Diary of Getting Rich Quick in the South

My heart skipped a beat.

Is it really that bad luck? I've already offended some big shot here on my very first day of work?

I quickly asked, "Who is his godmother?"

Ma Wencai lowered his voice: "The hen at Shenghua Club."

I was speechless for a moment, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Good grief, are you kidding me?

I thought Zhang Qiang had some powerful backer, but you're telling me it's just a hen?

Seeing my unpleasant expression, Ma Wencai quickly waved his hands and explained.

"Brother, don't overthink it. I'm not saying your cousin's wife is that kind of person."

Working in that kind of chaotic place, there are traps everywhere.

Zhang Qiang's godmother had accumulated a lot of bad debts when she was young and had to run away. Later, she made some money and started a nightclub business.

He had gathered a large group of young girls under his command, and his methods were very cunning.

Many honest young women were tricked and drugged by her, and unwittingly fell into the trap of prostitution.

He paused, then added, "Even if she doesn't resort to underhanded tactics, if that old woman is deliberately targeting someone, she can easily cut off their customer base or reduce their commissions, and that person simply won't be able to stay in the club, and their performance will plummet."

After hearing this, I gasped in shock, finally realizing just how deep the waters run in this industry.

No wonder Zhao Hongqi insisted on putting me at the bottom and starting from scratch.

If I had come in directly using Lao Gui's name and Zhao Hongqi's name, everyone would have fawned over me.

I have no idea about these hidden schemes, let alone any experience with them.

I sincerely thanked Ma Wencai: "Thank you for reminding me, Brother Ma. My cousin's wife quit her job at the club a long time ago."

Ma Wencai breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, one less layer of trouble. But you still have to be careful of Zhang Qiang. He's petty and holds grudges. You embarrassed him in public today, so he'll definitely find a chance to make things difficult for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a waiter quickly walked over.

"Chen An, Brother Qiang wants you to come to his office."

Zhang Qiang and I had a conflict before, and we almost got into a fight. What does he want from me now?

He definitely wasn't hiding anything good.

Despite my reluctance, Zhang Qiang was, after all, the supervisor here, and his rank was higher than mine.

Ma Wencai patted my arm reassuringly and said, "Go ahead, brother. At most, he'll make things difficult for you behind your back; he won't directly pick a fight with someone."

I nodded to him and thanked him.

To be honest, I'm not afraid of him having people surround me at all.

I'm just wondering what he's up to by suddenly talking to me alone now, after we just had a big argument.

Upon arriving at the office and pushing open the door, I saw Zhang Qiang leaning back in his office chair, playing on his phone.

He didn't even lift his eyelids when he saw me come in.

I didn't speak first, but stood quietly to the side waiting for him to speak first.

After a full half minute, he threw his phone on the table and glanced at me sideways.

"You were really angry just now, arguing with me in front of a bunch of people. Do you think you have powerful connections?"

I replied, "Brother Qiang, I'm not targeting you, it's just that what you said about my cousin's wife was really harsh. Anyone would find it unbearable."

Zhang Qiang chuckled, leaned forward, and tapped his fingers on the table.

"Fine, I'll let this go for now. Since you're working for my place, you have to follow my rules. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you know someone."

He opened the drawer and tossed over a black waiter's uniform and a thin employee handbook.

"I'm officially starting work tonight. I'll be in charge of three medium-sized private rooms on the second floor. My duties include serving drinks, cleaning, and being available whenever needed. I have to respond to any customer requests immediately."

"The person who interviewed you should have already told you about the base salary plus commission; I won't repeat it."

"During work hours, avoid chatting with others in groups. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask, and don't meddle in things you shouldn't meddle in. Just mind your own business. Now, go out, change your clothes, and come to the second floor to report to me."

I picked up my uniform and rules: "Understood, Brother Qiang. I'll do my job well."

Zhang Qiang seemed surprised that I was so well-behaved, and paused for a moment.

"Good to know. Don't cause any trouble. If anything goes wrong in the private room, losing your salary is a minor issue; you'll be fired."

I nodded, turned around, and walked out of the office.

As soon as I closed the door, Ma Wencai was waiting for me at the corner of the corridor.

Seeing me come out, he quickly came over and asked in a low voice, "How did it go? He didn't give you any trouble, did he? He didn't pick a fight with you?"

"They didn't do anything, they just assigned me to manage three medium-sized rooms on the second floor." I waved the uniform in my hand.

Upon hearing this, Ma Wencai's brows furrowed instantly.

"Oh no, why were you assigned to the second floor?"

I quickly asked him, "What happened on the second floor?"

Ma Wencai sighed: "That area is the most difficult to manage in the whole venue."

The private rooms on the second floor are mostly used to accommodate a diverse range of regular customers year-round.

Getting drunk and acting out, deliberately making things difficult for the waiters, is commonplace for him.

Several new employees couldn't handle it and voluntarily changed positions.

When people cause trouble, Zhang Qiang never speaks up for his subordinates; instead, he always blames us for not knowing how to serve them.

Holy crap.

I was wondering why that bastard didn't curse at me or try to ambush me earlier.

Feelings are like subtly making things difficult for me, secretly manipulating me when assigning tasks.

Ma Wencai had warned me before that this person would only cause trouble in secret and would not take action openly.

If I confront him now, I'll only give him an excuse to use me as an example of being unruly.

Moreover, I myself am not in the right.

After all, I was a newcomer and he was the supervisor; he had the authority to assign me to any private room.

Even if he doesn't have to do anything, he can just use the excuse that he's a newcomer and needs to get familiar with the environment, and I won't be able to guard a single private room or get a single commission.

Therefore, many waiters secretly buy cigarettes and alcohol to entertain guests and pay for the manager's services, all in order to be assigned a good private room.

I gave a wry smile: "Fine, I'll do whatever I'm assigned to."

Ma Wencai patted me on the shoulder: "Be careful. If you encounter a difficult customer, don't confront them head-on. If you really can't handle it, just quietly come to me and I'll lend you a hand."

My heart warmed, and I handed him the package of He Tianxia that I hadn't given him earlier: "Thanks to Brother Ma's advice today, please accept this gift. I'll need your help in the future."

This time, Ma Wencai didn't refuse. He accepted the cigarette and said with a smile, "We're all just trying to make a living out here. It's only right that we help each other out. Hurry up and change your clothes; the evening rush hour is coming soon."

I carried my uniform to the staff changing room, pondering to myself as I changed.

Zhang Qiang has the backing of the madam and godmother of Shenghua Club, and he is petty and loves to settle personal scores.

Just as Zhao Hongqi had said, all sorts of people gathered there, and scheming was everywhere.

It may look like a karaoke bar, but it's actually a small-scale underworld.

Fortunately, I didn't reveal my relationship with Zhao Hongqi.

If he had come here and started to flaunt his status as "Brother Red Flag," I would never have been able to figure out these social niceties and underhanded tricks.

After changing into my black waiter uniform, I headed to the private room on the second floor.