My Nightclub Landlady

"Sister Flower, there"s no need. I"m all sweaty, I"ll get your handkerchief dirty."

Qin Feng looked embarra.s.sed to be wiped down by Sister Flower"s brocade white silk handkerchief. Such a familiar action would leave a very unambiguous impression on the many onlookers.

"Oh, give me a break. You can clean it for me later." Sister Flower shoved the handkerchief into Qin Feng"s pocket. The crowd let out a collective gasp - this was getting pretty intimate.

"Qin Feng," Kun came forward, "you... you don"t have to move those last two barrels. Take a break."

Sister Flower was not satisfied with that. She cleared her throat, coldly glaring at Kun and motioned him to apologize properly.

It was shameful for Kun to apologize to a simple waiter in front of so many employees. Naturally, he refused to do so.

Seeing this, Qin Feng said, "Sister Flower, it"s nothing. I volunteered to carry them. I just wanted to stretch my muscles and bones."

"Quiet!" Sister Flower intended to increase Qin Feng"s prestige in front of everyone, and even more so, wanted to find an opportunity to get rid of Kun. That fellow, personally backed by Zhao Jun, never took her authority seriously. Today, everyone happened to be watching, so she was going to make things clear. "Kun, do you think you are in charge of the Free Man Bar? You think you get to decide what goes on here? If that"s the case, I"ll go to Brother Jun and let him give you the s.p.a.ce to do whatever you want. Okay?"

Kun"s face changed immediately. He bowed down in panic and said, "Oh, Sister Flower, what are you talking about? Who here does not know that you were the one who single-handedly held up the Free Man Bar and took it from near-bankruptcy to prosperity? If you left, there would be chaos! Sister Flower, you cannot speak in anger. If Brother Jun found out about this, he would certainly beat me."

He turned to Qin Feng and quite sincerely said, "Sorry, brother, I was wrong. I should not have punished you like this."

"It"s all right, Brother Kun. I really was late. It"s against the rules of the Bar and it should be punished," Qin Feng said magnanimously.

Sister Flower wanted to raise Qin Feng"s prestige in front of everyone, but Qin Feng did not accept it, which puzzled her greatly. This was the perfect opportunity to undermine Kun"s authority, so why did Qin Feng not dare to resist him? Was he afraid to mess with him?

He wouldn"t be. With her understanding of Qin Feng, he would definitely not give a guy like Kun the time of day.

After the storm subsided, Qin Feng and Sister Flower went to her office.

"That was such a good opportunity! Why did you-"

"Soon, Kun will be transferred, and I will take over his place, but you will have to forgive some people. You are very stiff with Ru Ru and Pei Xiang, but you might need their help when I"m gone."

Qin Feng"s thoughts were far away. When he returned to HQ, he would surely take on a lot of difficult tasks. Once he got redeployed, he wouldn"t be able to look after Sister Flower.

People like Kun, in fact, were easy to deal with. He would naturally think well of anyone who gave him face. Just now, Sister Flower taught him a lesson in front of many of his subordinates, which put Kun in a very awkward position.

Small characters can"t do great things, but they can ruin another person"s good fortune. Kun was such a man.

Hearing this, Sister Flower was stunned. "You"re leaving? Where are you going?" she asked in a panic.

Although she hadn"t been in contact with Qin Feng for long, she had already developed a sort of dependence on him. The notion of his leaving made Sister Flower feel strangely vulnerable and anxious.

"Eh? No, I"m not going anywhere. I mean… just in case, right? You should know this better than me. In these circles, it is very necessary to strengthen our own forces and resources. In case you cannot count on the boss, you have to leave a way out for yourself," Qin Feng said.

"Yes, of course I know that. I just wanted to take care of you, and I was afraid that you might be wronged, and I also wanted to raise your status."

In a different tone, Sister Flower said, "Hey, Did you just say you"re taking over Kun"s position? Is he leaving? What do you mean? Is that what you talked to Brother Jun about?"

"Partially." Qin Feng smiled, "Would you mind if I stuck around?"

If he had a higher position, taking care of Sister Flower would appear more reasonable. Otherwise, as a small waiter always hanging around the boss, he wouldn"t be able to avoid drawing the wrong sort of attention.

"Of course not. It"s just that Kun has been under Brother Jun"s wing for many years. Their relationship is very close. Kun wouldn"t dare to be so bold in front of me otherwise. If I hadn"t played the quitting card just now, he wouldn"t have stopped! He knows he doesn"t have the ability to run the business himself. The place would close in three months if he were put in charge," said Sister Flower.

"Well, you don"t have to use that card again. I have my ways to make Brother Jun more agreeable," Qin Feng grinned.

"Do you have some kind of evidence that implicates Brother Jun? I"m telling you, you must not provoke him. If you plan to take Kun"s place by threatening Brother Jun, I urge you to quickly stop what you"re doing. That"s only asking for trouble," Sister Flower worriedly said.

"Hha, how come? Don"t worry, you"ll find out later."

Qin Feng did not want to discuss the specifics. It was related to Jia Quan, the Director of Public Security, and out of Sister Flower"s league. Moreover, he still had to call the provincial military headquarters and negotiate with the military officials. All of these things needed to be done on a top secret basis. The slightest leak would expose the delicate relationship between the military and civic authorities. That would be a ma.s.sive disaster.

"Well, I won"t pry, but you have to be careful, and don"t be impulsive," Sister Flower said seriously.

"Well, I"ll get busy, then."

After Qin Feng went back downstairs, he happened to come across one of the Free Man Bar"s ladies, Li Xiuju. She was from Sichuan, not very tall, but her appearance was particularly handsome. Her smooth skin was so tight it looked like she could squeeze water out of it, and her towering b.r.e.a.s.t.s made Qin Feng forget where he was going for a moment. Seeing her carrying a large, heavy crate filled with tissue paper boxes, Qin Feng hurried to her aid. "I"m coming, I"m coming."

"Thank you, Brother Feng." The tired and sweaty Li Xiuju gratefully handed the box over. "Lucky I ran into you, or I would have been crushed to death."

"Why are you doing this crude work? What about the waiters?" Qin Feng said, pressing the b.u.t.ton for the elevator. He threw the box on the ground, "To the private rooms on the second floor?"

"Yeah, two boxes in each room."

Li Xiuju pinched his willowy waist and said, "Humph, the waiters are all playing cards in the private rooms. They usually do not work at all, and even when they do they steal the drinks left over from the customers."

"Really? Doesn"t anyone care?"

Qin Feng had been working on a part-time basis. He would only come to work at eight o"clock in the evening. Two days ago, his "trial period" ended. He now had to come to work at 2 p.m., but he still did not know that things were like this. The men played cards and drank, while the women worked tirelessly.