To upgrade to the highest level of private banking, Hu Yue's current authority was insufficient, so she had to request instructions from the business hall manager.

The end result was that Chen Cheng was invited into the VIP room, though he still specified Hu Yue to serve him.

He had come specifically for her and Tao Wuji; how could he let her work for nothing?

When it was time for Chen Cheng to leave, the business hall manager immediately arranged for Hu Yue to escort him upstairs upon hearing he was visiting Zhao Hui.

The manager had originally wanted to escort him personally, but Chen Cheng declined.

Tellers had deposit targets, but managers' targets were even heavier.

In their eyes, a major client like Chen Cheng was a pile of crisp banknotes; they had to be attentive and, above all, avoid offending him.

"Give them to me," Chen Cheng said to Hu Yue in the elevator as she carried three fruit baskets with both hands.

Seeing the red marks on Hu Yue's hands from the weight, he felt a surge of compassion.

"Oh, no need, Mr. Chen, I can manage." Hu Yue forced a smile on her flushed face, indicating she was fine.

Chen Cheng smiled and reached out to take the two baskets on one side.

"Your hands are already red; don't push yourself."

Hu Yue suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. "Thank you, Mr. Chen."

After this half-day, Chen Cheng had realized that this Hu Yue was clearly not the Hu Yue he knew from his memories.

Ordinary! She was a very ordinary young woman. Aside from her obvious liking for Tao Wuji, he hadn't discovered any connection between her and the city in this short time.

She had even been changed to the point of being somewhat dispensable.

"You're welcome," Chen Cheng shook his head and added, "In private, no need to keep calling me Mr. Chen. You can just call me Chen Cheng."

"Alright, Mr. Chen."

After opening the card, Chen Cheng transferred one hundred million us dollars in and converted it all into local currency.

Such a massive transaction counted entirely towards Hu Yue's performance. Even at the lowest commission rate, it amounted to between three hundred and four hundred thousand.

Hu Yue's head was still spinning, feeling as though she had won the lottery.

At this moment, she would agree to whatever Chen Cheng said.

Chen Cheng smiled and said nothing more.

The elevator doors opened, and Zhao Hui was already waiting at the entrance.

Upon seeing Chen Cheng, Zhao Hui greeted him with a smile, "Junior Brother, what brings you here today?"

"I came to handle some business, and I figured since I was here anyway, I should come up and say hello to you, Senior Brother." Chen Cheng also wore a smile.

Zhao Hui took the fruit baskets from Chen Cheng's hand. "You're here, why bring gifts? You know there are regulations about this."

Zhao Hui was actually quite happy Chen Cheng came, mainly because he had already heard that a major client had just deposited one hundred million us dollars into Shenmao Bank.

That one hundred million us dollars was the real 'fruit basket.'

"It's not like I'm smuggling contraband," he said, gesturing to Zhao Hui's secretary with a smile. "Take these, wash them, and distribute them to the colleagues. Just say Banker Zhao bought them."

The secretary glanced at Zhao Hui inquiringly, and Zhao Hui nodded.

He then asked Chen Cheng, "Are these for your Senior Brother Miao and Senior Brother Su?"

Chen Cheng nodded noncommittally. "Hahaha, I can't hide anything from you, Senior Brother."

He didn't care at all about the rule that gifts brought shouldn't be taken back; he was too lazy to make two extra trips.

If Zhao Hui saw them, he saw them.

Laziness rules the world.

Zhao Hui clearly saw that Chen Cheng didn't care about these formalities at all. "Alright, after we finish chatting, I'll personally take you to see Hero Miao."

Zhao Hui then looked at Hu Yue. "Hu Yue, right?"

Hu Yue nodded constrainedly.

"Keep up the good work," Zhao Hui encouraged her with a warm smile and then dismissed her. "Go back to your work now."

"Yes, Banker Zhao. I'll head down now." Hu Yue felt somewhat relieved.

After speaking, Hu Yue nodded to Chen Cheng again before entering the elevator.

After Hu Yue left, Zhao Hui led Chen Cheng into his office and teased, "What? Does my Junior Brother like that young girl?"

Chen Cheng shook his head. "You're overthinking it, Senior Brother. I didn't even know her an hour ago."

By saying this, he was telling Zhao Hui that his deposit at Shenmao Bank wasn't for Hu Yue's sake.

As for whose sake it was, Zhao Hui would have to figure that out for himself.

"Hahaha, I thought she was your little girlfriend, Junior Brother."

Zhao Hui knew Hu Yue's background perfectly well. He knew the origins of every graduate in this intake, but that didn't stop him from saying so.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while. The secretary brought in tea and freshly washed fruit and then withdrew.

"I suspect you didn't come here just to open a card, Junior Brother?" Zhao Hui said, getting straight to the point.

Something like that could be handled by a secretary; there was no need for a personal trip. If needed, the bank would even provide door-to-door service. Besides, what sane person keeps nearly seven hundred million in a personal account?

"Hahaha," Chen Cheng chuckled. "I really can't hide anything from you, Senior Brother."

He pulled out his phone, unlocked the screen, and handed it to Zhao Hui. "Zhencheng has a project. I wonder if Shenmao Bank is interested?"

Chen Cheng spoke about his fundraising plan. Zhao Hui listened intently, nodding occasionally, but did not give a clear stance.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat heavy. Chen Cheng could sense Zhao Hui was thinking; there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"10 billion?" Even Zhao Hui was somewhat shocked by Chen Cheng's fundraising plan.

Chen Cheng smiled and said, "This is the first time Zhencheng is truly raising funds in the market. I want to go big."

Zhao Hui frowned slightly. "Are you planning to become an overnight success, Junior Brother?"

Chen Cheng shook his head. "No, because this is also Zhencheng's last time raising funds."

His information advantage was waning; he had to catch the tailwind of carbon reduction and be the 'pig at the center of the storm' for once.

Zhao Hui looked at Chen Cheng curiously. "Why is that?"

He had seen the full extent of capital's greed through Xie Zhiyuan.

Chen Cheng had an information advantage; it was impossible for him to have thoughts of retiring upon his return.

"Once the volume gets too large, it's too much of a mental drain." Chen Cheng smiled. It didn't matter if Zhao Hui believed him; he was telling the truth anyway.

If he were truly a diligent person, he wouldn't have chosen to do investment and stock trading five years ago.

He would have gone into short videos, car manufacturing, or building trading platforms.

Since he could make money easily, he wouldn't work himself to death managing a company practically.

This answer left Zhao Hui somewhat speechless, unsure of how to respond.

After a moment, he said, "The project is indeed good, and your track record should be very attractive to investors. It's just that this volume is truly quite large."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother, I won't give it all to Shenmao. I've already settled part of the fundraising plan." The corners of Chen Cheng's mouth curled; the deal was on.

"Oh? Settled?"

Chen Cheng nodded. "My big brother introduced a few friends yesterday who are all interested in Zhencheng's fundraising. Shengxuan will also participate."

"The intended investment amount from the four parties is..." As he spoke, Chen Cheng held up three fingers to Zhao Hui.

Whoa! Tan Zongming is really going all out to support his little brother.

That was Zhao Hui's first reaction.

Zhao Hui thought for a moment and said, "How about this: you prepare the complete project materials first, and then we'll talk."

"As for the share..."

Chen Cheng saw Zhao Hui's hesitation. Too much was too risky; too little wasn't worth the profit.

Chen Cheng smiled and said to Zhao Hui, "I'll leave as much for you as you're willing to take, Senior Brother."

"We'll see then. There's no rush for you to decide."

Zhao Hui pondered and then said, "How about this: our Shenmao Bank will take 3 billion. The custodian bank role goes to our branch."

The corners of Chen Cheng's mouth curled as he cursed 'old fox' in his mind.

Fund distribution is a one-time deal, but custodianship brings in income every year. With a scale of 10 billion, the bank's annual custody fees would start at 25 million.

Of course, the distribution business was also a lucrative endeavor. When retail investors buy funds, forty percent of the subscription fee goes to the distributor.

Subscription fees are generally around 1.5%, meaning the distributor can take away six-thousandths of the fund's total volume.

Then there's the trailing commission, which is basically 30% to 50% of the fund management fee.

As for the frequently seen 'zero subscription' or 'zero management' fees, they are just smoke and mirrors where the cost is hidden elsewhere.

Chen Cheng laughed. "Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you, Senior Brother."

For Zhencheng, as long as it wasn't a problematic bank, it didn't matter who the custodian bank was.

Therefore, Chen Cheng would naturally grant Zhao Hui this favor.

The two chatted for a while, and Zhao Hui personally escorted Chen Cheng to the elevator.

It was clear they had a pleasant conversation.

After the elevator doors closed, Zhao Hui's smile faded, and he turned to his secretary.

"Transfer that Little Hu to the Private Banking Department."

Hu Yue didn't yet know that the gears of fate had begun to turn; she was currently receiving congratulations from her colleagues.

With such a large commission, everyone was clamoring for her to treat them.

Hu Yue was also very excited and naturally didn't refuse, agreeing to treat everyone to a fish dinner after work.