Chapter 169 - 125: Upgrading the System Again and the Aggrieved Zhang Chao!

Whether or not to upgrade is totally up to him, and his funds are more than enough.

In the Xiaoshanhe area, in the old tube-shaped apartment building where Lü Qian lives, in the room Jiang Tao used to rent.

Jiang Tao sat on the bed smoking a cigarette and finally decided to spend one million to upgrade the system.

Anyway, he’d have to upgrade it sooner or later, so the earlier he did it, the earlier he’d enjoy it!

He didn’t have any good investment projects to put money into right now anyway.

He had almost two million just sitting in his little stash, with nowhere to spend it.

Every extra piece of intel a day is another opportunity for him.

If he’s lucky, maybe a single bit of intel would earn back the investment!

[Do you want to spend one million to upgrade the system right now?]

"Yes!"

[Deducting funds, please wait...]

[Deduction successful, system is upgrading, estimated time: 4 hours...]

Jiang Tao glanced at the time on his phone—it was already 6 p.m.

The system would finish upgrading around 10 tonight.

He’d be able to refresh for an extra piece of intel tomorrow.

He couldn’t help feeling a little excited inside!

Ring ring ring—

Jiang Tao had just finished the upgrade operation when his phone rang.

The caller ID showed "Foot Massage Chao."

Jiang Tao swiped his finger across the screen to answer.

"Hey, Zhang Chao."

"If you’re treating, I’ve got time."

"Haha, alright, I just happen to be at Xiaoshanhe now."

"Cool, let’s talk when we meet up in a bit."

They exchanged a few words on the phone, and after Jiang Tao pressed to hang up, he got up, left, and went downstairs.

"Yo! Xiao Jiang, haven’t seen you in a while, I thought you were staying back at your hometown for good!"

"What’s up? Come eat at my place today, the three of us should have a nice drink together."

As Jiang Tao came downstairs, he happened to run into Old Lü and Ma Dongmei, who were just coming back with groceries.

The smile on Old Lü’s face was bright as anything—you could tell things were moving forward with Ma Dongmei again.

When Ma Dongmei saw Jiang Tao, she smiled as well and made a few light gestures with her hands, leaving Jiang Tao completely confused.

Old Lü chuckled and translated, "Dongmei says she’s glad to see a fellow townsman like you again."

Jiang Tao grinned back. "I stayed at home for a few extra days during New Year, spent time with my family. Looks like things are going well with you and Aunt Ma."

Lü Qian laughed, "Hahaha, it’s all thanks to you, kid! I wouldn’t be with Xiao Mei if it weren’t for you."

"Xiao Jiang, there’s no way you’re leaving today. The three of us need a good drink!"

"Sorry, Brother Lü, tonight really doesn’t work."

"I just made plans to eat with an old friend from our hometown. Next time, I’ll join you for sure."

"Alright then, since you’ve got plans, let’s do it another time."

"I’ll get going then."

Jiang Tao waved and smiled at Lü Qian, then strode off quickly.

He walked to Pang Dongdong Supermarket and picked up two bottles of Baijiu, more than a hundred each—Old Niulan Shan Erguotou.

He also bought some marinated meat and ready-to-eat dishes.

Carrying bags of snacks and booze, Jiang Tao headed toward the apartment building where Zhang Chao was renting.

It took less than five minutes to walk there; soon, Jiang Tao was downstairs at Zhang Chao’s place.

He went in and, following the pitch-dark stairwell, headed upstairs.

"Brother Jiang, why’d you bring so much stuff?"

"I already got all the food and drinks ready, you’re being way too polite."

When Zhang Chao saw Jiang Tao hauling several bags of food, he hurried to invite him in.

"No need for that between us. The only goal is to eat well and drink well, right?"

Jiang Tao chuckled, setting the liquor and meat and whatever else on the little round table in the middle of the rental room.

The little place Zhang Chao rented was almost the same as Jiang Tao’s old one.

Just over ten square meters, barely enough for anything.

Inside, there was nothing but an empty bed and a little cloth wardrobe he’d bought himself.

And this little table, for eating and playing cards.

The two of them sat face to face at either side of the little round table.

Each had a glass, a pair of chopsticks—the feast began, just like that.

By the time they’d drunk and chatted their way through a bottle, Zhang Chao started talking a lot more.

"Brother Jiang, from now on I’m just a lonely single guy, and when I’m dead, I’ll just be a solitary ghost."

"Come on, man, quit talking nonsense. Even on the phone earlier, you didn’t sound right. Don’t be so negative. Whatever’s going on, tell me. I’ll talk it through with you. There’s no obstacle you can’t get past in this world."

Jiang Tao took a bite of peanuts, poured Zhang Chao another drink, and smiled to comfort him.

"Heh, Brother Jiang, you know how people say ’don’t air your family’s dirty laundry’? But I don’t see you as an outsider, so I’m not afraid of you laughing at me."

"To be honest, today, I cut ties with my parents. I’m never going back to my hometown in my life. I fucking..."

Before Zhang Chao finished, he slapped both hands on the table, put his head down, and started bawling his eyes out.

A twenty-eight-year-old guy crying like that... how much shit did he have to go through...

Jiang Tao watched Zhang Chao burst into tears just like that, and for a second, he was at a loss for words too.

"It’s alright, Chaozi. Go ahead, cry. It’s not a crime for a man to cry. If you’re upset, just let it out."

Jiang Tao reached over and patted Zhang Chao’s shuddering shoulders, letting out a sigh as he tried to comfort him.

"Brother Jiang, life’s too hard. It’s too fucking hard for me."

Zhang Chao lifted his head, swept away his tears, and after venting to Jiang Tao, was obviously feeling better.

Zhang Chao only had two close buddies in Beijing—Liu Zhiyuan and Shan Yufei.

Those two were still back at the cattle farm in their hometown, helping Jiang Tao feed the cows and waiting for the next step.

So in Beijing, the only drinking buddy Zhang Chao could find was this older hometown brother Jiang Tao.

"What happened exactly, Zhang Chao? Did you run into some trouble?"

"If it’s money you need, I don’t have much, but I can pull together eighty or a hundred thousand for you."