057 Learning from the Great

"Yes! They are all crafty old foxes! Sometimes they are hard to boss around, but you can't just fire all of them, can you? After all, the branch still relies on them to get work done." Xia He took a sip of her beverage and sighed softly.

"Su Ming hasn't been vice president for long, and he only got the opportunity after Zhao Wenjun resigned. Right now, our collaboration is running quite smoothly."

"Zhang Qunying is someone I promoted myself, so naturally, she is beyond reproach."

Xia He analyzed them one by one. "As for you... I have the highest hopes for you. You are more than qualified to be a section chief or a director."

"Please, Senior, you know as well as I do how much the bank values seniority based on tenure. I've only been working for a little over a year, so my background is still too shallow," Fang Qingye said.

"Not necessarily. It all depends on the opportunity and the person," Xia He said with a mysterious smile.

"Senior, your tone implies there is more to what you're saying," Fang Qingye noted.

"The higher-ups haven't made a formal decision yet, so let's set this aside for now and continue discussing the issue I mentioned earlier."

Seeing that Xia He was reluctant to elaborate, Fang Qingye didn't press further. In any case, it had nothing to do with him.

He picked up his beer can, took a sip, and said, "Actually, dealing with these old-timers is very simple."

"You've come up with another brilliant solution?"

"You must have heard about how the Great Leader transferred the eight regional commanders around. You could learn from that approach," Fang Qingye suggested casually.

"Oh? You thought of that method too?" Xia He looked somewhat surprised and put down her drink.

"Yes. It seems you've already given it some thought, so why haven't you implemented it?" Fang Qingye asked in return.

"Because the scope of the impact is too broad. To be honest, I'm worried it might affect our branch's performance this year."

Women... their hearts are still not ruthless enough. Look at someone like Zhao Wenjun.

Fang Qingye sighed inwardly.

After a moment of thought, he said:

"Your concerns are not unreasonable, but it all comes down to how well you manage the degree of adjustment. There is an even more important issue."

"What issue?"

"Since you can't stand them and even feel that these people are getting out of hand, dragging it out will only make things more painful for you in the long run. Why not use the incident at the Liulin Sub-branch as a pretext to make a big fuss? Better a short pain than a long one! Be ruthless and solve this problem once and for all!"

After listening, Xia He held her drink and thought deeply for a moment. Suddenly, she raised her head, as if she had made up her mind.

"Alright then... Who do you suggest swapping with whom?" Xia He asked.

"Don't ask me that. I hate these personnel matters the most; they give me a headache," Fang Qingye flatly refused.

Although he currently had a good relationship with Xia He and she trusted him deeply, it was best to avoid meddling in matters that stepped on people's toes.

As a woman, Xia He tended to hesitate and be indecisive when weighing pros and cons, but once she made a decision, she became remarkably swift and resolute.

She quickly drafted a personnel transfer plan and published it after it passed the branch president's meeting.

Though the adjustments weren't massive—affecting only a third of the middle-management positions—it was still a very bold move within the entire Jinghai Branch system.

Every branch faced the exact same problems as the Nanxin Sub-branch. Some branch presidents were locals, and their hands were tied by various entanglements of personal interests.

On the contrary, an outsider monk like Xia He found it much easier to chant scriptures.

However, these were concerns for middle management. Ordinary staff like Fang Qingye simply went about their daily routines, focusing on doing their jobs well.

This morning, shortly after Fang Qingye arrived at work, Cao Ting, who sat across from him, suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Xiao Fang, come outside with me for a moment. There's something I want to tell you."

"Sister Cao, what is it? So mysterious," Fang Qingye muttered, but he still followed Cao Ting out of the office and stood at the end of the corridor.

"Xiao Fang, let me tell you some good news. The provincial branch is preparing to establish the position of assistant branch president in county-level branches, and I heard the rank will tentatively be set at deputy section chief, level 18. Jinghai City is going to be the pilot zone!" Cao Ting said.

After the Orient Bank restructuring, the original administrative-style ranks of bureau, division, and section were replaced by 25 unified grades; the smaller the number, the higher the rank.

Fang Qingye's current rank as a level-21 intermediate teller was a few steps away from level 18, which corresponded to deputy business supervisor or deputy head of a savings office—a position people still habitually referred to as deputy section level.

"Sister Cao, how do you know about this? I haven't heard any rumors," Fang Qingye asked, feeling puzzled.

"The Vice President in charge of personnel at our city branch is my husband's maternal uncle."

Ah...

Hearing Cao Ting's explanation, Fang Qingye experienced a sudden flash of insight.

People always said Cao Ting had connections because her father-in-law was a county-level leader, but he hadn't expected her husband to also have an uncle serving as a vice president at the city branch!

No wonder she was so leisurely at the branch office, and no one ever criticized her.

"Did Vice President Zhou tell you this?" Fang Qingye asked.

"Yes. Yesterday, my husband and I went to visit his uncle at his home in the city. While we were eating, this matter came up. He said the provincial branch president's meeting has already passed the motion, and the official red-headed document will be issued soon. The city branch attaches great importance to this and requires that candidates for assistant branch presidents nominated by each branch must be submitted to the city branch for approval," Cao Ting said.

"Well, Sister Cao, your chances are very high then," Fang Qingye smiled.

"You can see it too, but I have zero interest in being an official. My current goal is just to go to work, go home, and raise my children well—that's my real priority," Cao Ting replied, then lowered her voice further. "Xiao Fang, your chances are the highest!"

"Me? My rank and seniority are way too far off."

"You don't know this, but my uncle said the provincial branch leaders explicitly stated that this round of promotions for assistant branch presidents is meant to break away from the seniority system and exceptionally promote outstanding young cadres. In our branch, besides you, who else could it be?"

"There are plenty. Anyone under thirty is considered a young cadre, and we have a dozen of them in our branch," Fang Qingye answered.

"None of them compare to you! You know very well how President Xia treats you! I'm telling you this in secret beforehand so you can mentally prepare yourself. When the time comes to fight for it, you must seize the opportunity!"

"Thank you."

Regardless of whether he wanted it or not, gratitude was always due where appropriate.

"Don't be so polite. Work hard, Sister is rooting for you! Don't forget to treat us to a celebratory meal once it goes through. Also, you must keep this confidential! There's no official document yet."

"Don't worry, I won't go spreading it around."

With that, the two returned to the office one after the other.

Fang Qingye didn't take the matter to heart.

He had no intention of climbing the career ladder or getting rich in the bank. His main purpose in going to work every day was simply to keep busy, taking things as comfortably as possible.

Talk to Xia He about it?

Forget it.

The next day at work, after finishing breakfast in the cafeteria as usual, Fang Qingye had just settled into his office chair and was about to brew a cup of tea to sip in peace when Wu Shengli interrupted him from the doorway.

"Xiao Fang, President Xia wants you to go with her to the city branch. We're leaving immediately."

"What's happening at the city branch?" Fang Qingye asked casually.

"She didn't specify the details. You can ask President Xia yourself in a moment."

Realizing this, Fang Qingye didn't ask further. He tossed a notebook and a pen into his briefcase, picked it up, and walked out of the office, only to be stopped by Wu Shengli again.

"Here, take this."

Car keys!

"President Xia told you to drive," Wu Shengli explained.

What the heck—are they really treating me like a chauffeur now?!

However, with Wu Shengli standing right there, Fang Qingye couldn't voice his complaints. He took the car keys, went to the garage to fetch the Passat, and pulled it up to the central courtyard. Soon, he saw Xia He carrying her briefcase as she hurried down the stairs, got into the car, and took a seat in the back.

Fang Qingye drove out of the compound and turned onto Changle Road. Glancing through the rearview mirror at Xia He, who was already reviewing documents in the back seat, he spoke up:

"Senior, you're crossing the line a bit here."

"Crossing what line?"

Xia He looked up at him.

"Are you seriously treating me as your personal driver now?!"

"Oh, is that what's bothering you?" A smile appeared on Xia He's face. "Xiao Fang, don't take it to heart. It's not what you think. It's just that there are certain things I need to discuss where having old Zhang drive isn't convenient; he tends to have a loose tongue."

"And what exactly do you need to discuss?" Fang Qingye asked.

"Nothing major, just chatting."

Good grief...

Fang Qingye was instantly left speechless and couldn't be bothered to respond.

Xia He, on the other hand, chuckled lightly.

"What? Are you mad? I was just joking with you."

Her expression turned serious. "Bringing you to the city branch today is mainly to introduce you to President Zhang and the other leaders at the city branch."