Chapter 2
1592 Words
At that moment, Lu Yuan had already burst into the VIP lounge.
Inside, a man in his thirties, wearing glasses, was leisurely sipping coffee and reviewing reports. Clad in a sleek gray-blue suit, he exuded an air of sophistication. He paused, momentarily stunned at the sight of Lu Yuan.
This wasn’t surprising. The man was the manager of the bank’s VIP department, specifically responsible for handling VIP clients. Huarui Bank was already known as a "titan" among banks, meaning that even regular customers were noteworthy individuals—let alone VIPs.
The clients he interacted with daily were, without exception, elite. Most were middle-aged, typically in their forties or fifties, and all wore high-end attire and luxury watches that spoke volumes about their status.
Yet Lu Yuan looked utterly out of place compared to them.
"May I ask who you are?" The manager asked, maintaining his professionalism.
"Oh, I’m here to withdraw money."
"Do you have our VIP bank card?"
"No, I don’t need a card," Lu Yuan replied.
"Then how do you intend to withdraw money?" The manager, still seated, eyed Lu Yuan with a hint of suspicion. Internally, he wondered if this young man was a troublemaker or, at worst, someone mentally unstable. How could Miss Zheng Yue have let him barge in like this? Thankfully, there were no VIP clients around. If Lu Yuan had alarmed any clients with his abrupt entrance, it would have been disastrous.
He resolved to have a word with Zheng Yue later.
"I’ll use my fingerprint," Lu Yuan said.
Hearing this, the manager’s eyes sharpened, and he involuntarily rose from his seat.
Standing was not out of anger, but out of respect. After all, in such settings, those of high status sit, while those of lower status stand.
Indeed, although bank withdrawals generally required a card, even for VIPs, Huarui Bank did provide fingerprint-based transactions—for the exceedingly powerful or uniquely privileged.
This type of customer was rare. At this branch, maybe one or two people would use fingerprint verification in an entire year.
Although Lu Yuan did not look the part, the manager dared not underestimate him. What if he was truly one of those rare clients?
Soon, an attendant brought over a fingerprint scanner.
Lu Yuan pressed his thumb on it.
An alarm suddenly blared.
Immediately, the manager's face turned grim as he glared at Lu Yuan, seemingly on the verge of summoning security.
"Calm down, please. To be honest, I’m not even sure which finger to use. Give me a moment, let me try again," Lu Yuan quickly explained.
The manager nodded, though his skepticism remained.
This young man was looking more and more like a scammer with every second.
Ignoring the manager’s suspicion, Lu Yuan continued trying various fingers until, finally, a soft beep sounded—verification success!
In an instant, the manager’s expression transformed from wary to welcoming.
"Ah, Mr. Lu! My apologies, please forgive me. I’m Zhang Ze, the VIP department manager, and I hope you’ll allow me to be of service to you in the future."
Upon successful verification, Lu Yuan’s name had appeared on the machine.
Zhang Ze, bowing slightly, extended both hands in a humble gesture to shake hands with Lu Yuan.
"Please, come this way."
With a quick press of a button in the VIP room, the wall parted silently, revealing a gleaming metal corridor illuminated by a soft white light, like something out of a film.
The two walked down the hallway to a locked metal door that required a passcode.
"Mr. Lu, please verify your iris," Zhang Ze instructed.
Lu Yuan nodded, completing the iris scan. He hesitated briefly when entering the passcode, as it had been three years since his family had given it to him, and he’d nearly forgotten it after years of restraint.
Finally, all verifications were complete.
The metal door slowly opened.
Inside was a private room lined with safety deposit boxes.
"Mr. Lu, the safes here are filled with gold bricks," Zhang Ze announced, opening a row on the eastern side. The room glowed with a golden sheen from the 2,000-gram bars, each in transparent cases of ten, stacked in rows within the vault.
Lu Yuan couldn't be bothered to count them all.
"These contain luxury watches," Zhang Ze continued, opening safes on the western wall.
There were also five vaults, each with five tiers displaying various Swiss watches, most of which were limited editions. Even a casual glance showed rare Rolex Cuban anniversary pieces worth well over a million each. Lu Yuan didn’t bother counting, but estimated there were thousands of watches.
"And over here—U.S. dollars."
Zhang Ze opened the southern vault, revealing stacks upon stacks of hundred-dollar bills, piled like a small mountain.
"I’ll take some RMB," Lu Yuan said. "Withdraw one million, in cash."
"Certainly, Mr. Lu. Just a moment."
Zhang Ze opened the largest northern vault, which was stocked with RMB notes, stacked from floor to ceiling like a library of money.
"Just put it in here," Lu Yuan said, tossing a worn, black plastic bag to Zhang Ze.
Zhang Ze froze. A plastic bag for cash? How casual. But considering Lu Yuan’s attire and immense wealth, a million RMB was pocket change; he didn’t need to fuss.
Without comment, he loaded the bag for Lu Yuan, who then promptly walked out, cash in hand.
Zhang Ze wanted to follow but was delayed by locking the vaults behind him.
Meanwhile, in the lobby.
Zheng Yue was becoming anxious. Lu Yuan had been inside for quite a while without returning.
She wanted to go in and check, but her clearance wasn’t high enough. Plus, she was absolutely convinced Lu Yuan was just a bored loafer. Once the manager discovered him, he would undoubtedly be kicked out.
But then she saw Lu Yuan emerge, holding a black plastic bag.
Huh, hadn’t he entered empty-handed? How was he leaving with something?
"Stop right there!"
Zheng Yue rushed forward and grabbed Lu Yuan.
"What are you doing?" Lu Yuan asked, caught off guard.
Although Zheng Yue had looked down on him earlier, he hadn’t planned to embarrass her. In truth, doing so would have been easy—he could simply mention it to Zhang Ze. Instead, he’d planned to take his money and leave quietly.
Yet, unexpectedly, Zheng Yue seized him by the wrist, causing the bag to drop, and the cash scattered across the floor.
Zheng Yue was stunned.
The nearby Wang couple was stunned.
Everyone in the bank stared, shocked.
Although Huarui Bank’s clientele was generally affluent, none of them had ever seen someone casually walking out with a million RMB in a plastic bag.
"Did you steal this money? Thief!" Zheng Yue exclaimed, though she herself doubted her accusation. Surely no one could rob a bank with such tight security, right?
But if it wasn’t stolen, she couldn’t imagine where he had gotten the money.
"Catch him! Stop him!" The Wang couple joined in, grabbing hold of Lu Yuan.
The scene grew even more chaotic.
Onlookers assumed Lu Yuan was indeed a thief, especially since Zheng Yue, in her bank uniform, was calling for help.
Just then, Zhang Ze finished securing the vault and hurried out, seeing the commotion in the lobby.
Though Lu Yuan’s business was complete, Zhang Ze, with years in the banking industry, had never encountered a client of Lu Yuan’s stature. Naturally, he wanted to curry favor and leave a lasting impression.
Yet upon entering the lobby, he saw his employees and customers seizing Lu Yuan, accusing him of theft.
Zhang Ze’s heart sank. He didn’t know Lu Yuan’s exact background, but given the gold bars, luxury watches, and mountains of cash in his vaults, his net worth was likely in the billions. A man like this being publicly humiliated as a thief?
If Lu Yuan were angered, Zhang Ze’s career—and possibly his future in banking—could end in an instant.
"What are you doing?" Zhang Ze shouted, rushing forward before Zheng Yue could react.
"Manager Zhang! I’ve caught a thief!" Zheng Yue eagerly announced, expecting praise.
"Let him go!" Zhang Ze pushed her aside, along with the Wang couple, who were also clutching Lu Yuan.
"Mr. Lu, are you alright? I apologize deeply for this! This was entirely my failure. Please forgive me," Zhang Ze pleaded, bending over backward to apologize.
Zheng Yue stared, dumbfounded.
Watching Zhang Ze lavishly apologize to Lu Yuan, she finally understood: the man she had looked down upon, even insulted, was an unimaginably high-status client.
"Why are you still standing there? Apologize to Mr. Lu!" Zhang Ze barked at Zheng Yue.
This woman had nearly cost him his career.
Immediately, Zheng Yue bowed respectfully and apologized to Lu Yuan, even bending low enough to reveal a modest glimpse of fair skin at her collar.
But Lu Yuan barely glanced at her, leaving Zheng Yue silently regretting her wasted gesture.
"Mr. Lu, please don’t hesitate to contact me for any assistance, whether related to the bank or not. I am at your service," Zhang Ze said, handing Lu Yuan his business card with a respectful smile.
Zhang Ze had resolved to forge a good relationship with Lu Yuan at all costs.
"Thank you, Brother Zhang," Lu Yuan replied politely, returning his warm demeanor. After all, Zhang Ze had shown him genuine respect.
That one friendly "Brother Zhang" filled Zhang Ze with joy. This young billionaire, without any pretense, had acknowledged him.
As Lu Yuan walked away, plastic bag of cash
- Writer
