Bai Li scrolled through the document quickly without reading a word. Her eyes skimmed past lines of text that didn't matter. All she needed was to confirm the transaction. She reached the end, pressed her thumb against the fingerprint box, and signed electronically.
The banker smiled again, clearly pleased with how smooth the process was. "Excellent. Now, please confirm the request on your mobile app."
Right on cue, Bai Li's phone vibrated. A notification appeared on the screen.
[Bank of China] Confirmed personal loan of ¥5,000,000. Tap 'Agree' to proceed.
She tapped Agree.
The banker's computer beeped a second later. He looked at the screen and nodded. "All set. The system will verify the request and transfer the money within fifteen to twenty minutes. You'll receive a message once it's done."
"Alright," Bai Li said evenly.
"Would you like a printed copy of the agreement for your records?" he asked, reaching for the printer.
"No need," she replied.
He hesitated briefly, then nodded with a polite smile. "Of course. That's everything, Miss Bai. Thank you for choosing the Bank of China."
Bai Li gave him a small smile in return. "Thank you."
He smiled back, looking satisfied at how simple the whole process had been.
She walked away from the counter, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. The faint chill of the air conditioning followed her as she pushed open the glass doors and stepped outside.
Just as she reached the steps, her phone buzzed again.
[Bank of China] Loan of ¥5,000,000 has been successfully credited to your account.
She stopped for a moment, her reflection faintly visible in the glass door. She looked down at the message.
Five million yuan. Just like that.
People always said getting money from banks was difficult. But in the end, it was all about records, numbers, and statistics. The system didn't care about the person behind them, only the data.
She slipped her phone back into her pocket and started walking. The afternoon sunlight warmed her face as she stepped onto the busy street. Cars moved in steady rhythm, office workers hurried by with lunch boxes, and vendors sold cold drinks and snacks on the corners.
Everything looked normal, peaceful, and ordinary.
If only they knew what was coming.
..
..
The next thing to do was to go through all the available and not too risky private loan lenders. She also had to be careful of the shady ones in case she attracts any unnecessary attention even before the apocalypse starts. It doesn't really matter to her even if someone does come to target her but that's too troublesome and she doesn't have time to waste on these petty things at the moment.
After coming out of the bank, Bai Li checked the time and found that she still had about over an hour left before 3 pm. Bai Li thought about whether to look through the private lenders now or wait after the meeting with Chen Mei. After thinking for a few seconds, Bai Li decided to look through the private lenders which are close to her location.
She unlocked her phone and opened the baidu map app and typed in the search bar "Nearby private loan offices"The screen filled instantly with little red pins scattered across the city — small offices with names like "Huarui Finance," "FastCash Credit," "Sunrise Capital," and "Xincheng Lending." Some looked shady, others almost professional.
Perfect.
She picked the closest one and booked a ride.
..
After a 5 to 6 minute ride, Bai Li reached the nearest location on the map. Looking ahead, the office was an old building, it was between a cafe and a tutoring centre. Some students were still coming and going from the tutoring centre. Bai Li walked towards the office and looked at the sign above the narrow doorway. It read "Hanrui Lending Corporation", quite a fancy name for such a small office. The neon lights were flickering on and off, giving the whole office a shady vibe, like something illegal was going on. Bai Li didn't know whether going there would cause trouble but now that she had come here, she had to check it anyway.
Looking through the glass door, a single man sat behind a desk filled with lots of paperwork and there were large and small posters with the words "Instant loan! No need for collateral! Sign up right now!"
When Bai Li stepped inside through the glass door, a beep sound was heard and the man looked up from his desk at her.
"Here for a loan?"
Bai Li nodded slightly, "Yes."
The man again said, "How much do you want?"
"The maximum you can offer." Bai Li said in the same emotionless voice as before.
At her words, the man seemed slightly surprised before he again put on his professional mask and asked, "Have any collateral?"
Bai Li paused at this question. Since she will be selling the house today, she cannot place it as a collateral but she also knew that with her job prospect and income history, these private lenders would be willing to lend her money.
Bai Li said, "No, but I can show you my income and tax history as well as my credit score and other necessities."
He leaned back slightly, studying her. She didn't look like the desperate type. Her outfit was clean, her tone calm, and her eyes steady. That probably helped.
"Alright, let's take a look."
Bai Li unlocked her phone and pulled up her credit score page and salary record.
The man whistled under his breath. "Damn, that's clean. You don't see that often around here."
"How much can I get?" she asked.
He tapped on his calculator, mumbling a few numbers. "You could handle around eight hundred thousand, maybe nine if you're confident. But the interest rate's steep, 2.5% monthly, no early repayment discount. You sure you want this?"
"Yes," Bai Li said without a pause.
He gave her a long look, shrugged, and started filling out a quick online form. "Alright then. We'll wire it to your account. Takes about twenty minutes."
She signed the digital contract on his cracked tablet, answered a few verification questions, and that was it.
By the time she stepped back out into the warm air, her phone buzzed.
[Huarui Lending Co.] ¥850,000 transferred to your account.
One down.
.
.
.
To be continued.