Taxes

At that moment, a woman dressed in a black business suit sat down at the counter. Without looking up, Lin Qiang rubbed his arm and said, "Sorry, this is the student card counter. If you want to handle regular matters, please take a number at the entrance."

"I'm here to open a student account, Lin Qiang."

Hearing his name, Lin Qiang turned and was stunned.

"Director Xia!" He hastily straightened his suit and accepted the forms and ID from the woman.

The woman appeared to be under 40, her hair was neatly tied back, she wore light makeup, and her warm smile gave her a very pleasant demeanor. She was Xia Xin, the deputy director of the Human Resources Department at the Jijing Office.

Lin Qiang was quite familiar with her.

From job assignments to outstanding employee awards, from his promotion to the regional office's financing department to his transfer to the Longyuan Banking Outlet, Xia Xin had witnessed Lin Qiang's rise and sudden fall.

"Is your daughter studying here?" Lin Qiang asked in surprise while verifying the information.

"Yes, she's over there chatting with her classmates." Xia Xin pointed to a group of girls playing in the hall. "Sorry for causing you so much trouble."

"It's part of my job." Lin Qiang didn't dare slack off. He glanced at the group of girls and noticed a tall one with long hair who seemed the most eye-catching but also a bit rebellious and not very sociable.

Without looking closely, he continued politely, "Did you move here?"

"No, we heard this school was quite good and offered boarding, which saved us a lot of trouble. So, we transferred her here. I was just chatting with her teachers today and came here to open an account and transfer some funds."

"Boarding school is good; she can interact more with her peers."

"Yes, the air here is much better, and with the school's management, parents can relax." Xia Xin said, handing another bank card to Lin Qiang. "Please transfer fifty thousand to this new card."

"Okay." Lin Qiang continued the process meticulously. Nowadays, public schools within the scope of compulsory education were entirely free, but private schools still demanded fifty thousand yuan. Sending her child here, Xia Xin indeed wasn't short of money.

"By the way, where is your manager? With so many people here, the outlet manager should be maintaining order."

"They happen to be on an external assignment, accompanying clients." Lin Qiang knew it was pointless to badmouth Hao Wei to Xia Xin, who was too high up to bother with local matters. Besides, intentionally badmouthing Hao Wei wouldn't leave a good impression on Xia Xin, so he covered for his leader.

"Okay." Xia Xin paused, then asked thoughtfully, "I remember you're a supervisor here, right? Why are you doing the clerical work?"

"No choice, with so many card applications, I had to step in." Lin Qiang smiled apologetically.

"Just hang in there. The bank should be sending more people." Xia Xin looked at Lin Qiang and complimented him, "You're managing well, opening a separate counter for student card applications and personally stepping in. It keeps the regular business flowing while handling the students efficiently. I always knew you had a knack for shining anywhere."

"You're too kind." Lin Qiang felt a subtle joy. His impromptu decision, despite the trouble it caused, had been noticed by an upper-level HR director. It felt like the heavens were smiling upon him.

"You'll do well anywhere." Xia Xin praised again and then leaned in, lowering her voice. "Lin, I heard that the loan you were pushing for has been approved."

"What?!" Lin Qiang was startled. "Who approved it? I made it clear it shouldn't go through."

"I don't know the specifics, but the loan has been granted." Xia Xin whispered, "When we reviewed it, we faced a lot of trouble, but your former boss insisted on it, and the office's review department had no choice."

Lin Qiang wanted to say something but held back, only shaking his head.

Xia Xin could read his thoughts and gently consoled, "Don't be discouraged. Keep working hard; you'll have another chance."

Lin Qiang offered a grateful smile. Once everything was sorted, he handed the completed documents to Xia Xin.

"Thank you for your kind words." Knowing Xia Xin had deliberately shared some inside information, he took the opportunity to strengthen their connection. "If your daughter needs anything, she can always come to us."

"She's very well-behaved and won't cause trouble." Xia Xin smiled, putting the documents in her bag. "Keep up the good work. You've been an outstanding employee for three consecutive years. I hope to see you on stage at the annual conference this year as well."

"You're too kind!"

...

Lin Qiang didn't expect to be busy until the outlet closed, but he was in a good mood. Chatting with charming schoolgirls all afternoon, he felt he had seen a year's worth of beautiful sights in one day.

Around 5:30 PM, after seeing off all the customers, Lin Qiang handed a thick stack of documents to the teller supervisor and finally got to rest. Just as the work was done, Hao Wei and Zhang Jiaming returned together.

"Wow, personally handling the counter," Hao Wei laughed as he walked over to Lin Qiang.

"Had no choice, it was busy."

"Sitting in there suits you well," Hao Wei joked, seemingly implying something.

"Standing outside suits you too," Lin Qiang retorted with a playful smile.

"Humph..." Hao Wei paused, not continuing the banter. He turned to Xiao Xiao and said, "Call the branch and prepare an additional two hundred thousand in cash for tomorrow. Boss Wang needs to withdraw cash."

"Two hundred thousand?" Xiao Xiao asked, "Isn't the weekly withdrawal limit for corporate accounts fifty thousand?"

"He's an old customer, it's fine." Hao Wei waved his hand. "Just handle it for him."

"Okay." Xiao Xiao agreed. The so-called fifty thousand limit was more of an internal guideline to avoid potential risks with large cash withdrawals. For familiar customers, exceptions could be made.

Xiao Xiao might not understand the significance, but Lin Qiang did.

For small businesses like Jiaxin Decorations, the company's money was essentially the boss's money. Due to state regulations, they had to open a corporate account to handle funds, ensuring all company transactions were transparent, preventing tax evasion and money laundering.

But for these business owners, it was inconvenient. Especially when using company money for personal use, the most proper way was to transfer it as "dividends" or "bonuses," but this incurred high personal income tax. The more significant the amount, the higher the tax rate, reaching over 30% for amounts in the millions.

Banks were required to strictly monitor corporate account funds.

"Two hundred thousand, not too much, not too little." Lin Qiang murmured to himself.

He was about to instruct Xiao Xiao when he noticed her mischievous smile.

"I'll make a copy of the check and related documents for you. Is that enough?"

"You're quick-witted." Lin Qiang smiled wryly. Xiao Xiao indeed had a talent for office politics.

"Of course, don't you think I'm underutilized?" Xiao Xiao joked. "Brother Qiang, remember to pull me up when you rise."

"I'm barely managing myself right now."

Lin Qiang bantered with her while using GoldenEye, glancing at Hao Wei, who was talking to Zhang Jiaming.