Beauty！Help！

Chapter 2: Swiping Cards

Recalling information about the three tenants filled James's mind.

Tenant 911 was the very Shirley he encountered in the elevator.

Tenant 912 was a policewoman named Janet.

Tenant 913 was a nurse named Hannah.

Each of them had signed a one-year lease, and only a few months had passed since then.

It seemed his only chance to survive was to target these three women.

How could he astonish the three female tenants? James fell into deep thought.

Astonishing someone was easy, but any method could only be used once.

Fortunately, there were three of them, so the same trick could be used three times.

"What to do? Gift them money?" Giving each one a hundred thousand would surely surprise them.

But that was a lot of money.

If his lifespan increased but his funds dwindled, what would be the point of living?

Did he want to be a loser again like in his past life?

Looking at the wrinkled diagnosis on the bed, an idea suddenly struck him: "Got it!"

Since the three women weren't home at the moment, James decided to step out and fill his stomach.

With newfound hope for life, his stomach felt hungry too.

He went downstairs to a restaurant the original owner used to frequent.

The waiter gave James a disinterested glance and said sarcastically, "The usual?"

The original owner was notoriously stingy, often ordering just a vegetable dish or a plate of peanuts, drinking the cheapest bulk liquor available.

This had become his routine.

James replied, "I'll have a bowl of sea cucumber porridge."

The waiter thought he misheard, "What would you like to eat?"

James, trying to be patient, said, "Seafood porridge. I know you serve it; hurry up and have the chef make it."

With his current weak body and bad teeth, he could only manage some porridge.

Besides, the interest accumulating in his bank account daily was more than enough for a decent meal.

The waiter replied, "Sir, the seafood porridge is ninety-eight each; are you sure?"

James said, "If you're not going to make it, I'll leave."

The waiter hurriedly grabbed James's arm; if the boss found out she chased away a customer, she'd have her wages deducted.

"What would you like to drink today, sir?"

James said, "No liquor; I won't be drinking anymore."

The waiter was surprised again, but she was not one of James's tenants, so her astonishment wouldn't extend his lifespan.

Since it wasn't meal time, the restaurant wasn't very crowded, giving him the chance to choose a random spot to sit down.

He pulled out the original owner's old phone — it could barely make calls and had no other functions.

Smartphones had already become common among young people, but such technology clearly hadn't reached the original owner.

In his past life, he was a streamer for a game called League of Legends, and it seemed that game had just launched recently.

With his understanding of that game, wouldn't he easily crush current players?

The waiter returned with a freshly cooked bowl of sea cucumber porridge and set it down on the table.

"Sir, you really aren't having any liquor today?" The waiter was puzzled; this man usually drank at least a couple of shots, even if he didn't order any food.

James took a spoonful and found it quite tasty.

He handed his bank card to the waiter, "Just swipe this."

The waiter replied, "Sir, is it really necessary to swipe for ninety-eight yuan?"

James sighed; the original owner had left no cash at home, and he only had a few dozen yuan in his pocket.

"Just swipe it; don't tell me you don't have a card machine."

The waiter reluctantly took the card to the front to process the payment.

Just a small bowl of porridge, and James quickly finished it all.

Just as he gulped down the last bite, a soft female voice came from behind, "Uncle James."

James turned around, and his eyes lit up upon seeing the newcomer.

With fair skin and a pure appearance, she gave him the feeling of a first love.

The person was Hannah, the nurse who rented room 913.

"Are you here to eat too?" Not that James was trying to flirt; in the original owner's memories, he was fond of Hannah for being sweet and considerate, never causing him any trouble.

So each time he saw her, he would affectionately call her "girl."

Hannah looked naturally sweet, perhaps due to her nursing profession, and her voice was tender.

"I'm here to eat with some friends."

While speaking, Hannah noticed James's empty bowl.

She thought to herself how Uncle James was still so frugal, coming out just to have a bowl of plain rice porridge.

"Sir, you can go; I'll pay for your porridge."

At that moment, the waiter returned with James's card, respectfully handing it to him, "Sir, the card has been processed."

Hannah was flabbergasted: Uncle James paid for porridge with a card?

【Ding】

【Received surprise from Hannah, increasing lifespan by sixty days.】

Did he just complete a task? Earn a reward?

Checking the system countdown, it had indeed changed to seventy-four days.

James felt overjoyed.

With just 22 months left to accumulate two years, the super reward would be within reach!

"Thank you so much, girl."

Hannah was stunned; why was he thanking her out of nowhere?

James took the opportunity and patted the empty seat next to him for Hannah to sit down.

Since her friends hadn't arrived yet, Hannah took the bait and sat down.

The waiter was still nearby, watching the unfolding drama.

James asked the waiter, "Do you have anything else to do?"

The waiter shook her head, "Nothing at all."

James said, "If you have nothing else, you can go rest elsewhere."

He needed to get a reward from Hannah, and having the waiter standing nearby would only spoil his efforts.

The waiter felt perplexed; today, this old man was acting unusually.

He usually wouldn't dare to breathe too loudly in their restaurant.

Now, he actually wanted to chase her away?!

The waiter reluctantly shuffled off.

Hannah giggled, "What's going on, Uncle James? You seem pretty different today."

James feigned a sad sigh, "Girl, I need to tell you something serious."

Hannah straightened up, listening attentively.

James pulled out the diagnosis from his pocket: "I won't be around much longer."

As a nurse, Hannah quickly understood the report on the diagnosis.

【Ding】

【Received surprise from Hannah, increasing lifespan by sixty days.】

James couldn't help but grin broadly—success!

Indeed, showing the diagnosis to the three tenants would surely astonish them.

One hundred twenty days equated to four months, meaning his days would brighten up.

Hannah hadn't quite recovered from her shock; her eyes had even started to glisten.

What a genuinely kind girl, James thought to himself.

"Don't worry; I won't die anytime soon, at least not for your sake."

Hannah unfurled the report, "Uncle, you're in this condition; how could you not die?"

James...

"Child, I'll assume you're worried about me."

Hannah realized her phrasing wasn't right and quickly waved her hands in apology, "Uncle, I didn't mean it like that."

James waved his hand, "It's no problem; at my age, I've learned to let things be. But I do have one request."

Hannah immediately thought, could he be preparing to discuss his last wishes?

But she was only twenty-two; how could she handle such a heavy responsibility?

"Uncle James, I can't do that."

James was taken aback: "I just want you to keep it a secret. Don't tell Shirley and Janet. Isn't that okay?"

If the other two tenants found out early, they wouldn't be surprised when he finally revealed it, and he would miss a great opportunity.

"Oh, so you just want me to keep it a secret." Hannah sighed in relief, "Don't worry, Uncle James; I won't tell anyone before you... you know."

James sincerely thanked her.

In a light-hearted tone, he asked, "Aren't your friends coming? I'd like to treat you all to a meal."

Hannah felt shy at the thought of James treating them.

She assumed James had only drunk a bowl of plain porridge earlier.

But inwardly, she admired James—he was a real man, treating life and death lightly while still planning to pay for her meal.

Only James knew how thrilling this felt.

Going from being on the brink of death to suddenly gaining four additional months of life wasn't something money could quantify.