Chapter 1

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Lin Ge stood behind the black marble bar, wearing a clean white button-down shirt. He calmly wiped the wine glass in his hand while waiting for the first guest of the day, who would also be the first guest of his career.

Today was his first day on the job, and he was full of expectations for his career.

Soothing music filled the store, and a light perfume permeated the air. The atmosphere was comfortable and pleasant.

The shop was not big, but the environment was warm and elegant. He was very satisfied.

However, at this moment, he could feel a sharp gaze on him. It came from a table not far from the bar. The owner of the gaze was a woman in a waiter’s uniform.

The woman looked very young, probably less than twenty years old. She had a beautiful face and her golden hair was tied into a ponytail.

She stared at Lin Ge, who was behind the bar counter, her beautiful sky-blue eyes seemingly about to spew fire as if she had some deep hatred for him.

Her name was Elise. Before Lin Ge had successfully bagged the job, she had been the one standing at the bar counter. Now that she had been demoted to an apprentice, she naturally wasn’t fond of Lin Ge.

The bar owner replaced her because there were not many customers.

After drinking the terrible cocktail the other party had made, Lin Ge could understand the feelings of his boss and the former customers.

Elise simply didn’t know how to mix wine and had a bad temper. It could be said that she was good for nothing except for her good looks.

No one but perverts could stand such a bartender.

“Before the guests come, you should cross your hands and put them under your belly button, with your right hand on your left hand, and maintain a stance of being ready to serve at any time, instead of sitting there and staring at me like a frog.”

Lin Ge’s casual words immediately ignited Elise’s anger.

Bang!

“Who are you calling a frog?”

Elise slammed the table and stood up. Her full bust trembled along with her violent movements. This could be considered one of her strengths, Lin Ge thought as he glanced at her chest.

“If a guest comes in at this time, you’ll definitely scare him away with your actions now,” Lin Ge’s tone was still calm.

“You, you bastard. Isn’t it just that the wine you mix tastes better? What’s the big deal? I’ll surpass you sooner or later and kick you out of this shop,” Elise was like an angry lion cub.

“No, no, no,” Lin Ge shook his head slightly, “Someone who can mix good drinks is not enough to be an excellent bartender. A truly excellent bartender will use the wine he makes as a bridge connecting to the customers’ hearts.”

Lin Ge’s gaze swept over Elise.

“With your personality, I’m afraid it’ll be very difficult for you to do this.”

His tone was neither slow nor fast, but it made Elise’s face heat up and flush.

The most infuriating thing was that she could not refute him.

The disheartening feeling almost drove her crazy. If she could, she really wanted to tie this arrogant man up and mercilessly whip him.

At this moment, a sound came from the door of the bar, and the two looked at the door at the same time.

Had a customer arrived?

Lin Ge adjusted his collar and cleared his throat. With a smile on his face, he was ready to give his first customer the most thoughtful service.

Elise was even more upset when she saw him like this.

Hmph, he was just a pretentious fellow. She didn’t believe that he could keep up with the attitude.

However, the person who came in was not a customer, but a woman in loose casual clothes. She had been the only waitress in the shop, though now there were two.

“Oh, it’s sister Neelu. I thought you were a customer.”

“Haha, it seems like you’re looking forward to your first customer, little brother Lin Ge.”

Lin Ge didn’t know Neelu’s exact age. She looked very young, but judging from the mature aura she exuded, she was probably older than him. Thus, he didn’t have any objections to her calling him “little brother”.

After Neelu changed into her work clothes and came out, Lin Ge’s eyes couldn’t help but light up.

Her brown shoulder-length hair had a silk-like texture, and her skin was as white as milk. The work uniform she wore was also different from Elise’s. Neelu was wearing a white v-neck shirt with a black pencil skirt. She looked neat and capable, but also sexy and charming.

Was this also a method to retain customers? Lin Ge thought to himself.

“Sister Neelu, this guy is looking at you lustfully,” Elise, who had been watching Lin Ge’s every move, immediately tattled on him.

Neelu only smiled gently, “Elise, don’t talk nonsense. Little brother Lin Ge isn’t that kind of person.”

Lin Ge nodded in agreement.

“Alright, let’s officially start our business!”

Neelu pressed a button on the wall, and the “open” light on the door lit up.

“Ah, Elise, you forgot to press that. No wonder there were no customers,” Lin Ge said.

“You do talk a lot. It wasn’t business time just now, was it?” Elise retorted.

Lin Ge was not interested in arguing with her. He picked up another wine glass and started wiping it carefully.

Half an hour passed, and still, no customer came.

Elise’s eyes were dry from staring at Lin Ge, and she began to doze off while rubbing her eyes. Meanwhile, Neelu went to the staff’s resting room.

Just as Lin Ge was feeling a little dejected, the wind chimes outside the door finally rang, indicating the arrival of a customer.

His spirits lifted as he looked towards the door.

The door was pushed open, and a girl in a purple wizard robe and a wide wizard hat walked into the bar with her head lowered. The wide brim of the hat covered her face, so her appearance could not be seen clearly.

He didn’t expect the first customer to be so special.

Lin Ge was slightly surprised when he saw the girl’s attire, but he immediately smiled and greeted her, “Welcome to the Emeralds. May I know what you need?”

The girl in the wizard hat sat on the high chair in front of the bar, her fair arm supporting her chin, allowing Lin Ge to finally see her face.

It was a fair and oval face, which made her eyes look big and bright. Her light purple pupils were full of melancholy, invoking tender pity in others.

“Do you have any recommendations?” The girl’s voice was soft, combined with her petite body and delicate face, made her seem even more charming.

Lin Ge looked at her young face and asked, “Have you reached the age to drink?”

The girl was displeased. She pouted, “Stop being so long-winded. Serve me some wine.”

Elise also glared at him from the side, as if to say, “It’s not easy for a customer to have come to our shop, and you want to drive her away?”

She motioned with her eyes for him to serve the wine.

“If you’re here for the first time, I’d like to recommend an Emerald with the same name as our shop,” Lin Ge said with a smile.

“I’ll have a glass.”

“Alright, please wait a moment.”

Lin Ge took out a cocktail glass, put two ice cubes in it, then put it aside.

Then, he took out a shaker and a spoon. He put a few pieces of ice into the shaker added 0.5 ounces of dry vermouth and lemon juice each, then added 0.5 ounces of aurum. He stirred 13 times with the spoon until his left hand’s finger, which was at the bottom of the shaker, felt cold. At this time, a cold mist was coming from the mouth of the shaker.

At this point, the step of mixing the Emerald was completed.

Following this, Lin Ge covered the mouth of the shaker with the ice filter, poured the mixed wine into the cocktail glass, and gently pushed it to the girl.

“Please enjoy,”

While Lin Ge was mixing the wine, the girl had been looking at him curiously. Now, her gaze shifted to the crystal-clear Emerald in front of her. She blinked, raised the glass, and drank it all in one go.

Then… She burst into tears.

“Sob sob, I’ve been rejected again.”

Lin Ge remained calm in the face of the girl’s sudden emotional change. For a bartender, such a situation was inevitable.

As a qualified bartender, what he had to do at this time was to listen to the guests’ inner thoughts and soothe their emotions.

He tried to speak as gently as possible, “Since the other party doesn’t like you, why don’t you try to change your target?”

“But no one wants me.”

“This… How was that possible? Customer, you are very cute.”

The girl’s face, which was flushed from the alcohol, suddenly became even redder. She lowered her head and whispered, “Gosh, why, why did you suddenly say that I’m cute…”