Rebirth: Saving the Lovely Girl from the Start

Chapter 227: Chapter 225: The Scammer’s Playbook

「June 23rd.」

He woke up early specifically to help the lass move her things.

In reality, the lass’s luggage had already been shipped out. The main task for today was to find a place to board Da Huang, since he couldn’t very well take a dog with him on his trip.

He recalled stories from the future of people who left their dogs at home for over a month with a sack of dog food and an automatic feeder...

Only to return to a house where the dog had pooped everywhere, and the robotic vacuum had smeared it all evenly across the floor...

Just imagining it made a vein throb on Xue Rui’s forehead.

Right now, he was holding Da Huang’s leash in his left hand, and next to his right was Lin Ruoxi’s soft little hand.

He wasn’t holding it, however, because the lass was carrying his bag for him and her hands were full.

A girl was actively helping him carry his heavy things, leaving him completely unburdened...

This was just how things were when he and the lass were together. He didn’t feel embarrassed, and she didn’t feel tired.

As they neared the pet hospital in their residential complex, the lass deliberately switched places with Xue Rui. Every time they passed the entrance to this place, Da Huang would bark ferociously at the veterinarian inside.

Today was no exception. The moment they got close to the pet hospital, Da Huang started looking around warily.

The veterinarian at the hospital had just opened the door and was stretching his back in the doorway when he faintly heard the low growl of a dog.

"You really hold a grudge," the man said with a chuckle. He remembered this local dog; it barked at him every time they met.

"WOOF WOOF!" Da Huang pulled the leash taut, looking like he wanted to fight the man in the white coat to the death.

Lin Ruoxi frowned. "Da Huang, stop barking."

Da Huang licked his lips, but a low growl still rumbled in his throat.

"I’m sorry," Lin Ruoxi quickly apologized to the man.

The man laughed and waved his hand. "It’s fine. We have a two-testicle feud."

’Why not just board the dog here?’ An idea occurred to Xue Rui. Ren Jun’s place was also a pet shop, but no one cooked there, and his dog didn’t eat kibble.

Ren Jun could live on takeout, but the dog couldn’t.

This pet hospital was run by a middle-aged couple who cooked their meals in the shop every day. It was a good option.

"Doc, I’m going to be away for a while. How about I leave the dog with you?" Xue Rui said with a smile, simultaneously taking a photo of the pet hospital’s sign to save the contact information.

"Hmm?" The man’s brow furrowed. Business was a good thing...

But this dog held one hell of a grudge.

While the man was still hesitating, Xue Rui pushed Da Huang into the hospital and slid the glass door shut.

He shoved a thousand yuan into the man’s hand. "If this isn’t enough, I’ll settle up when I get back."

With that, he quickly grabbed Lin Ruoxi and made a run for it.

"Hey, hey, hey! I haven’t agreed yet!" the man shouted.

Da Huang pressed against the glass door, standing on his hind legs to watch the retreating figures, his dark eyes filled with reluctance to part.

Once the figures disappeared from sight, Da Huang turned and started barking ferociously at the man in front of him again.

The man’s eye twitched. The one customer he wanted to avoid had just walked right in.

He sighed, bent down, and got a firm grip on Da Huang’s neck. Da Huang’s eyes instantly cleared up.

He recognized Xue Rui. After all, their residential complex wasn’t that big. With a girlfriend as beautiful as Xue Rui’s, who wouldn’t know him?

Lin Ruoxi, in particular, had recently become a local celebrity. People often invited her over to "perform rituals."

"Da Huang, I’m just an employee here. The one who snipped your balls was someone else," the man said in a low voice, hoping the dog could understand him.

...

Lin Ruoxi ran down the street, dragged by the arm by Xue Rui. Her backpack bounced against her back, and her eyes crinkled with laughter.

She loved this feeling. It was as if the entire world had sprung to life.

"Taking the Segment Two and Three tests today. Nervous?" Xue Rui asked.

He had spent the last few days dragging the lass to practice driving, and his evenings were spent at home discussing life with his old man.

In short, he had already told his family about his plans to leave the province for a while.

His mom had also called him, but it was mostly to complain. He figured the first thing she’d do when she got back was give him a beating, so this trip was also a good chance to lie low.

Lin Ruoxi slowly shook her head. "Not nervous."

"Let’s go. Coach Li just called to say he’s at the DMV," Xue Rui said, hailing a taxi by the roadside.

When they arrived at the DMV, Xue Rui was greeted by the sight of countless cars and people.

From a distance, Qiu Mengze waved to Xue Rui. "Over here!"

’Not bad,’ Xue Rui thought. ’This kid actually got here so early.’

"How did you get here so early?" Xue Rui asked.

"I slept at the internet cafe last night," Qiu Mengze said, looking pleased with himself.

Lin Ruoxi asked in a low voice, "Um, what does that have to do with being up early?"

It took Xue Rui a moment to process this, and then a flood of painful memories returned. He sighed and explained:

"The internet cafe gets cleaned every morning. The auntie who wipes the tables wakes everyone up..."

It was such an awful feeling...

"Alright, stop chatting. The test hasn’t started yet, so let’s take you guys for a warm-up lap," Coach Li said.

"No need," said Xue Rui.

He was confident in his own skills, and Lin Ruoxi was a natural-born driver who didn’t need the practice either.

The lass followed his lead and shook her head, declining Coach Li’s kind offer.

Qiu Mengze hesitated for a moment before chiming in, "Then I don’t need it either."

Even though they all said that, Coach Li still took them for a lap around the Segment Three testing grounds, saying it was to familiarize themselves with the route.

"See that yellow horizontal bar on the tree by the road?" Coach Li asked.

"Signal for a right turn," Qiu Mengze replied.

"Mm, very good," Coach Li nodded.

Xue Rui pinched the bridge of his nose. ’These instructors are fucking incredible.’

Engaging in a battle of wits with the DMV, all to help their students pass the test, by leaving markers on roadside trees and rocks...

The key point was that when he was practicing, he saw students from other driving schools who also knew about these markers...

’Are people who pass the test by relying on markers really safe on the road?’

After a big loop, they circled back to the front of the DMV.

Just as the training car came to a stop, a woman in her thirties blocked their path.

"Coach Li." The woman smiled, handing him two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes.

Coach Li frowned. ’Why is this woman giving me cigarettes?’ She had already learned everything she needed to. He had brought her here today to take the test with the others.

Xue Rui watched curiously from the back seat. ’What’s this all about?’ he wondered.

"Coach, I heard you can pay to pass the Segment Three test. You must know someone, right?" the woman said in a low voice.

Coach Li’s brow furrowed. If he really had that kind of pull, would he be out marking up the roadside with instructors from other driving schools?

"Where did you hear that?" Coach Li hastily tossed the cigarettes out. He didn’t want any trouble.

Lin Ruoxi looked surprised. ’What does this woman mean?’

"She wants to cheat," Xue Rui whispered in Lin Ruoxi’s ear.

"Um, is that allowed?" The lass glanced around nervously. She knew cheating was illegal.

Unexpectedly, anxious tears started streaming down the woman’s face. "Coach, please help me. If I don’t pass this time, I’ll have to start all over again."

The tremble in the woman’s voice was enough to soften anyone’s heart.

Xue Rui thought, ’This woman’s skills must be terrible if she’s failed four times in a row. It’s better if people like her stay off the road. A complete menace.’

"I got scammed last time. I’m sure you must know someone. I heard the going rate is two thousand yuan," the woman said, stuffing a stack of cash into Coach Li’s hand.

Coach Li was at his wit’s end. The woman was clutching his clothes in a death grip, clearly on the verge of a breakdown.

If he refused, there was no telling what she might do in her agitated state.

Many people go crazy over these tests...

Qiu Mengze stared, dumbfounded, not daring to say a word.

Xue Rui hesitated for a moment, then spoke up. "Leave the money and go. If you don’t pass, you can come back to the car and get it."

"Xue Rui?" Qiu Mengze looked astonished. ’Why would Xue Rui help with something like this?’

’To make money?’

The woman was taken aback. She looked at the young man in the back seat, and her expression instantly changed to one of pleasant surprise.

A few days ago, she had been asking around at the driving school, and an instructor had mentioned that a young man named Xue Rui had connections.

She just never had the chance to meet him. To think she would run into him at the DMV today!

"You should go now," Xue Rui said, waving his hand to dismiss the woman.

"Okay, don’t forget, handsome!" The woman tossed the cigarettes she’d bought into the back seat where Xue Rui was sitting.

Xue Rui casually tossed the cigarettes over to Coach Li.

Coach Li glanced at Xue Rui and grinned with tacit understanding. ’Xue Rui sure knows how to play the game,’ he thought. ’He’s using the same scam the swindlers outside use.’

Qiu Mengze swallowed hard. "What are you two smiling about? Xue Rui, are you really going to help her?"

He stared at the stack of red bills, his anxiety growing the longer he looked.

The lass looked panicked. She clutched Xue Rui’s arm anxiously, her eyes pleading as tears welled up. "I... I don’t want you to go to jail."

Xue Rui gently pinched the lass’s nose. "What did I promise her? Why would I go to jail? I just had Coach Li hold onto her money for safekeeping."

Coach Li let out a sly chuckle. "It’s the classic scammer’s routine. ’Pass the test or get a full refund...’"

Hearing Coach Li’s explanation, both Qiu Mengze and the lass were stunned.

They charge a 2,000 yuan fee, promising you’ll pass Segment Three, with a full refund if you fail.

In reality, the scammer who takes the money does nothing at all. It’s a risk-free, high-reward venture.

As for the person who paid, they wouldn’t dare make a fuss about paying money to cheat.

Those who pass are in a good mood. Plus, since they can’t be sure if the scammer did something or not, they feel too embarrassed to ask for the money back. That two thousand yuan becomes a free gift to the scammer.

And if they don’t pass, the scammer actually gives the money back, making the whole thing seem legitimate...

The lass wiped her tears. Thankfully, Xue Rui hadn’t done anything illegal.

Coach Li laughed. "Xue Rui told her to leave the money here, but he never said who was taking it. It’s just being ’kept in the car for safekeeping.’ If she assumes she’s pulled some strings, that has nothing to do with us."

Xue Rui said, "We’ll give the money back to her whether she passes or not. It’s just a little trick to put her mind at ease for now."

"Promise you won’t ever really scam people, okay?" the lass said, hugging Xue Rui’s arm. She was terrified of losing him.

Qiu Mengze nodded. "Those scammers sound completely unscrupulous."

"Haven’t you heard the saying? If you lose money, you can always earn it back," Xue Rui said earnestly.

Qiu Mengze perked up his ears. ’What famous philosophical quote is this?’

Lin Ruoxi nodded. What Xue Rui said made sense.

"But if you lose your conscience, you can earn even more," Xue Rui joked. Of course, he knew where to draw the line and wouldn’t touch anything illegal.

’But then again, which successful person doesn’t have a few skeletons in their closet?’

’Even the big corporations play these games, like those ’bargain’ features where you have to get endless friends to help you cut the price...’

"Hahaha," Coach Li laughed. Xue Rui’s words were crude, but he had a point. It made a lot of sense.

The lass hugged Xue Rui’s arm tightly, looked seriously into his eyes, and said, "I... I’ll earn money for you."