Ethan Wraith, pedaling his rickety bike, arrived at the bar fifteen minutes late, but he didn't mind one bit. He was currently the top earner in the bar - well, something like that - having set the highest monthly sales record in the bar's history. The manager practically wanted to marry his niece off to him, so why would he care about a little tardiness? "Talented men always have their quirks," the manager would say.
"Hey, Ethan!"
"Ethan, you're early today! Why didn't you rest a bit longer?"
"Ethan, are you coming to supper tonight?"
"Ethan, my sister wants to meet you. She heard you write amazing poems and wants to discuss... uh... William Shakespeare with you."
Greetings from colleagues followed Ethan along the way. He raised his hand slightly in acknowledgment, responding with a reserved smile. He felt himself floating, a successful man. Like the white-collar, blue-collar, round-collar hotshots on TV - so Ethan had to learn to be reserved too.
"Ethan, the manager wants you," Jennie, the manager's assistant, swayed over in her bar uniform. The white shirt was only buttoned to the third button, revealing the black lace lingerie beneath.
Ethan sighed inwardly. Alas, a not-so-fresh flower stuck in cow dung. What a shame, it should be in his vase.
Everyone in the bar knew about Jennie and the manager's affair. They didn't try to hide it, and nobody was foolish enough to point it out.
"Jennie, what does the manager want?" Ethan peered into Jennie's open neckline, his face serious. Only two people in the bar dared to call this woman Jennie, one was the bar manager, and the other was Ethan.
"Haha, good news, of course. Don't forget about me then, Ethan," Jennie said, leaning in and clinging to Ethan's arm coquettishly. Her chest rubbed lightly against his left arm, sending waves of pleasure through him. Ethan regretted not wearing short sleeves. This suit was getting a free show.
"You have to tell me what the good news is, right? So I can be mentally prepared. Jennie, you know, I have a heart condition. If I get too excited, I get short of breath and faint easily." Ethan slightly increased the distance between them. With people coming and going at this time, if someone saw him being so intimate with Jennie and went to curry favor with the manager, the manager would surely give him a hard time.
"Haha, I'm not telling you. Fainting would be great, I'll give you mouth-to-mouth." Jennie said, covering her mouth and giggling. Her chest surged with laughter.
"Uh... I haven't brushed my teeth in years. If you're not afraid of getting knocked out by the smell, then bring it on."
"Hmph, just kidding. Stingy, as if I'd eat you up." Jennie gave Ethan a sideways glance and led the way.
The Triumph Catering and Entertainment Company owned over a dozen bars and KTVs, each with a manager fully responsible for the store's operations, management, and sales. The manager of this bar was John Bush, a man in his forties, bald, with a flat nose and an ugly appearance. But he was a graduate of hotel management, with over ten years in the industry, and he did have some insights into bar management, which was why he held his position.
Seeing Ethan enter, John stood up to greet him.
Ethan waved his hand, signaling the manager to stay seated, and asked with a smile, "Manager, you wanted to see me?"
"Haha, yes. Ethan, come, sit - what would you like to drink?" John pointed to the sofa next to him. He also stood up and sat down. Ethan was his lucky charm, it wasn't quite appropriate for him to sit high and mighty at his desk and talk to him.
Ethan scanned the room and pointed to the red wine in the cabinet behind, saying with a smile, "Anything... let's have the wine in your cabinet. It looks pleasing to the eye."
John was taken aback, then said with a smile, "You have a sharp eye. Just pried it from a friend, was planning to enjoy it with Jen- I mean, by myself, but you spotted it." As he spoke, John stood up, took two glasses from the cabinet, poured half a glass each, and handed one to Ethan. He held the other and gently swirled it.
It was Ethan's first time drinking red wine, seeing John swirl it, he thought it looked cool, so he imitated him. But he used too much force and accidentally splashed himself. He quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe his clothes.
"Haha, swirl it gently. You're using too much force." John said, closing his eyes slightly, and taking an elegant sip, letting it roll around in his mouth before swallowing.
Ethan knew he wouldn't look like a prince even in a dragon robe, and this kind of elegance couldn't be learned overnight. He finished the remaining red wine in his glass in one gulp, choked and coughed a few times, tears coming out.
"What did you want to see me about, manager?"
"Of course, it's good news. When have I ever had bad news for you?" Seeing Ethan drink his precious red wine like it was water, John felt a pang of pain.
"Giving me a raise?"
"Half right."
"Giving me a vacation?"
"Haha, wrong. A promotion."
"Promotion? Manager, I can't do that." Ethan quickly waved his hands. How could a guy like him, who didn't even have a primary school diploma, handle such a demanding job? Just looking at ledgers gave him a headache.
"Who said I'm making you the manager? If you're the manager, what am I going to do? Haha, promoting you to supervisor."
"Supervisor? Why promote me so quickly?" Ethan asked, puzzled.
Each store had one manager, with two supervisors under them. These two usually assisted the manager in their work and were also candidates for new store managers. Typically, supervisors were people who had been working at the lower levels for a few years. For Ethan, a newcomer, to be promoted to supervisor was unexpected even for him.
"You, others are overjoyed with promotions, but you're all unhappy. It is a bit fast, but this was personally proposed by the young miss." John explained with a smile.
"Young miss? Which young miss?"
"Miss Seraphina, the chairman's daughter - Seraphina Crowe."
"That violent woman? How is that possible?" Ethan exclaimed. The first time they met, he made her cry, the second time, he tore her skirt and criticized her fashion sense - she should want to cut him into a thousand pieces, how could she possibly promote him? Was it a trap?
"What? You know the young miss? I was wondering why she would specifically suggest promoting you. So you two are old friends." John adjusted his sitting posture slightly while speaking. Just now, he was sitting at the same level as Ethan, but now he lowered his waist a bit.
Ethan saw this and inwardly praised the man for being so adaptable. "Not really friends, we've just met twice."
"Really? Then it proves that the young miss recognizes your talent. Of course, every time I report the bar's turnover, I specifically mention you - you don't know, today, when the young miss proposed you as supervisor, several other store managers disagreed, saying you were too inexperienced and lacked the ability to convince others. I said, his monthly sales are the highest in the entire company, can you do that? What is experience? Ability is what matters most."
John indirectly brought up his own contribution.
"Thank you for your cultivation, manager. I will definitely work hard and do my best to help you with your worries and problems." Ethan was so touched he almost wanted to cry again.
"Mmm. Work hard, I have high hopes for you. My position will be yours sooner or later." John stood up and patted Ethan on the shoulder.
"Knock knock," someone knocked on the door twice, and without waiting for a response, barged in. "Manager, someone is smashing up our place."