Qiao Ling faced the bar’s black-gold mirror door, smoothed her hair, lightly coughed once, hugging the food box as she pushed open the door.
Near ten o’clock in the evening, the bar was lively.
Today was Sunday, the night bar was filled with a kind of resistance atmosphere towards the new work week, lazy yet struggling.
After pushing open the door, Qiao Ling held the door handle and poked her head in, sweeping her eyes in one glance, searching for Qiao Jing’s figure.
Before she came, she didn’t report in advance to Qiao Jing. According to that person’s level of understanding of herself, he definitely wouldn’t believe she would be so kind as to bring him seafood to eat.
But this Qiao Jing person, saying he’s dedicated and loves the store, every time she comes she can’t find him!
Reality and expected situation had such a big difference; if Qiao Jing wasn’t here, how could she righteously and naturally deliver this thing to Chen Kuang?
Qiao Ling didn’t dare to directly express her purpose. Since Qiao Jing wasn’t here, tonight’s plan could only be scrapped. She lowered her head and lightly sighed, wanting to turn around and leave.
At this time, a voice called out to her.
“Little sister came?”
Qiao Ling’s turning-around motion stopped. She lifted her eyes and looked towards Xie Rouyin who came to greet her.
Store Manager-jiejie was actually here!
Xie Rouyin today wore a new Chinese-style qipao skirt, unexpectedly matching very well with the Egyptian-style bar atmosphere.
When she twisted while walking over, the golden silk embroidery on the skirt surface shone with lively fragmentary light, making it so one couldn’t move their gaze away at all.
Qiao Ling, being called by someone familiar, became even more embarrassed.
Terrible, originally she was about to sneak away.
Xie Rouyin looked at her shrinking her shoulders, looking like a little mouse caught by a cat, wanting to laugh: “Did I scare you? Why so panicked.”
Qiao Ling quickly waved her hand: “No no, I… came to find my ge.”
“Qiao Jing isn’t here tonight, there are some store procedures not yet completed, he ran around all day during the daytime, so I didn’t let him come again at night.” Xie Rouyin pulled her arm and walked inside the bar, gentle with enthusiasm: “Since you already came, drink a little something before going back. Anyway, your ge is the store manager, just treat this place as your own home.”
“Uh, okay, then…” Facing such a pretty and generous jiejie, Qiao Ling’s face turned a little red and shy, “Is there still a seat tonight?”
She saw that at the entrance people were starting to take numbers and wait for seats again.
“At the bar counter, you sit in my spot.” Xie Rouyin pressed her onto the curved bar counter’s side seat. Although it was the furthest to the side, it was the closest seat to the bartender.
This position directly faced the ice machine inside the bar counter; every time the bartender made a drink, they would definitely come by once.
When Qiao Ling sat down, a breeze brushed past. Wearing work clothes, Chen Kuang happened to be carrying a glass to get ice.
Today inside the apron was a ripped-style T-shirt ah… so handsome.
The two’s lines of sight collided briefly. She inexplicably bounced away, hugging the food box in her hands tighter, pulling on Xie Rouyin: “Jiejie.”
Xie Rouyin squinted her eyes smiling: “What is it, have you decided what you want to drink?”
“No, this…” Qiao Ling passed the food box over, liking to tell a little lie: “It’s my dad and mom who had me come deliver a midnight snack for cousin, inside there’s stir-fried dishes and also seafood. Since he’s not here.”
“You all, after you finish work later, just divide and eat it, okay?”
She glanced at the food box, revealing a look of gratitude, “Aiyou, so thoughtful, didn’t expect I could also follow along and benefit from Qiao Jing’s light.”
“I won’t be polite with you either, once it’s Friday, Saturday, Sunday, it gets so busy it’s non-stop rotation, these few people from afternoon until now haven’t even had a sip of water.”
“Then you stay a little while longer, when the store closes I’ll order some takeout, let’s eat a late-night snack together, alright?”
Qiao Ling, while listening, secretly glanced at Chen Kuang.
Ah, not eating or drinking anything for so long, with his kind of body constitution, wouldn’t he faint again?
Her mind was entirely filled with that person busy behind the bar counter, she didn’t really listen carefully to what Xie Rouyin was saying, just making agreeing sounds.
Epic only had two bartenders in total, today both were working full shift at the same time, busy beyond belief.
But still, most customers specifically requested Chen Kuang to make their drinks, plus some female guests who couldn’t get a bar counter seat ran over holding their phones up to take pictures of him.
The reason why Epic was so popular across all the short video apps, probably half of it was because of Chen Kuang’s face.
Xie Rouyin called over the other bartender wearing glasses called Xia Tian, “Help me take care of this little sister, put the drinks on my tab.”
After saying that, she explained to Qiao Ling: “There are too many people lining up to have Chen Kuang make their drinks, I’m afraid if you wait you won’t get to drink, is it okay to let the other bartender make it for you?”
“Don’t worry, his skill absolutely doesn’t lose to Chen Kuang.”
Although their speaking voices weren’t loud, in such a small corner like the bar counter, there was no such thing as a secret.
Chen Kuang, while slicing the lemon in his hand, glanced over there, very briefly, then focused back on his work.
Qiao Ling was afraid that if she said anything wrong, others would notice her improper intentions towards Chen Kuang, so she hurriedly nodded: “Anything is fine with me, trouble you all.”
“The drinks… better still be charged to my ge! Don’t let you spend money.”
Xie Rouyin laughed several times, “I thought you were going to say you’d pay yourself, as expected you’re really fun.”
“That’s true too, you’re Qiao Jing’s meimei, if you drink and he pays, that’s as it should be.”
“You have fun, I still have a bit of work to do over there.” She lightly patted Qiao Ling’s shoulder, then twisted her snake-like waist to help the waiters serve the other guests.
After the “familiar person” left, Qiao Ling turned socially anxious again, shrinking into the bar counter corner, ignoring the gazes of other guests sizing her up, flipping through the drink menu page after page.
The guests coming to the bar were basically all in full makeup and finely dressed outfits, either meeting friends, or wanting to fish for one or two heart-moving guests in such a romantic venue, or coming by reputation to check in and take photos.
Quite a few people secretly looked with doubtful eyes at that girl wearing an oversize T-shirt and plaid pants, just looking already gave off the words comfortable.
What kind of person ah? Actually didn’t need to line up, and even sat in the store manager’s seat, really envious.
Qiao Ling, flipping through the drink menu that seemed like heavenly script, glanced towards that glasses guy.
Although they hadn’t had direct contact yet, just by appearances one could sense the faint aura of arrogance on the other person.
……
Felt like he wasn’t really willing to serve her.
Chen Kuang finished making another drink, when delivering it to the waiter, he caught sight of Qiao Ling still shrunk in the corner flipping through the drink menu.
Logically speaking, when a guest flipped through the drink menu for so long, the bartender ought to go over and ask their taste preference to give recommendations.
But the colleague beside him, half the day had passed and hadn’t even given her a glance.
Chen Kuang quietly sighed in his heart, made a move as if to walk towards Qiao Ling, taking over from Xia Tian to be responsible for her service.
The next moment, Xia Tian saw him move and immediately leaned in close to Qiao Ling: “Miss Jiejie, have you decided?”
Chen Kuang stopped his steps, the motion of wiping his hands slightly slowed, his brows moved.
“Handsome~ this drink looks so exquisite, how do you drink it, teach me~” A female customer at the bar counter called him.
Chen Kuang had no choice but to withdraw his line of sight, turn his head to serve the customer, “Coming.”
Xia Tian pushed his glasses’ nose pad, staring at this pure-looking girl who seemed like she hadn’t even left school yet.
It wasn’t that he picked customers, nor that he put on airs.
The problem was this girl had been secretly peeking at Chen Kuang from the moment she entered the bar.
Thinking she was hiding it well, but little did she know, he saw it all clearly.
Xia Tian leaned on the bar counter, seeing that she completely didn’t understand, his tone dragging long, sounding a little unwilling: “If there’s nothing on the drink menu that catches your eye, we can also do a special mix, just tell me the taste you like.”
Xia Tian on the surface looked obedient, like a good boy who only knew how to study and take exams, but inside he was actually a rare kind of bartender enthusiast.
Serious to the point of strange, full of arrogance.
Most people in this line of work were just doing it to make a living, but he really treated this as a career, even as an art, professional certificates and award records more than all his school trophies put together.
That’s why Xie Rouyin invited him to Epic, to become a gold-label bartender standing “shoulder to shoulder” with Chen Kuang.
And Chen Kuang was exactly the type of person Xia Tian disliked the most—completely treating this as just a job to get by, doing it casually and still standing out, talented but without ambition.
At first he saw that Chen Kuang’s skills were outstanding, thought he was the same kind of person.
But then Chen Kuang holding a classic glass, lazily said one sentence: “Just casually learned it for fun, as a way to make a living,” completely shattering Xia Tian’s impression of him.
Moreover, now most of the people coming to the bar were here for his face.
As long as it was a drink made by Chen Kuang, Xia Tian became the disliked substitute.
All the bartending skills he painstakingly learned and honed, no one appreciated!
This group of people who only look at faces, no taste!
So from working together until now, Xia Tian always held a very strange attitude towards Chen Kuang—admiration, but also unwillingness.
From the bottom of his heart, he disliked people like Chen Kuang who muddled along with no ideals, but was also willing to work with someone as extremely skilled as him, learning things from his hands.
Soft persimmons are picked to squeeze, Xia Tian looked at Qiao Ling’s dazed look, and just knowing she was staring at Chen Kuang like that made his temper rise, holding down his anger as he waited for her reply.
Qiao Ling had only ever drunk three kinds of drinks made by Chen Kuang here, so she took the initiative to ask: “Do you have any recommendations? Something sweet and sour.”
“There are.” Xia Tian opened the drink menu and pointed at two: “Eighteenth Dynasty and Fayoum Revival are both this type.”
At this moment, Chen Kuang who had been standing beside shaking drinks suddenly opened his mouth: “Eighteenth Dynasty’s alcohol level is too high, Fayoum’s front notes lean bitter, not suitable for her.”
Xia Tian and Qiao Ling both froze at the same time, looking at him.
Xia Tian’s forehead tightened, saying with displeasure: “I can communicate with my customer, just focus on your own work, alright?”
Chen Kuang stopped his hand, opened the shaker and poured the liquid into a glass, slanting his eyes toward her.
Qiao Ling’s heart gave a sudden pull, nervously lowered her head and said to Xia Tian: “Then, maybe just do a special mix.”
“Sorry to trouble you.”
Xia Tian put away the drink menu, saying: “OK, wait a moment, guaranteed satisfaction.”
Alright then, Chen Kuang, just you wait.
My customer, now even that you have to interfere, saying the alcohol level is high, saying it’s bitter, is that so.
He turned around, preparing the ingredients for the special mix.
Qiao Ling picked up the warm water and drank it, easing the dryness of her lips caused by nervousness.
She kept feeling the atmosphere was strange—why?
And what did that look Chen Kuang gave her just now mean?
She ate snacks while watching Xia Tian mix the drink, discovering that this slightly bad-tempered bartender’s technique was not at all inferior to Chen Kuang’s.
From what she knew before, special mix belonged to a kind of original creation, requiring the bartender to think while making it. But Xia Tian’s movements showed a very strong control over these drinks, and also a very sharp mind.
Very soon, a clear special mix decorated with lemongrass was delivered in front of her.
Although Xia Tian still had that arrogant expression, his gaze revealed a bit of expectation.
“Try the taste.”
Qiao Ling said a thank you, took a small sip with the straw, after the stimulating alcohol taste entered the mouth, her tongue felt a strong smoothness and fragrance.
She was a person not stingy with praise, her eyes lit up, giving him a thumbs-up.
“Very good! I like it a lot.”