When her childhood sweetheart and neighbor grabbed her hand, Qi Sui didn't feel the usual joy and freedom. Instead, her animal-like intuition sent frantic warning signals through her nerves.
"Brother... Brother, let go of me first. I told you, I don't want to work here!" Qi Sui freed her wrist from Chen Ping's grip, wincing as she held it, pouting in displeasure.
She habitually whined at the man:
"Brother Chen Ping, how can you be like this? I already said I'm not coming, and besides, they won't let me work here."
But Chen Ping pushed her shoulder and smiled apologetically at another woman with a shoulder-length bob:
"Sister Juan, take a look. Is she suitable?"
Sister Juan was in charge of the staff at Wanzi Qianhong. Apart from the two big bosses, she was the one running the place.
She was ruthless, and many disobedient men and women were kept in line by her.
Sister Juan sized Qi Sui up, noting her round face and two comically old-fashioned braids. She wrinkled her nose and said coldly:
"Too young. No good."
Chen Ping gritted his teeth: "No, no, she's not too young. She's over 20."
Sister Juan: "Let me see her ID."
Chen Ping immediately nodded and bowed as he handed over the ID, trying to flatter Sister Juan:
"Sister Juan, do we have to be this strict? I've seen underage waitstaff here."
Sister Juan sneered: "You're pretty easygoing, aren't you? Why don't you do their work for them?"
Of course, there were underage workers, but they were regular waitstaff. Wanzi Qianhong had a large gray area of services, where those who earned more also paid more. In Sister Juan's view, men and women who weren't physically mature were prone to catching all sorts of diseases, and hiring them wasn't worth it.
She noted the name, then glanced sharply at Qi Sui, asking coldly:
"Are you sure?"
She emphasized: "This isn't a place you can come and go as you please."
Chen Ping smiled: "Of course, Sui Sui is ready!"
Sister Juan interrupted him, nodding toward Qi Sui: "Let her say it."
Qi Sui looked flustered, naive, still clutching her sleeve. Her round face seemed to deflate, as if she had no idea what was happening.
Suddenly, she spoke up, as if grasping at a lifeline: "No, no, I still have a job. I have to go back to work."
As soon as she said it, Chen Ping tapped her on the head and whispered sharply:
"What are you saying! I already told you, I quit that job for you. It's too tiring."
Qi Sui mumbled but didn't give in: "No, Brother Chen Ping, I don't want to quit."
"Can you get anywhere working at that crappy restaurant?! Listen to me!"
The two were at a standoff.
Sister Juan watched them and sighed,
"Fine, let's start with a temporary worker slip. You follow the waitstaff for a couple of days and think it over."
She had to give the girl a choice.
Brother Chen Ping looked very angry.
Qi Sui stumbled along behind him, clutching the thin slip of paper, feeling wronged.
She hadn't wanted to come in the first place, and now she had to work.
Two or three girls her age pulled her into the changing room, picking out clothes to fit her figure, while Chen Ping strode ahead, leaving her behind to report back to Huang Zhentian.
Finally, Qi Sui was stuffed into a gaudy, mismatched long dress that revealed half her calves. She stared at herself in the mirror, feeling like a colorful bird stealing grain from the fields, proud and unbearably ugly.
She frowned, fiddling with the tacky plastic decorations on the collar, and whispered:
"Do I have to wear this?"
The girls turned around.
"Of course."
"And you have to put on makeup too!"
"Makeup?" That was even more out of Qi Sui's depth. She had only ever used cold cream before, and now this girl looked ready to scrub her round face off.
She mumbled indistinctly: "Do I... have to do it like that? I feel like... this makes me uglier..."
Ding ding ding.
A dazzling figure appeared in the mirror—
No, wait, it was a bird with red cheeks, glittery eyelids, and greasy lips.
Qi Sui leaned in and saw white powder flaking off her face.
She wondered:
What kind of job is this? Scaring people?
Numbly, she followed a group of pretty girls into a dimly lit private room. The girls skillfully held microphones, singing, pouring drinks, and entertaining the guests, occasionally sitting down to chat.