Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

Chapter 705 Deception
The spring breeze gently caressed the old trees sprouting new buds, and the fallen leaves rustled on the ground. The warm sunlight shone freely, and a sense of warmth permeated the green shade.

Li Zhuangsheng stretched and pulled out his steed—the Yadea Z3. This steed had been with him for two and a half years and was no longer as spirited as when he first bought it.

However, Li Zhuangsheng found the ride quite comfortable and even added an extended trunk at the back. Although it wasn't very aesthetically pleasing, it made it more convenient to carry passengers.

“This is ridiculous…” Li Zhuangsheng shook his head as he got on his bike.

Li Xiuyu insisted on making a tokusatsu drama, so he naturally obediently transferred the money. In fact, he knew that it was Li Xiuyu who wanted to make the decision, and that Li Xiuyu was helping him make up his mind.

Having grown up watching Ultraman, Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, and Super Star God, Li Zhuangsheng has always hoped for China's own tokusatsu series, like Armor Hero. Although the Armor Hero Hunter Armor series, which aired a few months ago, was... well, let's just say it was terrible, with the internet full of complaints... or rather, very few people even complaining about it.

Of course, once "Armor Hero: Starry Night Awakening" airs, the reputation of Hunter Armor will improve!
The "Huabiao Millennium" series is quite well-known abroad, and Li Zhuangsheng naturally hopes that the influence of Chinese tokusatsu overseas can be like that of Ultraman... Although he feels it is extremely difficult to achieve, doing something is better than doing nothing.

Li Xiuyu is currently looking for screenwriters and has already contacted two. They have been in the industry for several years and are said to be tokusatsu fans. They will be coming to Nanjing in a couple of days to discuss the script.

The problem is that making a tokusatsu drama, like producing "Huabiao Millennium," is completely unprofitable, and making a proper tokusatsu drama would be even more expensive... Moreover, film and television dramas are not animation, which Li Zhuangsheng is not familiar with and needs to learn gradually. Furthermore, making a tokusatsu drama would require setting up a new company, and Zhuangsheng Xundie has finally made a profit; he doesn't want to drag it down with him.

"Oh well, so be it. As long as the reputation is good, I can always sell to Tencent or Alibaba in the future and at least recoup some of my losses." Li Zhuangsheng comforted himself with this thought as he got on his electric scooter... only to find that the scooter was almost out of power.

"I forgot to charge it..." He had no choice but to ride his bike to a nearby subway station and take the subway instead.

Although he was thinking about tokusatsu (special effects) films, Li Zhuangsheng wasn't generally worried. Now that he had made the decision, he was actually looking forward to it and eager to try it out.

The weather was lovely today, and Li Zhuangsheng invited Lin Yuehua out. The two planned to go boating on Xuanwu Lake.

After riding the subway for a few stops, Li Zhuangsheng was replying to Lin Yuehua's text messages with his head down. Just as he was about to walk out of the subway exit, two women with restrained expressions stopped him.

"Hey, little student..."

Li Zhuangsheng stopped and turned to look at the person who had come.

One of the women looked to be in her thirties, and the other looked to be in her fifties or sixties; they appeared to be mother and son.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Li Zhuangsheng put down his phone.

Seeing the other person's expression, it seemed they had encountered some trouble. Li Zhuangsheng didn't pay attention at the moment, but simply asked with a smile.

The woman in her thirties said pitifully, "It's like this, we came here to visit relatives, but just as we were about to go home, our wallets were stolen... My mom and I want to buy train tickets back, but we don't have enough money. Could you be kind enough to lend us 7 yuan?"

“Oh, no problem…” Li Zhuangsheng was about to agree when he suddenly paused.

He recalled memories from ten years ago.

He was a college student at the time and had encountered similar situations.

"Seven yuan, right?" Li Zhuangsheng asked tentatively.

"Oh no, you misheard, it's 17 yuan..." Damn it! I've run into you damn scammers again! Li Zhuangsheng was furious. Do you know how an ordinary college student feels when they want to do a good deed but get scammed out of 47 yuan?!

"Are you sure it's 17 yuan and not 47 yuan?" Li Zhuangsheng grinned, suppressing his anger.

The two women were taken aback. The older woman was about to say something when the other woman's expression changed slightly. She quickly chuckled awkwardly, "What are you talking about? We're just 17 yuan short. If it's inconvenient for you, classmate, it's fine..."

Li Zhuangsheng sneered twice. These two swindlers, if he didn't speak up, would have raised the price to at least 47.

This is a very simple psychological trap called the foot-in-the-door effect. It refers to the phenomenon that once a person accepts a small request from someone, they are more likely to accept a larger request in order to avoid cognitive dissonance or to give others a consistent impression.

“Indeed, I don’t have that much money,” Li Zhuangsheng said calmly. “You want to buy train tickets home, but you don’t have enough money, right?”

"Haha, that's right..."

Li Zhuangsheng said with concern, "That's perfect! There are security personnel and police ahead. Why don't you ask the police for help?"

Both women were startled and quickly laughed awkwardly, "Haha, this is such a small problem, there's no need to trouble the police officers..."

"It's alright, the police serve the people. I'll take you to him!"

"No need, no need... Actually, we can talk to our families and have them send the money... Thank you, young man, but you can go now..." The woman in her thirties stammered, secretly lamenting her predicament.

This little boy looks so honest and well-behaved, like a virgin who would blush when talking to girls, so why is he so difficult to deal with?

It's important to understand that they don't scam much at a time, only a few dozen yuan. Therefore, even if someone falls for their tricks, they won't report it to the police; they'll just accept their bad luck. Even if someone sees through their little scheme, they're too lazy to bother with it. They'll just wave their hand and say, "If you don't have money, just leave," and won't make things difficult for two seemingly weak women.

This is the first time I've encountered someone so meticulous!

Little did they know that Li Zhuangsheng hadn't thought that far ahead. He was a righteous man who would pick up any trash he saw on the street and throw it in the trash can. Now, he was single-mindedly focused on handing the swindler over to the police to bring him to justice!
"Why would I leave?" Li Zhuangsheng, now certain that the other party was a conman, stopped pretending and grabbed the woman in her thirties. "If I leave, you two conmen can get away, right?"

He carefully refrained from grabbing the old woman, knowing that if she lay down on the ground, he might not be able to explain himself in time. He figured if he caught one, the other wouldn't escape either.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

The woman panicked and struggled desperately, but she was already frail, so how could she break free from Li Zhuangsheng, who was used to exercising all year round?

"Nothing, come with me to the police station!"

Li Zhuangsheng dragged the woman toward the subway security guards in the distance.

The woman struggled but couldn't break free, her heart pounding with fear, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her. She unbuttoned her coat and cried out loudly:

"Help! Help! He's trying to rape me! Help!"

(End of this chapter)