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

Chapter 747 "President Fang, aren't you blatantly robbing people?"

Fang Qingye arrived at the Shanghai Central Building an hour later.

Maison Lameloise is known as the "Café in the Clouds" because it is located on the 68th floor of the building and has huge floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a 360-degree panoramic view of the skyscrapers in Lujiazui and the winding Huangpu River.

Perhaps because it was morning, there weren't many people drinking coffee here, making it seem a bit deserted. Fang Qingye was led by the waiter to a coffee table by the window, where a white-collar woman was already sitting.

This was the first time Fang Qingye had met Lin Wei in person, although she had seen her photos before.

She is very beautiful and refined, with a clear and strong jawline and slightly high cheekbones. She looks like a capable and ambitious woman.

Lin Wei looked at him and suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

Although his opponent may seem harmless, he is definitely not as easy to mess with as he appears.

The two exchanged glances for a fleeting moment, then smiled at each other. Lin Wei even extended her right hand, saying, "President Fang, although this is our first meeting, your name is very well-known."

"You're too kind, Ms. Lin. You're a powerful woman in Shanghai's financial world," Fang Qingye replied.

"No matter how strong I am, I can't be stronger than you, President Fang. Please have a seat."

Fang Qingye smiled and sat down opposite Lin Wei.

"What would you like to drink? Macchiato or latte? Those are the two most famous drinks at their shop," Lin Wei asked.

"Whatever. To be honest, I'm not too picky about coffee; I prefer tea."

"Hehe. Next time, I'll treat President Fang to tea, and the waiter will bring two lattes, thank you," Lin Wei said.

Two steaming cups of coffee were brought over, and the two of them sipped them slowly.

"Mr. Lin, have you received the receipt from Jinghai Bank?" Fang Qingye asked directly.

"Yes, that's why I'd like to invite you, President Fang, to speak with me in person."

"Actually, I really admire your Goldman Sachs team for designing such a complex and ingenious financial product; it's almost a work of art," Fang Qing remarked.

"But it has a fatal flaw—it's too greedy, trying to squeeze out every last bit of profit, to the point of crossing the line."

"It was mainly designed by your old classmate Zhang Dongwen," Lin Wei replied.

"Really?" Fang Qingye didn't seem surprised. "When we were in school, Zhang Dongwen was very smart in our class, smarter than me."

"But she lost to you this time."

"Zhang Dongwen was defeated by me? Could it have been implemented without your signature?! President Lin, we are both leaders of the company. You can't pass on the responsibilities to your subordinates, can you?" Fang Qingye's smile was tinged with sarcasm.

Lin Wei didn't answer. She picked up her coffee cup, took a small sip, and looked up at Fang Qingye with a serious expression.
"Okay, on behalf of Goldman Sachs China and myself, I would like to express my apologies to Jinghai Bank and to you. Due to our lack of consideration or oversight in the product design, we may have caused unnecessary losses to Jinghai Bank. I am truly sorry."

Fang Qingye stared at the other party after listening: "President Lin, if an apology can solve the problem, then what's the point of rules and laws?!"

Lin Wei frowned slightly upon hearing this: "What do you plan to do?"

Fang Qingye didn't answer directly, but took a sip of coffee and said, "I've been wondering why Goldman Sachs, a company with a century-long history, would condone such a greedy design. I think it's simply because a certain team went astray in their pursuit of extreme short-term performance."

"First, I could choose to report this to the Municipal Banking Regulatory Commission and completely overturn the table! I know that Goldman Sachs has a lot of influence and connections in the Chinese financial world. But you know in your heart that I also have people in the Municipal Banking Regulatory Bureau. I can tell you clearly now that I have friends not only in the Municipal Banking Regulatory Bureau, but also in the National Banking Regulatory Commission and the People's Bank of China."

Lin Wei was somewhat suspicious, but she didn't say anything and silently drank her coffee.

“But doing that would be like killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own. I prefer a more efficient solution: let Goldman Sachs correct this mistake themselves.” Hearing Fang Qingye's words, Lin Wei clearly became interested: “Oh, how do you correct it?”

"First: Goldman Sachs, citing "unexpected changes in market conditions," proactively proposed to terminate the CDS contract with D.E. Shaw's structured investment Cayman SPV ahead of schedule and unconditionally, with all funds returning to the accounts of these three manufacturing companies."

“Okay. This financial product has lost its original value, and we will terminate it.” Lin Wei agreed readily.

"Secondly, Goldman Sachs China is required to introduce or co-underwrite a certain number of high-quality local enterprises, such as local state-owned enterprises and leading private enterprises, for Jinghai Bank in the next three years. Our Jinghai Bank is still very weak."

"Weak? Based on the capabilities you've demonstrated in this cooperation, you call yourselves weak? President Fang has quite the ambition," Lin Wei sneered.

Fang Qingye slowly sipped her coffee, smiling without saying a word.

"Okay, I agree! Is there still a chance for me to cooperate with a smart person like Director Fang?" Lin Wei asked.

"Yes! Third, and finally: Goldman Sachs will immediately inject RMB 5 million into Jinghai Bank free of charge as direct compensation for its reputational damage and risk. This money will be recorded in Jinghai Bank's capital reserve and will not need to be repaid."

"Of course, in exchange for this 5 million yuan compensation, Jinghai Bank can offer you a three-year 'priority cooperation right':"
"Goldman Sachs has the priority to act as the lead underwriter for any future overseas bond issuance, M&A financing, or other international business of Jinghai Bank, under the same conditions."

However, Goldman Sachs must return 50% of the profits from its business with Jinghai Bank to Jinghai Bank as a "strategic cooperation revenue sharing".

Upon hearing Fang Qingye's words, Lin Wei's fair face revealed a hint of sarcasm: "President Fang, aren't you just openly robbing people?"

"Not really, am I?" Fang Qingye said with a smile. "I'm giving you a priority cooperation right."

"But with the current strength of your Jinghai Bank, is it possible to carry out international business such as overseas bond issuance and M&A financing within three years?!" Lin Wei immediately retorted.

Fang Qingye smiled without saying a word.

“I’m afraid I can’t comply with the third point,” Lin Wei replied.

"Then I'm sorry, I have no choice but to submit this investigation and analysis report and all the conclusions to the Municipal Banking Regulatory Bureau. Anyway, the country has just issued the 'Guidelines for Risk Management of Off-Balance Sheet Business of Commercial Banks (Revised Draft for Comments),' so I guess the regulatory bureau is making an example of this, right?" Fang Qingye said nonchalantly.

"Fang Qingye, you're despicable!" Lin Wei said angrily in a low voice, her chest heaving with each word.

"I'm despicable?! Then what about what you've done?!" Fang Qingye stared at the other person, her eyes revealing a fierce look:

“If we really follow your financial product design, all the risks will ultimately be transferred to Jinghai Bank! If that happens, our losses will be far more than 500 million yuan. I'm just trying to get back some interest.”

Lin Wei remained silent for a while before speaking, her tone noticeably softer: "President Fang, I am only the vice president. I don't have the authority to make the last point; it needs to be reported to President Fan Xiang."

"That's your problem. I just need the results," Fang Qingye said.

After several more minutes of silence, Lin Wei finally gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I agree. But this matter ends here!"

"OK." Fang Qingye smiled politely. "I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

"Cooperation?" Lin Wei's tone relaxed slightly, but her eyes still held a hint of wariness as she looked at Fang Qingye: "I'm really afraid that one day I'll be sold out by you without even realizing it."

"How could that be?" Fang Qingye looked innocent, glancing out the window with a relaxed voice. "Look, we just reached an agreement, and the rain has just stopped—isn't this a case of the sun shining after the rain?"

He laughed.

That smile was bright, but in Lin Wei's eyes, it inexplicably felt... a little hateful.

(End of this chapter)