Chapter 31: Do I Have to Be a Maid Too?

‘Is this the manager of the cafe?’ Qi wondered to herself.

She seemed a bit older than Bai Qiaoyu, though not just in age.

To be honest, if you only looked at her face, she was also quite young, in her early 20s.

What this manager truly possessed was a temperament that Bai Qiaoyu lacked—a charm unique to mature women, which made her appear more senior.

‘Would someone like her really play games with Su Xiaoqie?’ Qi found it hard to imagine.

“Follow me,” the Store Manager said, standing up to greet them.

The elegant woman led Qi toward the inner part of the cafe, and her roommate followed along.

The woman glanced at Su Xiaoqie.

She didn’t stop her, but she said calmly, “You can watch, but you aren’t allowed to speak later.”

Su Xiaoqie nodded and raised her hand to cover her mouth, indicating she understood.

‘So having a Knife Skin she cares about in someone else’s hands really makes her behave,’ the black-haired girl grumbled inwardly.

Opening the door, they entered a reception room.

There were matching coffee tables and sofas, with snacks and sliced fruit already laid out, clearly prepared in advance.

Qi had been observing the place.

There were many different areas within the cafe, and the front counter with the dining tables only occupied a very small portion of the space.

To buy such a large plot of land here must have cost a fortune.

‘This Store Manager must be very ambitious.’

Qi didn’t have much of an opportunity to be curious about what the other areas were.

After all, she wasn’t a Maid here yet; she had to focus her attention on the upcoming interview.

She sat down across from the elegant woman.

“I heard from Xiaoqie that your name is Qi, right?”

The Store Manager looked at her, her eyes showing deep interest.

“I’m Ruan Mian. You can call me Manager, or you can call me Sister Ruan Mian, whichever you prefer.”

“I hope you can work as a Maid in my shop.”

“I’ll call you Sister Manager,” Qi said in a calm tone.

“Alright. So, Little Sister Qiqi, what are your expected working hours?”

“Can I decide the working hours myself?”

“Of course,” Ruan Mian nodded with a smile.

“Furthermore, the salary is based on your working hours. Besides 1 hour as the base time, every hour thereafter is calculated as 1,000 in monthly salary. A 4-hour shift would mean a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan.”

The black-haired girl was slightly surprised.

These benefits were much better than those at the Hair Salon, and it was exactly the kind of short-term work she needed.

“This part is just the base salary. As long as you are still working for me, this is the amount you are guaranteed to receive every month.”

“Will taking leave result in a pay deduction?”

“Leave for unexpected colds or injuries is unconditionally approved. After all, a Maid must maintain enough vitality and enthusiasm to face customers; health is essential.”

“What about leave for other things? Like exams?”

“That will be approved. As for less important matters, like wanting to go out and play, leave isn’t allowed, but you can arrange 4 days of vacation for yourself every month.”

Qi nodded slightly.

Su Xiaoqie hadn’t lied to her; this was a very good job.

However, she couldn’t just look at the benefits.

“If you’re willing to work here, then sign this contract.”

As she spoke, Ruan Mian picked up the contract from the side and pushed it in front of her.

“I still have a few questions I want to ask.”

Qi didn’t look at the contract yet.

“First, regarding the clothes. Since this is a maid cafe, the clothes worn during work should all be custom-made, right?”

“Of course. The Maid image is the most important part of our shop. Naturally, you’ll need to wear a beautiful enough dress.”

“Then I need to see the clothes I’ll be wearing for work before I decide whether or not to take this job.”

“That’s fine,” the Store Manager nodded straightforwardly.

“Any other questions?”

“Yes. The second question: I shouldn’t need to have any physical contact with the customers, right?”

“We won’t force the Maids to have physical contact with customers. Whether it’s shaking hands or taking photos, it’s entirely up to the Maid.”

“Third question.”

The black-haired girl stared intently into her eyes.

“Do you know Bai Qiaoyu?”

The elegant woman was slightly taken aback by the sudden jump in the conversation, but she still answered seriously.

“That girl? Of course I know her.”

“Are you on good terms with her?”

“Neither good nor bad. Why do you ask?”

“What if she makes your shop close down?”

Qi asked tentatively.

“She wouldn’t dare!” Ruan Mian’s beautiful eyes widened.

“It took me a lot of effort to secure this land. If she really does that, I’ll never hear the end of it with her!”

“Then I have no other questions.”

The black-haired girl’s posture relaxed.

“But why are you asking all this? Do you have a grudge against that girl from the Bai Family?”

Ruan Mian asked with some curiosity.

“It’s not really a grudge, just a small matter.”

Qi didn’t explain further.

“I’d like to see the clothes I’ll be wearing for work now, if I may?”

“The maid dress needs to be custom-made according to your body type. I can show you the design sketches later, and we’ll only finalize the outfit once you’re satisfied. How about that?”

“I can decide what I wear?”

The black-haired girl was a bit surprised.

“We will take your preferences and boundaries into account, but the specific design will definitely be decided by me.”

That was good enough.

After what had happened with the clothing photoshoot earlier, she had a bit of a trauma regarding clothes others required her to wear.

But if she could know in advance and have a say in what she wore, she wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable.

Everything was to her liking, and she didn’t see any hidden traps.

The only thing she wasn’t happy about was being a Maid, but that was the point of the shop, so there was no way around it.

Qi picked up the contract on the table and began to read through it.

This time, she would read every single detail to ensure she didn’t miss any possible traps.

While she was reading the contract, Ruan Mian turned her gaze toward Su Xiaoqie, who was frantically sneaking snacks.

“Xiaoqie, I’m very short on staff. Do you want to work here too?”

“Huh?”

The roommate swallowed the snack in her mouth and pointed at herself.

“I have to be a Maid too?”

“Yes.”

As she spoke, the elegant woman leaned toward her ear and whispered in an enticing voice, “If you come work for me, I can give you my other…”

“Wait, wait!”

Su Xiaoqie rushed to stop her.

“I don’t want to work! I won’t have any time to play games then! Besides, I’m not short on money, so don’t say another word!”

She guessed what Ruan Mian was about to say, which was why she had to stop her.

If Ruan Mian actually said it, she would truly be tempted!

Even if she didn’t agree in the end, once she heard it, refusing would become a lifelong regret that would always weigh on her heart.

She didn’t want things to turn out like that!

“Is that so? That’s a real shame.”

The elegant woman chuckled softly, not pushing the matter.

Qi raised her eyes and glanced at the two of them, not understanding what they were talking about.

She put down the contract in her hands.

She had finished reading the entire content.

Perhaps because the contract had just been drafted, there wasn’t much content; it was very concise and covered everything she had just discussed with the Store Manager.

Concise was good; it meant there was a lower chance of hidden traps.

Qi felt much more relieved at this point.

After thinking it over for a moment, she felt she shouldn’t pass up such a good job.

In the end, Qi signed her name on the contract.