Chapter 6: Private Banking
"Dandan!"
"Over here!"
Just as Gu Heng, Xu Mo, and Liu Dan reached the main entrance of Jilin University Second Hospital, they spotted a man about Liu Dan’s age. He was standing in front of a BMW 3 Series, waving and running toward them.
"Haoyang!"
Hearing his voice and seeing him approach, a smile naturally blossomed on Liu Dan’s face.
He covered the dozen or so meters in a flash and stopped in front of Liu Dan, holding an exquisitely packaged gift bag. "Dandan, didn’t you say you were craving some cake this morning? I happened to be in the area for an errand, so I brought some over for you."
When Liu Dan heard this, her smile grew even brighter.
"Honey~"
"You’re the best~"
Liu Dan rose onto her tiptoes and planted a kiss on the man’s cheek, her voice turning extra sweet.
"Momo, let me introduce you."
"This is your brother-in-law, Zhang Haoyang."
After rewarding him with a kiss, she turned to introduce him to Xu Mo before turning back to Zhang Haoyang. "Honey, this is Xu Mo, the one I’ve been telling you about recently."
"Hello, Brother-in-law."
Xu Mo, ever so considerate, offered her greeting as soon as Liu Dan finished the introductions.
"So you’re Momo."
"Your Sister Dan mentions you all the time. She praises you for being diligent and sensible and says you’ve been a huge help to her."
Zhang Haoyang was slightly heavyset, with average looks. He wore a business polo shirt and dress slacks, cinched with an Amani belt. His speech and mannerisms carried the air of a boss.
He exchanged a few polite words with Xu Mo, then his gaze shifted to Gu Heng, who was standing beside her. "And this is...?"
"This is Gu Heng."
"A patient from our ward. He was just discharged today."
Liu Dan explained, noticing the questioning look from her husband.
"Oh..."
"The young man does look a bit pale."
"Are you in college, or do you have a job?"
As he spoke, Zhang Haoyang skillfully pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, offering one to Gu Heng in a friendly manner.
"Thanks, Brother Zhang, but I don’t smoke."
Gu Heng politely refused with a raised hand, then replied with a smile, "I’m not in school, and I’m not working either. I guess you could say I’m temporarily unemployed."
Hearing Gu Heng’s reply, Liu Dan tilted her head and shot Xu Mo a meaningful glance. Xu Mo’s own eyes, however, seemed to drift, though her attention remained fixed on Gu Heng.
’Gu Heng is so handsome when he smiles...’
Xu Mo gazed at Gu Heng’s handsome face, his bright lips and dazzling teeth, and her own eyes began to shimmer.
"Uh..."
Zhang Haoyang had just been trying to make small talk, but he hadn’t expected to make the situation so awkward.
’So young, not in school, and no job.’
’Is he some kind of punk?’
Just as Zhang Haoyang was feeling suspicious, a black Lexus LM suddenly appeared at the end of the road. It drove straight toward them, coming to a smooth stop right in front of the group.
In the sunlight, light and shadow played across the Lexus LM’s obsidian black finish, giving it a radiant luster that was impossible to ignore.
The oversized spindle grille and borderless matrix honeycomb mesh, paired with the dual "L"-shaped LED headlights, gave its front end an aggressive look with a powerful visual impact.
The intricate 19-inch multi-spoke chrome-plated rims, with their dark metallic finish, perfectly complemented the black body of the vehicle, the very picture of understated luxury.
Zhang Haoyang, Liu Dan, and Xu Mo stared at the luxury van that had suddenly pulled up before them, all of them looking completely baffled.
Only Gu Heng remained perfectly calm.
BEEP—!
As the power door slid open, a young woman emerged. She wore a champagne-colored business blouse, a tea-brown, form-fitting skirt, and beige high heels.
The woman’s makeup was exquisite and sophisticated. Her long, glossy black hair was styled in a high bun, with not a single stray hair out of place on her forehead. She had a classic oval face with soft, gentle contours. Her skin was so fair and translucent it seemed flawless. With bright eyes, pearly teeth, a delicate, jade-like nose, and rosy lips, her elegant bearing was further enhanced by her long, slender neck.
Faced with such a beauty, it wasn’t just Zhang Haoyang who was captivated; even Liu Dan and Xu Mo found themselves staring, unable to look away.
The woman, however, seemed accustomed to the attention.
After stepping out of the van, she walked directly to Gu Heng without a moment’s hesitation and said in an exceedingly respectful tone, "Mr. Gu, it’s an honor to meet you."
"My name is Luo Xiwen. I’m a client manager with the private banking division of China Merchants Bank here in Ji Province, and I will be your dedicated client manager moving forward. Thank you for choosing China Merchants Bank."
As Luo Xiwen finished speaking, a dead silence fell over the group.
Zhang Haoyang stared at the scene, dumbfounded. He was completely floored.
Private banking!
And China Merchants Bank’s private banking, no less!
Zhang Haoyang was in the building materials business, so his daily dealings inevitably involved various major banks. As a result, he knew a fair bit about them.
For most major banks, the minimum threshold for private banking was typically 5 million.
But for China Merchants Bank, the threshold was 10 million.
In other words, this young man—the one he had just dismissed as some punk—was a multi-millionaire with at least ten million in his accounts. And judging by the scene before him, this was clearly not the standard treatment for an ordinary private banking client.
’Holy crap...’
’Who the hell is this kid?’
’Good thing I grew up reading all those web novels and learned to be calm and low-key. I didn’t try to act all high and mighty in front of him. Otherwise, he’d be dragging my face across the pavement right now!’
Zhang Haoyang felt a strange sense of relief as he muttered inwardly.
As for Liu Dan, standing beside Zhang Haoyang, she didn’t know much about banking. But from the luxury car and the beautiful woman alone, she could tell that Gu Heng was no ordinary person. This was the classic style of a super-rich guy.
Compared to the complex thoughts running through Zhang Haoyang and Liu Dan’s minds, Xu Mo’s were much simpler.
’That woman is so beautiful...’
she thought to herself, her gaze flickering between Luo Xiwen and Gu Heng as she unconsciously pursed her rosy lips.
"Manager Luo, hello."
"You must be the one I’ve been speaking with on the phone these last few days."
Gu Heng’s tone was calm and natural as he looked at the deferential Luo Xiwen.
"Yes, sir."
"Mr. Gu, I’m terribly sorry."
Luo Xiwen suddenly gave Gu Heng a slight bow, her voice filled with remorse. "If I had known you were unwell, I would have come to the hospital to visit you in person. I certainly shouldn’t have been contacting you every day and disturbing your rest."
"You don’t need to apologize. I never mentioned it, so how could you have known?"
Gu Heng waved his hand dismissively.
The day after Gu Heng received his 100-million-yuan cash reward, the head of the China Merchants Bank branch in Ji Province had personally called to greet him.
For the next three days after that, Luo Xiwen was the one to call him. She made solicitous inquiries about his well-being each day and earnestly invited him to the China Merchants Bank private banking center to formally register as a client.
However, Gu Heng was still feeling quite weak back then, so he declined, citing that he was busy.
It wasn’t until Luo Xiwen called again this morning that he gave her an opening, as he was planning to be discharged today anyway.
It had only been a month since he’d gotten the system and his sudden windfall. Compared to other billionaires, his personal foundation and connections were practically nonexistent.
In this society, money alone wasn’t enough to get things done; you also needed connections.
The private bank had proactively extended an olive branch. For Gu Heng, if he played his cards right, it was undoubtedly an opportunity to significantly deepen his resources.
After all, banks were hubs where resources converged.
No matter the industry, once a business reached a certain scale, dealing with banks was unavoidable.
Unconsciously, Gu Heng’s mindset was already beginning to shift from that of a poor kid just trying to make ends meet...