Inside Manager Wang’s office.
Lin Luan stood in front of the desk, still wearing that expensive outfit which wasn’t really his.
He scratched his head, watching Manager Wang as he flipped through a résumé.
Manager Wang sat behind a wide genuine leather office chair.
He looked at Lin Luan, then at the consumption list on his computer screen just pulled up about tonight’s 【Midsummer Night】private room.
That long string of numbers made the corner of his eye twitch uncontrollably.
“Lin Luan… is it?” Manager Wang spoke, breaking the silence.
“Yes, Manager Wang,” Lin Luan replied.
“Do you know how much Miss Su spent tonight in your… mm, in your group’s private room?”
“I don’t know.” Lin Luan shook his head honestly.
“Eight hundred thousand,” Manager Wang reported a number.
“So much?!”
Lin Luan’s eyes widened instantly.
“I’ve never seen her spend that much in one night either… And before, she always kept it moderate, just enough for Chen Siye to stay as the top host, never overdoing it, let alone getting drunk…”
Manager Wang paused, coughed once.
“But I don’t care how you did it. According to the store’s rules, this will all be counted under the host’s sales, so you can get a commission from it.”
Manager Wang said leisurely, observing Lin Luan’s reaction. “Even if we calculate by the lowest ratio, tonight you’ll take home about thirty-two thousand.”
Thirty-two thousand?!
Lin Luan was startled; that was already an astronomical figure to him.
“But,” Manager Wang changed the topic, “the premise is, you have to continue working here as a host.”
“What do you mean?” Lin Luan frowned.
Manager Wang waved Lin Luan’s résumé.
“You’re not officially hired yet. Technically, you’re not our employee, and you applied for a dishwashing job, not as a host, so you wouldn’t get that thirty-two thousand.”
“But, as long as you promise me to start as a host here at Drunken Deer from today, I can make an exception and give you tonight’s commission…”
“Manager Wang,” Lin Luan suddenly interrupted.
Manager Wang was taken aback. “What is it?”
Lin Luan took two steps to stand before Manager Wang, pressing both hands on the desk.
“Are you threatening me?”
…No need to beat around the bush, he’s right.
“Alright, as far as I know, Miss Su Jin is still angry, isn’t she?” Lin Luan said.
“She is… What about it?”
Manager Wang inexplicably felt a sense of pressure.
“Then guess what, if you don’t give me my money, and I tell Miss Su Jin about it, what would she think of you?” Lin Luan smiled.
“An angry Miss Su Jin just wants to use ‘I got the money that should have gone to Chen Siye’ as a way to get back at him.”
“But if that money never makes it into my hands, and the young lady’s goal isn’t achieved… what will she do to your club?” The result was obvious.
“You!” Manager Wang was enraged by Lin Luan’s threat. “Once you leave Drunken Deer, how could you possibly contact Miss Su Jin?! All we have to do is control the information—”
“Not necessarily.” Lin Luan waved his phone, showing Su Jin among his WeChat contacts. “Guess whether I added her on WeChat while she was drunk?”
Manager Wang fell silent, bitterness stuck in his throat.
It was already bad enough that Su Jin pressured him, now Chen Siye was stepping on him, and even this Lin Luan was scheming against him!
Wait a minute! Drunken Deer was supposed to be his own club, so why did it feel like he was the one working for others?!
“No need to be so tense, Manager Wang.” Lin Luan turned off his phone’s screen. “I’ll accept your offer.”
“What?” Manager Wang doubted his own ears.
“I’ll continue as a host in Drunken Deer. I just don’t like being threatened.”
Lin Luan understood why Manager Wang wanted to keep him: as long as he worked at Drunken Deer, no matter whom Su Jin eventually chose, the club could keep hold of their biggest client.
It was a win-win for Lin Luan as well; he needed to stay at Drunken Deer to have Chen Siye as a competitor, ensuring he could gain from the rivalry and provide emotional value to Su Jin.
But in the end, who would win didn’t matter to him—as long as he could cash in. In this line of work, the one who actually caught feelings was the real fool.
“Good…” Manager Wang rubbed his forehead. “Then sign this contract.”
He pulled out a contract he’d prepared long ago. Although he couldn’t understand Lin Luan’s thinking, the result was good for him: Lin Luan was staying, and that was enough.
But after Lin Luan glanced at the contract, he handed it back.
“What do you mean?” Manager Wang frowned. Was he backing out?
“I have one condition.”
“What condition?”
“This four percent commission doesn’t look good—I prefer ten percent.” Lin Luan pointed at the contract.
“You want ten percent commission?!”
“What else?” Lin Luan waved his phone again.
Manager Wang gritted his teeth. “Fine.”
***
Ten minutes later, Lin Luan looked at the contract with satisfaction, while Manager Wang scribbled resentfully, face dark.
“Alright, now there’s something more important for you to do.”
He picked up a sticky note, quickly wrote down an address, tore it off, and handed it to Lin Luan.
“This is the address of Miss Su’s usual residence nearby,” Manager Wang said.
“Miss Su is sleeping now. You’re responsible for taking her safely home. There’s a driver and car assigned for her waiting at the back door—remember, make sure she gets home and is settled safely.”
Lin Luan took the light slip of paper.
“I’m taking her home? Is it safe?”
Manager Wang waved his hand.
“She’s the eldest daughter of the Su Group. Those drivers and cars are provided by her family—there’s nothing unsafe about it.”
“Alright.” Lin Luan glanced at the note.
Tsk, rich people are really something.
***
Such a huge mansion…
Lu’an followed the female driver out of the car and stood dazed in front of a villa.
Rather than a villa, it looked more like a hidden green castle in the city.
The garden landscaping was exquisite—obviously the work of a professional designer. Greenery covered the entire house, just like an enchanted forest.
The driver briskly opened the rear door, bending over to prepare to carry Su Jin out.
Just then, the originally tipsy Su Jin suddenly frowned and gently pushed the driver’s arm away.
“Xiao Li, don’t you carry me…” she mumbled, pointing at Lin Luan. “Let him do it.”
The female driver hesitated, then stepped aside.
Lin Luan was caught off guard, but under the driver’s calm gaze, had no choice but to step forward, bend down, and carefully carry Su Jin from the car.
Her body was even lighter than he imagined. The warmth of alcohol passed through the thin fabric, like a black-feathered dove.
The driver helped Lin Luan open the gate to the yard.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Luan carried Su Jin into her home.
The foyer alone was as big as half his rented room. Lin Luan kicked off his leather shoes, looking for where the bedroom was.
“Miss’s bedroom is this way.” A female voice suddenly sounded, startling Lin Luan.
That driver had appeared silently behind him, walking noiselessly.
“Oh… Okay.” Lin Luan glanced at her.
So the driver was a woman? He hadn’t noticed just now.
He walked barefoot; the wooden floor was a little cold.
Lin Luan quickly scanned around and finally spotted a slightly open door at the end of the corridor, seemingly the master bedroom.
He carried Su Jin inside and gently placed her on the absurdly large bed. The silk sheets were slippery and cool; as soon as Su Jin touched the bed, she instinctively curled up.
“That should do it…” Lin Luan muttered, turning to leave.
Suddenly, he felt something tug on his clothes.
“Don’t go…”
It was Su Jin.
Lin Luan turned and looked at her.
She probably wasn’t fully awake—her action seemed unconscious.
She was afraid of losing something.
Lin Luan quietly looked at that fair, tender hand, now gripping his clothes like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline.
He had noticed that after bringing Su Jin home, there was not a single soul in this vast, empty house. It seemed the Su family’s eldest daughter always lived alone.
He sighed, the annoyance of being treated as a stand-in fading a little.
He wasn’t the type to soften easily—poverty had long since taught him life’s sharp edges. But right now, facing a Su Jin who’d shed all her armor and was this vulnerable, he couldn’t bring himself to break free.
He sat down again on the edge of the bed, not trying to pry her hand away, but in this awkward position, whispered in as gentle a voice as possible, as if soothing a frightened cat:
“Alright, I’m not leaving. Sleep well.”
Whether it was his words that worked or Su Jin had finally fallen asleep, after a while, her hand clutching his shirt relaxed a little.
Lin Luan waited quietly for a few more minutes, making sure she was truly asleep, then slowly slipped his shirt from her grasp.
Having done all this, he quietly left the master bedroom. The female driver waited outside, silent. When he came out, she asked, “Miss has never let someone like you into her house before. Who are you?”
“Someone like me…?” Lin Luan paused, then realized she meant host. “I’m just a dishwasher.”
“Dishwasher…?” The driver was stunned.
Lin Luan waved and headed outside. He instinctively felt the driver wasn’t just a driver—probably a personal bodyguard.
Had she been watching him the whole time?
On the way back, Lin Luan leaned against the seat, dazing as city lights flashed past the window.
Everything that happened today felt like a bubble, beautiful but ready to pop at a touch.
He even pinched his arm unconsciously, and the pain told him this wasn’t a dream.
Whenever life seemed to go smoothly, Lin Luan would start to feel something bad was about to happen.
He started to wonder if Manager Wang would really give him the money.
After all, being a host was hardly a job to be proud of. If he fought for his rights, maybe it’d be a years-long battle. If Drunken Deer wanted to stall on that eighty thousand, it wouldn’t be hard at all.
Suddenly, a crisp notification sounded from his phone.
Lin Luan unlocked the screen. It was a deposit notification from the bank.
【Bank: Your account ending in xxxx received a transfer of RMB 80,000.00 on xx month xx day at xx:xx. Balance: 80,128.50.】
Eighty thousand.
Lin Luan, who had been full of doubts a moment ago, instantly became serious.
So being a host really can make money.
Who said it’s a job you can’t be proud of? It’s perfectly respectable.
Looks like he’d better study up tonight and learn everything he could about the glorious job of being a host.
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Nice 🤑🤑🤑