Before she knew it, Mai Xiaoshu had been unemployed for ten days. Without part-time income, it was difficult to support herself with scholarship alone. She soon felt that she was in danger.
When Song Feifei learned that it was she who proposed the resignation, she sighed and said that she did not know how to cherish the hard-won opportunity. She also found out that Mai Xiaoshu had concealed something from her, which made Song Feifei a little sad.
At noon that day, after returning from the zoo, Mai Xiaoshu lay by the window of his room and sighed.
"Xiao Shu, what's wrong?" A clear bird song came from outside the window.
It's Andy! Mai Xiaoshu was overjoyed.
"Long time no see, how are you?" Looking at Andy flapping his wings in the air, Mai Xiaoshu greeted him.
"I just saw you coming out of the zoo , but you disappeared in the blink of an eye. Why didn't you say hello to everyone before leaving?"
"So you saw me! I wanted to go see you guys, but..."
"Don't mention it..." She had wanted to go to the zoo director today to try to get her job back, but unfortunately, the director was out of town to attend a meeting, so she temporarily handed over the zoo management to Wen Na. When Wen Na heard her intention of coming to the zoo, she arrogantly said that she had already hired a new person and wanted to send her away quickly. When she asked to go into the zoo to see the animals, Wen Na ruthlessly said that she was not an employee and needed a ticket to enter the zoo.
Each ticket cost several hundred yuan, and she was short of money at the time, so she had to turn around and go home.
Fearing that Andy might worry, Mai Xiaoshu did not continue talking, but changed the subject, "I just greeted the director, and then I received a call to go back to the company for a meeting. I didn't make it in, hehe."
Mai Xiaoshu tried to laugh it off to hide his embarrassment.
"fraud!"
"Ah? What did you say?"
"You clearly wanted to be reinstated, but Wen Na refused under the pretext of being the director!"
"You heard it all!" Mai Xiaoshu lowered his head and looked very frustrated when his lie was exposed. "They said they found the right person. I'm sorry, I lied because I was afraid you would worry."
"What a fool! Wen Na is jealous of your good relationship with everyone and is afraid that the director will promote you instead of her. Don't let her lead you next time. I heard it all. It was Wen Na who didn't let you in. She just bullies the weak and fears the strong!"
"I didn't expect it would be so difficult to find a new job! In addition to applying for reinstatement at the zoo, I also sent out a lot of resumes, but I didn't hear back."
Seeing Mai Xiaoshu's sad face, Andy flapped his wings, flew to the window, and told him the purpose of his visit.
It turned out that a cat cafe had just opened in the shopping street near Ivy League College. Andy heard from the clerk a few days ago that the boss wanted to recruit caring cafe clerks who could take care of cats.
"Really? Great, I'll go check out that store now."
As Mai Xiaoshu just stood up, Song Feifei pushed the door open and Andy hid when he saw it.
"Here!" Song Feifei handed Mai Xiaoshu a piece of paper with an address and phone number on it.
"What is this?" Mai Xiaoshu was full of questions.
"I saw a cat cafe hiring. I've made an appointment for you. Just go there for the interview tomorrow afternoon."
"You also know that this cafe is hiring?"
"So you knew that. I've worked in vain."
“No, no!” Mai Xiaoshu quickly waved his hand, “Thank you.”
The surprise came too suddenly. Feifei not only didn't get angry with her, but also helped her find a job. Andy supported her from behind. She instantly felt that she was the happiest person in the world. Thinking of this, she hugged Song Feifei excitedly and spun around.
Seeing Mai Xiaoshu's happy expression, Song Feifei also laughed, but she was so dizzy that she soon lost control and shouted, "Mai Xiaoshu, I'm dizzy!"
On the appointed afternoon, Mai Xiaoshu came to the coffee shop on the corner. The coffee shop was decorated very exquisitely and elegantly, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee.
When Mai Xiaoshu pushed the door open and entered, he saw several couples sitting inside. There were several cats around them, including a handsome British shorthair, a chubby orange cat, and a few Garfield cats lying in the corner and taking a nap. From the overall environment of the cafe, it can be seen that the owner has excellent taste.
Mai Xiaoshu was pleasantly surprised. He looked around for a while and decided to find a corner to sit and wait for the interviewer.
She glanced at a table of guests in the corner, but strangely, the two boys were wearing baseball caps. When they saw her come in, they immediately pulled the brims of their hats down low, so she couldn't see their faces clearly.
Why wear a hat on such a hot day? It makes you look so mysterious?
Mai Xiaoshu had heard girls at school gossiping that the commercial street in this area was very unique and celebrities would occasionally appear there.
Is he really a star?
Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a little excited.
"Miss, what would you like to order?" When she was about to get closer to take a closer look, a gentle voice came from a cute girl in a coffee shop uniform.
"Hello, my name is Mai Xiaoshu, and I have an interview with the boss here at 3 o'clock."
"Oh, is that so? Please wait a moment, I'll go call the boss over." The girl smiled politely and walked towards the inner room.
Mai Xiaoshu found an empty seat near the two boys and sat down.
"Did you bring your resume?"
After a while, a man's voice came from far away.
Mai Xiaoshu quickly stood up, bowed respectfully to the man, and handed him a resume he had carefully prepared.
The boss looked very young, wearing a white shirt, with neatly groomed hair. His face was full of arrogance and he looked like he didn't want anyone to approach him. He sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, as if he was sitting in his own living room.
"Your resume looks very ordinary." He started to be picky as soon as he opened his mouth.
Mai Xiaoshu was a little nervous and explained, "I have many years of experience working in zoos and am very good at taking care of small animals. I will definitely be able to take good care of the cats in your store in the future!"
"Besides taking care of cats, can you make cappuccino? Do you know the difference between Jamaican coffee beans and Kopi Luwak beans? Different coffees have different tastes. Do you know how to tell the difference?" The boss asked in a serious and blunt manner. After that, he threw the resume in his hand on the table and leaned back on the sofa, feeling particularly handsome.
"I... don't have any knowledge of coffee..." She confessed honestly, but was afraid that the other party would reject her immediately after hearing this, so she added, "But I have a strong learning ability, I am very efficient at work, and I am willing to learn anything! You will be pleasantly surprised if you hire me!"
"Surprise? Really?" The other party raised his eyebrows, and his attitude was somewhat noncommittal. "We entertain high-end customers, so the recruitment requirements are relatively high."
It seemed that the other party was preparing to reject her, and Mai Xiaoshu showed disappointment on her face.
"As a rule, we don't hire people without experience." He cleared his throat, "But..."
"But what?"
Thinking that there was still a chance, Mai Xiaoshu instantly became excited.
"If you're willing to accept half the salary, I can let you try it."
"Half is only 500 yuan! Less than the zoo..." She wanted to say that this salary was too little, even less than working in the zoo, but she didn't dare to continue, "Boss, I work half a day every day, 30 days a month, isn't 500 yuan a little too little?"
"Oh, well, there's nothing I can do if you don't accept it." The boss suddenly stood up and pretended to leave.
"That's not what I meant." Mai Xiaoshu quickly pulled him back, smiling, "How could I not accept such a great learning opportunity? Of course I am willing..."
"You're an idiot, and you accept such a low salary! And you, were you Huang Shiren in your previous life? You squeeze employees' wages like this!" Suddenly a harsh voice came from not far away, interrupting Mai Xiaoshu's words, and the atmosphere that had just eased became tense again in an instant.
Mai Xiaoshu looked in the direction of the voice and saw the two boys in baseball caps walking towards them one after the other. The words just now came from the mouth of the boy walking in front, but this arrogant voice sounded very familiar!
Although their faces cannot be seen clearly, their tall figures are enough to attract attention among the crowd.
“Who are you?” The boss smiled. Although he was inexplicably called a landlord, he still maintained a proud smile. “Although you are a guest, you should drink coffee well. If you make trouble, don’t blame me for being rude.”
"You can't bully my people!" The slightly arrogant boy suddenly smiled, and his thin lips curled up in a beautiful arc.
Mai Xiaoshu recognized the arrogant tone immediately. She pointed at the boy in front of her and shouted, "An Chengye! Why are you here?"
"Yes, it's me!" At this time, An Chengye took off his hat and reached out to smooth his hair which was slightly flattened by the cap. He didn't look up at her until it returned to its normal state. "Mai Xiaoshu, are you an idiot? I give you a monthly salary of 100,000 yuan and you don't cherish it. Instead, you humble yourself to the person who squeezes you with 500 yuan..."
Without even looking, one could tell that the boy standing behind was Jian Jun, who was inseparable from An Chengye.
An Chengye was wearing a black T-shirt today, paired with simple washed jeans and white sneakers. At first glance, he looked like a college student from a university town. However, his figure and good looks were there, and no matter how he tried to hide them, people were still attracted to him.
No wonder Mai Xiaoshu thought they were stars just now!
"What's it got to do with you?" Mai Xiaoshu crossed his arms and looked at him unhappily.
What the hell, why is he here, meddling in her affairs? Does he think he is still her boss?
"Oh, of course it's my business! I personally paid you, but you just ran away and even dared to look for a job like this with a monthly salary of 500 yuan. If people in the industry knew about this, what would they think of our company? Also, are you stupid? It's obvious that this guy wanted to suppress your salary on purpose..."
"You...you...you've gone too far!" Mai Xiaoshu was so angry that his hands were shaking. He kept saying "you" for a long time before he uttered a word without any harm.
Seeing a mocking smile on An Chengye's handsome face, as if he was about to say something, she blurted out angrily: "I haven't seen you for ten days, and you are still the same An Chengye, always so arrogant!"
Thinking of the suspicious scene of the two of them sitting in the corner and looking nervous after seeing her, she couldn't help but wonder...
"How did you know I was here? Are you following me?"
"Follow you? What are you daydreaming about!" An Chengye retorted with his amber eyes.
"Boss, we're not here to quarrel today." Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Jian Jun quickly leaned over to An Chengye's ear and whispered a reminder.
"Okay, I get it." An Chengye waved his hand.
Jian Jun then turned to the coffee shop owner: "Boss Yu, right? Didn't you invite us to sign a long-term lease?"
Jian Jun was puzzled at first. He was just here to sign a contract. Usually, he handled these trivial matters on behalf of An Chengye. An Chengye had never been interested in him. But today, he didn't know what had happened. When he heard that An Chengye was coming here, he immediately expressed his willingness to come along...
However, now that he saw Mai Xiaoshu, he suddenly understood what was going on.
"You...you are Mr. Jian? Then this is Mr. An, right?" The coffee shop owner who was arrogant just now suddenly became fawning, "I'm so sorry, it was all a misunderstanding just now! Please sit over here!"
what's the situation?
Mai Xiaoshu didn't react at once. She looked at the three people in confusion as they left her aside and returned to their seats to chat.
"Are you Yu Shang?" Jian Jun asked.
"Yes, yes, it's me. Xiaoyou, bring some refreshments over!" Yu Shang called the waiter to bring desserts, and then apologized with a smile, "I'm sorry for not recognizing you just now. I'm the new tenant of your land."
It turns out that An Chengye is the landlord of this store. Doesn’t that mean that this entire shopping street belongs to him?
Mai Xiaoshu didn't remember who had gossiped about this, but it was said that all the shops on the entire shopping street were owned by the same owner. They were envious and jealous of this for a long time, and said that they would be satisfied if they could own even one such shop in their lifetime.
It is true that the richer people are, the more stingy they are. He is so rich, but he is not willing to provide even an ordinary job to the desperate Zhao Qi!
The more Mai Xiaoshu thought about it, the angrier he became. He didn't know whether to stand or sit.
"Mai Xiaoshu, why are you still standing there?" Yu Shang just felt An Chengye's concern for Mai Xiaoshu and thought that they had a close relationship. Seeing her standing there, he took the initiative to ask, "How about... sitting together?"
When Yu Shang asked this question, his eyes were looking at An Chengye, as if asking him for instructions.
"Boss, why don't you be busy first? I'll come to work tomorrow?" The atmosphere was so awkward, and she was in front of An Chengye. She was in no mood to drink her coffee.
"Okay, okay!" Yu Shang smiled amiably and said "Okay" repeatedly, "See you tomorrow!"
But when he turned his head, he met An Chengye's sideways gaze.
He carefully tried to figure out the meaning of that look. Could it be that An Chengye was still dissatisfied with the salary he had just offered?
Yu Shang nodded as if he understood what he meant, then turned to Mai Xiaoshu and shouted, "Wait a minute, Mai."
"Anything else?"
"Well, just now, I just wanted to test whether you really want to work in the cafe. Your performance just now was very outstanding. Although your abilities are lacking, it can be seen that you have a very good character. So the monthly salary is still 1,000. Do you think it's okay?"
"Really? That's great! Thank you, old..."
The unexpected surprise made Mai Xiaoshu unable to believe it, and she nodded heavily.
But before she could finish her words, An Chengye suddenly started coughing as if he was choked.
“Crack, crack, crack… crack, crack…”
Yu Shang started to wonder what An Chengye meant. Did he want to increase his salary?
Although he felt a little distressed, he still followed up and said, "Also, since we just opened our business, we can't provide five insurances and one fund for the time being, so this part of the benefits will be converted into cash. Add these, it's two thousand a month, are you satisfied?"
It’s a double surprise!
Mai Xiaoshu was so excited that he bowed repeatedly: "Thank you so much, I will work hard! I will do anything for you!"
Finally, An Chengye couldn't help it. He put down the coffee cup in his hand heavily and said coldly: "Still working like a slave? Isn't your promise too frivolous?"
Although his words were addressed to Mai Xiaoshu, his angry gaze was directed at Yu Shang, who was sweating profusely.
Yu Shang trembled under his gaze, thinking to himself, what did I do wrong? Isn't that what you meant just now? Please don't raise the rent for me!
"She is my employee, the trump card for the next project. I can't give her to you!"
"What?" Jian Jun and Yu Shang looked at each other.
“……” Mai Xiaoshu frowned and stood there without moving.
Mai Xiaoshu watched An Chengye walking straight towards her. When he reached her, he took her hand domineeringly, and pulled her out of the coffee shop in her confused eyes.
Jian Jun and Yu Shang were left standing there in amazement.