Chapter 02: The Scam

"Th-this..." Xiao Pingtou was also somewhat at a loss, subconsciously feeling his pockets, then said, "I don't have that much money either. How about you give me thirty thousand, and you can go claim the prize yourself!"

"I don't have that much either! What should we do..." Ma Ziliang said with a worried look, "Do I look like someone who can come up with thirty thousand yuan?"

"Teacher, please think of a solution for us. Neither of us has that much money!" Ma Ziliang once again sought help from the bespectacled man.

The bespectacled man pondered for a moment, then tentatively said, "How about I give each of you thirty thousand yuan, and you give me the pull tab. I'll go claim the prize?"

Ma Ziliang and Xiao Pingtou exchanged glances, thinking that this way, each of them would still get thirty thousand yuan. They agreed, "Alright, let's do it this way!"

The bespectacled man immediately showed a pleased expression, then took out his briefcase and started looking for the money. At first, his expression was still joyful, but as he rummaged through his bag faster, his face grew increasingly grim, and sweat began to bead on his forehead. Finally, he sighed, "Oh no, I didn't bring much money today. I only have thirty thousand yuan! You two definitely won't sell it, and now this money that was almost in my hands is gone. What bad luck!"

"Ah?" Ma Ziliang and Xiao Pingtou were both dumbfounded. The bespectacled man didn't have the money, and they didn't have it either. How could they split the prize? Ma Ziliang couldn't sit still anymore, "Teacher, you're educated and cultured. Please help us think of a solution..."

"Ah, how about this, let's ask someone else..." The bespectacled man said, turning to Lin Yi, who was sitting beside him, "Young man, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get rich. Do you have any money? Give each of them thirty thousand yuan first, then take the pull tab to claim the prize. You'll make twenty thousand yuan right away! Is there a better way to make money? If I had the money, I would have done it myself..."

Previously, Lin Yi had been watching the three of them perform their act with a cold eye. It was clear that the three were in cahoots: Ma Ziliang was the client, Xiao Pingtou was the contractor, and the bespectacled man was the shill.

Although Lin Yi grew up in the mountains, he wasn't a fool. Despite his rustic appearance, his knowledge was unmatched by few, let alone these three low-level scammers.

"Me?" Lin Yi pointed to himself, feigning surprise, then asked, "Can I do it?"

"You can, this good opportunity has fallen into your lap!" The bespectacled man was overjoyed when Lin Yi asked if he could do it rather than saying he didn't have the money. He knew that if someone said they could do it, they likely had the money.

Just as Lin Yi was about to say something, he felt a kick on his leg. He glanced to his right with his peripheral vision and saw a very beautiful girl, about his age.

She had flowing hair and fair skin. Although she hadn't stood up, Lin Yi estimated that she was at least 1.65 meters tall, making her quite tall.

Since boarding the train, she had been quietly listening to her MP3. Lin Yi had wanted to strike up a conversation with her to pass the time, but she had always been wearing earphones, leaving him no way to approach her.

At that moment, the girl was looking at Lin Yi with a worried expression, wanting to say something but hesitant. She could only hint at him with her eyes.

Lin Yi naturally understood the girl's meaning, which was not to let him fall for the scam. Lin Yi felt a warm feeling in his heart. Wasn't it said that people in big cities were cold? Yet this girl was concerned enough to warn him, showing that she had a good heart.

As a result, the girl's image in Lin Yi's mind improved significantly. While a girl's beauty was important, a good heart was even more crucial. This was Lin Yi's standard for evaluating girls.

"Cough, cough!" The Xiao Pingtou opposite seemed to have noticed the girl's behavior and immediately coughed loudly, giving her a fierce glare. The girl was frightened, her face turning pale, and she lowered her head.

Of course, these small details did not escape Lin Yi's notice. However, Lin Yi was bored during the journey and had been harboring a grudge against the old man at home. Now that a few fools had come to him, how could he miss the chance to play with them?

However, although the girl had lowered her head, she still kicked Lin Yi with her foot, warning him. But Lin Yi seemed not to notice, showing no reaction.

"I only have forty-nine thousand yuan, not enough!" Lin Yi said in a straightforward manner, pretending to be honest.

When Ma Ziliang and Xiao Pingtou heard that Lin Yi had forty-nine thousand yuan, their eyes immediately lit up, but their faces still showed a pained expression, "Only forty-nine thousand yuan? Isn't that a bit too little? How much can each of us get?"

"Forty-nine thousand divided by two is twenty-four thousand five hundred..." Xiao Pingtou calculated.

"Twenty-four thousand five hundred? Not bad, I agree. What about you?" Ma Ziliang quickly nodded.

"Alright, since you agree, I agree too." Xiao Pingtou nodded and said, "Give us the money."

Lin Yi opened his backpack and took out a small package wrapped in newspaper. He unwrapped it layer by layer, revealing five bundles of banknotes.

"Here are forty-nine thousand yuan, that's all I have... count it." Lin Yi said honestly, "Give me the pull tab!"

This money was the living expenses for the next few years given to Lin Yi by the old man. In recent years, Lin Yi had earned a lot of money for the old man. For example, the assassination mission in North Africa, according to international standards, should have earned him at least several hundred thousand yuan.

However, when he was about to leave, the old man rummaged through a broken bag and found forty-nine thousand yuan, claiming it was all they had and telling him to use it sparingly.

This made Lin Yi very depressed. Was the old man really that poor, or was he just pretending? But it didn't seem like he was pretending. The old man ate the same as him and didn't seem to enjoy anything. Perhaps he had overestimated the rewards for those missions?

"Alright, alright!" Ma Ziliang and Xiao Pingtou, like hungry wolves, divided the money in front of them and handed the pull tab to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi carefully put the pull tab in his pocket, as if it were a precious treasure, for fear of losing it.

Seeing the three scammers succeed, the girl sitting beside Lin Yi sighed helplessly. Looking at Lin Yi's excited face, as if he had just won a prize, the girl didn't know what to say.

With the money in hand, the three scammers returned to their previous calm, acting as if they didn't know each other, each doing their own thing.

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