Zhang Tianxing let out a hearty laugh and said in a low voice to Yang Wei, "If you don't want to end up in jail, behave yourselves and don't cause any more trouble. You're only after money. Otherwise, I'd have the driver take the car straight to the police station."
Hearing Zhang Tianxing's slightly threatening words, Yang Wei's expression became uncertain, and Bai Zhi looked a little flustered.
"May I ask the young lady her name?" Zhang Tianxing asked, looking at her closely. She looked so much like Bai Zhi when she was young.
"My name is Bai Xiaofang. Does this young man have any instructions?"
"Bai Xiaofang, is it? No instructions, I just wanted to ask where you're from and where you're headed. My barbecue shop happens to be hiring, and I wonder if Miss Bai is interested."
Bai Zhi's expression flickered. She couldn't figure out this young man's background.
It was clear their scam had been seen through by this young man, but that didn't mean much; the scam had failed.
However, she couldn't fathom this young man's intentions. His eyes seemed to pierce right through her, and his gaze was so profound, making her wonder what he was thinking.
But since he hadn't directly exposed their scam, it meant there was room for negotiation.
It was a shame, really. She hadn't even started her subsequent moves, and this young man had already interrupted them.
Yang Wei considered turning the scam into a robbery. At that moment, Zhang Tianxing picked up a walnut from the car and squeezed it hard. The walnut made a cracking sound.
Yang Wei immediately fell silent. The young man's grip was incredibly strong; he probably couldn't take on Zhang Tianxing even if all of them combined.
Then, Zhang Tianxing grabbed Yang Wei's left hand and squeezed. Yang Wei almost cried out in pain. His wrist felt like it was being gripped by steel pliers, as if an infinite force was surging from Zhang Tianxing's hand.
They didn't know Zhang Tianxing's intentions, but with their lives in his hands, they could only obey.
Yang Wei hadn't considered resisting, but the disparity in strength was too great.
Zhang Tianxing led the two of them out of the car. Yang Wei and Bai Zhi stood there quietly, not speaking. They couldn't gauge Zhang Tianxing's attitude.
"I have a question for you. How did you come up with the idea to scam people?"
"We're not scamming anyone," Yang Wei said softly.
Zhang Tianxing couldn't help but slap Yang Wei. "If you're not scamming people, then come with me to the police station and explain it clearly."
That slap made Yang Wei face reality, and he fell silent.
"Bai Xiaofang, take out your ID," Zhang Tianxing said calmly.
Bai Xiaofang reluctantly produced her ID. Zhang Tianxing looked closely and confirmed it was her, Bai Zhi. He hadn't expected that the renowned Bai Zhi of later generations was now just a little white flower.
"Don't do anything rash. I'm not an easy person. I'd rather die than comply," Bai Zhi backed away, her face pale.
What did this young man want? Why was he looking at her like that?
"I won't waste any more time with you. I've opened a shop here and need to hire people. If you're willing, come work for me. Of course, I'll keep your IDs to prevent you from causing trouble."
Yang Wei and Bai Zhi exchanged glances. They hadn't expected this outcome. They thought the young man would hand them over to the police.
Instead, he wanted them to work for him. Two promising scammers working for him? Was he joking?
"Where did you learn your scamming techniques?"
"When we were working in the south, we met a boss with a gold chain. He was completely smitten with Bai Zhi.
He tried to take advantage of Bai Zhi multiple times but failed. Once, when he was drunk, he bragged endlessly.
He learned this scheme by paying for it in the south, and it was very effective.
There were even more schemes after that. If one didn't fall for it, they would fall for it later.
We studied it for a long time and felt we were geniuses for inventing this scheme. It's truly a case of being fooled year after year, but in different ways."
Zhu Dayong's curiosity was piqued. "What other schemes are there? Tell me about them."
"We just had a prize draw, right? Next is an auction. If no one bids, we'll have someone pretend to be a buyer and bid."
"What kind of scheme is that? It's all your people; who are you trying to cheat money from?"
"After bidding, we'll claim we can't transfer the money and don't have enough cash on hand. But we have foreign currency that can be exchanged for RMB, at a rate of one to six or one to seven, while we exchange it with you at one to five."
"In that case, you'd be losing money. A rate of one to six or seven, and you exchange at one to five, wouldn't you go bankrupt? What kind of scheme is that?"
"That's the trick: the foreign currency is worthless. It's not valuable currency at all, and the foreign currency everyone exchanges is just like a piece of waste paper!"
Damn it, there's such a scheme! Zhu Dayong secretly gasped. Fortunately, he wasn't alone; with Zhang Tianxing accompanying him, he had almost bid for it earlier.
He was glad he hadn't fallen for it. Zhu Dayong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. There were too many such schemes; it was impossible to guard against them all.
It was absurd to the extreme, so absurd it was beyond comprehension.
"But I need to confirm one thing first: have you ever successfully scammed anyone before?"
Yang Wei shook his head. "This was our first attempt. We were caught by you before we could even start."
Bai Zhi also looked full of helplessness. It seemed her luck was terrible. Was she destined to work her whole life?
But the bad habits in the workplace made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Was she not suited for this society?
"One more question: have you committed any crimes before?"
They both shook their heads in unison.
"Alright then. Work here diligently. As long as you haven't caused trouble before, I guarantee you won't have any problems in the future. The only question is how much money you can earn."
Hearing Zhang Tianxing's words, Bai Zhi was mesmerized. A handsome young man, standing amidst the flowers.
The sun shines brightly tomorrow, and you are home.
Since the scamming business wouldn't work, she would find a way to work. Making money was the ultimate goal.
Zhu Dayong, uninvolved, asked somewhat confusedly, "Tianxing, why are you hiring those two scammers as waiters?"
"They just took a wrong turn. We can't condemn everyone with one stroke."
"Everything I estimate is for me to enter hell, so who else will? Only in this way can I truly understand how to change the current situation."
Because I owe you too much in my past life, I will definitely help you rise to prominence and fulfill your desires in this life.
If you want to be above others, then I will lend you a helping hand and let you stand at the peak of the crowd.