校花的贴身保镖

第2章：欺骗

"Uh..." Little Flathead suddenly felt a bit awkward, instinctively patted his pocket, then said, "I don't have that much money either. How about you give me three grand, and you go claim the prize?"

"I don't have any either! What are we gonna do..." Pockface said, looking troubled. "Look at me, do I look like someone who can cough up three grand?"

"Teacher, can you help us out? Neither of us brought that much cash!" Pockface once again sought assistance from the man with glasses.

The man with glasses pondered for a moment, then tentatively suggested, "How about this, I'll give you both thirty grand, and you give me the ring to claim the prize?"

Pockface and Little Flathead exchanged glances, thinking they could still get thirty grand each this way, so they agreed, "Okay, let's do it!"

The man with glasses immediately showed a pleased expression and began searching for money in his briefcase. At first, he seemed happy, but as he searched faster, his expression turned grim, sweat beading on his forehead. Finally, he sighed and said, "Oh no, I didn't bring much cash with me today, only thirty grand! And you two probably won't sell it. Seeing this windfall slip away like this is just my luck!"

"What?" Pockface and Little Flathead were dumbfounded. The man with glasses had no money, and they didn't either. How were they going to split the prize? So, Pockface couldn't sit still any longer, "Teacher, you're educated, you're knowledgeable, can't you think of something for us?"

"Sigh, why not ask someone else..." The man with glasses turned to Lin Yi sitting next to him. "Young man, this is a rare opportunity to make a fortune. Do you have any money? Give them each three grand first, then take the ring to claim the prize. You could earn twenty grand in one shot! Is there a better way to make money? If I had cash on me, I'd do it myself..."

Lin Yi had been watching these three perform the whole time with a cold eye. It was obvious they were in cahoots: Pockface was the mastermind, Little Flathead was the accomplice, and the man with glasses was the plant.

Although Lin Yi grew up in the mountains, he wasn't naive. Despite his rustic appearance, few could match his knowledge. These three small-time swindlers were no match for him.

"Me?" Lin Yi pretended to be surprised, pointing at himself. "Can I?"

"You can! This opportunity is now yours!" The man with glasses was delighted to hear Lin Yi's question, as if he was sure Lin Yi had money in his bag.

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.

With flowing hair and fair skin, she was at least 5'5" tall according to Lin Yi's estimate, quite tall. Since boarding the train, she had been quietly listening to her MP3 player. Lin Yi had wanted to strike up a conversation with her to pass the time, but the girl had kept her earbuds in, making it difficult for Lin Yi to approach her.

Now, the girl was looking at Lin Yi anxiously, wanting to say something but hesitating. She could only convey her message through her eyes.

Lin Yi understood what the girl meant: Don't let yourself be swindled. His heart warmed at her gesture. Weren't people in big cities supposed to be cold and indifferent? Seeing that the girl cared enough to warn him showed her kindness.

As a result, the girl's image in Lin Yi's mind instantly improved. While physical beauty was important, a cruel heart rendered it useless. That was Lin Yi's criterion for judging people.

"Cough!" Little Flathead across from the girl seemed to notice her actions and loudly coughed, glaring at her fiercely. The girl's face turned pale, and she lowered her head.

Of course, Lin Yi didn't miss these small details. But he was bored during the journey and had a lot of pent-up frustration from his arguments with his old man at home. Since a few idiots had presented themselves, how could Lin Yi miss the chance to mess with them?

However, although the girl lowered her head, she continued to kick Lin Yi's leg to warn him. But Lin Yi seemed unfazed and showed no reaction.

"I only have forty-nine grand, not that much!" Lin Yi pretended to be honest and straightforward, revealing the truth.

Pockface and Little Flathead, upon hearing that Lin Yi had forty-nine grand, suddenly gleamed with excitement, but their faces still wore a bitter look. "Only forty-nine grand? Isn't that a bit too little? How much can we each get?"

"Forty-nine grand divided by two is twenty-four five..." Little Flathead calculated.

"Twenty-four five? Not bad, I agree. What about you?" Pockface nodded hurriedly.

"Okay, since you've agreed, I agree too. Give me the money." Little Flathead nodded and said, "Give me the money."

Lin Yi opened his backpack, took out a small package wrapped in newspaper, and carefully unwrapped it, revealing five bundles of neatly tied banknotes.

"This is forty-nine grand, that's all I have... You guys count it." Lin Yi said modestly. "Give me the ring."

This money was his living expenses for the next several years, given to him by his old man. Over the years, Lin Yi had earned quite a bit of money for his old man. Take the assassination mission in North Africa, for example. According to international conventions, he should have received hundreds of thousands in compensation, right?

But when he was leaving, his old man rummaged through a tattered bag and found this forty-nine grand, claiming it was all the family assets and telling him to use it sparingly.

This made Lin Yi annoyed. Did his old man really not have money, or was he pretending to be poor? But it didn't seem like an act. His old man ate the same food every day, just like him. Lin Yi hadn't seen him enjoy anything special. Could it be that he had overestimated the rewards for those missions?

"Okay, okay!" Pockface and Little Flathead were like hungry wolves, dividing the banknotes in front of them and then handing the ring to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi carefully tucked the ring away, as if it were a treasure, handling it with great care.

Seeing the three swindlers succeed, the girl sitting next to Lin Yi sighed helplessly, watching Lin Yi's excited expression as if he had won a prize. She didn't know what to say.

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