Finance

In this era, finance is everything—

And all of finance flows through banks.

Energy and finance are considered the most powerful industries of this era, and compared to the monopolistic energy sector, the finance sector faces greater competition.

Many people have learned the art of leveraging funds with little to no actual capital.

The five major banks of China rely on their traditional advantages to remain unshakable, while the emerging United Bank has aggressively entered the competition, seizing a place as the second largest domestic and fourth largest global bank.

With continuous reform and restructuring, China's banking industry has become much more regulated. United Bank was formed by merging several city-level banks, managed centrally by the headquarters located on Financial Street, with provincial and city offices, regional sub-branches, and numerous outlets under its umbrella.

The headquarters focused on large-scale financial and securities projects; the regional offices, in addition to their management functions, also serve numerous large enterprises and institutions. Sub-branches are smaller in scale and typically oversee all outlets in a particular area.

At the lowest level are the outlets, where direct transactions and customer interactions occur. This is the grassroots, most challenging level of the banking industry, but it is also where skills are honed, and many pragmatic leaders have risen from here step by step.

And now, Lin Qiang and Zheng Shuai have returned here once again.

Although they ended up in the same place, their paths to promotion and reputations within the industry are different.

Zheng Shuai, with his handsome appearance and solid work ethic, won over people with his charm. Not long after starting in an outlet, he was handpicked for administrative work in a sub-branch, eventually making his way into the Jijing Office. He had a good reputation in the industry, known for being honest and kind. As for what happened afterwards...hahah, you could only laugh.

Lin Qiang's journey, however, was full of challenges. Unlike Zheng Shuai, he didn't have the looks or charm. With a square face and rugged features, he didn't fit the female aesthetic of this era. But he climbed the ranks through sheer performance, leaving no room for criticism.

Often clashing with his superiors and colleagues over work, he earned the nickname "Nail Lin."

However, the nail ended up hammered in his rear in the end.

Despite this, he still believed that the nail would eventually be pulled out and put where it belonged in the end.

...

The next morning, 7:30 AM.

United Bank—Jijing Office—Dongjiao Sub-branch—Longyuan Outlet - Back Office Conference Room.

A middle-aged man with a harmless smile, wearing a suit and standing tall, adjusted his glasses and extended his right arm, giving a polite smile to Lin Qiang and Zheng Shuai:

"The branch has sent two strong hands to support our outlet's work. Let's welcome them."

The middle-aged man, named Hao Wei, was nearing fifty, at the peak of his career, yet he seemed to lack some vigor. Hao Wei had worked at United Bank for over a decade without any notable achievements or scandals, and he was currently the director of Longyuan Outlet. After his polite introduction, he led the applause.

The rest of the people clapped as well, though with varying degrees of enthusiasm—some sincere, some not.

After Lin Qiang and Zheng Shuai introduced themselves, Hao Wei began introducing the current employees of the outlet.

The setup of the Longyuan Outlet was very standard:

One outlet director, responsible for managing the entire outlet and distributing bonuses—Hao Wei.

One retail banking supervisor, responsible for personal banking1 and marketing, at the deputy director level—Lin Qiang.

Two teller supervisors, responsible for reviewing and authorizing personal banking transactions.

Three tellers, handling personal transactions at the counter.

Two account managers, responsible for marketing and serving important clients—Zheng Shuai and Zhang Jiaming.

One personal banking consultant, who could also serve as a teller or account manager.

Because Zheng Shuai's administrative rank hadn't been as high, he was worse off than Lin Qiang and had to start again as an account manager.

After everyone had exchanged handshakes and smiles, Hao Wei began a brief introduction of the outlet:

"Although the Longyuan Outlet has been established for less than six months, the growth rate of deposits and financial product sales has been quite rapid. More and more residents and businesses are moving to this area, and the branch has high expectations for us. Additionally, other bank outlets are about to open, so we need to withstand the pressure of competition and establish our bank's dominance in this region."

As he spoke, he walked over to Lin Qiang, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Lin Qiang, you are a key player in our bank, and your frontline performance has been outstanding. With you here, our performance is sure to improve significantly."

"Director Hao, you're too kind," Lin Qiang replied modestly. "I've been away from the frontline for a long time; our performance will still rely on everyone's collective effort."

Zhang Jiaming waved his arm and said, "Hey! Little Lin, we've all heard about your achievements back in the day! You were responsible for 80% of an outlet's sales when you were on the frontline. Now that you're back, you'll surely be even more formidable!"

Lin Qiang's heart stirred. He realized these two were teaming up to put pressure on him from the very first meeting. He found it amusing—he didn't need them to teach him how to play the game or urge him.

In other words, Lin Qiang was supposed to be Zhang Jiaming's superior, so what right did he have to call him "Little Lin"?

Bang!

"In that case, I'll take on the responsibility," Lin Qiang said, slapping his hands on the table with a resounding thud. He stood up, stared at Zhang Jiaming with a half-smile, and said, "Please prepare all the sales reports since the opening, deposit transaction data, and important client information and have them on my desk by 9 AM, before the outlet opens."

"Wait a minute..." Zhang Jiaming was thrown off balance. He never expected this young kid to directly give him orders. "There's only an hour before opening, and the morning meeting isn't over yet..."

Hao Wei quickly tried to smooth things over, "Alright! Young people are enthusiastic. But it might be difficult to get everything ready by 9 AM. How about by noon?"

"With all due respect," Lin Qiang turned to Hao Wei, "these materials should have been prepared long ago. After all, I'm here to take management over of the retail business. The person previously in charge of this should be Zhang Jiaming. Why wait until someone arrives to prepare for the handover? He's already been derelict in his duties."

"You!" Zhang Jiaming's chubby face turned beet red. This kid was giving him no face at all. Who calls someone out for dereliction at the first meeting? But he couldn't argue and turned to Hao Wei for help.

Hao Wei's expression remained unchanged. He clapped his hands and laughed, "Alright, alright. A new person brings new energy. We all need to pick up the pace."

He then turned to the others, "Everyone, let's hurry and get the materials ready. Keep up with Little Lin's pace!"

Zhang Jiaming, helpless, lowered his head and gritted his teeth, slipping out of the meeting room. The others, sensing the tension, quickly followed, even Zheng Shuai couldn't stand it and mumbled, "I'll go help too," as he escaped.

Once the others had left, Hao Wei's expression changed, and he lamented, "Little Lin, your move was good. I have too good a temper and can't manage people, which is why they are so lax."

Seeing Hao Wei acting, Lin Qiang decided to join in, smiling broadly, "Please don't say that. He's just feeling resentful because he thinks I've taken over his territory. It's human nature."

He could have casually brushed it off, but he chose to speak frankly, driving his words like a nail into Hao Wei's heart, heavily implying criticism.

Hao Wei, being an experienced actor himself, just laughed loudly, "We can't afford any delays. It's a team effort, and you must help me manage him well."

"Sure, I—will—definitely—manage—him—well," Lin Qiang said slowly, smiling inwardly. If you want me to manage, I'll manage him to the extreme.

Seeing Lin Qiang's expression, Hao Wei suddenly felt a sting, realizing he might have overplayed his hand. He extended his hand and said, "Come, I'll take you to your new office."