Cheng Lang kept smiling. "Mr. Lu, you misunderstand. One of them is my classmate, and the other is my colleague. I'm merely maintaining the most basic interpersonal relations."
"Is that so?" Lu Chengxuan asked impassively. "Does partnering with Shen Huaiyu to open a milk tea shop also fall within the scope of basic interpersonal relations?"
Cheng Lang raised a brow. He wasn't surprised that Lu Chengxuan knew about it. After all, aside from being characterized as a scumbag, the original novel's male lead also had the domineering CEO trait of being able to destroy a company with a word. So Cheng Lang wouldn't have found it strange no matter what Lu Chengxuan knew. He was only curious why Lu Chengxuan had come looking for him over something like this.
Lu Chengxuan scrutinized Cheng Lang for a long while, then shook his head with a scoff. "How could Qin Mu possibly take a liking to someone like you? Make you the star performer of White Jade Capital?" He was practically burrowing into money. Utterly vulgar.
"I'm warning you. Starting tomorrow, you are not allowed to proactively ask customers to request songs while you're onstage, nor are you allowed to accept their drinks." Lu Chengxuan's face darkened. "Your behavior is seriously lowering White Jade Capital's standards."
Cheng Lang looked at Lu Chengxuan and asked calmly, "Does President Lu know how much I earned today by singing songs requested by customers and drinking the alcohol they gave me?"
Lu Chengxuan sneered. He had no interest in knowing.
"Three hundred thousand!" Cheng Lang had drunk a total of twenty-five glasses of alcohol while singing that night, and performed five songs requested by customers. "I know President Lu is a distinguished guest of White Jade Capital. According to White Jade Capital's rules, all staff should do their utmost to fulfill every request made by customers. Yet with a single sentence, President Lu wants me to give up three hundred thousand a day—at least nine million a month in alcohol commissions!"
At that, Cheng Lang gave Lu Chengxuan a faint smile. "I trust that President Lu's word is as good as gold. Then who should compensate me for this loss?"
Lu Chengxuan's expression immediately stiffened. Cheng Lang's meaning was very clear: he could obey, but someone had to make up the money he earned every night.
Could Lu Chengxuan possibly spend nine million every month to cover all of Cheng Lang's commissions? Obviously not. He was merely a domineering CEO, not an idiot. Spending nine million a month to do nothing but keep White Jade Capital's star performer from drinking alcohol ordered by others or singing songs requested by others—Lu Chengxuan wasn't that much of a sucker.
Beyond that, a faint doubt about life rose in the depths of Lu Chengxuan's heart. Cheng Lang could earn several million a month just by singing and drinking, while he, a domineering CEO, worked himself to the bone pulling all-nighters and overtime. How much actual profit could his company even make in a month?
The more he thought about it, the more Lu Chengxuan began to doubt his life. Looking at the smile on Cheng Lang's face now, he felt that although Cheng Lang was smiling respectfully, he was inwardly mocking him: Don't put on airs if you can't afford it.
The moment that possibility occurred to him, Lu Chengxuan felt awful all over.
Cheng Lang had no idea of the turmoil in Lu Chengxuan's heart. He nodded at the original novel's male lead and left politely. Back at the bar, the bartender Kevin looked at Cheng Lang with envy. "You've really made it big now. You earned quite a bit tonight, didn't you?"
Watching him down glass after glass, not only the customers but even they had been left wide-eyed.
How had they never noticed before that Cheng Lang could hold his liquor so well?
Cheng Lang sighed gloomily. "There's nothing to envy. It's only a temporary trend-following frenzy. In a few days, once the customers calm down, probably no one will be sending me drinks anymore."
Could he really expect to sing for two hours every night and earn ten million a month?
Cheng Lang shook his head. He might have the stomach for it, but the customers probably didn't have that kind of money. And even if they did, the bar probably wouldn't allow him to keep doing this.
Kevin shook his head, especially speechless. "You're actually worried about that?"
What else was he supposed to do? Cheng Lang raised a brow at the bartender.
Sure enough, the floor manager came over again, also looking utterly speechless. "Chen wants to see you."
Cheng Lang acknowledged him and turned to head to the third floor.
Inside the manager's office, Han Mingchen was also looking at Cheng Lang with a speechless expression. He hadn't expected that in the span of just two days, the same person would leave him speechless again and again. He hadn't felt this kind of helplessness in a long time.
"Cough!" After thinking it over, Han Mingchen spoke with some difficulty. "I heard that you drank twenty-five glasses of alcohol while singing tonight? And that you even took the initiative to ask customers to pay for song requests?"
"It was all right." Cheng Lang replied with a serene expression, "As a White Jade Capital employee, I should do my best to satisfy customers' requests. They were willing to support me, so naturally I couldn't fail to appreciate their kindness. Besides, it was my first time performing as White Jade Capital's star performer. I wanted to interact properly with the customers and liven up the atmosphere."
Han Mingchen: "..." There was nothing wrong with that logic. But!
Han Mingchen cleared his throat. "You can earn over three hundred thousand in a single day. At this rate, your monthly income could exceed ten million. Do you know that many companies don't even have monthly revenue exceeding ten million?"
Cheng Lang shamelessly flattered him. "It's all thanks to the platform. It's White Jade Capital that gave me the opportunity to make a fortune and reach the pinnacle of life. I'll never forget Chen's support."
At that, Cheng Lang paused slightly and asked tentatively, "How about I hand over half of the tips customers give me each month to the company?"
Half? Wouldn't that be four or five million? For one brief moment, Han Mingchen's heart stirred, but then he came to his senses. "That's not what I mean."
Han Mingchen was a little troubled. He didn't know how to explain it. In fact, before Cheng Lang, there had been quite a few customers who spent lavishly. It was common for them to pay performers in the venue to drink and chat with them—ten thousand per glass, even a hundred thousand per glass. Judging by the price alone, Cheng Lang wasn't suspected of inflating the market. He was even being somewhat lenient. After all, White Jade Capital's star performer shouldn't receive only ten thousand in tips for a single glass of alcohol.
But the key was that Cheng Lang might charge little, yet he could make it up in volume! No matter how many glasses the customers ordered, he accepted them all. In two hours, he had casually drunk twenty-five glasses without his face reddening or his breathing growing labored. He clearly still had plenty left in him.
Before you continue
Explore the wiki