CH 4

Because he had just come by earlier in the afternoon, the xiaojie at the front desk still remembered the quite innocent part-time student with a pretty face.

“Come on in, and I’ll show you around. Before you go to work, you must first change your clothes.” She said, turning her back to An Wuyang as she walked forward and escorted him to the room, “After you change your clothes, someone will come and teach you the rules here in this bar.”

An Wuyang nodded, “Okay, thank you.”

The xiaojie, who’s stationed at the reception desk, travelled her eyes up and down on his body and asked: “How tall are you?”

An Wuyang said, “One meter and seventy-eight.”

The older sister fixed her eyes back again to his. With her beautiful tiny waist and long legs, she said thoughtfully: “You are so thin, you might be able to fit in size 175.”

When they arrived at the office, An Wuyang first registered his information and then picked up his clothes.

As expected, the clothing size 175 complemented An Wuyang’s slender frame perfectly. The suit almost tangibly provided an outline on the contours of his body, particularly on the waist and legs.

Then Brother Quan dispatched someone to teach him the rules that must be strictly followed, such as how to greet guests and sell drinks, and so on. Aside from him, there were two newcomers who were being briefed.

Apparently, the summer season was the peak season for job seekers.

“How many different types of wine do you know?” The veteran who took them under his wing was known as Brother Hui, and he was the second in command in charge of the male salespeople.

The two newcomers quickly demonstrated their familiarity by smoothly naming the various wines placed on the table.

“Here’s Remy Martin, this is Black Rum, and this is…Louis XIII…” The newcomer suddenly paused for a moment, before continuing his sentence: “This wine is highly expensive.”

Impressed, Brother Hui revealed a grin and said: “You three can sell Louis XIII, do you know how much the commission is?”

“A bottle of Louis XIII will earn you 600 yuan in commissions.” Brother Hui casually stated, “We have no shortage of wealthy guests in our club, so you could earn that much money with just one bottle of expensive wine. However, it is not that simple. It all depends on how well you speak and persuade customers to buy from you, you know?”

‘The commission for a bottle of that particular wine is 600 yuan?’

An Wuyang was left speechless. ‘How much exactly does this single bottle of wine cost?’

Brother Hui then resumed his lecture. An Wuyang was so preoccupied with the power that Louis XIII wielded that everything Brother Hui said after that became a blur to his ear. 

‘A bottle of that would earn me 600 yuan. If I successfully sold each one every night, then it’d be 20,000 yuan a month….’

‘I’ve also never seen a college student carrying so much money, so I have to be cautious.’

After a while, Brother Hui brought up the subject of the safety precautions that must be taken to protect themselves from wolves: “You are all male, and your situation is far better than that of the female salespeople. However, you should be aware that the sales you make are not only a result of drinking alongside the guests but also of the talent that both female and male prostitutes possess. We’re the club’s regular employees. If you are taken advantage of maliciously, the small scenes may be resolved by your own emotional intelligence. If you’re really stuck and don’t know what to do, come find me.” 

For a brief moment, Brother Hui’s words provided comfort and relief to the rookies present, but they also knew that being hopeful of succeeding this night without hands groping their body is unavoidable when working in an entertainment venue.

Many people, more or less psychologically prepared, chose to work in this field.

Unless they’re like An Wuyang, who assumed that all sales, no matter where they came from, were the same.

In any case, this was just an attempt. If the worst happened, he’d be willing to leave this job and find another.

Half an hour later, as the clock struck nine o’clock, guests began to fill the entire clubhouse one after the another.

Frequent customers preferred to purchase wines with salespeople that they’re familiar with and had worked with in the past. Unless these customers were offended by the veterans, then they’d request if there were any newcomers around. 

Brother Quan’s treatment of An Wuyang was extremely good. He didn’t let A-Hui arrange the troublesome guest as An Wuyang’s first task to accompany.

One of the newcomers, who was also a student, was obnoxious, and it needed to be addressed immediately. So Brother Quan dealt with it right away, making him, a burly man, who looked like an old mother berating his kids. 

A few minutes past nine o’clock, most male sales staff were already stationed on their responsible boxes. The ones who remained on the desk were either less attractive and repulsive, or there’s simply no room that suited them, like Wuyang. 

“…” This group of people who liked to drink excessively was not appropriate, nor were the groups who wanted to play tricks on salespeople. Brother Quan regretted bringing the young man over to the group immediately.

Brother Quan rolled his eyes without rhyme or reason, and An Wuyang simply smiled innocently.

During this time, a member of the bar staff was escorting a group of young guests into the establishment. The visitors were the few Beijing princes who hadn’t been here in a long time. Brother Quan immediately remembered that these gong zi had practically become regular customers after frequenting the bar for a year, three years ago. 

{T/N: 公子 gōng zǐ – son of an official or son of nobility}

“Manager Quan,” Seeing him, Ji Mingjue offered his greeting first.

Brother Quang, overjoyed, returned their greetings with a smile: “Oh, Young Master Ji, Young Master Chen, and Young Master Jiang.  Why haven’t I seen these distinguished guests in my bar in such a long time?”

Right after he finished speaking, he noticed another person standing behind these three big shots. Brother Quan quickly removed his mischievous grin. Leaning towards the specific person, he respectfully greeted him: “Mister Huo.”

Ji Mingjue heaved out a sigh: “Differential treatment ah, Manager Quan. Why are we addressed as ‘young masters’ while he’s referred to as ‘Mister Huo’?”

Chen Chu said: “Why’d you ask if you already knew the answer? Naturally, we’re just customers, and Yunchuan is a shareholder.”

Jiao Shao Fei slapped their mouths shut and said flatly, “Find us a quiet private room and call a few girls over.”

Brother Quan nodded, expressing his understanding: “OK, gentlemen, I’ll take you up first.”

Since Huo Yunchuan had his back turned to An Wuyang and also didn’t utter a single word throughout the exchange, he and Wuyang didn’t notice nor saw that each other was there.

Brother Quan climbed down the stairs after they were settled in their private box and motioned An Wuyang to come to him with a finger gesture. “Now there’s a box full of VIPs who are especially convenient for you upstairs. Please put forth your best effort.”

“Oh, Brother Quan.” An Wuyang was brimming with nervousness as he followed the manager up to the booth, feeling a little keyed up. 

Brother Quan led him to the forewoman’s room first. Then, casting his gaze over the available ladies, he chose a few beautiful girls to accompany the gentlemen to drink and supervise An Wuyang as well.

There was a significant difference between working as a server like these sisters and working as a salesperson. And that was a salesperson like An Wuyang didn’t need to accompany the guests or stay inside the box with them, but instead, just go in when he’s needed and collect the bill afterwards.

“Who? You’re making it into such a big deal.” Those girls Brother Quan chose were the top cards in this bar, and their female manager will not let them go promptly without getting to the crux of the matter. 

Brother Quan said: “Mr Huo and his friends.”

Both the female supervisor and the staff were immediately frozen in place, staring at him blankly. Having piqued their interest, Brother Quan issued a severe warning “Take proper care of the visitors. Never pressurize or persuade them to drink excessively. And the outcome will be positive if you serve them equally as well.”

An Wuyang, who was listening on the side, felt his insides tensing slightly, and his body soon began to tremble.

Noticing this, a few of the older sisters backed him up, and Brother Quan led them to Box 309 upstairs.

“Little brother, learn a thing or two from us, okay?” The sisters ambiguously entered the room, one after the other. They sat next to their respective guests, pouring wine and chatting with the customers.

One of the girls in the best condition paraded up to Huo Yunchuan. The man abruptly raised his hand and refused to be accompanied before she could sit beside him. “No, find another seat for you.”

With her hopes dashed, the girl sat down not far away, wearing a look of disappointment on her face.

Ji Mingjue burst out laughing when he saw this: “Yunchuan hasn’t been here in a long time, so the girls here naturally don’t know your rules anymore.” Then his gaze wandered around the room, eventually settling on a silly…waiter standing by the door?

“Huh?” There was no girl sitting next to Chen Chu, and when he looked up, he saw one standing idly beside the door, seemingly lost. The manager here knew Huo Yunchuan didn’t need anyone to accompany him, so why did he send another?

When he thought about it more carefully, he realized the person was a man. Ji Mingje deduced that he was most likely a salesperson or something.

Meanwhile, An Wuyang’s expression had changed since the moment he walked through the door. When his gaze flitted across the room and landed on the familiar figure of Huo Yunchuan, he groaned inwardly. ‘How come fate is so cruel?’

“Come here, you there.” Chen Chu noticed Wuyang’s snowy white, fair, and flawless exposed skin and they made a good impression on him, so Chen Chu beckoned the boy towards him.

Huo Yunchuan raised his head and followed his friend’s hand, which led him to the door. Then his eyes, which had been expressionless all day due to a bad mood, changed and stared in a trance-like state.

An Wuyang’s face flushed red when he caught the gaze of a certain man from the seats. His fingers were grasping and scrunching the fabric of his trousers, and he was at a loss for what to do.

“…” ‘It’s fucking embarrassing, really.’

“Come here,” Huo Yunchuan commanded.

His three closest friends all looked at him incredulously: “Yun Chuan?”

Is this man sick? Don’t tell me he’s thinking of doing something ridiculous because of the strain on his marriage…

Or maybe they got it wrong.

Anyway, Huo Yunchuan wouldn’t let others sit beside him, let alone a man. 

An Wuyang wanted to turn around and leave, but Brother Quan’s menacing eyes, filled with undisguised disdain, remained vivid in his mind. If he really did turn around and bail it, he’d have to deal with the consequences of offending the guests in this room as well as losing his job.

Wuyang mustered up his courage and walked in after weighing his options repeatedly for a short time. He came to a halt in front of the large coffee table, bowed slightly, and said, stutteringly, “Good day, gentlemen. This salesperson’s name is Xiao An. What kind of wine do you want to drink?”

Inadvertently, the well-fitting Western-style suit hugging his frame nicely evoked more of his entire body structure because of the movement he made when he bent over.

Huo Yunchuan couldn’t help but stare at him and ask, “Don’t you know who I am?”

An Wuyang’s innocent face turned bright red, resembling a cooked shrimp, but he said nothing.

“Come here and sit,” Huo Yunchuan motioned again.

An Wuyang stifled his embarrassment in front of the crowd by saying, “I don’t drink with the guests. I work here as a wine salesperson.”

Huo Yunchuan’s brow furrowed and he solemnly remarked, “I’m not inviting you to drink wine. I invite you to drink some juice.”

When he learned that he was not required to drink alcoholic beverages, An Wuyang loosened up a breath and walked over warily, making sure to leave a space between himself and Yunchuan.

Unexpectedly, this man called Huo Yunchuan inched a little closer to An Wuyang and snaked his arm around the youngster’s waist. 

“…” His three friends all had amused expressions on their faces.

‘Really, the scene in front of me is truly shocking.’

“So, that’s how it is,” Jiang Shaofei said lazily.

“What exactly is what?” Ji Mingjue was still stunned and unable to comprehend what he was witnessing. Looking at his foolish friend, the guy couldn’t help but tease him and just sipped his wine, deliberately not saying anything for a moment.

He took a sip of the blood-red wine and said, “Yun Chuan likes men.”

“Pfft—” Chen Chu choked on his drink and immediately chimed in, “It’s incredible how big your imagination is. It’s just a little brother whom Yun Chuan’s familiar with. Right, Yun Chuan?”

They were all aware that their friend was in a bad mood, and it’s natural for people to unwind in situations like this.

“Shut up,” Huo Yunchuan said casually, his hand still resting on the waist of the teenager with whom he had a special relationship. After dismissing his friend, he turned his gaze to Wuyang and inquired, “How long have you been working here?”

An Wuyang felt that the current expression he was wearing was ugly, but he couldn’t hold it back even if he wanted to: “I only started tonight.” Clearly annoyed.

Huo Yunchuan nodded: “What’s your name?”

An Wuyang returned his gaze and quickly created some space between them: “I’m called An Wuyang….”

“Yo,” Ji Mingjue suddenly expressed his opinion: “The name is really nice.” Then, he happily took a mouthful of his wine. Like his other friends, he watched the progress of Huo Yunchuan’s flirting with relish.

Like how they put it, they thought that the scene before them was more interesting than flirting with their own girls. 

Still unsatisfied, Huo Yunchuan asked once again: “How old are you?”

He wrinkled his brows again, wanting to confirm the age of the unnamed boy he had slept with. ‘If he is a minor…’

“Eighteen.” An Wuyang said in a low voice. Looking down to evade the pairs of eyes affixed to him, he didn’t like being the centre of attention. 

“I’ve committed a sin. Only eighteen years old.” Chen Chu then turned to look at Huo Yunchuan and said, “The boy’s only eighteen years old, so let him go. You’re almost as good as their father.”

Ji Mingjue and Jiang Shaofei laughed and added with such emotion, “Gosh, are we all such old guys now?” All of them could be called uncles of eighteen years olds now. 

‘Eighteen years old, very good.’ Huo Yunchuan’s brows arched slightly, then he loosened his tie and resumed questioning the boy: “Don’t you go to school?”

Mingling with other people whose average ages were lower than them in bars or clubs was really lovely. 

“I’m still studying,” An Wuyang said, nervously rubbing both hands on his knees. “I’m working during my summer vacation, and I’ll be a freshman this coming September.”

The uncles in the box laughed again: “Coming to work in a clubhouse during summer vacation, oh my god, hahahaha…” The look on An Wuyang’s face was deadly serious as if he really didn’t understand the reason why they’re laughing.

“Okay, stop laughing. Didn’t the boy say he’s only working here to sell wine and not to accompany guests to drink?” Chen Chu said, naturally helping the youngster in overcoming his embarrassment, as his distinguishing feature had always been relatively kind and sincere.

“Lack of money?” Huo Yunchuan asked straightforwardly.

“Yes.” An Wuyang nodded and quickly changed the subject before Huo Yunchuan could say anything, “What wine do you drink?”

After they got over their shock and astonishment, everyone in the room burst out laughing at the unexpected question.

Huo Yunchuan was unaffected by the raucous laughter in the room and instead asked, “What wine do you want me to drink?”

An Wuyang’s mouth twitched, ready to say the name of that particular wine. However, after giving it some thought, he shook his head and said, “You’re the master. I don’t know what you like to drink.”

When Huo Yunchuan heard the boy’s response, a smile could be seen flashing in Huo Yunchuan’s eyes as his finger kneaded the flesh on Wuyang’s waist. “Give me your phone number, and I’ll open two Louis XIII bottles for you.”

His friends, who were watching his every action with much gusto, were nearly frightened. And simultaneously sprayed wine from their mouths while keeping an eye on the thumb that was still vertically stroking the boy’s waist.

“Your…” They wouldn’t dare to say Huo Yunchuan was incapable of flirting with girls from now on. He could clearly lift up any girl’s skirt, and even more so the boys’.