The Insurance Salesman
Suddenly, my phone kept vibrating nonstop on the desk, shaking the folder until it slid open just a crack.
I picked it up and saw it was a message from our high school classmates' group chat.
Over ninety unread messages, half of them with red @ mentions right at me.
Opening the group chat, class leader Tina Clark was organizing a reunion, saying it's been five years since graduation and it's time to get together.
Some folks in the group started teasing, asking why I—the so-called 'top student' back then—hadn't said a word.
I'd just wrapped up my current orders, so there wasn't much urgent to do.
I replied with 'I'm free,' but inside I was already calculating—most of these classmates must be doing well; maybe I can land a few potential clients.
The reunion was set at the Glory Restaurant downtown, and I heard the average spending per person starts at two thousand.
I rummaged through my wardrobe and picked out a light gray casual suit—not a luxury brand, but neatly pressed, decent enough to show up looking presentable.
I grabbed a taxi to the hotel entrance, and as soon as I stepped through the revolving door, I heard noisy laughter coming from the private room.
It was Leo's loud voice, flattering someone, and I could hear him from far away.
The moment I pushed open the private room door, the noise suddenly stopped for half a second.
Over twenty pairs of eyes swiftly turned to me—some surprised, some sizing me up, and others couldn't hide their contempt.
"Oh, Mike Lincoln's here?"
Felix, sitting in the seat of honor, was the first to speak. A cigar dangled between his fingers, and the luxury watch on his wrist glinted under the lights.
I smiled and nodded, just about to find an empty seat.
Felix then steered the conversation toward me, his tone dripping with curiosity: "You were the top student back then. So, where are you working now?"
People around joined in, some guessing I'd landed a job at a state-owned company, others saying I must have gone to a research institute.
I pulled a stack of bound insurance orders from my briefcase, laid them on the table, and pushed them forward: "Nothing glamorous. I'm selling insurance now, and my sales are doing pretty well. Anyone want to take a look?"
The private room grew silent for two seconds.
Then, in the next moment, uproarious laughter erupted; someone laughed so hard they slammed the table.
"Mike Lincoln, you can't be serious, right? Selling insurance?"
Leo leaned in close, covering his nose like I smelled bad: "Even the interns working for me look down on this. How did you end up going backwards?"
"No kidding. Back when I sat next to you, I actually thought you'd become a professor."
Linda, sitting in the corner with her luxury bag in hand, swung her leg and said, "I'm in luxury goods sourcing now—last month alone, my commission could buy you that whole stack of worthless papers."
"Compared to the background, grades really don't matter at all."
Felix leisurely took a sip of red wine, deliberately draping his arm over the girl next to him. "Look at Blair now—she's with me, buying whatever she wants. Why bother working yourself to the bone anymore?"
I looked up at Blair, and my heart clenched painfully.
She was my girlfriend for two years back in high school. Then one day, she suddenly broke up with me, saying she didn't want to waste her time on a poor kid—only to turn right around and be with Felix.
Blair met my gaze; instead of looking away, she deliberately snuggled closer into Felix's arms.
She sized me up from head to toe, clicking her tongue twice: "Mike Lincoln, lucky I was clear-headed back then, or else I might still be stuck crammed into some crappy rental with you, unable to even afford decent clothes."
Her words felt like needles, stinging a bit, but I didn't bother responding.
I glanced around at the people seated nearby. Each had a dark aura swirling around their foreheads—some thick, some faint. It was a skill my grandfather taught me; it allowed me to see the ‘misfortune energy' clinging to people. The darker it was, the closer they were to bad luck.
"My insurance is different from others'; it avoids risks, and if something happens, it pays out."
I pushed the insurance order a little further forward. "It's a sure-win deal, no losses. Want to take a look?"
"Enough, Mike!"
Blair suddenly raised her voice, swept the insurance order aside, and a few sheets of paper fluttered to the ground. "This isn't the place to sell your stuff. Don't make a fool of yourself here!"
I bent down to pick up the insurance order; my fingertips barely touched the corner of the paper.
Leo suddenly rushed over, snatched the insurance order from my hand, and respectfully handed it to Felix.
"Take a look—what's the amount?"
Leo's voice shifted, "Sixty million a year, and the contract's got to be at least ten years? Isn't this just robbery?"
Felix glanced at the insurance order twice, then suddenly slammed the paper against my face. "Are you crazy? How dare you come at me trying to scam money?"
Leo immediately stepped forward, grabbed my collar, and yanked me closer. "You think just because we're doing well, you can come here and take advantage of us? Let me tell you, no chance!"
Before I could even argue back, his fist crashed into my left cheek.
I staggered back two steps and slammed into the wine cabinet behind me, sending two bottles crashing with a loud clatter.
A metallic taste of blood rose in my mouth, and I pressed my tongue against my molars.
"If you think it's too expensive, don't buy it. I'm not forcing anyone."
"There's a reason this insurance premium is pricey—I guarantee it'll be worth it."
Leo sneered and shoved me. "Still running your mouth? You really think we're idiots?"
The crowd joined in the jeering. Some called me "desperately poor," others said I was "money-crazy."
I sighed, turned around, and was about to leave—these people are impossible to reason with; staying any longer would just be a waste of time.
But the moment I stepped forward, two unfamiliar men grabbed my wrists from behind.
"What are you doing?!"
I struggled to break free, but the grip on my wrists only tightened, as if they were about to crush my bones.
They dragged me in front of Felix, and suddenly, one of them kicked the back of my knee.
My knee hit the hard floor with a thud, a sharp pain shooting up my leg, and I couldn't help but let out a stifled groan.
Thinking about leaving?
Felix leaned down and jabbed my shoulder with the end of his cigar, making me flinch from the burn. "You've spent the whole night making us sick, and now you just want to walk out that easily?"
I was about to argue, "You were the ones who invited me," when a stack of insurance orders slammed down on me.
The corners of the papers scraped my face, leaving thin, bloody scratches that burned like hell.
"Alright then, let's play a game."
Felix settled back onto the couch, draped his arm around Blair's waist, and kissed her cheek right in front of everyone. "You drink a shot of ninety-six degree vodka, and I'll sign an insurance order with you."
"Count me in!" Leo immediately raised his hand and shouted to the waiter, "Quick, bring ten bottles of vodka!"
Blair coquettishly added, "Felix, I want to join the fun too. If he's having a drink, I'll buy one as well."
Seeing this, the others joined the chain one by one, laughing with their eyes almost shut.
They all thought I couldn't handle it—vodka at ninety-six degrees, one glass could burn your throat, let alone dozens.
"I don't agree."
I looked up at Felix, my voice a little tight but without any sign of fear.
The smile on Felix's face vanished instantly, his eyes cold as ice: "Whether you agree or not, it's not up to you anymore."
The waiter quickly brought over a case of vodka, the glass bottles clinking together with a sharp, grating noise.
The man gripping my arm shoved me to the ground, his knee digging into my back, keeping me frozen.
"Drink up, or don't make us get rough."
Leo grabbed a bottle, twisted off the cap, and shoved it to my lips, spilling some ice-cold liquid onto my shirt.
I turned my head to dodge, but Leo grabbed my chin and forced the bottle's mouth into my mouth.
The strong liquor slid down my throat like swallowing fire, burning my insides painfully.
I couldn't help but cough, tears and snot streaming down my face.
The liquor leaked from the corner of my mouth, soaking the front of my shirt and dripping onto the floor, forming a small puddle.
"Cough... cough cough..."
I collapsed onto the floor, coughing so hard I could barely breathe, my stomach churning like it was about to throw up everything inside.
Through the blur, I saw someone holding up a mobile phone, filming me.
It was Linda, laughing as she recorded, "I'm going to send this clip to the alumni group and let everyone see the top student from back then, now being forced to drink like a dog."
"Exactly, exactly. Let all the girls who liked him back then see how pathetic their idol looks now."
Someone else joined in, their laughter stabbing into my ears like sharp needles.
Felix shook the champagne glass in his hand, looking down at me condescendingly: "A bottle fills six glasses, and you've only had a third—so that counts as two glasses."
He paused, malice thick in his voice: "Leo, keep going—don't let him stop."
"Got it!"
Leo grabbed another bottle, reached out, and yanked my hair, forcing my head up.
Just as the bottle neared my lips, Blair suddenly spoke up, "Wait, let me."
Leo immediately released me and even helped Blair steady my head, saying, "Careful, don't let it splash on you."
Then, he stomped on the back of my head, pressing my face into the cold floor and grinding down hard.
I could hear the "creaking" in my skull, the pain making my vision go dark.
Blair crouched beside me, holding a bottle of liquor, slowly pouring it over my head.
The liquid ran down my hair into my eyes and nose, stinging so badly I couldn't open my eyes, and even breathing became difficult.
"Mike Lincoln, do you remember when I told you I wanted to break up back then?"
Blair's voice was right next to my ear, like the tongue of a poisonous snake. "I told you I wanted something you couldn't give, and you foolishly said you'd try harder. Now look—where did all your effort go?"
"You seriously believe that talisman your grandpa gave me is the real thing to keep away bad luck?"
She laughed sharply, "It's just a joke to fool kids. Only a s*cker like you would fall for it."
I was taken aback—back then, I saw she was in serious trouble, so I specifically brought her home and had my grandpa draw a protective charm for her.
Not long after, the bus she was on got rear-ended by a truck. Everyone on board was injured—except her, who walked away completely unscathed.
It turned out she wasn't just ungrateful; she actually thought it was some kind of scam.
Felix walked over, took the empty bottle from Blair's hand, pulled out a wet wipe, and gently wiped her hands—finger by finger—with a tenderness that felt almost unreal.
"Let them do the dirty work. Don't do it yourself; don't get your hands dirty."
He tossed the used wet wipe onto my face. "Keep drinking. Don't stop."
I lost count of how much I'd been forced to drink.
I just felt like a fire was burning in my stomach, blurring my consciousness more and more.
In the end, I couldn't hold on any longer; everything went black and I lost all feeling.
"Hey, already dizzy?"
Leo nudged my arm with his foot, and when I didn't respond, he crouched down and slapped my face hard, "Wake up! Don't play dead, Felix isn't done playing yet!"
I still didn't move, couldn't even lift my eyelids.
Leo freaked out, got up, and ran over to Felix. "Felix, he really looks out cold, what do we do?"
"Why panic?"
Felix frowned, clearly annoyed. "Just a few bottles of booze, think that'll kill him? He's definitely faking."
No sooner had the words fallen than Leo lifted his foot and kicked me in the stomach.
I groaned softly as the alcohol and stomach acid surged up, spilling all over Leo's leather shoes.
“Are you looking for trouble?”
Leo's face flushed red with anger as he raised his hand to hit me.
Just then, several phones started ringing in the private room — not just one, but several, overlapping like a death knell.
Felix's phone rang as well; he glanced at the caller ID and his expression changed instantly.
He picked up and, after hearing just a couple of words, shouted, "What did you say? They found a national treasure in the east side office building? How is that even possible!"
Leo's mobile phone rang too. He answered, his voice trembling, "Mom! Don't scare me! How could a heart attack just hit you out of nowhere?"
After hanging up, he took another call, looking miserable. This time he yelled louder than Felix, "An illegitimate child? Where on earth would my dad have an illegitimate child? And now they want to split the inheritance?"
The private room immediately exploded into chaos.
Some shouted into their phones, "How could the project have failed?" Others sobbed, "How could my husband cheat on me?" Some cursed into the phone, "Who the hell reported me for tax evasion?"
"Someone's definitely screwing us over behind our backs!"
Felix slammed his mobile phone onto the ground, the screen cracking like a spiderweb.
Blair quickly moved closer, trying to soothe him: "Felix, don't get worked up. Maybe it's just a coincidence."
"Coincidence?"
Felix grabbed a glass from the table, trying to calm his nerves with a drink, but accidentally picked up the vodka. One gulp in, and he immediately started coughing uncontrollably.
After catching his breath, he hoarsely said, "The story about unearthing the national treasure is already in the news. Now the tax office is on their way to the company—they want to audit the accounts!"
Leo was sniffling beside me, clutching Felix's arm: "Felix, my dad handed the winery over to that illegitimate child. My mom's still in critical condition. Please, you've got to help me figure something out!"
I was lying on the floor, listening to their wails, unable to hold back a laugh.
The laughter was quiet, but amid the chaos in the private room, it cut through clearly.
"This is just the beginning. The worst is yet to come."
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