I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 686 Even the smartest girl loses her sharpest senses when she's in love.

"What, you doubt Lü Yang's company?" Fang Qingye asked back.

"Yes, he said his company is very large, with hub warehouses in several overseas locations, annual revenue of one billion, and net profit of around one hundred million. He's only in his early thirties, and I heard he comes from an ordinary family and doesn't have any family support. How can someone his age build such a large business?!"

"Moreover, it's a warehousing business, which is different from how you made your fortune by speculating in stocks and futures."

Indeed, fundamentally speaking, Fang Qingye made his fortune through stock and futures trading.

Fang Qingye nodded in agreement: "But I heard that Xiaoli visited his company in Hangzhou and Dongguan and even looked at the company's financial statements, right? Xiaoli is a very shrewd girl and a good businesswoman. She shouldn't be fooled, should she?"

"Sigh, you don't know, even the smartest girl's brain stops working properly once she falls in love," Qian Weimin shook his head and continued:
“I’ve looked at the financial statements after I got them back. The statements are very clean. I also had our group’s CFO review them, and he couldn’t find any problems either. But based on my years of experience running a company, a statement that can be flawless even with such minor errors is itself a problem! It’s just too easy to falsify accounts.”

Fang Qingye nodded in agreement: "Yes, some accounting firms are indeed quite professional at creating fake accounts for companies. Even experts can't spot the flaws in the financial statements alone."

"Yes, that's why I'm worried. Also, this Lü Yang is too good to my Xiaoli. He sends her flowers, buys her all sorts of gifts, and sweet-talks her, making her completely smitten. He's also very attentive to me and Xiaoli's mother. But the more he does this, the more uneasy I feel."

"Oh"

“A couple of days ago, Xiaoli told me again that Lü Yang’s company needs financing, and she wants to invest 8000 million yuan,” Qian Weimin added.

"I heard Bai Ou say that Xiao Li told her."

“8000 million is no small amount. Actually, I’m not just worried about the money, but I’m worried that Xiaoli will get too involved. What if Lu Yang’s company has problems, or even if Lu Yang is a fraudster? I’m afraid Xiaoli won’t be able to handle the blow! I only have this one daughter, and I’ll be relying on her to take care of me in my old age.”

"I understand. Here's what we'll do, Mr. Qian. I'll try to find out more about Lü Yang's company after I start work tomorrow."

"Thank you very much."

The two drank tea for a while longer before Qian Weimin took his leave.

Fang Qingye continued to drink slowly, and after a while, she took out her phone to call Bai Ou.

"Has Bai Ou finished cleaning up the house?"

"Yes, Mom and I are strolling by the lake in the community with Yangyang. It's clean and quiet here. What are you doing? You didn't go fishing again, did you?" Bai Ou asked on the other end of the phone.

"Why would I call you while I'm fishing?" Fang Qingye laughed. "I'm having tea at the nursery. Do you know who's here?"

"Who?"

"Qian Weimin."

"Xiaoli's dad? What does he want with you? Business?" Bai Ou asked, somewhat surprised.

"No, he asked me for a favor, about Qian Xiaoli." Fang Qingye then briefly recounted Qian Weimin's conversation.

"You know what, I'm a little worried too. I told you, I don't have a good impression of that Lü Yang. He's all talk and no action. I don't like men like that!"

"It's Qian Xiaoli's business who she's looking for a partner to be with, what's it to you?" Fang Qingye said with a smile.

"I'm her best friend, so I have to keep an eye on things for her! Look, even her dad has some doubts, right?"

"Yes, I guess Qian Weimin was scared off by the 8000 million investment. You know he's a real tightwad. He only agreed to invest 5000 million in Ele.me after Qian Xiaoli argued with him."

“Anyway, since we promised Qian Weimin, why don’t we help him find out? What are you planning to do? Do you want me to help too? I’m basically staying in Shanghai now, so it’s convenient for me.” Bai Ou asked on the phone. “No need, it’s very simple.” Fang Qingye laughed, “When we were having dinner the other day, didn’t Lü Yang say that his company’s Series B funding round included Sequoia China, Hillhouse Capital, and Alibaba? I know the CEOs of those companies. I’ll call and ask if they’re investing in this project. If it’s true, then Lü Yang’s Global Shopping should be fine. These institutions are all top investors; their judgment won’t be bad.”

"That's great! Then call Ma Yun and Shen Nanpeng!" Bai Ou said happily on the other end of the phone.

"What's the rush? Everyone's on holiday today, let's talk about it tomorrow when we're back at work!"

Okay, don't forget.

After finishing the phone call, Fang Qingye slowly picked up her teacup again.

The seven-day National Day holiday passed quickly. The next morning, Fang Qingye went to work on time. First, she held a meeting with the bank president to discuss the main tasks for the month. Then, she kept Chen Danlu behind to discuss the preliminary feasibility study for the establishment of the Jinghai Bank Shanghai Business Center.

According to Fang Qingye's plan, this center is equivalent to the second headquarters of Jinghai Bank. In addition to managing the two existing branches in Shanghai, its main function is to coordinate and manage all of Jinghai Bank's digital financial business and international business.

In the future, the headquarters in Nanxin will mainly focus on traditional banking businesses, such as deposit and loan business, interbank business, intermediary business, and off-balance-sheet business including bank guarantees and credit lines.

The Shanghai business center mainly deals with digital finance and international business, including foreign exchange trading and trade finance, although the latter has not yet been launched.

After chatting for a while, Chen Danlu took a car back to Shanghai. Fang Qingye then drank her tea and thought about the promise she had made to Qian Weimin the day before.

He took out his phone and looked at his contacts. The first number he dialed was Shen Nanpeng's.

Soon, Shen Nanpeng's voice came through the phone receiver: "President Fang, did you have a pleasant National Day holiday? Are you back in Nanxin?"

"Yes, I took my wife and children back to my hometown for a few days."

"What, you're coming to Shanghai again? To play golf together?"

“Sure, I’ll come over this weekend,” Fang Qingye said with a smile.

"Then let's do it on Saturday, it's a deal."

"Okay, Mr. Shen, I have something to ask you about?"

"Oh, you say."

"Did your Sequoia China recently invest in a company called Global Shopping E-commerce, which mainly deals with overseas warehousing and trade?"

Fang Qingye then briefly told Shen Nanpeng about Lü Yang and his company.

“Global Shopping? I’ve never heard of that company,” Shen Nanpeng replied. “But it’s also possible that the company’s investment department is still conducting research and evaluation, and the materials haven’t been submitted to me yet. I can ask around for you. Are you also interested in Tuofang Technology?”

"I guess so. I'd like to learn more. Sequoia China is a professional investment firm with a keen eye."

"Haha, no one has a better eye than Chairman Fang. These companies you've invested in will all become unicorns in the future."

The two chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.

Shen Nanpeng acted quickly, calling Fang Qingye that afternoon: "Our Sequoia Capital has never had any dealings with this company called Global Shopping, nor have we ever heard of Lü Yang!"

(End of this chapter)