Chapter Nine: The Emergence of the "Local Tyrant" (Part One)

Teng Deming’s gaze hesitated slightly. He pressed his phone almost exaggeratedly against his eyelid, staring intently at the incoming call display. Then, turning his face to glance at Zhang Maolin beside him, he immediately raised his voice and shouted:

“—Hello, Weixin! Oh, I’m at the hotel, just Maolin and me here. Yes, okay. Your driver doesn’t need to follow anymore. Alright, we’ll wait for you!”

Teng Deming hung up and whispered softly to Zhang Maolin:

“Brother, Manager Wang is coming soon. We’ll discuss the specific details regarding Wen Lu’s matter then.”

“Oh, really? So—am I convenient to stay here? According to the party committee’s prior regulations, every report from the special investigation team must be delivered directly to Manager Wang himself. That means, the information Manager Wang currently holds, I’m almost entirely unaware of!”

Zhang Maolin’s reply sounded somewhat hesitant.

“Oh, come on! If I call you a blockhead, you actually cooperate enthusiastically, huh? If they intended to conceal the matter from you, would they have bothered inviting you here?”

Teng Deming was indeed a bit impatient.

...

Hearing such a declaration, Zhang Maolin was secretly pleased!

Manager Wang Weixin stepped briskly into room 818, his toes lightly touching the ground, radiating vitality.

Wang Weixin’s demeanor truly exceeded Zhang Maolin’s expectations.

“Reporting to leadership, we’ve made headway verifying the sources of those large sums under Wen Lu’s name. Many details are beyond what anyone had imagined…”

Brimming with confidence, Wang Weixin looked at Teng Deming and Zhang Maolin and blurted out this bombshell as soon as he entered, then handed a thick stack of documents from his briefcase directly to Teng Deming.

---

Wang Weixin’s series of actions seemed to neither consider nor avoid Zhang Maolin, who sat upright nearby.

When taking his seat, Wang Weixin tugged a little at Zhang Maolin’s sleeve, signaling him to lean closer.

“Hmm, good. Results are what matter. Tell us the specific details.”

This time Teng Deming did not hesitate; he deftly pulled a cigarette from a soft pack of Chinese cigarettes, and Wang Weixin smiled, leaning in to light it.

“Brother Maolin, my addiction to smoking is quite severe—I’m about to give in! If the smoke bothers you, you’ll have to tough it out yourself or step outside for a bit,” Teng Deming said sincerely.

“No worries, no worries. I already prepared a mask in my bag before coming,” Zhang Maolin promptly said, donning a porcelain-white mask. He wondered if the long-anticipated valuable conversation was finally about to begin now that Teng Deming and Wang Weixin had joined forces.

Sure enough, Wang Weixin spoke first:

“All right, Manager, I’ll briefly report. Actually, verifying the sources of funds isn’t difficult in itself; it’s just that the volume of business involved is huge. Every related account and voucher must be examined and cross-checked. The city bank’s special investigation team’s final verification is: the 3 million yuan fixed deposit certificate was issued on the 1996 fiscal year-end date by the Songyang City Urban Credit Cooperative. Regarding the source of the funds, two sums of 1 million yuan each were remitted in September and October of that year from two trading companies in Guangdong and Fujian to our city branch’s ‘receivable remittance account’ under Wen Lu’s name. The other two sums—700,000 yuan and 300,000 yuan—were transferred from the Kanghong Group’s account. After these four sums arrived, they were all withdrawn and paid out on the afternoon of December 30, 1996. The next day, on the 31st, 3 million yuan in cash was deposited into the fixed deposit account of the Songyang City Urban Credit Cooperative in Wen Lu’s name.

Further verification by the investigation team revealed that the two sums totaling 1 million yuan transferred from the Kanghong Group to Wen Lu’s name were actually Wen Lu’s personal use of the Kanghong Group’s deposit account for transitional purposes. Based on original financial vouchers and related explanatory materials provided by Kanghong Group, it was concluded that Wen Lu had once entrusted Kanghong Group’s CFO, Mr. Wang, to help provide a molybdenum iron ore supply contract as proof of payment for the Fujian recipient. After the payment arrived, Kanghong Group directly transferred the funds to Wen Lu’s personal account. As for why Wen Lu used Kanghong Group’s corporate deposit account to transitionally transfer his personal funds, currently neither party can provide a reasonable explanation. The investigation team focused on reviewing the procedures and accounting entries involved in these telegraphic transfers, deposits, and payments—no irregularities were found. In other words, except for Wen Lu himself potentially being involved in disciplinary or legal violations, everyone else is clean; there is absolutely no evidence of collusion or cover-up…”

Wang Weixin answered Teng Deming’s questions fluently in a lengthy explanation. Feeling quite pleased with himself, he puffed out his chest and rolled up the sleeves of his Erdos cashmere sweater, making the golden “Omega” watch on his left wrist even more eye-catching.

“What are the exact names of the southern payers?” Teng Deming asked calmly.

“Oh, they all have prominent names. Various group companies and limited liability companies—I can’t recall the exact names, but the printed report has detailed records. Judging from the names alone, they’re basically all enterprises related to molybdenum iron ore mining, refining, and deep processing.”

---

Wang Weixin noticed Teng Deming glancing at his Omega watch from the side. While answering, he swiftly pulled down the rolled-up sleeves of his cashmere sweater again.

“Right, wasn’t there also a demand deposit of over 300,000 yuan? What’s the source of that?”

Teng Deming watched as Wang Weixin efficiently took out a beige leather-bound notebook from his bag.

Wang Weixin replied:

“Oh, that part’s a bit more complicated. The passbook was first issued in March 1994 and has been replaced three times since then. Transactions on this demand deposit passbook are extremely frequent, with fluctuations almost weekly. Most transactions are conducted via the other party’s credit card, so it’s hard to clarify. However, I have expressly instructed the investigation team that no matter how large the workload, every single transaction’s origin and destination must be thoroughly traced! We must ensure a flawless report to the provincial bank.”

Wang Weixin’s expression was one of solemn promise.

Teng Deming nodded in response:

“Hmm, not bad! To clarify several main issues in such a short time shows your city bank is proactive. I believe Manager Tan will definitely be satisfied.

However, I want to emphasize this: during the verification of funds, don’t let minor problems on our side lead to excessive disputes with corporate clients. We must particularly consider the harmony between banks and enterprises and at least avoid any misunderstandings from our actions. Especially for ‘golden’ key clients like Kanghong Group, we must remain rational and even courteous. Remember, such major clients are the foundation of Industrial Prosperity Bank’s survival and development. In today’s increasingly fierce financial market competition, whoever controls more client resources holds the advantage. So it’s not an exaggeration to say corporate clients are the lifeblood of our bank!”

Teng Deming leaned back slowly, hands cradling the back of his neck, no longer speaking—his gesture clearly signaling to the two beside him: I’m done; you may proceed.

Wang Weixin immediately understood this and respectfully leaned forward, saying:

“Please rest assured, Manager Teng and provincial bank leadership! We will be especially mindful of propriety in our work. This verification involves many financial data from Kanghong Group; we have coordinated with them in advance, and both sides fully understand, trust, and are happy with the process! We absolutely will not make foolish mistakes that lose the bigger picture!”

A broad smile spread across Wang Weixin’s face, reaching its peak.