A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

After listening, Xu Wenshu paused for a few seconds, holding her mulled wine, then turned to Fu Yan: "Who is that singer?"

"The new singer who applied for the job, today is his first day."

"Applying for a resident singer position?" Xu Wenshu raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't look like a singer, she's so pretty, she looks more like... an actress."

"You're absolutely right. Students from the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy, studying acting, coming here to sing, I don't know what they were thinking."

Xu Wenshu didn't reply, but looked at Qin Manni, who was packing up her guitar on the stage, with something more in her eyes—not appreciation, but understanding.

"I guess she couldn't make it in the entertainment industry anymore," she said softly.

Fu Yan glanced at her.

"That circle is notoriously dark." Xu Wenshu's tone was calm, as if she were stating a fact that everyone knew but no one was willing to admit. "A young girl, without a backer or connections, wants to make it? She has to be willing to risk everything. Either someone will support her, or she has to lie down and do nothing."

She said this without much expression, as if she were simply giving her inaugural address.

But Fu Yan could tell that Xu Wenshu had worked at CCTV for several years and had seen far more of the dirty tricks in the industry than he had. She wasn't gossiping; she was feeling sorry for him.

"It's pretty much the same in every circle." Fu Yan picked up his glass and swirled it. "Maybe even darker than the entertainment industry, it's just that the entertainment industry has more media exposure. The finance industry, the real estate industry, the academic industry... which one is clean? It's just that they don't make the news."

Xu Wenshu glanced at him: "Are you defending what you did in the past?"

"You... I'm just stating the facts."

"That's true." She took a sip of mulled wine. "Things in the entertainment industry can't be hidden because of the high level of exposure; everything is in the open. But some of the dirty and sordid things in other industries are still in the shadows, not easily seen by the world. Sigh, it's not easy for anyone!"

Fu Yan thought about it and felt that what she said made sense.

-

After Qin Manni finished singing, she took her guitar and left the stage, heading straight to the bar to find Qiu Kai.

Fu Yan followed, holding his wine glass.

"Manager Qiu, um..." Qin Manni stood by the bar, looking at Qiu Kai somewhat nervously, "I've finished singing, um..."

"It's about the money, right?" Qiu Kai took an envelope from under the bar. "It's three hundred, calculated based on the temporary performance."

Qin Manni took the envelope, glanced at it, and pursed her lips—three hundred yuan, which was probably all the money she earned singing at the bar for one night.

But her expression wasn't one of dissatisfaction with the amount; rather, it showed a sense of relief.

"Thank you, Manager Qiu." She carefully tucked the envelope into her canvas bag, her movements very gentle, as if afraid of breaking something.

Fu Yan, standing near the bar, casually asked, "Studying acting?"

"Hmm." Qin Manni lowered her head slightly when she saw Fu Yan. "From the Beijing Film Academy."

What year are you in?

"Senior year, graduating this year."

"A performance student singing isn't really a good fit, is it?"

Qin Manni was silent for two seconds, then said softly, "...I'm not filming any scenes."

The two words were spoken very softly, almost drowned out by the background music in the bar, but Fu Yan heard them very clearly.

"Hmm? What's going on? Is the competition fierce?"

Qin Manni hesitated for a moment, pursed her lips, and spoke as if she had made a great decision: "I accepted a role before, but the director asked me to... I refused, and then I didn't get any more roles."

When she said "the director requested it," her gaze shifted slightly, and she didn't look at Fu Yan.

Fuyan understands it instantly.

These days, what does it mean for a young girl to refuse unspoken rules in that industry?

It means you've offended someone you shouldn't have, it means you've gone from "potential" to "ungrateful," it means your name will disappear from the casting list, and it means you'll never receive another call from the assistant director.

It means—to be shelved.

A senior performing arts student, who is destined to leave the entertainment industry before even graduating.

Xu Wenshu's guess was spot on.

Fu Yan looked at the girl in front of him—a beige sweater, an old guitar, a canvas bag containing three hundred yuan and a dormant dream of becoming an actress.

She's kind of pitiful.

But Fu Yan didn't show anything on his face.

"Chou Kai," he said, turning his head.

"Um?"

"Pay her according to the standard rate, and also sign a temporary contract for her as a resident singer, with everything that should be written down."

Qiu Kai nodded: "Okay, I'll draft it tomorrow."

Qin Manni paused for a moment, looked up at Fu Yan, and her lips moved slightly: "Thank you... Boss Fu."

"No need to thank me, you stayed because you sang well." Fu Yan raised his glass. "Sing well, don't waste your talent."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left, leaving Qin Manni standing by the bar, clutching the strap of her canvas bag, her eyes a little red.

Qiu Kai watched from the side, sighed, and said in a low voice, "Don't cry. This is a bar, not a theater for melodramas."

Qin Manni stopped crying and started laughing, quickly lowering her head to wipe her eyes.

-

At 2 a.m., the last table of customers left.

Zhao Gang had drunk quite a bit, but he was still standing firm—the armed police were tough, though his eyes were a little unfocused, as if he were aiming at everything. He Wei, on the other hand, was already exhausted, fast asleep on the table, a bit of mint from his mojito still clinging to his lips.

"He Wei, get up." Lin Xiaochen nudged him.

"Mmm...one more, please..."

"You've already had six drinks."

"Then I'll have another one..."

Fu Yan glanced at the two of them and said to Lin Xiaochen, "Can Zhao Gang still drive? If so, have him drive him home."

"I can drive!" Zhao Gang suddenly stood up straight, almost bumping into the chandelier.

"You can give him the A8, but leave the Range Rover here and pick it up tomorrow."

"Received!" Zhao Gang saluted—he always saluted when he was drunk, a habit he couldn't break.

He Wei was half-carried and half-dragged into the A8 by Zhao Gang. He turned over in the back seat and continued to sleep, muttering, "Mojito is so delicious."

Fu Yan watched the A8 wobble as it drove out of the alleyway of Houhai, and silently prayed for a second for the night shift traffic police in Yanjing.

-

Back at the bar, Qiu Kai and the staff were finishing up: wiping tables, turning off lights, locking the liquor cabinet, and checking the accounts. Everything was done methodically; they were clearly experienced.

Fu Yan stood at the door, turned up his coat collar, and said to Lin Xiaochen, "There's something you should remember."

"you say."

"If you have some free time in the next couple of days, go and see if there are any apartments for rent around the bar."

"Rent a room? What for?"

"Employee dormitory." Fu Yan pointed in the direction of the bar. "There are already quite a few people here, and we might add more or some might leave. Having a unified place to live makes management easier and is also more convenient for them. We can't expect employees to squeeze onto the bus to Houhai every day and then squeeze onto the bus back home late at night after get off work."

Lin Xiaochen thought for a moment: "How many bedrooms do you want?"

"At least three bedrooms, preferably four. The location doesn't need to be too far, within a 15-minute walk. Simple decoration is fine, as long as it's clean. Once we find one, we'll rent it and I'll pay for the renovations."

"What about the budget?"

"No budget. Anything suitable will do."

……