Lightly Brushed Aside
From the time the incident occurred until the entire state branch knew the cause and course of events, it took less than fifteen minutes, and the state branch subsequently provided its corresponding handling recommendations.
First, they demanded that the bank manager comfort the injured Qiao Geliman and persuade him to drop the call for help.
According to reports, during the briefing, Qiao Geliman's head was reportedly bleeding profusely from the impact, and he was also said to have fallen into a coma on the way to the hospital.
If the police get involved, it could become a disturbing and embarrassing scandal—for a variety of reasons, given the constant internal power struggles within institutions like banks that wield both wealth and power.
If the police investigate Bennett's responsibility and analyze the origins and escalation of the conflict, it might expose some internal bank matters that they don't want the public to know.
This kind of thing is disgusting, and the public can roughly guess some of it, but guessing and being certain are two completely different things. It's like some people suddenly becoming rich, and some people might guess that their wealth comes from some criminal activities.
Such malicious speculation based on jealousy without any evidence may be very close to the truth, but as long as there is no evidence and no actual exposure, it will not affect the public's perception of certain people.
Ultimately, the reason Bennett was transferred from the branch office to a small bank in Sabine City was because some people were jealous and wanted to cause trouble for Qiao Geliman and make him look foolish.
If these things are investigated and exposed, it will be a devastating blow to some people. Therefore, they will definitely demand that the president of the bank involved appease Qiao Geliman and make him drop the investigation.
Fortunately, the bank manager handled the matter very decisively and effectively. In less than half an hour, he reported to the state branch that he had successfully persuaded Qiao Geliman, who agreed to drop the police report and pursue the matter.
As a result of this incident, the division decided to suspend Bennett's work and investigate some existing problems.
At that very moment, in the bank at the hospital, the bank manager was chatting casually with Qiao Geliman.
Qiao Geliman has a cut on his forehead that is less than half an inch long. This wound was not actually caused by the crystal nameplate hitting him.
Those triangular crystal nameplates placed on tables to identify the room's owner were made with the potential for harm in mind.
Therefore, these triangular crystal nameplates are all polished, and each of their corners is very rounded.
The thing that actually caused the wound was the face of Qiao Geliman's ring. When Bennett hit him on the forehead with something, he immediately turned the ring face around and, with a heavy heart, slashed it hard.
The angular facet of the gemstone easily tore through the flesh, leaving a gash. Blood immediately flowed from between his fingers, which terrified Bennett.
"Headquarters is furious about what happened today. Bennett basically has no chance of making a comeback," the bank manager said casually, describing the sudden plunge of a middle-aged bank employee with a bright future into darkness.
In fact, the bank president also disliked Bennett very much, but he wouldn't show it. He just kept an eye on him, accumulating strength, ready to strike a fatal blow when necessary.
The branch's interference in his personnel transfers is not a good sign. If the branch can sideline Qiao Geliman today, they might sideline him tomorrow! There's nothing people aren't capable of. With enough profit, sidelining the head of a second-tier city branch is just a matter of a few documents.
If we assign him an assistant, then everything will be ruined.
Although he hadn't done anything during this time, he had actually been actively contacting some close friends in the branch and headquarters. After this sudden incident, he immediately mobilized these forces and exerted pressure from multiple sides. As a result, the branch immediately gave a satisfactory result to everyone—to conduct an internal investigation into Bennett and suspend his work.
Most people who have worked in banking institutions understand that once someone is under internal investigation, even if they have no problems, their career advancement will come to a complete end the moment the investigation begins.
Even someone as clean as a blank sheet of paper may not have a chance to rise in the power struggles within a bank, let alone someone with a "bad record".
Humans are inherently complex, and they become even more complex within society. Even if the internal Investigation Team did not uncover anything substantial about Bennett, it does not mean that he was completely without fault. Rather, it means that he was "wrong, but his faults were not discovered."
Bennett will next face a series of transfers to unimportant and marginal positions. Eventually, he might end up working as a lowly clerk in an archive or warehouse in a small city, earning the lowest wages and living a monotonous life. Lying in his hospital bed, Qiao Geliman pursed his lips. "Thank you for speaking up for me..."
Before the bank manager arrived, Qiao Geliman had already contacted some of his friends at the hospital, some of whom told him that, in addition to him and his friends, others had also taken action.
He knew almost without guessing who was behind it and why, but he still wanted to thank the bank manager.
The bank manager waved his hand, "No need to thank me, I'm just trying to protect myself." His subordinates were being sidelined by people sent from above, and if he didn't do something, his authority as bank manager would soon vanish.
There was just one thing he couldn't understand. "What exactly did you say to Bennett that made him go to such lengths to treat you like this?"
Qiao Geliman's smile was somewhat amusing. "You'll find out in a couple of days!"
If this matter ends here, it would not be in line with Qiao Geliman's forbearance and concessions during this period. He wants not only to overthrow Bennett, but also to trample him to the ground so that he can never recover.
Changing the subject, Qiao Geliman said somewhat apologetically, "When I get back, I might submit some termination requests to some employees, and I hope you can support me!"
His concessions during this period have garnered support from some people on Bennett's side, and now it's time to clean up these people.
cruel?
No, this is reality. If they had stood firmly by Qiao Geliman's side, they might have faced a brighter future. But by betting on the wrong person, they were bound to face this painful end.
The bank president gave Qiao Geliman his full support, and showed no sympathy for bank employees who could quickly stand by the side of newly appointed executives.
After saying this, the bank manager got up to leave. "When can you return to work, or should I give you a few more days off?"
"I'm ready to get back to work anytime, anywhere!" Qiao Geliman said confidently.
On the same day the incident occurred, some whistleblower letters appeared on the desks of some managers at the bank's branches and even at headquarters.
The book contains a series of photographs detailing the story of a powerful figure abusing his power, primarily in relationships between men and women, and these individuals had just made statements detrimental to Bennett.
These photos have now given them even more reasons and excuses to demand harsher penalties for Bennett. Not only the bank, but Bennett's family has also received such letters; his wife and family are on their way to Sabine City.
Meanwhile, back at his rented apartment, Bennett was still unsure of what he was about to face. He sat on the edge of the bed, his brow furrowed and head in his hands, in great pain.
He knew he had made a huge mistake; he shouldn't have treated Qiao Geliman that way. If he had been more patient and apologized to Qiao Geliman, things might have turned out differently...
No, things won't change much, he knows Annie...
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Bennett stood up abruptly. He quickly walked to the next room. The reason he lost his temper was because Qiao Geliman had talked about Annie. At this moment, he finally realized a problem— Qiao Geliman knew Annie, as well as her identity and their current situation.
A suffocating and desperate feeling was spreading rapidly when he opened the door to the room and found Annie squatting on a chair watching TV.
She hugged her knees, her face displaying an unreadable calm.
"What's wrong?" Annie asked, looking at him. The two stared at each other.
One was filled with doubt and anger, the other was calm and almost without any ripples.
After staring at each other for a few minutes, Bennett suddenly said, "You have an ulterior motive. You came to me for a reason!"
The more he spoke, the more convinced he became that his guess was correct: this woman was in cahoots with Qiao Geliman and his group. A tremendous anger of being deceived began to overwhelm his reason, followed by a pang of heartache! "I've been so good to you, and you've conspired with others to harm me!" His voice was filled with a deep despair. He had thought this was the beginning of his wonderful life; he had been utterly foolish!
This was hardly the beginning of a wonderful life; from the very start, it was a trap, a snare, and he, like a fool, stepped right into it! Facing the furious Bennett, the girl didn't argue; she simply asked calmly, "Will you hit me?"
Bennett did indeed have such intentions, and it wasn't just about hitting her. In fact, throughout the long period of their cohabitation, Bennett had always "respected" the girl's desire not to take things further.
Even when they were naked together, the girl always maintained her bottom line and did not cross it. This impressed Bennett, and he even admired her. He thought it was a sign of strength and an uncompromising attitude in the face of cruel reality. Wasn't she just like him?
So he didn't force the girl to do anything. He planned to wait until everything was over and a new beginning was in sight before breaking through these things to celebrate his and her new life.
Little did I know that from the very beginning, it was all a lie!