Tenglong Industry publicly claimed that, without the company’s knowledge, 20 million yuan from its special account was transferred by Dongfang Bank’s Nanxin Branch into a margin deposit account. This was used for acceptance bill transactions by a company called Zhilian Technology from Zhejiang Province, which had no connection or business dealings with Tenglong Industry.
This incident caused quite a stir in Nanxin and became widely known throughout Jinghai City’s banking system, but the outcome was unexpectedly different.
Fang Qingye saw that most of the data had been entered and, feeling no urgency to take a break, picked up the teacup from the desk, took a sip, and stood by the window to gaze at the scenery outside.
It was spring, and the sunlight was brilliant. The peach tree in the bank’s courtyard was in bloom, each flower delicate and vibrant.
Just then, Fang Qingye suddenly noticed a man and a woman in bank uniforms walking downstairs into the courtyard, apparently to greet guests.
The man appeared to be around 40 years old, wearing a crisp suit. The woman was younger, under 30, with a slender figure. Her hair was tied up in a bun at the back, giving her a capable appearance. Dressed in the bank’s gray-black office lady suit, she exuded a sense of uniform allure.
Xia He and Zhao Wenjun!
The two deputy directors of Nanxin Branch.
Director Zhang of the branch had been on sick leave for over a year due to health reasons and hadn’t come to work, so Xia He was in charge of operations.
With the branch’s top two leaders both making an appearance, were they expecting the arrival of some important figure?
Sure enough, a black Audi slowly drove into the courtyard, followed by a black Passat.
As soon as the Audi came to a stop, Xia He hurried over to open the car door. A man around 50 years old stepped out and shook hands with the two waiting officials.
The city’s investigation team had indeed arrived!
That man seemed to be Liu Baosheng, the deputy director of the city branch in charge of disciplinary inspection?
Fang Qingye had some recollection of him.
This man was quite famous in Jinghai City’s banking system. He was known for his integrity and impartiality, having sent two branch directors to prison. With his dark complexion, people had nicknamed him “Lord Bao Liu.”
It seemed the city branch’s investigation team had truly arrived. Nanxin Branch was going to be lively for a while.
But this matter had nothing to do with him. For now, it was enough to be an onlooker.
Fang Qingye picked up his teacup and took a leisurely sip.
At noon, when it was time to clock out for lunch, Fang Qingye naturally didn’t go home. The cafeteria offered a rich variety of dishes, such as today’s lunch: fried fish, taro with braised hyacinth beans, assorted three-delicacy stir-fry, cold jellyfish salad, and a soup of hyacinth beans with river shrimp.
After filling his plate with food, Fang Qingye turned to look for a seat. Zhang Rong waved him over, so he sat down at the table.
“Hey, did you know? Chen Meimei has been assigned to the city’s investigation team as a liaison!” Zhang Rong said in a low voice.
“A liaison? Isn’t that just running errands and doing odd jobs for others?” Fang Qingye laughed.
“Even running errands is a good opportunity! It lets her get face time with the city branch leaders. Chen Meimei is really lucky!” Zhang Rong’s tone carried a mix of envy and jealousy.
Fang Qingye glanced at him. In his memory, this guy was hardworking, capable, and also fond of maneuvering for personal gain—a highly utilitarian person.
So, as he ate, Fang Qingye said, “Why don’t you talk to Director Xia and ask to be swapped in? You’re quite capable. Didn’t Director Xia praise you at the all-staff meeting?”
“Forget it, I don’t want to invite bad luck,” Zhang Rong quickly waved his hand in refusal.
“You have no idea, Director Xia was in a terrible mood today. This morning when Liu Li from our office brought her a document with a typo, she caught it and gave her a harsh scolding. Liu Li came back in tears.”
Fang Qingye listened and sighed inwardly.
As a manager, Xia He still had room for improvement.
A true leader never shows their emotions on their face – you can never guess what they’re thinking from their expression.
But it was understandable, given that Xia He was relatively young.
After graduating with a master’s degree from Shencai Finance and working at the provincial branch for a year, she had been directly appointed as deputy director of Nanxin Branch and put in charge.
Everything had been smooth sailing until this critical moment when something went wrong, making it hard for her to maintain her composure.
Moreover, this was a trap specifically set for her!
If she could break through the trap and overcome the difficulty, she would secure her position.
If not, she would lose the opportunity to compete for the top position and be forced to leave Nanxin.
Historically, her outcome had been the latter.
Clearly, unless something changed this time, it would likely be the same again.
What a pity, though.
Fang Qingye remembered that Xia He had treated him quite well during his time at Nanxin.
After all, they were both Shencai graduates, and she was his senior.
Thinking of this, Fang Qingye couldn’t help but shake his head.
“Hey, Fang Qingye, why are you shaking your head?” Zhang Rong beside him asked curiously.
“Nothing. Let’s eat. These matters have nothing to do with us, so don’t bother about them.” Fang Qingye replied and focused on his meal.
Zhang Rong, however, wasn’t convinced.
This Fang Qingye seemed too detached.
After lunch, Fang Qingye didn’t go home. He wandered around the streets alone for a while before returning to the office to continue working in the afternoon.
The work wasn’t difficult anyway, so he could take his time with it.
The bank closed at 5 p.m. He tidied up the documents on his desk, went downstairs to get his scooter from the shed, and hummed a tune as he left the unit gate, leisurely riding home. All the office matters were already forgotten.
Just then, music from Phoenix Legend came from a CD shop by the street.
Flowers bloom at the foot of the rolling green hills
What kind of rhythm is the most swinging
What kind of song makes us the happiest
“The Most Dazzling Ethnic Trend”
He used to think this song was terribly tacky, but now it sounded particularly familiar, and he couldn’t help but sing along.
Singing while walking along the way is the freest
If we want to sing, we’ll sing to our heart’s content
His scooter sped through the intersection just as the yellow light turned red.
Passing by a place called Shijiaba Market, he saw many people coming and going. Street vendors occasionally occupied the roadsides, followed by their arch-nemeses—city management officers wearing peaked caps and blue-black uniforms.
Sure enough, Fang Qingye spotted two uniformed officers arguing with an elderly man selling strawberries.
The old man looked honest and simple, not like a seasoned street vendor. The strawberries were probably from his own garden.
Without a fixed stall, he had just set up wherever he found space, which counted as illegal street vending. The officers were loudly trying to shoo him away.
Such incidents happened daily in small towns, and nobody paid much attention—unless physical conflicts broke out, which would immediately draw a crowd and quickly appear online.
The headlines would usually read: “City management officers beating people!”
But that didn’t happen today. The atmosphere remained relatively peaceful.
Fang Qingye slowed down the car, preparing to leave, but upon spotting the burly figure of a young urban management officer, a smile spread across his face.
Hey, buddy.