The Insurance Salesman

I was sitting in front of my computer, cross-checking the quarterly insurance order details. 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!"