This Place Is Not Suitable for Her

Su Yang picked up his wine glass, thought for a moment, and said, "Xia Zhiyu, if possible, would you be willing to change jobs?"

Xia Zhiyu was taken aback and looked at Su Yang in confusion. "Of course I would. As long as it's a proper job, I wouldn’t even mind if the pay was halved. But this year, finding work has been so hard. Plus, with my low education and lack of skills, it’s really difficult to land a suitable job."

Su Yang shook his head with a smile. "What I meant was, would you be willing if I offered you a job?"

"Huh? You..." Xia Zhiyu was momentarily stunned, her eyes fixed on Su Yang.

"Don’t get me wrong—I just think you’re a good person. Working in a bar like this, with such instability, is a waste of your potential. You deserve a better work environment."

Su Yang glanced at Xia Zhiyu and continued, "I own a Western restaurant and a media company in Haicheng, both great places. If you trust me, I can help you."

Hearing this, Xia Zhiyu lowered her gaze, her eyes flickering uncertainly. But soon, her expression grew resolute.

After a brief silence, she looked up into Su Yang’s sincere eyes and said, "I trust you!"

"Good. That’s all I needed to hear. You can choose between the two—work at the restaurant or the media company. If you join the media company, you’ll be working with Xia Li, the woman from earlier. You can learn from her if you have any questions."

"If you’d rather go to the Western restaurant and learn about hospitality management, that’s fine too. I can arrange that more easily."

Xia Zhiyu felt a wave of disbelief. Before, finding any job had seemed impossible, yet now, two great opportunities were right in front of her.

As she pondered, Xia Li walked in from outside the cabin.

Noticing the silence between the two, Xia Li frowned. "What’s going on with you two? Sitting here without saying a word?"

Su Yang smiled at her. "We were having a great conversation. What took you so long?"

"I had to take a big one!"

"Uh… alright."

"Come on, let’s drink."

"Coming." Xia Li chuckled and sat down on the couch.

But when she saw Xia Zhiyu lost in thought, she frowned again. "What did you do to Xia Zhiyu?"

"What do you mean?"

Xia Li narrowed her eyes, studying Xia Zhiyu’s face closely. "Her eyes look a little red. Did you…?"

She widened her eyes in suspicion, staring at Su Yang.

Su Yang tilted his head in exasperation. "What are you thinking? We were just talking. She got a little emotional, that’s all."

Xia Zhiyu nodded. "That’s right, Xia Li. Su Yang is really kind. We were just chatting."

"Chatting about what that made you cry?"

"It’s nothing serious. Xia Zhiyu, have you made up your mind?" Su Yang turned to her.

"Made up her mind about what?" Xia Li looked utterly confused.

"I just offered her two job options and suggested she quit this place. It’s not right for her."

Xia Li finally understood. She glanced at Su Yang. "So, you’re poaching her?"

"Exactly. A girl as beautiful as her shouldn’t be stuck in a job like this. With her looks, she could easily become a viral live-streamer at our company."

Xia Li’s eyes lit up. "Oh! Why didn’t I think of that?"

She reached out, gently lifting Xia Zhiyu’s chin for a closer look, making the younger woman blush before nodding in satisfaction. "So pretty. I didn’t even notice earlier."

"Xia Zhiyu, Su Yang must’ve told you—we’re from the same company. We specialize in nurturing live-streamers. He’s my boss, and I’m the general manager. If you’re willing, you can join us anytime. Work under me, and I’ll train you into a streamer with millions of followers. How does that sound?"

Xia Zhiyu was overwhelmed. She shyly glanced at them and murmured, "Thank you, Xia Li. But Su Yang mentioned his Western restaurant too. If possible, I’d prefer working there."

"What? The Western restaurant?" Xia Li frowned at Su Yang. "What Western restaurant?"

"Moonlight Hours."

"Moonlight Hours… is yours?"

"Yep." Su Yang grinned.

"Damn, you’re full of surprises. I had no idea you owned Moonlight Hours."

"Heh, there’s a lot you don’t know."

Xia Li thought for a second before turning back to Xia Zhiyu. "Xia Zhiyu, a restaurant isn’t that exciting. Come to the media company instead. Being a live-streamer is easy money. At his restaurant, you’d have to clock in and out on time—so boring."

"With us, there’s no clocking in. Plus, we’ve got great perks—a cafeteria, gym, afternoon tea, holiday bonuses, and a bunch of young colleagues. You’d make tons of friends!"

She rattled off the benefits without giving Xia Zhiyu a chance to respond. "Think about it. The media company offers better career growth. Our platform is huge, and with me personally guiding you, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Su Yang sat quietly, smiling. To him, anywhere was better than the bar. It was up to her.

After a long pause, Xia Zhiyu looked at Xia Li apologetically. "Xia Li, I… I understand everything you’re saying, but I…"

Xia Li sighed, already knowing the answer. "You still want the restaurant?"

"Yes…"

"It’s not that the restaurant is bad, but why not choose streaming? The short-video industry is booming. Even if you don’t want to be a streamer, there are other roles with great prospects. Our company is the perfect platform for your future. And with your looks—plus my guidance—I guarantee you’d be making 30,000 to 50,000 a month within six months."

Xia Zhiyu listened quietly before replying, "I… I just want a stable job. Streaming sounds amazing, but I’m more interested in hospitality. I want to learn about restaurant management."

Xia Li was about to argue further when Su Yang patted her shoulder. "Enough. She’s made herself clear."

"I’m sorry, Xia Li. I…"

Xia Li exhaled. "It’s fine. Just a little disappointed—you’d have been a great streamer. But his restaurant is top-tier in Haicheng, so it’s not a bad choice."

Xia Zhiyu held Xia Li’s hand. "Thank you for believing in me. I’m not good with words…"

Xia Li gently squeezed Xia Zhiyu’s hand and smiled faintly, "No need to say all that. It’s fine. Since you’ve chosen to work at the restaurant, just do your best from now on. Anything’s better than staying in this bar."

"Mm-hmm."

After the two exchanged a few more words, Su Yang turned to Xia Zhiyu with a nod and said, "Xiao Yu, go and resign later. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the restaurant. I’ll introduce you to another sister who’ll guide you. You can ask her anything you’re unsure about in the future—she’s really kind."

Xia Zhiyu turned to him, her face filled with gratitude, and stood up to address him earnestly, "Thank you, Brother Yang! You’ve helped me so much, I..."

Su Yang waved his hand, signaling for her to sit back down. "Come on, Xiao Yu... Sit. This isn’t a big deal. No need to be so formal."

Xia Li then looked at Su Yang and asked, "How much will you pay her at your restaurant?"

Su Yang grinned. "I’ll match whatever she’s earning here now. Once she gets familiar with the job and proves herself, I’ll raise it—no upper limit. I don’t make empty promises."

"Honestly, I could give her 100,000 a month or even more right now, but others might resent it. So I can’t do that yet. Once she’s capable enough, I’ll bump up her salary, and no one will have anything to say."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

Su Yang then turned back to Xia Zhiyu. "Xiao Yu, today’s your first day here, right? So you’re still on probation?"

Xia Zhiyu nodded. "Yes, Brother Yang."

"Good. Go tell the bar manager later that you won’t be coming in tomorrow."

"Okay. Brother Yang, I’m really so grateful to you." Xia Zhiyu pulled out her phone hesitantly. "Brother Yang, can I... get your contact info?"

"Of course. We’ll need to coordinate tomorrow anyway."

Xia Zhiyu’s joy was unmistakable. After adding Su Yang on WeChat, she also exchanged contacts with Xia Li.

With that settled, the three of them moved on, returning to their drinks.

Since Xia Zhiyu was technically still on the clock, Su Yang and Xia Li had told her she didn’t need to keep serving them. But she insisted that until she officially quit, she’d do her job properly. Despite their amused resignation, she continued refilling their glasses and joining in their singing and chatter.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was 2 a.m.

By then, the assortment of drinks on the table had been nearly emptied. Xia Li, her face flushed and eyes glazed, was slumped against the sofa. Xia Zhiyu had sipped a couple of glasses here and there but was still fine, and Su Yang remained completely unfazed.

Checking the time, Su Yang leaned toward Xia Li. "Sister Li, want to call it a night? Let’s head out."

"Mmm, okay… Help me up a bit. I’m a little dizzy~"

"Sure." Su Yang stood and steadied Xia Li’s limp figure as she rose.

[Ding. Detected Xia Li’s favorability toward host has increased to: 60. Reward: 2 million.]

Noticing this, Xia Zhiyu hurried over to help support her too.

Su Yang nodded at her. "Xiao Yu, you can clock out now. Just go let your manager know—since you’re on probation, you can leave right after. No need to come in tomorrow."

Xia Zhiyu nodded. "Got it, Brother Yang. Let me help you get Sister Li outside first."

The three made their way out of the cabin. Su Yang smiled. "Alright, go on. I’ll call you tomorrow to take you to the restaurant. Wait for my message~"

"Okay~ Take care, Brother Yang."

"Mm, hurry along. Get home early after you’re done."

With a final grateful glance at Su Yang, Xia Zhiyu turned and headed toward the office. Su Yang, meanwhile, supported Xia Li as they left the bar.

......