Taking a sip of tea, Hong Jie smiled and said, “Alright, then start working. Let’s go to the dressing room together. I’ll get your uniform.” To her surprise, Hong Jie didn’t make things difficult for her and allowed her to begin work immediately.
It was an ultra-short swan dress. When Hong Jie handed it to her, for a moment, she truly wanted to refuse this job.
Her gaze fixed intently on the white swan dress. She remembered the first time she saw such a dress on television; her impression then was how beautiful it was.
It was the classic ballet costume.
Looking at the ultra-short swan dress, Zhong Wanqiu felt a mix of disgust and helplessness, which helps the audience empathize with her internal conflict.
Yet, this was her work uniform, and she had to wear it.
“Wanqiu, as long as you sell three bottles of this foreign wine every day, you’ll receive your base salary. Any bottles sold beyond three will earn you a commission; half of the profit will go to you.”
She smiled bitterly. She already knew that the so-called half commission was essentially fake. After all, how much profit the foreign wine generated was entirely up to the boss.
So, when they mentioned “half the profit,” it actually amounted to very, very little.
“Okay, I understand.”
“Since you have no objections, go change into your uniform.”
“Alright.” She responded softly and quickly changed into the white swan dress in the dressing room.
It was a beautiful dress, but as the short, thin fabric hung on her, Zhong Wanqiu felt a mix of shame and helplessness, sensing she was desecrating the swan’s beauty and feeling trapped in her circumstances.
Tugging at the hem of the dress, she couldn’t cover her exposed thighs no matter how hard she tried.
Hadn’t she seen others wearing it before?
Even after seeing it so many times, she still couldn’t get used to such a short skirt.
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Zhong Wanqiu took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her choice and the need to endure, hoping her resilience would carry her through this difficult night.
The bar, already crowded with people, made Zhong Wanqiu feel a flicker of hope, reminding the audience of the potential for connection and success.
“Sir, would you like some red wine?” Standing at the entrance of the dressing room, she hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to take the first step in her bar promotion career, though she walked over with an unsteady gait.
The man waved his hand. “No, I want whiskey.”
“Okay.” She signaled a waiter to bring the whiskey, but the boss was shrewd; commonly, ordered drinks like whiskey didn’t count toward their promotion targets.
Summoning her courage, Zhong Wanqiu approached three more customers in a row, but all she received in return were their firm “NOs.”
Feeling exposed and vulnerable in her swan dress, Zhong Wanqiu’s helplessness under the man’s grip deepens the audience’s concern for her safety.
If that bottle of wine hit the floor, it would mean a loss of over a thousand yuan.
She would have to pay for it.
This was clearly stipulated in black and white in the contract she had signed not long ago.
Heavens, she hadn’t earned a single cent yet, and now she was going to lose money instead.
Horrified, she watched helplessly as the bottle of red wine plummeted downward. Her heart seemed to fall along with it, so heavy that even breathing became difficult.
But suddenly, just as Zhong Wanqiu was lamenting, an elegant and slender hand miraculously caught the bottle of red wine. “Miss, be careful.”