Balancing work and personal life
The rain suddenly started pouring outside, causing Leng Qiuyan, a life insurance saleswoman, to worry. She hurriedly said to her cousin Yaming, “Look, I just had my hair done, and if I take a motorcycle later, the helmet will crush it. How am I supposed to meet clients like this?”
Her cousin Yaming, a hairstylist, had just finished her image makeover in their shared apartment, making her look like a successful professional. Leng Qiuyan had been working in the insurance industry in Huadu, Guangzhou, for three years and had achieved decent results. Yaming encouraged her, “Sis, you’ve been hustling here for more than three years, and since this is a car city, you should consider buying a car. With a car, you can pay attention to every detail from head to toe, and wouldn’t it be great to travel like a business elite?”
Leng Qiuyan pondered and said, “You’re right. Many of my colleagues drive to and from work every day, looking sharp and confident. They’ve even snatched a few of my clients! It seems I should buy a car, not only for convenience but also to improve my image!” Yaming added, “Sis, with you standing in front of a new car, it would be like four words come to life—’beauty and her ride!'” Leng Qiuyan laughed, “Okay, the picture you painted is too beautiful not to make it happen.”
She had been eyeing a car for a while but was reluctant to spend the money. However, with the frequent rains in this southern town, making travel inconvenient and meeting clients difficult, she decided to buy the car after her conversation with her cousin. She couldn’t wait to drive it to the insurance company. The car was ivory white and cost her 150,000 yuan.
On her first day driving to work, near the end of the day, her department manager, Huang Wenhan, approached her hurriedly, “Qiuyan, I need to borrow your car to pick someone up from the airport. Is that okay?” Leng Qiuyan reluctantly agreed, “Oh, Manager Huang, sure, of course.” Huang Wenhan explained, “My tire suddenly went flat, I’m really sorry.”
As she handed over the car keys, she graciously said, “Just let me know whenever you need to use the car.” After Huang Wenhan left, her colleague Xiao Fan whispered, “He often claims his tire is flat and then borrows a colleague’s car. You should park your car in the underground garage from now on so he can’t spot it.”
Leng Qiuyan forced a smile, “It’s okay. This is the first time he’s asked, it wouldn’t be right to refuse.”
That evening, it started raining again, so she had to take a taxi home.
When she got home, Yaming looked puzzled and asked, “Sis, how come I didn’t hear the car, and you’re already back?” In a frustrated tone, she replied, “I took a taxi. The new car was borrowed by my manager. He said he would return it before the end of the day, but the flight he was picking up was delayed, so I won’t get it back until tomorrow morning.”
Yaming looked worried, “If he gets a ticket, you won’t feel comfortable asking him to pay. If he gets into an accident, you’ll be held responsible. I was hoping we could take your car to the lakeside for a walk tonight; I heard they’ve just finished a new greenbelt in the suburbs, and it’s beautiful.” With a sigh, Leng Qiuyan said, “I’m just trying to save face. He’s my boss, so I couldn’t refuse.”
Yaming asked, “Couldn’t you think of an excuse on the spot?”
Leng Qiuyan replied, “Sigh, it’s my car, but it feels like it’s his. If I don’t want to lend it, why do I need an excuse?”
That night, worried that something might happen while Huang Wenhan was driving her car, Leng Qiuyan couldn’t sleep. It was only after she saw his social media post that he had safely picked up his friend that she could finally rest.
Although she didn’t plan to lend her car to Huang Wenhan again, he ended up borrowing it three to five times a month. After borrowing it, he would occasionally give her small gifts as a token of appreciation. This made it difficult for her to refuse. To avoid lending him the car, she learned to anticipate when he might ask, and on those days, she would take public transport to work, leaving the car at home. However, her guesses weren’t always accurate, and Huang Wenhan was persistent; he would wait for her white car to show up.
Moreover, because she was so accommodating, more colleagues started borrowing her car. To maintain good relationships, she agreed every time.
Compared to Huang Wenhan and other colleagues borrowing her car, Xiao Fan’s habit of hitching a ride was even more unbearable for Leng Qiuyan. Ever since she got the car, Xiao Fan would ask for a ride whenever the weather was bad. The commute took over 20 minutes, and with so many clients to meet, some of whom were male clients flirting with her in hopes of closing a deal, she preferred being alone in the car. But Xiao Fan was always listening intently to her phone conversations, once saying she wanted to learn from Leng Jie to close more deals. This often left Leng Qiuyan feeling awkward. On the way home, she would sometimes change her plans and head to a dinner meeting, and Xiao Fan would insist on joining or wait until she was dropped home first. It was truly annoying!
Xiao Fan was also thoughtful, occasionally giving Leng Qiuyan a scarf or a crystal hair clip, making it hard for her to say no to her requests.
Having a car indeed made meeting clients easier, and she often gave them a ride home, which improved her relationships and boosted her business. Every time she thought about this, Leng Qiuyan felt the car purchase was worth it. She even updated her QQ status with, “Finally, no more suffering from bus fumes.”
One Sunday, while resting at home, her landlady Guo Lan came to borrow the car, saying she needed to go to the countryside to pick up some things because her car had broken down. She said, “A friend of mine is urgently leaving the country and wants to give me a few items. If I don’t get there in time, he’ll give them to someone else.” Hearing the address, Yaming said, “I need to go there too, let’s go together.” Feeling reassured, Leng Qiuyan handed the car keys to Guo Lan.
Two hours later, Yaming returned with his arm wrapped in white bandages! Leng Qiuyan’s heart tightened, and she quickly asked what happened. Annoyed, Yaming replied, “Scratched, that’s all. Guo Lan is a terrible driver!”
Alarmed, Leng Qiuyan asked, “What about my car?” Yaming countered, “Am I less important to you than your car?”
Leng Qiuyan replied, “Both are important, but you’re already here, and there’s no serious injury. Now tell me, what happened to Guo Lan?”
Displeased, Yaming said, “She scraped the tree bark while reversing and nearly hit me! You shouldn’t lend her the car anymore.”
Leng Qiuyan was fuming. Guo Lan’s poor driving caused your injury, so why are you taking it out on me? Besides, it’s not like I was eager to lend her the car.
After a while, Guo Lan came upstairs, saying that Yaming’s poor directions nearly caused her an accident while reversing. As the car owner, Leng Qiuyan could only try to comfort both of them, urging them not to argue. After Guo Lan left, Leng Qiuyan went down to check on the car and found two fresh scratches, likely caused by Guo Lan on this trip. However, she worried that asking Guo Lan for compensation might strain their relationship and lead to a rent increase. Reporting it to insurance didn’t seem worth it either, so she decided to just accept it. Later on, Guo Lan borrowed her car a few more times.
When Yaming’s arm healed, he had a blind date lined up. Recalling how he’d ridden a bicycle to the previous one, only to be ditched by the girl before he could even sit down, he wanted to borrow Leng Qiuyan’s car this time to make a better impression. Of course, she agreed. After all, she had lent it to others so many times, how could she refuse her cousin?
The blind date went well, and soon, Yaming was frequently taking Leng Qiuyan’s car out, taking his girlfriend on outings, dinners, and movies.
Over the course of a year, Leng Qiuyan received ten traffic tickets, four of which were caused by Yaming, who admitted to them. But the other six? No one owned up to them. Three of those tickets were clearly Huang Wenhan’s fault, but she couldn’t confront him, so she had to take the loss quietly. With insufficient points left on her license, she had to ask colleagues to lend her theirs, but they were all reluctant because they needed their points too. For the tickets Yaming caused, he paid the fines and was willing to have the points deducted, but when he went back home and mentioned getting fined for borrowing his sister’s car, his parents looked at Leng Qiuyan with odd expressions, as if expecting her to cover all the fines.
Facing the unhandled tickets, Leng Qiuyan vented to her best friend Linzi, “I bought the car to make clients think I’m successful and to sign more insurance policies, but instead, it’s brought me nothing but trouble. Now I really want to sell it!”
Linzi responded, “Every advantage comes with
a downside, and driving is no exception. You should’ve made it clear from the start that you don’t lend your car to anyone! A car is not a toy; if something serious happens, it’s not something you can handle. Look at me—I didn’t buy a car. Instead, I put down a deposit on a cheap second-hand house. I’ll be moving in soon, and I’ll never have to pay rent again. Plus, the property is appreciating in value.”
Leng Qiuyan sighed, “You’re smarter than I am. With this car, no matter who drives it, I’m always worried something will go wrong. I guess it’s because I’m here alone, trying to make it, and I lack a sense of security. I regret buying the car; I should’ve bought an apartment instead. At least then I could live in it or even start a small business like selling on Taobao.” Linzi replied, “But isn’t your job at the insurance company going well?”
Leng Qiuyan said, “Sigh, we’ve just hired a few new girls who are all good talkers. They’re making me feel very insecure.” Linzi encouraged, “Don’t lose heart. Keep pushing, and you’ll have enough for a down payment on a house soon.”
The next day, to avoid any more tickets, Leng Qiuyan placed a “No Car Lending” sign on her desk, complete with a cute cartoon drawing to soften the message. Her colleagues just smiled understandingly and, sure enough, no one asked to borrow her car anymore. Even Xiao Fan stopped asking for rides. Finally, Leng Qiuyan enjoyed some peace of mind. Although traffic was getting worse in the city, she felt calmer and didn’t have to worry about tickets from lending her car.
However, the number of insurance policies she signed also decreased. Her colleagues often had mysterious or satisfied smiles on their faces. One day, she offered Xiao Fan a ride home, but Xiao Fan hesitated for a moment before saying, “Sister Qiuyan, haven’t you noticed? With traffic jams, environmental concerns, and the growing emphasis on fitness, those high-end clients have switched to cycling. They say it’s aerobic exercise, keeps them fit, is environmentally friendly, and spares them the hassle of traffic jams.”
Leng Qiuyan suddenly remembered that her clients hadn’t complained about parking difficulties recently. Xiao Fan added that she’d recently joined a group of cycling enthusiasts, and signing insurance policies had become much easier!
Stunned, Leng Qiuyan stood there until the blaring horns behind her jolted her back to reality. She realized she was blocking the way. A new wave of worry surged in her heart. Would her car be sitting idle at home from now on? The annual insurance alone costs several thousand yuan!
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
