...Hic, I'm not drunk.
...Hic, so many people.
After waking up comfortably from her nap, Jiang Han stared blankly at the piles of empty bottles in the wine room.
What had I done...? She took a deep breath, trying to make her expression look calm and natural.
She mechanically turned to look at the elegant clock in the wine room. It was five thirty in the morning.
...Haha, ha, my shift's almost over... Ha... Ha... Her laughter inside grew nervous. Maybe she'd had too much to drink, because Jiang Han thought she might need to pee.
She summed up her current situation:
Basically, she'd started work at around 11:50 yesterday.
A particularly wealthy customer, Lin Qiang, had triggered her eyes, and, by way of an apology—or perhaps to show her appreciation—had ordered a very expensive, very impressive bottle of wine.
Then she and the customer had probably shared that very expensive, very impressive bottle.
After that... Ahem, maybe she'd gotten a little drunk and fallen asleep.
When she woke up, the customer had disappeared, and it was time to clock out.
...Ahhh, Miss Jiang Han! Wasn't this obviously grounds for getting fired? Somebody save Miss Jiang Han! She didn't want to be kicked out and forced to scrape by for the next few months on fifty yuan of pocket money, all while looking for another easy, laid-back job like this one! She didn't want that—not one bit!
She covered her mouth and let out a sound of abject poverty.
Just then, she heard a voice that was soft, unhurried, and rhythmic:
"Are you awake, Miss Jiang Han?"
Jiang Han turned around, and Store Manager Qin Shunying appeared in the doorway of the wine room, smiling broadly.
The owner of the Witch House came in, squatted down to move two bottles aside, then sat down and fixed Jiang Han with an irresistible gaze.
When Jiang Han's face slowly turned red, Qin Shunying chuckled and looked her up and down, her expression slightly amused.
Her gaze was somewhat predatory, yet filled with undisguised affection.
"You made a big sale while you were asleep. That lady, Ms. Lin, was clearly remarkably patient with you." In a storytelling voice, she slowly recounted what had happened after Jiang Han got drunk.
Our Miss Jiang Han had clearly shown the early signs of breathing difficulties and an allergic reaction to her clothes.
When she'd tried to get oxygen from the customer by way of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Ms. Lin had gently refused.
When she'd tried to take off the clothes she was allergic to, Ms. Lin had gently stopped her again.
And when she'd said in a very aggrieved voice, "My mouth is so dry. I'm thirsty," Ms. Lin had ordered two expensive bottles of wine to quench her thirst. They were both tea wine and medicinal wine, which was why she'd fallen asleep so peacefully.
After she'd fallen asleep, Miss Du, who was working at the shop, had been about to wake her up. After all, it wasn't a good look for a barmaid to sleep on the job in front of a customer who'd requested her.
But sometimes luck mattered more than following the rules.
Miss Jiang Han had been particularly lucky. Ms. Lin seemed to have felt a surge of maternal affection and stopped the others from waking her. When Store Manager Qin came over to apologize, she said:
"I think your Witch House barmaids are really one of a kind. A few years ago, at your Jianye branch, I met one who gave me the finger and still managed to sell me wine. This time, I met one who fell asleep right in front of me and still managed to sell me drinks."
Then she'd happily ordered another expensive bottle of Chester Girl, a drink made by mixing Mushroom Bubble, Deep-Sea Everfrost, and brandy.
It had an extraordinarily beautiful appearance, made up of dozens of shades of ice.
As she spoke, Qin Shunying glanced at Jiang Han's eyes and smiled, looking slightly amused.
Only when Jiang Han's face had grown redder and redder, almost to the point of embarrassment turning into anger, did Qin Shunying finish the story—
"...Ms. Lin rented this wine room for two months and paid your request fee in advance."
Though "request fee" sounded strange, it was legitimate income.
Jiang Han had also received a receipt. She took a look and nearly fainted.
"Your share of yesterday's drink sales, along with your points reward, will be paid together next Saturday. But I think you should take a look." Qin Shunying's smile was exceedingly warm.
Jiang Han saw the 1,900 yuan listed at the top as her drink sales share and immediately understood. She'd earned nearly two weeks' wages from one shift, which meant the woman named Lin Qiang had spent 19,000 yuan on drinks.
The further down she read, the more alarmed she felt...
Drink sales share: 1,900. That meant Lin Qiang had spent 19,000 yuan. At the time, that was enough to spend two days at Heaven on Earth... Well, maybe just one day.
Thirty percent of the request fee: 500. That meant Lin Qiang had paid 1,500 to request her. A barmaid who'd only been working for a week and a bit, and the request fee was 1,500? Store Manager Qin was gutsy to run such a place, and Lin Qiang was gutsy to pay.
Five percent of the monthly wine-room deposit: 200. In other words, the deposit for two months was 4,000.
Below that were various other commissions.
Jiang Han had earned 3,200 yuan—three weeks' wages—and 315 Witch House points. But she wouldn't receive her commission until Saturday.
That also meant she'd made the Witch House at least 30,000 yuan in pure profit.
No wonder Miss Qin Shunying was looking at her like a well-behaved daughter...
Wait, "well-behaved daughter"? Jiang Han shuddered, unsure whether she ought to feel happy or afraid.
Good grief, more than thirty thousand...
More than thirty thousand yuan in those days...
Ms. Lin had spent it as casually as if she were folding paper airplanes out of banknotes...
In the future, this woman would absolutely be considered a price-gouger. What was even more terrifying was that she hadn't even slept with Jiang Han. Jiang Han was grateful for that, of course, but it didn't change the fact that the whole thing was terrifying.
Today I finally understand why some female streamers hold in-person meetups for rich fans... Staring at the terrifying receipt, Jiang Han felt as if every word on it had been written in gold. No, dissolved gemstones. No! Mithril and adamantine!
Qin Shunying was in such a good mood that she personally picked up the bottles. Each time she picked one up, she told Jiang Han what kind of drink it was.
Some were expensive, some mid-priced, and some cheap.
She described them with an unmistakable smile. Looking at Jiang Han, who was still in a daze, she seemed to see a Cinderella from the countryside.
Not as an insult, but as praise.
She admired Jiang Han silently:
"Exceedingly beautiful, petite, with icy eyes veiled in a mist of youthful innocence... This adorable girl is even wearing an ordinary Witch robe. I can tell at a glance. And there's that sweet magic power faintly radiating from her body. Miss Jiang Han was born for this line of work... A 'creation' who pleases me more than Jing Zhitong or Du Ningzhuang. Even at this stage, she's already making the witches drool."
Descriptions so sickeningly sweet they could make someone cringe to death kept appearing in Qin Shunying's mind, and her gaze grew gentler and gentler as she looked at Jiang Han.
In fact, it was only natural to praise someone who'd just made you a fortune.
"You might need to work on your drinking," she said, looking at Jiang Han. She still felt a little regretful. If Miss Jiang Han had a higher tolerance, she'd be even more perfect.
But a moment later, she felt a thrill at the thought of having a challenge. It was good that Jiang Han wasn't perfect. That meant Qin Shunying could personally sculpt and polish her.
Qin Shunying was an expert in this field. Every year, new franchise managers from Witch House headquarters came to her for advice.
"My drinking... I'll try... I'll do my best." Jiang Han nodded obediently, but answered with a guilty, unconvincing air.
In her previous life, she'd been able to build up her drinking tolerance, but she wasn't sure if she could in this life.
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