"This is..."
The bald guy immediately looked troubled and unconsciously touched his pocket. "I don't have that much money either. How about you give me 30,000 yuan and you can claim the prize!"
"I don't have it either! What do we do..."
The pockmarked guy frowned. "Do I look like I'm carrying 30,000 yuan?"
"Professor, please think of a good solution. Neither of us has that much money!"
The pockmarked guy again turned to the glasses-wearing man for help.
The professor thought for a moment, then said tentatively, "How about this: I'll give you both 30,000 yuan each, you give me the pull-tab, and I'll go cash it in?"
The pockmarked guy and bald guy looked at each other. They'd still each get 30,000 yuan, so they agreed. "Yes, let's do that!"
The professor immediately looked delighted and pulled out his briefcase to look for money.
At first he looked happy, but as his hands moved faster through the bag, his expression gradually darkened and sweat began beading on his forehead.
Finally, the professor sighed and said, "Damn, I didn't bring much money when I left home today. I only have 30,000 yuan! You definitely won't sell it for that price. Money that was within reach is slipping away—what terrible luck!"
"Huh?"
The pockmarked guy and bald guy were stunned. The professor had no money, and neither did they. How were they supposed to split this prize?
The pockmarked guy couldn't take it anymore. "Professor, you're educated and cultured. Please think of another good solution..."
"Ah, let's do this. Let's ask other people..."
As the professor spoke, he turned toward Lin Yi, who was sitting next to him. "Young man, this is a once-in-a-lifetime money-making opportunity. Do you have any cash? Give them 30,000 yuan each first, then cash in the pull-tab—you'll make 20,000 yuan instantly! There's no better deal than this. If I had the money, I'd keep this opportunity for myself..."
Until now, Lin Yi had been coldly watching these three perform their little show. Obviously, the three were working together—the pockmarked guy was the mark, the bald guy was the shill, and the professor was the closer.
Lin Yi might have grown up in the mountains, but he was no fool.
Despite his country bumpkin clothes, few people could match his knowledge, let alone these third-rate con artists.
"Me?"
Lin Yi pretended to be surprised and pointed at himself. "I can do it?"
"Of course! This good fortune has come to you!"
Hearing that Lin Yi didn't say he had no money but asked if he could do it, the professor was immediately overjoyed. People who responded like this usually had money in their wallets.
Just as Lin Yi was about to say something, he suddenly felt someone kick his foot.
Lin Yi glanced to his right with his peripheral vision. There sat a beautiful girl who looked about his age.
Her hair was lustrous as water, her skin fair and smooth. Though she hadn't stood up yet, Lin Yi estimated she was at least 165 centimeters tall with a good figure.
She'd been quietly listening to music on her phone since boarding the train. Lin Yi had wanted to strike up a conversation to pass the time, but unfortunately she'd kept her earphones in the whole time, giving him no opening.
Now the girl was looking at Lin Yi with a worried expression. She seemed to want to say something but was hesitating, only able to warn Lin Yi through meaningful glances.
Lin Yi naturally understood the girl's intention. She was warning him not to be fooled.
Lin Yi's heart warmed. People said city folks were cold and indifferent.
Normally, people would mind their own business in situations like this. The fact that this girl was warning him showed she had a kind heart.
Because of this, the girl's favorability in Lin Yi's mind shot up instantly.
While the girl's beauty was certainly important, if her heart was bad, no amount of beauty would matter.
This was Lin Yi's standard for judging women.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
The bald guy sitting across from the girl also seemed to notice her actions and suddenly coughed loudly, glaring at her.
The girl turned pale with fear and lowered her head.
Of course, none of these subtle movements escaped Lin Yi's notice.
However, Lin Yi wanted to relieve the boredom of travel and vent the frustration he'd built up from arguing with the old man at home. Since these idiots had conveniently appeared, he couldn't pass up the chance to mess with them.
The girl kept her head down but continued kicking Lin Yi's foot in warning.
But Lin Yi acted as if he felt nothing, showing no sign of being affected.
"I only have 49,000 yuan on me. That's not very much!"
Lin Yi put on a simple, honest act and spoke truthfully.
Hearing that Lin Yi had 49,000 yuan, the pockmarked guy and bald guy's eyes immediately lit up.
However, their expressions remained reluctant. "Only 49,000 yuan? That's a bit little. How much would each person get?"
"49,000 divided by two is 24,500 yuan..."
The bald guy calculated as he spoke.
"24,500 yuan? Not bad. I agree. What about you?"
The pockmarked guy immediately nodded after hearing this.
"Fine, if you agree, I agree too."
The bald guy nodded. "Pay up."
Lin Yi opened his backpack and pulled out a small package wrapped in newspaper. Unwrapping it layer by layer revealed five bundles of cash.
"This is 49,000 yuan, that's all I have... Count it if you want."
Lin Yi said simply. "Give me the pull-tab!"
This money was the living expenses for the next several years that the old man had given Lin Yi. Over these years, Lin Yi had earned quite a lot of money for the old man. Take just the last North African assassination mission—by international standards, it should have paid at least several hundred thousand yuan.
But when Lin Yi was leaving, the old man had rummaged through his old bag to find these 49,000 yuan, saying this was the family's entire fortune and telling him to spend it carefully.
This left Lin Yi very confused. Did the old man really have no money, or was he pretending to be poor?
But it didn't seem like pretense. The old man ate the same food as him every day and showed no signs of luxury.
Maybe he'd overestimated the payment for those missions?
"Yes, yes!"
The pockmarked guy and bald guy divided up the cash like hungry wolves, then handed the pull-tab to Lin Yi.
Lin Yi carefully put the pull-tab away, treating it like a precious treasure to make sure he didn't lose it.
Seeing the three con artists succeed, the girl sitting next to Lin Yi sighed helplessly. Watching Lin Yi act as excited as if he'd actually won something, she didn't know what to say.
Having gotten their money, the three con artists regained their previous composure, acting as if they didn't know each other and going about their own business.