Chapter 2: The Scam

"Th-this..." the boy with the crew cut was also 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 too!"

"I don't have it either! What are we going to do..." the man with the pockmarked face said with a worried expression, "Do I look like someone who can come up with thirty thousand?"

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

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

The pockmarked face and the boy with the crew cut exchanged glances, thinking that this way, each of them could still get thirty thousand, so 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, he was still quite happy, 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! You guys definitely won't sell it, and now this money that was almost in my hands is gone. What bad luck!"

"Oh?" The pockmarked face and the boy with the crew cut were dumbfounded. The bespectacled man didn't have the money, and they didn't have it either. How were they going to split the prize? The pockmarked face couldn't sit still anymore, "Teacher, you're educated and cultured. Please help us think of a solution..."

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

Lin Yi had been watching the three of them act out their charade with a cold eye. It was obvious that they were all in on it: the pockmarked face was the principal, the boy with the crew cut was the accomplice, 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 far superior to most people, let alone these three low-level scammers.

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

"You can, this opportunity has fallen into your lap!" The bespectacled man was overjoyed when Lin Yi asked if he could do it instead of saying he didn't have the money. He knew that if someone asked this, 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 and saw a 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 to pass the time, but the girl had headphones on, 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 give Lin Yi a warning with her eyes.

Lin Yi naturally understood the girl's meaning, not to fall for the scam. His heart warmed. 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.

This greatly improved Lin Yi's impression of her. 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 boy with the crew cut seemed to notice the girl's behavior and immediately coughed loudly, glaring at her. The girl was frightened, her face turning pale, and she lowered her head.

Of course, these small details didn't 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 toy with them?

Although the girl had lowered her head, she still kicked Lin Yi, trying to warn him. But Lin Yi seemed oblivious, showing no reaction.

"I only have forty-nine thousand, not enough!" Lin Yi said, feigning honesty.

When the pockmarked face and the boy with the crew cut heard that Lin Yi had forty-nine thousand, their eyes lit up, but they still maintained a worried expression, "Only forty-nine thousand? Isn't that a bit less? How much can each of us get?"

"Forty-nine thousand divided by two is twenty-four thousand five hundred..." the boy with the crew cut calculated.

"Twenty-four thousand five hundred? Not bad, I agree. What about you?" the pockmarked face quickly nodded.

"Alright, since you agree, I agree too." The boy with the crew cut 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 cash.

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

This money was the living expenses the old man had given Lin Yi for the next few years. Over the 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 a few hundred thousand.

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

This made Lin Yi very frustrated. Was the old man really broke, 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 indulge in any luxuries. Perhaps he had overestimated the rewards for those missions?

"Alright, alright!" The pockmarked face and the boy with the crew cut, 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, afraid of losing it.

Seeing the three scammers succeed, the girl sitting next to 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.