Chinese Woman Presumed Dead For 10 Years, Found Living in an Internet Cafe

Xiaoyun was 14 years old when she went missing. Her parents have searched for her for years but did not find any trace of her. They presumed that she has been dead for 10 years now. Thus, after 10 years of worry and despair, Xiaoyun’s mother was overjoyed to see her now 24-year old daughter alive and well.

As the story unraveled, the police eventually found Xiaoyun playing online games in an internet cafe in the Kangjao District in Hangzhou City, East China.

During a random identity check on the players, they found out that Xiaoyun has been using a fake identity card which led to her arrest.

The police ran a search on their missing persons database and found she matched the descriptions of a reported missing teenager in nearby Dongyang City 10 years ago. Xiaoyun admitted to her identity as she recounted her story.

She was indeed 14 years old when she ran away from home because her mother has been scolding her for missing classes and playing online games. She also recounted an instance where she asked her father for money but instead he scolded her for it. She never returned home after that, leading her parents to believe that she has been dead already. Xiaoyun spent her 10 years wandering off different cities in China and staying in internet cafes to sleep, eat and play games. She was particularly good at a game called CrossFire and she earned money by playing the game accounts of other players. Some cafe staff or customers would giver her food handouts and other things enabling her to live by.

The tearful reunion of Xiaoyun and her mother after 10 years

Despite her rebellious attitude 10 years ago, her mother was still ecstatic to know her daughter is alive.

During their very emotional reunion, her mother said

“I have a quicker temper and a strong character. I had indeed scolded her before. But after 10 years, she is a grown-up now. I will not tell her off again”.

Xiaoyun was fined 1000 Yuan (USD 156) for using a fake identity card. It was still unclear whether she will live back with her parents or continue her vagabond lifestyle. This report underlies the increasing problem of internet and computer game addiction in today’s youth, some taking extreme measures for the sake of playing their games.