Movie: Get Alpha Dog at the start

Chapter 1503 Not for Money, But for People
Li Xiaozhen subconsciously sized up the suddenly appearing Miss Yang, her gaze lingering on her for a few seconds. She had to admit, Miss Yang was indeed beautiful. She looked to be only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with fair skin, delicate features, and long, wavy hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore a beige trench coat over a light purple dress, and black high heels, dressed very fashionably. Standing there, her back straight, chin slightly raised, she exuded a composed confidence, clearly someone from a wealthy family.

"Well, I'll head back now. You guys chat." Li Xiaozhen looked away, smiled at Qin Hao, and walked out with the bag in her hand.

Qin Hao smiled and raised his hand: "Take care, sister-in-law, be careful on the road."

After Li Xiaozhen's figure disappeared around the street corner, Ms. Yang walked to the cashier. She looked around the small shop—clean and tidy, simply but stylishly decorated, with neatly arranged breads and cakes on the shelves, and a faint aroma of milk and sweetness in the air.

She was trying to figure out how to approach the other person to persuade them to perform at her shop.

But Qin Hao spoke first: "How much does it cost to perform a show?"

Miss Yang was visibly taken aback, then looked up at Qin Hao. Is this guy... really that direct?
But then she thought, this is fine too, it saves us from being polite. She adjusted her expression and said seriously, "Three hundred yuan a night. Of course, this is just the base salary. We also get a commission on flower baskets in our nightclubs, one hundred yuan per basket, which we split in half. If I sing well and the guests come to support me, I can earn several hundred or even a thousand yuan a night just from the flower basket commissions."

This price was definitely high in 1993. An ordinary worker's monthly salary was only two or three hundred yuan, and a single performance was equivalent to someone else's monthly salary.

The cake shop business is already quite good, earning a little over ten thousand a month. Performing at nightclubs, at three hundred a night, plus commission on flower baskets, could easily bring in five or six thousand a month if I'm lucky. And singing only takes two or three hours, so it doesn't interfere with running the shop.

Of course, what he valued wasn't the money, but the person.

"Okay." Qin Hao agreed almost without hesitation.

Ms. Yang was stunned for a moment. She thought the other party would at least try to negotiate or propose some conditions. They agreed so readily? Her prepared arguments suddenly became useless.

“Mr. Ji, you mean…” she asked to confirm.

Qin Hao shrugged, his tone relaxed: "With Miss Yang being so generous, why would I refuse?"

Ms. Yang was now certain she hadn't misheard. A smile spread across her face as she pulled a business card from her handbag and handed it over with both hands: "Then it's settled. My name is Yang Xiaoyun, and this is my business card. 'Nightfall' is mine; it's located on Jiefang Road in the city center. When can Mr. Ji make his appearance?"

Qin Hao took the business card and looked at it. The business card was exquisitely designed, with gold lettering on a white background, reading "Yang Xiaoyun, General Manager of Yelaixiang Dance Hall," followed by the address and phone number. He placed the business card on the cashier's counter, thought for a moment, and said, "I still need to keep this shop open, and I need to watch it during the day. I have to wait until I find someone to watch the shop first."

Yang Xiaoyun was a little embarrassed: "Look at me, I was too excited and forgot about this. Well... how about I leave you my phone number, and you can call me later if you find someone? Or you can give me your phone number, and I'll be waiting for your news anytime?"

"The shop doesn't have a phone yet," Qin Hao said. "How about this, I'll contact you once I've hired someone. Probably... within a week."

“Great!” Yang Xiaoyun was delighted. “Then it’s settled. Mr. Ji, I look forward to working with you.”

After finishing their business, Yang Xiaoyun's gaze fell on the shelf again. Her eyes swept over the breads and finally settled on a small round cake—a Black Forest cake, only six inches in diameter, covered with chocolate shavings and decorated with a few red cherries, looking very delicate.

"Mr. Ji, your pastry chef can actually make Black Forest cakes?" Yang Xiaoyun said with some surprise. "I've never seen a cake shop in the provincial capital sell this. A few big restaurants do occasionally make it in their pastry rooms, but the taste... well, let's just say it's not great."

"I did it," Qin Hao said.

Yang Xiaoyun was stunned for a moment, then looked at Qin Hao with a face full of surprise. Karaoke competition champion, sings so well, dances so well, can write original songs, and can even bake cakes? How can one person know so many things?
Qin Hao shrugged and said calmly, "It's a small business, we only earn hard-earned money, and we can't afford to hire anyone for the time being."

After a brief moment of surprise, Yang Xiaoyun's admiration deepened. She said sincerely, "Mr. Ji, you are truly multi-talented. Not only do you sing beautifully, but you also make such wonderful cakes."

"You'll only know if a cake is good or not after you've tasted it." Qin Hao said, taking the Black Forest cake from the display case, cutting off a small piece, inserting a fork, and handing it to Yang Xiaoyun: "Try it and give me your feedback."

Yang Xiaoyun waved her hand somewhat embarrassedly: "I can't accept this."

"Consider this my way of currying favor with my future boss," Qin Hao said with a smile. "Try a bite and see if my skills meet your standards."

Seeing that Qin Hao was sincere, Yang Xiaoyun stopped being coy. She took the fork, cut off a small piece, put it in her mouth, closed her eyes, and savored it.

The cream is smooth, the chocolate slightly bitter, the cherries sweet and sour, and the three-layered sponge cake is soft and moist. All the flavors blend together in the mouth, creating a rich and balanced taste.

"Hmm..." Yang Xiaoyun opened her eyes, her gaze filled with surprise: "The texture is very rich; the tartness of the cherries, the sweetness of the cream, and the bitterness of the chocolate are perfectly balanced. The sponge cake is also baked very well, with just the right amount of moisture. However..."

She paused, carefully choosing her words: "The only pity is that it lacks the rich aroma of cherry liqueur. Authentic Black Forest cake requires the sponge cake layer to be soaked in cherry liqueur to give it that unique aroma of liqueur and fruit."

Qin Hao's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up: "You're an expert! Miss Yang knows her stuff."

He explained, “This Black Forest cake is quite complicated to make, and it doesn’t sell very well in a small place like ours, only two or three a month. If I were to spend time making cherry wine as well, the cost would be too high, and I would definitely lose money. So I could only reduce one ingredient and make do. You’re the first one to find out what’s wrong.”

Hearing this, Yang Xiaoyun's impression of Qin Hao improved even more. He was a very honest man, neither boastful nor secretive, and he spoke his mind. She smiled and said, "Although it lacks cherry liqueur, it's still the best Black Forest cake I've ever had in China. Your skills are impeccable, far superior to the pastry chefs in those big restaurants in the provincial capital."

As she spoke, she ate a few more bites, and before she knew it, she had finished the small piece of cake.

Seeing that she was satisfied with her meal, Qin Hao was in a good mood: "Because of what you said, I'll buy some cherries to make wine next time. Next time you come, I'll definitely let you eat the most authentic Black Forest cake."

"Really?" Yang Xiaoyun's eyes lit up. "Then I'll remember that. Next time I come, I must try the Black Forest cake with cherry liqueur."

They exchanged a smile, both feeling as if they had met a kindred spirit. A sense of regret for not having met sooner filled the air, but both tacitly refrained from saying anything more.

Yang Xiaoyun glanced at her watch; it was already 5:30 PM. She stood up. "Mr. Ji, then I won't disturb your business any longer. I look forward to your call."

"Definitely." Qin Hao stood up and saw her to the door.

“By the way,” Yang Xiaoyun walked to the door and suddenly turned back, “Mr. Ji, did you sing any other songs besides ‘Wild Wolf Disco’ that you sang in the finals?”

"of course."

Yang Xiaoyun said earnestly, "That style is very unique, with a strong rhythm, and it's easy to get the atmosphere going. In our nightclubs, this kind of song will be very popular. If you have similar songs, you can sing a few more during your performance. You'll definitely get a lot of flower baskets."

"Okay, I'll prepare a few," Qin Hao said.

Yang Xiaoyun nodded in satisfaction, glanced at Qin Hao again, and then turned to leave. Her high heels clicked crisply on the concrete pavement before she quickly disappeared around the street corner.

Qin Hao returned to the store and looked thoughtfully at the business card on the cashier's counter.

……

Meanwhile, when Li Xiaozhen returned home with the cake, Cui Guomin was curled up on the sofa watching TV. The show "The Legend of the White Snake" was playing. His daughter, Cui Meng, was in her room doing her homework.

"Mengmeng, stop working and come out to eat cake," Li Xiaozhen called out as she changed her shoes.

Choi Kookmin looked away from the TV and glanced at the logo on the bag.

"Did you go to Ji Qiang's place?" Cui Guomin asked.

Li Xiaozhen put the bag on the table and rolled her eyes: "When don't I go? Ji Qiang's shop is right across from Dingqinglou, I pass by it on my way to and from get off work. I just happened to be craving it today, so I bought some."

Choi Kookmin hooked his finger into the bag and peeked inside—a pineapple bun, a cream bun, and a cake roll.

"These aren't cheap, are they?"

"Of course," Li Xiaozhen said while tidying up her things. "It's just a few items, and it costs more than ten yuan. Ji Qiang gave me a 10% discount, otherwise it would have been even more expensive. If Mengmeng hadn't been nagging me for days, I wouldn't have been able to bring myself to buy it."

At that moment, Cui Meng rushed out of the room, her eyes fixed on the bag on the table. Seeing it was from the cake shop, she immediately hugged Li Xiaozhen and kissed her: "Mom, I love you to death! How did you know I wanted this?"

"Go, go, go wash your hands first." Li Xiaozhen patted her daughter's face: "Wash your hands before you eat."

Cui Meng cheered and rushed into the bathroom. The faucet started running.

While her daughter was washing her hands, Li Xiaozhen sat down on the sofa and said to Cui Guomin, "By the way, I ran into a woman at Ji Qiang's shop today. She was quite pretty and dressed very fashionably. She looked like a rich person. She was talking to Ji Qiang about something. It seemed like she wanted to invite him to sing at some nightclub."

"Nightclubs?" Choi Kookmin's attention was completely drawn from the television. "Do they pay?"

Li Xiaozhen rolled her eyes again: "Nonsense, why don't you go if you're not paid?"

“It’s not that I can’t go,” Choi Kookmin stroked his chin. “I can sing in nightclubs too.”

"Come on, you're kidding me." Li Xiaozhen retorted mercilessly, "They invited the champion, what are you, the runner-up, doing here? Besides, can you even compare to Ji Qiang's singing skills and stage presence?"

Cui Guomin felt annoyed, and his face fell: "If you're going to talk like this, I'm not going to talk to you anymore. So what if you're the runner-up? The runner-up also fought his way out from thousands of people, okay?"

Seeing his expression, Li Xiaozhen chuckled: "What's wrong? Jealous? Feeling resentful?"

"Why would I be jealous?" Choi Kookmin retorted stubbornly.

"Haha, you're just jealous, don't deny it." Li Xiaozhen mercilessly exposed him: "Don't I know you? You've always thought you were incredibly smart, that you learned everything quickly, and that no one could compare to you. But now there's this Ji Qiang who's better than you in everything—he sings better than you, he bakes better than you, and he even helps Erpang with his homework more effectively. You're feeling resentful, aren't you?"

Lies don't hurt, but the truth is the sharpest knife. Cui Guomin was completely overwhelmed by Li Xiaozhen's barrage of words. He opened his mouth to retort, but found himself speechless. Because what Li Xiaozhen said… was all true.

He had indeed been praised for his intelligence since childhood, learning everything quickly. He was a key member of the arts and culture group at school and a skilled technician at the factory. He always felt he was the most outstanding person in the crowd. But now, Qin Hao appeared—a man who had been insane for ten years, suddenly regaining his senses, and then displaying various talents at an astonishing speed, even surpassing him in some aspects.

This feeling... is definitely not pleasant.

Fortunately, Cui Meng came out after washing her hands, breaking the awkward atmosphere. The little girl rushed to the table, eagerly opened the bag, took out the cake roll first, carefully took a bite, and a happy expression appeared on her face: "Mmm! Delicious! Uncle Qiang's cakes are always so delicious!"

Seeing his daughter's satisfied expression, Choi Kookmin felt a little better. He was about to get up and go back to his room to mend his shattered pride when he heard his daughter say while eating cake:

"Dad, don't forget my Xiali."

One sentence shattered Choi Kookmin's heart, which had just begun to heal.

Seeing this, Li Xiaozhen laughed gleefully: "Let you make such a reckless wish. Let's see how you explain it to Mengmeng when you can't keep it. It's 118,000 yuan. All our family's savings plus your bonus of over 10,000 yuan only amount to 70,000 yuan."

Cui Guomin walked to the wall and looked at the line he had drawn with a pencil—the 1.6-meter mark. He muttered to himself, "There's still time... Mengmeng won't grow that fast, it'll take at least two or three years..."

“You seem to have forgotten something.” Li Xiaozhen walked over, patted her husband’s shoulder, and said in a teasing tone, “Girls develop earlier than boys. Mengmeng is growing rapidly, she changes every day. When Mengmeng reaches her height and you don’t have any money, I’d like to see how you explain it to our daughter.”

Cui Guomin straightened his back defiantly: "Who says I definitely can't finish it? Maybe one day I'll discover a business opportunity, and then I'll be able to afford not only a Xiali, but even a Santana."

"Keep blowing your own horn." Li Xiaozhen pouted. "I'm going to cook now. You should think about how to coax your daughter later."

After saying that, she swayed her hips and walked into the kitchen, leaving Cui Guomin standing alone by the wall, staring blankly at the line.

Cui Guomin sighed and shook his head. "Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. There's always a way out. Maybe...maybe I'll discover a business opportunity someday?"
……

On the other side, Qin Hao saw Yang Xiaoyun off at the door and was about to return to the shop when he saw Zhang Xiaomei, a waitress from Dingqinglou next door, come out of the shop and walk towards him.

Today, Zhang Xiaomei wore a red sweater and black pants. Her hair was permed into big waves, and she wore makeup—in those days, ordinary women rarely wore makeup, so Zhang Xiaomei was considered to be relatively fond of dressing up. She swayed her hips as she walked, striking alluring poses, her eyes darting back and forth between Qin Hao and her body.

"Sister-in-law is here." Qin Hao greeted her from the shop entrance with a flat tone, his eyes revealing obvious distance.

Zhang Xiaomei is a woman who leaves people speechless. On the one hand, she enjoys the meticulous care her husband Zhao Hailong gives her—Zhao Hailong hands over his entire salary, does all the housework, and listens to her every word; on the other hand, she complains that he doesn't earn enough and is incompetent, constantly nagging, "Look at so-and-so."

Later, at a dinner party, she met a South Korean businessman who had come to invest in the area. Blinded by his wealth and influence, she abandoned her husband and her child, who was not even a year old, and ran off with him. Zhao Hailong was heartbroken and, after getting drunk, fell into the river and drowned. The child became an orphan, and if it weren't for the kind-hearted adoption by his colleagues Liu Ye and Cui Guomin, the child would have suffered even more.

The Korean boss also constantly beat and verbally abused Zhang Xiaomei, leaving her with no dignity whatsoever. She deserved it.

Looking at Zhang Xiaomei's coquettish manner, Qin Hao was speechless. Before, when the original owner was mentally unstable, Zhang Xiaomei would avoid him with obvious disgust. Now that he's making money, she's coming to curry favor.

"Hmm, Ji Qiang, your business is getting better and better." Zhang Xiaomei walked to the shop entrance, peeked inside, and said with envy, "Can you manage all this by yourself? I see people coming and going every day, you must be quite tired?"

Qin Hao said calmly, "There's nothing I can do. Small businesses only earn hard-earned money; we can't afford to hire people."

Zhang Xiaomei looked a little embarrassed. She wasn't actually trying to seduce Qin Hao—although he did seem quite energetic, clean-cut, and talented. Her main concern was that if she could work at the cake shop, she could eat cakes for free. Otherwise, with her and Zhao Hailong's income, they could only afford to eat cakes a few times a month.

“Your business is doing quite well,” Zhang Xiaomei persisted. “I see lots of people coming to buy every day. Hiring someone to help out would make things easier for you.”

"Business is alright," Qin Hao said, still unwilling to budge. "But the main problem is the high cost of raw materials. Cream, fruit, and other ingredients are all expensive to buy. Plus, there's rent and utilities, so there's hardly any profit. We can't afford to hire anyone. We'll wait until business gets better."

Seeing that Qin Hao was unmoved, Zhang Xiaomei bit her lip, feeling somewhat annoyed. She was, after all, a waitress at a state-run restaurant, a respectable job. She had taken the initiative to be friendly, but he didn't appreciate it.

"Well... alright then, you go ahead with your work, I'm going back." Zhang Xiaomei forced a smile, turned and left.

Qin Hao watched her departing figure and shook his head. It's best to stay away from people like that.

As a result, the next morning, when Zhang Xiaomei passed by the cake shop on her way to work, she saw a job posting on the door, clearly written in black and white:
Job Posting: Due to business needs, our store is now recruiting one shop assistant. Requirements: Female, 18-30 years old, junior high school education or above, basic arithmetic skills, responsible, hardworking and diligent. Salary: 300 yuan per month, 4 days off per month, 50 yuan full attendance bonus. Interested parties please come to the store for inquiries.

Zhang Xiaomei stood in front of the notice, her face pale with anger. She stared at those words for a long time, her chest heaving and her fists clenched.

Yesterday they said they couldn't afford to hire people, and today they're hiring? Is this deliberately targeting her?

"What's so great about it!" Zhang Xiaomei muttered in a low voice, "It's just a small business owner! This is a state-owned restaurant, a secure job! Who cares about that!"

She stormed off, her high heels clattering loudly.

Qin Hao was tidying up the shelves in the store when he saw Zhang Xiaomei's reaction through the glass door. He smiled and didn't think much of it.

After the job posting was put up, people started coming in to inquire. There were middle-aged women and young women, and Qin Hao greeted them all politely, but didn't make a decision immediately. He needed to find someone reliable.

On the afternoon of the third day, a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old arrived. She was dressed simply but neatly, with two braids and a shy expression on her face.

"Boss...excuse me...are you still hiring?" The young girl stood at the door, her voice very soft.

"Come in, Zhao." Qin Hao beckoned.

The little girl walked in timidly, her eyes curiously scanning the shop. Her gaze lingered on the bread on the shelf for a few seconds, and she unconsciously swallowed.

"What's your name? How old are you?" Qin Hao asked.

“Li…Li Xiuying, seventeen years old,” the girl said.

"You graduated from junior high school?"

"Yes, I graduated last year."

Why didn't you continue your studies?

Li Xiuying lowered her head, her voice even softer: "My family... my family can't afford it. My dad works in a machine factory, and my brother is taking his place..."

Qin Hao nodded. This was common in the early 1990s—when a father retired or left his post early, his children could take his place, but a position could only be given to one child. Usually, it was given to a son, and daughters had to find work on their own.

"What jobs did you do before?" Qin Hao asked.

“I…I worked as a temporary worker in a textile factory, but then the factory didn’t have enough work and stopped hiring temporary workers. Then I helped people sew clothes at home, and I also washed dishes in a restaurant…all odd jobs, not permanent.” Li Xiuying spoke frankly, without hiding anything.

Qin Hao had a good impression of her. Although the girl was shy, her eyes were clear and her words were honest. He took out paper and pen and gave her a few simple arithmetic problems—mainly addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

"Try doing these problems," Qin Hao said.

Li Xiuying took the paper and pen and began to calculate carefully. She calculated slowly but meticulously, checking each problem repeatedly. A dozen minutes later, she handed the paper back.

Qin Hao checked, and they were all correct. Although it was a bit slow, the accuracy was fine.

"Okay." Qin Hao put down the paper. "Xiao Li, you've seen the job here. It's just cleaning, restocking, and collecting money every day. We open at nine in the morning and close at nine at night, with a one-hour lunch break. The monthly salary is three hundred, with four days off per month and a full attendance bonus of fifty. Can you handle it?"

Li Xiuying's eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded repeatedly: "Capable! Capable! Boss, I will definitely do my best!"

Three hundred a month is much better than her odd jobs. Odd jobs only pay five or six yuan a day, and they're not even stable. This job pays three hundred a month, plus a full attendance bonus; if you work 26 days, you get three hundred and fifty. This is a wonderful surprise for her.

Qin Hao looked at the energetic young girl and nodded in satisfaction. Suddenly remembering something, he added, "By the way, all the cakes I make each day that aren't sold should be collected and disposed of by me. They can't be left in the shop overnight, or they won't be fresh the next day."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuying cautiously asked, "Boss, what happens to the unsold cakes?"

"Give them away," Qin Hao said. "Throw away any that can't be given away."

"Huh?" Lee Soo-young's eyes widened. "That...that's such a waste! It's such a good cake, it's such a shame to throw it away..."

She looked at the golden, tempting breads on the shelf, imagining them being thrown into the trash can, and felt a pang of heartache.

Qin Hao thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I can give you one portion every week. But you can only eat it yourself, you can't sell it, and you can't tell anyone else. Otherwise, if everyone wants it, I won't be able to manage it."

The young girl immediately beamed with joy and nodded repeatedly, "Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss! I'll definitely work hard and won't tell anyone!"

"When can you start work?" Qin Hao asked.

"Tomorrow!" Li Xiuying said, "I need to go back and tell my family first."

"Okay, nine o'clock tomorrow morning, don't be late," Qin Hao said.

"I definitely won't be late!" Li Xiuying bowed deeply. "Thank you, boss! I'll head back now!"

She turned and left, her steps light and quick, her two braids swinging behind her like a happy little bird.

Qin Hao watched her retreating figure and smiled. This girl is good; hardworking and reliable, with clear eyes. With proper guidance, she could become a valuable asset.

He walked to the shop entrance and peeled down the job advertisement.