DM Chapter 29

Chapter 29: A Brand-New Career

 

Jiang Xiaoyuan pointed at herself in disbelief. “Me? Did I hear that right, Store Manager? Are you really saying you want me to go for the training?”

Chen Fangzhou gave her a look of disdain. “Who else would go? As a store manager, I have a million things to handle daily…”

Jiang Xiaoyuan didn’t listen to his self-praise; she felt as if she had been struck by a five-million-yuan jackpot. For a while, she was completely dazed, and it took considerable effort to pull her thoughts out of the boiling state and immerse them in cold water, just barely managing to return to normal thinking.

Jiang Xiaoyuan said, “Wait a minute, are you really sending an intern technician like me? Don’t other people have any objections?”

Chen Fangzhou felt relieved. She was finally considering others’ opinions, though not entirely correctly, it was at least a good start.

“Don’t worry,” Chen Fangzhou said, “besides someone like you who’s clueless, no one else is willing to go for this first round of training. They say it’s to expand business, but whether it will succeed or not is another matter. If it fails, going now will only waste a month’s worth of performance bonuses.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan was already overjoyed, and her excitement made her dizzy. She stumbled around the store, eventually bumping into a heater, losing her bearings entirely.

Boss Chen was so distressed that he grimaced and sighed while holding his precious heater, wishing he could take his place.

Chen Fangzhou: “It’s just training that no one wants to go to. Is it worth this much excitement? Even if I sold you, I wouldn’t be able to compensate for my little treasure…”

Jiang Xiaoyuan didn’t have time to feel jealous of the heater. She covered the spot where she had bumped herself, still buzzing with excitement, and said to Chen Fangzhou, “You don’t understand. The first step is always the hardest. Now, even if I’m just starting, one day I’ll be at the forefront of the fashion and styling industry in China… no, the world. Do you believe it?”

Chen Fangzhou looked at her with disdain and said, “Pah.”

After spitting, he worriedly adjusted his hat, feeling that the girl’s delusions seemed to be getting worse.

The headquarters hired a professional teacher from a makeup school to conduct a short-term training for the trainees from various stores.

In the past, Jiang Xiaoyuan saw makeup schools as vocational schools with no taste or aesthetic. What could they possibly teach? She never imagined that one day she would be a student, sitting in a classroom and starting from scratch with a group of students who like to stick three layers of false eyelashes and make their eyes look thorny.

Jiang Xiaoyuan always remembered the unintentional teaching of Boss Chen – when you don’t know where to start, start from scratch.

She is a master of wild ways, and has explored the fashion field of buying and taking medicine countless times more than anyone else. At first glance, her level can indeed be amazing, but after a short period of amazing, she actually doesn’t know how to continue to improve in the long run—after all, she no longer had the financial means to experiment at will.

The makeup teacher started with basic theory, not teaching any practical skills on the first day. Instead, they were given a pile of dry theories to remember, such as “what constitutes foundation cream,” and concepts like “three distances, five eyes,” and “three points, one line.” The teacher’s level was limited, with a heavy accent, and the lecture was as monotonous as chanting. Most of the trainees were there to learn how to cut and attach false eyelashes, but were overwhelmed by the theory, with some already falling asleep within half an hour.

Jiang Xiaoyuan became the only student who went in and came out upright, standing out from the crowd.

Moreover, the next day, she was the only one who had memorized the entire “Makeup Knowledge Handbook.”

By the third day of training, the teacher was still slowly covering very basic techniques and everyday makeup that anyone could learn, and some people had already started skipping classes. The training management was lax, and the teacher, being paid to do the job, turned a blind eye when people left, further encouraging this behavior.

After a week, the number of people who insisted on attending classes was less than half of the number at the beginning.

Jiang Xiaoyuan, who was always the first to arrive and the last to leave, and even studied at home, became the top student among a group of underachievers.

Sometimes she wondered—if she had told this to herself a few years ago about this, would she have believed it?

The word “diligent,” which had been missing from her dictionary since birth, finally made its way into her life, leading her towards an unknown direction.

For someone who had been away from school for many years, sitting in a classroom and listening to lectures was incredibly painful. But when her spirit had a pillar, all pain and difficulties seemed insignificant.

Jiang Xiaoyuan’s enthusiasm for learning was astonishing. By the end, even the textbook-style makeup instructor noticed her.

The instructor, surnamed Jiang and calling himself “Sam,” was a man—though there aren’t many men in this profession, those who do it are usually very dedicated, as they must truly love it to be willing to face ridicule for their passion.

One day, after the class, while packing up his tools, Instructor Jiang noticed that everyone had left except Jiang Xiaoyuan, who was quietly sitting in the corner, finishing her notes. Curious, he approached her quietly and peeked over her shoulder.

Jiang Xiaoyuan’s notes were extremely detailed, with both text and illustrations. She wrote down what the teacher said in class with a black pen, and she annotated her own summary or other thoughts with a blue pen. There were hand-painted facial makeup pictures of characters next to them. Although they were just casual sketches and a few strokes, they made a clear and logical description of the whole process, which looked very real.

Instructor Jiang suddenly said, “Your notes are great; they could be directly published as a makeup tutorial book.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan was so serious that she didn’t notice someone behind her and was shocked.

Instructor Jiang observed her for a moment, then sat on a nearby desk and casually said, “I see you’re serious about learning. Do you plan to pursue this profession?”

Jiang Xiaoyuan nodded.

“Well, you should think carefully,” Instructor Jiang said, nonchalantly brushing his bangs with his fingers. “This industry has no entry barrier; anyone can learn and know a bit. It’s not easy to succeed. I see your handwriting is good. Why not save some money and, in two years, enroll in night school or learn some other skills?”

Jiang Xiaoyuan tried to ignore Instructor Jiang’s peculiar hairstyle, smiling as she said, “Teacher, if I were going to do that, I might have already gone out to play with them.”

If she had done that, she might have already replied to Mingguang’s message, accepted Qi Lian’s help, continued as a freeloading parasite, or perhaps be partying in some obscure European university.

Instructor Jiang looked at her with a gaze that seemed to be stirred by something, and after a while, he suddenly pointed at Jiang Xiaoyuan with his slender finger and said, “Come here, do my makeup.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan was stunned at first, pointing at Instructor Jiang’s hairstyle that she had long been disgusted with, and blurted out:“Do you want me to restyle your hair as well?”

“Do you have an occupational disease[mfn]An occupational disease is a disease or disorder that is caused by the work or working conditions.[/mfn]?” Instructor Jiang glanced at her. “Alright, do as you wish.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan took over Instructor Jiang’s makeup bag with a playful smile, borrowed the hair dryer and styling water from the headquarters, and was not panicked in her heart, just thinking it was a whim to practice. She had long been dissatisfied with Instructor Jiang’s Japanese-like effeminate head and face, and was ready to give it a try.

“Can I do whatever style I want? Do I have creative freedom?” Jiang Xiaoyuan asked.

Instructor Jiang replied with a casual “Mm,” leaning back in his chair like an old Buddha, no longer giving directions.

Jiang Xiaoyuan cheered inwardly and quickly transformed Instructor Jiang’s face from a pale look to a deeper tone, adjusted his eyebrows, removed his heavy bangs, and gave him a complete makeover according to her own aesthetic.

A man who was once a delicate young boy, if not for his receding hairline or his unredeemable onion-shaped head, what kind of hairstyle would he have?

It looked far from high-class.

When Mr. Jiang opened his eyes and looked in the mirror, the muscles in his face twitched in unison.

Mr. Jiang was undoubtedly slender and handsome but never truly handsome. However, after Jiang Xiaoyuan’s drastic makeover, he transformed from a creamy cake boy into a dashing young man.

In the domestic beauty and hairdressing industry, many have adopted Japanese and Korean styles, sometimes even adopting their aesthetic standards. It seems that if a person doesn’t have bangs, dyed hair, or meticulously groomed eyebrows, they’re not considered part of the industry.

Jiang Xiaoyuan pushed all of his front hair up, exposing Mr. Jiang’s originally broad and slightly angular forehead. She drew half-real, half-fake eyebrows directly above his eyes, used shadow instead of sparkling eye shadow, and made the eyeliner blend seamlessly with his eyes. It was so subtle that it was hard to distinguish if one didn’t closely examine his eyelids. His features were deep and three-dimensional, not overly embellished, and his cheeks showed a natural paleness under the subtle shading.

At first glance, Jiang Sam was shocked by the sudden resurgence of masculinity that he thought had long been extinguished. At the second glance, he couldn’t get used to it, as if a young girl had been given a buzz cut. At the third glance… it seemed to have some appeal.

Jiang Xiaoyuan asked, “Teacher, how does it look?”

Instructor Jiang was silent for a moment, then asked with a slightly annoyed tone, “Who taught you this?”

Jiang Xiaoyuan replied, “No one taught me; I just improvised. I think you look better this way.”

Mr. Jiang Sam stared at the mirror with a fierce expression for a long time. Jiang Xiaoyuan suspected he was still unhappy, so she toned down her smugness, shrugged, and said, “If you really don’t like it, just wash it off, and I’ll redo your old makeup.”

However, Mr. Jiang did not wash it off. He merely packed up his things in silence, left with a cold face, and walked away with big strides. Perhaps influenced by the new look, he seemed to have become more manly.

A little less than a month later, Jiang Xiaoyuan finished her training and returned to Chen’s shop. Under the overwhelming Christmas promotions, she prepared for her new career.

Since Boss Chen had only sent her for the training, Jiang Xiaoyuan was naturally responsible for the new business. Therefore, besides being a hairdressing intern, the shop had specially made a “Chief Stylist” badge for her, which looked very impressive. However, since the new business was just starting, the table was short; she was both the chief and the last seat, both the person in charge and the runner.

Despite this, the sole “Chief” made Jiang Xiaoyuan’s position in the shop seem quite exceptional, as if she could now stand shoulder to shoulder with those senior stylists who had worked for six or seven years to earn their titles.

“A newcomer who has only been at the shop for half a year, why should she get this?” Helen, who already had a grudge against Jiang Xiaoyuan, publicly questioned. “Boss Chen, I don’t care if she’s your relative or whatever. Are we going to have every connectionless person who can’t climb up just invent some random new business and become a chief? What about fairness?”

Chen Fangzhou looked around and noticed that, except for a few who were usually friendly with Jiang Xiaoyuan, no one else spoke up, especially not the senior stylists and another technical director.

Clearly, Helen’s words had struck a chord with them.

Chen Fangzhou crossed his arms and said, “Did I ask anyone during the training if they wanted to go? What were you all doing then?”

Helen, sounding very confrontational, replied, “Before the training, you didn’t mention adding ‘Chief’ to the badge! There are directors, senior stylists, and so many regular technicians. Why should an intern who can’t even cut hair properly get this?”

Chen Fangzhou asked, “So what do you suggest?”

“It certainly can’t be left like this,” Helen said angrily, casting a resentful glance at Jiang Xiaoyuan.

Before she could finish, the troublemaker Xiao K suddenly spoke up, “We’re rolling out a new business now. Other stores are doing it, so we have to do it too. Let whoever is the chief take responsibility.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan’s eyes twitched. When she looked up, she happened to meet Xiao K’s gaze.

Xiao K maliciously smiled at her and said, “Being a chief can’t be free, right? If this business doesn’t work out, won’t all the costs for initial promotion, printing price lists, and buying cosmetics be wasted? That’s all a cost, too. I think it should be like this: if the business fails, whoever is in charge should pay for it. This way, it’s fair, right?”

The headquarters has a profitability requirement for the new business trial. If the relevant business doesn’t meet the revenue target within two months, it will be canceled at this store.

Usually, for a shop like theirs, complex stage makeup is unlikely, and most customers come for daily makeup. During the trial phase, a daily makeup job costs around a hundred yuan. Jiang Xiaoyuan calculated that to meet the headquarters’ revenue target, she would need to serve at least two to three customers a day.

Xiao K: “Besides, having someone be the chief stylist while also being an intern in hairdressing isn’t appropriate. It’s quite degrading. So I think it’s not right for her to get the performance bonus for an intern. Chief Jiang, don’t you think?”

With expenses for cosmetics, printing various promotional materials, and so on, the initial investment is conservatively estimated to be around seven or eight thousand yuan. Without performance pay, Jiang Xiaoyuan’s basic salary is less than a thousand yuan. She also has a creditor like Qi Lian on her back. If she is self-sufficient, won’t she be able to pay it back in a donkey’s year[mfn]Donkey years means for a very long time.[/mfn]?

Even the other senior stylists, who had been silent until now, couldn’t watch any longer.

Another director whispered, “That’s not appropriate. Employees shouldn’t pay for it themselves.”

Helen countered, “I think it’s quite appropriate. If she wants to be the chief, she should take responsibility.”

Chen Fangzhou: “Let—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Xiaoyuan blurted out, “Alright!”

 

 

 

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