175: Chapter 175 I am a genius!

"Hmm?" Gu Changming looked up, somewhat surprised. "What?"

"That... you've bought a lot of materials with points from us lately."

Gu Changming nodded. "Yeah, for developing potion."

"Um..." The stall owner hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you brewing a very expensive potion?"

"It's alright," Gu Changming replied.

"Is it worth thirty or forty thousand points?" the stall owner asked tentatively.

Hearing this, Gu Changming glanced at the remaining points on his panel.

The last time he spoke with the owner, he still had over two hundred thousand points.

Now, there were only sixty or seventy thousand left.

"Something like that," Gu Changming nodded.

However, upon hearing this, the stall owner's heart sank, and the smile on his face faded slightly.

He rubbed his hands together. "Well... when you asked me for directions before, I mentioned that Chen Yiming's style is a bit unique... Her skill is undeniable, but she goes through points way too fast... several customers ended up storming off in frustration because of her."

"Mm," Gu Changming grunted. Seeing the man's hesitation, he asked directly, "Just say what's on your mind."

The stall owner gave a sheepish smile and finally spoke. "I just wanted to say, if... if it doesn't work out this time either, please don't be too hard on her, okay?"

"Hmm?" Gu Changming hummed.

"She's actually a good person," the owner explained quickly.

"That customer I mentioned who fainted from anger—even though the potion wasn't brewed in the end, she still paid back half of the points spent out of her own pocket and even helped him find another reliable Apothecary to redo it."

"The other failed cases were handled similarly. Other Apothecaries wouldn't bother with that; it's always 'at your own risk'..."

Gu Changming's expression shifted slightly, and then he nodded.

So that's how it was.

No wonder she lived in the middling Mid-level area. With her skill level, even if her failure rate was high, as long as she succeeded a few times, the points she earned would be beyond what an ordinary Apothecary could compare to.

It seemed now that whatever she earned, she paid back, leaving her with no points saved up at all.

Seeing that he wasn't impatient, the stall owner continued, "As you can see, she's just a kid, only fifteen or sixteen. Before the Assessment arrived, her family was probably well-off, so she has no concept of money or points."

"Yet she happens to be interested in a money-burning profession like being an Apothecary. She has a strange personality too; she'll spend points like crazy when she has them, and when they're gone, she often sits there questioning her life choices."

Gu Changming smiled; that was certainly true.

What normal person could get used to drinking that unsweetened coffee?

The owner continued, "So, if your tens of thousands of points really go to waste in the end and she has to pay you back, she'll truly be bankrupt."

Gu Changming glanced at his point balance again and thought to himself: Even if she went bankrupt, she wouldn't be able to afford it.

"Of course, I'm just saying. I don't have much influence," the owner added with a chuckle, rubbing his hands. "I just wanted to let you know so that if... it really doesn't work out, you might be a bit more patient. The kid isn't trying to scam you on purpose..."

"I won't," Gu Changming replied flatly. "Don't worry."

He had known her brewing style for a long time; he knew she was a money-sink, but he also knew she could actually produce the potion he wanted, so naturally, he didn't mind.

The owner clearly breathed a sigh of relief, a look of ease appearing on his face. "Thank you."

...

Back at the Alchemy cottage, before even entering, Gu Changming heard a loud, boisterous commotion coming from inside.

Having grown used to her temperament, Gu Changming wasn't surprised and pushed the door open to walk in without much expression.

He saw Chen Yiming bouncing excitedly on the sofa, chanting, "Hoo hoo hoo! I'm so awesome!"

Seeing her like this, Gu Changming could only lean against the doorframe, watching her expressionlessly.

Only then did Chen Yiming notice he was back. She immediately jumped off the sofa, rushed up to him, and gestured wildly. "Am I amazing or what?!"

"It's done?" Gu Changming asked.

"No!" Chen Yiming answered confidently, but quickly added, "But it's close! It's really close this time! I'm not lying!"

After saying that, she picked up the wooden basket of medicinal herbs from beside Gu Changming's feet and then spoke with some curiosity:

"Why did you take so long this time? Did you bring back any food for me?"

"No, I was chatting with the stall owner."

Chen Yiming suddenly became alert, as if reacting to a trigger.

"What did you talk about?"

Although Gu Changming already knew about her "glorious deeds," she couldn't guarantee those stall owners wouldn't exaggerate and scare off her most precious customer.

"He said you're a kid..."

Before Gu Changming could finish, Chen Yiming interrupted him.

"Bleh!" She made a defiant face. "He's the kid! His whole family are kids!"

"I'm a genius! A potion genius!" She picked up the wooden basket and walked toward her Alchemy station, starting to tinker with her bottles and jars again.

After a moment, she remembered something and ran back out, winking at Gu Changming.

"Just you wait. Once I get the potion finished, you'll see how amazing I am! It'll definitely be worth more than you paid!"

Gu Changming sat on the sofa, watching Chen Yiming, who was so excited she almost seemed to glow.

Sometimes, he really did envy her.

Regardless of whether she truly had such incredible talent, at least this temperament of hers was something he could never learn.

He was always too pessimistic, habitually thinking of everything in the worst-case scenario, always afraid of losing. But some people were different, seemingly born with such optimism.

Blind optimism might sometimes be better than accurate pessimism.

...

Chen Yiming's progress was indeed startlingly fast.

Even though Gu Changming knew nothing about potion, he could clearly feel it.

Because this girl grew more excited and arrogant by the day, as if she were about to trample the entire world under her feet.

By nightfall, she barely slept, devoting herself entirely to that Alchemy station.

When Gu Changming saw her, he felt as if she were literally glowing.

...

Morning.

Gu Changming, having bought breakfast, saw her stop to organize her notes. He used Psychokinesis to grab Chen Yiming and "carried" her to the center of the living room like a kitten.

She was used to this by now. After a few struggles, she looked up and asked:

"Is this breakfast or dinner?"

She was so busy she had lost track of day and night.

"Lunch," Gu Changming replied truthfully.

Chen Yiming landed on the rug in front of the sofa, glanced at the laid-out food, then at Gu Changming sitting naturally on the sofa. After a thought, she suddenly raised her hand.

"Report! I want to eat on the sofa!"

Since Gu Changming's arrival, the ownership of her exclusive sofa had changed hands.

Gu Changming glanced at her.

Just as he thought—this girl was getting more and more arrogant, now even daring to demand a seat on the sofa.

"Sit."

Chen Yiming immediately climbed up with a grin, sat on one side, and started stuffing her face with the food.

Gu Changming wasn't actually very hungry; he just watched from the side.

"What are you looking at!" Chen Yiming immediately shielded her food. "If you want to eat, go buy some yourself."

"I'm the one who bought this," Gu Changming replied. "I'm just a bit curious."

"Curious about what?" Chen Yiming relaxed slightly, seeing that Gu Changming wasn't after her food.

"Why are you different from other Apothecaries?"