When Chen Ru first joined the bank, she worked as a teller.
Wen Ying’s grandfather had been with the bank before he passed away, so Chen Ru’s entry into the bank was, in a way, following in her father’s footsteps. However, before reaching retirement age, Wen Ying’s grandfather fell ill and stepped down from his bank position. This left Chen Ru, who had once had a strong backer, without any support. She moved from being a teller to working in HR, and later transitioned to a client manager role, her entire career revolving within the bank’s small domain.
In the past, the term “client manager” didn’t even exist in China. It was only after 1997 that the role was formally introduced. Chen Ru’s financial knowledge was limited, and in a small town, being a client manager relied heavily on relationships. After Wen Dongrong’s career took off, Chen Ru found the client manager role particularly smooth sailing.
This isn’t to say Chen Ru’s career relied entirely on Wen Dongrong. On the contrary, she had opportunities to compete for higher positions. But if she succeeded, she’d have to work in other suburban counties of Rongcheng, over an hour’s drive away. Commuting daily wasn’t practical, and Wen Dongrong’s job was even harder to relocate than a bank promotion. If Chen Ru took a job in another county, the family of three would be separated.
Who would look after Wen Ying? Who would raise her?
Counting on Wen Dongrong was out of the question. Like most women, Chen Ru believed childcare was her responsibility and, deep down, didn’t trust men’s ability to handle it.
Later, one of Chen Ru’s colleagues successfully competed for a promotion and became a deputy branch manager in a suburban county, recently rising to branch manager. People’s abilities and circumstances vary, and even if Chen Ru had won the promotion, she might not have followed the same path. Still, whenever she thought about it, the missed opportunity gnawed at her.
Especially when Wen Ying’s academic performance fell short of Chen Ru’s expectations or her overall behaviour wasn’t as outstanding as Chen Ru hoped, Chen Ru’s negative emotions would flare up: This child has no idea how much I’ve sacrificed for her!
If Wen Ying knew about Chen Ru’s resentment now, she’d understand her mother but also feel a bit wronged.
Whether to marry, when to marry, when to have children, how to care for them, and the impact on one’s career—these are things one should mentally prepare for in advance.
Parents bring children into the world without their consent and have a duty to care for and educate them until they can fend for themselves. Sacrifice is inevitable, but often, women bear the brunt of it.
Chen Ru could tally up the financial costs of raising Wen Ying or the career losses incurred. But as her partner, Wen Dongrong bore more responsibility for those losses than Wen Ying did.
When Chen Ru switched from HR to client manager, it was because the role paid more. The fact that Wen Ying’s family could afford down payments for two properties in Rongcheng was closely tied to that decision. In terms of household income, Chen Ru was the main contributor. Back in their hometown, Chen Ru didn’t need to worry about performance—her and Wen Dongrong’s job arrangements were so advantageous that clients came to her for deposits and loans.
After transferring to Rongcheng, Chen Ru essentially left her hometown clients behind. Few would travel to the provincial capital for routine banking needs, and very few clients followed her.
This made starting work in Rongcheng challenging. Moving from waiting for clients to actively seeking them out, Chen Ru had to adapt not only to a new work model but also to a series of psychological adjustments.
Just as she adjusted her mindset, ready to focus on her career and compete with younger, less experienced colleagues, plans changed again. In recent days, it felt like the heavens were showering her with bonuses.
Clients she hadn’t expected much from casually approached her to handle deposits worth seven figures or more. Shockingly, this wasn’t a one-off. Each client Chen Ru served was like a farmer digging up sweet potatoes—one vine could yield countless tubers, but you’d only know the full haul after digging up the soil. The vine Chen Ru unearthed produced a staggering crop!
Several companies also suddenly approached her for corporate banking services. At the time, the distinction between personal and corporate client managers wasn’t so rigid, and capable managers could handle both.
In just one week, Chen Ru’s reputation soared at her branch.
Don’t underestimate Sister Chen, who transferred from a smaller town—her connections and network are rock-solid!
What, Sister Chen rides a women’s scooter to work and doesn’t even drive a car?
That’s just Sister Chen keeping a low profile!
It took her over a month after transferring to start shining—that’s her being discreet.
Think about it: Sister Chen’s a great person. With such strong connections, why bother with ordinary colleagues? Yet she’s treated everyone to several meals lately. She’s so down-to-earth!
In banking, those who excel as client managers are sharp as tacks. Soon, people began discreetly digging into Chen Ru’s background.
Her background was straightforward: a long-time bank employee with no particularly impressive resume.
For a woman her age, if her personal abilities weren’t exceptional, it must be her family background. Some speculated her husband was a big shot, noting even the branch manager was courteous to her.
…!
Chen Ru was speechless when she heard these rumours.
Wen Dongrong, a big shot? In their small town, he might hold some minor official role in the eyes of ordinary folks, but in the provincial capital, it was insignificant.
These clients weren’t people Chen Ru knew before, nor could they have been referred by Wen Dongrong. Even if Wen Dongrong had made such connections, he wouldn’t have resisted bragging about it to her.
When Wen Dongrong visited Rongcheng over the weekend, Chen Ru brought it up, and as expected, he was clueless.
“If it wasn’t you, then who?”
Could it really be that transferring jobs and entering a new environment had ignited a new wave of career luck?
Chen Ru was baffled.
“The branch now thinks I’m some hidden powerhouse. Not only have I smashed this year’s targets, but I’ve already met next year’s and the year after’s!”
This delightful misunderstanding didn’t send Chen Ru into a frenzy of joy.
Fortune that falls from the sky can vanish just as quickly. Right now, she was being praised, but if these big clients who came to her left, she’d be back to square one!
Wen Dongrong, deep in thought, looked at his daughter, who was shovelling rice with her head practically buried in her bowl. He cleared his throat. “Wen Ying, do you know what’s going on?”
Wen Ying looked up, struggling to swallow her mouthful of rice, her face full of confusion.
“Dad, what are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about your mum’s work—those clients. Do you know anything about it?”
Wen Dongrong had a gut feeling this was tied to Wen Ying!
Wen Ying thought it might be related to Li Mengjiao’s father, Li Zhentao. She hadn’t expected his “gratitude” to carry such weight or be so hard to refuse.
But in front of her parents, Wen Ying firmly denied it.
“Dad, you’re giving me too much credit. I can barely handle my schoolwork—how could I meddle in Mum’s job?”
Before Wen Dongrong could respond, Wen Ying grinned and set down her bowl. “I think this is great news! Who cares why Mum’s suddenly got good luck? What we should be thinking about is how to keep these big clients!”
