Chapter 1037 Citibank

For Xia Zijun, even years later, he still clearly remembered every detail of his first meeting with Zhao Fusheng.

In his memoirs, he even admitted that when he first saw that person, he wondered if he had encountered a swindler.

After all, a young man in his early twenties, two years younger than himself, actually owned an investment company. Xia Zijun's first reaction was whether he had run into some rich second-generation.

"I'm not some rich second-generation, and no one in my family is an official," Zhao Fusheng said with a smile to Xia Zijun. "So Mr. Xia need not worry about any issues with my company."

Xia Zijun was startled, then gave a wry smile.

Clearly, the other party had already guessed his intentions.

"Respected Mr. Zhao, I must admit to you that if, as your girlfriend said, you intend to use the shares of Wangyi you hold as collateral for a loan from Citibank, I may not have the authority to handle it for you," Xia Zijun said slowly, looking at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled, quite satisfied with his candid attitude.

After all, in business cooperation, concealment is the most taboo. If Xia Zijun had told him he could help get a loan from Citibank, Zhao Fusheng might have asked him to leave immediately.

"Tell me more," Zhao Fusheng said, glancing at Xia Zijun, waiting for his explanation.

Xia Zijun took a deep breath and explained the reason to Zhao Fusheng.

In fact, the reason was simple—it was a matter of authority level.

In other words, given Xia Zijun's current status, he was not qualified to handle such business for Zhao Fusheng.

Citibank is a retail bank under Citigroup, whose main predecessor was the City Bank of New York, founded on June 16, 1812.

Citigroup serves approximately 200 million customers in over 100 countries, including individuals, institutions, corporations, and governments. It offers a wide range of financial products and services, from consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, to brokerage, insurance, and asset management, unmatched by any other financial institution. Currently, the main entities under Citigroup include Citibank, Travelers Life, Annuities, Smith Barney, and so on.

It is now one of the most successful financial services groups globally, not only because it consistently leads among the fastest-growing and most profitable companies in global financial services but also because it is the most globalized financial services chain company in the world. Citigroup serves over 200 million customers in more than 100 countries. Every customer at any Citigroup branch can access comprehensive financial services such as savings, credit, securities, insurance, trusts, funds, financial consulting, and asset management. The average number of products per customer ranks first among global peers, making Citigroup's customer relationship service network an invaluable resource.

Citigroup's head, Sandy Weill, once proudly said: "This network is the only truly competitive advantage we have. No matter where you go in the world, you can find a Citibank branch to serve you."

When Citibank first opened a branch near the Bund in Shanghai, it always flew many American flags. Shanghainese found it awkward to pronounce the English name, but everyone knew it was an American bank. The American flag looked like a piece of blue-and-red floral cloth. Over time, Shanghainese simply called it "Huāqí Yínháng" (Floral Flag Bank), and later this Chinese name was adopted by the company's headquarters and has been used ever since.

Xia Zijun was just an ordinary clerk with authority limited to only two million US dollars. If Zhao Fusheng wanted to obtain a loan from Citibank, it was clear that Xia Zijun's authority was insufficient.

"I need to report this to my supervisor," Xia Zijun said sincerely to Zhao Fusheng. "If you are willing, I can contact him right now."

Clearly, he cared deeply about this matter. After all, if successful, it would mean bringing a major client to the bank, which would obviously benefit him.

"Alright," Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said with a smile. "How about this: if Citibank deems it necessary, they can assess my assets—of course, I mean the assets held by Future Investment."

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng also felt it necessary to assess how much money he actually had, and this was a good opportunity to do so.

Citibank naturally cooperated with well-known large accounting firms in the United States. Future Investment was an offshore investment fund registered abroad, which made assessment easier.

Otherwise, if it were done domestically, the matter might have encountered more complications.

"Really?" Xia Zijun was overjoyed. This Wall Street financial elite was now as happy as a child. After all, as a newcomer who had just graduated and started working at Citibank, bringing in such a major client was excellent news for him.

"Yes, I hope Citibank will contact Future Investment as soon as possible," Zhao Fusheng said with a chuckle, then stood up and said to Xia Zijun, "Later, I'll introduce you to Miss Dong Chenxi, the general manager of Future Investment. She will be responsible for the specific cooperation details."

At this point, there was nothing more to discuss. This was inherently within Dong Chenxi's business scope, and Zhao Fusheng had no intention of entrusting it to anyone else.

Moreover, he was now considering integrating the companies under his umbrella.

From start to finish, Zhao Fusheng did not have much communication with Mr. Jerry, whose Chinese name was Li Dezhu.

"Jerry, why didn't he talk to you?"

After leaving Future Investment, Xia Zijun found it strange. It seemed that his old classmate was not disappointed, which was different from his initial reaction.

Li Dezhu shrugged, acting quite nonchalantly, and said to Xia Zijun, "Zijun, my dear old friend, didn't you notice? This is a smart man, very smart."

"And then?" Xia Zijun frowned, not quite understanding his meaning.

Li Dezhu smiled: "As the Chinese saying goes, heroes don't ask where they come from; heroes emerge from youth. If such a person really started from scratch as he said, then if I want to impress him, I have to show some real strength—otherwise, it won't work."

Li Dezhu, from Texas, knew very well that this might be a chance to change his destiny.

…

…

"You want to cooperate with Citibank?"

Upon hearing the news, Dong Chenxi looked at Zhao Fusheng with some surprise.

The meeting between Zhao Fusheng and Xia Zijun had naturally been reported to her, and Zhao Fusheng had also told her about Xia Zijun's matter.

"Not confirmed," Zhao Fusheng said, shaking his head lightly at Dong Chenxi's words. "I'm not really clear about the specifics on Citibank's side, but I believe someone will understand my intentions."

"Is that so?" Dong Chenxi was a bit baffled, looking at Zhao Fusheng strangely, but it was obvious that Zhao Fusheng did not intend to explain much to her.

Helpless, Dong Chenxi had to say, "So, you mean to use the shares held by Future Investment as collateral for a bank loan?"

"Sort of," Zhao Fusheng smiled. "It's not just about the loan. I plan to integrate all the industries under my name and then establish a unified company for management."

"Huh?"

Dong Chenxi was stunned, looking at Zhao Fusheng in surprise: "You plan to step into the spotlight?"

Clearly, in her view, the only reason for Zhao Fusheng to do this was to move from behind the scenes to the front.

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "Where did your mind go? Establishing a group company has nothing to do with my personal identity, you know?"

"Hmm…" Dong Chenxi remained silent, obviously not understanding Zhao Fusheng's meaning.

Sighing, Zhao Fusheng patiently explained: "Establishing a group company is for the better development of our industries. As for me personally, I don't plan to accept media interviews for now. So you, Bai Jie, and Zheng Yao—you three are the ones who face the media for the company."

"So, we are your shields…" Dong Chenxi did not hesitate to tease.

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily, waved his hand, and naturally dropped the topic.

In fact, both he and Dong Chenxi knew that these words were not only meant for her but also for her to convey to the other two.