Reborn with Consumption System-Chapter 664 - 287: Trap within a Trap, God Lie is Awesome!

Han Lie went to work at the company, feeling incredibly delighted. It wasn't just about getting his hands on two more luxury watches; after all, he was filthy rich and didn't lack a few million in petty cash. What truly mattered was the process of continuously pushing Panzi's boundaries and figuring out his collection. Once Panzi got used to being fleeced and was helpless against me, what would that submissive little Panzi do then? Let me tell you, just four words—he'd be putty in my hands!

At 9:00 AM, Han Lie held a brief meeting with Jiao Fangyan and the Stone Hero, then began his day's work.

The market was quite dull today.

The heavyweight stocks in the SSE 50 started to rise slightly. The main trend was scattered, as if the national team or northbound funds were building positions, which slightly boosted market confidence.

However, the rest of the market leaders did not follow suit significantly, showing little interest in entering, and trading volume remained sluggish.

So, the index rebounded for the second consecutive day, but small and medium-cap stocks mostly moved sideways or even experienced creeping declines.

The company's stock pool held 15 stocks pending trades. Their performance was highly divergent, with half rising and half falling; even stocks within the same investment theme showed mixed results. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

In the current chaotic environment, stocks that rose weren't necessarily good, and those that fell weren't necessarily bad. In short, they still required careful discernment.

So Han Lie busied himself with various documents again.

Tang Xintian had a commitment at her workplace in the morning and reported in the afternoon, bringing all the prepared documents from their institution.

Around 4:00 PM, Lü Shuli also arrived at the company with all the necessary documents.

The three of them, plus the junior assistant, kept busy until around 9:00 PM and finally completed all the paperwork for submission.

The grand curtain for this money-making bonanza opened with great vigor.

「The next day, Wednesday, Han Lie spent it rushing about.」

After a full day of activity, he finally got the project authorization documents and agency agreements signed. In the evening, he conveniently dined with the pre-arranged trust representatives.

「On the third day, Thursday, Old Liu from CITIC Trust came knocking early in the morning with a troubled face.」

"Teacher Han, have I offended you in any way? Our previous cooperation was so pleasant. Why did you switch to someone else for the new project without any notice..." Old Liu began, airing his grievances.

"Teacher Han, please! You're like an elder brother to me. Our superiors really chewed me out... Why don't you just tell me? Where exactly did CITIC fall short?"

CITIC Trust itself doesn't have any particular issues at the moment, but Old Gao from CITIC Securities isn't playing fair, and I don't like that. That was what Han Lie actually thought, but he didn't utter a word of it.

"President Liu, you're overthinking it. Our cooperation was so in sync; how could there be any shortcomings? It was just bad luck this time. The guarantor attached some conditions, and I really couldn't do anything about it..."

Old Liu feigned comprehension. "Oh," he said.

"Your new project's guarantor is Magic Capital Guaranty, right? No wonder it ended up using Magic Capital International Trust's channel. Those two are basically the same entity... Oh my, Qiu Gang is shameless, playing such tricks?"

Han Lie smiled without saying anything.

That wasn't your attitude when CITIC was bundling services back then.

Oh well, it's all an act. No point in exposing him.

Old Liu knew perfectly well it was a lost cause, yet he still came to drone on. It was a classic case of making a fuss to be remembered.

If he didn't make a fuss, how would Han Lie remember him?

If Han Lie didn't remember him, then the next time a new project came up, they would still be just one of many unremarkable candidates, already starting at a disadvantage.

"Alright, it's me, Old Liu, who has been petty. I've misjudged your intentions!" Old Liu feigned annoyance and slapped his forehead, then smoothly extended an invitation. "Let me treat you to dinner tonight to apologize. I'll call Old Gao, and we'll have a meal."

See? Knowing how to play the game and climb the rungs is a public skill, an essential course for ascending to society's upper echelons.

Han Lie understood his intentions but didn't indulge him.

"No, President Liu, you're making too much of it. I'm honestly swamped lately. Let's do it when I'm less busy; I'll treat you then!"

Old Liu rambled on for about three more minutes, then, just as Han Lie's patience was about to wear thin, he quietly left a box of tea and took his leave.

Han Lie glanced at the box: top-grade Jinjunmei tea from Tongmuguan, Wuyi Mountains, in a gold zun gift box, weighing one jin.

Not cheap, probably over ten thousand yuan, but not too ostentatious either.

Han Lie thought for a moment, then called Old Gao at CITIC Securities.

After a bit of small talk, he got to the point.

"President Liu just visited me. He was complaining and brought tea; it made me feel quite awkward."

Old Gao laughed heartily. "You don't need to be polite with him; it's just a box of tea. Compared to what he earns, it's nothing! I reckon he's still trying to figure you out, testing the waters. How about this—next time I'll set something up, and we'll fleece him for a big one!"

When Han Lie interacted with Old Gao one-on-one, Old Gao's words always seemed perfectly appropriate. However, when it came to actual commitments, he was often found lacking.

This, in fact, was the norm in the financial circle—only short-term benefits mattered, and only what was already in hand truly counted.

Some people felt Han Lie was worth supporting and would eagerly champion him. Others, however, viewed his success as highly fortuitous. Considering his youth and perceived naivety, they would merely play along superficially, always prioritizing their own interests.

Society had always been this way, which is why the old saying goes, "To forge iron, one must first be strong."

However, Han Lie hadn't called Old Gao out of some damn sense of camaraderie.

So he replied with a laugh, "Let's wait until I'm done with this busy period, and then I'll return the favor and treat you both. By the way, there's definitely no chance for cooperation on my two major projects. However, there were quite a few 'mosquito legs' at the celebration party President Gu held the other day. If you're interested, you could try reaching out."