Heart of an Innocent Chapter 5

"This is nonsense!" Manager Samuel said in a more serious tone, "You already have the settlement certificate, which proves that you have paid off the loan. Why do you need this loan contract? What can it prove?"

"That's what I said!" David Wen raised his voice unconsciously, "But they just don't recognize it. What can I do? Moreover, they have received other people's quick loan contracts with electronic seals, but mine doesn't have one. They have even more reason not to accept my materials."

The two of them were talking louder and louder, sounding like they were arguing, attracting the attention of everyone in the bank, even the security guards came over. Manager Samuel saw this and led David Wen into an office. After closing the door, he resumed his original tone: "You just said that the Housing Provident Fund received a quick loan contract with an electronic seal?"

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Manager Samuel shook his head repeatedly, his tone extremely firm.

"How could what I saw with my own eyes be fake? That seal is from the Xihuan branch, and they printed it out for the customer."

"This... is impossible? Our Yongnan branch can't issue a call, but their Xihuan branch can? I don't believe it."

After that, Manager Samuel sat down at a desk, picked up a list similar to an address book, and dialed a number on the landline next to him. David Wen knew that he was contacting the Xihuan Branch, and soon heard him start talking:

"Hello, this is the Yongnan branch... I want to ask, has your Xihuan branch ever printed a contract for a quick loan... No, right... Ask other people... None... OK, OK... Oh, I have a client here who said he saw your branch's electronic seal on a contract... Yes, I also think it's impossible... OK, sorry to bother you, bye."

David Wen had already heard the general idea, and as soon as Manager Samuel hung up the phone, he immediately asked: "How is it? Did they say that they have never printed such a contract?"

Manager Samuel nodded: "Yes, they said it's possible that you saw it wrong."

"It's such a big chapter, how could I have made a mistake?"

"It is also possible that this is not a quick loan contract, but a mistake made by the Provident Fund." He threw the bank customer's question back to the Provident Fund Management Center.

"I saw the contract with my own eyes. It is exactly the same as mine. There is no doubt about it."

"Then I can't help you. I've never encountered your problem before."

Now, things became more and more difficult. The bank couldn't provide what I wanted, and the Housing Provident Fund Center wouldn't accept my documents if I didn't have that thing. If I couldn't apply for a Housing Provident Fund loan and was forced to choose a pure commercial loan, the interest would be much higher, which was not cost-effective. When he was at a loss, David Wen came up with a simple but effective solution.

"How about this, you can put your official seal on my contract, so that it will be legally binding."

"I'm afraid that won't work. Our bank has a strict seal policy and I don't have the authority to stamp your contract with our official seal."

"Who has the authority then?"

Manager Samuel thought for a moment and replied, "I suggest you go to our superior bank, the Zhongshan Branch of Nanshang Bank, and talk to Director Philip of our credit department. He may have the authority to do so."

After leaving the Nanning branch and getting back into the Fit, David Wen was hesitating whether to go back to work or go to the Zhongshan branch to try to get things done today and submit the materials for applying for a housing fund loan. But, can it be done today? He was unsure. It should have been a very simple matter, but now it is getting more and more complicated. He leaned back in his seat, looked at a building under construction outside the car window, and couldn't help but complain: "I didn't expect buying a house to be so troublesome!"

After deciding to buy a house, he and Claire Qian kept visiting and looking at properties, studying the location and housing price trends, and also looking at the long-term plan and considering whether there are good schools nearby. Some properties are in good locations, but the prices are too expensive to afford; some properties change prices every day, and when he is still hesitating, they are already sold out; some properties are very good in all aspects, but the house type is not good, and it is not allowed to use provident fund loans. After finally buying the house he liked, he had to run back and forth between the provident fund center and the bank several times just to apply for a loan.

Just when David Wen was alone in the car, sulking and having no place to vent, he received a WeChat message from Claire Qian:

Uncle, is this done?

In the dialog box, he enters:

No, I am so angry! The Housing Provident Fund Center has passed the problem to the bank, and the bank has made all kinds of excuses. Now they are asking me to find a director of the credit department, and I don’t know how long it will take.

Looking at the text he had already typed, he did not click send. After hesitating for a moment, he deleted it all and typed a new line of text and sent it out:

It’s almost done. I’ll just go to the bank to get it stamped. I’ll try to get everything done today!

After a while, the phone received another reply:

Come on, uncle, I’m waiting for your good news!

Then came three fist emojis and a K!ss.

David Wen felt that the depression that had accumulated in his heart was easily resolved by his girlfriend's few words. He kept flipping through the chat records in the dialog box, looking at the frequent appearance of the word "uncle", he couldn't help but smile knowingly, and recalled the situation when he first met Claire Qian in his mind.

The year I met Claire Qian, she had just finished her junior year. During the summer vacation, she returned home from Guangzhou and boarded the high-speed train with a large suitcase. She bought seat number 11C, which was the aisle seat among the three seats, so she pushed her suitcase over and saw two men sitting next to seat 11C. The man sitting by the window was Paul Feng, and the one in the middle was David Wen. They had been on a business trip to Guangzhou to handle a case, and they were sitting in this carriage on their return trip.

After Claire Qian found her spot, she looked up at the luggage rack and made room for her big suitcase. Just as she was about to bend down to lift the suitcase, David Wen stood up, silently lifted the suitcase over his head for her, and placed it steadily on the luggage rack.