Rules, Signatures, and a New Trend
Good morning, Mr. Bennett!
A bank employee was locking his car when Bennett's car happened to park right next to him. He had to immediately stop what he was doing, give him a look, and greet him with a "good morning."
Recently, people have noticed that Bennett is in high spirits, more approachable than ever before, and very passionate and energetic at work.
This makes it hard for bank employees not to compare the passionate Bennett with the low-key, almost invisible Mr. Qiao Geliman.
Without comparison, people didn't notice anything too serious, but once they did, they realized that if Mr. Bennett were to actually take over Mr. Qiao Geliman's job, it wouldn't be unacceptable to the people in the bank.
In institutions like banks, factionalism is very prevalent. People don't like managers from branches or headquarters; they prefer those who have risen through the ranks from the bottom.
This emotional resistance and need largely stems from interpersonal relationships, but on this issue, they all sided with Bennett.
"Good morning to you too!" Bennett replied as he pushed open the door and came down, also mentioning the other person's name, which filled the bank employee standing on the other side with a certain radiance.
The two nodded and parted ways. Bennett greeted people as he walked to his office, clearly in a great mood.
Last night, he and Annie went to see an opera. He could tell that Annie didn't like the somewhat serious atmosphere of the opera house, nor did she like opera itself, but it was a crucial part of Upper Class life.
Cultured people talk about art most of the time. They discuss opera, oil painting, and all things related to these topics. So, if you want to integrate into Upper Class, you must first improve your manners and taste.
Don't touch those vulgar things anymore.
Although Annie was impatient and not very settled, at least she managed to sit down and keep him company through the wonderful evening. They applauded the opera singers' brilliant performance, strolled through the streets under the stars, and had dinner together.
He watched Annie transform rapidly from a stripper into a member of Upper Class who conformed to his aesthetic standards, which delighted him greatly, especially the feeling of dominance, which filled the void Bennett had always felt in terms of relationships and family.
This is what real life is like, a perfect life.
As soon as he entered the office, his secretary brought him coffee. He used to be somewhat interested in his secretary, but now he wasn't so interested anymore. After all, Annie was much better than that bitch.
Without hesitation, he took his coffee and asked his secretary to close the door when she left, then began to work.
A man can be happy with both his career and family.
Immersed in his work, Bennett quickly finished some simple tasks, and then came the "big" work, a word the branch staff liked to use to describe the amount of work.
Upon opening the first file folder, which was a full inch thick, Bennett's expression turned serious and earnest. It was a commissioned task given to the bank by the Local Court and the City Hall.
To prevent fraud in Foreclosure Auction, the Federal government unanimously passed a bill in Congress that mandates third-party Foreclosure Auction, meaning that judicial institutions and local governments do not have the authority to conduct auctions, but they do have the power to oversee them.
This seems to be a way to largely solve some of the fraud, at least that's what both the person who proposed the idea and those who voted to pass it thought.
Previously, there was extensive media coverage in Sabine City about the life problems of workers with deformities and disabilities caused by the Listoan Chemical production accident. They not only had to endure physical pain, but also various expenses that they could not afford. In the end, they could only be abandoned by their families and die on the roadside or in Welfare Home.
The report's truthful and relatable content resonated deeply with various sectors of society, even impacting cities in Other States. Citizens in some of these cities requested their City Hall to investigate whether similar incidents had occurred in their areas.
In short, this incident has had a significant impact, prompting petitions from citizens and obtaining approval from the state judge and the Federal Department of Justice in Bayer Federation. The Sabine City has initiated a series of compensation procedures, including the process of asset auction.
I don't know if the bank is particularly good at lobbying, but they managed to get this great opportunity. This really made Bennett feel more favorably toward the current bank president. At least he is doing things and has achieved results.
He began reviewing the documents. The City Hall had sealed off a warehouse and Production Workshop of a Light Industrial Production facility under the Listoan Group, and a large number of pneumatic sewing machines and some related machinery used in production were put on the auction list.
In addition, there are some raw materials for production. The City Hall has given them a minimum price that they can afford. In other words, the auction result from the bank must be higher than this minimum price, otherwise there will be a lot of trouble during the handover.
Bennett glanced at it; the price wasn't high, it was even a bit low.
However, considering the current economic climate, the price the City Hall is asking for is quite reasonable. Not many people will be interested in these machines suitable for production, and nobody knows what will happen next. Buying these machines now would be like buying a pile of scrap metal.
But if we hire workers to produce it, the cost would be too high.
After confirming that the documents and legal procedures were complete, Bennett began to process them according to the rules and regulations. First, he had to send some documents to the bank manager for approval, and then communicate with the City Hall to confirm the bank's revenue.
Finally, he needs to apply to the bank for a venue for the auction. If the City Hall does not designate one, the last step is to fill out an invitation card and prepare an auction announcement.
There are actually many interesting little tricks in this regard. People often hear that assets auctioned at a certain auction are very cheap, like finding a bargain. But these are just rumors, and it's difficult for ordinary people to participate.
The bank's announcements will never appear in newspapers or anywhere else; they will only appear in internal bank notices, thus cutting off the outside world from knowing about them.
There are probably only two types of people who can actually participate in such auctions. One type is bank employees themselves and their relatives and friends. If there are some small, cheap items being auctioned, these people will become the main participants. For example, some government vehicles that have gone bankrupt are worth less than scrap metal here! The other type is people who are invited by the bank. These people are often those who have a good working relationship with the bank or have huge deposits in the bank. They meet the bank's invitation criteria—they have enough money to spend.
As for others, they can probably only "hear about" it and then feel envious, but as for participating?
That's impossible.
Apart from needing to consult with the bank manager, which required his personal involvement, all other tasks could be handled by "drafting a document," which involved writing down his own opinions, providing a specific direction and goal, and then delegating the rest to others.
For example, applying for auction venues is something Bennett couldn't do himself by going to the City Hall to make the application or coordinating with other departments to use the bank's own premises; it was all done by the people outside his office.
He thought the matter would be resolved quickly, but an unexpected problem arose.
"This document doesn't have Qiao Geliman's signature..." This was the bank manager's answer after reviewing his decision. "Qiao Geliman As the head of the bank's Credit Department and also in charge of the auction, you need his approval before I can sign this document!"
The bank manager casually tossed the documents back onto the table. "Our partner is the City Hall, not some department within the bank. We must follow the rules!" he said, straightening the triangular nameplate on the table facing Bennett, which read "Bank Manager."
Having worked at the branch for so many years, Bennett certainly understood the bank manager's meaning. Of course, he didn't misunderstand it as dissatisfaction with him, since the bank manager had made it very clear that this was the rule.
Furthermore, his signature had to be placed after or below Qiao Geliman to show his respect for the rules within the bank, as well as the underlying rules of society.
If you don't respect these rules, the rules will slap you in the face.
Bennett was past the age of challenging authority; he immediately took the document and left the bank manager's office, finding Qiao Geliman in another office.
When he opened the door, Qiao Geliman was playing golf in his office. He had a winding Bowling Alley that was about thirty feet long (ten meters) and five feet wide (one and a half meters) wide, as well as a portable Bowling Alley with a green about ten feet in diameter.
This type of Bowling Alley is popular in many places, and golf is gradually replacing polo as one of the "New Nobles" sports. This is also a social transformation, and there are always some generation gaps and clashes between the new generation of capitalists and the old generation of capitalists.
The older generation was as enthusiastic about polo as the new generation of capitalists were about golf.
When the door opened, Qiao Geliman didn't immediately stop what he was doing. He remained standing at the striking point, constantly calculating how much force he needed to get the ball into the hole.
"Wait a minute, let me finish this shot!"
Just as he finished speaking, he made a putt almost like a textbook example, and the golf ball rolled down the Bowling Alley, slowly approaching the hole until it fell in!
"A beautiful shot!" Qiao Geliman commented before putting the club back in the barrel, unfastening his non-slip gloves as he walked toward his chair.
①: By comparing Lin Qi's exposure to Upper Class with Bennett's "Upper Class," it is shown that Bennett's contact with high society is not actually the real Upper Class, highlighting that he is actually being dominated just like Annie. However, it is he who dominates Annie, while what dominates him is hypocrisy and fame and fortune. This also points out the true core of this relationship and hints at the outcome.
The author is amazing! To be able to write such a metaphor is truly impressive. Is this the skill of a master writer?