The Personal Bodyguard of the School Belle

The girl stopped kicking Lin Yi's leg and instead leaned against the window of the train, quietly listening to her MP3 player.

"Songshan Station has arrived. Passengers getting off, please prepare. This stop will last fifteen minutes." The announcement came over the train's intercom, prompting Lin Yi to start packing his luggage in preparation for disembarking.

Unexpectedly, the girl beside him also began gathering her belongings, clearly intending to get off at Songshan Station as well.

When the girl stood up, Lin Yi quickly estimated her height — he was right; she was about 165 centimeters tall.

After getting off the train, Lin Yi looked around in amazement at the magnificent architecture of the train station. Although he had been here once ten years ago, the changes in Songshan over the past decade were nothing short of astonishing.

"Wait!" A sweet female voice called out from behind him. Lin Yi stopped walking and instinctively turned around.

It was the girl who had been sitting next to him on the train, waving her hand and hurrying toward him.

"Is there something you need?" Lin Yi naturally didn't believe that the girl could have fallen in love with him at first sight. Though he considered himself quite handsome, his current attire was embarrassingly outdated—brown-yellow pants, a white tank top, dressed like a migrant worker looking for work in the city.

"You're not thinking of going to claim the prize, are you?" The girl asked with a hint of frustration, still upset that Lin Yi had ignored her warning on the train.

"Oh, you mean this?" Lin Yi pulled the pull-tab out of his pocket and casually threw it onto the side of the road.

"Ah?!" Now it was the girl's turn to be shocked! She couldn't believe that Lin Yi would do such a thing!

"You...you threw it away?" The girl pointed at Lin Yi, her mouth wide open in disbelief.

"Yeah, I threw it away," Lin Yi nodded. "It was fake anyway, so keeping it was pointless."

"You knew it was fake?" The girl was now thoroughly confused, staring blankly at Lin Yi. What was wrong with this guy? Knowing it was fake, why did he spend money on it? Was he crazy? He didn't seem like one of those eccentric rich people either.

"I knew. Even if I didn't know, you reminded me on the train!" Lin Yi replied.

"So why did you give them money?" The girl became agitated. What kind of person was this?

Lin Yi smiled, took his backpack off his shoulder, unzipped it, and opened it in front of the girl.

The girl glanced curiously at Lin Yi and then looked down into his backpack, only to be startled! There were seven or eight bundles of cash inside!

"Do you have a lot of money? Even if you're rich, you shouldn't waste it!" The girl didn't fully understand Lin Yi's intentions, assuming he was showing off how wealthy he was.

"This is the money from earlier." Lin Yi explained.

"The money from earlier? What do you mean?" The girl was confused. "Didn't you say it was only 49,000? Now there's 70,000 to 80,000!"

"The bespectacled man had another 30,000, which I took back along with mine." Lin Yi shrugged nonchalantly. For him, this was a trivial matter, an effortless feat.

"Gaah?" The girl was utterly dumbfounded! It wasn't that Lin Yi was crazy; rather, he was simply more skilled. Not only had he reclaimed his own money, but he'd also taken the bespectacled man's cash!

"Why the shocked expression? Don't tell me you're thinking of reporting me for theft? Your sense of justice is pretty strong." Lin Yi chuckled teasingly at the girl's astonished face.

"Of course not!" The girl blushed, shaking her head.

"But thank you again for earlier. There aren't many girls like you." Lin Yi sincerely said, "Would you like to join me for dinner?"

"No..." The girl hesitated shyly, shaking her head. "My family is waiting for me at the exit."

After hearing this, Lin Yi nodded without pressing further. Pursuing women was an art, and forcing it would only backfire. "Alright, then I won't bother you."

Wang Xinyan watched Lin Yi walk away, shaking her head. He truly was a unique individual. If her mother hadn't been waiting for her at the exit, Wang Xinyan wouldn't have minded interacting with Lin Yi more.

It wasn't that Wang Xinyan had any particular feelings for Lin Yi, but she found him intriguing. Carrying so much cash in his backpack without depositing it in the bank, dressing in the most outdated fashion imaginable, yet exuding an inexplicable aura.

"Sir, are you looking for accommodation? Very cheap..."

As soon as Lin Yi exited the train station, he was surrounded by people from nearby inns trying to solicit customers. His migrant-worker-like appearance made him a prime target for these small establishments. After all, rich people wouldn't stay in such places, and luxury hotels don't need to go around soliciting guests.

Lin Yi waved his hand dismissively, squeezing through the crowd of solicitors, and walked toward the taxi stand on the square. In his hand, he held a slip of paper with an address given to him by the old man before leaving home.

Once in the taxi, the driver enthusiastically asked, "Young man, where are you headed?"

"To this address." Lin Yi handed the slip of paper to the driver.

This driver was one of those who hung around the train station, adept at sizing up passengers. Seeing Lin Yi, he assumed he was a newcomer from elsewhere, likely coming to work. He thought about overcharging him since Lin Yi obviously didn't know the area. Happily, he took the slip of paper, glanced at the address, and his face immediately turned green!

The slip read: Songshan City Guangming Avenue No. 36, Pengzhan Tower. Take the new second ring bridge.

With the route and distance clearly marked, there was no way to overcharge anyone. Still, what was this young man doing at Pengzhan Tower? That was the largest group company in Songshan City. What connection could this migrant-worker-dressed individual possibly have with someone inside?

The driver sighed, tossed the slip aside, and drove honestly.

Songshan's transportation was excellent, with numerous bridges. Lin Yi felt that they arrived at their destination almost instantly after going up and down a few times. He paid 24 yuan for the fare and got out of the car.

Looking at the towering building in front of him, Lin Yi felt dizzy. This was taller than the mountains back home! Apparently, his employer was very wealthy. Perhaps, as the old man had said, one task might be enough to last a lifetime. But he wondered if jumping from such a height would kill him.

However, back in his hometown, when the old man had kicked him off the mountain top into the ravine, he hadn't died—just ended up bruised and battered, lying in bed for several days.

Lin Yi double-checked the address and the name of the building, confirmed everything was correct, and then confidently walked into the tower.