Chapter 66
If Fang Yi’s blush before had been a faint sunset, then after the sales assistant’s words, it turned into a freshly cooked lobster, bright red from head to toe, ear to ear.
Li Qinyue couldn’t help but burst into laughter, clutching Zhuo Zhi’s hand.
The sales assistants also joined in their laughter. Being laughed at by a group of girls was probably Fang Yi’s most embarrassing moment of the year. He waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave.
Li Qinyue deliberately raised her voice and asked the sales assistant, “Who do you think his girlfriend is?”
The sales assistant hesitated, looking at Li Qinyue, then at Zhuo Zhi, not knowing what to say.
Li Qinyue knew that, based on age, they would naturally assume it was her. She wasn’t offended, and pointed at herself, “I don’t like that type of guy!”
The sales assistant smiled and nodded. Fang Yi quickly walked away.
Looking at his retreating figure, Li Qinyue raised her voice again, “My Zhuo Zhi doesn’t like him either!”
Fang Yi quickened his pace, it was unclear if he had heard her.
“Okay,” Li Qinyue clapped her hands and said to Zhuo Zhi, “Let’s go home.”
The smile on the sales assistant’s face froze.
Zhuo Zhi was confused, “Aren’t we going to buy anything?”
“They guessed my girlfriend wrong, I’m not in the mood,” Li Qinyue said dramatically, linking arms with Zhuo Zhi, “Baby, I want to go home.”
Zhuo Zhi nodded, “Okay, let’s go home.”
They hailed a taxi on the street. As soon as they got in, the expression on Li Qinyue’s face changed.
Or rather, her expression vanished. When she was calm and collected like this, she seemed cold and distant. Zhuo Zhi looked at her, a little afraid.
“Sister…” she called out softly, “Do you still want to go shopping? We can go together.”
“No,” Li Qinyue paused, then said, “Their designs are overrated, their lingerie is uncomfortable.”
Zhuo Zhi didn’t understand brands, but she could tell that Li Qinyue wasn’t angry about not entering the store.
So, working backward, Zhuo Zhi waved her hand dismissively, “Officer Fang isn’t interested in me, he just wants to spar with me.”
“I know he wants to spar with you,” Li Qinyue’s voice was still calm, “But it’s hard to say if he’s interested in you or not.”
Zhuo Zhi said, “He’s not interested in me.”
Li Qinyue glanced at her, “Can you control whether others are interested in you?”
“I’ll hit him harder next time we spar,” Zhuo Zhi clenched her fist, “He definitely won’t be interested in me then.”
Li Qinyue chuckled, “That’s a good method.”
Seeing Li Qinyue’s smile, Zhuo Zhi also smiled.
But her smile didn’t last long. Li Qinyue’s expression suddenly turned serious, and she glared at Zhuo Zhi, “There’s going to be a next time?”
“No, no, no next time!” Zhuo Zhi quickly said, “I meant, if we happen to meet, if it’s unavoidable, I’ll make sure there’s no next time.”
Li Qinyue’s lips twitched, but she didn’t say anything more.
The taxi left the busy street, and the ride became smoother.
Zhuo Zhi carefully considered her mistakes, “Sister, I didn’t realize you didn’t want me to go to the boxing gym. There are many safe jobs there that are suitable for me, I was thinking…”
“They’re not suitable for you,” Li Qinyue said.
“Oh,” Zhuo Zhi didn’t dare to speak anymore.
After a few seconds of silence, Li Qinyue explained, “Doing odd jobs at a boxing gym would be beneath you, and letting you compete would be too dangerous. Besides, those competitions are barely legal, you’re too upright for that, don’t do it.”
“Okay,” Zhuo Zhi nodded, “I won’t do it if you don’t want me to, Sister. It’s fine, I’ll find something else.”
Li Qinyue looked at her, “I didn’t expect you to be so serious.”
“Hmm?” Zhuo Zhi was confused.
“About living this kind of life, so serious about it.”
“This is how ordinary people live, everyone lives like this, of course I have to be serious about it,” Zhuo Zhi said.
“Hmm,” Li Qinyue nodded, “Alright then.”
“Alright what?” Zhuo Zhi asked.
“I’ll be serious too,” Li Qinyue said to the driver, “Sir, turn at the next intersection, to Bar Street.”
“Huh?” Zhuo Zhi’s eyes widened.
“Hungry?” Li Qinyue’s expression returned to normal, “Want to try Aijia’s cooking?”
Zhuo Zhi had tasted Aijia’s cocktails before, they were delicious, and the ones she made for Zhuo Zhi didn’t even have any alcohol.
But she wasn’t sure about Aijia’s cooking.
It had been a while since they last visited “Shengge”. When they reached the bar, the security guard looked at Li Qinyue, then at Zhuo Zhi. Li Qinyue smiled and put her arm around Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder, and the guard let them in.
It wasn’t opening hours yet, so the bar was quiet. They hadn’t walked far when Aijia came out to greet them, her first words a chuckle, “Damn, I thought I wouldn’t see you again for another six months.”
Li Qinyue spread her arms, “Why would I hide when I’m happy?”
Aijia glanced at Zhuo Zhi, “You do look happy.”
Zhuo Zhi nodded, “She is, Sister Aijia, genuinely happy.”
“That’s good,” Aijia didn’t ask any further questions, “So, what brings you here today? Want a drink, or…”
“We’re hungry, let’s eat first. It’s been a while since I last had your cooking,” Li Qinyue said.
Aijia chuckled, “Yes, Boss Li, your wish is my command.”
Aijia went to cook for them. Li Qinyue led Zhuo Zhi to a private room, their usual spot, and they waited for their meal.
Aijia’s cooking was simple, one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a soup, with rice already served.
But it tasted delicious. Zhuo Zhi picked up a piece of vegetable and placed it in Li Qinyue’s bowl, asking Aijia, “Don’t you want some? It’s really good.”
Aijia said, “Do I need you to tell me my own cooking is good? I already ate. Hurry up, you two, I’ll be busy once the bar opens.”
“You still have to take care of us even after it opens,” Li Qinyue said.
“Hmm?” Aijia looked at her, “Is the boss planning to promote herself?”
“I’m already at the top,” Li Qinyue chuckled, “But this time, I’m not taking the top spot.”
“Just say it directly, you’re making me nervous,” Aijia said.
“We need jobs,” Li Qinyue pointed at Zhuo Zhi and herself, “We’re planning to work here.”
“Huh?!” Aijia clutched her chest, “Now I’m truly nervous.”
“It’s true, it’s true!” Zhuo Zhi nodded vigorously.
This was the first time Li Qinyue had mentioned wanting to work, even if it was just sweeping the floors at “Shengge,” Zhuo Zhi was willing.
Aijia leaned back, sinking into the sofa, “Are you two kidding me? Why?”
Li Qinyue said calmly, “We’re broke.”
“You’re kidding,” Aijia couldn’t even maintain her gentle demeanor. She exclaimed, “I just transferred last year’s earnings to you…”
“Stop,” Li Qinyue raised her hand, “The me from last year is not the me I am now. I’m a new me now.”
“A broke new you?” Aijia looked at her.
“Yes,” Li Qinyue said, “From this year onwards, I’m not President Li anymore, I’m Li Qinyue, just call me Qinyue. I think I’m quite good at making cocktails, Boss Ai, you can take a break and focus on management.”
Aijia was speechless for a moment.
Zhuo Zhi looked at Li Qinyue. With her encouragement, she spoke up, “Boss Ai, my name is Zhuo Zhi. You can call me Xiao Zhuo, Xiao Zhi, or Zhuo Zhi, whichever you prefer. I think I’m quite suitable for security work, but if you don’t need any more security personnel, I can also be a waitress.”
Aijia stared at them, her jaw slack.
Li Qinyue continued eating. After a while, she said, “So, Boss Ai, what do you think? Is it inconvenient?”
“Heh,” Aijia finally spoke, “I’m wondering if I should post on Weibo and ask for advice, ‘My boss wants to be my employee, what should I do? Help, it’s urgent.’”
“Do whatever you have to do,” Li Qinyue said, “I told you, I’m not President Li anymore…”
“But I’m still paying you…”
“Keep paying me, that’s for President Li.” Li Qinyue said matter-of-factly, “I’m your employee, Li Qinyue now, treat me like any other employee.”
Zhuo Zhi: “Me too, me too, don’t be polite, Boss Ai.”
Aijia stood up abruptly, “Alright, stop eating, it’s almost opening time. Xiao Zhuo, you go check the front and back, Xiao Li, you familiarize yourself with the cocktail menu.”
“I haven’t finished eating yet,” Li Qinyue said.
Aijia quickly cleared the table, her smile still gentle, “Boss Ai doesn’t cook for her employees.”
Li Qinyue laughed so hard she almost dropped her chopsticks.
Aijia left briskly. Zhuo Zhi asked Li Qinyue, “Sister, are we really going to work at ‘Shengge’?”
“Yes, I figured it out. Since I can’t completely cut ties, I might as well experience the struggles of ordinary people,” Li Qinyue said, patting Zhuo Zhi’s head, “At least I’m not worried about you being here.”
“Okay!” Zhuo Zhi was happy, after searching for a job for so long, she finally had peace of mind.
Li Qinyue patted her back, “Let’s get to work!”
Zhuo Zhi asked the most important question, “What about salary and benefits?”
Li Qinyue chuckled, “You’ll have to discuss that with Boss Ai.”
Zhuo Zhi thought she was right, but she didn’t get a chance to talk to Boss Ai for the next few hours.
Boss Ai had already made arrangements. The security guard at the door showed Zhuo Zhi around, explaining her duties. Having witnessed Zhuo Zhi’s fighting skills before, he didn’t doubt her abilities and was very polite.
Li Qinyue spent her time behind the bar, playing with bottles and glasses, tossing and catching them. Once, as Zhuo Zhi walked past, she heard a crisp “crack”.
Did a glass break?
Zhuo Zhi looked at Li Qinyue questioningly.
It did~~
Li Qinyue winked at her.
You seem happy about it?
Zhuo Zhi raised her eyebrows.
You’ll be paying for it from your salary.
Li Qinyue smirked.
Hahaha, Zhuo Zhi chuckled.
Hehe, Li Qinyue blew her a kiss.
They exchanged flirtatious glances, and the others pretended not to notice. The couple, who were usually openly affectionate at home, were now secretly flirting at work.
With Boss Ai avoiding the topic of salary and benefits, Zhuo Zhi and Li Qinyue started their first day of work.
Apart from Li Qinyue almost hitting a customer over the head with a bottle, everything went smoothly.
Late at night, after their shift ended, they left “Shengge”. Zhuo Zhi, with her sharp hearing, heard the security guard sigh behind them.
She chuckled and shook Li Qinyue’s hand, “Sister, please don’t be so impulsive anymore.”
“Was I being impulsive today?” Li Qinyue glared, “That idiot touched my hand.”
Zhuo Zhi took Li Qinyue’s hand, rubbed it gently, and emboldened by the quiet night, kissed it, “It’s okay, it’s okay, he didn’t really touch you.”
“If he had, he would have lost his hand,” Li Qinyue’s lips twitched.
“Actually, poor people usually don’t cause trouble. If you hit someone, you have to pay medical expenses and go to the police station. And if you hit someone rich and powerful, it’ll be big trouble,” Zhuo Zhi said.
Li Qinyue chuckled, “I never thought there would be a day when you would lecture me about this.”
“Hahaha…” Zhuo Zhi said, “I’m just reminding you to be mindful of your status.”
“Okay,” Li Qinyue said, “Mindful of my status. Do we have enough money for a taxi? The buses have stopped running. Sigh, how do poor people even get home? Maybe we should ask Boss Ai for employee housing…”
Zhuo Zhi opened the ride-hailing app, “It’s more comfortable at home. I’ll ask Boss Ai about transportation allowance tomorrow.”
“So resourceful,” Li Qinyue pinched her nose, “Tell me, what’s so comfortable about home?”
Zhuo Zhi looked around, then leaned closer to Li Qinyue, her eyes sparkling, “We can do whatever we want at home.”
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