This evening, Robben and I arrived early at the bar, while CC was delayed due to the need to manage the “Empty City” restaurant.

The bar was still devoid of customers, and even the music was not playing. Robben and I sat in a quiet corner, discussing the future operation of the bar.

We each lit a cigarette, and Robben suggested, “Zhao Yang, do you think we should recruit more external staff and offer more free drinks to stimulate business?”

I pondered for a moment before replying, “Such measures can’t fundamentally solve the bar’s operational problems. Moreover, offering a large number of free drinks will increase our operating costs. It’s too risky without a solid customer base. Also, customers brought in by external staff often have low loyalty. Without a clear operational characteristic of the bar, it’s hard to encourage them to return… So, the priority is to find a clear direction for the bar.”

Robben nodded and said, “You know more about this than I do, I’ll follow your lead.”

“Okay.” I responded, then fell into deep thought.

I had many ideas about the operation, but they all involved a large amount of capital. Given our current financial situation, I dared not take the risk.

I felt a headache coming on, and the situation seemed increasingly difficult. Even if I had ample funds to implement my ideas, I wasn’t confident, given the poor external marketing environment!

Feeling helpless, I looked at the current state of the bar. It was already 8 p.m., but there were fewer than ten customers in the spacious bar. It was a pitiful sight. Robben had lost his desire to sing on stage and was just sitting across from me, smoking.

Around 9 p.m., CC rushed in with her handbag. She looked around the bar and her face fell.

“Zhao Yang, can this bar be saved?… If this continues, we really can’t afford the losses!” CC lamented.

I tried to reassure her, “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way.”

“Then you better think of a solution quickly. When Le Yao returns, we need to give her a surprise and an explanation.” CC said, sitting down next to Robben.

I nodded, looking around the bar again. The high-end decor contrasted sharply with the sparse customers, and I felt frustrated once more.

Another hour passed, and the number of customers in the bar decreased even further. The bartender yawned out of boredom several times, and CC had fallen asleep on the table.

I lit another cigarette for myself, but still couldn’t come up with a cost-effective business strategy.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the entrance. Over thirty people streamed into the bar, led by a man in a suit who looked like a company executive. The people following him were also dressed formally, as if they had just finished working overtime.

The executive-looking man was talking to the bartender, who seemed unable to handle the situation and called me over.

I approached the man and asked, “Hello, is there anything I can assist you with?”

The man looked disappointed and asked, “The beautiful woman who sang here yesterday didn’t come today?”

I was taken aback before realizing he was referring to Mi Cai. I shook my head and said, “I’m sorry, she’s not a resident singer here, but a friend of ours. She was just having fun yesterday.”

The man’s disappointment deepened. After a moment, he said, “Ah… The bars in Suzhou have no special features. They’re all noisy and chaotic, and there are hardly any decent resident singers. For us social elites, after a day of intense work, it’s a pleasure to listen to her sing a song quietly here. It can even relieve the tension of the day and help with sleep… What a pity…”

Just as he finished speaking, someone behind him asked, “Mr. Bai, you said you’d bring us to a bar to relax after working overtime today, and that there would be a beautiful resident singer. We haven’t seen a shadow of her. You’re not fooling us, are you?”

Embarrassed by the comment, the man pulled me aside, took out a stack of money from his bag, and negotiated, “Brother, can you call your friend to come and sing a few songs for us? Money is not a problem. If you help me with this, we’ll hold all our company gatherings at your bar in the future, okay?”

I hesitated, and the man quickly took out about a thousand yuan and handed it to me, saying, “Brother, no matter what, I’ve brought the people here. Just let her come and sing a few songs. These are all executives from our company. You have to help me save face in front of them.”

I was torn between laughter and tears. If I told him that Mi Cai, who sang in the bar yesterday, was the general manager of Zhuomei Shopping Center, I wonder if he would still think this was a problem that money could solve.

CC somehow appeared at my side and said, “Zhao Yang, why not call Mi Cai to save the day? After all, it’s not easy to get so many customers when the bar is in such a difficult situation.”

“You know she went to Shanghai today. Whether she’s back in Suzhou, I really can’t say!”

“Just give her a call and ask…” After speaking to me, CC turned to the man and said, “Our friend went to Shanghai today. If she hasn’t returned, there’s really nothing we can do!”The man, after all, was a social elite. He didn’t have the temperament of those unreasonable and annoying people. He nodded understandingly and said, “You can call to confirm. If she hasn’t returned, we can’t force it… However, we will still spend money here today, I guarantee that!”

CC responded with an apologetic smile, “Thank you for your understanding. We will call her right away.”

…

CC pulled me aside and said, “Zhao Yang, you call and ask.”

I shook my head and said, “You should call her. She might not give me face.”

“Why are you so lacking in confidence?” CC rolled her eyes at me.

Ignoring CC’s eye roll, I urged, “It’s the same if you call. There are so many people waiting. Whether she can come or not, you should give them an answer quickly.”

CC glanced at the waiting crowd, and finally, unable to resist my urging, took out her phone and dialed Mi Cai’s number.

Then I heard her say, “Dear, have you returned to Suzhou?”

“I have! That’s great, there’s something I need your help with. Can you come to Le Yao’s bar now? Here’s the situation…”

“Mm-hmm, the customers are all waiting. Please hurry over… Drive safely on the road!”

CC hung up the phone with a sigh of relief and smiled at me, “Done! Mi will be here soon.”

I gave her a thumbs up and said, “Impressive, I told you she would give you face… If I had asked her, she would have given me a hard time!”

CC laughed, didn’t continue to joke with me, and walked towards the group of customers. After informing them of the situation, they all seemed very happy. They found seats, ordered more items, and chatted while waiting for Mi Cai’s arrival.

Thanks to the arrival of these people, I felt a bit more relaxed. I was even more grateful to them because, thanks to their arrival, just one day later, I had another chance to listen to Mi Cai’s singing!

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