Chapter Thirteen: Brewing (Part 5)

Zhang Maolin scrutinized Tao Shouli with a solemn expression and said meaningfully, "Old friend, your sentiment is clearly a case of loving the house and its crow. You are mistakenly tethering our personal friendship to your assessment of a team. If the starting point is narrow or biased, the conclusion drawn will inevitably be incorrect, which is why I firmly oppose this attitude of yours. Furthermore, I must warn you: I do not wish to hear such opinions again, nor will I permit you to voice them to others. Regardless of where my next steps lead, you must not fabricate such public opinion on my behalf! Otherwise, outsiders will not only fail to understand your intentions, but they are also highly likely to conjure up unnecessary trouble out of thin air. The negative impact of the previous Wen Lu incident on our Xing Shang Bank has yet to dissipate; if further controversy arises because of me, I, Zhang Maolin, would be beyond redemption."

Zhang Maolin wore a grave expression and pressed his palms together in a gesture of plea toward Tao Shouli.

"Look at you, what is with this neurotic act?" Tao Shouli replied sheepishly. "I understand your point, but we are just speaking heart-to-heart behind closed doors! Then again, no one is perfect, and that applies to both of us. To be the 'number one' at the Songyang branch of Xing Shang Bank—or, to put it more precisely, to be a *qualified* 'number one'—I believe you must change, or even undergo a metamorphosis, particularly regarding that overly pronounced, black-and-white nature of yours. Note that I emphasize *must*, not *should*! Otherwise, even if you, Old Zhang, were to tear out your own heart and lungs to show others, it might not yield a good result. Because over these years, the hearts of the rank-and-file employees have been thoroughly frozen and broken..."

Zhang Maolin asked, "Oh? Are you saying that even for me, Zhang Maolin, the chance to act as a martyr like Chancellor Bi Gan is hard to come by?"

Tao Shouli replied, "Wrong. I don't mean that the employees of the Songyang branch don't appreciate you. On the contrary, I can guarantee that they would all give you, Zhang Maolin, a thumbs up! I am merely reminding you to be extra cautious of those around you who are highly likely to undermine you from the shadows. At the same time, pay attention to marketing your relationship with those above. You must ensure that at a professional level, you have someone covering and supporting you! I dare say that in the development space of the Songyang Xing Shang Bank over these years, it has been filled with all sorts of factions, each topped by figures who consider themselves masters of their own domains. Once you ignore the people at the top of those peaks, obstacles and troubles in your work will follow one after another. What is harmony? It is not enough to rely on the applause of subordinates; what is crucial is that you must have the nod of approval from those above! Applause from below is, at best, just window dressing, while the support from behind and the halo above your head are your core energy! In this regard, I think you could reference the administrative template of your President Wang Weixin. I remember Wen Lu once sighing in admiration of your President Wang in front of me; he said the leader’s managerial tactics far exceed the seventy-two transformations of Sun Wukong! Ha! He emphasized *tactics*, not just methods. Can you, Old Zhang, grasp the depth of that?"

Tao Shouli asked with a smile, looking up at the stiffly standing Zhang Maolin.

"Hmm! That is a sharp question. And the analysis is indeed very logical. It sounds like the secret, hard-won wisdom of an old hand in the industry! Enough for me, Old Zhang, to spend half a lifetime contemplating. Hehe..." Zhang Maolin nodded in appreciation.

Tao Shouli’s earnest "counsel" continued: "Even if you successfully take office as the top leader, there is one person on those peaks you must treat with constant sensitivity. Let me put it another way: whether the internal team of the Songyang Xing Shang Bank can operate harmoniously depends on whether your relationship with him is cordial, or at least maintains a facade of coordination. This is crucial, as it directly determines whether the chair you sit on will remain stable."

"You are referring to Yin Sen, aren't you?" Zhang Maolin asked coolly.

"Exactly. Through years of painstaking management and the accumulation of connections, I believe the faction held by Vice President Yin is the largest, and the 'evil wind' it generates is the fiercest! I am certain that among the current deputies, the ones harboring resentment due to your promotion are not Bian Zecheng or Liu Wanyi—it is Yin Sen alone. It is safe to say that this guy has been plotting for years, and he has truly put in the effort! Yet, the position of Wang Weixin did not go to him, but fell into your hands; that is indeed perplexing. It was because I considered this link that I didn't fully believe it when I received Tao Ye's call this morning.

"Yin Sen is indeed a man of extraordinary energy, and even more so, a narrow-minded and treacherous character. He reached the deputy director level in his thirties and was once the youngest official at that level in the provincial Xing Shang Bank system. Everyone in the Songyang branch knows that Yin Sen has an unusual family background and a personality that is arrogant and condescending; working with such an 'extreme' person is difficult.

"Furthermore, Bian Zecheng and Liu Wanyi cannot be ignored. They are both significantly younger than you, and there may even be a generational gap. Human hearts are subtle, and the world is unpredictable. These vice presidents each have their own factions, resources, and deep-seated schemes; no one can easily read them. As a full-time disciplinary secretary, you could perhaps blend in with everyone in a muddled, jovial atmosphere. But as the top leader, you must reorganize your relationships with all sides—horizontal and vertical—and you must think through everything with extreme care!"

"My old friend, your analysis is perfectly reasonable! But there is one point you may not have considered," Zhang Maolin said.

"Oh, what is that?" Tao Shouli asked.

Zhang Maolin replied, "According to the current personnel system requirements of Xing Shang Bank and the provincial branch's staffing regulations for secondary branches, a city-level branch must be equipped with a 'five-person team' model: one principal and four deputies. Moreover, among the four deputies, two must oversee front-office asset and liability business respectively, one must be a full-time disciplinary secretary in charge of supervision and security, and one must be a union president in charge of party and mass work—all these are mandatory requirements from above! However, looking at the status of secondary branches across the province, only our Songyang branch is equipped with only one business vice president. This in itself severely violates the mutual supervision and check-and-balance mechanisms of leadership division. But during the years Wang Weixin has held the reins, he has always maintained this awkward model. For this reason, I once specifically argued with him, and the result was that President Wang just laughed it off. Later, I once chatted about this topic with President Bian Zecheng by chance, and that kid just said half-jokingly that our Songyang branch's front-office business volume is incomparable to other city branches; with Vice President Yin holding the fort alone, it’s enough to handle it with one hand tied behind his back. A good dog can guard the house; no matter how many mice there are, they will eventually be fed to the cat! To this day, I still don't fully understand what he meant by that cryptic remark."