Chapter Three: The Worries of the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission (Part Two)

Listening to Wang Weixin’s almost divine fluency in his confession, Zhang Maolin suddenly felt that the other must have thoroughly prepared before speaking to him like this.

Watching Wang Weixin’s somewhat strange expression, Zhang Maolin couldn’t help but recall the scene from past annual financial closing staff dinners: Wang Weixin, dressed in a suit and glowing with vitality, standing on the podium, gripping the microphone firmly in one hand and holding a wine glass filled with red wine in the other, looking down at hundreds of subordinates below with respect, submission, admiration, and awe, freely showcasing his unique eloquence and impassioned, generous impromptu speeches...

Wang Weixin gradually calmed down and sat on the sofa, sipping tea quietly. Zhang Maolin looked at Wang Weixin’s glossy, jet-black curly hair and slowly said:

“Once a person dies, they cannot be brought back to life! What we can do is only to make what remains acceptable and recognized by the living. I have told you before, Wen Lu’s parents are simple farmers, while his in-laws are retired senior officials with status and positions. The ideological awareness of these elders is not inferior to ours; they would never cause unnecessary trouble for the organization. On this point, I still have confidence. What’s regrettable is that, at our Songyang City Commercial Bank, talents like Wen Lu, who are both responsible and proficient in credit business, are truly rare. His sudden passing is a significant loss to our overall work! Especially for credit operations, I estimate this huge negative impact will not see obvious improvement in the short term.”

Zhang Maolin deliberately slowed his speech. He felt that at this moment, there was no better way to remind Wang Weixin, who seemed inexplicably excited.

“Yes, yes! Such a rare good seedling just suddenly destroyed! Regretful beyond regret, lamentable beyond lament!” Wang Weixin sighed, furrowing his brow.

“Director Wang, these past days I’ve had a lingering doubt in my mind, and I don’t know whether I should discuss it with you? I know your mood must be heavy too, but this is a matter our leadership team cannot avoid or escape. That is—”

Zhang Maolin hesitated in his words.

“What is it, Old Zhang? There are only the two of us here. Publicly or privately, what secrets could we brothers possibly hide from each other? Any difficulty, any conflict—if we two brothers stick together for warmth, what obstacle could there be?”

Just as Wang Weixin stood up, it seemed as if someone had suddenly pulled him hard, and he slumped onto the sofa, absentmindedly grabbing Zhang Maolin’s teacup and gulping it down.

Zhang Maolin gave a faint bitter smile and said:

“I heard from others that it was Wen Lu himself driving the car, and the vehicle was not even one of ours from the city bank. More seriously, it’s said he was driving under the influence. Are these seemingly baseless rumors actually true? And how do you view this yourself?”

Wang Weixin did not answer immediately. He looked up at Zhang Maolin’s stubbled chin and asked:

“Old Zhang, do you believe those rumors?”

Zhang Maolin replied:

“Based on what I know of Wen Lu, I have absolutely no reason to believe them, because these details do not match his character at all. Since the autumn two years ago, after Director Miao from the provincial bank died in a car accident while driving on a business trip, the provincial bank issued three driving bans for leaders during work hours. Over the years, the provincial bank has repeatedly emphasized this matter in writing, something I’ve never seen before. You remember, at the special meeting convened by the city bank, Wen Lu was the first to speak and even suggested that all middle managers submit written commitments and personally handed in his driver’s license to the city bank union on the spot. Because of this, some whispered he was showing off or being unconventional. A man with such awareness and rationality—how could he commit the foolish act of drunk driving? If it is true, it would indeed be an inexplicable mystery.”

Wang Weixin answered:

“Mm, right, right, these are also things I’ve considered. I guess Wen Lu must have encountered an extremely special situation that day. At least, one we cannot currently guess or imagine.”

Wang Weixin closed his eyes, lightly tapping his forehead with his right fist, then lazily added:

“Although none of us want to believe it, it is true—indeed true! According to the traffic police’s conclusion, Wen Lu’s car bore full responsibility for this fatal traffic accident.”

Wang Weixin slowly shook his head. These slow words and his helpless expression completely shattered Zhang Maolin’s last lingering hope.

Looking at Zhang Maolin, Wang Weixin hesitated slightly before saying:

“I think Tao Kan must have leaked all this to you, right? Actually, I guessed these details couldn’t be hidden from anyone. Almost everyone at the provincial bank already knows. The saying goes, ‘Good news stays indoors; bad news travels a thousand miles.’ These sensitive matters spread like they have wings, moving fast. But how could that rascal Tao Kan be unaware and casually spread it around? Wen Lu was his own brother-in-law after all!”

Wang Weixin looked up and rolled his eyes at Zhang Maolin.

“Director Wang, I never confirmed that the information I got came from Tao Kan. What makes you think so?”

Zhang Maolin’s face suddenly flushed.

“Oh? He isn’t? Haha, then that’s strange!”

Wang Weixin instantly showed a very inscrutable expression. He turned, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled, as if letting the gray-white smoke travel through his entire being.

Seeing Wang Weixin remain silent, Zhang Maolin continued:

“I also heard that when the city bank delivered Wen Lu’s car to the provincial bank building, it was directly picked up by the executive car of Kanghong Group’s provincial office director waiting there...”

As he spoke, Zhang Maolin saw smoke swirling around Wang Weixin’s head.

“Oh? That’s the first time I’ve heard that detail.”

Wang Weixin firmly crushed the cigarette butt in the ashtray and took over the conversation:

“Brother Maolin, do you know? These days I haven’t had a single peaceful night’s sleep.”

He then let out a long yawn, slowly stood up, and gently patted Zhang Maolin’s shoulder:

“For now, there’s no need to waste energy chasing those hearsay details! You’re right—once a person dies, it’s like a lamp going out. Every moment on Earth someone is born, and someone disappears; death is unavoidable! We must face it with the right attitude and courage. After all, what no one wants has already happened—happened truly. When the enemy comes, we must resist; when the water comes, we must dam it!”

Wang Weixin’s tone was filled with clear helplessness, followed by a bitter smile:

“One vote veto, one vote veto, brother! This is the so-called ‘red line’ set long ago by the provincial bank. Although this is not a criminal case, Wen Lu, as a mid-level manager of a major department in the city bank, caused a fatal drunk-driving accident in another city during work hours! That surely counts as a 'world-shaking' feat! The head of the provincial personnel department has already privately told me that this year, our Songyang City Bank no longer needs to consider striving for excellence or advancement. That’s good, that’s good! No more hopes, no more waiting; no need to kowtow for a few commendations or certificates. This actually kills hope, destroys illusions, stops pointless efforts, and refreshes the body and mind—just damn it all!”

Wang Weixin furiously flicked his sleeves, cursing vehemently.

Zhang Maolin was speechless, staring blankly at him. He clearly hadn’t expected Wang Weixin to suddenly burst out in anger like this.

Wang Weixin stepped forward, grasping Zhang Maolin’s shoulder:

“Brother! Do you understand my feelings? Right now, let’s not expect any good fortune to come to the Songyang branch. What we can do is wholeheartedly take care of Wen Lu’s affairs after death, ensuring this upheaval passes smoothly! This is the repeated request of Vice Governor Teng from the provincial bank. After all, he is an old leader who came from Songyang, with strong hometown loyalty—showing the pricelessness of family affection! We, as subordinates, must deeply understand Vice Governor Teng’s heartfelt concern!”

Wang Weixin deliberately paused, gazing quietly at Zhang Maolin.

Zhang Maolin knew Wang Weixin’s habit: when speaking on stage, whenever he reached what he considered a key point, he would deliberately create a pause and then ask the audience how many points he had just emphasized. If the audience failed to respond correctly, Wang Weixin would not hesitate to rebuke or even harshly scold them on the spot.

Now, Zhang Maolin was not worried Wang Weixin would ask him, but he still instinctively leaned forward slightly, signaling, “Go ahead, I’m listening carefully!”

Sure enough, clearing his throat, Wang Weixin emphasized:

“Understanding is not enough; the key is to implement quickly. We should anticipate the future direction of this matter before the Wen family acts, making sure they feel the full warmth the organization provides! Brother, among our leadership, you are the only local from Songyang. Everyone knows you and Wen Lu’s father-in-law, Tao Shouli, have a lifelong friendship. So, about the city bank party committee’s attitude in handling this matter, I dare to confide in you—nothing else matters now! The only thing we must strive for is to secure as much financial compensation as possible for the Wen and Tao families within the provincial bank’s policy scope! I think, besides the regular death benefits, we should pay as much additional subsidy as possible. Any expenses exceeding personnel department regulations should be separately accounted under ‘other expenses’ in non-operating expenditure by the finance department. As for other minor issues, they’re not worth our time and energy to argue over; we can directly assign the city bank’s union to handle them specifically.”

“Those who have left cannot be brought back! Everything we do is for the living to see and judge. Otherwise, we would be betraying Comrade Wen Lu’s memory and all his past contributions to the city bank. Moreover—and this is important—it would make it hard for you to explain yourself to the Tao family!”

Wang Weixin once again firmly grasped Zhang Maolin’s hand.

Faced with President Wang Weixin’s heartfelt and moving words, Zhang Maolin was completely speechless!

Wang Weixin’s long, touching, and gentle speech enveloped Zhang Maolin like an impenetrable net from every direction. Although Zhang Maolin sensed this was Wang Weixin’s way of self-justification, self-packaging, and self-promotion, the emotional, reasonable, and logical nature of his words suppressed all of Zhang Maolin’s subconscious spontaneous reactions. Under this forced high-pressure feeling, Zhang Maolin instantly lost all resistance and could only obediently be a listener and recipient.

Indeed, Zhang Maolin had to admit that the current situation was exactly as Wang Weixin had analyzed. At this moment, Zhang Maolin deeply realized that the string of questions that had been dwelling in his heart these past few days were like balloons suddenly popped, drifting away until they vanished without a trace...

“Brother, everyone has been exhausted these days. I asked the office to arrange something special for tonight. How about we go out for a feast? What do you think?”

Wang Weixin’s leg had already stepped over the threshold. He turned his body and looked back at Zhang Maolin.

“No, no. My stomach hasn’t felt well. I’ll just go home and have some porridge. You all go ahead.”

Zhang Maolin replied indifferently.

…