Diary of Getting Rich Quick in the South

As soon as I stepped into the corridor, I was hit by deafening singing mixed with the pungent smell of tobacco and alcohol.

I was assigned to manage three medium-sized rooms right next to the stairwell.

The first private room was occupied by several middle-aged, burly men, all of whom were flushed from drinking, reeking of alcohol, and had exceptionally arrogant and picky tempers.

I had just finished cleaning up the mess from the previous incident when they started waving their hands and ordering me around.

One minute they want me to move a whole case of ice-cold beer right away, the next they complain that the glasses have water stains and order me to replace them.

The fruit peels and cigarette butts scattered on the ground had just been cleaned up when the mess returned in the blink of an eye.

This group of people were already excited after drinking, and they would yell at anyone who was even slightly slow to move.

I suppressed the impatience surging in my heart and kept my head down, doing everything by carrying wine, washing glasses, sweeping the floor, and taking out the trash, running back and forth non-stop.

Fortunately, the customer gave me a tip of over a hundred dollars after drinking too much.

Sure enough, I received over 100 yuan in tips in just over half an hour, and that was in a private room.

If you're assigned to one of those VIP private rooms, you could easily earn seven or eight hundred, or even a thousand yuan, in a single night.

I heard from Ma Wencai that last time a customer watched the World Cup and won, the waiter in the VIP box received a thousand.

The young masters in the other private rooms all received one hundred.

The princess alone received five hundred.

The guests in the other two private rooms were even more difficult and outrageous.

They were all dressed smartly, young men and women.

As a result, they recklessly spilled sunflower seed shells, alcohol, and beverages all over the floor in the private room, instantly turning the once beautiful floor into a mess.

It's probably because those young guys who hang out in the streets want to leave the girls with the impression that they're awesome and can get along with anyone.

And they kept ordering me around in all sorts of creative ways.

Every few days, they would ask me to adjust the air conditioning temperature, change songs, change drinks, and get snacks. They were simply using me as a tool for venting and having fun.

If it were the old me, I would have lost my temper and turned on them on the spot.

I was busy until after 9 p.m., working at a high intensity for several hours straight. My legs were sore, swollen, and numb, and I felt like I could fall asleep standing up.

Having finally managed to find a moment to rest against the wall in the corridor, Old Ma quickly walked over carrying two bottles of mineral water.

"You must be exhausted. I just heard that Zhang Qiang assigned you all three of the most difficult private rooms on the second floor."

He lowered his voice and reminded me, "You must keep your temper in check and avoid confrontation, or you'll easily suffer a great loss. If you get into a conflict with a customer, the company won't help you."

I unscrewed the bottle of mineral water and gulped down a few mouthfuls; the icy water calmed the burning sensation in my heart.

I nodded slightly: "I know, thank you for reminding me, Brother Ma, I understand."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a fawning, laughing voice came from the end of the corridor.

I turned my head and saw Zhang Qiang, his back bent and his face full of flattery, slowly walking towards me with a heavily made-up middle-aged woman.

The woman was dressed in a luxurious mink coat and had glamorous makeup; she looked like someone you shouldn't mess with.

Needless to say, this must be the powerful "hen" from Shenghua Club that Lao Ma mentioned.

But isn't this Hongyun KTV?

What's she doing here, being the mother of a hostess at a club? Bringing prostitutes here to entertain customers?

Could it be that Zhang Qiang called her here?

As I was lost in thought, the two of them passed by me, and Zhang Qiang's godmother suddenly stopped, her gaze sweeping over me.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhang Qiang beside her.

They acted as if they didn't see me and started talking about me right in front of me.

"Is this the new guy you were talking about? Su Wan's little cousin? He's not very old, but he's got some nerve. He dared to talk back to you and give you attitude on his very first day."

Zhang Qiang immediately put on a fawning smile and hurriedly bowed his head in agreement.

"It's him. He's young, hot-tempered, and doesn't understand workplace etiquette. I deliberately put him in the most tiring area on the second floor to teach him a lesson."

I stood aside and pretended not to hear.

Zhang Qiang's godmother suddenly raised her hand and tapped me lightly with her finger.

The force wasn't enough to seriously injure me, but it carried a strong sense of humiliation, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Young man, I advise you to behave yourself."

She looked down at me condescendingly: "Your cousin's wife used to work for me. She was quite sensible, obedient, and knew her place."

Don't be so rebellious and arrogant, causing trouble everywhere you go.

The rules here are not for you to break. If you really displease me, no one can protect you, understand?

"understood."

I replied expressionlessly.

I am currently powerless, without any connections or foundation. If I were to lose my temper on the spot, I would only end up being fired.

Seeing that I obediently gave in, Zhang Qiang's godmother didn't pester me any further. She glanced at me contemptuously, then put her arm around Zhang Qiang's arm and turned away arrogantly.

"Pah, godmother? More like lover."

Seeing these two embracing and being all lovey-dovey, I felt a surge of disapproval in my heart.

Once everyone had completely walked away, Ma Wencai finally spoke: "That old woman is just like that, extremely petty, and loves to use her status and connections to bully newcomers. Today's incident was deliberately staged to give you a hard time."

I remained silent.

Before I could fully calm down, the call bell in the private room interrupted my thoughts.

I could only suppress all distracting thoughts, adjust my mindset, and turn around to continue working.

At 11 p.m., the evening crowds reached their peak, and the venue was bustling with noise and excitement. But it was also at this time that real trouble began to arrive.

One of the private rooms I was in charge of had a guest who deliberately caused trouble just before the bill was due.

She insisted that I had miscalculated the drinks bill and deliberately overcharged her to cheat me out of money. She made a scene in the private room, throwing a tantrum and refusing to pay the bill no matter what.

Upon hearing the news, Zhang Qiang rushed over and greeted the troublemaking guests with a smile and kind words throughout.

But the moment she turned to face me, her expression turned icy.

"The customer couldn't possibly have made a mistake; it was your carelessness that caused the bill to go wrong!"

He didn't give me a chance to explain, pointing his finger at me: "According to the store's rules, the price difference is deducted from your commission. Half of your drink commission today is confiscated!"

This is clearly a case of settling personal scores and deliberately making things difficult for someone.

I checked the bill several times, and the amount was exactly the same.

But the guest deliberately caused trouble, and the supervisor deliberately showed favoritism. Even though I felt extremely wronged, I couldn't defend myself.

I even suspect that the guests in this private room were deliberately arranged by Zhang Qiang.

I know some private rooms are difficult to manage and chaotic, but is it really such a coincidence that I was the first one to be assigned to one of them?

I looked up at Zhang Qiang, my chest tight with a feeling of suffocation, a mixture of anger and resentment.

At the bottom level, the customer is always right.

No matter how much grievance a lower-level employee suffers, they will never have the right to defend themselves or reason with others.

Seeing that I remained silent, Zhang Qiang assumed that I was backing down and afraid of trouble, and a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.

He left with the words, "If you make another mistake, I'll deduct your entire commission," and turned to walk away.