Seeing Eyeglasses Man’s reaction, Qiao Man frowned. “What are you afraid of? I’m not going to do anything to you.”
She had intended to reassure him, but upon hearing this, he became even more frightened.
“No matter what you want to do, you’d better give up now. Don’t forget you just filled out a resume with your ID number and school information…”
“Tell me a dirty joke,” Qiao Man cut straight to the point.
Eyeglasses Man was stunned. “What?”
“A dirty joke,” Qiao Man repeated calmly. “Weren’t you always telling those to new female employees before?”
“How did you know…”
“Tell it.”
Eyeglasses Man: “…”
The air fell silent for a moment.
After making her request, Qiao Man turned and sat down on a chair.
Next to the chair was a pile of cleaning supplies, which in Eyeglasses Man’s eyes at that moment might as well have been nuclear weapons.
Qiao Man took a sip of water and looked up.
Eyeglasses Man immediately straightened up: “There was this man riding a bus…”
After nervously finishing the joke, he cautiously observed Qiao Man’s reaction.
Qiao Man put down her cup and frowned at him. “Manager, please don’t be like this.”
Eyeglasses Man: “?”
“I need to start working now. Please leave.” Qiao Man stood up and opened the door.
Eyeglasses Man: “?”
Seeing him still standing there frozen, Qiao Man gestured for him to get lost quickly.
Humiliated, Eyeglasses Man stepped out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him with a bang, making him flinch. When he looked up, he happened to see a cleaner passing by.
“Manager, what are you doing here?”
Given his history of harassing young female employees, the cleaner’s tone was less than friendly.
Eyeglasses Man avoided eye contact: “I… I don’t know.”
“Hurry up and leave. Don’t interfere with our work,” the cleaner urged.
With the harassment plotline concluded, Qiao Man skipped the next two chapters, though she could guess they contained similar scenarios—nothing too challenging.
The walkie-talkie on the table beeped twice, and Qiao Man immediately picked it up.
“Calling, calling. Room 201 needs a case of beer and two fruit platters.”
“Received.”
Qiao Man went to the back kitchen to get the items, then delivered them to the private room.
After finishing her first night of part-time work, she began to understand why the original female character had been reluctant to quit this job—
Because it was so easy!
The minimum spending requirement for the private rooms wasn’t cheap. Of the four rooms she was responsible for, only two were booked that night. Aside from delivering some food and drinks around 10 p.m., she wasn’t called again for the rest of the night.
Qiao Man never expected that even while working at a bar, she could still manage to get eight hours of quality sleep.
Most importantly, she got paid in cash immediately.
When she walked out of the bar in the morning holding 800 yuan in cash, Qiao Man was in high spirits, not even minding that her backpack and T-shirt had gotten torn.
After working four consecutive days at the bar, Qiao Man finally welcomed the weekend.
Weekend pay was 1,000 yuan. Heh.
As soon as her afternoon classes ended, Qiao Man returned to the dormitory to change clothes and left.
Yi Yuanyuan stole several glances at the doorway, making sure Qiao Man was gone before muttering, “Why has she been staying out every night recently?”
“No idea. Could she have rented a place off-campus?” Jia Xin was also puzzled.
Yi Yuanyuan shot her a sidelong glance. “Where would she get the money for that?”
Jia Xin smiled awkwardly. “Not necessarily. Haven’t you noticed she’s bought a lot of new clothes lately?”
Yi Yuanyuan paused, thoughtfully glancing at Qiao Man’s wardrobe.
Qiao Man walked out briskly with her backpack, but just as she exited the dormitory, she ran right into Jiang Sui.
This was only their second meeting since their fight after that incident in the cafeteria.
As they passed each other, Jiang Sui didn’t even lift his head, clearly intending to ignore her for the rest of his life.
Qiao Man’s good mood instantly vanished, and her face remained cold even after she arrived at the bar.
“Who upset you?” asked Zhou Zhou, another girl working part-time.
Qiao Man snapped out of her thoughts: “Ah, it’s nothing.”
Zhou Zhou chuckled: “Your face is all stern, and you say it’s nothing?”
“Really, it’s fine.” Qiao Man sighed.
Zhou Zhou could tell she didn’t want to discuss the topic and didn’t press further, instead pouring her a glass of water.
“Thanks.” Qiao Man took it. “Are we working together today?”
“Not just today, tomorrow too,” Zhou Zhou explained. “Weekends are busy, so we usually pair up.”
Qiao Man nodded: “Then we’ll work together for the first half of the night, and take turns during the quieter second half so we can both rest.”
“Deal.”
The weekend was indeed bustling.
As night fell, customers began trickling into the bar, and the private rooms on the second floor quickly filled up.
After delivering a fruit platter to Room 201, Qiao Man stepped out and saw Zhou Zhou holding a case of beer, hesitating anxiously outside Room 203.
“Why aren’t you going in?” she asked.
“Qiao Qiao,” Zhou Zhou wailed upon seeing her, “I’m scared.”
“Why?” Qiao Man walked toward her.
Zhou Zhou: “There’s a man in a suit inside. When I delivered the fruit platter earlier, he deliberately touched my hand, and the others joined in teasing.”
Qiao Man frowned and glanced inside through the door’s window.
The man in the suit seemed to sense it and looked up. When his eyes met Qiao Man’s, he suggestively licked his lips.
Disgusting, Qiao Man sneered coldly.
[Deliver beer to Room 203 and get stopped by Zhang Zishuai.]
After the plot with the manager’s harassment, it was finally time for the customer bullying scenario.
Zhang Zishuai… that name sounded somewhat familiar.
Qiao Man took a light breath and directly took the beer case: “I’ll deliver it.”
“But…”
“It’s fine, I can handle it.” Qiao Man carried the beer inside.
There were about seven or eight people in the room, evenly split between men and women, all dressed tackily. The only one dressed decently in a suit looked sleazy and repulsive.
Qiao Man placed the beer on the table and immediately turned to leave.
“Stop.”
The man in the suit suddenly spoke.
Qiao Man halted and looked back at him.
“What were you peeking at through the window just now?” The suit-clad man leaned back on the sofa, looking down his nose at her.
Before Qiao Man could respond, a woman beside him chimed in: “What else? She was checking out our Brother Zhang.”
“Brother Zhang is so handsome, what woman wouldn’t be interested!”
Flattered by the praise, the suit-clad man asked Qiao Man directly: “Have a drink with me?”
“Sorry, I’m a server. I don’t drink with customers.” Qiao Man said expressionlessly, her delivery of the originally timid lines carrying a hint of defiance.
Her response drew jeers from the crowd. Someone eager to stir trouble egged him on: “Brother Zhang, you’ve lost your touch if you can’t even win over a server.”
Provoked, the suit-clad man tore open his collar and stood up, reaching out to grab Qiao Man.
She initially wanted to dodge, but the plot required her to be caught, so she let him seize her wrist.
“What do you want?” she continued her lines.
“What do I want?” The suit-clad man laughed, picking up a glass from the table. “To buy you a drink.”
As he spoke, he moved to force the drink down her throat.
Although she knew this was just part of the plot, the feeling of being humiliated still made Qiao Man’s anger flare up. Just as she was about to erupt, new plot prompts appeared in her mind.
[While resisting, she hits a glass, splashing wine directly onto Zhang Zishuai’s face. Qiao Man takes the opportunity to escape.]
Qiao Man immediately raised her arm, and sure enough, the wine splashed onto his face.
Before he could react, Qiao Man directly ran away.
“You fucking come back here…”
The private room door slammed shut, cutting off the suit-wearing man’s curses.
One minute later, Qiao Man returned as the plot concluded.
The suit-wearing man had already wiped his face. Seeing her, he laughed directly: “What, did you chicken out before I even went to find your manager?”
Qiao Man smiled slightly, raised the mop she had just swished in the toilet, and shoved it directly into his face.
Half an hour later, in the staff break room.
Manager Eyeglasses Man slapped the table loudly. Zhou Zhou wanted to explain on Qiao Man’s behalf but was directly pushed out by him.
The door closed again, and Eyeglasses Man continued his tirade.
“During the interview, I already thought there was something wrong with your head. If it weren’t for your pretty face, I wouldn’t have kept you.”
“Turns out you really are sick, seriously sick! Who is Young Master Zhang? How could a mere waitress like you afford to offend him?!”
“Now it’s great—he says he’ll shut down our Night Colors Bar within ten days. Tell me! Tell me what we should do!”
Eyeglasses Man grew more and more absorbed in his scolding. Qiao Man quietly peeled an orange, and when she looked up, she met his death glare.
“Do you think I can’t smell the orange?” he questioned coldly.
Three minutes later, Qiao Man was kicked out.
As soon as Zhou Zhou saw her come out, she hurried over: “How did it go?”
“I should’ve peeled a banana instead,” Qiao Man said, handing her half the orange.
Zhou Zhou: “?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. I just have to stay at a hotel tonight,” Qiao Man said casually.
The dormitory had long been closed at this hour, and the bar was kicking her out—she had no choice but to spend money.
Zhou Zhou’s eyes widened in panic: “Did he fire you?”
“No, he just told me to go home and wait for news.”
In the original story, the female antagonist only splashed wine. Although it wasn’t clear how it was resolved later, at least she wasn’t fired.
But Qiao Man was different—not only did she splash wine, but she also impulsively shoved a mop in his face. The severity was different, so whether she’d be fired remained unknown.
Qiao Man suddenly sighed, somewhat regretting the mop-to-face incident.
…Well, she shouldn’t have just swished it in the toilet—she should’ve added something else to the mop.
“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you to deliver the drinks for me,” Zhou Zhou apologized tearfully.
Qiao Man: “I went on my own. It’s not your fault.”
“But…”
“No buts. You go back to work and protect yourself,” Qiao Man waved her hand. “I’ll head out first.”
With that, she left behind a guilt-ridden Zhou Zhou and walked away alone.
Having worked part-time at the bar during this period, she had saved up a bit of money. Qiao Man found a nearby hotel to stay in and slept until 2 p.m. the next afternoon.
When she woke up, there were dozens of missed calls on her phone.
Qiao Man closed her eyes and called back. The phone was answered after just one ring.
“Qiao Man! Why aren’t you answering your phone!”
Eyeglasses Man’s furious shouts came through the phone. Qiao Man directly hung up.
The phone remained silent for three seconds before ringing again. Only then did she answer: “Can you speak properly now?”
Eyeglasses Man: “…”
“If you don’t speak now, I’m hanging up.” Qiao Man turned over and was about to end the call.
“Wait!” Eyeglasses Man quickly said, “I’ve been apologizing to Young Master Zhang all night, and he’s decided to give you a chance to apologize. Tonight at ten, same private room as yesterday, make sure you come.”
“I’m not going.” Qiao Man refused outright.
“Why won’t you go? This mess was caused by you—you need to take responsibility!” Eyeglasses Man started jumping with anger again.
Qiao Man simply powered off her phone.
After dozing for a while longer, she woke up, ordered takeout, replied to a few messages in the study group chat, and before she knew it, night had fallen again.
Qiao Man thought it over. If she didn’t go to the bar now, and if the two chapters she skipped still had bar-related plot points, she’d have to find a way to go back later.
Might as well go now.
She sat by the floor-to-ceiling window for a moment, her gaze falling on the bruised wrist where she’d been grabbed. She thought about sending Jiang Sui a message to ask him to come with her, but when she opened the chat and saw the red exclamation mark, she closed it directly.
Her decision proved to be right.
At 9:50 PM, just as she entered the bar, a new plot prompt appeared in her mind.
[Enter private room 203 at Night Colors Bar and apologize to Zhang Zishuai.]
So it really was. She took a deep breath to calm herself and looked up to see Eyeglasses Man scurrying toward her on his short legs.
After having his calls hung up twice, Eyeglasses Man had completely lost his temper. The moment he saw her, he made a pleading gesture.
“Madam, young mistress, this old servant begs you—please don’t lose your temper later. Apologize when you should, humble yourself when needed. We just need to get through this, and I’ll definitely send you a big red envelope afterward.”
Qiao Man replied expressionlessly, “Oh, got it.”
The night had deepened, and the bar street grew increasingly lively, filled with drunken men and women everywhere. Among them, Night Colors was the most bustling.
In the private room, a guy with a bowl haircut was howling into the microphone. The ambiguous lights rotated and flickered, adding heat to the night.
Jiang Sui sat on a sofa in the corner, repeatedly unlocking and locking his phone, exuding an aura that kept others at a distance.
“Bro, I finally made it to Beijing—can’t you be a little more enthusiastic?” Zhang Zishuai snatched his phone away.
Jiang Sui looked up, and with just one glance, Zhang Zishuai obediently returned the phone.
“You have the nerve to say that,” Jiang Sui recited his lines without much interest. “You’ve been messaging me every day to have dinner, and today I finally have time to meet, and you bring me to this damn place?”
“This place is great—way better than back home,” Zhang Zishuai chuckled. “But I didn’t just invite you here because it’s nice. There’s something else.”
Jiang Sui: “Oh?”
Someone nearby immediately chimed in: “There’s a girl who offended Brother Zhang yesterday. She’s coming today to apologize!”
“Can’t you keep your mouth shut?” Zhang Zishuai feigned displeasure but showed no real intention to scold.
Jiang Sui was his cousin, and since childhood, he’d been more rebellious and better at having fun than Zhang Zishuai. Today, Zhang Zishuai had specifically invited Jiang Sui to show off his own authority.
Unfortunately, Jiang Sui wasn’t interested and pulled out his phone to continue scrolling.
“Bro, I heard you’ve been chasing after…”
Before Zhang Zishuai could finish, the door opened. He immediately sat back in his seat, looking arrogantly at the woman who appeared in the doorway.
Qiao Man entered with her head lowered, slowly reciting her apology lines, while the guy with yellow hair next to her was still wailing hysterically, completely drowning out her voice.
Zhang Zishuai clicked his tongue in annoyance, and his lackey immediately kicked the bowl-cut-haired guy before pausing the song and snatching back the microphone.
The private room instantly fell silent. Zhang Zishuai took the microphone, sneered as he approached Qiao Man, and finally held it up to her mouth.
“What did you say? I didn’t hear you just now,” he said maliciously.
The microphone emitted a sharp screech, making the silence in the room even more pronounced.
Amid the utter stillness, the plot prompt for Qiao Man’s apology disappeared, replaced by a new one.
[While apologizing to Zhang Zishuai, Jiang Sui recognizes Qiao Man’s voice. After their eyes meet, Jiang Sui calls Qiao Man over to drink with him.
Qiao Man refuses, so he takes a mouthful of alcohol and forcibly feeds it to her. As she struggles desperately, he only deepens the kiss.]
Jiang Sui? Why was Jiang Sui involved? Qiao Man instinctively scanned the room with her eyes.
Almost simultaneously, a plot prompt also appeared in Jiang Sui’s mind.
[Jiang Sui recognizes Qiao Man’s voice and calls her to sit beside him.
Upon learning that she came to the bar to buy a gift for Gu Hantian, Jiang Sui recalls how Bai Xingyu drunkenly uttered Gu Hantian’s name that day and remembers that Qiao Man was the one who caused Bai Xingyu to get drunk.
To vent his anger for Bai Xingyu and to release his own frustration, Jiang Sui deliberately humiliates Qiao Man, forces her to drink, pins her to the sofa, and kisses her against her will.]
Jiang Sui frowned slightly and, upon looking up, met Qiao Man’s gaze.
He: “…”
Qiao Man: “…”