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

Chapter 768 brought no joy as expected, only a utterly draining exhaustion and an inexplicable sense of grievance.
Chen Yu remained calm; he was prepared and took out a simple comparative analysis from his folder:

"Mr. Zhao, I understand. This is a simple comparison between our bank's products and those of theirs. You see, although our apparent interest rate is 0.2 percentage points higher, we offer flexible borrowing and repayment with daily interest calculation. If you can get your funds back quickly, your actual interest expense may be lower. Moreover, we offer faster credit limit increases for high-quality merchants."

This was the conclusion he reached after staying up all night studying the industry's products and competitors' policies.

Mr. Zhao was clearly moved, and a hesitant look appeared on his face.

"I see... I'll think about it some more, I'll think about it some more." Boss Zhao's attitude softened considerably compared to before.

Chen Yu knew the time was right but he couldn't press the issue. He stood up and said, "Alright, Mr. Zhao, take your time to consider it. If you have any questions, feel free to call me. I won't bother you any longer in your business."

Just as Chen Yu was about to leave, Boss Zhao suddenly called him back: "Hey, Chen, I heard from a friend the other day that the government seems to have released something like... a 'Green Finance Supported Project Catalog'? Apparently, it's a new policy for our building materials industry. Does your bank have any information on this?"

Chen Yu's heart sank.

The bank training a few days ago did cover the "Green Finance Supported Project Catalog," but after running around doing business all morning, he sat in the back of the meeting room in the afternoon, feeling only heavy eyelids and not paying any attention to it at all—the head office's macro policies involve large enterprises, so what does it have to do with him, a small account manager who runs around doing door-to-door business?
Unexpectedly, Mr. Zhao suddenly asked this question.

We must never show weakness.

"Mr. Zhao, you're really well-informed." Chen Yu immediately put on a smile and chuckled. "The policies are definitely on the right track. But those are just the big frameworks from above. When it comes to actually getting loans, the process is long and the requirements are high. We still need to look at what's most practical right now."

He changed the subject and once again presented the carefully prepared loan proposal to the other party:

"For example, this joint guarantee plan has fast approval and timely funding, which can solve your urgent need to purchase goods right now."

As he spoke, he emphasized the key numbers he had calculated with his fingers.

Mr. Zhao gave a noncommittal "hmm," then glanced at Chen Yu's face as if trying to discern the truth in his words. He then casually remarked, "I heard there's a glass factory in Wuyang that got a very good interest rate loan directly from the Agricultural Bank just because they had a photovoltaic project that met some kind of financial transformation requirements..."

Chen Yu sensed that the conversation was veerging into an area he couldn't control and that he couldn't continue it, as that would completely expose his ignorance.

“Mr. Zhao, the policies and products of each bank are different.” He interrupted the other party, his tone even deliberately emphasizing a bit more certainty, “The Agricultural Bank’s case may not be suitable for our situation here. Our Jinghai Bank definitely has an advantage in terms of localized flexibility and service efficiency. I still suggest you focus on this more mature joint guarantee plan, which has controllable risks and quick results.”

He emphasized the words "mature" and "quick results".

Mr. Zhao smiled and said nothing more, turning his gaze to the newly arrived batch of stone materials and no longer looking at him.

Chen Yu knew in his heart that this deal was most likely to fall through.

A sense of helplessness washed over him. Just as he was about to say goodbye and leave, a small truck screeched to a halt in front of the shop. The driver jumped out and shouted, "Boss Zhao, the goods have arrived!"

Mr. Zhao responded and went out, greeting the driver before glancing towards the market entrance. He then looked at his phone screen and frowned: "The person I called from the market hasn't arrived yet?"

Chen Yu's gaze swept over the stacks of heavy floor tile boxes on the truck, and he gritted his teeth: "Boss, I'll help you."

"You?" Chen Yu didn't say anything more. He carefully placed his briefcase in a clean spot, deftly took off his suit jacket and draped it over his shoulder. Without waiting for Boss Zhao's response, he walked straight to the truck, bent down, and lifted a box, using his waist and legs to exert force.

"Boss Zhao, where should I put this?" he asked, panting, as he carried a box of floor tiles into the room.

"Put it here, upright against the wall, never lay it flat!" Boss Zhao hurriedly instructed.

One box, two boxes… The rough edges of the cement packaging boxes repeatedly rubbed against his forearm, leaving red marks. Sweat quickly welled up and blurred his vision, and dust mixed with sweat, leaving mottled stains on his shirt and trousers.

When the last box of bricks was firmly against the wall, Chen Yu leaned against the door frame, almost unable to straighten his back. He could only gasp for breath, his arms trembling slightly as if he had lost all strength.

Boss Zhao walked over, silently handed him a bottle of chilled mineral water, and then patted his shoulder, which was covered in dust and already soaked with sweat.

"Thank you." Chen Yu unscrewed the bottle cap and gulped down half the bottle in one go. The icy liquid slid down his throat, and he finally felt a little more refreshed.

“Xiao Chen,” Mr. Zhao said, his voice tinged with barely perceptible emotion, “I’ve approved this loan. Come over first thing tomorrow morning to complete the formalities.”

"Okay! I'll come over as soon as I get to work." Chen Yu nodded, brushed the dust off his clothes, picked up his briefcase and suit, and said goodbye to Boss Zhao.

He walked out of the building materials market and stood under the eaves of a building on the street. Only then did he truly feel the waves of soreness coming from his shoulder and right leg.

He subconsciously reached into his suit jacket pocket, pulled out half a pack of cigarettes, saw it was the "Soft Gold Sand" cigarette he had just given to Boss Wang, put it back, and took out his usual White Sand cigarettes from another inner pocket, lit one.

The pungent smoke was inhaled into the lungs.

He held a cigarette in his mouth, looked down at his worn-out trousers and his scarred hands, then looked up at the bustling street in front of him. A huge sense of bewilderment mixed with bitterness surged into his heart without warning, making his nose sting.

There was no joy as I had expected, only a feeling of utter exhaustion and an inexplicable sense of grievance.

He suddenly felt an urge to cry.

He took two deep drags on his cigarette, letting the burning sensation quell the lump in his throat. Once his emotions had calmed somewhat, he clutched his briefcase and suit jacket, still smoking, and limped into the bustling crowd of people leaving get off work.

Fang Qingye naturally had no idea about this. It was only a few days later, when he was having lunch in the cafeteria, that Director Liu from the business hall sat with him and chatted while eating. He casually mentioned that Chen Yu had done well this month and had managed to take down several tough deals in the building materials market.

"is it?"

Fang Qingye looked up at Chen Yu, who was also eating not far away, with his head down, eating heartily.

"Then let's train them properly; they might actually become key personnel," Fang Qingye said.

As September arrived, Typhoon Meranti swept across the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, bringing strong winds and torrential rain, which greatly impacted local transportation and agriculture.
Fang Qingye's Four Seasons Nursery also suffered severe losses. Even the usually composed old man, Fang Guisheng, couldn't help but curse loudly because the powerful typhoon had destroyed most of the bonsai he had meticulously prepared for the 9th China Flower and Bonsai Art Festival to be held in Nanxin.
This typhoon has drawn nationwide attention, and two major events have also occurred in the financial investment sector, attracting the attention of insiders.

(End of this chapter)