Video Editor

No matter how busy she is, Hu Manli goes live every day to popularize insurance knowledge to her fans, which also helps her build her reputation.

The fill light on the phone stand made Hu Manli's face shine brightly.

She smiled at the camera and tapped the screen lightly: "Tonight we'll talk about the precautions for applying for insurance with pre-existing conditions—it's like cooking, if the heat is a little off, the taste will be completely ruined."

The number of viewers in the live stream jumped to 327, and a user with the ID "Seafood Old Chen" sent three rockets in a row.

Hu Manli knowingly held up an insurance policy: "Thank you, Mr. Chen! Everyone, look at this supplementary clause: for patients with hypertension over 80 years old..."

My phone suddenly vibrated, and my aunt's caller ID popped up.

Hu Manli pretended to adjust the camera angle, quickly hung up and continued explaining: "Pre-existing conditions are like dark soy sauce for cooking. You must inform the insurance company in advance so that you can choose the most suitable type of insurance and there will be no problems when you make a claim."

"Many times, problems arise in claims because the process wasn't explained clearly from the beginning."

After the broadcast ended, she called back.

"Second Aunt, is something wrong so late?"

Auntie's sobs immediately erupted: "Manli! The insurance company says they won't cover the old man's illness! Didn't you get the insurance in the first place?"

Hu Manli's fingernails dug into her palm.

She remembered that rainy day two years ago when Dingdal had a fever of 39 degrees Celsius. She was in a hurry to pick him up from school, so she handed over her second uncle and aunt's insurance policy to Wang Chunlu to follow up...

Of course, the most important thing is that Wang Chunlu has not made a single sale for three consecutive months. If she doesn't make a sale soon, she will be fired. Therefore, Hu Manli gave up her position to Wang Chunlu.

……

Hu Manli immediately contacted Wang Chunlu, but Wang Chunlu avoided her.

So Hu Manli went straight to Lanyang Insurance and said, "I'm looking for Wang Chunlu."

When the receptionist at Lanyang Insurance saw Hu Manli, she visibly flinched: "Director Hu... Manager Wang is in a meeting."

However, Hu Manli simply pushed open the conference room door.

As Wang Chunlu was giving her presentation, the laser pointer in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and the performance curve on the projection screen became distorted as a result.

"Wang Chunlu, what's going on with my ex-husband's second uncle's medical insurance?" Hu Manli slammed her bag onto the empty chair. "I clearly told you to get medical insurance plus critical illness insurance!"

The meeting room was completely silent.

Wang Chunlu slowly picked up the laser pointer: "Sister Hu, at that time, my second uncle and aunt thought it was too expensive and were only willing to insure critical illnesses."

"impossible!"

"Sister Hu, these are all recorded. I can show you the records right now."

"Alright! I'd like to see what tricks you're up to."

Then Wang Chunlu took Hu Manli to the office to retrieve the computer records. "Sister Hu, look! The medical insurance section is blank."

Hu Manli stared at the screen, feeling as if she had been punched hard in the head.

“When I was handling insurance for my second uncle and aunt, they suddenly demanded that I only buy critical illness insurance, and no matter how much I pleaded, it was no use.”

“You could have tried to persuade them! The old folks don’t understand these things! Besides, why didn’t you contact me beforehand?” Hu Manli’s voice sounded particularly angry and incomprehensible.

“Company policy requires us to respect customer choices! Besides, I was really worried that this deal would fall through, so…” Wang Chunlu’s “Account Manager” badge gleamed brightly under the lights.

"Wang Chunlu, you have serious problems! If you don't correct them in time, you'll face big problems sooner or later."

"Sister Hu, actually you taught me all of this, and I don't think I did anything wrong."

"..."

At this moment, Hu Manli recalled her admonition to Wang Chunlu: "The customer is God. Even if God wants to jump off a cliff, don't stop him."

Now those words have bounced back at me like a boomerang.

……

The smell of disinfectant in the corridor of Huadong Hospital was even more pungent than yesterday.

Ding Zhiyuan's second uncle's cursing voice came from the ward: "I knew that studying was useless! He can't even understand insurance!"

Hu Manli stopped at the door.

Through the crack in the door, she saw Ding Zhiyuan standing at the foot of the bed like a student who had made a mistake. His white shirt collar was yellowed, and his gold-rimmed glasses were perched crookedly on his nose.

"Manli is here!" Auntie rushed over as if she had seen a savior. "Quickly, tell the insurance company! They can't treat honest people like this!"

Ding Zhiyuan suddenly looked up, his eyes behind his glasses brightening for a moment before dimming again: "Manli, do you have any ideas?"

Hu Manli placed a copy of the insurance policy on the bedside table: "My second uncle only bought critical illness insurance at the time, and heart surgery was not covered. Because he missed the most important medical insurance, the insurance company had no way to process his claim."

"What?" Uncle struggled to sit up. "Didn't you say you'd take care of both minor and major illnesses?"

"Was it Wang Chunlu who explained it to you?"

"That girl named Wang something-lu!" Uncle Er suddenly looked away guiltily. "I told her she didn't need medical attention for a cold and fever, and then..."

Ding Zhiyuan, who had already understood the situation, suddenly grabbed Hu Manli's wrist: "Manli, can we use the special channel? You know so many hospital leaders and insurance company representatives."

"So what if we know each other?" Hu Manli shook off his hand. "If we had just bought the critical illness and medical insurance package back then, we wouldn't have had these problems."

This sentence is like a knife cleaving through the air.

The sounds of my second aunt crying, my second uncle cursing, and the nurses trying to dissuade me were all mixed together.

Ding Zhiyuan stood there, his lips moving as he squeezed out, "Manli, Dahl's birthday is next month..."

"Hmph! Don't use your son as a bargaining chip." Hu Manli's high heels tapped out a cold rhythm on the marble floor. "By the way, I've reviewed the critical illness insurance terms. If my second uncle gets cancer within three years, he can still get compensation."

She slammed the door shut and added, "Hopefully we won't need it."

"..."

……

Hu Manli was idly stirring the salad in front of her when she caught a glimpse of a new post on her WeChat Moments.

They discovered that Chen Fang had liked one of Tang Ling's posts on WeChat Moments, and then quickly unliked it.

She would recognize that profile picture even if it turned to ashes: Tang Ling's selfie at the Taiying Insurance annual gala.

Tang Ling was originally Hu Manli's apprentice at Lanyang Insurance. Later, she poached a big deal from Hu Manli and then switched jobs to Taiying International.

Therefore, Tang Ling and Hu Manli have an irreconcilable hatred, and it was truly unexpected that Tang Ling would have a relationship with Chen Fang.

“Interesting.” Hu Manli’s fork stopped in mid-air.

When Chen Fang came to Nanyang, Tang Ling had already switched jobs to Tai Ying International for half a year, so theoretically the two should have been complete strangers.

unless……

Scrolling through the phone's photo album to five years ago, Tang Ling was wearing a wedding ring on her ring finger in a team-building photo, but she suddenly took it off later.

Tang Ling's explanation at the time was that she had "broken up" with her fiancé, but now it seems that she had been hiding her marital status all along.

"Look at this! Chen Fang actually liked Tang Ling's post."

"I've said it before: Chen Fang's motives for targeting you are impure."

"A secret marriage! I never expected Tang Ling and Chen Fang to be so vicious, like a venomous snake lying in wait." Hu Manli sneered.

"Don't worry! I will avenge you."

"Stop messing around! You should focus on working hard at Taiying International and try to get that luxury car first."

"You don't have confidence in me?"

"Do you know the story of the tortoise and the hare? You're only one step ahead now, but you can't slack off if you want to reach the finish line."

……

Hu Manli was shopping at the market when she overheard that Mr. Chen had accompanied his mother to the hospital for joint replacement surgery. She immediately rushed over to see what was going on.

The smell of disinfectant in the orthopedic ward of Huadong Hospital was mixed with the fishy smell of the seafood market.

Mr. Chen paced back and forth in the corridor, rubbing his hands together. When he saw Hu Manli, he was overjoyed: "The doctor said that the German-made ones can last for twenty years, but medical insurance doesn't cover them..."

“Taiying International’s full report.” Hu Manli opened the policy document. “Look here, the maximum fee for special materials is 50,000.”

"really?"

"It's true! This can't be faked."

Then Hu Manli nodded to the old lady's attending physician and said, "Doctor, please use Smith & Nephew's imported joint replacement."

"Ok."

Mr. Chen's mother lay on the trolley, her withered hand suddenly grabbing Hu Manli: "Daughter, you care about me more than my son..."

The old man was wearing a red string he had begged for on his wrist, creating an absurd contrast with the huge sum of money insured.

Hu Manli's responsible attitude immediately earned the trust of Mr. Chen's family, laying the foundation for the next new order.

...After his second uncle finished his surgery, he and his wife were going back to their hometown, and Ding Zhiyuan treated them to a meal.

However, the second uncle and aunt demanded that Ding Zhiyuan give 200,000 yuan to help his son get married.

Unfortunately, Ding Zhiyuan didn't have that much money, so his second uncle condemned Ding Zhiyuan for being ungrateful, as he had given Ding Zhiyuan 20,000 yuan for tuition years ago.

Ding Zhiyuan had no choice but to agree to try to raise the money, and his second uncle decided to leave after receiving the money.

Helpless, Ding Zhiyuan could only call Qiu Lisu for help, but Qiu Lisu was in a meeting and no one answered her phone.

Later, Qiu Lisu learned about this from her secretary, Xiao Huang, and she agreed to lend money to Ding Zhiyuan.

Then Ding Zhiyuan brought his second uncle and second aunt to Qiu Lisu's company to collect the money, and Xiao Huang took them to the finance department to withdraw the money.

Ding Zhiyuan's haggard face was reflected in the glass curtain wall of Qiu Lisu's company. He had come to borrow money because he was desperate.

In the reception room, the second uncle looked around timidly, while the second aunt kept fiddling with the gilded tea set beside her, wishing she could take this treasure home with her.

"Professor Ding, President Qiu is already away on a business trip." Secretary Xiao Huang handed over tea. "This is the loan agreement, please take a look."

Ding Zhiyuan had just touched the document when his second uncle snatched it away, exclaiming, "What? Pay it off in six months? The interest is so high?"

He stared at him with his aging eyes, "Zhiyuan, didn't you say she was giving herself away for free?"

"I..." Ding Zhiyuan's white shirt collar was already soaked with sweat.

When he texted Qiu Lisu this morning, she only replied with "Come find Xiao Huang".

By this time, Ding Zhiyuan had roughly guessed what was going on, after all, he wasn't a complete idiot who didn't understand worldly affairs.

Then the CFO pushed open the door and entered: "The loan will be disbursed immediately after the signature is completed."

She pointed to the end of the agreement, "According to Article 210 of the Contract Law..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Uncle slammed the agreement on the table. "A nephew borrowing money needs an IOU? What kind of logic is that?"

Ding Zhiyuan's hands trembled slightly.

He recalled the missed call from his newlywed wife Qiu Lisu this morning, and what she had said yesterday about the company's "tight cash flow," but he couldn't recall that rainy day twenty years ago when his second uncle delivered his college admission notice and 20,000 yuan in cash to his house on a tricycle.

"I'll sign." Then, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, Ding Zhiyuan grabbed his pen.

"No!" The CFO pressed down on the paper. "The borrower must sign it in person. President Qiu specifically instructed that this is company policy."

Uncle's roar attracted the attention of the staff in the corridor.

While words like "ungrateful" and "all that education has gone to waste" echoed in the office area, Qiu Lisu hid in her office with a smug expression.

Then, my second uncle and aunt suddenly tore the agreement to shreds.

When the pieces of paper fell on Ding Zhiyuan's head like snowflakes, I completely humiliated him.

"Let's go!" Uncle said, pulling Aunt away. "Let's go find Manli! Even an insurance saleswoman is better than this ingrate!"

"..."

Qiu Lisu, who had been secretly watching, pursed her red lips into a thin line.

She was unwilling to indulge these poor relatives like Hu Manli had, feeling that they were all greedy people who had been greedy time and time again.

……

As Qiu Lisu's company's glass revolving door "spit" Ding Zhiyuan and his two companions out, the setting sun cast long shadows of their dejection and anger.

The second uncle's cursing drew the attention of passersby: "Ding Zhiyuan, didn't you say she was your lover? Your lover made you sign an IOU?"

Ding Zhiyuan's gold-rimmed glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, and the frames were still covered with spittle from his second uncle's spit.

His explanation was futile: "Second Uncle, this is their company's procedure..."

"Procedure my ass!" His second uncle's pipe nearly poked his eye. "Back when you got into university, I sold two cows! Now I'm asking for 200,000 yuan like it's my life!"

Auntie suddenly grabbed her husband: "Say less, Zhiyuan has it tough too."

She glanced at the wear and tear on Ding Zhiyuan's shirt cuffs. "Zhiyuan, why don't we ask Manli for help?"

"Looking for her? That's not appropriate." Ding Zhiyuan's voice suddenly rose.

Second Uncle sneered: "Hmph! What's so inappropriate about it?"

After saying that, the second uncle pulled his second aunt into the taxi, leaving Ding Zhiyuan standing in the evening rush hour crowd.

……

The motion-activated lights in the TV station corridor lit up in response to Ding Zhiyuan's footsteps.

The lights were still on in agent Zhong Ning's office. He rushed in as if grasping at a straw: "Zhong Ning, could you help me get an advance on my salary?"

“Impossible.” Zhong Ning continued organizing the documents without looking up. “The viewership rating for ‘The Philosopher’s Says’ has dropped below 0.2. Advertisers are withdrawing their investments, and the station is discussing canceling the program.”

Ding Zhiyuan rested his hands on the desk: "I only need two hundred thousand, next month..."

"You'll be unemployed next month!" Zhong Ning suddenly looked up. "Do you know how many people I begged to keep your show going? And you? You won't even take a sea cucumber commercial!"

"That's academic dignity..."

"Tch! Dignity?" Zhong Ning sneered. "Why didn't you talk about dignity when you wrote a preface for a book like Li Fendou's?"

She tossed out a magazine with a cover featuring a photo of Qiu Lisu and Li Fendou. "Now all of Shanghai knows that Professor Ding's 'academic dignity' is worth a 50,000 yuan appearance fee!"

Ding Zhiyuan grabbed the magazine and smashed it against the wall.

Amidst the cracking sound, he saw his face reflected in the glass window, distorted and disheveled, resembling the "street thugs" he once despised.

"Ding Zhiyuan, get out of here!" Zhong Ning pressed the security call button.

"..."

……

Hu Manli had been waiting for a long time downstairs at Su Ning and Wang Xue's love nest before she finally saw them.

Both young people were wearing sportswear and headphones around their necks, clearly having just returned from a night run.

"Here's 100,000." Su Ning handed over the black briefcase directly. "No IOU needed."

Hu Manli's fingers tightened on the bag strap: "Aren't you going to ask why you're borrowing it?"

"Is it your ex-husband's family again?" Su Ning wiped her sweat.

"That's right! It seems you know me quite well now."

"I'm guessing you won't be able to spend this money."

"why?"

“The Ding family has a big appetite; this amount of money is not enough to satisfy them.”

"..."

The two looked at each other for a second and then smiled knowingly.

This kind of "mutually beneficial" relationship is much more real than Ding Zhiyuan's vague "academic dignity".

After Hu Manli left, Wang Xue put her arm around Su Ning's shoulder and asked, "Su Ning, do you trust Hu Manli that much?"

“We recently collaborated on an insurance policy, and she will receive a commission of 20,000 yuan, so I am not worried at all about her not being able to pay it back.”

"That's not what I meant! I just felt you were being too nice to her."

"What? Are you jealous?"

"Ah."

"I'll do my best to impress you tonight."

"Pah! You scoundrel."

……

When Ding Zhiyuan's parents heard that he had borrowed money from his second uncle everywhere, they told him to go to Hu Manli to ask for the money back.

Because when their hometown was being demolished, they put 500,000 yuan into an education fund for Dingdaer.

Ding Zhiyuan couldn't bring himself to say it, but his mother advised him not to be soft-hearted, as it was their family's money.

Ding Zhiyuan heard his mother's shrill voice burst from the phone receiver: "Wasn't the 500,000 yuan demolition compensation deposited in Da'er's name? Your second uncle even gave you 20,000 yuan for tuition back then..."

"Mom, that's Dahl's education fund!" Ding Zhiyuan gripped the microphone tightly.

"Education?" the mother sneered. "Hu Manli has already divorced you, who knows where the money will go in the future?"

……

(End of this chapter)