001 A Disaster Has Struck! Twenty Million in Savings Vanished Without a Trace

Fang Qingye was awakened at half past seven by the ringing of his alarm clock.

Groggy, he got up, dressed, and washed up. He methodically tied his necktie and donned a deep blue suit, preparing to leave for work. Before heading out, he paused before the full-length mirror to tidy his appearance.

The reflection revealed a youthful face, with eyes that shone clear but carried a hint of naïveté.

Fang Qingye smiled.

Youth was indeed a blessing.

It was only a month ago that he had returned to March of 2008.

Having graduated just a few months earlier from Shencheng University of Finance and Economics, he was now a junior employee—still on probation—at the Nanjin Branch of Eastern Bank.

Nanjin County was his hometown.

The house was quiet.

Both his parents were teachers; his father served as principal of Guanzhong Middle School in the county seat, while his mother was an ordinary teacher at Qianjin Road Elementary School, now retired.

Fang Qingye descended the stairs, mounted his small scooter, and rode westward along the street out of the residential compound.

Nanjin was a small county town in central Su Province, where dawn came early. Morning sunlight bathed the whole town, streets bustled with traffic, and steam rose from breakfast stalls lining the roads, filling the air with the lively scent of daily life.

Fang Qingye felt content.

Compared to his previous life struggling in the sprawling metropolis, life in this small town was more relaxed.

Here, he could sleep until broad daylight, then leisurely get dressed and washed before heading out. A five-minute bike ride brought him to work, where he could eat breakfast in the cafeteria and be seated at his desk promptly at eight.

Back then, commuting to work in Lujiazui from home in Shencheng by subway took at least an hour and a half. He had to rise at six every morning and often didn’t return until after ten at night, living like an ant underground, trapped in darkness.

Moreover, the cafeteria food here was quite good.

Breakfast included soy milk, fried dough sticks, and the local specialty, Panshui noodles, each choice costing only fifty cents. Lunch was generous, usually four dishes and a soup, all for one yuan fifty.

His salary was decent too—over 3,000 yuan a month during probation, rising to 4,200 yuan once he became a full employee. This did not include year-end bonuses, holiday benefits, and fourteen months’ pay annually. In the county, this was considered a high income.

At this time, banking was still a coveted profession.

Soon, Fang Qingye arrived at the branch office building located at the intersection of Changle Road. He rode through the main gate, parked his scooter in the bike shed, and headed to the cafeteria.

Taking his lunchbox from the cupboard, he went to the serving window but soon noticed an unusual atmosphere. Employees were whispering among themselves while eating.

“Hey, have you heard? Something big happened at the Qianjin Road Savings Office!”

“Is it true that Tenglong Industrial’s two-million-yuan deposit has disappeared? I heard about it too—it's unbelievable, like something out of a movie!”

Curious onlookers immediately gathered. “Ah, how come I didn’t know? Tell me, what exactly happened?”

Fang Qingye listened quietly, an old memory instantly surfacing in his mind.

The infamous Tenglong Industrial deposit disappearance! It had caused quite a stir at the time.

Naturally, Fang Qingye did not join the gossip. After getting his serving of Panshui noodles, he scanned for an empty seat and noticed someone waving at him. He walked over.

At the table sat a young man and woman of his age. The man was Zhang Rong, wearing black-framed glasses, a graduate of the Finance School at Su Province University of Science and Technology. He was now rotating through the General Affairs Office, a department known for being well-informed.

The woman was Chen Meimei, a petite graduate from Jinling Academy of Auditing, currently on rotation in the Accounting Department, where she was known for diligence.

All three had been hired last year and were rotating through different departments of the bank. Two temporary workers had also been recruited and were now working at grassroots savings offices after training.

As Fang Qingye sat down with his bowl, Zhang Rong lowered his voice and asked, “Fang Qingye, have you heard about the big incident at the Qianjin Road Savings Office?”

“I overheard some chatter, but I don’t know the details,” Fang replied.

“Just yesterday afternoon, the treasury of Tenglong Industrial—the bank’s third-largest client—went to withdraw 20 million yuan from a special account at the Qianjin Road Savings Office. Guess what happened?” Zhang said, pausing for effect, waiting for Fang to speak.

But seeing Fang calmly eat his noodles without responding, Zhang continued, “They discovered the 20 million had already been transferred out and vanished without a trace!”

“Did the deposit sprout legs and walk away?” Fang quipped.

“I don’t know the specifics either, but our bank’s reputation’s taken a hit!” Zhang said with excitement, clearly enjoying the turmoil.

Chen Meimei, who had been silent, sighed softly. “Yeah... and who knows how many people will be implicated.”

Fang glanced at her, realizing she was involved in some way—not as a participant, but because she had been assigned to assist an investigation team dispatched from the city.

Apparently, she was chosen not for her superior skills but because she was new to the bank with no entrenched ties or vested interests.

Fang said nothing. After finishing his meal and clearing his dishes, he went to the Credit Department for his rotation.

He was now interning there.

The Credit Department was one of the more influential sections in the branch, responsible for loan disbursement and post-loan management. Although final approval rested with the branch manager, the department handled client data collection, review, and evaluation. As such, not only the department heads but even ordinary staff were often treated to meals by clients.

Even as an intern, Fang had recently been invited by a local business owner to dine at the Jin Di Grand Hotel with colleagues, followed by a karaoke night until midnight.

Of course, he wasn’t involved in core business; his role was to assist—organizing documents and entering data.

Today, his task was to input information on five enterprises whose housing loans had been approved and then archive the files.

The work was not strenuous. Sitting in his cubicle, sipping tea, he entered data at a leisurely pace.

The job was comfortable and easy, though the computers were restricted to the bank’s internal network, so he couldn’t listen to music online.

The office was usually quiet, with everyone focused on their tasks. However, today’s atmosphere was noticeably restless, with people setting work aside to whisper and gossip.

Of course, the topic was the mysterious disappearance of Tenglong Industrial’s deposit, but their discussions were more detailed and probing.

“I heard Tenglong Industrial has already called the city branch to complain, and an investigative team is coming today.”

“That’s strange. Shouldn’t there be an internal investigation at our branch first? Why call the city branch directly?” a man with a crew cut questioned.

“Exactly. It makes no sense. Has the police been notified?”

“It seems not. Our Branch Manager Zhao worked overnight to persuade Tenglong Industrial’s CEO not to report to the police yet, preferring an internal investigation first. You know, to keep the family’s dirty laundry private.”

“True, Manager Zhao is experienced.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Hey, enough chatting! This is work time!” A man in his thirties burst in, raising his voice at them.

It was Su Ming, the Credit Department Manager.

“The leadership just held an emergency meeting. All staff are strictly forbidden from discussing this matter! Violators will be dealt with severely! Bonuses and salaries may be deducted!”

At his words, the room fell silent and everyone returned to work. But as soon as he left, whispers resumed.

“Do you think Manager Zhang, who’s about to retire, will have his reputation tarnished by this scandal? Such a shame.”

“Hold on, the investigation’s not complete. Don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe the fault isn’t ours but Tenglong Industrial’s.”

“True. Even if it is our fault, it’s probably internal mismanagement. Whoever’s responsible should take the blame. Manager Zhang has been on leave for over a year recovering—what does this have to do with him? The unlucky one is Manager Xia.”

“Right, she’s the acting deputy manager in charge now, and since the Qianjin Road Savings Office falls under her jurisdiction, she’ll definitely take the fall!”

“So, does this mean Manager Xia’s chance for promotion is dashed?”

...

Fang Qingye stayed silent, focused on entering data at his desk.

There was no juicy gossip here for him—he already knew far more than they did.