Chapter 254: Low-Level Scammer

Qin Dingdong paused for a moment.

Meanwhile, Qi Xia watched the two of them with keen interest.

A clumsy female swindler and a veteran who had participated at least twice—who would come out on top?

After a moment of thought, she smiled and said, “Big bro, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I got scammed the same way last time.”

“Oh?” The man from Sichuan-Chongqing sized up Qin Dingdong. “You’ve got four fans in your pocket, and yet you say you got scammed last time… You think I’m stupid?”

“Big bro, you’ve got it wrong,” Qin Dingdong shook her head. “I really did lose one fan. I only had two left, and these are the new ones I just bought.”

“I’ve been standing near Di Yang the whole time. When did you buy fans?”

“Because I bought them earlier,” Qin Dingdong replied. “Big bro, you’re not actually a scammer, are you? You’re not planning to put any fans in, right?”

“I…” The Sichuan-Chongqing man warily glanced at Qi Xia and Qin Dingdong before asking, “Did you two know each other before?”

Qin Dingdong and Qi Xia exchanged a look, sensing that this man wouldn’t be easily fooled.

It made sense—anyone who could bring a handbag into this game couldn’t be that stupid. They knew exactly what they were getting into.

“I didn’t want to know him either,” Qin Dingdong said calmly. “Big bro, this guy’s just scum.”

“What?” The man blinked in surprise. “Scum?”

“Didn’t I say I got scammed?” Qin Dingdong pouted, pointing at Qi Xia with a hurt expression. “He’s the one who tricked me.”

Qi Xia sighed and shook his head.

This girl named Qin Dingdong was quick-witted, but her tactics were like those of a low-level con artist.

“You’re saying this guy scammed you?” The man frowned in confusion. “But he was the one who brought me here!”

“Yeah,” Qin Dingdong nodded. “After he tricked me, he felt guilty and promised to help me get out. But I refused to pair with him, so he said he’d find me another partner…”

“Is… is that true?” The man continued to eye them suspiciously.

“I told you not to say anything,” Qi Xia snapped coldly. “Now that you’ve spilled it, what am I supposed to do?”

“Why shouldn’t I?!” Qin Dingdong shot back. “You’re the one who did it! And now you don’t want me to talk? Maybe you shouldn’t have scammed me in the first place!”

“Did I spoil you too much?” Qi Xia took a step forward, his voice low and menacing. “I already went out of my way to find you a willing partner! And now you’ve exposed me—what the hell am I supposed to do now?! If everyone knows I’m a scammer, who’s gonna pair with me?!”

“That’s your problem!” Qin Dingdong seemed on the verge of losing control. “Even if you die here, it’s your own damn fault! Why should I cover for you?”

The Sichuan-Chongqing man was startled by the sudden outburst. “Hey, hey—you two, stop fighting…”

“Get out of my way,” Qi Xia growled. “If I don’t slap this woman three times today, my name isn’t Li Ming.”

“Li—Li bro!” The man quickly stepped in and grabbed Qi Xia’s arm. “Do me a favor, okay? Just calm down! Our priority is to get out of here fast!”

“Big bro, I changed my mind!” Qin Dingdong said darkly. “Make this guy leave! If he stays, I won’t pair with you!”

“You little—!” Qi Xia pointed at Qin Dingdong and lunged forward.

The man immediately blocked him again. “Li Ming, Li Ming! Just take it easy!”

Qi Xia looked furious, but after some coaxing, he finally took a few steps back.

“Little sis, let’s hurry up!” The man thought for a moment before pulling out his fans, confirming the patterns with Qin Dingdong, and inserting them into the machine. “We can’t afford to waste time. The longer we wait, the more dangerous it gets!”

“Right, right!” Qin Dingdong nodded quickly and reached into her pocket for her fans.

But after fumbling for a while, she slowly looked up with a sly grin.

“Big bro… sorry, but I’ve changed my mind again.”

“What?”

“You’ve got so many fans… you’ll make a fortune if you get out, right?” Qin Dingdong said. “But me? I’ve got nothing…”

“Hah…” The man fell silent for a moment. “Little sis, you’ve got four fans right now. If you put in two, you’ll earn ten ‘Dao’ when you get out.”

“That’s not enough, big bro,” Qin Dingdong said sweetly, linking arms with him. “How about you give me two of yours?”

“Give you… two?” The man scowled. “Are you crazy? Two fans are worth ten ‘Dao.’ You’ve got some nerve.”

Qin Dingdong pointed at the pairing machine with a smirk. “You’ve already put in two. Even if you don’t pair with me now, you’ll still lose two. Think about it—the outcome’s the same either way.”

“You… damn bitch… I get it now,” the man laughed bitterly. “You’re the scammer here! You two set me up?”

“Not at all!” Qin Dingdong put on an innocent face. “Big bro, I really did get scammed. I just want to leave with a few extra fans so I can make up for my losses.”

Qi Xia stood at a distance, silently analyzing the situation.

Would the man fall for it?

Given Qin Dingdong’s methods, she probably wouldn’t let him leave—she’d try to swindle him out of everything. This guy was nothing like the old man from before.

He had too much to lose—not just the fans in the game, but all the ‘Dao’ he’d spent to buy them.

He might actually fight Qin Dingdong over this.

If violence broke out in the arena, things would spiral out of control.

Even if Qin Dingdong survived, she’d become the next “wealthy” target, painting a bullseye on her back.

The best solution now was…

“Big bro, have you decided?” Qin Dingdong pressed. “Just two fans, and you can walk away with the rest.”

“Little sis… I’ve got a better idea,” the man sighed before his expression darkened. “First, take out the two fans you were gonna put in the machine. We’ll trade at the same time.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll give you two, and you immediately put yours in,” the man said with a sinister smile. “If you try to cheat me… I swear I’ll kill you right here.”

Qin Dingdong felt a chill run down her spine as she met his gaze.

This man was dangerous.

“Little sis, you might not know what I used to do before coming here,” he continued coldly. “I’ve been polite so far, but don’t push your luck.”

Qin Dingdong swallowed hard before casting a pleading glance at Qi Xia.