Blue Cocktail chapter 34

“I think you got it wrong.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Lu Huaiqian leaned forward slightly, instantly reducing the distance between them.

Cheng Shuo instinctively took a step back, forced to make eye contact with Lu Huaiqian for two seconds. Suddenly realizing the situation, he turned his head and left. After all, if the boss said “okay,” he could leave. However, the door to the changing room blocked his way. He tried to turn the doorknob downward, pushed it twice, but it wouldn’t open. It occurred to Cheng Shuo that Lu Huaiqian had locked the door.

“Turn the oval metal piece under the handle to the right twice,” Lu Huaiqian reminded him casually from behind.

Cheng Shuo remained silent, as if he hadn’t heard, but followed Lu Huaiqian’s instructions. Three seconds later, the door opened smoothly. The blue figure quickly disappeared through the crack, like a gust of hot wind slipping away. The door, influenced by inertia, swayed slightly in the air.

Lu Huaiqian raised an eyebrow, smirked, and casually stayed in place as if waiting for something.

Indeed, less than a minute later, someone from outside pulled open the door of the changing room. A blue head peeked out from behind the door crack, and Cheng Shuo asked in a muffled voice, “Boss, where is the dishwashing area?”

Unable to contain his laughter, Lu Huaiqian was glared at by Cheng Shuo. He made an effort to control the smile and said, “I’ll show you.”

After escorting Cheng Shuo to the dishwashing area, Lu Huaiqian returned to the bar.

From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., in these four hours, the number of dirty glasses delivered was not as many as Cheng Shuo had imagined. Washing them wasn’t too tiring, so sometimes he would think, is this job worth the hourly wage given by Boss Lu? Wait, why wouldn’t it be worth it? He shouldn’t fall victim to capitalist manipulation. The value created by the working class far exceeds the wages given by capitalists.

At 10:01 p.m., Cheng Shuo finished work on time, refusing to do any extra work. Considering it was the first day, before leaving, he said goodbye to Lu Huaiqian.

Lu Huaiqian asked, “How are you getting home?”

After a moment of thought, Cheng Shuo replied, “I’ll ride a shared electric bike.”

Lu Huaiqian added, “Do you know the way? Do you want me to give you a ride?”

Politely declining, Cheng Shuo said, “No need, Boss. I know the way. I appreciate the offer, though. Thank you.”

“Alright then,” Lu Huaiqian’s tone was unusually serious. “Be careful on the way.”

“Got it.”

“And, remember to send me a WeChat message once you get home, letting me know you’re safe.”

Cheng Shuo was puzzled, “Huh?”

He was just riding a bike home, a slightly longer journey, a bit later in time. Returning home after the school semester had started, it was a half-day journey with two transfers. He had never bothered to let his family know he arrived safely.

Wasn’t this making a big deal out of nothing?

It felt strange.

Lu Huaiqian restrained his smile and spoke with a slightly serious tone. “Consider it a clock-out routine. It will be included in your performance assessment. In the future, every time you get home after work, you have to actively send me a message.”

Cheng Shuo pursed his lips and reluctantly prolonged his tone, “Okay, got it—”

“Okay then, goodbye,” Lu Huaiqian waved, “see you next Wednesday.”

“Goodbye,” Cheng Shuo responded with a wave of his arm.

He rode the electric bike for more than half an hour before returning home. Standing in the hallway, without even changing his shoes, he took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Lu Huaiqian.

【Arrived home】

Message sent successfully.

Only then did Cheng Shuo put away his phone and lower his head to put on slippers.

On Wednesday afternoon, Cheng Shuo deliberately arrived at the bar two hours early.

Holding a thick stack of A4 printed paper, covered with numerous notes, the paper was crumpled with many folds, and the corners were starting to curl. After ordering a mocha, he chose a secluded and inconspicuous spot to sit.

Coincidentally, Aru was also on the day shift that day. When delivering the mocha to Cheng Shuo, he accidentally glanced at the contents on the printed paper. He casually struck up a conversation, “Seeing you carrying these, I’m reminded of when I first started; I used to carry these notes every day, and it was very painful.”

Cheng Shuo immediately empathized. He had been memorizing until he felt dizzy and had to chat with Aru to relax a bit. “I have the written test at five. Now it’s cramming time. Every bit I can remember is helpful.”

Aru joined in the complaint, “The information on these cocktails is too fragmented. Some cocktails are just variations of classic cocktails, with almost the same ingredients and quantities. The boss insists on testing me on the tiny changes, making me write them down.”

Cheng Shuo frowned, “The test is this detailed?”

With a sidelong glance at the entrance and seeing no new customers, Aru continued chatting with Cheng Shuo. “When I joined, the test was indeed this detailed.”

“This,” Cheng Shuo flipped through the materials from beginning to end, “there’s so much. It’s impossible for anyone to remember all of it.”

“Don’t say that. Our boss can really remember it all.”

Cheng Shuo was surprised, “You mean Lu Huaiqian?”

“Yes,” Aru said, “Don’t be fooled by his whimsical way of speaking. He’s meticulous when it comes to mixing drinks. He always emphasizes details such as ingredients and quantities. He says details determine success or failure.”

“It doesn’t sound like something he would say.” Cheng Shuo couldn’t help but feel amazed.

With a change of topic, he suddenly thought, since Lu Huaiqian is so concerned about details, will he ruin the reputation of Mo Blue Bar by hiring a semi-amateur bartender like him?

Thinking of this, Cheng Shuo began to feel guilty. Although he had been diligently memorizing the materials every day since he received them, the content was still too much for him. He always forgot what he had memorized and memorized what he had forgotten.

Cheng Shuo couldn’t help asking Aru, “How long did you prepare for the materials back then?”

“Half a month.”

“Ah?”

“Really, I’m not lying to you,” Aru recalled, “When I applied, Boss Lu’s bar had just opened not long ago. He was determined to build a good reputation, so he was very strict with the bartender service. We had an interview first, then a written test. Anyone who scored below 80 was rejected, and those with 80 or above were selected based on merit.”

“Listening to this, the conditions for entry are indeed harsh.” Aru changed the subject, “But the corresponding treatment is good. The basic salary is much higher than that of peers, and overtime pay follows the law—1.5 times during regular hours, double on weekends, and triple on holidays. He also stated that there are no unnecessary team-building activities or pointless meetings. So, there is still a group of people competing for the bartender position, including me.”

Aru said, “I was afraid I wouldn’t pass, so I prepared for a long time.”

Cheng Shuo asked, “What score did you get on the written test?”

Aru replied, “Ninety-two.”

“Your score is so high.”

Aru couldn’t help feeling proud, “This score was the highest in the written test that year.”

Cheng Shuo praised, “Impressive.”

Aru smiled.

“Since you got the highest score on the written test, do you have any memorization tips?”

“It’s just perseverance, memorizing these materials, there’s no shortcut.”

Hearing this, Cheng Shuo felt even more uneasy. He couldn’t help but sigh, “I’ve only been studying for a week. He told me that achieving sixty points is enough, but you told me the test is detailed.”

“I originally thought it should be relatively easy to get sixty points. Listening to you, I’m a bit worried now. I’m afraid I won’t even get sixty points.”

“Why worry?” Aru comforted, “Don’t worry, no matter how many points you get, he will keep you.”

“Why?” Cheng Shuo asked, puzzled.

“Aren’t you pretending to be naive?”

“Why would I pretend to be naive?”

Stunned.

Aru looked at Cheng Shuo, and Cheng Shuo looked at Aru.

The two stared at each other.

Aru realized, feeling both helpless and amused. “You really don’t know why?”

Cheng Shuo looked puzzled, “I really don’t know.”

Aru shrugged, “Well, forget it. Just focus on preparing for your written test. Good luck.”

Why does he share the same behavior as Lu Huaiqian, leaving sentences unfinished?

If it were something else, Cheng Shuo wouldn’t be so curious. If Aru didn’t want to say, he wouldn’t force it. But this was related to his future income, his rent and living expenses, and his survival. Cheng Shuo wasn’t willing to easily let it go.

He fell silent for a few seconds and tentatively asked, “Can’t you tell me the reason?”

Aru seemed a bit hesitant.

Seeing this, Cheng Shuo added, “It’s okay, you can tell me in secret. I promise not to spread it, and I won’t let Lu Huaiqian know.”

Caught in the moment, Aru, who already liked Cheng Shuo’s appearance, had his mind swayed. “Okay, just lean your head closer. I’ll whisper it to you.”

Before saying anything, he reminded again, “Absolutely do not let anyone know.”

Cheng Shuo agreed readily, “I will definitely keep it a secret, and I won’t tell anyone.”

Aru glanced around, then motioned for Cheng Shuo to come closer.

Cheng Shuo cooperated and voluntarily brought his ear close to Aru’s lips—

“What were you two whispering about here?”

A cold glance from Lu Huaiqian swept over. He descended the stairs from the second floor.

Aru jumped quite far away, clearly demarcating his boundary from Cheng Shuo. He reacted quickly and slipped away, “Boss, I suddenly remembered that the glasses haven’t been cleaned. I’ll go to the dishwashing area first!”

Leaving Cheng Shuo alone in place, enduring Lu Huaiqian’s sharp gaze.

Lu Huaiqian probably wasn’t pleased that they were chatting. Cheng Shuo thought that indirectly, he had contributed to Aru slacking off during work. No boss would be happy to see their employees slacking off.

He knew he was in the wrong.

But it shouldn’t make Lu Huaiqian this angry… Cheng Shuo secretly assessed Lu Huaiqian with a quick glance. The boss didn’t even smile.

The sound of leather shoe heels echoed on the floor, steady and unhurried, finally stopping in front of him.

Lu Huaiqian squinted and asked again, “What were you two talking about just now?”

Cheng Shuo lowered his eyes and vaguely replied, “Aru was sharing his experience of memorizing materials with me.”

Lu Huaiqian sneered, hitting the nail on the head, “You two were almost sticking together. Do you need to get that close to share your experience of memorizing materials?”

He paused, glanced at Cheng Shuo, and continued, “Were you talking behind my back?”

“No, we weren’t.”

“And what were you talking about?” After a moment of silence, Lu Huaiqian added, “And absolutely do not tell anyone.”

Cheng Shuo pursed his dry lips. If he didn’t speak directly, he might be fired by Lu Huaiqian. He quickly decided to confess and seek leniency.

“Aru said he prepared for the written test for half a month.”

After saying this, Cheng Shuo’s train of thought unexpectedly stalled, leaving him dumbfounded for a moment.

Lu Huaiqian waited for a few seconds. “Continue.”

Cheng Shuo could only reluctantly continue, “I heard Aru say that he prepared for a long time. I started to worry that I couldn’t even score sixty points and would lose this job.”

Another pause, silence.

Lu Huaiqian raised his eyes and looked at Cheng Shuo, “Continue.”

Cheng Shuo pressed on, “Then, Aru told me it’s okay. I won’t be rejected, even if… I can’t score sixty points. I was curious and asked him why. He said he could tell me quietly, but I couldn’t tell anyone. I leaned over to listen, and that’s when you appeared.”

“So, did Aru finally tell you the reason?”

“No, we were interrupted at that moment. I didn’t hear a word.”

“Really?” Lu Huaiqian’s eyes half-closed.

Cheng Shuo’s tone was sincere, “Really.”

“In the future, don’t believe anything he says. This time too, he lied to you. I never said that it doesn’t matter how many points you score. Otherwise, what’s the point of this written test?”

Lu Huaiqian glanced at Cheng Shuo for the last time, expressionless, “You should indeed worry about your score.”

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Cheng Shuo already had some doubts in his mind, but hearing Lu Huaiqian’s words made him even more anxious. The written test questions were entirely decided by Lu Huaiqian. In other words, if Lu Huaiqian didn’t want him to pass, it would be too easy. All he had to do was make the questions difficult.

Regret set in, and Cheng Shuo began to feel that he shouldn’t have chatted with Aru. If he had focused on studying, this incident wouldn’t have happened.

Seeing Lu Huaiqian about to leave, Cheng Shuo bit his lip, closed his eyes, and with determination, caught up with him, “Boss.”

Lu Huaiqian turned around, “What’s the matter?”

“…Boss, could you… give me a hint about the types of questions?”

Lu Huaiqian was silent for a few seconds.

Finally, he loosened up, “All of them are multiple-choice questions.”

Encouraged, Cheng Shuo continued, “Single choice, multiple choice, true or false, fill in the blanks—all multiple-choice questions. Boss, could you… reveal a bit more about the specifics?”

“No true or false questions.”

After a pause, looking at Cheng Shuo with some disappointment, Lu Huaiqian sighed silently in his heart. Then he added, “Fifty single-choice questions.”

“Thank you, Boss!” Cheng Shuo’s eyes lit up.

Knowing the question types made it much easier to review. Cheng Shuo, in his effort to secure his job, became bolder to seek Lu Huaiqian’s favor. He raised his head, blinked, and continued, “Boss, this stack of materials is a bit thick for me. Could you… take some time to highlight the key points for me?”

“Cheng Shuo, I advise you not to push your luck.”

Lu Huaiqian remained silent for a moment.

“The last three pages won’t be included in the test.”