After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 17

At 7:30 PM, Ming Sian entered the bar under Cheng Cheng’s teasing.

“No wonder you could go back even after resigning. So that’s how it is.”

Make it clear—what exactly is ‘how it is’?

“When did it start between you two? Did you chase her, or did she chase you?”

Is it possible that there’s no such thing at all?

“I even saw you give her your clothes to wear. Since when did you become so considerate, you rascal?”

Okay, stop it. You’ve repeated it too many times.

Ming Sian had tried to explain, but Cheng Cheng simply didn’t believe her. In Cheng Cheng’s words: “Senior He Yining is a famous cold beauty. Even if she were freezing to death, she wouldn’t wear someone else’s clothes.”

Ming Sian didn’t know why He Yining insisted on wearing her clothes either.

Amidst Cheng Cheng’s meaningful glances, Ming Sian entered the conference room; arriving half an hour early was specifically for a meeting.

The manager, Tommy, scanned the crowd. They were the servers for the private booths, and Tommy was one of the managers for that section.

She signaled everyone to stand in two rows, then walked a circle around them. “Your looks are among the best of the servers at The Royal. However, I don’t want you to rely on that to reach out and ask customers for tips. At The Royal, if a customer is willing to give, you can take it; if they aren’t, you cannot even hint at it.”

Having said this, anyone who wasn’t a fool understood the purpose of this meeting. A server must have reached out to a customer for a tip, and the manager found out, which broke the bar’s rules.

Tommy’s gaze landed on Ming Sian. “I received a report that someone hinted for a tip. If you come to see me privately, I’ll let this matter go.”

Ming Sian frowned. The other’s gaze seemed to be implying she was the one who asked for the tip. She had never proactively asked; it was true that customers gave tips because of her face, and the amounts weren’t small.

“In addition, The Royal’s shareholders will be visiting the bar today. I will personally lead the service for Booth 001. A-Wen, Xiao Ming—you two will come with me; today you will only serve Booth 001.”

Ming Sian was speechless. Xiao Si, Xiao An, Sisi, An’an—any of those sound better than ‘Xiao Ming.’ It makes me feel like I should be doing a math problem.

After the crowd dispersed, she and A-Wen remained in the conference room. Tommy had further arrangements for them.

A-Wen was a male Alpha, the “refreshing” type. He had a bit of a “warm soup” vibe—refreshing yet nurturing, with the youthful air of a high school boy who could also cook for you. He was quite popular at The Royal and received many tips every day.

However, recently, his tips had decreased significantly. The reason was simple: as long as he worked the same shift as Ming Sian, his tips would drop.

He truly didn’t know what was so good about this “dull gourd” who only knew how to smile and couldn’t even say a nice word.

A-Wen walked behind her, glaring hatefully at her back. He had to find a way to get rid of her. If once didn’t work, he’d try twice; how many times could the manager protect her?

Tommy glanced at them, gave a few instructions, let A-Wen leave, and then looked at Ming Sian meaningfully. “Do you have nothing to say?”

Ming Sian raised an eyebrow. “What does the manager want to hear me say?”

When Tommy mentioned reaching out for tips earlier, the look she gave her was very obvious; she clearly believed Ming Sian was the culprit.

Tommy looked at her deeply. “The Royal prohibits reaching out to customers for tips.”

“The manager thinks I reached out?” Ming Sian didn’t intend to beat around the bush; speaking bluntly was the best way to clear her suspicion.

“Someone reported it to me.”

Ming Sian smiled. She was a lawyer, after all. “Who? Is there witness or physical evidence? I will take up legal weapons to defend my reputation.”

Tommy suddenly remembered that she was a top student at Hong Kong University’s Law School—someone likely to become a great barrister in the future, best at wielding legal weapons.

Hearing her say this, Tommy already believed her. Being willing to go as far as a lawsuit suggested the other party’s accusation was likely slander.

“Alright, since there’s no evidence, I’m just telling you about it.”

Tommy softened her tone. Ming Sian never intended to actually sue; she just used that method to prove she didn’t do it. Furthermore, she didn’t plan to let the person spreading rumors behind her back off easily.

Ming Sian softened her voice. “Manager, I’m just a student working part-time. I need this job to improve my life; I wouldn’t do anything that violates the rules. Someone slanders me with a casual word, and I have to stand before you and work hard to make you believe I didn’t do it. The cost of spreading a rumor is too low, but the damage to the person involved is huge.”

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became. She lowered her eyes with a look of helplessness; she appeared exceptionally pitiful, making people feel a sense of favoritism toward her.

Tommy’s tone softened significantly. “Don’t worry, I will give you an explanation for this. but you must let it end here.”

Ming Sian nodded weakly, looking even more endearing. “Yes, I won’t cause trouble for the manager.”

Her meaning was clear: she wouldn’t pursue it further because of Tommy, not because she was actually willing to let it go.

So sensible!

Tommy’s gaze grew even softer. “Good girl. Call me ‘Sister’ from now on.”

“Yes, Sister Tommy.” Ming Sian followed the lead, as obedient as a little white flower.

“Go get ready. We’ll be busy in a bit.”

“Okay, Sister Tommy.”

Ming Sian answered obediently, making Tommy’s heart melt and giving her a different feeling toward her.

So cute. I want to have a child like her.

The moment Ming Sian turned around, her face went cold. The person spreading rumors about her chose the topic of tips, so it was likely related to tips and specifically someone from the booth service.

The Royal has eighty private booths. Although there are many servers, she worked the part-time shift for Booth 080 and had only worked a few days. There were only so many people scheduled with her.

Since they worked in pairs, the scope was even smaller. Looking back at the times she received tips, she quickly narrowed it down to two people.

A-Wen and a female Omega. She heard A-Wen was the server who usually got the most tips in Booth 080, and that female Omega wanted to date her but was rejected; having lost face, the girl often tried to cause trouble. Since it hadn’t caused serious consequences, Ming Sian hadn’t taken it seriously.

Aside from these two, she had no conflict of interest with anyone else, and those people had no motive. Of course, others couldn’t be ruled out, but these two were her primary targets.

Ming Sian found a chance to tell Cheng Cheng. Cheng Cheng clenched her fist and cursed under her breath, “Don’t let me find out who it is.”

“Be careful. We’re close, so they might target you because of me.”

This was why she warned Cheng Cheng; she couldn’t let her be schemed against blindly.

After they separated, Ming Sian tidied her clothes and walked through the long corridor of booths to Booth 001. Usually, anyone who could enter this booth was either rich or noble. The minimum spend was a million—not something an ordinary person could afford.

A million sounds like a lot to an average person, but for those entering this booth, a single bottle of wine can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions. A million is just a drop in the bucket.

The food served in the booth was prepared by one-on-one master chefs, all of whom were famous in their own right.

In her previous life, Ming Sian had seen wealthy people, but she had rarely seen such luxury. At The Royal, she was truly having her eyes opened.

8:00 PM is actually too early for people with a nightlife.

She and the others assigned to Booth 001 were inside tidying up. Booth 001 is the most luxurious in The Royal. The semi-circular sofas can seat dozens of people. Every two meters, there is a tea table. Surrounded by the semi-circular sofa is also a large round table with twelve chairs. Beside it is a DJ booth where DJs and dancers can perform directly. Inside, there is even a small swimming pool—”small,” but it’s dozens of meters long. Beside it are two billiard tables. Further in, there is a tea room for private chats among three to five people, and a bar where a mixologist specially prepares drinks for customers. The booth is surrounded by large screens, and when the curtains are opened, there’s an excellent view of the stage; it could be called the best vantage point in the bar.

Usually, Ming Sian stayed in Booth 080. Although it was already very luxurious, it paled in comparison to 001. Moreover, she usually just delivered things; she wasn’t always in the booth—that was for the “Playmate” group.

Although A-Wen’s tips were high, compared to the Playmate group, it was a case of “a small witch versus a great one.”

In Booth 001, there were naturally more than two or three servers. Tommy was the manager for Booths 070 to 080. 001 had its own staff, but today they were drawing from various booths, and the managers themselves were stepping in. They brought the best few from their groups to 001 to prevent any mistakes.

The salary at The Royal is high. Those who get in rarely want to leave unless something happens. For Ming Sian and Cheng Cheng, they only had to work four shifts a week. If they were truly busy, they could still take three to five days off a month. A monthly salary of around 10,000 is something they wouldn’t find in most places.

To stay, she had to teach the person trying to frame her a lesson.

Thinking of this, Ming Sian turned to leave the booth and happened to run into the female Omega who had confessed to her. It had to be said that anyone working at The Royal, even a server, had decent looks. The girl wore a mask, her eyes as soft as water.

The moment she saw Ming Sian, those soft eyes turned to hatred. “Humph, I thought you were some good person, but you actually reached out to customers for tips. What? Aren’t you afraid of being taken away? Why don’t you just join the Playmate group? You’d earn more, which fits your expectations better.”

The Playmate group only plays with customers in the bar. If they choose to leave with a customer, the bar won’t interfere; that belongs to the employee’s private life, as long as it doesn’t cause a scene at the bar.

Ming Sian looked quietly at the woman. Her calm, deep-well gaze made the female Omega a bit flustered. “What are you looking at? Isn’t it true? In all my time at The Royal, this is the first time I’ve heard of someone reaching out to a customer for a tip. Are you a beggar?”

“It wasn’t you,” Ming Sian said coldly.

“What?”

Ming Sian looked at her name tag. “Number 1037. Since you aren’t the one spreading rumors, keep your mouth shut. Spreading rumors also carries legal penalties.”

Number 1037 froze, clearly a bit worried, but she still acted stubborn. “Who are you trying to scare? You think you’re some great lawyer?”

Ming Sian remained unmoved, her tone terrifyingly calm, just like when she defended a vulnerable client in court. “I am not a great lawyer, but I am the student of a great lawyer.”

The teachers at Hong Kong University’s Law School wouldn’t let their students be bullied, either; otherwise, where would they hide their faces?

Number 1037 raised her voice. “Are you crazy? The one spreading rumors about you is A-Wen. What does it have to do with me? And I don’t care whose student you are.”

Saying this, the female Omega hurried past her and left, even giving up the person who spread the rumor. This was Ming Sian’s true goal. She figured the rumor hadn’t been kept entirely secret.

As it happened, Number 1037 was a know-it-all. Ming Sian was originally going to find her, but she didn’t expect the girl to deliver herself.

Having obtained what she wanted, Ming Sian walked away. At the corner, a pair of high heels came into view. Following the fair ankles upward was a blue tie-dye camisole dress that reached just above the ankles, paired with a brown trench coat. Besides being fresh and romantic, it was as if a fairy had appeared before her. The matching coat added a bit of a heroic air, giving off a strong sense of pressure.

He Yining?

The moment she saw the face, Ming Sian was dazed for a moment. Thinking that the words she just said might have been heard by this woman, she felt a twinge of tension; she had been somewhat aggressive just now.

No—it was necessary to let He Yining realize she wasn’t that easy to get along with.

[Author’s Note]

Ming Sian: Crap, my cold and tough side was seen by my wife.

He Yining: Not bad, she’s not that stupid after all.