Chapter 13

"Brother Jun is biased! I'm also a beauty in red powder!" Seeing Zhang Xiaojun give the "Red Powder Beauty" cocktail he had mixed to Cheng Ping, two girls immediately pouted and complained.

The two girls were Wu Yuqi, a bartender like Xia Yunjie, and Liu Ke, a hostess. Both had decent looks and figures, but they were not as good as Cheng Ping.

Zhang Xiaojun laughed and said, "Right, right, all the ladies here are Red Powder Beauties!"

Saying this, he poured several more "Red Powder Beauty" cocktails and pushed them one by one to Yan Jie, Wu Yuqi, and the other girls.

Wu Yuqi and the others, having received the "Red Powder Beauty" cocktails, all threw flirtatious glances at Zhang Xiaojun, making the men in the bar envious and jealous. After winning the girls' flirtatious glances, Zhang Xiaojun glanced at Xia Yunjie again, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Seeing Zhang Xiaojun's suave demeanor and his skill at flattering women, Xia Yunjie finally understood why Cheng Ping said many women came to the bar for Zhang Xiaojun. He was handsome, had a high income, knew how to flatter women, and could perform cool cocktail tricks. How could women not be attracted to him? As for Zhang Xiaojun's glance, Xia Yunjie ignored it. He didn't envy or admire him. He wasn't competing for women with Zhang Xiaojun and didn't want to be in the spotlight. What did he care about these things? His most important task now was to work hard, earn money, and truly settle down.

Cheng Ping also raised her glass and nodded at Zhang Xiaojun, then took a sip and gave him a thumbs up, saying, "Brother Jun, the cocktails you mix are getting better and better."

Zhang Xiaojun couldn't help but smile happily and was about to be modest, but then he saw Cheng Ping hand her glass to Xia Yunjie and give him a flirtatious smile, saying, "Ajie, you haven't tasted the cocktail Brother Jun mixed yet. Have a sip. Brother Jun's cocktails are really good!"

Zhang Xiaojun's face changed slightly, and a hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes.

Although the women working in the bar were generally more open, it wasn't a big deal to pass a glass of wine to a man, and even drinking from the same glass was common. However, Cheng Ping was an exception. She could be flirtatious and say ambiguous things, but when it came to physical contact or drinking from the same glass, Zhang Xiaojun had never seen her do it in the year he had worked at BULENIGHT. This made Zhang Xiaojun even more determined to win her over, but despite her friendly demeanor, she never gave in, which only made him more determined to pursue her.

Xia Yunjie, of course, didn't know these details. When Cheng Ping handed him the glass she had been drinking from, he was slightly taken aback but quickly took it and smiled, saying, "Is that so? Then I'll have a sip."

Saying this, Xia Yunjie drank the remaining wine.

Seeing Xia Yunjie drink from the glass she had used, Cheng Ping's face flushed, even though she knew she was doing it to show Zhang Xiaojun. Zhang Xiaojun, seeing this, felt even more annoyed and asked, "Aping, is he the friend you introduced to work here yesterday?"

"Yes, his name is Xia Yunjie. Ajie, this is Zhang Xiaojun, Brother Jun. He's the mainstay of our bar and very popular with customers," Cheng Ping said with a smile.

"Hello, Brother Jun. I'm new here, please take care of me!" Xia Yunjie smiled and extended his hand to Zhang Xiaojun.

"Sorry, I just washed my hands," Zhang Xiaojun said without extending his hand, with a look of apology.

Bartenders must pay attention to hygiene, and Zhang Xiaojun's words seemed reasonable. However, since the bar wasn't officially open yet, anyone with a bit of a mind could see that he was deliberately making things difficult or even looking down on Xia Yunjie. In fact, Zhang Xiaojun did have this intention.

Most people in the bar knew that Zhang Xiaojun had a crush on Cheng Ping. Seeing this, they sensed something unusual and their eyes gleamed with excitement.

Young men, being full of vigor and pride, would likely retaliate or even get more aggressive, slamming the table and cursing. However, to everyone's disappointment, Xia Yunjie just shrugged and smiled indifferently, retracting his hand.

It seems this guy is a pushover! Many people in the bar thought. Only Cheng Ping knew that a man who dared to stop a car thief wouldn't be a pushover. Xia Yunjie's actions were partly out of respect for his job and partly to avoid making things difficult for her, as he was introduced by her. If he had a conflict with a colleague on his second day, it would reflect poorly on her. In fact, Xia Yunjie himself knew he really didn't care or bother to argue with Zhang Xiaojun.

Seeing that Xia Yunjie didn't show any sign of dissatisfaction, Zhang Xiaojun was convinced he was a wimp and a hint of disdain appeared on his lips. He continued, "I can't really help much, but in our line of work, it's important to be quick-witted and know how to please the customers. But you seem a bit green. You're not fresh out of school, are you?"

The people in the bar watched as Zhang Xiaojun, in his role as a senior, continued to tease the new guy. The girls, especially Wu Yuqi, already thought Zhang Xiaojun was handsome and cool. Seeing him "teach" Xia Yunjie, they found him even more attractive, while Xia Yunjie seemed clumsy and old-fashioned.

Only Cheng Ping thought Zhang Xiaojun was going too far. She raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but Xia Yunjie already answered honestly, "Yes, I just graduated from a vocational school this year. I don't know much."

"You should really thank Aping. These days, even college graduates can't find jobs, and if they do, their salaries are pitiful. We in the bar business are better off. As for vocational school graduates, it's even harder!" Zhang Xiaojun said with a hint of pride, acting senior.

Zhang Xiaojun had good reason to be proud. His monthly salary was 8,000 yuan, which was a white-collar income in Jiangzhou. His words were also true, leaving no room for argument. However, saying it in front of so many people made it seem like he was belittling and embarrassing Xia Yunjie.

"Of course, if it weren't for Aping's recommendation, I wouldn't have found a job so quickly!" Xia Yunjie nodded, as if it were a given.

Hearing this, Cheng Ping's face turned slightly angry. She was upset that Zhang Xiaojun was deliberately embarrassing Xia Yunjie in front of everyone and that Xia Yunjie, being so naive, couldn't even tell the difference between a compliment and an insult, and answered honestly.

The others, of course, wouldn't be upset over this. They just thought Xia Yunjie was a useless wimp. Their gazes were tinged with contempt, especially since most girls nowadays admired heroes and rich, handsome men. Xia Yunjie, who was somewhat handsome, seemed far inferior to Zhang Xiaojun. They thought he was just a silver-tipped spear, good-looking but useless.

Zhang Xiaojun's goal was to belittle Xia Yunjie and show everyone, including Cheng Ping, that he was the "rich, handsome man" of the bar. Cheng Ping's interest in him was a mistake. Seeing his goal achieved, Zhang Xiaojun was naturally pleased, and his face showed a hint of satisfaction. Just as he was about to belittle and mock Xia Yunjie further, the boss, Shao Lihong, called from the stairs, "Ajie, come to my office. By the way, starting today, Ajie is a full-time employee of the bar, and his salary this month will be the same as Aping's."

Ms. Li was in charge of the bar's finances.

After saying this, Shao Lihong nodded slightly at Xia Yunjie and then turned to go upstairs.

Zhang Xiaojun's satisfied expression froze, and the employees, including Cheng Ping and Yan Jie, all looked at Xia Yunjie with surprise and bewilderment, as if they didn't recognize him.

Almost all the employees knew that the boss was only interested in women and never liked to be alone with a man in her office. Over the years, she had never called a male employee to her office for a private talk, not even Zhang Xiaojun, the mainstay of the bar. It was unexpected that Xia Yunjie, a new bartender, was called to the boss's office on his second day, and his probationary period had just ended.

Most importantly, when the boss turned to go upstairs, she even nodded at Xia Yunjie! Xia Yunjie was a real man, and when had the boss ever been so polite and friendly to a male employee?

This was too unbelievable! Could the boss suddenly be interested in men? If so, Xia Yunjie must be amazing, changing a lesbian's sexual orientation in just one day?

If this were true, then Zhang Xiaojun's so-called coolness and handsomeness would be nothing compared to Xia Yunjie!

After all, Zhang Xiaojun's coolness and handsomeness could only fool girls like Wu Yuqi or lonely, desperate women. Truly elegant, high-class, and discerning women wouldn't be attracted to him. As for lesbians, they simply didn't like men!

In contrast, Xia Yunjie remained calm, with a hint of shyness, greeted everyone, and then walked upstairs.

The others watched Xia Yunjie's departing back and then turned to look at Zhang Xiaojun, whose face was slightly unnatural. They suddenly had a strange feeling that Zhang Xiaojun's behavior was a bit like a clown, and that Xia Yunjie wasn't a wimp but was just pretending to be stupid and not arguing with him.

Of course, this feeling was just a fleeting thought. After all, even if the boss called Xia Yunjie to her office, it didn't change the fact that he was still a bartender, while Zhang Xiaojun was the mainstay of the bar, a highly paid bartender.

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