26: Chapter 26 Competitors

On Monday morning, Zhou Wanqing sat in her office, looking at a stack of financial data.

She had been at City Investment Group for two months, but had made absolutely no progress.

She had already gone through these historical financial records several times, but could not find a single issue.

She even specifically dug out the bidding documents for some large-scale projects to review.

They all complied with laws and regulations and met procurement requirements. Furthermore, the key details had all been signed and confirmed by auditors.

However, this shouldn't be right. Her predecessor, the former vice president of City Investment Group who once sat in this office...

...had tens of millions in cash found in his home.

Could it be that he really earned it from a side hustle?

Zhou Wanqing propped her head up with her hand again, feeling immense pressure. Although her superiors hadn't stated it explicitly, she knew in her heart why she had been assigned to this unit.

Zhou Wanqing sighed. If she continued to come up empty-handed, her competence would likely be called into question.

If that happened, it would truly be a disgrace to her father.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the office door.

To her surprise, it was the top leader, the head of City Investment, Lin Xiongwei, who had come over in person.

Three men and women in suits followed behind him as they walked into Zhou Wanqing's office.

Zhou Wanqing immediately stood up to welcome him: "General Manager Lin, since you've come in person, do you have any instructions?"

Lin Xiongwei pointed at the three people behind him and introduced them: "These three are from Shenzhou Insurance. I don't know how they found their way to me, and I don't handle this area, so I brought them to you."

Then, Lin Xiongwei said to the three: "This is our group's CFO, and she is in charge of insurance. If you have any business, communicate with her."

Lin Xiongwei came and went quickly. After the introduction, he signaled to Zhou Wanqing that he was leaving.

Zhou Wanqing had no choice but to receive these individuals.

Su Yao came in, poured tea, and was about to leave.

But Zhou Wanqing said: "Xiao Su, stay. These people are from Shenzhou Insurance, you should listen in too."

Su Yao remained composed, simply bringing over a chair in a disciplined manner to sit next to General Manager Zhou.

In the leather sofa set, Zhou Wanqing sat on the single seat on the right. She was elegant, her long skirt covering her knees, with her slender calves crossed.

Among the three who had come, the two men couldn't help but marvel at the fact that the number one beauty executive at City Investment truly had an extraordinary temperament.

However, they all knew something of Zhou Wanqing's background, and dared not harbor any other thoughts in their hearts.

The middle-aged man leading them was the first to hand over a business card, respectfully saying to Zhou Wanqing: "General Manager Zhou, I am Fang Ming from Shenzhou Insurance. I heard that your group's new round of insurance procurement is about to start, so I specifically came to pay my respects."

Zhou Wanqing looked at the business card in her hand; it was the head of the Qiantang City branch of Shenzhou Insurance.

She knew that Shenzhou Insurance was also a large state-owned enterprise. In terms of rank, Zhou Wanqing and Fang Ming should be on the same level. However, as the client, Zhou Wanqing naturally held the dominant position.

Zhou Wanqing replied: "It is indeed about to start, but, General Manager Fang, you know that according to our requirements, everything must be publicly tendered. So, you just need to keep an eye on the trading platform information."

Seeing that Zhou Wanqing was not easy to talk to, Fang Ming wanted to bring up something that could prove his strength.

He first introduced Shenzhou Insurance, stating it was the largest property and casualty insurance company in China. He said there was no need to worry about their service and support capabilities.

Then, he moved on to his main point. This morning in Lin Xiongwei's office, General Manager Lin had already expressed his hope to choose a company with stronger service capabilities and more professionalism.

Companies like Yongjin Property & Casualty Insurance, which City Investment had chosen previously, were nothing more than second-tier insurance companies. That was why there had been so many issues with claims.

Zhou Wanqing just listened and nodded with a smile, without expressing any opinion.

Su Yao was already somewhat defensive against these people. Upon hearing them disparage Yongjin Property & Casualty Insurance with such a sense of superiority, it felt as if they were belittling Su Nange. Su Yao completely lost any favorable impression of them.

Zhou Wanqing patiently listened to their boasting and asked a question: "General Manager Fang, to be honest, I haven't been at City Investment for long. I don't know much about past events."

"Since that's the case, why did City Investment choose Yongjin previously, and not you? I have reviewed your previous bidding documents, and your quotes were much higher than the market rate!"

General Manager Fang was stunned; he didn't expect Zhou Wanqing to ask that so suddenly. For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.

And who was Zhou Wanqing? She was a woman with a thousand tricks up her sleeve.

Fortunately, one of General Manager Fang's subordinates, Manager Zhang from the Corporate Clients Department, said: "General Manager Zhou might not be very familiar with the insurance industry. Every year, insurance companies have different requirements for risk management."

"A few years ago, our superiors were strict, so the terms weren't very good. But this year, we can definitely show our sincerity."

Zhou Wanqing smiled and stood up: "Alright, I understand what you've said. I still have a lot to do, so I won't keep you any longer. This is Xiao Su from our Finance Department, who happens to be in charge of group insurance. You can communicate more in the future."

Fang Ming had his Corporate Clients Department manager and project lead exchange contact information with Su Yao.

As the three of them walked out of City Investment Group, Manager Zhang said: "It seems General Manager Zhou's attitude is very cold."

Fang Ming thought for a moment, turned around, looked at the only woman, and said: "Zhou Wanqing is just here for a transition. At City Investment, one still has to listen to General Manager Lin. So, Xiaoli, you must visit General Manager Lin often."

The one called Xiaoli nodded: "Understood, General Manager Fang."

Zhou Wanqing returned to her desk, thinking: Could it be that there is bid-rigging in insurance as well?

Meanwhile, Su Nange was in the stairwell smoking with a group of people from the Claims Department.

He had been getting along famously with the Claims Department recently, but conversely, he didn't interact much with his own department colleagues.

As the few men were bragging, Su Nange's phone rang.

Su Nange left first and answered the phone in the hallway.

Su Yao quickly relayed the latest news, repeating almost the entire conversation verbatim.

Su Nange marveled at how great it was to have this girl! He coaxed the girl on the other end of the line into a giggle for a while before hanging up.

Su Nange began to ponder; clearly, the top leader of City Investment, Lin Xiongwei, had his own connections. But this raised a question.

Su Nange couldn't figure it out for the moment. He checked the time; it was almost lunchtime.

So, he sent a message, preparing to ask for help.

In a small, exquisite restaurant next to Yongjin Property & Casualty Insurance, Ding Quxiao asked: "Why are you suddenly treating me to a meal?"

Su Nange smiled sheepishly: "I have something I'd like to ask for Sister Ding's advice on."

Ding Quxiao remained as rigid as ever: "What is it?"

Su Nange then explained: "Sister Ding, you've been with the company a long time. I want to understand, why is it that we are only a second-tier company, yet we were able to win the City Investment project?"

"I've heard rumors that General Manager Liu and the former vice president of City Investment had financial dealings?"

Ding Quxiao glanced at Su Nange and shook her head: "I don't know! I don't care about such things."

Su Nange looked a bit disappointed and sighed: "I heard that people from Shenzhou Insurance went to City Investment this morning. It seems this time, it's really going to be difficult."

"That's why I need to seize the opportunity to suck up to Sister Ding more!"

Ding Quxiao looked at the dejected young man and asked: "Do you know why I came to work here?"

Su Nange's eyes suddenly lit up: "My dear sister, please don't keep me in suspense. Look, I'm so worried I can barely eat."

Ding Quxiao glanced at the large piece of lamb chop on Su Nange's plate and finally couldn't help but smile.

She said: "Because the compensation here is very high!"

"Although our company is indeed second-tier, the commission rates are industry-leading."

Su Nange suddenly realized!

That's right! The most direct way for an insurance company to get business from Sister Ding's family was to invite this wealthy lady over and cater to her every need.

So for her, she would naturally go to whichever company offered the most generous tribute.

So, the implication behind Sister Ding's words was that it was very likely City Investment was the same?

If so, could his own leader, Liu Dong, also be a scapegoat?

Ding Quxiao quickly gave Su Nange another piece of information.

She said: "This man Liu Dong, although he only kowtows to superiors and ignores subordinates, is, after all, just a small department manager. In the eyes of those people, he is absolutely nothing."

Those people?

That was it! With that, the logic held up.

The vice president of City Investment and some leader at Yongjin Property & Casualty Insurance must have reached a secret agreement. They had obtained a promise of winning the bid through private, high commission kickbacks.

Then they conspired to have other participating insurance companies deliberately bid high prices, which was equivalent to a disguised withdrawal.

And with this whole scheme, Liu Dong was most likely just a white glove. So, without the benefits, he didn't even bother to manage many of the service-related issues.

With the fall of the City Investment leader, Liu Dong was also very likely to be used as a scapegoat by those above him. That was why Liu Dong, having no other options, could only grasp at straws and saw hope in Su Nange.

Su Nange smiled. If everything was as he had deduced, then he could understand why Zhou Wanqing was still giving him a chance. This woman was truly not simple!

Su Nange felt this meal was well worth it and was deeply grateful to Sister Ding: "You really are my good sister. Come, let me toast you."

Ding Quxiao picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said: "You eat more, I'm heading back."

With that, she stood up, her skirt swaying, and walked out in her Prada heels.

Su Nange looked at the calves beneath Ding Quxiao's skirt, wrapped in skin-colored stockings that were barely visible to the naked eye. It was obvious that this was not a product that an ordinary woman could afford.

Of course, Su Nange didn't have any peculiar fetishes; he had just suddenly thought of something. He called out to Ding Quxiao's mature back: "Thanks, Sister Ding! If there's a chance, can I treat you to drinks at a bar sometime?"

Ding Quxiao suddenly paused, turned her head back, and with a face that was beautifully structured and full of charm, she coldly said: "I never go to those kinds of places!"