After finishing his two-hour performance, Chen Shiyu was both hungry and tired.
"Thank you, boss."
Chen Shiyu beamed at the 600 yuan in his hand. This was the first money he had earned out on his own. His parents saved his concert fees for him and gave him a fixed allowance every month.
Manager Wang said, "We provide meals for our employees, too. If you'd like to have dinner here, just follow Xiao Liu to the staff dining room."
Hearing that, Chen Shiyu perked up even more. The manager hadn't mentioned it before, so he had assumed meals weren't included. He had been thinking it would hurt a little to spend this money right away.
"Thank you so much." Chen Shiyu's voice rose with delight, and he gave a slight bow.
Chen Shiyu followed Xiao Liu, who had been standing by the entrance earlier, to the dining room.
As expected of an upscale restaurant, even the staff dining room was elegantly decorated.
The long table to one side was the buffet area. It held classic French dishes, assorted desserts, and soups.
Eight sets of small square tables and chairs were arranged neatly in the staff dining room. Only a few employees were eating there at the time.
Xiao Liu was a young woman with a sweet voice. Smiling, she said, "Handsome, help yourself to whatever you like. I'm going to eat with my coworkers."
Chen Shiyu smiled back and nodded. "Okay, thank you."
After taking his time choosing his food, he carried his tray over to a random seat and sat down. He felt a little sheepish looking at the VJ, but then he reconsidered. This cameraman would get a feast after work, too. I'm just getting a head start! Haha!
And so, with a mischievous air, Chen Shiyu ate with obvious relish in front of the camera. He hurt not only the VJ but also the viewers in his livestream.
[I regret watching the livestream this late... I just switched over from the lobsters and crayfish, only to run straight into French food. Boohoo...]
[Cameraman, I heard you swallow, you know~]
[Hahaha, the cameramen following them around for this show really have it rough.]
[I can't take it anymore. The guests on this show are going too far!!]
Things weren't going quite so smoothly for Gu Chengyuan. Who knew waiting tables could be this hard?
The restaurant was still packed. The owner had told him he didn't have to work and could just be their mascot, but could he really stand around doing nothing in such a busy restaurant?
"Gege, we'd like to order..." Several female fans blushed and dawdled over the menu, rejecting one thing after another before finally choosing another signature set meal.
Gu Chengyuan's face was almost stiff from smiling. Was working in the service industry really this hard?
He was mentally exhausted and regretted coming to wait tables. Everyone else made it look so easy that he had thought he could do it, too...
Instead, he kept leaving items off orders, adding extra items, or delivering the wrong dishes. Not only did he cause trouble for the restaurant, but he also affected both his fans' mood and his own.
By now, he was almost on the verge of a breakdown.
[Why are these people being so difficult...]
[Exactly! Can't they see our gege can barely keep up?]
[Don't servers always work this hard? Why is everything suddenly unacceptable when it's your gege doing it?]
[Same as above. The Film Emperor chose this himself, so what are you all yelling about? If customers need something, isn't he supposed to help them?]
Once the final ten minutes were over, Gu Chengyuan, who had been run ragged, was finally free.
Now just hearing the word "gege" made him feel faint.
"Film Emperor Gu, why don't you stay and have a meal with us? Our restaurant provides meals, too. You must be hungry and tired, right?"
The owner was a man of about thirty who happened to be following his xianxia drama lately. He also knew that Film Emperor Gu and the others had come to Zhongmen Island to film a variety show.
"Sure, thank you, Boss Zhao. I'll go get changed."
Now that his shift was over, Gu Chengyuan really was hungry and exhausted. He never wanted to work as a server again for the rest of his life.
He felt as though he never wanted to hear the words "handsome," "gege," "young man," or "server" again. In just two short hours, those forms of address had already given him a bit of PTSD.