Ruan Qing outwardly performed very convincingly, as if genuinely unwilling to continue this job. However, in reality, he had already mentally prepared to pack up and leave.
The turning point was... hearing what the manager said.
Ruan Qing instantly froze.
Did he... wish for this?
No, wasn’t the manager ruthless and wouldn’t allow anyone to interfere with his decisions?
Ruan Qing looked at the manager, who had a handsome and gentle smile, wanting to tell him directly that he didn’t want to do it anymore.
But he couldn’t.
Wang Qing valued this job, using it to support his university life. That’s why he would come to ‘Huayue’ to work regardless of whether it was his scheduled working hours or not.
This could easily be confirmed with a casual inquiry.
Unless he suddenly became rich, there was no way to get around it. The possibility of sudden wealth was basically nonexistent; after all, if Wang Qing had other means of making money, he wouldn’t choose to do this job.
He also wasn’t in the habit of buying lottery tickets, completely ruling out the possibility of suddenly becoming rich.
Moreover, this was Ruan Qing’s last chance to repay his debts. If his income was deducted too much, he might end up owing money. So, despite Ruan Qing’s inner regrets and unwillingness, he could only show a surprised and moved expression, bow excitedly to the man in front of him, and say with enthusiasm, “Thank you, manager. I will definitely do my best.”
“Good, go for it,” the manager smiled gently. “Do well.”
The manager’s “go for it” sounded sincere, without a trace of perfunctoriness, as if genuinely cheering Ruan Qing on.
However, given his position and Wang Qing’s status, this statement sounded somewhat peculiar.
A person high up like the “king” of the ‘Huayue’ bar caring about a mere employee? Completely impossible.
In reality, many employees at ‘Huayue’ rarely saw this manager. Individuals like Wang Qing, who were at the bottom level of employees, generally only encountered him when they were being “handled.”
If Ruan Qing didn’t have a legitimate reason, he might have been “handled” tonight.
Although he didn’t know what being “handled” entailed, Ruan Qing had a few regrets in his heart.
Just now, the explanation in the office was so clear. Why did he pretend to explain vaguely, showing the guilty conscience of being unable to speak, and firmly establishing his own violation of the rules?
Even if this ‘handling’ meant killing him, he should be able to find a way to escape, and that would be a perfect opportunity to give up this job.
Moreover, it’s not necessarily being killed.
Even if the ‘Huayue’ bar was powerful, it’s not likely to casually resort to murder.
Ruan Qing regretted more and more.
However... it’s not too late to violate the rules now.
The rules of the ‘Huayue’ bar were numerous, and employees needed to memorize them before starting their jobs.
But not all rule violations result in ‘handling’; some violations only led to punishment.
Ruan Qing recalled in his mind which rules would definitely result in ‘handling’.
And he chose the most severe.
The most severe seemed to be... touching something belonging to the manager.
Ruan Qing glanced discreetly at the manager’s trousers, which still bore marks, very obvious.
It was a mark made by his dirty shoes.
...Touching things didn’t seem very reliable.
After all, the trousers were also the other’s belongings, and he hadn’t seen him get angry.
Just as Ruan Qing was thinking of finding a rule that would definitely result in ‘handling’, a gentle voice sounded in front of him, “What are you looking at?”
Ruan Qing hesitated for a moment, shook his head in panic, “Nothing, not looking at anything.”
The manager lowered his head slightly to look at his own trousers, as if he had just realized that his trousers were dirty. “Your shoes dirtied my trousers.”
“Yes, sorry, manager.” Ruan Qing lowered his head with a bit of embarrassment.
The manager looked at Ruan Qing and smiled gently. “Do you think saying sorry is enough?”
Ruan Qing raised his head, a bit puzzled on his delicate face. He opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.
Perhaps feeling a bit wronged, Ruan Qing finally gathered courage and spoke softly, “But... this is your own...”
However, before Ruan Qing could finish, the manager spoke. “Wipe it for me.”
The manager’s tone had always been gentle, as if he’s just chatting. But no one could treat his words as mere conversation, or else they wouldn’t know how they died.
The bodyguards nearby, upon hearing these words, were filled with astonishment in their eyes. The manager... Was he interested in this staff member?
You should know that even for this group of bodyguards, they were not allowed to touch the manager. Not even accidentally when protecting him.
So when the manager personally checked the young man just now, it already surprised them. And now, he’s even...
The bodyguards dared not look at that staff member, just silently noting this person in case of any future mistakes.
As for Ruan Qing, after hearing the manager’s words, he paused for a moment, pursed his light red lips, and eventually squatted down slowly. He carefully used his sleeve to wipe the dirt stains on the manager’s trousers.
Ruan Qing wiped very carefully, seemingly afraid of accidentally touching the man’s thigh.
Most importantly, this posture was really awkward, so Ruan Qing didn’t want to touch the person in front of him.
But wiping like this was too gentle, and it didn’t remove the stains at all.
Continuing like this might lead to more trouble.
Ruan Qing, ignoring the gaze from above, applied a bit more pressure with his hands and wiped off some of the marks.
However, the manager’s trousers were dark, and the dirt stains were very noticeable. No matter how much he wiped, there were still traces, and the pants become wrinkled.
The manager slightly lowered his gaze, looking down at the person crouched in front of him, letting his eyes linger on the young man.
From the silky, smooth hair to the pale neck, and the collarbone and neckline that were faintly visible under the uniform.
The young man’s fair fingers were slightly curled, grabbing his own sleeve and gently wiping the dirt stains on his trousers. His whole body exuded a fresh and clean aura.
Beautiful and obedient.
Like an innocent little lamb.
Or perhaps a lamb cub unable to distinguish danger.
Perhaps he wouldn’t even run away from the fierce wolf but also try to be friends with the wolf in front of him.
But there would be no sympathy or pity from the wolf, only deception and surrender, including... himself.
By the time the beautiful lamb realized something was wrong, it’s probably too late, only able to pitifully and helplessly let the wolf take on appealing colors and devour everything.
Even if he wanted to resist, it’s probably futile, as he’s too weak to even push away the wolf encroaching him recklessly.
The young man could only cry silently, enduring everything the evil wolf had given.
At this moment, the long eyelashes of the young man trembled slightly, casting a handsome shadow under the good-looking eyes. His pale lips were slightly pursed, and his delicate face showed hesitation and difficulty, as if he had encountered some problem.
“What’s wrong?” The manager covered the obscure and unclear expression in his eyes, returning to his previous gentle demeanor.
Ruan Qing, helpless, bit his lip and hesitated to withdraw his hand. He spoke softly, “... Can’t erase it.”
The manager’s gaze fell on the tear mole at the corner of Ruan Qing’s eye. “What do you think should be done, then?”
Ruan Qing lowered his head even further, not answering the manager’s question, appearing bewildered.
Moreover, due to the sprain on his foot, the squatting posture was quite inconvenient after just a short while. His foot had already become quite soft.
Ruan Qing couldn’t control the pain from the sprained foot, and he squatted down for a moment, causing his foot to lose strength. The pain blurred his vision, and his body trembled slightly.
The manager probably noticed, immediately speaking gently, “If it can’t be erased, then let it be. Get up.”
Ruan Qing’s sprained foot weakened a bit more. Without much support to rely on, standing up was somewhat difficult. Fortunately, he gritted his teeth and managed to stabilize his figure, shivering.
No one in the room dared to stare directly at the manager, so no one noticed the manager’s fleeting expression of regret when Ruan Qing stood up—as if he regretted that Ruan Qing had managed to stand on his own.
...It seemed like he regretted it after Ruan Qing stabilized himself.
After Ruan Qing steadied himself, he spoke softly, “Manager, I’ll go down first... Is that okay?”
Ruan Qing’s tone carried a hint of uncertainty, as if seeking the approval of the person in front of him.
“Go to my office and wait for me.” The manager ignored Ruan Qing’s mention of going down. He looked at the time on the wall, and added, “No matter who says what this time, obediently wait for me to come back.”
Ruan Qing hesitated for a moment, his face showing some confusion, but in the end, he obediently nodded.
Seeing this, the bodyguard immediately handed the crutch, which had just been fetched, to Ruan Qing.
After taking the crutch, Ruan Qing respectfully bowed to the manager, and then hobbled towards the manager’s office.
After making sure no one was behind him, Ruan Qing, walking with a limp, lowered his gaze to the floor.
The manager’s intention was already very clear. If he didn’t hurry, he might indeed end up climbing onto the manager’s bed.
The manager’s office...
There should be something important in there. Ruan Qing leaned on the crutch and walked steadily towards the manager’s office.
The office was empty at the moment, with no one around, and there was no one guarding. The door was wide open.
But even so, no one dared to step in.
Ruan Qing stepped into the office cautiously, and after ten careful steps, he didn’t dare to sit on the sofa; instead, he stood there pitifully waiting.
In reality, Ruan Qing’s peripheral vision had already swept the entire office.
There were surveillance cameras, not just one or two.
There were at least four or five, not to mention some hidden corners.
Under surveillance, even if you wanted to sabotage something, you couldn’t do it openly.
It had to be done casually.
Ruan Qing’s gaze fell on the shelf on the side, displaying a row of exquisite and luxurious antiques.
It was evident that the owner of the office liked to collect antiques, and they should all be authentic.
Just that row alone was probably invaluable.
Ruan Qing hesitated.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t accidentally break something.
But he was afraid that breaking these wouldn’t really anger the manager.
Maybe the manager would use compensation as a reason and force him to do some... shameful things.
Although the original owner was already in this line of work, adding this debt would make it difficult to escape from this bar.
After some thought, Ruan Qing gave up, placing his gaze on the table beside the office desk.
There were quite a few documents on the office desk.
If anything important was destroyed...
Just as Ruan Qing was considering taking action, footsteps were heard outside the office.
It wasn’t just one person, but probably three.
Ruan Qing hadn’t heard the manager’s footsteps much, so he couldn’t determine if it was the manager coming back.
The footsteps approached, and Ruan Qing stood by the door, looking towards the incoming people.
Ruan Qing outwardly performed very convincingly, as if genuinely unwilling to continue this job. However, in reality, he had already mentally prepared to pack up and leave.
The turning point was... hearing what the manager said.
Ruan Qing instantly froze.
Did he... wish for this?
No, wasn’t the manager ruthless and wouldn’t allow anyone to interfere with his decisions?
Ruan Qing looked at the manager, who had a handsome and gentle smile, wanting to tell him directly that he didn’t want to do it anymore.
But he couldn’t.
Wang Qing valued this job, using it to support his university life. That’s why he would come to ‘Huayue’ to work regardless of whether it was his scheduled working hours or not.
This could easily be confirmed with a casual inquiry.
Unless he suddenly became rich, there was no way to get around it. The possibility of sudden wealth was basically nonexistent; after all, if Wang Qing had other means of making money, he wouldn’t choose to do this job.
He also wasn’t in the habit of buying lottery tickets, completely ruling out the possibility of suddenly becoming rich.
Moreover, this was Ruan Qing’s last chance to repay his debts. If his income was deducted too much, he might end up owing money. So, despite Ruan Qing’s inner regrets and unwillingness, he could only show a surprised and moved expression, bow excitedly to the man in front of him, and say with enthusiasm, “Thank you, manager. I will definitely do my best.”
“Good, go for it,” the manager smiled gently. “Do well.”
The manager’s “go for it” sounded sincere, without a trace of perfunctoriness, as if genuinely cheering Ruan Qing on.
However, given his position and Wang Qing’s status, this statement sounded somewhat peculiar.
A person high up like the “king” of the ‘Huayue’ bar caring about a mere employee? Completely impossible.
In reality, many employees at ‘Huayue’ rarely saw this manager. Individuals like Wang Qing, who were at the bottom level of employees, generally only encountered him when they were being “handled.”
If Ruan Qing didn’t have a legitimate reason, he might have been “handled” tonight.
Although he didn’t know what being “handled” entailed, Ruan Qing had a few regrets in his heart.
Just now, the explanation in the office was so clear. Why did he pretend to explain vaguely, showing the guilty conscience of being unable to speak, and firmly establishing his own violation of the rules?
Even if this ‘handling’ meant killing him, he should be able to find a way to escape, and that would be a perfect opportunity to give up this job.
Moreover, it’s not necessarily being killed.
Even if the ‘Huayue’ bar was powerful, it’s not likely to casually resort to murder.
Ruan Qing regretted more and more.
However... it’s not too late to violate the rules now.
The rules of the ‘Huayue’ bar were numerous, and employees needed to memorize them before starting their jobs.
But not all rule violations result in ‘handling’; some violations only led to punishment.
Ruan Qing recalled in his mind which rules would definitely result in ‘handling’.
And he chose the most severe.
The most severe seemed to be... touching something belonging to the manager.
Ruan Qing glanced discreetly at the manager’s trousers, which still bore marks, very obvious.
It was a mark made by his dirty shoes.
...Touching things didn’t seem very reliable.
After all, the trousers were also the other’s belongings, and he hadn’t seen him get angry.
Just as Ruan Qing was thinking of finding a rule that would definitely result in ‘handling’, a gentle voice sounded in front of him, “What are you looking at?”
Ruan Qing hesitated for a moment, shook his head in panic, “Nothing, not looking at anything.”
The manager lowered his head slightly to look at his own trousers, as if he had just realized that his trousers were dirty. “Your shoes dirtied my trousers.”
“Yes, sorry, manager.” Ruan Qing lowered his head with a bit of embarrassment.
The manager looked at Ruan Qing and smiled gently. “Do you think saying sorry is enough?”
Ruan Qing raised his head, a bit puzzled on his delicate face. He opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.
Perhaps feeling a bit wronged, Ruan Qing finally gathered courage and spoke softly, “But... this is your own...”
However, before Ruan Qing could finish, the manager spoke. “Wipe it for me.”
The manager’s tone had always been gentle, as if he’s just chatting. But no one could treat his words as mere conversation, or else they wouldn’t know how they died.
The bodyguards nearby, upon hearing these words, were filled with astonishment in their eyes. The manager... Was he interested in this staff member?
You should know that even for this group of bodyguards, they were not allowed to touch the manager. Not even accidentally when protecting him.
So when the manager personally checked the young man just now, it already surprised them. And now, he’s even...
The bodyguards dared not look at that staff member, just silently noting this person in case of any future mistakes.
As for Ruan Qing, after hearing the manager’s words, he paused for a moment, pursed his light red lips, and eventually squatted down slowly. He carefully used his sleeve to wipe the dirt stains on the manager’s trousers.
Ruan Qing wiped very carefully, seemingly afraid of accidentally touching the man’s thigh.
Most importantly, this posture was really awkward, so Ruan Qing didn’t want to touch the person in front of him.
But wiping like this was too gentle, and it didn’t remove the stains at all.
Continuing like this might lead to more trouble.
Ruan Qing, ignoring the gaze from above, applied a bit more pressure with his hands and wiped off some of the marks.
However, the manager’s trousers were dark, and the dirt stains were very noticeable. No matter how much he wiped, there were still traces, and the pants become wrinkled.
The manager slightly lowered his gaze, looking down at the person crouched in front of him, letting his eyes linger on the young man.
From the silky, smooth hair to the pale neck, and the collarbone and neckline that were faintly visible under the uniform.
The young man’s fair fingers were slightly curled, grabbing his own sleeve and gently wiping the dirt stains on his trousers. His whole body exuded a fresh and clean aura.
Beautiful and obedient.
Like an innocent little lamb.
Or perhaps a lamb cub unable to distinguish danger.
Perhaps he wouldn’t even run away from the fierce wolf but also try to be friends with the wolf in front of him.
But there would be no sympathy or pity from the wolf, only deception and surrender, including... himself.
By the time the beautiful lamb realized something was wrong, it’s probably too late, only able to pitifully and helplessly let the wolf take on appealing colors and devour everything.
Even if he wanted to resist, it’s probably futile, as he’s too weak to even push away the wolf encroaching him recklessly.
The young man could only cry silently, enduring everything the evil wolf had given.
At this moment, the long eyelashes of the young man trembled slightly, casting a handsome shadow under the good-looking eyes. His pale lips were slightly pursed, and his delicate face showed hesitation and difficulty, as if he had encountered some problem.
“What’s wrong?” The manager covered the obscure and unclear expression in his eyes, returning to his previous gentle demeanor.
Ruan Qing, helpless, bit his lip and hesitated to withdraw his hand. He spoke softly, “... Can’t erase it.”
The manager’s gaze fell on the tear mole at the corner of Ruan Qing’s eye. “What do you think should be done, then?”
Ruan Qing lowered his head even further, not answering the manager’s question, appearing bewildered.
Moreover, due to the sprain on his foot, the squatting posture was quite inconvenient after just a short while. His foot had already become quite soft.
Ruan Qing couldn’t control the pain from the sprained foot, and he squatted down for a moment, causing his foot to lose strength. The pain blurred his vision, and his body trembled slightly.
The manager probably noticed, immediately speaking gently, “If it can’t be erased, then let it be. Get up.”
Ruan Qing’s sprained foot weakened a bit more. Without much support to rely on, standing up was somewhat difficult. Fortunately, he gritted his teeth and managed to stabilize his figure, shivering.
No one in the room dared to stare directly at the manager, so no one noticed the manager’s fleeting expression of regret when Ruan Qing stood up—as if he regretted that Ruan Qing had managed to stand on his own.
...It seemed like he regretted it after Ruan Qing stabilized himself.
After Ruan Qing steadied himself, he spoke softly, “Manager, I’ll go down first... Is that okay?”
Ruan Qing’s tone carried a hint of uncertainty, as if seeking the approval of the person in front of him.
“Go to my office and wait for me.” The manager ignored Ruan Qing’s mention of going down. He looked at the time on the wall, and added, “No matter who says what this time, obediently wait for me to come back.”
Ruan Qing hesitated for a moment, his face showing some confusion, but in the end, he obediently nodded.
Seeing this, the bodyguard immediately handed the crutch, which had just been fetched, to Ruan Qing.
After taking the crutch, Ruan Qing respectfully bowed to the manager, and then hobbled towards the manager’s office.
After making sure no one was behind him, Ruan Qing, walking with a limp, lowered his gaze to the floor.
The manager’s intention was already very clear. If he didn’t hurry, he might indeed end up climbing onto the manager’s bed.
The manager’s office...
There should be something important in there. Ruan Qing leaned on the crutch and walked steadily towards the manager’s office.
The office was empty at the moment, with no one around, and there was no one guarding. The door was wide open.
But even so, no one dared to step in.
Ruan Qing stepped into the office cautiously, and after ten careful steps, he didn’t dare to sit on the sofa; instead, he stood there pitifully waiting.
In reality, Ruan Qing’s peripheral vision had already swept the entire office.
There were surveillance cameras, not just one or two.
There were at least four or five, not to mention some hidden corners.
Under surveillance, even if you wanted to sabotage something, you couldn’t do it openly.
It had to be done casually.
Ruan Qing’s gaze fell on the shelf on the side, displaying a row of exquisite and luxurious antiques.
It was evident that the owner of the office liked to collect antiques, and they should all be authentic.
Just that row alone was probably invaluable.
Ruan Qing hesitated.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t accidentally break something.
But he was afraid that breaking these wouldn’t really anger the manager.
Maybe the manager would use compensation as a reason and force him to do some... shameful things.
Although the original owner was already in this line of work, adding this debt would make it difficult to escape from this bar.
After some thought, Ruan Qing gave up, placing his gaze on the table beside the office desk.
There were quite a few documents on the office desk.
If anything important was destroyed...
Just as Ruan Qing was considering taking action, footsteps were heard outside the office.
It wasn’t just one person, but probably three.
Ruan Qing hadn’t heard the manager’s footsteps much, so he couldn’t determine if it was the manager coming back.
The footsteps approached, and Ruan Qing stood by the door, looking towards the incoming people.
