Chapter Nineteen: Sparring (Part Two)

After the meeting, Yin Sen did not rush back to his office. His gaze remained fixed on Zhang Maolin. Seeing Zhang Maolin tuck a thick ledger under his arm and pick up his teacup to leave his seat, Yin Sen quickly slipped over, quietly approaching the exiting Zhang Maolin. He leaned in and whispered a few words into his ear, bending slightly at the waist.

Yin Sen's sudden move momentarily startled Zhang Maolin. Listening to the murmurs, he narrowed his eyes and stared at Yin Sen for a few seconds before slowly saying, "Is that so? Well then, let's discuss it in my office."

Yin Sen trotted along eagerly, trailing about two meters behind Zhang Maolin.

Entering the room one after the other, before Zhang Maolin could even speak, Yin Sen blurted out anxiously, "President Zhang! Do you really think this credit self-inspection campaign needs to involve every single branch underneath us? First of all, the sheer volume of business involved is too massive, and our current staffing is genuinely insufficient. In the end, we'll likely struggle to finish on time, which could easily disrupt our next steps. Second, all provincial branch inspections over the years have always relied on sampling 'sample' institutions; we've never conducted a comprehensive, across-the-board census. Especially with future headquarter-level inspections, I doubt they'll cast the net so widely either. Therefore, I was thinking perhaps we—"

Yin Sen cut himself off, glancing timidly at the weary-looking Zhang Maolin.

"Oh? And what are you suggesting—?" Zhang Maolin asked.

"Personally, I feel the number of institutions inspected this time could simply be selected through a vertical ranking based on total loan amounts. In principle, picking the top forty or fifty percent from largest to smallest would be more than enough to meet inspection needs. As long as we ensure the sampled institutions reflect corporate clients representatively and account for variations in loan sizes, that should suffice! What do you think?" Yin Sen lowered his head and said nervously.

"Why didn't you bring this up during the meeting just now? Why do you always prefer whispering behind the scenes? I've always detested this habit. We just finalized the plan in the meeting, and now you're coming up with a new idea. Oh, little Yin! How on earth should I describe what you're doing?" Zhang Maolin's displeasure was evident.

"Heh, heh, heh, please don't mind my thoughts. It was just a sudden flash of inspiration. If it's inappropriate, just pretend I never said it!" Yin Sen replied sheepishly.

"Well, your idea isn't completely without merit, though. How about this: let both working groups proceed according to the predetermined plan for now. After a couple of weeks, once I gauge the overall progress, I'll decide based on the actual situation whether to switch to sampling or stick with a full census," Zhang Maolin replied.

"Precisely, precisely! It maintains flexibility without delaying our work. Your idea is simply the best! I'll go inform Vice President Bian's group right away." Beaming with smiles, Yin Sen backed all the way to the door. Then, with a gentle pivot, he bowed slightly toward Zhang Maolin and waved goodbye with a winsome smile.

Zhang Maolin was stunned; he seemed to have no fitting retort for Yin Sen's performance of utter humility. Before he could decide how to react, Yin Sen had already quietly closed the door behind him.

Subconsciously, Zhang Maolin pressed both hands against the edge of his desk, his torso swaying forward mechanically a few times as an involuntary chuckle escaped his lips. Glancing down at the messy pile of documents on his desk, he picked up his pen and began reviewing them one by one.

...

Teng Deming arrived in Songyang on Saturday evening.

Over the phone, he explained to Zhang Maolin that this trip back to Songyang wasn't for official business, but rather to attend a birthday banquet for an elderly relative in his clan, and so on.

When Zhang Maolin reached Room 818 at the Songyang Hotel, Teng Deming had just finished showering and was watching television draped in a loose bathrobe.

"Old friend, on the day of your inauguration, I happened to be attending a special provincial government meeting and simply couldn't get away. So, you owe me this belated celebratory drink today. Hahaha..." Teng Deming's booming voice filled the entire room.

"You got it! Today's a day off, so I'm completely unguarded. In a moment, I'll call the other three fellows over, and our team will drink with our leader until we're thoroughly drunk!" Zhang Maolin replied heartily.

"No, no, no need to make it that complicated. Tonight, we'll just form a 'gang of two'! Haha... Thank goodness you aren't a woman, otherwise I'd be committing a grave error! Hahaha..." Teng Deming beamed brightly.

Zhang Maolin could clearly sense that Teng Deming was in an unusually good mood at this moment.

In the past, Teng Deming rarely displayed such an expression when visiting Songyang. Although Zhang Maolin did not yet know the exact purpose of the provincial branch vice president's visit, he could at least deduce that he wouldn't be carrying any heavy burdens. At the very least, Teng Deming wouldn't excessively grill him about business performance metrics on an occasion like this. Although Tan Yiwu had long since made his stance clear on the matter, Zhang Maolin still preferred to get the answer directly from Teng Deming, knowing full well the extraordinary clout this vice president wielded.

Among the provincial branch leadership, Teng Deming's professional competence was quite impressive. During many specialized work meetings, Teng Deming would frequently deliver long, extemporaneous speeches quoting headquarter documents word-for-word to add color and detail. While many initially dismissed this as the leader merely putting on a show by parroting slogans from above, observant colleagues who quietly cross-checked the documents later discovered that every single sentence and word matched with absolute precision.

This signature skill of Teng Deming's often commanded the utmost respect of many industry insiders. Combined with his habitually tyrannical and overbearing demeanor, even the top boss, Tan Yiwu, had to yield three points of courtesy when it came to executing specific business regulations. Over time, Teng Deming gradually monopolized the provincial branch's decision-making direction in numerous specialized fields, especially credit operations. It was precisely because of this consideration that Zhang Maolin constantly worried whether Songyang Branch's lagging performance indicators could pass muster with Teng Deming. He deeply feared that if this vice president chose to throw a wrench in the works, things would go disastrously wrong.

Yet, looking at Teng Deming's smiling face, Zhang Maolin felt somewhat reassured.

Zhang Maolin's internal musings were quickly interrupted by Teng Deming's voice.

"My friend, this is my first time back home since you were officially confirmed in your post. Coincidentally, today is the weekend, and since we've stumbled upon this 'unguarded' day, we simply must do justice to this romance! Heh... I've been tangled up in a mess of troubles at the provincial branch lately, and it's rare to find such a tranquil atmosphere. So, I have a proposal—let's not let anyone ruin the mood! How about we both simply switch off our phones?"

As he spoke, Teng Deming pulled his phone out of his pocket and said to Zhang Maolin, "Hey, my friend, you can't claim special privileges either. It's a must!"