Sunday afternoon at five o'clock, just as the Longyuan Bank branch was about to close, Xia Xin arrived with Ling Lele. Lin Qiang happened to be walking around the lobby and accidentally locked eyes with Ling Lele.
At this moment, Lele was wearing a sporty tennis outfit, looking fresh and rosy as if she had just finished exercising. It's hard to believe that without makeup, she looked so pure and innocent. If Lin Qiang hadn't known better, he couldn't have associated this girl with the seductive hostess from the karaoke bar.
But Lele didn't realize this. Seeing Lin Qiang startled her, her heartbeat quickened, and she became frightened.
Why him? Why is he here?
Lele nervously tugged at her tennis skirt, her lips twitching as she frantically signaled Lin Qiang with her eyes, begging him not to reveal her secret. Lin Qiang, however, pretended not to notice and calmly walked towards her, ready to greet them. Just as he was about to speak, a fat man stepped in front of him, blocking his way.
Zhang Jiaming rubbed his hands together, looking at Xia Xin with a wide grin. "Ah! Director Xia, what brings you to our humble outlet? Please, come in, come in!"
Xia Xin frowned. "And you are?"
"Oh, I know you, but you don't know me, hehe." Zhang Jiaming bowed slightly, handing over his business card with a opportunistic smile. "Zhang Jiaming, at your service. Please, come in!"
Xia Xin reluctantly took the card and tried to decline. "No need to trouble yourself, I'm here to see..."
"This must be your daughter." Zhang Jiaming turned to examine Ling Lele, his smile growing even wider. "She's so beautiful. What business are you here for today?"
"We're here for a financial investment product for my daughter." Xia Xin frowned at Zhang Jiaming. "I've already arranged to meet Lin Qiang, thank you."
"Lin Qiang?" Zhang Jiaming was stunned. He couldn't believe Lin Qiang had connections with such a high-profile person.
At this point, Lin Qiang pushed past Zhang Jiaming to greet them.
"Sister Xia, please, come in."
"Sorry for being late, will this disrupt your work?" Xia Xin gently rubbed Ling Lele's head. "Her tennis class just ended, so we had no choice."
"It's no trouble." Lin Qiang led Xia Xin and her daughter to the meeting room, calling over Zheng Shuai and Lin Xiaozhao to prepare the investment contract.
Zhang Jiaming stood there, confused and dumbfounded. He had hoped to impress the high-ranking guest but ended up being sidelined.
Lele hadn't heard any of the conversations. She was trembling slightly, her face a mix of emotions—fear and anxiety. She couldn't stop thinking about Lin Qiang's true identity, but no matter how she calculated, it all led to one conclusion: Lin Qiang was too devious.
With such a conflicted heart, Lele and her mother sat in the meeting room. Lin Xiaozhao brought two cups of tea, and Zheng Shuai delivered the prepared contracts and materials.
Xia Xin looked approvingly at Lin Xiaozhao and Zheng Shuai. These two really looked like a golden couple, and she couldn't help but praise them. "Little Lin, you have very capable subordinates, both talented and good-looking. Today's visit has been a treat for the eyes."
Lin Qiang smiled knowingly, having purposely let Xia Xin see Zheng Shuai and Lin Xiaozhao to give them a chance to shine.
Xia Xin then turned to Zheng Shuai, pondering, "I remember... you're Zheng Shuai, right? You were in the general management department at the office?"
"Hehe, Director Xia, you have a great memory." Zheng Shuai arranged the contract, feeling honored.
"Yes... I've heard about your situation too." Xia Xin said awkwardly but encouragingly. "Work hard, there are still opportunities."
Then, she looked at the shy Lin Xiaozhao. "I haven't seen this one before, is she new?"
"Yes... I'm still in the probation period." Lin Xiaozhao nodded nervously.
"You look so lovely." Xia Xin turned to Lin Qiang with a smile. "During the sports meet, make sure she carries the flag."
"Ah? This..." Lin Xiaozhao blushed.
"Young people should seize opportunities to stand out, don't be modest when it's time to shine." Xia Xin casually said, then handed the investment materials to her daughter. "Take a look, your dad and I discussed it with Uncle Lin, and we decided to invest 24,000 yuan for you."
Lin Qiang's face twitched... why did even Xia Xin tell her daughter to call him uncle...
"Ah? ...Oh..." Lele finally snapped out of her panic, looking at the investment materials with her head down, avoiding everyone's eyes.
Girls can look very different with makeup. Even though Zheng Shuai and Lin Xiaozhao had seen the seductive Lele at the karaoke bar, they couldn't recognize her fresh-faced now. Even if she looked familiar, they wouldn't dare guess that this was Director Xia's daughter. How could she possibly work there?
Lele read the materials and suddenly reacted, turning to her mother in shock. "24,000 yuan?!"
"Yes, Uncle Lin recommended it. He said your allowance was too low and made your dad splurge." Xia Xin tapped her daughter's nose. "24,000 yuan, that's 2,000 a month. Is that enough for you?"
Lele felt like she had been hit by a windfall. Forgetting her awkwardness with Lin Qiang, she was overjoyed. She hugged her mother and kissed her cheek. "Mom, you're the best!"
Xia Xin smiled happily, but reminded her, "This 24,000 isn't for you to spend freely. Uncle Lin will explain."
"Oh..." Lele, her emotions swinging between fear and joy, boldly looked at Lin Qiang, shyly nodding. "Thank you, Uncle Lin."
"Just doing my job," Lin Qiang said playfully.
He's so devious... Lele silently cursed Lin Qiang again.
The purchase process was quick, and Xia Xin and Lele signed the contract.
After some small talk, Xia Xin got up to leave. "If there's nothing else, I'll go. Little Lin, you explain the details to Lele."
Lin Qiang nodded and smiled. After seeing Xia Xin off with Lin Xiaozhao and Zheng Shuai, only Lin Qiang and Lele were left in the room.
"You... you..." Lele finally dared to speak once her mother was gone. In the karaoke bar, she feared nothing, but now she was as timid as a kitten. "You're so bad..."
Lin Qiang couldn't help but laugh. "Miss, you're wronging me. I worked hard to persuade your parents to give you such a large allowance, and now I'm the bad guy?"
"No matter, you're bad!" Lele turned her head, acting haughty, then nervously asked, "You didn't tell them, did you..."
"Hmm, I did tell them." Lin Qiang nodded.
"Liar! You're such a bad guy!" Lele made a face, unimpressed. "If you told them, how could they still give me an allowance?"
Lin Qiang shrugged. This girl would go against him no matter what he said, so he let it go.
"Let me explain how this investment works..."
Lin Qiang then patiently explained the workings of the financial plan, guiding her to spend wisely. If she managed well, she could earn a considerable bonus by the end of the year and reinvest it.
After the explanation, Lele pouted. "You're still lying... If I save, I'll only make a few hundred more by the end."
"Hehe, I think it'll be more than that." Lin Qiang smiled, hinting, "Think about it. Why do you think your parents didn't just give you the money directly but invested it?"
"Well..." Lele wasn't stupid, she grinned slyly. "They want me to learn to save and develop a financial sense, right!"
"Exactly." Lin Qiang continued, "If they see you spending the money quickly, they'll think this method doesn't work and won't invest next year."
"That makes sense..." Lele nodded thoughtfully.
"So, if you save more and manage the money well, they'll be pleased and likely continue investing next year. I'll also persuade them to increase the investment."
"Hmm..." Lele pondered, then suddenly pointed at Lin Qiang. "You're so bad, even calculating my parents into this!"
Lin Qiang shrugged. "You're my client, I'm thinking for your benefit. It's professional ethics."
"Hmph! You think I don't know what you're up to!"
"What am I up to?"
Lele paused, then her face darkened, and she lowered her head, sighing. "Uncle Lin... I understand your good intentions. You persuaded my parents to give me more allowance so I wouldn't have to work there."
"You're quite teachable." Lin Qiang felt relieved. She did understand.
"But... this job isn't something you can just quit..." Lele's voice choked up, "If I don't go, Sister Fang will definitely make trouble for me..."
"Her?!" Lin Qiang was furious. "That pimp dares to threaten you?"
"You don't understand... Some girls tried to leave before... In the end..." Lele stood up, ready to leave. "I'll go now... I'll try to talk to Sister Fang... and come back for my allowance."
"I'll go with you!" Lin Qiang grabbed her arm, a fierce look in his eyes, but his words made her laugh and cry. "I was giving her a chance because she's in the service industry, but this is too much. She's asking for trouble."
Lele felt disoriented, held by a strong hand. She quickly shook her head. "Don't follow me... There are thugs at the karaoke bar. If you cause trouble, you'll get beaten up."
Lin Qiang pounded his chest. "Black belt in Taekwondo, I'm not afraid unless they have guns."
"Just leave me alone..." Lele struggled to free herself but couldn't overpower Lin Qiang. "Let go..."
"I'm handling this." Lin Qiang snorted. "You go back to school. I'll talk to Fang Qing tonight. Don't go back there, not tonight or ever."
Lele saw the determination in Lin Qiang's eyes, feeling his indomitable spirit like a steel nail driven into a board, unshakable.
Lin Qiang softened his tone and gently released her arm. "Don't worry, go back. I'll take care of everything."
"..." Lele looked at Lin Qiang, nodded weakly, and pushed the door to leave.
As she opened the door, she saw a fat face pressed against it.