"Uh…"
The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart.
After hearing Zhang Chao's words, Jiang Tao thought to himself, *Buddy, you're absolutely right.*
*You're really not their biological son!*
Zhang Chao probably still didn't know why his parents treated him so coldly.
But Jiang Tao, who had received a prompt from the Daily Intelligence System, had a rough idea.
It was likely that his parents adopted him because they couldn't conceive a child back then.
A few years later, they unexpectedly got pregnant.
Once their biological son was born, Zhang Chao, the adopted one, naturally fell out of favor.
This kind of situation wasn't exactly rare.
But a family as blatantly biased as Zhang Chao's was still quite uncommon.
Seeing that Zhang Chao had brought up the topic himself, a sudden spark of inspiration flashed through Jiang Tao's mind. He smiled and said:
"By the way, Chaozi, don't laugh, but recently I've been learning face-reading from my master, and I've actually picked up a thing or two."
"I noticed that your facial features are almost identical to those of a missing young son that a tycoon is searching for online."
"When I saw that missing person notice, I even wondered if it was you when you were a kid."
"A tycoon looking for his son? Come on, Jiang-ge, don't mess with me. I don't have that kind of luck!"
Zhang Chao shook his head with a smile, feeling that such a stroke of outrageous fortune would never fall on a unlucky guy like him.
"Hey, don't be so sure. Let me show you."
As he spoke, Jiang Tao reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, opened the browser, and clicked on a bookmarked webpage.
The webpage reported on Wang Minglong, the boss of Beijing's Xiahua Liangzi, who had offered a hefty reward to find his missing young son.
The article included a photo of a child who looked less than a year old, sitting in a stroller.
The child went missing because Wang Minglong's wife had taken him out to play and stepped away to take a phone call.
In the blink of an eye, the child was gone.
For decades afterward, the couple searched tirelessly but found no trace of their son. Still, they never gave up.
Over the decades of searching, as Wang Minglong's business grew more successful, the reward he offered kept increasing.
Ten years ago, it was 500,000 yuan. Now, a decade later, it had risen to 1 million yuan.
"Look at the distance between your eyebrows, the spacing of your eyes, the shape of your eyebrows, your eye shape, your nose—it's practically identical."
"I showed your photo and this kid's photo to my master, and he said, 'Isn't this the same person?'"
"You know my master, right? He's an absolute expert in fortune-telling and face-reading."
As Jiang Tao spoke, he gave a thumbs-up and continued, "I might make mistakes since I'm still learning, but my master has decades of experience. His eye is razor-sharp."
"Huh? Jiang-ge, are you serious? You're not pulling my leg, are you?"
Zhang Chao listened as Jiang Tao started talking about face-reading in a serious tone.
While he was a bit surprised, there was also a tiny spark of anticipation in his heart.
According to the article, the tycoon was offering a reward of over a million yuan just for a lead on his son.
That boss must be worth at least tens of millions, right?
If he were that boss's son, wouldn't that mean he'd hit the jackpot and soar to the top?
Jiang Tao put down his chopsticks and said, "Why would I mess with you? Do I look like the kind of guy who'd joke about something like this?"
"You don't, but this whole thing feels a bit… out there."
Zhang Chao shook his head with a smile, thinking it sounded too far-fetched.
"Alright, Chaozi, how about this? Give me a few strands of your hair, and we'll send them to Mr. Wang via courier. Treat it like buying a lottery ticket."
Jiang Tao said with a smile, "If it doesn't pan out, no harm done. But if it does, you're set for life, kid! Just don't forget about your buddy when that happens."
After hearing Jiang Tao's pitch, Zhang Chao's eyes lit up, and he felt it was worth a shot.
At most, he'd lose a few strands of hair and some shipping fees.
But if it turned out to be true, as Jiang-ge said, he'd never have to worry about money again.
Sure, it wasn't very likely, but what if?
It was like buying a lottery ticket—winning was a long shot, but as long as you bought a ticket, there was a sliver of a chance.
Even if it was just a one-in-a-billion chance, it was still a chance.
But if you didn't spend a dime and didn't buy a ticket, you'd have zero chance.
"This… could this actually work…?"
Zhang Chao tried to recall when the conversation had taken such a bizarre turn.
How did they go from casual chatting to him being the long-lost son of a tycoon?
Though he was saying things like "Will this work?" and "It's not likely," deep down, to say he had no expectations would be pure self-deception.
"I just think you match so many aspects of the kid they're looking for, so I'm encouraging you to give it a try."
"Your gender and age match, and even your facial features line up."
"Why didn't I suggest this to Liu Zhiyuan or Shan Yifei?"
"They're about your age, but their faces don't match at all. There's no point in them trying."
Jiang Tao's dead-serious demeanor made Zhang Chao start to believe him a little.
"Then… let's give it a try."
"It's basically zero cost, with the potential for a return of hundreds of thousands or even millions. Why not try?"
"Alright! I'll listen to you, Jiang-ge. Let's do it."
"If—and I mean *if*—this turns out to be real, Jiang-ge, you'd be the biggest benefactor and noble person in my life!"
"I, Zhang Chao, will never forget this kindness!"
Jiang Tao waved his hand with a smile, "It's a bit early to say all that. Just give me a few strands of your hair first, and I'll make time tomorrow to send them via courier."
"Got it!"
Without hesitation, Zhang Chao plucked a few strands of hair from his head, wrapped them in a tissue, and handed them to Jiang Tao.
"Then… I'll leave this to you, Jiang-ge."
As he handed over the hair, Zhang Chao still felt the whole thing was a bit surreal.
Could Jiang-ge be drunk and messing with him?
Was it really possible that he was the long-lost son of a tycoon?
He hoped so!
"I'd say there's at least a 60% chance! Just wait to leap through the dragon's gate and become a rich second-gen."
Jiang Tao raised his glass with a grin and jokingly said:
"Here's to the future young master of Xiahua Liangzi!"
"Jiang-ge, stop teasing me. It's still far from certain."
"It'll be certain soon!"
"Cheers~"
"Cheers~"
After talking about the "reunion" matter, the two buddies chatted for over an hour.
Zhang Chao's mood was noticeably better than it had been earlier.
They drank until past 9 p.m.
After finishing the two bottles of century-old Niulanshan liquor Jiang Tao brought, Zhang Chao wanted to order some beer, but Jiang Tao stopped him.
They chatted aimlessly for a while longer before Jiang Tao finally said goodbye and left.
Zhang Chao walked Jiang Tao all the way to the main street of the urban village and hailed a taxi for him.
"Buddy, take my brother to Building 28, Baigezhuang New Village."
"Make sure—absolutely make sure—you drop him off right at the building, got it?"
"This is my real brother!"
"He's closer than my actual brother!"
Zhang Chao was a bit drunk, his speech slurring slightly.
Jiang Tao waved his hand and said, "Alright, Chaozi, go back. Get some sleep and don't overthink it. Tomorrow's a new day."
Jiang Tao's alcohol tolerance was much higher than Zhang Chao's.
Even after drinking half a kilo of liquor, his face was unchanged.
He just smelled strongly of alcohol, but his mind was still clear.
Zhang Chao, drunk and slurring, said, "No way, I'm not going back! I'm staying until I see my brother leave."
"Let's go, driver, Baigezhuang New Village."
There was no point arguing with a drunk person.
Jiang Tao didn't bother debating with Zhang Chao. He got in the car, closed the door, greeted the driver, and left.
Zhang Chao watched the taxi's taillights disappear into the night.
The buzz from the alcohol seemed to fade a bit.
"Jiang-ge, I was just trying to get closer to you by playing up the drunken act."
"But your kindness to me, I'll remember for life. If I get the chance, I'll definitely repay you."
Turning back, Zhang Chao headed toward his rented place.
But…
When he reached the familiar alley lit with pink lights,
his brain seemed to lose control over his legs.
…
Jiang Tao got home by taxi just as it hit 10 p.m.
As he entered, the warm yellow lights in the living room were still on.
Xu Li, dressed in pajamas, was sitting on the sofa reading a book.
"Honey, you're back~"
"Phew, how much did you drink? You reek of alcohol."
"Go take a shower. I'll make you some sobering soup."
As she spoke, Xu Li put down the book she was reading, *Self-Driven Growth*, and got up to head to the kitchen.
Though she complained about Jiang Tao's drinking, she cared for her husband.
She didn't want him to sleep feeling uncomfortable all night.
"Having you as my wife is the best."
Jiang Tao stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Xu Li's slender waist, and sighed sincerely.
Since bringing Xu Li to Beijing after the New Year, Jiang Tao's quality of life had skyrocketed compared to when he was drifting alone in the city!
He never had to worry about what to eat—Xu Li always came up with creative meals for the family.
He didn't even have to wash his clothes, not even his underwear or socks.
Every day when he came home, there was a warm light and a gentle person waiting for him.
A wife, a kid, a warm bed—this was the life Old Jiang was meant to live!
His old drifting days? That was a life for beasts.
"Go shower already. You stink of booze."
Xu Li gave Jiang Tao a playful, coy glance and pushed him toward the bathroom.
She gently closed the door behind him and went to the kitchen to make the sobering soup.
She boiled water in a small clay pot, added a few slices of ginger and a bit of brown sugar, and let it simmer.
A simple bowl of sobering soup was ready, and she brought it back to the living room.
While waiting for Jiang Tao to finish showering, Xu Li picked up *Self-Driven Growth*, a book recommended by the school for parents, and continued reading.
From a small rural kindergarten with just a few village kids to an international kindergarten with 180,000 yuan in annual tuition,
Jiang Xue was like a sponge dropped into water, absorbing new knowledge like crazy.
Her cognition and worldview were growing at lightning speed.
Xu Li always felt that if she didn't keep learning, by the time her daughter reached second or third grade, she wouldn't be able to help with her homework.
Through her recent experience with the school, Xu Li finally felt the money wasn't wasted.
After his shower, Jiang Tao changed into a set of blue flannel pajamas Xu Li had laid out for him.
Buttoning up, he walked to the living room and sat next to Xu Li on the sofa.
Xu Li put down her book, picked up the sobering soup, and said with a playful smile, "Dalang, time to take your medicine~"
"You little rascal, trying to poison your husband? Watch me teach you a lesson later."
Jiang Tao laughed, gave Xu Li's perky backside a playful slap, and took the sobering soup, gulping it down in a few swigs.
"Oh, honey, put me down! What if Mom and Dad see? How embarrassing!"
Amid Xu Li's soft squeal, Jiang Tao scooped her up in a princess carry and strode toward the bedroom.
An hour later…
The two sneaked out separately to freshen up.
No wonder young couples preferred living alone. Living with parents was indeed inconvenient in many ways.
Living alone, they could do it in the living room, on the balcony, in the kitchen—wherever they wanted.
Living with parents, they were confined to the bedroom and had to keep things low-key.
After the passion, Jiang Tao held Xu Li's soft, smooth body, thinking that once he had money, he'd definitely buy a few more houses.
Xu Li quietly chatted with Jiang Tao about Jiang Xue's school matters until she got sleepy and fell asleep hugging his waist.
Jiang Tao picked up his phone from the nightstand and glanced at it. It was already 11:49 p.m.
In 11 minutes, tomorrow's intelligence would refresh.
And since tomorrow's first refresh would bring three pieces of intelligence, Jiang Tao was quite excited.
While waiting for the intelligence to refresh, Jiang Tao opened WeChat Moments to browse through them again.
The first post in his Moments was from Jiang Yi, looking for a female roommate.
From her post, it seemed she was renting a three-bedroom apartment but sharing it with others.
"Sharing an apartment? Could it be that Teacher Jiang isn't married yet?"
From Jiang Yi's roommate ad, Jiang Tao came to a conclusion that felt a bit absurd to him.
After the New Year, Jiang Tao was already 31.
He remembered Jiang Yi was four years older than him, making her 35 this year.
With Jiang Yi's qualities, it didn't make sense for her to still be single!
Back when she was teaching at the university, her suitors practically lined up from the classroom to the school gate.
From 18- or 19-year-old rich kids driving Benzes and BMWs to divorced professors in their 50s,
Jiang Yi's beauty and charm back then were a total knockout across all age groups.
Even now, in her mid-30s, her beauty hadn't faded, and she had gained a mature woman's allure.
Thinking back to seeing Jiang Yi on the day of school enrollment, Jiang Tao couldn't help but marvel at how kind time had been to her.
The term "ageless goddess" fit Jiang Yi perfectly.
"No idea which lucky bastard will end up with her."
Jiang Tao sighed to himself and kept scrolling.
Soon, it hit midnight, marking the start of a new day.
Jiang Tao put down his phone, opened the system panel with a thought, and checked the first piece of intelligence for the day.
**[Daily Intelligence 01]**
While browsing Moments last night, you saw Jiang Yi's post looking for a roommate, gaining related intelligence—
The previous owner of Jiang Yi's rented apartment hid a Patek Philippe 18K Gold Nautilus worth 2.18 million yuan in the ceiling of the master bedroom.