Chapter 11
Chapter Summary: "Married? What does her husband do?"
For the entire day, Qian Lina had to focus her service efforts on marketing.
She had a well-thought-out plan. When she met people depositing money, she would ask if they wanted to learn about the newly launched wealth management products. If she saw someone with car keys, she would ask if they wanted to apply for an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) card. If she encountered someone opening an account, she would say sorry, opening online banking and mobile banking were the most basic requirements. If they could also link a securities account, that would be even better.
Qian Lina's idea was good, but putting it into practice was fraught with difficulties.
The reason is simple: the people who come to do business are either so poor that they live on welfare, or they don't even have a smartphone, and some can't even read.
When you encounter someone like this, it's already difficult enough to complete the transaction smoothly, let alone push other services on them.
Honestly, even if the other person was very interested, she couldn't be bothered to say another word.
Qian Lina was genuinely scared.
She could talk at length and earnestly, but a single question from the other party, "What is a credit card?" was enough to crush her spirits.
At that moment, she not only didn't want to say a word, but she also really wanted to cry.
That's why people say there's a huge difference between them.
Many of her classmates took the bank exam with her. One of them was assigned to a branch of a state-owned enterprise, where all the customers were employees of the state-owned enterprise.
With their skills and capabilities, they can handle anything from financial management and insurance to commemorative coins with ease.
Unlike her, in such a small, run-down place, there aren't many people who own cars.
To be honest, she's not counting on ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) unless the government mandates that three-wheeled vehicles be issued ETC, in which case she'll definitely exceed the target.
While sighing inwardly, Qian Lina secretly observed her two other colleagues.
Rong Xiaodan, standing to the side, wasn't much better off. She seemed to have completely given up, not uttering a single marketing word for quite some time.
Indeed, she was already overwhelmed with her own work and didn't know when she might make a mistake, so she couldn't possibly have time to worry about anything else.
Of the three, only Ni Zhenzhen is still persisting.
She diligently introduced the bank's new services to each customer, patiently answering every question they raised. Even if someone coldly said "I won't do it," she still managed to maintain her smile as before.
Qian Lina suddenly felt a little sorry for her.
Ni Zhenzhen is just like the kind of classmate you see in every class—she's really hardworking.
He always submitted the most complete assignments, took the best notes, and listened most attentively in class, but his grades were just average.
What's the point of doing so much? If you can't focus your efforts on the right things, in the end you'll only impress yourself and leave nothing behind.
Qian Lina was still thinking about whether to give Ni Zhenzhen a hint, but then she thought that Ni Zhenzhen might already know.
Maybe she was just putting on a show for the branch manager, so that even if she didn't complete the task, the manager wouldn't blame her.
Thinking of this, Qian Lina couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
They say the workplace is like a battlefield; I almost got scammed.
Although the marketing tasks were so heavy that it was suffocating, Qian Lina still had something to be happy about: she unceremoniously added the word "ex" to "boyfriend".
She finally broke up with her boyfriend!
Her ex-boyfriend was her college classmate; the two met at a hometown association.
As graduation approached, her ex-boyfriend planned to return to his hometown and asked Qian Lina if her parents had prepared anything for her. "My family has already bought me a car and a house, and I've also been arranged a job. It's a government-affiliated institution with a permanent position, and I'll get this much money in hand."
Qian Lina rolled her eyes inwardly.
From the very first day she arrived here, she never considered going back.
"Go back? Are there plays? Exhibitions? Top-notch hospitals? International flights?"
Sure enough, her ex-boyfriend was speechless when she asked him.
"What...what does that have to do with you?" the ex-boyfriend finally managed to utter after a long pause.
Qian Lina was too lazy to say anything more to him.
Later, her ex-boyfriend returned to his hometown and lived the life his parents had arranged for him, while Qian Lina chose to work at a bank.
Although the two of them never explicitly said they were breaking up, it was practically the same as breaking up.
They had been in a long-distance relationship for a while until yesterday, when her ex-boyfriend suddenly asked her if she could come back, saying, "If you don't come back, we're breaking up."
"Then let's break up."
Qian Lina did not hesitate for a moment.
She will definitely find someone better.
The bank closed promptly at 5 p.m.
Although the door was closed, the work hadn't stopped. Several tellers began counting the day's cash and receipts.
Rong Xiaodan nervously counted them again. Fortunately, there were no mistakes today, but she couldn't be happy at all because she hadn't sold a single investment product she had promised the director.
Rong Xiaodan was filled with regret. She said she had been deceived by the director. "He forced me to tell him, and in my nervousness, I blurted out a number without thinking. What am I going to do now..."
Seeing her so frustrated, Qian Lina couldn't say anything harsh. She could only comfort Rong Xiaodan, saying it was okay, since everyone was failing, could they fire everyone?
"Who will do the work then?"
Ni Zhenzhen also said that this was only the first day, "Everything is difficult at the beginning, but it will get better in the future."
With their encouragement, Rong Xiaodan finally stopped being sad. She sighed and said, "That's all we can do."
Soon, as if she remembered something, she blinked and asked Ni Zhenzhen, "Zhenzhen, didn't you go to an international school? Do you still keep in touch with those classmates?"
This statement reminded Qian Lina that those who can attend international schools are definitely either rich or powerful, and even a task worth millions could be completed by anyone.
Rong Xiaodan had the same idea. She said with a hint of envy, "You're lucky. With these classmates around, they can definitely help you complete the task. You're so pretty and have such a good personality, you must have a lot of boys chasing after you, right? Ask them for help!"
Ni Zhenzhen lowered her eyes, lost in thought: "If there's no other way, we can only give it a try."
Rong Xiaodan's eyes lit up, and she immediately grabbed Ni Zhenzhen's arm, saying in a flattering tone, "Don't forget us then."
Ni Zhenzhen smiled and said, "Don't worry."
After checking every transaction I've processed, and then cross-checking them, I still can't leave work. Bank policy dictates "money doesn't stay overnight," so I have to wait for the armored truck to arrive and collect the cash.
Instead of the armored truck, a red Corolla arrived.
Qian Lina's heart skipped a beat, and she knew something was wrong.
People often come to our branch after get off work to do business. If you tell them that we're closed, they'll say that the branch is open and there are people inside, so why can't they do business here?
Qian Lina is most afraid of encountering this kind of person. No matter how you explain it to him, it's useless. It's as if the whole world should revolve around him.
However, this person was a bit strange today. He didn't get out of the car, but kept honking the horn, one after another, in a very rhythmic way.
The incessant noise was incredibly annoying. Just as Qian Lina was about to go up and yell at her, Rong Xiaodan rushed over first.
She bent down, glanced inside, and immediately beamed: "You've come?"
Qian Lina paused for a moment. Rong Xiaodan had already turned around and introduced her to the two of them: "My boyfriend, Deng Maolin."
As for whether Deng Maolin greeted them, Qian Lina couldn't remember, because in that instant, the happy mood she had built up because of the breakup vanished.
She glanced at Ni Zhenzhen and noticed that Ni Zhenzhen's gaze was gentle and filled with envy. Suddenly, she felt relieved.
After all, she still has a chance, unlike Ni Zhenzhen, whose fate is sealed unless she gets a divorce.
Ni Zhenzhen said, "Why don't you go first? Don't keep your boyfriend waiting."
"How could I possibly accept that?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Then I'm off." Rong Xiaodan opened the car door, got in, and waved to the two of them after sitting down. "Goodbye Zhenzhen, goodbye Lina."
Soon, the car drove away, leaving behind a trail of pungent exhaust fumes.
How did Rong Xiaodan get a boyfriend so quietly?
Qian Lina couldn't help but discuss it with Ni Zhenzhen, while Deng Maolin was also quite curious about Ni Zhenzhen.
"Who was that person who let you go first? She's quite pretty. Does she have a boyfriend? I have several colleagues who are still single."
He dared to praise another woman's beauty in front of her. Rong Xiaodan curled her lip and said, "Forget about your scumbag male colleagues, and besides, she's already married."
"Married?" Deng Maolin made no attempt to hide his surprise. "What does her husband do?"
"I work at Huijing Center."
As they were talking, the red light came on, and Deng Maolin had no choice but to stop the car.
However, at that moment, a minivan coming from behind suddenly swerved and cut in front of Deng Maolin's car at an extremely high speed. Normally, he would have cursed or honked his horn in protest, but today, he didn't care about any of that.
As Deng Maolin stopped the car, he turned to Rong Xiaodan and asked, "Where are you?"
“Huijing Center,” Rong Xiaodan repeated.
Whether it was intentional or not, she pronounced those words very clearly.
It turns out he hadn't misheard.
No wonder...
At first, Deng Maolin felt that all of this seemed to be a matter of course, and then he felt somewhat unwilling. He wanted to say something to Rong Xiaodan, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't say anything.
Time passed second by second. Deng Maolin stared blankly at Rong Xiaodan, and Rong Xiaodan stared back at him.
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere became subtle.
Finally, Rong Xiaodan couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter.
Deng Maolin looked at her, increasingly confused.
"why are you laughing?"
Rong Xiaodan not only didn't stop laughing, but laughed even harder.
Amidst that earth-shattering laughter, she pounded Deng Maolin's shoulder while explaining breathlessly, "It's a rice noodle shop on the basement floor."
Deng Maolin paused for a moment before managing a slight smile, then let out a long breath, his tone tinged with disdain, "It's a rice noodle shop." Realizing Rong Xiaodan was deliberately teasing him, Deng Maolin tapped her forehead with his finger and scolded, "Naughty."
Rong Xiaodan said, "We had the same reaction as you when we first heard about it. But then again, the rice noodles are quite delicious, you can try them if you have the chance."
The light turned green, and the minivan that had cut in line drove off. Deng Maolin stepped on the gas, enjoying the pleasant roar of the engine as he said disdainfully, "Forget about rice noodles. Do you think that costs fifty yuan per person? Come on, I'll take you to eat seafood."
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