Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 042

Chapter 42 ☆, Coercion and Enticement: Timeless Methods.

Xin Xin didn’t know why she was crying.

In today’s information-saturated society, people was would to evolve and lose all their emotions in order to adapt to society.

Back when Zhou Yiran broke up with her after graduation, she was heartbroken and tearful for a while. Now, those emotions seemed like a distant memory; she hadn’t felt that kind of emotional fluctuation in many years.

When she first joined Hengyang, she never imagined she would end up in the investment banking department. She was perfectly content with a junior finance position, earning an average salary and team performance bonuses.

The head of the investment banking department at that time had long since left and changed jobs, but Xin Xin still remembered that his team did not want girls.

Newly graduated young women sprang up liked mushrooms after rain, carried a whole bunch of finance professional certificates, and were eager to embrace the world.

In his eyes, they were only fit to work in the backstage area; they were no match for the boys who were at the bottom of the class in school. Years later, Xin Xin could hardly remember what that person’s name was, only that when they were assigned to their internships, he looked impatient.

“Why are they all girls? Our department only wants men.”

His sexist remarks had their own underlying logic: “When it came to hiring, men could go on business trips whenever they wanted, and they could go up mountains and down to construction sites. But if you hire a woman, she was on her period today, she cries tomorrow, and it is like every pore of her body is filled with emotional receptors. Is it for doing projects or having tea parties?”

Being a girl was already a capital offense, but a girl who cried a lot was even more unforgivable.

These events might not have an immediate impact on Xin Xin, but they subtly shaped her professional outlook.

Even during the most difficult times at work, she never shed a single tear. But for some reason, she would always unconsciously reveal her emotional side when she was in front of Zheng Zaochuan.

These tears may not necessarily be for Zheng Zaochuan.

In that instant, she recalled the scene of the two of them going for noodles and hiking together. The damp air, the silent night, and Zheng Zaochuan’s calm breathing. Back then, little Zheng Zaochuan was probably just like that, huddled in a dimly lit corner of the shop, sneaking around waiting for people to finish their meals, and grabbing a couple of bites of rice before the bowls were taken away.

When he couldn’t sleep at night, he’d go hiking, leaving his tears and sadness in the night.

Such specific imagination led her to Zhao Xi’s memories of Fu Meng from before, which also came to life in Xin Xin’s mind.

The frail girl gritted her teeth and moved the table but didn’t call for help. What was she thinking then? Was she thinking that one day she would make something of herself?

Everyone in the company knew about Fu Meng’s gossip, and they all thought she traded her looks for her future. Who cared about the days and nights she never left work?

Perhaps everyone was the same; they must have developed a heart of stone, mocked others today and dug up their scars tomorrow, and used the blood and tears of others as medicine to feed themselves in order to briefly gain a sense of happiness in life.

Xin Xin felt sorry for others, but she also felt sorry for herself for ruining her own relationships.

After she had vented her emotions, Zheng Zaochuan joked as if nothing had happened, “I told you I couldn’t tell you such sad stories. You reacted like this after hearing just one. What if I told you everything and you felt sorry for me and insisted on repaying me with your body?”

Xin Xin blew her nose and said in a muffled voice, “Then don’t worry; today I not only feel sorry for you but also for Zhao Xi and Fu Meng, and I feel sorry for myself as well.”

“I thought you were pitying me, but it turns out you’ve become enlightened?”

Xin Xin was amused by him. “Yes, I suddenly understand; this is probably why all living beings suffer.”

This minor incident did not affect their work progress. Xin Xin accelerated the investigation into Su Chengjie’s matter in order not to interfere with other work.

A week later, Xin Xin finally organized all the materials, packaged them, and sent them to the regulator.

To ensure the documents wouldn’t be returned, Xin Xin sent a copy to the relevant regulatory personnel. This time, she was fully prepared, having Wang Zhuo submit the materials in his own name.

Hearing that the higher-level regulator was under inspection, she wrote a separate report detailing the entire incident and sent a copy to the higher-level regulator at the same time.

Given the completeness of her current information, at most it would be deemed that her information was incomplete, but at the very least there would be a formal reply, and it wouldn’t be returned without cause.

Unexpectedly, news of Su Chengjie arrived so quickly. Xin Xin had just sent the documents when someone came to plead for her.

The person who pleaded for leniency orchestrated a series of twists and turns.

On Friday, just before leaving to get off work, Mary invited Xin Xin to dinner. When Xin Xin arrived at the dinner table, she discovered that there were other people besides Mary.

This woman wore an expensive dress, and her neck, fingers, and earlobes were adorned with a set of jadeite. The priceless jewelry enhanced her status but inevitably added to her age.

“Miss Xin, how have you been?”

The other person stood up to greet her, but Xin Xin was puzzled yet felt the face was familiar. She felt she had seen her more than once but couldn’t quite place her.

Mary’s eyes lit up, and she knew that Xin Xin had forgotten who this was. She said casually, “Sister Su from Chengxiang Textile. She came to the company on business today, and we happened to run into her. She said she and you are old acquaintances and invited you to have dinner together.”

In the blink of an eye, Xin Xin remembered.

It’s Su Meiling, the female entrepreneur who was once infatuated with Zheng Zaochuan but whose relationship was ruined by Xin Xin.

Xin Xin, after all, worked in the service industry, so having a photographic memory was a basic skill for her. The reason she had not recognized Ms. Su was simply because Ms. Su always looked different.

When she first met her, she was dashing and looked a bit fierce. The next time she saw her was when Fu Meng was working on a project for her; she still had long curly hair and bright red lips.

Now, seeing her again, her face was still the same. But her eyes and eyebrows seemed more delicate, and her hair was shorter. Besides the priceless decorations, there was also the amazing work of modern cosmetic surgery.

Xin Xin greeted her warmly, “Sister Su, you’re getting younger and younger; I didn’t recognize you at first.”

Women who have spent money on their faces didn’t want people to be unable to tell, but they also didn’t want others to be able to tell at a glance.

In this respect, Xin Xin did the best. Her praise was never discounted, without any intention of comparison or flattery.

Mary marveled inwardly.

As expected, Su Meiling’s wariness vanished, and she revealed a hint of goodwill: “Miss Xin is the same; every time I see her, she’s just like before.”

After exchanging pleasantries, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely.

The three chatted about financial news, the sluggish market, and then about Su Meiling’s company going public.

After going around in circles, Su Meiling naturally cut to the chase: “I heard before that Miss Xin and President Zheng are engaged. When do you plan to get married?”

Xin Xin was taken aback and was about to ask where the rumor came from.

Mary interrupted, “She and President Zheng are living together now, but they haven’t registered their marriage yet. Nobody in the company knows. How did you find out about such a big secret, Sister Su?”

Su Meiling laughed and said, “Neither of us is married, so what’s there to keep secret? I have a client manager at Dongyin Bank, surnamed Zhou. He’s supposedly an old friend of Miss Xin’s, and I only heard him mention him by chance.”

It must be Zhou Yiran.

Xin Xin sighed inwardly, marveling at how small the world was.

Mary gave Xin Xin a teasing look, then turned serious and said, “What a coincidence; this Mr. Zhou has been married for many years, but I didn’t expect him to still pay so much attention to Xin Xin’s activities.”

Su Meiling smiled without saying a word, “That’s how it is between men and women. When life is not going well, they think of their old friends. But once they meet someone better, they won’t think of anyone else anymore.”

As she spoke, Su Meiling seemingly unintentionally showed off her finger adorned with a crystal-clear jade ring. “When you’re young, who doesn’t want to find someone they love? But at my age, I feel that you still need to find someone who loves you, someone who truly cares for you.”

Xin Xin smiled and said, “Indeed, having a good partner makes a person feel young and energetic.”

These words struck a chord with Su Meiling, filling her with immense comfort. Su Meiling’s current husband was more than ten years older than her, but he was wealthy and very tolerant of her. Although his appearance was average, he was otherwise impeccable.

Compared to the elegant and handsome Zheng Zaochuan, he was somewhat lacking.

But looking at Xin Xin, even after all these years, she still had a meek and submissive demeanor, and she still hadn’t gotten the ticket to become Zheng Zaochuan’s legal wife.

Life may not be easy.

After secretly comparing the options in her mind, Su Meiling suppressed her smugness and tentatively revealed her ultimate intention for the evening: “Miss Xin, do you know President Su of Fengchun Group?”

Xin Xin was stunned for a moment and almost bit her tongue.

Su Chengjie, Su Meiling.

As expected, Su Meiling smiled and said, “Su Chengjie is my uncle. Speaking of which, it’s thanks to my uncle’s discerning eye that President Zheng was able to build such a large business. I heard that President Zheng and he had some unpleasantness recently. Does Miss Xin know about this?”

Xin Xin was caught off guard by this question and didn’t know how to answer.

Mary didn’t know the details, but she could tell that this dinner party was not accidental and there was probably some hidden story behind it.

“I’m not very clear about what’s going on inside Zheng Zaochuan’s company.”

Su Meiling changed the subject. “I heard that someone is using private accounts to try to manipulate the stock price of Fengchun Group?”

Xin Xin frowned, realizing that Su Meiling had come prepared, and she had to be on high alert. “Yes, we did find some relevant clues, and we did everything in accordance with the complaint procedures.”

Su Meiling smiled and took off the jade ring from her hand. She warmly took Xin Xin’s hand and said, “Miss Xin, you have fair skin. I think this ring looks better on you than on me. I’ve known Zheng Zaochuan for many years, and we’re also destined to meet. Please don’t mind this ring; consider it a small gift from me.”

Xin Xin sneered inwardly, knowing that Su Meiling must have come to plead for mercy. Having already offered bribes, she would most likely follow up with coercion.

“Miss Su, I cannot accept a reward without having done anything in return.”

Su Meiling’s smile remained unchanged. “How could it be a waste of effort? If we can find out who is trying to manipulate the stock price of Fengchun Group, that would be a great help to my uncle. From both a moral and logical standpoint, it cannot be considered a waste of effort.”

Upon hearing this, Xin Xin understood that Su Meiling was both giving her a way out and reminding her that continuing the investigation would not lead her to Su Chengjie.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere between the two, Mary quickly tried to smooth things over. “Sister Su, you don’t know how proper Xin Xin is. We’ve been friends for so many years; she would always reciprocate if she ate an extra meal from me. She won’t accept such a big gift.”

Su Meiling didn’t insist and put the ring back on her finger. “I was too abrupt, but I really feel a connection with Ms. Xin. I’ve decided to be her friend. You must invite me to your wedding in the future.”

After saying that, she didn’t mention Fengchun Group again, and the three of them happily finished their meal.

As soon as the dinner ended, Mary began to interrogate and torture her.

“What’s going on? Are you hiding something from me again?”

Xin Xin gave a wry smile and poured out all the details to Mary: how she discovered that someone was manipulating stocks with multiple accounts, how she found clues about Su Chengjie’s illegal activities, how Su Chengjie and Zheng Zaochuan were having a huge fight, and how she spent her days at home meticulously trying to find evidence.

Mary has been dealing with her emotional battles lately. Little did she know that while she was slacking off at work every day, Xin Xin was navigating the unpredictable world of business. Mary couldn’t help but sigh and wanted to say something.

In the end, it all boiled down to one sentence: “You really love your job. I knew you were serious, but I never expected that you two, a man and a woman, would be alone in a room for so long and that your evening entertainment would be so innocent.”

The last sentence she didn’t say was, “Is it you who’s not good enough, or is it him who’s not good enough?”