Blue Cocktail chapter 33

When he got back home, Cheng Shuo suddenly remembered something very important—when could he officially start working at the bar?

Lu Huaiqian didn’t seem to explicitly mention it.

But judging from what Cheng Shuo gathered from their conversation, it seemed he had to wait until after passing the written test next Wednesday.

However, he still hoped to start as soon as possible. Ideally, he wanted to begin working at the bar tomorrow since time was money.

For this reason, Cheng Shuo took the initiative to contact Lu Huaiqian through WeChat for the first time, dropping a hint. After a pointless chat that lasted for more than an hour, Lu Huaiqian finally agreed. Cheng Shuo had to admit that, sometimes, Lu Huaiqian was quite easy to talk to.

So, on Saturday evening, after Cheng Shuo arrived at the bar, Lu Huaiqian first introduced him to the bartenders on duty and then introduced each bartender to Cheng Shuo, including Aru, whom Cheng Shuo remembered.

There was also the mixologist, Zhao Ge.

After completing these introductions, Lu Huaiqian mysteriously said to Cheng Shuo, “Come with me.”

Cheng Shuo followed his steps, and when there were no other colleagues around, he asked in a low voice, “Where are we going?”

Lu Huaiqian had a playful tone when introducing the bartenders, but now that mysterious atmosphere returned. “You’ll know soon.”

Cheng Shuo refrained from further questioning.

The two arrived at the changing room, and Lu Huaiqian deliberately closed the door, seemingly locking it in the process.

Seeing this, Cheng Shuo, involuntarily and warily, took a step back.

Lu Huaiqian caught sight of Cheng Shuo’s reaction, stood still, and chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to you. I’m afraid that while we’re in the middle of a conversation, some clueless employee might just push the door open. I locked it to prevent our activities from being disturbed.”

Cheng Shuo stared at Lu Huaiqian’s face for a few seconds and then nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Let me mention something off-topic first,” Lu Huaiqian grinned, “I think you’re intelligent. You probably don’t need me to remind you, but just in case, I want to say it anyway. Don’t tell your colleagues the exact amount of your salary. If you can avoid it, don’t say anything.”

After a few seconds of contemplation, Cheng Shuo asked, “What if they insist on knowing the exact amount? What should I say?”

“Tell them a quarter of your hourly wage.”

Cheng Shuo was suddenly taken aback.

Lu Huaiqian chuckled, “What’s with that reaction?”

Cheng Shuo said, “I thought you would want me to say two-thirds or at most half of my hourly wage.”

Lu Huaiqian laughed, “Well, you don’t understand the market situation. I dare guarantee that among ordinary servers, only my bar offers this hourly wage. So, don’t boast about it. Otherwise, your colleagues might envy you, and there could be some behind-the-scenes maneuvering. Let’s keep a low profile and make a fortune quietly, understand?”

Cheng Shuo nodded solemnly.

Lu Huaiqian, who was usually the target of Cheng Shuo’s witty remarks, suddenly felt that the person in front of him was so obedient and cute, obedient to his every command. He couldn’t help but secretly marvel at the convenience of being a boss. Why didn’t he use this identity earlier?

He cleared his throat and finally got to the main topic. “Originally, I was thinking of the written test next Wednesday, and you’d come on the following Friday. By then, the work uniform I ordered should be ready. But since you mentioned you wanted to start earlier, I won’t stop you. However, you don’t have a work uniform yet, so you can only wash glasses in the dishwashing area.”

“Washing glasses is fine. I can do it.”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t say you can only wash glasses,” Lu Huaiqian explained, “Because not all drinks passed to us in the bar can be consumed. The work uniform is a symbol of the bartender’s identity. If you don’t wear it while delivering drinks, many people won’t dare to drink the alcohol you serve. So, for now, you can’t do the bartender’s job.”

Cheng Shuo suddenly realized and nodded slowly, “I see.”

Lu Huaiqian beckoned Cheng Shuo to come closer. “I’ll help you measure your size.”

Cheng Shuo hesitated for a second but walked up. “Measuring size is too troublesome. If you’re worried about the clothes being too small, just choose XL size directly.”

“No, it won’t work. The work uniform must be fitted to look good. You represent the image of our bar, and your attire affects the professionalism of the bartenders, indirectly influencing the bar’s business. We can’t be sloppy.”

Well… that makes sense, Cheng Shuo thought. After all, the boss had the final say in such matters, and he had no room for negotiation.

Lu Huaiqian took out a soft tape measure from his pocket. “Also, I won’t charge you for the work uniform. Consider it a gift.”

Cheng Shuo was stunned. “Really?”

Lu Huaiqian: “No.”

Cheng Shuo: “Huh?”

“I’m joking,” Lu Huaiqian, with a more serious tone, said, “I won’t charge you for the work uniform. I’m not that stingy.”

Holding the end of the tape measure, he looked Cheng Shuo up and down. “Your denim jacket is too thick. Take it off; otherwise, the measurements won’t be accurate.”

“Oh, okay.” Cheng Shuo immediately took off his jacket and placed it aside.

“The tailor is too busy, and many people are asking her to make clothes. She can’t spare the time to come to the bar, so she asked me to help measure a few people’s sizes. Please cooperate a bit, and don’t move randomly.” Lu Huaiqian opened the phone’s memo app and put it aside.

Cheng Shuo glanced at the phone screen. There was a long string of text. When he focused, he saw the first line, which read “Neck Circumference:”. He paused for a few seconds, wondering why there would be neck circumference when measuring clothes. Previously, tailors only measured the three dimensions. How could neck circumference be involved?

Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck was lifted by Lu Huaiqian, who moved it aside, and the feeling of rough contact, slightly itchy, made Cheng Shuo subconsciously dodge. Then he heard Lu Huaiqian’s voice, “Hey, don’t move.”

“Um.” Cheng Shuo had no choice but to revert to his original position.

The soft tape measure was wrapped around his neck, and the edge seemed to touch the lower edge of his Adam’s apple, intensifying the itch.

Lu Huaiqian, leaning closer to read the numbers on the scale, spoke with his breath spraying directly on Cheng Shuo’s neck skin, “Does this feel tight?”

“No.”

Then the soft tape around the neck loosened, and Lu Huaiqian withdrew it with his fingertips.

Cheng Shuo breathed a sigh of relief.

“Lift your hand.”

The soft tape passed under both arms, slowly tightening, rolling over muscles. Despite the layer of sweatshirt fabric, Cheng Shuo felt somewhat uncomfortable. He tentatively suggested, “Maybe I should do it myself.”

“I’m afraid you won’t measure accurately by yourself,” Lu Huaiqian said. “We need to measure the chest circumference, the full circle at the fullest part, and it might be inconvenient for you to do it yourself.”

Although his words were straightforward, his tone held no hint of flirtation. He was earnestly discussing the method of measuring chest circumference. However, to Cheng Shuo’s ears, it inexplicably felt a bit warm.

After some consideration, Lu Huaiqian added, “These are custom-tailored, fitted clothes. If there’s a slight mistake, you might not be able to wear them or find them uncomfortable. Then I’d have to hire a tailor to make alterations, and that would be an additional expense. Would you pay for it?”

In just a few words, Lu Huaiqian successfully startled Cheng Shuo. He relaxed and said, “You do it.”

Lu Huaiqian raised an eyebrow, tightened the soft tape in his palm to snug against the muscles, and then extended a finger, inserting it into the circle formed by the soft tape around Cheng Shuo’s chest. He had the freedom to slide the finger back and forth between the two protrusions.

The feeling of the fabric rubbing against the chest was too obvious. Even Lu Huaiqian’s finger bones seemed to touch those two points in front of the chest. Although it was unintentional, Cheng Shuo couldn’t bring himself to point it out. Doing so would only result in Lu Huaiqian mocking him.

Cheng Shuo couldn’t help but tense his spine, avoiding Lu Huaiqian’s touch. The sensation soon reminded him, and Lu Huaiqian prompted, “Stand still. I can’t measure accurately if you move.”

He had no choice but to straighten his body again.

Half a minute later, the confinement on his chest suddenly disappeared. Before Cheng Shuo could recover, the soft tape wound around his waist.

Then the measurements went on: arm circumference, hip circumference, and finally—thigh circumference.

Cheng Shuo suddenly clenched his fingertips, his whole body stiff and unable to move. The soft tape slightly tightened around the skin at the base of his thigh, as if it was rubbing back and forth. Lu Huaiqian knelt down between his legs, tilting his head to read the scale on the soft tape.

This posture seemed like—

His thoughts abruptly stopped, and his ears and neck reddened in an instant, becoming scorching hot.

Cheng Shuo quickly averted his gaze, refusing to look at Lu Huaiqian. He forced himself to forget the strange association, trying hard to drive his subjective will to calm the inexplicable heat. However, the effort backfired, intensifying the warmth even more. His heart rate increased—hopefully, Lu Huaiqian couldn’t hear it, right?

“Okay.”

Lu Huaiqian retracted the soft tape, took a step back, noted the final number on his phone’s memo app, and then looked at Cheng Shuo, who seemed to be blushing. “What’s wrong? Your ears seem to have turned red.”