Questioning

Lin Qiang was stunned for a few seconds after hearing this, then suddenly shouted:

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

People around them were startled by his outburst.

"What's going on over there? Who is he?"

"Shh... don't get involved. The bank's in big trouble this time."

After the initial shock, no one came to inquire. They all returned to their tasks, pretending Lin Qiang hadn't shouted at all.

Lin Qiang grabbed Nie Xiaofeng's shoulders and asked in a hushed voice, "Have you lost it? This kind of procedure is only for highly trusted state-owned enterprises. Xinda Real Estate is still a private company, no matter how you look at it."

"I know... I know..." Nie Xiaofeng shook his head weakly. "They suddenly proposed it, and I was in a difficult position. I could only call Manager Qian, who was on a business trip. He said clients of this caliber are rare and told me to use the special procedure. He said he'd take responsibility."

"Heh..." Lin Qiang laughed dryly.

"Team leader, what are you laughing at?"

"He'll take responsibility? He told me that hundreds of times," Lin Qiang said coldly. "Even with the regular procedure, I didn't believe he'd take responsibility, let alone with this special procedure! Xiaofeng, you didn't have any reservations at all?"

"Team leader... to be honest, my qualifications weren't enough to replace you. Manager Qian pulled some strings to promote me," Nie Xiaofeng sighed, biting his lip. "When it came to work, I naturally wanted to help Manager Qian where I could."

Lin Qiang couldn't say anything more, just shaking his head inwardly.

Too naive. Nie Xiaofeng was far too naive. He lacked confidence in his professional skills to begin with, and under Qian Cai's minor favor, he had hastily taken up the position, unwittingly shouldering an enormous ticking time bomb. Lin Qiang had originally planned to speak up for Nie Xiaofeng during the questioning, but if it was a special procedure without Qian Cai's signature, nothing he said would make a difference.

When real trouble hits, who would acknowledge their verbal promises? Who would say they're willing to take responsibility?

At that moment, the conference room door opened, and a man stepped out, adjusting his suit.

"Xiaofeng, it's your turn. They're done with me," he said, patting Nie Xiaofeng's shoulder.

"Manager Qian..." Nie Xiaofeng mumbled, "Alright, I'm going in."

"Mm, just tell the truth," Qian Cai gave Nie Xiaofeng a gentle push, sending him into the room. He closed the door himself, then turned to Lin Qiang, "Long time no see. Shall we have lunch together?"

Lin Qiang smiled back, asking, "Is that what you really want?"

"..." Qian Cai coughed dryly, shaking his head with a smile. "This time, we're really in hot water."

Lin Qiang joked, "You can still jest in this situation. Manager Qian, you've got some nerve."

"Heh, when you've done nothing wrong, there's nothing to fear," Qian Cai laughed magnanimously.

"Let's hope so."

"Come on, let's not beat around the bush," Qian Cai looked around before leaning in close to Lin Qiang, his face bitter as he lowered his voice. "No matter what, I'm still the manager. I can't avoid responsibility. This time, I'll likely be transferred at the very least."

Lin Qiang thought this was probably true. Such a large fraudulent loan, discovered by the Audit Office no less – even with connections higher up, it would be hard to get off lightly.

"Sigh... I should have listened to your advice back then... Who would have thought such a large company would actually have problems? It was 200 million, after all. Lending it out would have been a massive achievement; being defrauded is an equally massive mistake." Qian Cai shook his head, then patted Lin Qiang. "At this point, I'm prepared for any outcome."

Qian Cai suddenly looked weary, which made Lin Qiang feel a bit of pity.

Perhaps he was just an ordinary person pursuing performance goals after all.

"Lin Qiang, the pressure is really intense this time. I heard the Audit Office has reported this up the chain. There might even be criminal charges," Qian Cai frowned. "Losing my job is one thing – I can start over. But if I go to prison..."

He raised his right hand to rub his eyes, suddenly looking years older.

"If possible, please go easy on me," Qian Cai finally let out a long sigh. "Let's have lunch together, I mean it. I'll invite the HR leadership to join us."

With that, Qian Cai waved his hand, said no more, and left.

Lin Qiang stood there, feeling uncomfortable. He should have been proud of his victory, but suddenly there was a bitter taste in his mouth. Qian Cai's meaning was clear – he hoped Lin Qiang would go easy on him, and in return, he'd try to make some amends through HR.

"If you're truly repentant, I'll give you one last chance," Lin Qiang stared at Qian Cai's retreating figure, activating his GoldenEye.

[Qian Cai, Liquid Assets: 3.27 million.]

[Total Assets: ...]

[Embroiled in a loan fraud scandal, short-term outlook is bearish.]

[Facing a critical juncture, long-term outlook is unclear.]

[Fortune: Accumulating wealth, money laundering.]

[Risk Factor: Accountability for loan fraud, accepting bribes, Zhang Xinda.]

...

Lin Qiang fell into a long silence.

"Am I too kind-hearted, or is his acting just that good?" Lin Qiang sighed. "Audit Office, you've got your work cut out for you."

About half an hour later, Nie Xiaofeng came out, head hanging low.

"Team leader, it's your turn," he said, not even looking at Lin Qiang.

"Alright," Lin Qiang patted him, offering brief comfort before entering the room.

Four people sat on the opposite side of the long table, with two on this side.

"Director Chen, Director Rosa," Lin Qiang greeted his side's personnel.

"Mm," the elderly, lean man nodded.

"Speak freely, just pretend we're not here," the older woman with a large perm and black dress patted the chair beside her.

One of the two was the Deputy General Manager of the Jijing Office

And the other was Rosa, respectively.

Lin Qiang maintained his composure, not showing his inner surprise.

What did this have to do with Rosa? What right did she have to sit in?

Rosa didn't show any particular expression either. Her thick, artificial double eyelids blinked casually as she gestured, introducing, "This is the Audit Office team specifically assigned to this case. The one in the middle is Team Leader Liu Ming."

Lin Qiang raised an eyebrow.

Liu Ming? Wasn't he the auditor who had been secretly providing investigation material?

The man sitting in the middle on the opposite side adjusted his glasses and smiled knowingly at Lin Qiang. "This must be Manager Lin. This is a preliminary investigation. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Of course," Lin Qiang smiled back before sitting down next to Rosa.

The atmosphere in the conference room was very strange.

On one side were the bank's leaders, on the other were the Audit Office specialists.

On one hand, they needed to present the facts to the Audit Office.

On the other hand, under the bank leaders' watchful eyes, they couldn't tarnish the bank's reputation.

An invisible pressure weighed on Lin Qiang's heart.

Qian Cai... you predicted this, hoping I'd be pressured into saying nothing...

Too bad, the auditor across from me is an old acquaintance.

Without a doubt, Liu Ming would stand on his side. This was clearly Ling Chen's arrangement to make things convenient, assigning his trusted subordinate to handle this case.

The audit assistant adjusted the camera and nodded to Liu Ming.