Chapter 20: The Trump Card (Part 5)

Zhang Maolin was completely thrown into turmoil! Teng Deming's cynical philosophy of the underworld had suddenly struck deep into the blind spots of his heart. Facing this sanctimonious "underworld boss," Zhang Maolin had to admit just how superficial his own worldly understanding truly was!

Clearly, Teng Deming did not notice the internal changes in Zhang Maolin. He continued to expound eloquently:

"I might as well give you an example from around us: As you know, President Yi Wuhang has been at the helm of our provincial branch for six or seven years. During this period, he has gone through three secretaries successively. The first two both held master's degrees, and especially the second secretary was a talented woman proficient in both Chinese literature and finance. As a result, both were dropped during their probationary periods, and the young people who originally harbored infinite fantasies about the future ultimately left in tears! Of course, the reasons behind this are very complicated, and we won't make wild guesses. However, what leaves many people quite baffled is that President Tan's current secretary is a junior staff member over thirty years old, transferred up from a grassroots branch, with merely a correspondence undergraduate degree. It is said that before his transfer, he only served as the office director of a grassroots sub-branch. With such a meager background, after serving our boss for a mere half a year, even before his probation period ended, he actually got all his paperwork sorted out by a transfer order personally signed and approved by Lao Tan himself!

Regarding this little secretary, Lao Tan praises him to everyone he meets for being meticulous, considerate, and highly perceptive in his work, with an exceptional sense of conscientiousness, creativity, and especially strong adherence to principles. Of course, even if beaten to death, I could never figure out the real reason for Lao Tan's high praise. But what I can intuitively sense is that this young fellow is indeed exceptionally slick, fast on his feet, sweet-talking, and quick-witted. President Tan has a habit of taking evening strolls, and he particularly loves walking his dog. That little secretary catered to his preferences, following him like a shadow every day, and gradually became an honored guest at President Tan's temporary residence in the provincial capital. I heard that whenever Lao Tan's wife returns to her hometown in the south to attend to family affairs, the little secretary simply eats and lives at President Tan's place. Every day, he bathes the dog, feeds it, and cleans its kennel right on schedule. Such diligence actually won the heartfelt approval of the 'emperor dowager' at home. Can you old Zhang understand the special effect triggered by this operation?"

"Well, I suppose it's not necessarily all because of that reason, is it? Perhaps this young man has an exceptionally brilliant writing style. In fact, judging from the current practical work demands of our Prosperity Commercial Bank, business capability might really have nothing to do with those messy, worthless diplomas!"

Zhang Maolin replied somewhat evasively.

"Humph. If it were truly as you understand it, I wouldn't be wasting my breath here! I've read the bullshit materials that kid wrote; they are simply completely nonsensical!" Teng Deming said dismissively.

"Then—then why is it?" Zhang Maolin was puzzled.

"That's because he manages to accompany President Tan on dog-walking duty right on time every single day! Even if President Tan has social engagements in the evening and doesn't return to his residence, the little secretary will still hop on his bicycle with eager enthusiasm to fulfill that sacred duty of his as usual. This little brat is truly an outstanding young man excelling in both 'loyalty and filial piety'!"

Teng Deming's praise was clearly tinged with contempt.

"Ah?! Could it really be like this? Is this looking for a secretary or hiring a servant?!" Zhang Maolin opened his mouth wide, looking at Teng Deming half in doubt.

"You don't believe it? Well, that's hardly surprising, because you simply don't understand President Tan's deeper needs, so you can't grasp his intentions from the appropriate perspective. I don't know if southerners all carry this kind of 'implicit' disposition, but President Tan himself is certainly like this. When he usually communicates about business with us, members of the leadership team, and subordinates, he never fully or proactively expresses his true intentions; instead, he often leaves the other party to guess, ponder, and judge. Tell me, isn't this tormenting?

To mention nothing else, just look at the credit inspection task he assigned to your Songyang Branch a few days ago. Frankly, beforehand, I really had no idea what special instructions or specific requirements he gave you that caused the Songyang City Branch to make such a massive mobilization, digging three feet into the ground to unearth their ancestors' graves, showing a distinct style reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution! Let me tell you, even with this kind of 'loyal' prostrating implementation on your part, you might not necessarily hit President Tan's 'sweet spot' accurately. According to my analysis, there's a nine-out-of-ten chance that your specific implementation deviated from President Tan's original intention!"

"But—but at the time, President Tan's attitude on this matter was indeed very clear, very strict, and very serious!" Zhang Maolin was getting somewhat anxious! Unable to suppress his inner impulse any longer, he felt that in the face of Teng Deming's obviously insulting admonition, it was necessary for him to lay out President Tan Yiwu's original viewpoints in full.

"Brother Maolin, will you let me finish what I have to say?!" Teng Deming stopped Zhang Maolin's interruption rather rudely once again, raising both hands level with his shoulders as if warning the other party that he must listen to his expression at the moment:

"There is a rather popular 'term' nowadays called 'dynamic thinking.' My understanding of it is that one must look at problems with a developmental philosophy. Times are changing, situations are changing, people's hearts are changing, but the only thing that remains unchanged is the word 'interest.' A leader's mindset is likewise, and even more changeable than an ordinary person's. Compared to ordinary people, a leader's living space is much larger, and their 'tentacles' are much more complicated. Of course, the 'tentacles' I speak of refer to those internal and external factors closely related to the leaders themselves. These unknown factors are constantly changing and updating, and even the slightest change can alter a leader's decision-making mindset or angle of considering problems. Today, I can responsibly tell you: last week, the Provincial Branch Personnel Department received a new document from the Head Office, making it clear that in the near future, they will adjust the appointments of 'top leaders' of provincial branches who are on cross-regional rotations. Those who have served for five full years must return to their original dispatched institutions for a new round of job appointments. According to this rigid requirement, Lao Tan is currently serving beyond his term! Think about it carefully, would he go looking for trouble at this 'critical juncture'? As for your so-called instructions from him? Oh, circumstances alter cases, haha, you can slowly savor these messages yourself!..."

"Oh, in that case, we should first summarize the phased situation formed earlier and report it to the Provincial Branch, to see what President Tan's attitude is," Zhang Maolin asked tentatively.

"Mmm. That actually sounds like a good method. May I understand it as you testing the waters?" Teng Deming asked shrewdly.

"Since President Branch Leader Teng has given such painstaking guidance, how could Maolin dare disobey?! Everyone is just doing it for the work, you don't think I, Zhang Maolin, am passionate about being a stubborn mule doing thankless work that requires painstaking effort for no reward, do you?" Zhang Maolin said.

"Hahaha. Good! Good! It's right for you to think about problems this way!" Teng Deming's face showed joy! He then asked:

"There is one more matter to discuss with you, and that is about Wen Lu. Has your city branch formed a final resolution on this yet?"