"Hello, I'm Schiller Rodriguez, owner of a nearby bar." Schiller handed his business card to the two men in front of him.
The two men sitting across from him were both tall. One was sturdier, the other thinner; one looked older, the other younger.
"Hello, Mr. Rodriguez. What can we do for you?" the older one spoke first. He had a slight Spanish accent, and his English was somewhat slurred.
"Here's the situation. We're a pharmaceutical company currently selecting candidates for a drug trial. You two bought medicine from one of our pharmacies before, right?"
The two looked at each other. One nudged the other with his elbow, then put on a look of sudden realization and said, "Oh, I think so. We were sick before."
"Well, regarding your illness, we have a highly effective drug that we can provide free of charge. We'll also pay you for participating in the trial. But you'll need to cooperate by keeping a reaction journal. Are you willing?"
The older man opened his mouth to refuse, but the younger one quickly grabbed him and asked, "How much?"
"Fifteen thousand dollars for the first phase," Schiller replied.
Both men sucked in a sharp breath.
"Normally, if there are no serious adverse reactions, there will be four phases in total. You can receive sixty thousand dollars altogether. But it won't be easy money. You'll have to write detailed daily journals, including what you did, how you felt, and so on."
"All right, we'll do it. Give us the medicine," said the younger man.
Schiller took a contract from his bag, then produced a bottle of medicine. After having them sign the contract, he left them his email address and handed over the bottle. "I'll pay a five-thousand-dollar deposit first. Once you finish the first-phase journal,