Chapter 40: 40: Lin Mei
Twenty minutes later.
Inside a quiet cafe near the city center, Benny sat across from the woman he had nearly watched get flattened by a car.
A server placed two drinks on the table before quietly leaving.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Benny stirred his coffee while the woman opposite him maintained a professional smile.
Finally, she straightened her posture.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly once again."
She produced a business card and placed it neatly on the table.
"My name is Lin Mei. I was the person who contacted you earlier today."
Benny glanced at the card before giving a simple nod.
"I remember."
Lin Mei’s smile remained calm and professional.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet me."
Benny took a sip of coffee.
"No problem."
In truth, he normally wouldn’t have bothered.
But when someone was willing to stand in front of a moving vehicle just to stop a customer from leaving, it naturally attracted his attention.
At the very least, they had to be crazy to even consider that.
Or perhaps that passionate about their work.
Either way, it was interesting.
Crazy people usually were the ones who come up with wild ideas.
Of course they’re usually a crazy person until proven a genius.
With that thought, Benny decided meeting her wasn’t a complete waste of time.
After a brief pause, he asked directly,
"So what’s this Diamond Sovereign thing about?"
Lin Mei had clearly expected the question.
Without missing a beat, she opened a tablet and spoke in an organized manner.
"Mr. Benny, I am a senior relationship manager from Eastern Prosperity Bank."
"Our Diamond Sovereign Tier is the highest level of private banking membership offered by the bank."
Benny nodded.
Lin Mei continued smoothly.
"The program is designed for clients with significant assets and focuses on convenience, privacy, and personalized financial services.
We provide dedicated account management, priority banking support, specialized wealth advisory services, assistance with large transactions, estate planning coordination, and access to exclusive client events."
Her tone remained measured and professional throughout as she explained properly.
Benny listened quietly before he asked,
"What does that actually do for me?"
Lin Mei didn’t appear surprised.
Many wealthy clients cared more about practical benefits than marketing terminology.
"It means that when you require banking assistance, you will have a dedicated point of contact."
Lin Mei folded her hands neatly on the table.
"If you need support with a transaction, financial arrangement, overseas transfer, or other banking matter, you may contact me directly rather than navigating standard service channels."
"Oh."
That sounded more understandable.
But at the same time, Benny found himself slightly confused.
Wasn’t spending money just a matter of swiping a card?
He had purchased a car earlier today.
The dealership gave him a card machine and he had scanned and the payment went through.
Everything seemed straightforward.
Why would someone need a dedicated banker?
After thinking for a moment, he asked honestly.
"Is that necessary?"
Lin Mei paused.
"Necessary?"
"Yeah."
Benny nodded.
"If I want to buy something, can’t I just pay for it with a swipe or a scan?"
"..."
For the first time since sitting down, Lin Mei was caught slightly off guard.
Not because the question was difficult but because it was the kind of question that no Diamond Sovereign client had ever asked.
Most wealthy clients already understood the limitations of large-scale financial transactions.
This young man clearly did not.
Fortunately, she maintained her professional smile.
"Ordinary purchases are usually very simple. However, once transaction amounts become sufficiently large, additional procedures may occasionally be required."
Benny looked interested.
"Like what?"
"For example, unusually large transfers may trigger verification procedures and international transactions can involve regulatory requirements. Certain asset purchases require coordination between multiple parties.
And some clients simply prefer having a dedicated contact who can resolve issues on their behalf."
Benny listened carefully.
Then he asked the question that truly mattered.
"So if I buy something, and my card doesn’t work, I call you?"
Lin Mei blinked.
"...Essentially, yes."
"Oh."
Now he understood as that explanation was much easier.
A brief silence followed and Lin Mei took her time to sip her tea.
Meanwhile Benny silently concluded:
So she’s basically customer support for rich people.
That sounded surprisingly practical.
After all, if he ever found some expensive investment project to put company money into and the bank suddenly refused the transfer, having someone to call would save a lot of trouble.
The conversation paused briefly.
Lin Mei observed the young man sitting across from her.
"If you don’t mind me asking, Mr. Benny, what convinced you to meet me today?"
She was genuinely curious.
After all, she had approached him rather abruptly outside the dealership.
Benny thought for a moment, then answered honestly.
"You looked determined."
Lin Mei blinked.
"Determined?"
"Yeah, no normal person would be willing to come in front of a car just to meet."
Her professional smile almost cracked.
When described that way, it sounded far less elegant than she remembered.
"I suppose that’s one way to describe it."
Benny nodded,"it’s okay, it just meant you’re serious about your job."
"Thank you."
Benny took another sip of coffee.
Meanwhile, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
She was a bank relationship manager, which meant she likely interacted with wealthy people every day.
Maybe she knew of some industries nobody wanted to touch.
The kind that looked hopeless from the beginning.
Of course, Benny couldn’t ask something ridiculous like:
Please recommend me businesses that will definitely lose money.
That would probably trigger the system warning.
Instead, he asked casually,
"What industries are people investing in lately?"
Lin Mei immediately answered.
"Technology remains popular, consumer services are performing steadily, manufacturing continues to attract attention, healthcare and logistics have also seen significant interest."
Her response was concise and informed.
Years of experience were obvious.
Benny nodded while mentally crossing off every single category.
Lin Mei continued.
"Of course, investment opportunities should be evaluated individually. Industry trends alone are not enough to determine quality."
Benny nodded seriously as that sounded reasonable.
Though his interpretation differed slightly.
In other words, even profitable industries can contain terrible businesses.
His eyes brightened slightly as now that sounded useful.
Lin Mei noticed the change.
"Did something come to mind?"
"Maybe."
"Would you care to elaborate?"
Benny immediately shook his head.
"No."
Lin Mei smiled politely, she had no intention of pressing further. She had simply wanted to make small talk to get to know him better.
A few moments later, she changed the subject,"If I may offer one piece of advice, Mr. Benny."
"Sure."
"Regardless of the investment opportunity, capital preservation should always remain an important consideration."
Benny froze for half a second before nodding solemnly.
"I’ll remember that."
Lin Mei smiled politely.
Meanwhile, Benny silently repeated the unfamiliar phrase in his head.
Capital preservation?
What was that supposed to mean?
