Wells Fargo Bank was founded in New York in the United States in 1852. It is a diversified financial services company with total assets of 1.2 trillion US dollars.
In terms of deposits, home mortgage lending, and debit cards, American Wells Fargo Bank ranks second in the United States.
It's no exaggeration to say that American Wells Fargo Bank is one of the best banks in the United States. Since 1852, it has become an iconic institution for credit services in the American West.
Locally in Alaska, there are two main banks in operation: Wells Fargo Bank and KeyBank.
Of course, Frank recommended Wells Fargo first, because the bank has branches in China, which could be helpful for Feng Shan.
The car pulled up in front of Wells Fargo Bank.
A middle-aged, white-haired man in a suit had been waiting for some time. He had likely been notified in advance. After all, a loan in the tens of millions of US dollars, endorsed by the government, was a guaranteed, no-risk profit.
What was a little waiting on the roadside? He wouldn't have even minded opening the car door for them.
The white-haired man enthusiastically pulled open the car door, even placing a hand on the top of the doorframe, afraid Feng Shan might bump his head as he got out.
"Bob, your chance to get transferred back to the mainland has arrived!" Frank teased without reservation.
The white-haired man couldn't hide the delight on his face. As he looked at Feng Shan getting out of the car, he thought, 'It doesn't matter that he's wearing a crudely made animal-hide coat. Even if he were naked, I'd still be complimenting him on his fine skin.'
"Mr. Feng, choosing Wells Fargo was your wisest decision. I'm Bob, the manager of the Wells Fargo Fairbanks branch."
"I hope so," Feng Shan nodded.
The two parties entered the bank's VIP room.
Lady Kelly, the governor's assistant, had been waiting for so long that her coffee had gone cold. Seeing Frank, she shed the indifference she had shown at city hall and proactively greeted him with a cheek-to-cheek kiss.
As Feng Shan's representative, Frank began with the opening remarks.
"Everyone, this loan is a good thing for all three parties. Let's get it done quickly—the champagne is about to freeze!"
"My client, Mr. Feng Shan, needs to apply for a loan from Wells Fargo Bank. The loan amount is 10 million US dollars, and Mr. Feng Shan will be offering the land of the Crown Territory as collateral."
"Here is the power of attorney and a map of the territory. And this is the survey map from the Bureau of Land Management, along with the appraisal report issued by the real estate appraisal agency."
The survey map and appraisal report were documents the Bureau of Land Management had prepared in advance when they were planning to buy back the Crown Territory from Feng Shan. This saved a huge amount of procedural work.
Manager Bob took the documents and handed them to his assistant to fax to headquarters for review.
In truth, this was just for show. There was no doubt about the authenticity of the documents. The governor's assistant for the state of Alaska was sitting right there in the room, and besides, the governor's office had already called before Frank and Feng Shan even arrived.
"Manager Bob, this is the letter of authorization from the governor's office and the endorsement documents. The state of Alaska is fully endorsing this loan," Lady Kelly said, also producing a file.
Manager Bob had already seen the documents beforehand. He pretended to flip through them for a moment before setting them aside and turning to Feng Shan with a broad smile.
"Mr. Feng, based on personal loan rates, Wells Fargo is offering you our most favorable terms: a fixed interest rate of 4% over a five-year term."
"If the loan is repaid within the specified period, you will be responsible for the interest. If you are unable to repay it within the specified period, the state of Alaska will take possession of the Crown Territory, and of course, the government will also cover the interest."
A fixed interest rate of 4% for a five-year term.
For 10 million US dollars, that was 2 million in interest over five years.
'Damn, that's a rip-off!'
Feng Shan calculated in his head for a moment, then turned to look at Frank, who gave a silent nod, indicating it was acceptable.
"In that case, I'd like to take out a loan for 20 million US dollars, also for a five-year term."
Manager Bob's eyebrows shot up in excitement. A 4 million dollar profit in interest over five years—a 20% return. 'The margin is a bit low, but you can't beat a guaranteed profit. It's a shame this gentleman isn't a little bolder,' he thought.
'With an appraisal report valuing the land at 50 million, he should be borrowing 40 million. Why let the state government off so easy?'
Though he felt it was a pity, Manager Bob stood up.
"Pardon me, with this sudden increase in the loan amount, I'll need to report to headquarters. Please wait a moment."
With that, he walked out of the VIP room.
Everyone knew this was just for show, but they were all willing to play along.
The atmosphere in the room was amicable. Feng Shan played with Prince and Coca-Cola, while Frank flirted with Lady Kelly. Either way, they were both playing—just with different species.
Soon, Manager Bob returned to the room with his assistant, an eager smile on his face.
"Mr. Feng, headquarters has approved the loan. Which bank account should the funds be transferred to?"
"I haven't set up a bank card yet. I'll just open an account with your bank," Feng Shan said, taking out his resident card.
Seeing that Feng Shan was keeping the loan funds with Wells Fargo, Manager Bob's smile grew even wider. He quickly motioned for his assistant to take the resident card to open a VIP account and, at the same time, produced several documents.
"These are the loan documents and the endorsement documents. Please review them, and if there are no issues, sign them. Wells Fargo can release the funds at any time."
Frank picked up the documents, carefully read over all the clauses, then signed his name and handed them to Feng Shan. Feng Shan couldn't understand any of it, but he trusted Frank and signed his name as well.
Next was Lady Kelly, and finally, Manager Bob.
The lawyer, the borrower, the state government, and the bank—all four parties signed the documents in turn.
POP!
An assistant opened a bottle of champagne, poured it into flutes, and presented them to the four individuals.
Smiling, the four of them raised their glasses and gently clinked them together.
CLINK!!
...
"We got the money this fast?" Feng Shan stared at the long string of zeros in his new mobile banking app's balance, looking at Frank, who was driving, in disbelief.
"Yes, yes, damn it, you've asked a hundred times! A hundred times! You damn nouveau riche, are you trying to show off?" Frank was on the verge of a breakdown from Feng Shan's questioning, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard it creaked.
Feng Shan was completely unaware that his mental state was a bit abnormal, and just kept staring at his phone in a daze.
Just then, a call came in.
The caller ID showed the name "Black Hide."
As soon as he answered, a torrential downpour of questions from Black Hide flooded out of the earpiece.
"Bro, how did I just get a foreign transfer for a full 6 million RMB?"
"You didn't go and rob a bank, did you? You need to run! Just get back to China and you'll be fine."
"Don't do anything stupid! If you get caught, don't resist! I don't think they have the death penalty overseas. Wait for us! Hu Zi and I will head over right away. Just hide and wait for us!"
"Bro, say something! Are you hurt??"
Listening to the series of concerned questions from his phone, Feng Shan's restless heart began to calm down.
"You just blurted out a whole string of stuff. How am I supposed to respond to all that?"
"Use your head. How could I rob a bank overseas and get RMB? This is from the land loan. I had the bank convert it directly into RMB and send it to you.
"Don't worry, just use it. First, pay off all the debts. The rest is for the three of you to split. Do whatever you want with it. Tell Hu Zi to buy an apartment. If it's not enough, just tell me."
"Didn't you want to charter a car? Go do it. If the money's not enough, just tell me."
"For real?" Black Hide was still in disbelief. That was a full 6 million. He had never seen so many zeros before.
"Absolutely real. Once I get things settled over here, I'll bring the three of you over. Tell Hu Zi and Xiaohua that our good days have finally come!" Feng Shan said emphatically into the phone.
Frank, who was driving, saw Feng Shan break into a smile he had never seen before. It was as if an invisible pressure had completely lifted from his shoulders, and Frank couldn't help but crack a smile himself.
Feng!
The pressure of the mission you gave me is immense!!!
...