4 004 Call My Name_1

"Bartender, come with me."

On his second day at work, Lin Ge arrived at the bar early once again, and although no new customers had come in by the end of the previous day, his passion hadn't been dampened.

Full of enthusiasm, he prepared to welcome new customers, but the first to arrive was the girl dressed as a wizard from yesterday.

Lanya stood outside the bar, still in the same wizard costume as the day before.

She tiptoed, her pale, delicate hands gripping the edge of the bar as she looked up at Lin Ge, her youthful and naive face filled with anticipation.

"Uh, where to?"

Lanya blinked her amethyst-like eyes.

"Didn't you promise me yesterday, Mr. Bartender, that you'd join my team? You weren't lying to me, were you?"

Seeing the look on Lanya's face, which could turn to tears at any moment, Lin Ge quickly said, "Haha, that, yeah, I did promise you. Where are you going to take me?"

"Of course, to the Adventurers' Guild to register our team."

"Uh, but I'm working right now, I can't just leave…"

"It's okay, as long as you weren't lying to me." Lanya beamed a radiant smile, "I'll wait here for you to finish work."

Looking at the girl's innocent smile, Lin Ge sighed inwardly. He decided that after work, he'd accompany her, guessing that she was talking about one of those offline, physical role-playing game stores.

The bar only required six hours of work, and there wouldn't be many customers in the short term. This kid seemed very lonely, like she didn't have many friends. He might as well keep her company, he thought to himself.

"Little sister, you should think this through. This guy could be a pervert. He kept staring at my chest yesterday. If you go off alone with him, watch out he doesn't drag you into some dark alley…"

At this moment, Iris walked over, throwing dirt on Lin Ge without mercy.

Lin Ge didn't bother defending himself. If Iris's words could scare off this stubborn little sister, he was willing to play the role of the pervert just this once.

But Lanya lightly hopped onto the bar stool, swinging her little legs happily under her purple wizard robe.

"That won't happen. Mr. Bartender has a clean soul; he's not one of those filthy ones."

She was very sure of it, her face full of expectation.

Lin Ge gave a wry smile, not sure whether to be happy about Lanya's trust or worried about her being overly dramatic.

But considering her age, this kind of behavior seemed pretty normal.

"By the way, I still don't know your name, Mr. Bartender." Lanya smiled at Lin Ge.

"Lin Ge."

Lanya carefully observed Lin Ge's face and asked, "Would you like me to call you 'uncle' or 'brother'?"

Lin Ge glanced at Lanya's innocent face: "Our age gap isn't wide enough to be calling me 'uncle,' I don't think."

"Then I'll call you 'brother'."

"Just call me by my name."

Being called 'brother' by a girl he just met felt strange to Lin Ge, so he preferred Lanya simply use his name.

Lanya cheerfully called out, "Lin Ge."

Lin Ge nodded with satisfaction, "What would you like to drink today, Lanya?"

"Nothing for me, I get dizzy from drinking. I only mustered up the courage to come in yesterday because I was feeling down."

"How about a glass of grape juice, then?"

Lanya lowered her head again, hiding her face under the wide-brimmed hat tied with red ribbon, and from beneath the hat came a soft voice.

"Well, actually, I'm almost out of money. If I don't start working soon, I'll have to go to the mountains to dig up sour and bitter wild greens to eat."

Ahaha, what a peculiar setup, Lin Ge chuckled to himself.

"This one's on me."

"You're really treating me to a drink?" Lanya looked up at Lin Ge, her small face slightly flushed with excitement.

Lin Ge turned to Iris and called out, "Iris, fetch a bunch of fresh grapes for the guest."

Although Iris was reluctant to take orders from Lin Ge, there were customers present, so she sullenly retrieved grapes from the refrigerator, washed them, and brought them to the bar on a plate.

"Here are your grapes."

Iris set the plate on the bar and left with a parting shot before sitting back down at her table.

Lin Ge didn't mind and asked Lanya, "Would you like some ice cubes?"

Lanya shook her head and kept her eyes fixed on the grapes on the plate.

It's food!

"Can I just eat them?"

Lin Ge was somewhat surprised, "You don't want juice?"

"No need, I'll just eat them as they are."

Lin Ge smiled, "Of course, they were prepared just for you."

Watching Lanya stuff the grapes into her mouth, seeds and all, without spitting anything out, Lin Ge couldn't help but wonder if her thinness was the result of hunger?

Was the talk about digging up sour and bitter wild vegetables in the mountains her own experience?

The wind chimes at the door jingled as Karina entered the bar and shouted, "Lin Ge, your sister is here!"

Lin Ge was speechless, thinking to himself that Karina looked younger than he did, yet she was calling herself his sister. He felt he should be aloof with overly enthusiastic customers to prevent misunderstandings and avoid giving the impression that his bar was of disrepute.

Becoming a bartender wasn't about being cool or picking up girls.

His dream was to have more customers appreciate the culture and ambiance of wines from around the world and to offer solace through the drinks he crafted with his own hands.

As long as the customers felt a moment's relaxation after drinking his concoctions, he was satisfied.

So, faced with the enthusiastic Karina, he simply nodded his head, considering that a sufficient greeting.

"Why are you so cold to me?" Karina, sitting next to Lanya, glared at Lin Ge, "I'm your customer, you know. You should be more enthusiastic and meet my requests with attentive service."

Lin Ge smiled, "Of course, as long as it's a request related to liquor, I'll do my best to satisfy the customer."

"Haha, then bring us two Long Island Iced Teas."

Lin Ge corrected her, "It's Long Island Iced Tea."

"Whatever, just bring me two big ones."

"Are you sure you want two? I think one glass will suit the customer's alcohol tolerance," Lin Ge reminded her considerately.

Karina laughed, "Who said I was drinking both? The other one is for you, you're drinking with me!"

"That might be difficult…" Lin Ge hesitated.

"You said earlier that you'd satisfy any liquor-related request for me. If you're a man whose words are as empty as farts, then just serve one glass," she retorted.

Lin Ge laughed, "Very well, please wait a moment," he said to the customer.

He turned swiftly, placed two large flat-bottomed glasses on the bar, and lightly flicked the belly of the glasses with his fingers, producing a pleasant chime as the glasses stabilized a forearm's length to his left, aligned on the same horizontal plane.

He then took a 530-milliliter large mixing jug, added ice cubes, and skillfully measured in the mixers and base liquor. His movements were smooth and clean, with not a drop spilled on the bar throughout the process.

Pop!

Lin Ge slammed the cap on the jug and grasped it with both hands, holding it steady at shoulder and chest height. He then violently shook it back and forth in a horizontal position.

The ice cubes mixed with the liquor, striking the sides of the jug fiercely, resonating with the sound of a torrential storm. Both Karina and Lanya watched his shaker, their bright eyes following the motion of the jug like a pair of kittens fixated on a toy.

Even Iris in the corner was watching Lin Ge's every move, biting her lip, her sky-blue eyes filled with frustration and resignation.

Damn show-off, strutting his stuff again.