After a night of cold pillow and quilt, Xiang Mingzhang woke up early. On the couch at the end of the bed, Ling Tuaner was sleeping soundly on the shirt he had taken off.
Xiang Mingzhang thought with some mockery, is this cat feeling lonely and needing company, or is it sympathizing with his loneliness and wanting to keep him company
Both of them are a bit pitiful. The huge buildings and vast manors do not have any lively atmosphere under the splendor. More and more trees are planted in an attempt to increase vitality with the help of grass and trees.
Xiang Mingzhang got up and took a shower. He seldom came to the South District, so all the clothes and supplies he prepared were brand new. He changed his clothes, and when he went out, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.
Passing the lake, the left bank was planted with Metasequoia trees as he instructed, but unfortunately they were not tall enough.
Xiang Mingzhang drove to the North District. The courtyard was wet as it had been watered early in the morning. He walked through the halls but couldn't find anyone, so he knocked on the door of the living room where the statue of Guanyin was enshrined.
"Come in."
Xiang Mingzhang pushed the door open and walked in: "Mom."
The north and south districts of Manzhuang have two sets of personnel configurations, and they are usually unrelated to each other. Bai Yongti didn't know Xiang Mingzhang was coming. She was writing behind the table and asked, "Did you come last night?"
"Yes." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Are you copying scriptures?"
Bai Yongti copied one chapter each morning and evening, put down the brush and said, "I'm done."
Xiang Mingzhang had his coat open, his hands in his pockets: "If you have time, you might as well get some more sleep."
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Bai Yongti folded the copied scriptures neatly, placed them in front of the Guanyin statue, clasped his hands together and said “sin” twice.
Xiang Mingzhang raised his head and looked at the Buddha with the same arrogant expression: "Why, Guanyin can hear it? This is a sin. Isn't the Guanyin goddess a little narrow-minded?"
Bai Yongti scolded in a low voice: "Are you here to cause trouble so early in the morning?"
Xiang Mingzhang has received higher education and runs a technology company. As a staunch materialist, he is not afraid of ghosts or gods and does not believe in Buddhism.
Seeing that Bai Yongti was about to be unhappy, Xiang Mingzhang condescended to draw three incense sticks, lit them, and bowed to Guanyin, saying: "Since it works, then bless me to successfully win the project."
Bai Yongti said helplessly: "You are too utilitarian."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Asking for blessings is utilitarianism, and the gods and Buddhas only take incense and do nothing. Isn't this a very cost-effective deal?"
"You don't understand." Bai Yongti thought he was a child and shook his head, "Respect but don't seek, learn but don't believe."
Xiang Mingzhang remembered that Bai Yongti was very pessimistic. He had placed all his hopes on Buddhism since he converted to Buddhism and would not listen to anyone’s advice. When did he become someone who “didn’t ask for anything, didn’t believe in anything”
Bai Yongti said: "Xiao Chu told me this when he first came here, and I think it makes sense."
Xiang Mingzhang was surprised: "Chu Shichen?"
Bai Yongti said: "I didn't expect him to have such insights into Buddhism at such a young age. It's really rare."
Xiang Mingzhang's thoughts, which had been settled all night, began to stir in a turmoil, in a mess, and he could hardly contain himself. He had breakfast with Bai Yongti, and then hurriedly left Manzhuang.
The Ferrari broke through the siege during the morning rush hour. Xiang Mingzhang held the steering wheel with one hand and rested his other hand on the car door to support his forehead. At the intersection, he changed lanes and routes.
At the end of autumn and the winter solstice, the old trees on Ouli Street are still green.
The sports car stopped in front of the piano store. Xiang Mingzhang got out and looked at the entire brown and yellow square-shaped building.
Was there ever a bank plaque hanging above the door lintel
Across the glass door of the music store, facing the piano trial area, Chu Shichen sat upright, holding the pipa and playing. The screen behind him was white, and he was like a lone pine tree in the snow.
Xiang Mingzhang recalled that he seemed to hear the sound of strings and saw Chu Shichen's red eyes.
There were endless pedestrians on the roadside, and Xiang Mingzhang stood in front of this old site for a long time.
The cafe on the second floor opened for business. Xiang Mingzhang took out his cell phone, opened the address book, flipped through it, and dialed a number while going upstairs.
In Xiangyue Park, the sales department is busy.
Chu Shichen came out of the director's office. He was not wearing a suit, but a knee-length coat over his shirt. Although it was thick, it made him look taller and more graceful.
Peng Xin walked him to the door, his dark circles couldn't hide his excitement: "Secretary Chu, how did you come up with this idea?"
Chu Shichen smiled lightly: "A sudden inspiration cannot compare to everyone's hard work."
As they were talking, Xiang Mingzhang came in with a cup of coffee. Seeing Chu Shichen and Peng Xin standing together, he walked over and asked, "Are you talking about something?"
Peng Xin rubbed his hands in anticipation: "Mr. Xiang, Secretary Chu talked to me about the new plan for the project, and I think it's promising!"
Chu Shichen said, "I was a little hot-headed last night, and I'm afraid I may not be thorough enough, so I'll ask Director Peng for his opinion."
"What do you mean by asking for advice?" Peng Xin waved his hands in shame. "To be honest, something went wrong at the promotion meeting and we inherited the mess from the pre-sales department. I want to thank Secretary Chu for his help and advice."
Chu Shichen reminded: "Don't let Director Meng hear this, he already feels very guilty."
Peng Xin smiled and said, "It's okay. He and I have been partners for a long time. Whenever there is a mistake, we will curse each other's ancestors for generations."
Now that they have a strategy, the specific implementation method needs to be finalized after discussion. Xiang Mingzhang instructed Peng Xin: "Call your old partner back and notify the project team to hold a meeting this afternoon."
Chu Shichen and Xiang Mingzhang walked towards the office together. After passing the office area, Xiang Mingzhang handed over the coffee: "I bought it for you on the way. Drink it while it's hot."
Chu Shichen stretched out his left hand to take it. The name and address of the cafe were printed on the scald-proof cup sleeve. It was the old building of Fuhua Bank.
He raised his right hand and held it together, and asked casually, "Why do you go so far to buy coffee?"
Xiang Mingzhang replied, "I stayed at Manzhuang last night. My mother scolded me for talking nonsense in the morning, so I wanted to go for a drive. I took a detour and happened to pass by that place."
Chu Shichen didn't think much about it and asked with a smile: "What are you talking about?"
"It's just some scientific remarks. My mother thinks I'm disrespectful to Guanyin." Xiang Mingzhang said, "By the way, she praised you for your insights. Do you have any research on Buddhism?"
Chu Shichen said embarrassedly: "When I was a child, I listened to what the elders who believed in Buddhism said, and I just copied and imitated them. I shouldn't have shown off in front of my aunt before."
Xiang Mingzhang nodded nonchalantly: "Nothing, go get busy."
Back in the secretary's office, Chu Shichen sat down to drink coffee. WeChat rang several times. Xiang Mingzhang sent him a photo of Ling Tuaner. It can be seen that the cat is being well taken care of in Manzhuang.
At the meeting in the afternoon, when everyone was present, Chu Shichen formally proposed his plan.
After the morale of the army was frustrated, everyone had been worried for the past few days. Now there was finally light at the end of the tunnel. Meng Tao rushed back from the hospital, knocked on the table with his fist excitedly, and said, "Why didn't I think of this!"
Chu Shichen said modestly: "You are in the project, and it is inevitable that you will be confused when you encounter a whirlpool."
The project manager said, "Secretary Chu, you can't continue to be a bystander."
Chu Shichen opened his notebook and was ready: "If the plan is implemented, I will help you guys with the strategy. The first thing Xiang Yue needs to do is to analyze the customer information data of each bank, set standards, and do preliminary screening and dehydration."
This step requires a comprehensive understanding of the classification, preferences, and maturity of banking services. We are all laymen and have never been exposed to this. Peng Xin hesitated and said, "Then..."
Chu Shichen understood and volunteered: "Let me do it."
He forced himself to suppress his complicated emotions and nodded, "Okay, what do we do after we complete the first step?"
Chu Shichen made a more comprehensive plan and said, "Do the initial screening, then produce an analysis report, one rough and one detailed. Take the rough one to make an appointment with Hu Xiushan."
Meng Tao said: "If Hu Xiushan is interested and agrees with our approach, we will give him a detailed report."
"That's right." Chu Shichen said, "Let him take the initiative to find us to explore, and then we can discuss the project with him, and we will both get what we need."
Peng Xin listened carefully and asked, "What about the bank?"
Chu Shichen took this into consideration: "All banks involved must maintain communication to ensure that the data we operate is transparent and legitimate. They are all customers. We must solve Hu Xiushan's pain points and cannot ignore the feelings of the banks."
This is the most brilliant part of the plan, Xiang Mingzhang said: "If the match is high enough, we can cooperate with the authorities, and the bank will be happy to see it happen."
Chu Shichen said: "Yes, I hope that all three parties will benefit in the end, and both parties will remember our friendship."
Peng Xin agreed: "Secretary Chu, follow your plan. My people will do their best to cooperate."
The project team has many people, and verbal obedience is not enough. Strict order must be maintained to advance in an orderly manner. Xiang Mingzhang decided: "Chu Shichen will join the project team from today and be responsible for the business part."
Everyone had no objection and was very supportive. This was not the first time Chu Shichen had participated in a project, but this time was different. He would take the lead and take charge of it himself. He had not experienced this feeling in a long time.
After the meeting, Chu Shichen obtained the authority and began to analyze the bank data.
Xiang Yue's system is huge, and the information-related modules are of high level and complex to operate. Whenever Chu Shichen has questions, he calls Xiang Mingzhang on the internal line.
When Xiang Mingzhang answered the fifth call, he could no longer bear it and said, "Come here."
Chu Shichen moved to the president's office and sat face to face with Xiang Mingzhang across the desk. When it got dark, no one left work.
With a prompt tone, Xiang Mingzhang's private mailbox received an email.
The mouse moved, Xiang Mingzhang closed the page, he looked across the screen at Chu Shichen, and suddenly said: "How is Lixin Bank?"
Chu Shichen was so focused that he didn't even look up. "It's quite consistent. Li Xin's deposit absorption level in recent years is good, but its lending capacity is not matched. This imbalance between the two is likely to increase the bad debt rate."
Xiang Mingzhang listened to him talking, and couldn't tell whether his gaze was more admiring or probing: "Speaking of Li Xin, when I met Team Leader Zhao, I remember you mentioned... That building used to be a bank?"
Chu Shichen stopped typing on the keyboard, raised his eyes and replied, "Yes, I did."
Xiang Mingzhang asked naturally: "Is it true or not? How do you know?"
Chu Shichen also remained calm: "I looked it up online in order to get close to Team Leader Zhao. I don't know whether it is true or fabricated."
Xiang Mingzhang stopped talking and glanced at his watch: "It's so late, get off work, I'll take you home."
The Ferrari slowly drove out of the park gate, slid into the street and gradually accelerated. Chu Shichen looked at the computer for a long time, closed his eyes and rested on the seat.
There was a rare silence along the way, with only the piano music echoing in the carriage. When they arrived south of the river bank, Xiang Mingzhang sent Chu Shichen to his doorstep.
After stopping the car and turning off the engine, Chu Shichen rubbed his eyes and asked, "Are we there yet?"
Xiang Mingzhang uttered a monotonous “hmm”.
Chu Shichen felt that something was wrong with Xiang Mingzhang, he looked distant and worried. This was clearly the case at the wedding yesterday, when he had just pulled him and kissed and hugged him and done something intimate.
He couldn't help but be wary and suspected that he had overstepped the boundaries in leading the project.
Chu Shichen unbuckled his seat belt and said, "Once I successfully meet with Hu Xiushan and negotiate the terms, I will quit the project team."
Xiang Mingzhang was very sharp-eyed and sharp-eared, and he immediately dispelled Chu Shichen's concerns, saying, "Just go ahead and do it, don't worry about anything else. Everyone is pinning their hopes on your plan, and so am I."
Excluding work-related reasons, Chu Shichen was a little confused. Could it be about love
But he lacked experience and was too proud to ask, so he hesitated for a moment and then gave up.
Chu Shichen was about to get off the car and said, "Then be careful on the road."
Xiang Mingzhang seemed to wake up from a dream, reached out and grabbed his arm, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chu Shichen said: "I should ask you."
"I've been distracted by so much going on these past two days." Xiang Mingzhang didn't like the feel of the wool coat, so he slid it down and wrapped it around Chu Shichen's delicate back of the hand, "Don't be angry with me."
Usually he is so overbearing, but a little gentleness will make people soften their hearts. Chu Shichen said, "No."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "That's good. Please give my regards to my aunt and go to bed early tonight."
Letting go of his hand, Xiang Mingzhang watched Chu Shichen get out of the car. After everyone went in and the door closed, he took out his cell phone and opened his email.
Ouli Street has a long history. The land ownership of the four-cornered building has undergone several changes from private to state-owned. Seven years ago, the city replanned the entire street to allow commercial operations, and it became the piano store and coffee shop it is today.
Xiang Mingzhang has a wide network of contacts, and during the day he contacted an old professor who studies local modern and contemporary history, hoping to get some relevant information.
The document attached to the email was very long, with dozens of pages, covering the changes and introduction of the old site over the past two hundred years.
China's first bank was founded in 1897. Xiang Mingzhang remembered that Chu Shichen said that the bank was established earlier than Li Xin.
After determining the time range, Xiang Mingzhang slid the screen and found his heart beating very fast, as if he was spying on some unknown secret.
Finally, he found it.
In black letters on a white background, the names of the bank and its founder are marked.
Suddenly, a message came on my phone.
Chu Shichen didn't hear the engine sound, so he sent a message asking: Haven't you left yet
The light from the screen was blindingly bright in the darkness. Xiang Mingzhang frowned slightly, his eyes showing a mixture of confusion and hesitation. His fingers were stiff as he edited a reason by deleting and subtracting.
I received a phone call and was delayed.
After pressing send, Xiang Mingzhang turned off his phone and spoke out what he really wanted to say in the darkness.
"Chu Shichen, is it called Fuhua Bank?"
Do you know Shen Zuorun
The author has something to say:
Chu Shichen: I know, my dad.
(End of this chapter)