His actions were blocked, but Gao Yi didn't show much emotional fluctuation and smoothly handed over the E-Grade Physical Therapy Agent.
Li Zhaozhao, sitting on the single sofa, took the agent and examined it seriously, asking, "What kind of medicine is this? Why does it have no label and no ingredient list?"
It must be said, as expected of a good student, she still had basic vigilance.
But Gao Yi had already prepared his explanation for this:
"This is a nutritional supplement. It hasn't been released yet. I got it directly from a doctor friend."
Of course, this explanation was indeed somewhat suspicious, and Li Zhaozhao's eyes revealed obvious distrust:
"Which doctor would dare to casually give out unapproved medicine? The color looks..."
"Hey, Zhao Zhao, give it to me. Little Gao wouldn't lie to me."
Fortunately, at this moment, Granny Chen came over to smooth things over.
She shook her head slightly, wiped her hands on her apron, and motioned for her to hand over the agent.
"Grandma, you need to be more careful. There are many swindlers outside now..."
Li Zhaozhao fit the stereotype of a "good student"—shoulder-length hair that didn't require much styling, spoke very formally, and frequently sighed.
If she also wore round-rimmed Glasses, she could practically replace 80% of the "class monitor" characters in movies and TV shows.
But Granny Chen didn't care at all, muttering reminiscently:
"It's fine. Little Gao is a great reporter. Before, when I was almost scammed by that Jinhuang Security..."
"Jinhuang Security," Gao Yi interjected at the right moment.
"Yes, yes, if Little Gao hadn't stopped me, I definitely would have fallen for it..."
This was true. The first time Gao Yi noticed that fraudulent company was at Grandma Landlord's house, when he saw their promotional flyer.
"Buy peace of mind for you and your family, fully automatic home security system..."
Honestly, those Deadbeats even went door-to-door selling.
And elderly people living alone with money, like Granny Chen, naturally became prime targets.
"What great reporter? He can't even pay his rent..."
Li Zhaozhao, beside him, seemed unconvinced, muttering softly.
"Did you go ask Little Gao for rent? Sigh, didn't I tell you, everyone in the apartment is young, and they all occasionally have difficulties. I told you not to meddle."
Granny Chen was old, but her hearing hadn't diminished at all.
Hearing her granddaughter's words, she immediately reacted, frowning and scolding her.
Li Zhaozhao, having been reprimanded, lowered her head, only to be seen pouting, mumbling something to herself.
"Zhao Zhao means well, it's fine... Why don't you try this nutritional supplement first?"
Perhaps the effect of Friend of Elderly Women was too good, or his favorability had been built up high enough during this period.
Hearing Gao Yi speak, Grandma Landlord immediately broke into a smile and readily agreed.
Under Li Zhaozhao's resentful gaze from the side, Grandma drank the entire bottle of E-Grade Physical Therapy Agent.
Without the time and energy to tend to the high school girl's emotions, Gao Yi held his breath and focused his hearing.
With the enhancement of Armchair Detective, the "gulping" sound of the liquid passing through her throat, the slight sound of ribs repairing, including the slight twitching of muscles, were all clearly audible.
The Grandma Landlord, who had drunk the agent, suddenly relaxed her brows. A few seconds later, she touched the medical brace on her chest with some disbelief.
"Grandma, what's wrong?!"
Li Zhaozhao, seeing that her Grandma hadn't spoken for a long time, hurried closer and asked urgently.
"It doesn't hurt at all... This medicine is really effective, Little Gao."
Granny Chen's smile returned to her face. She raised both arms and pressed her shoulders.
The pain relief was very obvious, and it seemed to accelerate the recovery of physical injuries.
Gao Yi made a judgment in his heart and also showed a smile.
Moving her arms wasn't the end of it. Granny Chen stood up directly and walked around the coffee table:
"Don't tell me, my back doesn't hurt anymore, and I feel like I have strength in my body."
"Haha, that's good... But don't remove that brace yet. You can let the doctor check it again later."
Seeing Grandma Landlord like this, Gao Yi was indeed genuinely happy.
Although it cost a bottle of medicine, he also gained a better understanding of its effects.
If that's the case, packaging it as medicine should sell for a lot of money...
Of course, it can't be mass-produced... The drug regulatory agency is also a problem.
Gao Yi's thoughts had already drifted far away, while Li Zhaozhao on the side widened her eyes, looking at her energetic Grandma for a moment, then at Gao Yi, who was lost in thought.
Judging from the Deadbeat tag no longer gaining experience, his image in her mind must have changed from "swindler" to "swindler with something real."
In the cheerful atmosphere, Gao Yi chatted with Grandma Landlord for a while longer.
After a pleasant conversation, he reiterated that the rent would definitely be paid in full before the end of the month, while Granny Chen insisted that such a small amount of money was not an issue.
In this atmosphere, Li Zhaozhao on the sofa couldn't interject much, so she just sat there swinging her legs in a daze.
He glanced at his phone; it was already ten in the morning.
Having made up his mind, Gao Yi wrapped up this rather pointless small talk, declined Granny Chen's dinner invitation, and left the room amidst words of thanks.
Dragging his heavy steps, Gao Yi walked up the stairs towards his inviting bed.
By his count, he hadn't slept for forty hours. He should have never wished for an elevator in the apartment more than now.
He glanced at the system. Friend of Elderly Women had already leveled up to 3, and it wasn't far from level 4.
"Should I go back and level up this tag... It feels useless."
Muttering, Gao Yi was already standing at his door, rummaging through his pockets for his keys.
Just then, a series of crisp footsteps quickly came from the stairwell.
With his greatly enhanced hearing, Gao Yi easily identified these as Li Zhaozhao's footsteps after a brief comparison.
So troublesome. She's not going to rush me for rent again, is she? I just saved your Grandma a huge sum in medical and maintenance fees.
Gao Yi thought, and the speed of his hands noticeably quickened.
But by the time he opened his door, the girl had already run breathlessly to the third floor and called out to Gao Yi.
The girl stopped in front of Gao Yi, hands on her knees, breathing heavily.
She was no longer wearing her school uniform jacket; it was probably left in the room downstairs. Now, she was only wearing a light purple short-sleeved shirt on her upper body.
It was clear she had run quite quickly.
"Is something wrong?"
Since he couldn't avoid it, Gao Yi had no choice but to force out another tired smile and ask.
"Ha... that..." After finally catching her breath, Li Zhaozhao looked up at Gao Yi:
"I didn't mean to make things difficult for you. Grandma told me before that you're a good person, and you're broke because you helped a friend as a guarantor... I just worried she'd be scammed again..."
The girl looked quite apologetic, but for her teenage age, saying "I'm sorry" directly seemed somewhat difficult.
"It's okay. Granny Chen often tells me how excellent you are, and seeing it today, it's certainly true."
Gao Yi sighed inwardly, still taking on the task of alleviating the girl's worries.
He was still lamenting in his heart that if this had happened a week earlier, his tag might not have been Friend of Elderly Women but "Friend of Women."
At least the scope of application would have been much wider.
"Grandma also said that you always help with cleaning, unlike some tenants who bring strange women back for overnight stays and make a mess."
Li Zhaozhao's words weren't finished. She was now methodically repeating Grandma Landlord's praises.
But just as the two were talking, a male voice came from inside the door.
Pan Tian seemed to have finished washing up and was tidying his belongings.
"Hey, Gao Yi, you're back. By the way, where are your wet wipes? The ones in the bedroom are used up!"
Gao Yi turned his head back to the doorway, looking at the girl's complex and shocked gaze.
Clearly, some strange misunderstandings would be difficult to resolve.
....................
After seeing Li Zhaozhao off, he returned inside.
Pan Tian walked into the living room, holding the tidied documents, and casually said:
"By the way, do you guys have flyers here?"
"Flyers? No, I haven't encountered any, at least."
Gao Yi frowned, responding thoughtfully.
"Then look what's on the shoe cabinet. It was slipped into the door crack about ten minutes ago."
Following his words to the shoe cabinet, Gao Yi indeed found a yellow slip of paper on it.
The paper was very coarse, like Xuan paper used for calligraphy, or the yellow paper burned for the dead.
Of course, what shocked Gao Yi more than the oddness of the paper was the text on it.
"Noon, downstairs tea restaurant"
"Let's talk about your Heart Demon Mist."
Gao Yi closed his eyes slightly and sighed.
The trouble he had worried about had still come knocking.
....................
