Figuring out how to get a mobile phone contract isn’t easy when you don’t speak or read Chinese, but even once you’ve overcome this hurdle, the battle isn’t over quite yet.

In the age of WeChat, Facebook Messenger, and Whatsapp, text messages can feel pretty antiquated, so you might be surprised by the number of messages you begin to receive once you activate your service. Was your number previously used by an A-list Chinese celebrity? Are these long-lost friends coming out of the woodwork? Sadly, probably not.