NOVEL NEXT Ch. 28
Chapter 28: Gold Medal Bartender (5)
After a brief moment of astonishment, the gazes cast toward the bar became even more fervent.
If before, they had been captivated by Bai Lengci’s peerless beauty and icy temperament.
Then now, after witnessing how she had resolved a conflict—and even with a touch of counterattack satisfaction.
That attraction abruptly elevated into an admiration, even a faint sense of reverence.
Especially from the female customers.
In the hours that followed, Bai Lengci’s bartending station was hardly ever empty.
Orders came one after another.
“Excuse me, a Gin and Tonic, thank you.”
“Miss, I want a Mojito!”
“Um… could you make me… well… something you recommend? Anything you mix, I want to try!”
Bai Lengci became the undisputed center of attention.
In truth, the drinks she mixed tasted rather average, just as Zhou Zheng had said—at the level of simply pouring water, incomparable to a true professional bartender.
But strangely enough, no one complained.
As long as it was a drink mixed by her hands, even the blandest whiskey seemed touched with something ethereal.
The metallic tray box for tips never stopped ringing with crisp clinks.
Ten-yuan, twenty-yuan, even fifty- and hundred-yuan bills were folded into all sorts of shapes and stuffed inside.
That thought in her mind—“earning 1000 yuan a day isn’t easy”—was quickly washed away by this tangible income.
Only, she noticed that the majority of these generous tippers were women.
Their gazes were bold and direct, filled with unabashed admiration, curiosity, and even… a certain eager excitement.
This stirred within her a faint, incomprehensible confusion.
This face of hers, in men’s eyes, was a calamity.
Yet in women’s eyes, it seemed to have become some strange kind of magnet?
“Hi~”
A young girl with trendy pink-purple dyed hair, holding a freshly-made Screwdriver (vodka + orange juice).
She leaned forward against the bar, staring openly into Bai Lengci’s eyes, her bright smile tinged with coquettish playfulness.
“Miss, your cocktails are so delicious! Can I add you on WeChat? Next time I come, I’ll order directly from you!”
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Bai Lengci said,
“Sorry, we’re not allowed to use phones during work hours.”
The smile on the pink-haired girl’s face stiffened for a moment, then she pouted and muttered, “So cold.”
She didn’t press further, taking her glass back to her seat, but her gaze kept sneaking back toward the bar from time to time.
Not long after, another woman approached—this one mature, well-dressed in a tailored suit, with a lady’s wristwatch on her wrist.
She ordered a Dry Martini (gin + dry vermouth + olive), sat gracefully, and let her eyes linger on Bai Lengci.
When the drink was placed before her, she didn’t immediately drink.
Instead, she pulled out a crisp hundred-yuan bill from her expensive handbag, gently tucking it beneath the coaster, sliding it forward.
“Nicely done.”
Her voice carried a lazy, magnetic charm—very pleasant to hear.
“This is my tip. And this is my business card.”
She pushed forward a card—simple in design, yet of exquisite quality.
On it was only one name: “Lin Wei,” and a private phone number.
“I quite appreciate you… shall we be friends? Perhaps we can… explore each other more deeply in private. I’m very interested in your potential.”
Her words carried an unmistakable hint.
Bai Lengci’s gaze lingered briefly on the hundred-yuan bill and the business card.
Then, she picked up a spare notepad and pen from behind the bar, wrote down a string of numbers, and placed it next to Lin Wei’s card.
A flicker of satisfied anticipation flashed across Lin Wei’s eyes as she reached for the note.
“This is Twilight’s reservation number, Miss Lin. If you need to book a table, you can call here. Thank you for your tip.”
With that, she slipped the hundred-yuan bill into the tip box with natural ease, as if the business card had never existed.
Lin Wei’s hand froze midair, her elegant smile faltering.
But that stiffness lasted less than half a second.
Her smile then deepened—tinged with amusement, and… a curious admiration.
She slowly withdrew her hand, her gaze burning even hotter as it rested on Bai Lengci’s impassive face.
“Heh…”
A low, soft laugh slipped from her red lips.
She leaned forward slightly, the scent of her expensive perfume mingling with faint traces of alcohol—overpowering and aggressive.
“No matter.”
Her red lips curled into a seductively dangerous arc.
“Elder sister here has plenty of patience. After you’ve stood behind this bar long enough, seen enough, thought things through… when you change your mind, you can come find me anytime.”
She tapped lightly on the smooth surface of the bar.
“Remember my name, Lin Wei.”
Leaving those words behind, she turned.
Her high heels clicked against the polished floor.
Her graceful figure swayed as she walked deeper into the dimly lit bar, vanishing at last through the velvet curtain that led to the VIP section.
The air still seemed to carry the strong, unique trail of her perfume.
Of course.
This was only a small episode in a busy night, and Bai Lengci paid it no mind.
What she cared about was the metal tip box in the tray, growing heavier by the minute.
At 3 a.m., the music softened, and customers gradually left.
Bai Lengci changed out of her bartender’s black vest and white shirt, putting on her own coat.
She took out the tray’s tip box, stuffed full of bills of all denominations.
She quickly counted them.
Excluding the hourly wage Zhou Zheng had promised, the tips alone added up to nearly 2000 yuan! An income far exceeding expectations.
After leaving the bar, she didn’t head straight home.
Instead, she slipped into a nearby tobacco and liquor shop, still lit.
“One carton of ‘Heaven and Earth’.”
She pointed to the cigarettes behind the counter and spoke to the shop owner.
It was the brand she had noticed Zhou Zheng occasionally smoking earlier.
When she returned to the alley behind the bar, Zhou Zheng was at the door, speaking in a low voice with Ah Ken.
“Brother Zheng.”
Bai Lengci walked over and handed him the carton of “Heaven and Earth.”
Zhou Zheng blinked, looking at the cigarettes, then at Bai Lengci’s calm face.
He instinctively waved his hand, refusing.
“Hey, Xiaobai, what’s this? No need, no need! You worked hard, the customers loved you, you earned this.”
Bai Lengci didn’t withdraw her hand, only said calmly,
“It’s fine. I made almost two thousand in tips tonight.”
Zhou Zheng’s motion to refuse froze, surprise flashing across his face before dawning realization set in.
He accepted the carton, weighing it in his hand, then broke into a genuine smile.
“Ha! Seems my eye wasn’t wrong—you standing there is like a golden signboard! Alright, I’ll accept this gesture. From now on, at Twilight, if anything comes up, you can come to me or Ah Ken.”
He patted Ah Ken’s shoulder beside him.
“Thank you, Brother Zheng.”
Bai Lengci nodded slightly.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Alright, take care on the road.”
Zhou Zheng nodded.
Bai Lengci walked along the road toward home.
She pulled up her collar, savoring the reassuring weight of that thick wad of bills in her pocket.
Mm, the chilly wind felt wonderful.