Chapter Seventy: An Unexpected Encounter at the Bank

After Zhang Wei and Zhang Song left the residential complex, they hailed a cab to the nearest branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank. Around ten in the morning, the bank was bustling with people, and the sum Zhang Wei needed to withdraw was far too large to be handled at an ATM.

He had no choice but to take a number and wait in line for a teller. There were at least dozens of people ahead of him, so the two brothers waited for about an hour. It was nearly eleven by the time Zhang Wei's number was finally called.

"Number 135, please proceed to counter three!"

The pleasant announcement rang out, and as luck would have it, 135 was Zhang Wei's number. He stood up and walked to counter three, settled into the leather chair, and said, "Hello, I’d like to withdraw some cash."

"How much would you like to withdraw?" came a woman's voice, clear through the speaker, melodious yet tinged with indifference.

"Two hundred thousand," Zhang Wei replied, pulling out his ID and bank card and passing them through the window.

"Could you repeat that? How much?" The female teller looked up at him, her gaze direct.

"Two hundred thousand," Zhang Wei repeated, meeting her eyes as she turned her head toward him.

The first thing he noticed about the teller was her ample chest, straining against the white blouse, which was drawn tight by her generous curves. A glance down the collar revealed a deep, snowy valley that nearly trapped his gaze.

Zhang Wei quickly composed himself, shifting his eyes away and taking in her overall appearance: delicate features, a curvaceous yet not overweight figure, with a mature allure about her.

"May I ask if you made an appointment?" As Zhang Wei sized her up, she was doing the same with him, a trace of suspicion flickering in her eyes.

"I just found out I needed the cash today, so I didn’t make an appointment," Zhang Wei admitted, suddenly remembering the bank’s policy that large cash withdrawals require advance notice. But since he was already here, he couldn’t just leave empty-handed.

"I’m sorry, our bank’s policy requires that withdrawals over fifty thousand must be scheduled a day in advance, so you may not be able to take out the money today," the teller explained.

"Could you check for me? If cash reserves are tight, I’ll come back tomorrow. But if the vault happens to be well-stocked today, could you make an exception? I really have an urgent need," Zhang Wei pleaded.

"Let me check for you. Please wait a moment." The teller nodded, turned off her microphone, and walked over to a middle-aged woman in the back row. "Sister Chen, a client wants to withdraw two hundred thousand, but he didn’t make an appointment. Do we have enough cash in the vault?"

"Ah, two hundred thousand... Hold on, let me check." The woman spent a while clicking around on her computer, then leaned back in her chair. "We just received two large deposits this morning. There’s plenty in the vault—give it to him."

"Alright, I’ll handle it then. Thank you!" The teller smiled at the woman and returned to her seat. Turning the microphone back on, she said, "We happen to have enough cash today. You can withdraw the money now, but next time, please make an appointment a day in advance."

"Thank you very much." Relieved, Zhang Wei’s fondness for the teller grew.

She lowered her head and her fingers danced across the keyboard with dizzying speed. Zhang Wei couldn't help but watch her face, which struck him as oddly familiar.

"Mr. Zhang Wei, are you here to withdraw money or to admire the staff?" The teller suddenly looked up, her bright eyes twinkling with amusement. "If you keep staring, I’ll have to charge you extra—and I’ll just deduct it from your account."

"Sorry, I didn’t mean any offense. It’s just that you..." Zhang Wei began, embarrassed, wanting to explain that she looked familiar. But the words sounded too much like a clumsy pick-up line, so he stopped himself mid-sentence.

"You think I look familiar, don’t you?" she said, cutting straight to the point.

"Yes, have we met before?" Zhang Wei asked, genuinely curious. Baosheng City wasn't huge, after all, and it wouldn’t be surprising if their paths had crossed—perhaps he’d seen her at the bank before and remembered her because of her looks.

"It’s not just you; I also thought you looked familiar. Fat Zhang Wei, I barely recognized you after all these years," the teller said, picking up his ID card and waving it at the window. "Fortunately, I saw your photo on the card and realized who you were."

"You’re Li Dazhui, my high school classmate!" Zhang Wei blurted out her old nickname, now certain of his hunch.

Her real name was Li Qing, and she had been in his class in high school, but after graduation they’d lost touch. Over the years, she had changed so much that Zhang Wei almost hadn’t recognized her, but her nickname had stuck in his memory.

"Shut up! That silly nickname followed me for over two years in high school—are you trying to make it stick for life?" Li Qing blushed and scolded him.

"You just called me ‘Fat Zhang Wei’ yourself, didn’t you?" Zhang Wei countered.

Back in high school, Zhang Wei had been a bit chubby, earning him the nickname ‘Fat Zhang Wei’—a name he’d never liked or accepted, though he couldn’t stop his classmates from using it. Luckily, he’d slimmed down over the years; otherwise, hearing the name again after so long would have been even more awkward.

"You men are so petty! I was only joking," Li Qing retorted with a roll of her eyes.

"I just thought using your old nickname felt nostalgic, like being back in high school," Zhang Wei said with a smile.

"You’ve grown slick these past years. Back then, you’d blush at the sight of a pretty girl and could barely string a sentence together," Li Qing teased.

"A true hero doesn’t dwell on past glories—let’s leave those stories in the past. Give me your business card; I’d like to treat you to a meal sometime," Zhang Wei quickly changed the subject, not wanting to revisit his awkward teenage years.

"No need for dinner, but you’ve missed every high school reunion for years. If you skip again, everyone will forget you," Li Qing replied, handing him a card from her holder.

"I’ve been working out of town these past two years and only come home at the end of the year, so I missed the reunions. I’ll do my best to make it this year," Zhang Wei said.

The truth was, missing the reunions wasn’t just about work; for the past couple of years, Zhang Wei had been struggling, unable to find a stable job. He’d avoided the gatherings out of fear of being compared to his more successful classmates. But now that he had assets worth over a million, he was among the elite of his cohort and naturally felt more inclined to attend—a common enough sentiment.

"Alright, enough chatting. I’m still on the clock," Li Qing said, glancing at the crowded hall where dozens of customers were still waiting. She couldn’t linger with Zhang Wei any longer.

She stood up and stretched, her figure accentuated by the movement, her chest even more prominent. "I’ll go get your cash," she said.

The alluring curves Li Qing displayed made Zhang Wei steal another glance, especially at the twin snowy peaks on her chest. It wasn’t lechery, he told himself, but simple appreciation for beauty.