After bidding farewell to Wang Wanrou, Cheng Jinyang took a taxi back to the territory of the Cheng and Xing clans.
On the way, he suddenly recalled what Miss Wang had said about the "plundering mode," and the words Ye Ru had spoken to him in the dream memory:
"She relied on her obsession with you, crawling out of hell with all her might!"
Sigh. If what Ye Ru said about Su Lili is true, then Xiao Li really is Xiao Li, who fought her way out from countless consciousnesses imprisoned in a demon's body.
And I said such harsh things to her, who barely managed to see the light of day again...
Doesn't that make me a heartless scumbag?!
Returning to the clan territory in low spirits, Cheng Yuexian handed him the recent financial report.
"The family's finances are still not doing well," his cousin summarized, pointing out several issues. "The main problem is that expenses exceed income. Half of our clan's Tianluo personnel were lost, and eighty percent of the external Tianluo personnel were lost, causing the remaining business orders to be unfulfilled, and revenue has significantly decreased."
"Additionally, Jiankang Technology Bank rejected our loan request..."
"They refused to grant the loan?" Cheng Jinyang was slightly displeased but soon understood.
Although the Emperor and Wang Maohong had agreed not to strip the Shendu Cheng family of their aristocratic status, it didn't stop others from believing that the Cheng family was about to fall from grace.
Especially those in finance, who are the best at adapting to circumstances, with senses sharper than rats. What's the saying? "Sell umbrellas on sunny days, hoard them on rainy days." It means that when you don't need money, loans are easily approved, but when you really need money, you can't get a loan no matter what...
"Which family owns Jiankang Technology Bank?" Cheng Jinyang asked.
"The Qinghe Cui family," Cheng Yuexian replied.
"The Cui family with the anti-matter ability?" Cheng Jinyang was quite surprised. "Their abilities have nothing to do with finance, right?"
"The Cui family's ancestor with abilities was a private equity fund manager," Cheng Yuexian explained.
So their main business is finance, and their bloodline ability is just a byproduct!
"Alright, I'll see if I can pull some strings." He could only say helplessly.
"Jinyang, do you know a woman of the Five Great Families in the Qinghe Cui family?" Cheng Yuexian asked in shock.
"Not really, it's just..." Cheng Jinyang suddenly felt something was off and looked at his cousin in confusion. "Wait, why did you instinctively assume it was a woman? Couldn't it be a man?"
"Huh?" Cheng Yuexian was momentarily stunned. Right, why did I assume it was a woman?
But she quickly responded, "Is it one of Wang Wanrou's close friends?"
"Yes." Cheng Jinyang understood. Indeed, without Miss Wang's connections, he probably wouldn't have access to someone at Cui Jinqi's level.
The people who interact most with the top women of the Five Great Families are naturally other women of the same generation. So it's quite natural and reasonable for him to know Jinqi, Qingwan, and Sister Xiao Pei instead of other family men.
Finding a secluded spot, Cheng Jinyang called Cui Jinqi.
After a long time, the call was finally answered:
"Hello?"
"It's me, Jinqi." Cheng Jinyang briefly explained the situation.
"A loan, huh." Cui Jinqi immediately understood, her tone seemingly a bit troubled. "Well, I'm not currently a core member of the family, so I can't speak for the family's business. Sorry, I can't help you, Cheng family brother."
"Oh, I see." Cheng Jinyang mentally translated her words and felt reassured. "Alright, I'll leave it to you then, Jinqi."
Cui Jinqi: ???
"Wait!" She exclaimed in disbelief, "I said I can't help you!"
"So that was a lie, right?"
"That wasn't a lie!"
"And that statement is also a lie."
"Argh, I give up!" Cui Jinqi was speechless. "Fine, fine, I'll ask around. It's a loan for the Shendu Cheng family, right?"
The call ended. Cheng Jinyang breathed a sigh of relief—handled.
He continued to review the financial report.
Loans were a basic operation for the noble families in this world. Living beyond their means was indeed appealing. Worst case, they could mortgage their family assets.
These family assets were often tied to their unique abilities. For instance, a logistics network might just be a regular business for an ordinary merchant, but for the Hejian Xing family, it was a golden goose. Hence, banks typically overvalued these family assets based on their financial statements, making it easier for them to get loans.
This time, given the heavy losses the family suffered in the Pukou District battle this time, Cheng Jinyang was prepared to negotiate with the other side... At worst, they could lower the loan amount, which was still negotiable. But a flat-out rejection?
After much thought, Cheng Jinyang figured there might have been a mistake by the bank, so he decided to visit in person with his cousin, Cheng Yuexian.
In the entire Jin Empire, excluding local credit cooperatives, there were about six large banks. The largest was the Imperial Bank under the Ministry of Revenue, which used to handle both printing money and lending until it was reformed due to noble protests.
Next was the Jin Technology Bank of the Qinghe Cui family, originally a private bank set up to fund Sima Yi's technological investments but now engaged in any profitable venture.
As one of the banks exclusively serving the nobility, most families in Jiankang City had loans with the Technology Bank, and they had never heard of a loan being denied. Families that didn't meet the loan criteria couldn't even get through the door.
After scheduling an appointment with the client manager, Cheng Jinyang and his cousin arrived at the Technology Bank headquarters.
He made another call to hurry things along, and a young client manager finally showed up, leading them to a private room for discussion.
Once seated, the young client manager was about to speak when Cheng Yuexian immediately cut him off:
"Where's Cui Zhongye?"
"Uncle Zhongye is busy with an investment project and asked me to handle this meeting," the young man replied in surprise. Cheng Yuexian's face instantly darkened with anger:
"When there's an issue with the Shendu Cheng family's loan, does Cui Zhongye expect you to take the blame? Get him here to discuss this personally!"
The young client manager tried to explain, but Cheng Jinyang had already figured it out:
It turned out that not only had their usual client manager denied their loan, but he also didn't even bother to show up this time, sending a junior intern to fob them off!
Even the emperor wouldn't dare treat me like this!
So, he leaned forward and smiled, asking:
"Sorry, just curious. Our loans have always been handled by Manager Cui Zhongye. Why the sudden change?"
"Did something happen to Manager Cui? Was he removed by his family, assassinated, or what? If he really can't show up, just tell us the truth, and we'll understand."