Financial freedom starts with the daily intelligence system!

The Magnolia Hotel is brightly lit at night.

It is like the most dazzling pearl in the crown of Pingxian County, this small town.

After seeing off Jiang Xinguo and other village officials who were expressing their deepest gratitude and whose steps were somewhat unsteady, the village officials departed.

Jiang Tao took out a cigarette, lit it, and turned to go back to his hotel room to sleep.

This time he went back to his hometown alone, and there was no one to tidy up the house.

I might as well stay at the hotel for a couple of days to avoid the hassle.

Just then, a commotion came from not far away.

Jiang Tao looked up and saw a group of smartly dressed men and women walking towards him.

Most of them were in their early twenties.

The men all sported the same idol hairstyle, tight-fitting clothes, skinny jeans, and tiger-head shoes.

The women either wore sexy dresses that accentuated their curves or miniskirts that were so short they barely covered their bottoms.

In the crowd, a tall figure wearing a lake-blue knitted cardigan and blue jeans stood out somewhat.

The fitted blue retro high-waisted jeans perfectly accentuated her straight, long legs and round, perky hips.

The cardigan's V-neck design subtly reveals delicate collarbones and a touch of captivating white skin.

She is tall and well-proportioned, with ample curves in all the right places and a slender figure in all the right places.

Among a group of handsome men and beautiful women, her attire was the most conservative.

But without a doubt, she was also the one who attracted the most attention.

"He Jing, we've already agreed to go to the next event, and the KTV is booked—the biggest private room! Don't spoil everyone's fun!"

A young man wearing a flashy Givenchy T-shirt, with slicked-back hair and an obviously expensive sports watch on his wrist, was forcefully pulling on a tall girl in jeans.

The girl's pretty face was filled with obvious resistance and helplessness. She tried to break free from the man's hand and whispered:

“Cai Zihang, I really don’t want to go anymore. I’m a little tired and want to go home.”

Instead of dissuading them, the men and women around them cheered and jeered.
"He Jing, Brother Hang went to all the trouble of organizing this gathering, don't be so rude!"

"Yeah, it's only a few o'clock and you're already complaining about being tired. Let's go have some fun together!"

"Hang has gone through a lot of trouble for your family, it's not right for you to treat him like this!"

"Jingjing, are you afraid that Brother Hang will eat you up? Hahaha, we couldn't be happier!"

"Get out of here, you bunch of academic failures and delinquent girls! You can't even compare to He Jing's finger!"

"Brother Nan, you're making me really sad!"

"Going home is so boring! Come with me, I guarantee you'll have a blast tonight!"

Seeing He Jing struggle and resist, Cai Zihang became even more energized and increased the force in his hands.

For Cai Zihang, who was used to women throwing themselves at him, he preferred women like He Jing who were not easy to get.

"Oh, is that He Jing?"

As the group approached, they heard people talking.

When Jiang Tao looked at the girl in jeans again, he immediately recognized her.

Although he and He Jing haven't known each other for long, they've always had a good relationship.

Jiang Tao also obtained a "body strengthening treadmill" from He Jing through intelligence.

The value of this treadmill is hard to measure in monetary terms.

In addition, there's her relationship with Ma Dongmei, and her relationship with her cousin Liu Yuan.

As Jiang Tao and He Jing dined together more often, their relationship improved considerably.

In Jiang Tao's mind, He Jing was already considered a good female friend.

At this moment, Jiang Tao watched from afar as He Jingxiu frowned, her pretty face filled with helplessness and despair.

She repeatedly tried to break free from the young man's hand, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back each time.

Jiang Tao frowned as he looked at it.

Although he and He Jing were just ordinary friends.
But when he sees his friend being forced into something, he finds it hard to remain indifferent or unmoved.

Just as Jiang Tao was pondering how to help He Jing out of her predicament.

A bright blue system interface appeared instantly, displaying a notification for a special task.

[Ding! Congratulations on triggering the special mission [Hero Saves the Beauty]!]

[Mission Name]: Hero Saves the Beauty.

[Task Content]: Help He Jing get rid of Cai Zihang and others' entanglement and her parents' financial crisis!

[Task Rewards]: 88 cash, +5 to Constitution, +5 to Charm, +5 to Health, and +3 to Inventory!

"Phew, that makes even better reason!"

"Accept the mission!"

Upon seeing the task interface, Jiang Tao raised an eyebrow and accepted the task without hesitation.

After accepting the task, Jiang Tao looked in He Jing's direction again and stepped forward to meet her.

He Jing.

Jiang Tao stood between Cai Zihang and his group, looked at He Jing, and greeted her with a smile.

He Jing, who was being harassed by Cai Zihang and felt extremely humiliated and desperate, suddenly looked up at Jiang Tao after hearing his familiar voice.

As her gaze pierced through the dim light and those tiresome faces,

Finally, her gaze fell upon Jiang Tao's familiar, handsome face, the same face that often appeared in her dreams.

He Jing was momentarily dazed.

A thought popped into her head: Was she dreaming?

"Isn't Brother Jiang in Beijing, hundreds of kilometers away? How come he's here?"

"Hallucination? Am I hallucinating?"

"Or am I dreaming right now, and dreaming about Brother Jiang again?"

"He Jing? You've been drinking?"

Upon getting closer, Jiang Tao noticed that He Jing's face was slightly flushed, as if she had been drinking.

He had eaten with He Jing a few times and knew that she didn't usually drink alcohol.

"Jiang, Brother Jiang? It really is you."

Hearing Jiang Tao call his name again confirmed that the person in front of him was indeed Brother Jiang.

The complex emotions of grievance and helplessness that had been building up in He Jing's heart all night were like a flood that had burst its banks, and she could no longer control them.

Without warning, glistening tears rolled down her beautiful eyes and streaked her fair cheeks.

She didn't burst into tears; she just bit her lower lip and silently shed tears.

That pitiful, tearful appearance was enough to evoke a protective instinct in any normal man.

Jiang Tao's appearance, and He Jing's obvious dependence and aggrieved reaction, brought Cai Zihang and the others' laughter to an abrupt halt.

Cai Zihang released He Jing's arm, put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head, and looked Jiang Tao up and down with a scrutinizing and obviously disdainful gaze.

He clearly recognized Jiang Tao as well.

After all, Jiang Tao is now the undisputed number one internet celebrity in Ping County.

His number of fans is dozens of times greater than the entire population of Ping County, making him a household name in the area.

"Oh ho! Who do we have here?"

"Isn't this 'Jiang Shen,' our Pingxian's biggest internet celebrity?!" "What? Not satisfied with live-streaming running and playing golf? Now you want to put on a 'hero saves the damsel in distress' show for us offline too?"

Cai Zihang scoffed, his tone full of mockery.

"Hahaha! Brother Hang, you used that word wrong. It makes it sound like we're bullies who prey on men and women."

"She's just an internet celebrity who tries to attract attention online. She can fool laymen who don't know anything. Everyone in the industry knows that it's all scripted!"

"Does he really think he's someone important? What kind of big shot are you trying to be here?"

The group of men and women behind Cai Zihang burst into laughter, their laughter filled with undisguised contempt.

The family members, including grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, and other relatives and friends, are scattered throughout various government departments in Ping County.

The network of connections within the public security, procuratorate, court, hospitals, schools, real estate, and other key industries is deeply entrenched.

These men and women are the real-life "Brahmin" children of the county town.

In their eyes, Jiang Tao, a "nouveau riche" who made his fortune online, may have some money, but when it comes to his real foundation and influence in Ping County, he is not on the same level as them at all.

She's just an internet celebrity; what good is being famous?

If someone really wants to mess with you, they can send you plummeting from heaven to hell in no time.

There are plenty of big online streamers with tens of millions of followers who have faded into obscurity in an instant.

But these "county town Brahmins" have been able to grow and prosper generation after generation.

Faced with the mockery and contempt from Cai Zihang and his group, Jiang Tao remained unmoved, and even felt a little amused.

With his current state of mind and strength, these young people are like clowns jumping around in his eyes, and they can't arouse his emotions at all.

"He Jing, come here."

Jiang Tao ignored Cai Zihang and the others' trash talk and calmly looked at He Jing, whose eyes were filled with tears.

He Jing hesitated for a moment, a hint of struggle in her eyes.

But in the end, she quickly walked over to Jiang Tao and stood beside him.

"Hehe, He Jing, have you thought it through?"

"If you're going to be so ungrateful, I won't bother with your family's affairs anymore."

Upon seeing He Jing's choice, Cai Zihang's eyes instantly turned cold, and his tone of voice clearly showed displeasure.

"I……"

Upon hearing Cai Zihang's words, He Jing's face, which had become somewhat flushed due to alcohol, suddenly turned deathly pale.

"I'll help you sort out your family's problems."

Just when He Jing was feeling extremely anxious, Jiang Tao's calm and powerful voice rang in her ears again.

"Brother Jiang..."

He Jing suddenly raised her head, and the moment her eyes met Jiang Tao's, she suddenly had an urge to throw herself into Jiang Tao's arms and cry.

However, there were so many people around.

He Jing ultimately managed to restrain herself.

Jiang Tao made a promise without asking what specific trouble He Jing's family had encountered.

But He Jing believes that Jiang Tao is absolutely true to his word.

She couldn't explain where this trust came from, but she just trusted him completely!

"Heh, you surnamed Jiang, who do you think you are? You really think you're something special!"

"Is it really meaningful for someone your age to still be lying to girls?"

"Do you even know what kind of family He Jing has that you dare to take on so much responsibility!"

"You're going to help her sort things out? Hah, you make it sound so easy!"

Cai Zihang was even more displeased after hearing Jiang Tao's words, and began to undermine him with a disdainful tone.

"Uncle, aren't you already married? Hurry up and go home to find your aunt. Don't meddle in our young people's business."

"That's right, don't come here and spoil our fun."

"Jingjing, don't be fooled by that guy! He has absolutely no connections in Ping County!"

"That's right, even Hang Ge has to go to great lengths to get things done for your family. Who does he think he is!"

Cai Zihang and his group of young men and women looked at Jiang Tao with disdain.

"Hehe, who do you think you are? Well, today I'll show you who I am."

"He Jing, tell me, what trouble has your family encountered?"

Jiang Tao smiled and looked at He Jing beside him, his face showing a calm and composed expression.

With his current abilities, he can still help He Jingping with some things.

"Brother Jiang..."

He Jing looked at Jiang Tao with tears welling up in her eyes, her delicate and pitiful appearance making people feel sorry for her.

Jiang Tao laughed and said, "Go ahead and say it. I won't let you call me Brother Jiang for nothing."

"Heh, trying to show off in front of us, huh? Fine, I'll grant your wish. I'll speak for He Jing!"

Cai Zihang looked at Jiang Tao with a mocking expression and said loudly:
“Longcheng Real Estate owes He Jing’s father more than 6 million yuan in construction fees. His father’s cash flow has dried up and he has no money to pay for other projects.”

"You'd be amazing if you could get 100 million yuan in construction fees from Longcheng Real Estate for her!"

After Cai Zihang finished speaking, he crossed his arms, looking like he was waiting to see a good show.

"Brother Hang, isn't 100 million too much for him? How about you lower it a bit, to 10?"

"Hahaha, who do you think you're looking down on? She's a big internet celebrity in Ping County! Getting 10 or 100 million views is no challenge at all!"

"That's right, with Jiang Shen involved, we're bound to get all six million back!"

A group of men and women laughed and joked with Jiang Tao, not believing at all that he could get money from Longcheng Real Estate!

The owner of Longcheng Real Estate is named Zhou Di.

Zhou Di is not a native of Ping County, but he has a very strong backer and connections in the province.

Although Longcheng Real Estate is not short of money, it is notoriously difficult to collect payments for construction projects.

He Jing's father is in the building materials business and has already invested more than six million yuan in the Longcheng Real Estate project.

Moreover, of those six million, He Jing's father also owed others more than three million!
In the building materials industry, triangular debt is a very common phenomenon.

You owe me, I owe you, and as the debts accumulate, everyone ends up owing more and more.

He Jing's father was forced into this situation by no means having any other choice.

He wanted to ask He Jing to use her classmate Cai Zihang's connection to try and get some construction funds from Longcheng Real Estate to tide him over.

Cai Zihang's father is a leader in the Pingxian Housing and Construction Bureau and has influence with Longcheng Real Estate.

That's why we have the scene today where He Jing is forcing a smile and eating and drinking with Cai Zihang and his group.

"Longcheng Real Estate..."

After hearing Cai Zihang's words, Jiang Tao reached into his pocket, took out his phone, found Bai Yulan's number, and dialed it.

We'll have to trouble Sister Bai with this again.

Bai Yulan is the only person he has connections with in Ping County.

These two events today have once again made Jiang Tao realize the importance of connections.

Whenever I encounter any problem, I have to ask Bai Yulan for help.

But they can get it done with just one phone call.

This is why connections are so important!
I haven't done enough work in building my network. (End of Chapter)