After Xia He and the others left, Song Qingdong and Luo Yan got into a Mercedes-Benz.
“Old Wang, take President Luo home first,” Song Qingdong said to the driver.
“Alright, boss.”
The car headed west.
On the way, Luo Yan remarked, “Boss, when Director Xia brought Fang Qingye along today, I felt like he was being used as a shield.”
“I had the same feeling. Xiao Ye is my junior, so it was hard for me to say certain things in front of him,” Song Qingdong chuckled.
“But it’s clear that Zhang Qunying didn’t know about Fang Qingye’s relationship with you. How did Xia He know? How did she find out that Fang Qingye and Da Hai are very close? Would Fang Qingye really tell Xia He about this? It’s unbelievable,” Luo Yan said.
“None of that matters now. Xia He achieved her goal,” Song Qingdong replied, leaning back against the seat with his eyes slightly closed, looking somewhat tired.
Luo Yan fell silent.
She naturally understood the things Song Qingdong hadn’t voiced.
For example, the 24 million loan exceeded the branch director’s approval authority. They could break it into smaller amounts, using three unrelated account managers at the branch to issue 8 million each, thus bypassing regulatory oversight.
They had done this kind of thing many times before.
Then there was the matter of loan kickbacks.
There were many ways to handle kickbacks—using part of the loan funds as deposits, purchasing wealth management products, buying insurance products, etc. This would boost the bank’s performance, and the handlers could earn substantial commissions.
Of course, there were also “explicit” kickbacks recorded in the books and “hidden” kickbacks kept off the books. For instance, agreeing to a fixed loan but demanding a higher interest rate, with the excess beyond the bank’s charges going directly into their own pockets. There were many such tricks.
No matter how they varied, they were all violations of regulations, and some even broke the law.
Song Qingdong didn’t want Fang Qingye to know about these gray-area practices, at least not from his own mouth.
After a moment of silence, Luo Yan suddenly said, “Director Xia bringing Fang Qingye to the dinner wasn’t entirely a bad thing. At the very least, it shows from another angle that Fang Qingye and Director Xia are very close, or that Director Xia trusts and appreciates Fang Qingye greatly.”
“From what I know, Fang Qingye played a decisive role in quickly resolving Tenglong Industry’s deposit loss case. It was he who indirectly informed Xia He that this was actually a trap set for her by President Qian of Tenglong and Zhao Wenjun. This is the main reason why Xia He is very grateful to Fang Qingye and why their relationship is so close.”
“Oh, so you mean we should work through Xiao Ye? Have him advise Xia He again to help push this matter through?” Song Qingdong opened his eyes and turned to look at Luo Yan.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
Song Qingdong closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Xia He might not listen to Xiao Ye’s advice. If you help me, I’ll thank you and appreciate you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let you influence my decisions. After all, Xiao Ye is just a young man who’s been working for less than a year.”
“But I always feel that Xia He treats Fang Qingye somewhat specially. It’s not just appreciation or a simple superior-subordinate relationship,” Luo Yan said with a smile.
“I can’t quite put my finger on the reason. Maybe it’s a woman’s intuition?”
Song Qingdong looked slightly surprised upon hearing this. He opened his eyes and glanced at Luo Yan again before saying after a moment, “Alright, I’ll talk to Xiao Ye. Let’s try everything possible, even if it seems hopeless.”
“Okay, boss. There’s one more thing,” Luo Yan added.
“What is it?”
“Yesterday I met with Director Wu from the Development and Reform Bureau. He said the ‘Several Measures to Promote the Healthy Development of Nanxin County’s Real Estate Market,’ drafted under their leadership, has been submitted to the county leadership. It will be released after final review in the meeting.”
“The content includes preferential policies on land transfer fees and taxes, with one measure focusing on actively resolving real estate companies’ funding difficulties and encouraging banks to issue loans.”
“That’s good news!” Song Qingdong’s spirits lifted.
“Although major banks don’t necessarily follow local government directives, as the saying goes: a powerful dragon cannot suppress a snake in its old haunt! With this document, banks will definitely face pressure from the county. So, after the holiday, I plan to visit Secretary Zhang and County Head Li to discuss our ideas and push for the document’s early release. Luo Yan, please contact the secretaries of both leaders first to schedule appointments.”
“Okay, I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, after leaving Xia He, Fang Qingye took a taxi home. After showering, he opened his computer to focus on his main task—completing the Mathematical Model assigned by Dongguan Girl, after all, it was worth 350,000 yuan.
Of course, there was no need to work overnight. He wrapped up around 11 p.m., played a round of Warcraft, and then went to bed comfortably.
The next morning, Fang Qingye got up around 8 a.m., had breakfast at a small eatery outside, and pondered his plans for the day.
Since he wasn’t going out for leisure, he decided to find a spot for fishing.
In his previous life in Shencheng, he had loved fishing, but work was too busy, leaving little time. He occasionally visited Daqian Ecological Manor to satisfy his craving.
In this life, with plenty of free time, he could enjoy it properly.
Without a car now, he couldn’t go too far, so Fang Qingye decided to fish at Daming Longyou River.
Time to buy fishing gear?
No time like the present.
Fang Qingye returned home, rode his small scooter to a fishing tackle shop on Youyi Road. The shop had hand rods, sea rods, Lure rods, Stream rods, plus hooks, lines, bait, and numerous brands.
Having fished in his past life, Fang Qingye wasn’t a complete novice. He chose a TAIGEK Lure rod and a Guangwei brand hand rod, both made of carbon fiber.
With everything ready, Fang Qingye went to a supermarket to buy some bread and water—to serve as lunch—then rode his scooter out of the county town, heading straight for Daming Longyou River.
Daming Longyou River was located south of the urban area. In the future, it would become an ecological park, but for now, the park hadn’t been built yet, and it was a paradise for anglers.
Arriving at the riverbank, Fang Qingye found many fishermen already there. He picked a spot in a backwater area, set down his rod, sat on a small stool, and started fishing.
It was an overcast day, perfect for fishing. Before long, Fang Qingye caught a crucian carp about half a foot long.
Hmm, not bad.
A good start.
This place was quite suitable for fishing, though a bit crowded with anglers lining both banks of the river. He’d heard that the main channel near Wujiazhuang had more fish, and some people had even caught softshell turtles there.
However, Wujiazhuang was quite far from the county town—almost 50 li—making it impractical to reach by scooter.
Looks like I need to buy a car.
I’ll wait until I make my first bucket of gold in the stock market.
Fang Qingye caught four fish in the morning, which was a decent haul. At noon, he casually ate some bread and drank water by the riverbank before continuing to fish.
However, his luck wasn’t as good in the afternoon. For nearly an hour, not a single fish had taken the bait.
No rush—fishing was all about patience.
Fang Qingye stared at the water and noticed the float suddenly dip downward.
A fish had bitten!
He immediately perked up, but just then, his phone rang in his pocket, startling him.
Damn!
The fish got away!
Who the hell was calling at a time like this?!
Fang Qingye pulled out his phone and saw it was Song Da Hai calling. He answered, and the other person’s voice came through: “Yezi, what are you up to?”
“Fishing!”
“Since when did you get into fishing? I had no idea,” Song Da Hai sounded surprised.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me. What’s up? Spit it out!”
“Whoa! You’re in a bad mood, huh? What’s wrong? Did the fish mess with you?”
“Nonsense. The fish was about to bite, and then your call scared it off. How could I be in a good mood? Just tell me what you want!” Fang Qingye replied irritably.
“Well, my dad wants to invite you over for tea this afternoon.”
“Your dad invited me for tea?” Fang Qingye was taken aback. “That’s never happened before. What’s the occasion?”
“I don’t know either. He just told me to call and invite you over this afternoon. When I asked him why, he wouldn’t say,” Song Da Hai explained honestly over the phone.
Oh.
Fang Qingye suddenly understood why Song Qingdong was inviting him for tea at this moment—it must be related to last night’s dinner.
Does he want to influence Xia He’s decision through me?
Fang Qingye decided to help, both out of his friendship with Song Da Hai and because the family had lent him 200,000 yuan.
But he didn’t want to leave just yet—he was enjoying the fishing.
“Da Hai, I’m in the middle of fishing. How about we reschedule for tomorrow afternoon?” Fang Qingye suggested.
“Huh?” On the other end, Song Da Hai sounded hesitant.
“Da Hai, tell your dad that having tea with me isn’t necessary. I’ll do my best with whatever he wants me to help with,” Fang Qingye added.
“Ah? You know what it’s about?”
“Yeah.”
“Hold on, let me tell my dad.”
On the other end, Song Da Hai replied before turning to Song Qingdong and saying, “Dad, Yezi is fishing right now and probably doesn’t have time today. He suggested having tea tomorrow afternoon instead. He also said he’ll do his best with whatever you want him to help with, and that having tea isn’t necessary.”
“That kid is sharp—he already knows what I want from him,” Song Qingdong praised. “But since we’re asking for his help, we should still show sincerity. Tell him it’s settled—tomorrow at three in the afternoon.”
“Okay.”