That evening, Zheng Shuai was filled with remorse in the dormitory.
"I just couldn't catch up!" Zheng Shuai lay on the bed, holding his head in frustration. "They drove off as soon as they got in the car, and I couldn't get a taxi in time. It's so hard to get a cab in Jijing these days!"
"It's okay, you're not a professional detective," Lin Qiang said, staring at the photo on his phone. "The man in the car... did you see his face?"
"It was nighttime, and the windshield was tinted. I couldn't get a clear look at him," Zheng Shuai complained. "What a shame. I really wanted to see what this guy looks like. Luo Yongsheng's wife is slightly better than Rosa... but still, that's quite a heavy taste. Who would do this to themselves?"
"Don't underestimate Luo Yongsheng's equity. I've checked - he owns 35% of WeChat's shares. Although it will be diluted somewhat when the company goes public, it's still substantial. If the stock performs well, he could become a billionaire overnight."
"So you're saying Fang Wen could potentially get assets worth tens of millions?"
"Possibly even hundreds of millions. If other shareholders buy her out, Fang Wen's American dream would be without worry about money."
"What kind of American dream is that?" Zheng Shuai cursed angrily. "It's more like an American parasite! Taking all his money to live a life of luxury abroad in the US! Luo Yongsheng spent his whole life starting a business and contributing to his homeland. And his wife? She's aspiring to become an American sugar mama!"
"At this rate... we might really need to hire a private investigator," Lin Qiang put away his phone and said grimly. "Luo Yongsheng is pretty ruthless too. He's planning to sue for divorce on grounds of infidelity and doesn't intend to give Fang Wen a penny."
"What's so ruthless about that? She brought it on herself! A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!" Zheng Shuai retorted.
"Do you know any friends who work as detectives?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Oh?"
"Shinichi Kudo."
"...Damn it, stop joking around."
"Come on, who knows any detectives? Do they even exist? At most, I might know one or two cops!"
"Cops... right, cops..." Lin Qiang suddenly had an idea. "I think I owe someone a meal... Cops should have resources to monitor someone, right?"
"Haha, I get it," Zheng Shuai said, wagging his finger. "You're planning to ask Hu Xiao for help, aren't you?"
"There will be compensation."
"Sigh... anyway, we can't let this matter slide," Zheng Shuai mused. "If Luo Yongsheng really isn't planning to share a single cent, there's a lot of work to be done here."
"Too much, indeed."
...
On the fourth day, with everyone's efforts, the marketing amount reached 37.25 million.
On the fifth day, 37.88 million.
On the sixth day, 38.92 million.
After six days of intense marketing, everyone seemed to have reached their limit. For a outlet of Longyuan's size and location, this performance was already a miracle. But faced with the mountain of 100 million yuan, it still seemed out of reach. The miracle of United Bank was indeed like the sun - only when you try to chase it do you realize how distant it truly is.
As for Lin Qiang, although he still appeared confident on the surface, he knew that at this rate, reaching 100 million was almost impossible. Years had flown by, and his old clients had changed significantly. People like Qiu Zhizhang, who still practiced conservative financial management, were few and far between. Most people had invested their capital in real estate or overseas, leaving Lin Qiang with very little room to maneuver. Of the 38.92 million, 30 million in performance belonged to Lin Qiang personally, which was already the limit under normal marketing conditions.
In the nightly summary meetings, people no longer dared to look at the marketing figures. They just tried their best to boost morale and hoped for big deals the next day.
...
On the tenth day, an exhausted Zheng Shuai took the contract he had just finalized and prepared to file it in the archives room.
In the hallway, a spirited Chen Liang stopped him: "Oh? Got another deal?"
"Heh, none of your business," Zheng Shuai didn't bother to engage and pushed open the door to the archives room.
"I am the acting supervisor of this outlet after all. Surely I can review the contract?" Chen Liang also slipped in, extending his right hand. "Zheng Shuai, you wouldn't refuse such a basic task, would you?"
Reluctantly, Zheng Shuai handed the contract to Chen Liang for review.
"Hmm..." Chen Liang scanned it briefly, then asked with a hint of confusion, "This is strange. Lin Qiang hasn't been in the outlet all day today, so why is the bank representative's signature 'Lin Qiang'?"
He widened his eyes, feigning surprise as he stared at Zheng Shuai: "You didn't... forge Lin Qiang's signature, did you?"
"No comment," Zheng Shuai snatched back the contract and shoved it into the filing cabinet.
"Well... these are minor issues, we both understand," Chen Liang said with a smile, spreading his arms. "Zheng Shuai, Lin Qiang has rarely shown his face these past few days. Looks like he's given up, hasn't he?"
"..."
"Ah... well, 100 million is an impossible goal for ordinary people after all. Thinking you can ignore terrible interpersonal relationships just by achieving 100 million is really a pipe dream." Chen Liang patted Zheng Shuai's shoulder. "If I were Lin Qiang, I'd be contacting headhunters now, preparing to jump ship."
"..."
"After all, Lin Qiang does have ability. If he switches to another bank, he still has a chance," Chen Liang looked at Zheng Shuai, frowning. "It's just a pity for you, still working so hard for him at a time like this."
"Anything else?" Zheng Shuai pushed Chen Liang away, unwilling to listen further.
"Zheng Shuai, from the moment Lin Qiang flipped the table in Manager Qian's office, his fate was sealed," Chen Liang said sternly. "Will you keep making mistakes with him until the end, or will you turn back and board the big ship? It's such a simple choice, surely you can make it? Lin Qiang's transfer is already inevitable. Zheng Shuai, if you can just help with the others' ideological work... make sure they peacefully send Lin Qiang off to his new post, we can let bygones be bygones!"
Chen Liang lowered his voice and added quietly: "I'm not trying to provoke you. I really do have some connections with Director Rosa. You're still young, you have plenty of opportunities."
"Manager Chen, there's something you don't understand..." Zheng Shuai shook his head and pushed Chen Liang away again. "I didn't come to the bank to please anyone, nor to sell anyone out for money. If I'm not suitable here, I'll leave and find a place that suits me. There's no need to sell myself out for a bit of money."
Zheng Shuai raised an eyebrow and asked in return: "What about you, Manager Chen? Have you sold yourself out for money?"
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, just asking," Zheng Shuai pushed the door open and left.
Chen Liang stood alone in the archives room, muttering to himself: "Little brat who doesn't know anything... Who are you to criticize others? Hmph... Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. In a few days, everything will be settled. Then I... won't have to stay cooped up in this bank anymore..."
At that moment, his phone rang.
"What is it, darling?"
"..."
"...Him? He's suing you?!"
"On what grounds?!"
"Hmph, he's asking for it. If that's how it is, we don't need to hold back anymore."
"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. The shareholders are all on our side."
In the evening, at a roadside stall in the Longyuan district, Lin Qiang, Zheng Shuai, and Hu Xiao each had a bowl of hot dry noodles, eating with gusto.
"Sister Xiao, your informant is really capable!" Zheng Shuai said, holding his phone and looking at the photos with a smile. "They even captured car sex scenes. Impressive."
Hu Xiao, disregarding her image, slurped up a long noodle and then took a big gulp of beer, feeling refreshed. "How many times do I have to tell you, it's not an informant, it's police resources! Have you been watching too many Hong Kong cop movies?"
Lin Qiang, sitting nearby, pushed an envelope to Hu Xiao: "This is the commission fee. I'm not sure how much to give, so please make do with this."
Hu Xiao took the envelope and put it in her handbag: "Your client is quite generous. This thickness must be about 5,000 yuan, right?"
"He wanted to give 10,000, but I told him to save some," Lin Qiang said, finishing his noodles and wiping his mouth before leaning back in his chair. "Saving is earning. Sorry about that."
"You guys are really penny-pinchers," Hu Xiao shook her head helplessly. "Every time we eat out it's just snacks. You have no shame when it comes to treating guests!"
"I never would have guessed it was him..." Zheng Shuai stared at his phone, sighing deeply. "I can't understand it. How can things be so coincidental?"
"What's so coincidental about it? He used to be Fang Wen's account manager," Lin Qiang said, also staring intently at the photos.
The photos were taken during the day in a suburban tourist area, showing a man and a woman having sex in a car. Through a series of shots taken through the tinted windows, the faces of the two protagonists could be clearly identified. The female lead was Luo Yongsheng's wife, Fang Wen, while the male lead... was Chen Liang, the pretty boy from United Bank.
Previous surveillance photos had already gathered plenty of evidence of the two living together, but these two just had to play some exciting games, giving Hu Xiao's "informant" the opportunity to showcase their photography skills during an extremely intense moment of enjoyment.
Meanwhile, in a high-end apartment in the Eastern District of Jijing, Chen Liang sat on the sofa watching TV, while Fang Wen paced anxiously back and forth in the living room.
"How can you still be in the mood to watch TV?!" Fang Wen snatched the remote from in front of Chen Liang and turned off the TV. "He's filed for divorce! Aren't you going to do something about it?"
"Let him sue. It's just a desperate move, like one of my colleagues," Chen Liang said calmly, slowly getting up and embracing Fang Wen with a smile. "Our lawyer has already spoken. We can definitely get a share of the equity... I have friends on the board of directors too, and they'll buy out this portion of the shares. With WeChat being such a strong company, as long as it goes public, it's possible for this equity to be worth well over several hundred million."
"But what if! What if something goes wrong?" Fang Wen pushed Chen Liang away angrily and sat down on the sofa. "Until now, I don't even know who his lawyer is. If it's that man from the meeting, he might pull some dirty tricks."
"Come on, stop being so wary of that guy," Chen Liang sat down next to Fang Wen and hugged her again. "That man was just all talk. When it comes to court, the judge won't care about his nonsense."
"I just feel something's not right," Fang Wen shrugged, but finally gave in to Chen Liang's embrace, lying in his arms and murmuring, "If we don't get as much as we expect this time, forget about going to America, even surviving will be a problem. Right now, I'm living off his bank card."
"What are you afraid of? Wenwen, I promise you, even if you don't have a penny, I'll take care of you," Chen Liang vowed solemnly.
"You?" Fang Wen raised an eyebrow. "You only make about 10,000 a month. The rent for this apartment alone is over 20,000."
"Hehe, 10,000 is just temporary. It'll increase soon," Chen Liang said with a smug smile. "Wenwen, I work in a bank. As long as I'm on the right ship, do you think I'll lack money?"
"Sigh..." Fang Wen leaned into Chen Liang's arms. "Anyway, we need to be careful."
"Mm." Chen Liang looked at Fang Wen in his arms, furrowed his brow, and revealed a disgusted expression.
His hands were caressing her, but in his heart, he felt nauseated.
"If I don't get that equity, who'd want to be with an old woman like you?"