I guarantee you won't get ripped off!"

Jenny's assurances eased my mind slightly. After getting the card, I immediately paid twenty thousand dollars for Dads medical bills. A couple of days later, my salary came in, and I paid the card off immediately. This time, I was extra cautious. After the "payment successful" message appeared, I immediately took a screenshot. My heart was in my throat, terrified that the bizarre events would repeat.

Thankfully, after a long wait, no new bill popped up. Just as I sighed in relief, thinking everything was finally resolved, the screen suddenly refreshed. The zero balance morphed into negative twenty thousand.

I froze, unable to believe my eyes. I furiously refreshed the screen several times, but it still showed negative twenty thousand. I clicked into my payment history, and it was completely empty. The twenty thousand Id just paid had vanished into thin air.

I immediately called Jenny. After I explained everything, she quickly reassured me not to worry, saying shed look into it. A short while later, she called back, her voice tinged with an odd note:

"Skye, I just checked the system backend. Theres no record of your payment at all."

"I also contacted the tech department, and they said the system is completely normal today."

"Tell me honestly, did you even make the payment?"

Now I was desperate. After a frantic explanation, I sent her the screenshot of the successful payment. There was a moment of silence before Jennys voice came back on the line:

"Skye, I just had my colleagues re-verify, and you genuinely didn't make the payment."

"And they also said"

Jenny hesitated, then spoke with a touch of helplessness:

"That screenshot of yours it's definitely been Photoshopped."

I completely lost it then. I immediately told her if they suspected me of faking it, they should call the police for an investigation! Seeing how agitated I was, Jenny quickly tried to calm me down:

"Skye, just hold on."

"How about this? Why don't you come to the bank and make the payment again in person? We'll record the whole thing."

"If you dont want to, I'll cover it for you this time! What do you say?"

Seeing Jennys sincerity, I reluctantly agreed.

Soon I was at the bank, and with Jenny and several colleagues watching, I began the payment process again. This time, with every step, I made sure Jenny and the others witnessed it firsthand, and everything was recorded. It wasn't until the "payment successful" message popped up that I looked up at everyone:

"You all saw it, right? The money really went through!"

"Don't let any weird bills pop up again in a little while!"

Jenny nodded:

"Skye, we all saw it. You definitely made the payment."

"This bill absolutely won't pop up again, you can rest a million percent assured!"

Seeing my lingering skepticism, Jenny even made a solemn promise:

"Skye, even if this bill reappears later, it'll be our bank's responsibility, and you absolutely won't have to bear it!"

Even the other staff members chimed in with their assurances. With all the witnesses and a direct promise, I finally felt confident enough to head home.

No sooner had I gotten home and was about to kick off my shoes, a text message popped up. I looked down, and my mind instantly exploded.

The twenty-thousand-dollar bill was back!

I didnt even have time to catch my breath before I was back in the car, speeding towards the bank. The moment I walked in, I rushed straight to Jennys counter, pulled up the bill, and demanded to know what was going on.

Jenny stared at the bill in my hand, completely bewildered, and the other colleagues who had gathered around were also stunned.

"This, how is this possible?"

"Our system hasn't had a single error in decades, how could it"

But amidst their chatter, a staff member who had been checking the backend suddenly pulled a long face. She looked up at me, her expression grim:

"Everyone, I've found the reason."

"She set up a delayed payment. That money was only nominally deposited just now, and now shes withdrawn it!"

At this, the surrounding colleagues immediately crowded around to look, and the next second, they erupted:

"I knew it! How could our system possibly have a problem!"

"So, she just wants to use the money without paying it back, playing tricks and slandering us!"

"This person has some nerve, lying without even a gasp to avoid paying! I almost believed her!"

...

I was completely stunned. When had I ever set up a delayed payment? I pulled up my salary card, found the twenty-thousand-dollar transaction, and shoved it in front of them, shouting:

"Look closely, all of you! Didn't this money already transfer out?"

"How dare you say I withdrew the payment?"

But a female staff member sneered at me:

"Oh, please! You could Photoshop a successful payment screenshot before, who knows if this screen is faked too!"

Other staff members quickly chimed in:

"Exactly! Across the whole country, no one's heard of someone paying their credit card and then having a bill just pop up out of thin air!"

"What's more, we're a national-level system, how could we make a mistake?"

"People like her are just full of lies, completely untrustworthy!"

...

Jenny looked at me, her eyes filled with disappointment:

"Skye, we grew up together. I always thought you were an honest person."

"If you really needed money, I would have gladly given it to you. But why would you lie to me?"

"You've truly let me down!"

The accusations around me grew louder, and someone even called the police right then and there. I stood rooted to the spot, my mind buzzing. Jenny and the staff's reactions didn't look faked at all. If they were deliberately trying to make things difficult for me, it clearly wasnt working. But I had clearly paid twice, and the money had indeed left my account. Why did the bill keep reappearing?

The cops arrived pretty quickly. After hearing what had happened, they sent some officers to check the banks system while I was taken to an office for questioning.

"Ms. Lin, are you certain you made the payment on time?"

"You need to be honest. Otherwise, you could be facing financial fraud charges, and that's a serious offense!"

I quickly explained, showing them my salary cards transaction history. But after looking for a bit, the officer frowned:

"Ms. Lin, these records only prove you made a payment!"

"But the destination isn't clear, it doesn't prove you paid your credit card."

I was speechless. Just then, two more officers knocked and came in, immediately reporting:

"We've checked. The bank system has no issues."

"We also found that Skye Lin did borrow twenty thousand, but she hasn't made any payments!"

The officer in front of me immediately scowled:

"Skye Lin, even now, you won't just tell the truth!"

"Do you think what I just said was a joke?"

I was practically exploding with frustration:

"Officers, I really did pay!"

"But I don't understand why the system keeps showing I haven't!"

"If you don't believe me, we can do an experiment right now!"

The officers paused, seeing I wasnt joking. They exchanged glances and finally agreed. So, in front of several officers, I repeated the payment process again. And as soon as the screen showed "payment successful," I immediately told the officers to confirm the backend information.

Surprisingly, this time, both my credit card and the bank system showed a payment record. And after half a day, no bill popped up.

The staff present immediately started making snide remarks:

"See? As soon as the police show up, she can pay successfully, no more tricks!"

"It's all an act, trying to shift the blame!"

The officers also stared at me sternly:

"It's now been proven that as long as you make a normal payment, there's no issue of bills repeatedly appearing!"

"So your previous statements were all made up to avoid paying, weren't they?"

"Your actions have disrupted the bank's normal operations and even bordered on financial fraud!"

By the end, the officer's tone had become extremely severe! I was utterly stunned. But no matter how desperately I tried to explain, no one there believed me. Seeing the officers about to take me away, I felt completely hopeless! I had honestly made the payments, but the credit card bill kept reappearing! And now, at the crucial moment of proving it, everything was suddenly back to normal! Why was this credit card always targeting me?

Just then, a small detail flashed in my mind. I instantly understood why!