"No, no, it's not about being on the front line or higher up," Lin Qiang tapped his head. "In work, you not only need to work hard but also use your head."
"What do you mean? Are you saying I'm working mechanically?" Zhong Sheng seemed slightly dissatisfied. "True, most of it is about data, but I need to use logic to connect the data, and then..."
"Brother Zhong, you're thinking in the wrong direction," Lin Qiang quickly stopped him. "Using your head means using it for interpersonal relationships."
Zhong Sheng was stunned by this and didn't know how to respond.
It wouldn't be surprising to hear "use your head for interpersonal relationships" from anyone else, but now, it was this "foolishly upright" Lin Qiang who said it.
"You're probably thinking I'm the last person who could talk, right," Lin Qiang smiled and sat on a stone chair in the yard. "Actually, 'Nail Lin' was forced into it."
Zhong Sheng cautiously looked back at the door, made sure it was closed, then sat next to Lin Qiang and asked in a low voice, "What do you mean?"
"Before I went to the Jijing Office to do financing, my interpersonal relationships were always good," Lin Qiang recalled. "At that time, whether it was the director of the bank outlet or the branch supervisor, even the cleaning lady, I had good relationships with everyone. In the end, it was the original director of my bank outlet who actively recommended me to the Jijing Office. I put a lot of effort into those interpersonal relationships."
Zhong Sheng nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "Yes, when you put it that way, jumping from account manager to the Jijing Offices Financing Department in such a short period of time is indeed an extraordinary feat. Even with excellent performances, it shouldn't have been so smooth."
"But what happened after that was out of my control," Lin Qiang put his right hand on Zhong Sheng's shoulder and patted his own thigh with his left hand. "I can't say much about the specifics, but you can imagine. Anyway, I was forced to do something I didn't want to do, and it was dangerous."
"You mean... that loan?!" Zhong Sheng's expression changed instantly, thinking of the incident that forced Lin Qiang to be transferred.
Lin Qiang just smiled, neither confirming nor denying, and continued: "In that matter, I also used my head. If something went wrong, I would be the one in trouble, so I'd rather cause a scene than be the scapegoat."
"No wonder," Zhong Sheng nodded again. "The leaders above always have even bigger leaders protecting them. When something goes wrong, they'll inevitably push all the responsibility onto their subordinates. The leader might face a suspension at most, and after a while, they'll be reinstated. But for subordinates, it could mean punitive dismissal or transfer to a remote subsidiary."
"Yes, not just in United Bank, but after such an incident, it would be hard to survive in the entire financial sector."
"I understand now," Zhong Sheng sighed regretfully. "You were also forced into it. But what about now? Who have you offended now?"
"Hehe, I haven't offended anyone now. Now it's competition, a life-or-death competition, a fight to the bitter end," Lin Qiang suddenly changed his expression, showing a hint of fierceness and determination after the bitterness. "Zhong Sheng, have you heard that saying? In the workplace, if you want to get promoted, but there's always a leader above your head. At times like these, you either help the leader get promoted so you can replace them, or you knock them down and replace them directly."
"..." Zhong Sheng's expression changed as he pondered the meaning of Lin Qiang's words.
This theory about the workplace was extreme and radical, but for a shrewd person like Lin Qiang to suddenly say this, his intention was clear.
Lin Qiang continued: "For example, my former leader was a good person. I did my best to help him achieve performance targets, and he recommended me to the Jijing Office. We had a mutually beneficial relationship and developed deep feelings. Later, when I was in the financing department, I would also look after his affairs. If it's this kind of leader, I would help them because I know that helping them is helping myself."
"But not all leaders are like this."
"Some leaders ignore interpersonal relationships and disregard morality and right and wrong. They use you as a pawn, using you desperately when you're useful, and tossing you aside when you're not. Facing this kind of leader, if you continue to work honestly, you might one day be framed for some crime. And when you clearly have a chance for promotion, they will secretly obstruct you, making you work for them your whole life."
"If they're not benevolent, why should I be loyal?"
"If they have no virtue, why should I be faithful?"
Lin Qiang quietly finished explaining his mindset, whilst also explaining the current situation.
After hearing all this, Zhong Sheng pondered for a long time. There was no profound reasoning here, just things that couldn't be simpler. Clearly, Lin Qiang's words were pointing at something specific.
As Zhong Sheng thought, his hand reached into his pocket again, taking out another cigarette.
After a while, in the faint smoke, Zhong Sheng squinted his eyes and asked quietly: "Are you talking about Qian Cai, Hao Wei, or... Zeng Baichuan?"
"I've said my piece, how you interpret it is up to you," Lin Qiang smiled wistfully. "Waiting for opportunities is one workplace style, actively seeking opportunities is another style. It all depends on one's personality and risk tolerance."
"Risk tolerance?" Zhong Sheng coughed once and said with a smile, "That's marketing talk, isn't it?"
"Haha." Lin Qiang patted Zhong Sheng's shoulder again, "I know you have your own thoughts and style. You're from the audit department, and there are many things you can't say conveniently. Let me just share my thoughts, and you can take it as a joke."
"Please enlighten me." Zhong Sheng's attitude was not at all like listening to a joke. He knew that although Lin Qiang was in an unfavorable situation now, it couldn't erase his past glory. His words held significance.
"The insurance on Jiaxin Renovations is just the tip of the iceberg. You must have discovered more, right?"
"...Mm." After hesitating, Zhong Sheng nodded, "If we could focus on Jiaxin Renovations, there are indeed many clues."
"Let's make an assumption," Lin Qiang spread his arms, gesturing as he spoke. "This week, Audit Team Three inspected the Longyuan Outlet. Let's assume your final report says everything is normal, and then you pack up and leave. A week later, the Longyuan Outlet is exposed by the media or caught by the Banking Regulatory Commission's Audit Office for assisting in corporate tax evasion. The issue blows up. What would happen?"
These few sentences immediately left Zhong Sheng speechless.
Is this really just an assumption? It sounds more like a conspiracy!
Seeing him stunned, Lin Qiang continued on his own: "First, the relevant persons in charge of this outlet would be in trouble. Many things in banks can be glossed over, but once it becomes a big issue, someone has to take the blame. As for who takes the blame and how severe the punishment is, it all depends on individual tactics. But even that wouldn't be the end of it. Imagine, the audit department just finished their inspection, how could such a scandal break out so quickly? What's the point of the audit department's inspection?"
"..." Zhong Sheng's face twitched slightly. "Indeed, if that were to happen, the audit department would at least be labeled as 'incompetent' and would be implicated in the matter. If further investigation were to be conducted, there might even be charges of a 'cover-up'."
"Yes, either way would be very troublesome. The purpose of the audit department is to find problems and resolve them internally, not let them reach society, the media, or regulatory authorities. If such obvious errors couldn't be detected, what use is this department, what use are the auditors?"
After saying this, Lin Qiang added with a slightly apologetic tone: "Sorry, I'm not targeting you. I know you did find problems."
"I understand!" Zhong Sheng threw down his cigarette butt, suddenly feeling a sense of helplessness. He held his head in his hands and said angrily, "But what can I do! What's the use of finding problems?! If this assumption holds true, I would also be held responsible!!"
"Yes, what to do then," Lin Qiang shook his head helplessly. "You can't just say it's all the team leader's responsibility, can you?"
"That would only make things worse..." The crow's feet at the corners of Zhong Sheng's eyes deepened. "This is how banks work. The superiors' mistakes are borne by the subordinates; and the subordinates' achievements belong to the superiors."
"So, being in the disadvantaged position of a subordinate, one should always keep something up their sleeve," Lin Qiang's expression gradually turned fierce as he said sternly, "Knowing the outcome would be like this, if it were me, I'd prepare my future and exit strategy early on."
Zhong Sheng asked dazedly, "How to prepare? I don't know anyone higher up?"
"There's a copier in the archives room," Lin Qiang stood up and patted Zhong Sheng silently. "I've been forced to do many things. Whether they're good people, bad people, leaders, or subordinates, anyone who tries to harm me is an enemy. I hope you're luckier than me."
After saying this, Lin Qiang didn't chat anymore and walked straight to the back door. He and Zhong Sheng shouldn't be away from the meeting room for too long, or it would arouse suspicion.
"I understand," Zhong Sheng nodded and stood up, bowing slightly. "Thank you for the advice."
"Don't fail halfway," Lin Qiang smiled as he entered the corridor.
"You too."
Lin Qiang had been paying attention to Jiaxin Renovations' finances very early on.
Using reasons like "travel expenses" and "procurement costs", Jiaxin Renovations had withdrawn hundreds of thousands in cash from their corporate account over several months using checks. At the same time, they had purchased over a million-yuan worth of commercial insurance for Wang Jiaxin personally under the guise of "workplace benefits".
Think about it, how could a home renovations company need so much in travel expenses? As for procurement costs, Jiaxin Renovations was an old company, and their suppliers must be very stable. In such long-term cooperation, accounts should be settled through corporate account transfers. Why did they insist on withdrawing cash using checks?
The conclusion of tax evasion was almost certain.
But if no one investigated this matter, nothing would happen. After all, this was a small business, and Longyuan was just a small outlet. A few million yuan was just a drop in the bucket in the financial world. Normally, such amounts of discrepancies wouldn't cause any trouble. Even if it did, the accounts were basically in order. At most, they could only be charged with "withdrawing large amounts of cash from the corporate account in a short period", but that was only a few hundred thousand, not a big deal at all. And that could be easily explained away as "providing convenience to old customers".
The reason Lin Qiang hadn't spoken up was precisely because of this. Even if he pointed the finger at Hao Wei in time, it would probably come to nothing in the end. This matter required substantial evidence to deliver a fatal blow.
After making a round in the meeting room to show he wasn't sleeping, Lin Qiang returned to his office and habitually opened his personal email.