Chapter 23: First Job
After Ji Yunqi left, she didn’t go to the part-time job location immediately. Instead, she planned to go home first.
After all, she had quite a few things on her person. Going directly there would make it easy for the tail behind her to track her. It would be better to take a detour and shake off the pursuer first before going anywhere.
Along the way, Ji Yunqi, relying on her familiarity with the terrain, managed to shake off Jiang Beiyun and returned home smoothly.
At the same time, just in case, Ji Yunqi had already edited a text message on her phone to ask Ji Chengyun for help if she encountered danger.
After leaving home, Ji Yunqi went to the area she had previously investigated. There were quite a few storefronts hiring.
And it was for part-time work, all of which could be done after school. Ji Yunqi truly had no other options now and had to resort to this.
There weren’t any other suitable jobs. However, modern society was still harmonious. Regarding this, although Ji Yunqi had contingency plans, she wasn’t overly worried.
After an afternoon of observation, Ji Yunqi had looked at several places and finally decided to take a part-time job at a bar with decent foot traffic.
As for the other storefronts, some were nightclubs, some were dance clubs, and there was also… a maid cafe…
Ji Yunqi was somewhat resistant to these three types of establishments. The bar was just right; she only needed to carry plates, and the pay was high~~
The working hours were from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, a total of four hours, and the pay was a full 300!
That’s 600 a day, and seven days a week, that’s 7×300=2100, and a month is 30×300=9000!!!
Although compared to her previous income, it was just a drop in the bucket, she was really short on money now, and such a lucrative job was truly rare.
However, Ji Yunqi also knew that the manager was giving her a higher salary because she looked pretty now. As for what she might encounter during work,
Ji Yunqi had some guesses, but for an experienced person like her, these disturbances could be easily resolved, and there was no need to worry too much.
Moreover, this bar had a large flow of people. Although the customers would be varied, it still provided a certain level of security.
In crowded places, no one would dare to make a move openly, which was a form of protection for Ji Yunqi.
…
After considering the pros and cons, Ji Yunqi knew it was time to find the manager and give a definite answer.
…
“Okay, welcome to the team, classmate Ji,” the manager said with a smile, taking out a work uniform and handing it to Ji Yunqi.
“Your work starts tonight. It’s getting late, so remember to be on time. You just need to follow the instructions and communicate with the bar to deliver the corresponding alcohol products to the correct tables. For anything else, just handle it as you see fit.”
Ji Yunqi nodded and looked at the work uniform in her hands, letting out a sigh of relief.
The work uniform was women’s attire, a red t-shirt on top and a mid-length skirt on the bottom, just long enough to cover her knees.
Although Ji Yunqi still found it a bit unbearable, it was much better than the revealing outfits of the hostesses in nightclubs she remembered.
After resting for a while, Ji Yunqi changed into her work uniform in the fitting room, ready to start her job.
As she put on the uniform, Ji Yunqi could see a hint of world-weariness in the person reflected in the mirror, a weariness that didn’t belong to her age.
After all, no matter how glamorous Ji Yunqi’s appearance was, or how stunningly beautiful she looked, at her core, she was still that middle-aged, greasy uncle of decades.
That sense of沧桑 (cāngsāng – world-weariness/vicissitudes) honed by society couldn’t be hidden. Or rather, even without Ji Yunqi, the girl herself probably wasn’t much different, was she?
Time ticked by, and when it reached 6:00 PM, Ji Yunqi was also on time, taking over from the previous shift of employees and starting her work.
“Hey, new here,” a voice called out from behind Ji Yunqi. The girl instinctively turned around and saw a young man with curly hair.
As he approached, Ji Yunqi recognized him. This was someone who had interacted with the manager before; he seemed to be a senior employee, mainly responsible for carrying supplies backstage.
Sometimes he would help out by carrying drinks: “Don’t be too nervous. It can be a bit chaotic here, but don’t be scared. I’ve got your back, and you’ll be fine.”
As he spoke, the curly-haired man raised his hand and tucked a slightly messy strand of hair from Ji Yunqi’s forehead behind her ear.
This action disgusted Ji Yunqi, and she quickly took a step back, her brows unconsciously furrowing.
She had thought she might be harassed, but she didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, and from a colleague!
“Heh, I’ll be careful myself. You don’t need to worry about me,” Ji Yunqi said, subtly sidestepping, feeling extremely disgusted inside.
As time passed, the bar became more crowded, and the music gradually drowned out the sound of conversations. The handsome men and beautiful women on the dance floor were wriggling their bodies with joy.
Among them, Ji Yunqi spotted two girls from her class. She wasn’t very familiar with them, but she knew they were from her class. And judging by their expressions, they had likely recognized Ji Yunqi as well.
Seeing them in revealing clothing, with heavy makeup and sensually swaying their bodies on the dance floor, Ji Yunqi sighed slightly.
The middle-aged man’s thoughts stirred again. She always wanted to lecture them, but her rationality told her that it wasn’t her place to do so.
In the end, Ji Yunqi simply stopped looking. She was like a clay Buddha crossing a river, unable to save herself. It would be good enough if she could manage herself.
As for what happened to others, it had nothing to do with Ji Yunqi, and she didn’t want to interfere anymore.
Ji Yunqi weaved through the crowd, her tray steady, serving exquisite cocktails to customers one after another.
As for the large bottles of alcohol, that was not her responsibility.
Ji Yunqi found this job both relaxing and tiring.
It was relaxing in that, so far, no one had harassed her, which relieved Ji Yunqi. The work itself was just carrying these cocktails.
The difficulty wasn’t high, but these cocktails were not cheap!
A single cup could cost tens of dollars, and a more expensive one could be equivalent to her daily wage. Because of this, even though carrying these items wasn’t difficult for Ji Yunqi,
She felt quite a bit of pressure in her heart. If she accidentally slipped, she would probably have worked a whole day for nothing.
Because of this, Ji Yunqi didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless. Physically, she didn’t feel too exhausted, but mentally, she was extremely uncomfortable.
But when she thought about earning 300 yuan in one night, Ji Yunqi was full of energy again. Anyway, since her evening self-study sessions weren’t attended, she could come here to work almost every night.
…
[Sorry, I went on a date with my girlfriend today, so I’m a bit late. I’ll update earlier tomorrow.]
