Monster Manicure Shop Operation Guide 55

Chapter 55

“Did his brain get waterlogged from swimming too much…” Qu Banqing, looking at the glittering mess on the floor, stomped his foot angrily, wanting to drain the water from that damn fish manually.

Calm down, don’t attack, because being beaten back would be too embarrassing!

Qu Banqing turned around and swept the floor resentfully, his back the image of an oppressed proletarian.

“Don’t bully Banqing.”

Ning Zhixia came over and punched Audrow disapprovingly.

Audrow didn’t say anything, grabbed his wrist, brought it to his mouth, and gently bit it.

Ning Zhixia flinched, seeing Audrow looking at him calmly, a slightly defiant look in his eyes, while the sweeping sounds beside him intensified.

“Oh dear, oh dear, why are you two acting like children…”

Ning Zhixia sighed, looking at them, then suddenly had a brilliant idea, slamming his fist into his palm. “I know, I’ll make fish-shaped cookies for you, and we’ll be friends again after we eat them!”

As soon as he finished speaking, as if a switch had been flipped, Audrow and Qu Banqing instantly shook hands with expressionless faces, even the scattered fairy dust floating back into the jar.

“No need.”

They each dropped a casual remark, one going to the living room to watch cartoons, the other to the balcony to hang laundry, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The flower sprites exchanged glances, their expressions confused. What were cookies? Were they the fragrant human’s ultimate secret weapon?

Amidst their various guesses, Ning Zhixia stood frozen, his face gradually turning red, and he sniffled angrily.

The fairy dust from the flower sprites’ wings was beautiful, and each sprite’s dust was a different color. Ning Zhixia originally wanted to collect them in small, transparent bottles as decorations, then one day, on a whim, he applied it to a nail tip and found the effect quite pleasing.

Regular aurora powder was made of mica, iron oxide, metal foil, and other materials, creating different effects on different base colors, which meant it added a shimmering, iridescent effect to the pearlescent sheen of pearls.

Fine aurora powder could be mixed with clear gel to create glitter gel, avoiding the risk of uneven application and a patchy finish.

Ning Zhixia’s favorite glitter gels had been out of stock for a long time, the remaining stock online being sold at exorbitant prices, so the fairy dust was a godsend.

The new season meant new money-making opportunities. The platform launched an autumn-themed campaign, and while fans were still discussing what designs Monster Manicure Shop would release, the diligent Mr. Ning was already hard at work!

After an autumn rain, the osmanthus tree next door bloomed profusely, its intoxicating fragrance filling the street and drifting through the half-open window.

Ning Zhixia sat by the window, frowning at the nail display.

The nail shape this time was squoval, the rounded edges softening the look of wider nail beds, creating a balanced appearance.

The nails weren’t very long, a practical length for both office work and gaming.

Ning Zhixia took a brush and applied a milky yellow base coat. Since the nail shape was soft and rounded, the design couldn’t be too flashy, but it still needed a highlight.

The silvery-white fairy dust, mixed with clear gel, shimmered delicately. He only needed a small amount, applied like a thin line at the tip of the nail.

The main design was osmanthus flowers, but the base color wasn’t a translucent nude. Watercolor, with its transparency, wasn’t suitable, so Ning Zhixia used a blend of egg yolk yellow and crab shell red.

Starting from the area where he had applied the fairy dust, he drew four “U” shapes connected to form a flower, then grouped them together to create an umbrella-shaped cluster. The egg yolk yellow served as the base, the crab shell red as the center of the flower, and although tiny, each petal looked plump and lively, like under the autumn moon.

A sweet, floral autumn breeze blew past, and Ning Zhixia stopped, looking out the window, the tiny flowers swirling towards Audrow’s silver-gray hair.

Fruit-bearing plants had been gradually added to the courtyard, and some potted plants were now laden with fruit.

Audrow’s back was tall and slender, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing toned forearms, as he meticulously trimmed the branches.

With a snip of the scissors, it was as if he wasn’t holding a bunch of berries, but a blooming rose.

The ripe berries were still covered in dew, and Audrow plucked one and slowly put it in his mouth, his sharp fangs piercing the skin—

“!” Ning Zhixia froze, seeing the figure shiver slightly.

Audrow held up the bunch of berries with a displeased expression. Fu Fu, wagging his tail, came over and was unexpectedly shoved a mouthful of berries. He tilted his head, blinked in confusion, and watched as Audrow ruthlessly pruned the plant.

Ning Zhixia pretended he hadn’t seen anything and quickly lowered his head.

After a while, his shoulders shook, and he chuckled, then picked up a long, almond-shaped nail tip and applied silver cat eye polish.

There were many ways to use cat eye polish. Ning Zhixia didn’t use the usual wide shimmer, instead tilting the magnet to create a side shimmer, then swirling it to gather the particles into a circle in the center of the nail.

After applying a top coat, he rubbed on cold blue iridescent fairy dust. Although it wasn’t mixed with gel, the dust was incredibly fine and smooth, adhering to the nail tip like mist, creating a translucent, natural effect like moonlight on a spring.

He then applied a matte top coat and, dipping his brush in blue-green and purplish-gray, painted falling petals, the more random the better.

Finally, after another layer of fairy dust, the entire nail resembled moonlight on flowing water, a blend of flowers, moon, water, and mist, creating an ethereal and serene scene.

The two designs, one warm, one cool, were posted on the shop’s pre-order page and quickly became a sensation.

Aurora powder and other special effect powders were becoming increasingly expensive, the names given by different brands confusing, the coarser powders looking cheap, the finer ones too sheer and patchy.

But in Ning Zhixia’s photos, the shimmer was delicate and natural, like moonlight through a veil, instantly elevating the design’s quality. Fans praised him, and many colleagues marveled at his extravagance, assuming he had bought the almost out-of-stock imported glitter at a high price.

Ning Zhixia didn’t dare reveal that his materials came from flower sprites, simply replying “yes, yes, yes,” accepting his reputation as a rich simpleton.

After setting up the pre-order page, he browsed the nail art community, where a new design competition was being held, and the platform had invited popular bloggers to participate.

Ning Zhixia was interested, but he didn’t start brainstorming immediately, because he had other plans for today.

After lunch, he called out to Fu Fu, who was still licking his food bowl.

“Woof?”

Two caramel-colored ears perked up on the fluffy head, twitching slightly.

“Come, come, we’re going out.”

Ning Zhixia pinched the soft, floppy ears, put a leash on him, and took him to the car.

Audrow seemed to know where they were going. He leaned against the door, thought for a moment, then shook his head: “I’m not going.”

“Why?” Ning Zhixia asked.

Audrow said frankly, “I don’t like those places.”

“Oh…”

Since he didn’t want to elaborate, Ning Zhixia didn’t press further, but he couldn’t help but notice that Audrow seemed even more indifferent than usual.

He stood on tiptoe and, for the first time, imitating Audrow’s favorite gesture of affection, awkwardly nuzzled his face.

Audrow suddenly smiled, his expression softening: “Remember to bring me egg tarts.”

“No problem!”

Ning Zhixia nodded readily, turned around, got in the car, and drove out of the city with Qu Banqing.

Even though it was autumn, the trees in the cemetery on the outskirts of the city, perhaps because of the resting souls, were still vibrant.

At the solemn marble entrance, a tall man looked at his phone, then at the wide pedestrian path, and finally saw a white figure appear.

“You must be Mr. Ning? Hello, I’m Lu Xiao.” The man introduced himself, shaking hands with the two young men.

Ning Zhixia nodded: “Hello.”

The puppy sitting beside him seemed to remember the man who had brought him down the mountain, and who had adopted him, wagging his tail and barking.

“Fu Fu…” Lu Xiao, as if seeing his old friend in the puppy, wiped his face, composed himself, and led the way, “Let’s go, I’ve spoken to the caretaker here.”

After learning about Fu Fu’s past, they had quickly found out about the forest ranger and contacted Lu Xiao.

“This guy was always so sad at my place, and one day, he suddenly slipped his leash and ran off. Just like Fang Minghui’s dog, I couldn’t even catch him on my bike…” Lu Xiao, happy to see Fu Fu again, became more talkative.

Ning Zhixia learned that Mr. Fang had been Lu Xiao’s high school friend. His family had passed away early, and he had become a forest ranger, dedicating himself to protecting a species of endangered butterflies in a mountain valley.

“He was an amazing person, we truly admired him…” They stood before a tombstone, looking at the black and white photo. Lu Xiao lit a cigarette and three incense sticks, placing them in the incense burner, and murmured, “Xiao Fang, your son is here to see you, don’t scold me in your dreams for not taking good care of Fu Fu, he’s a clever dog, he won’t starve.”

Ning Zhixia and Qu Banqing also lit incense and placed a bouquet of butterfly orchids they had brought from the courtyard by the tombstone.

They then stepped aside.

The fluffy white puppy sat in front of the tombstone, whimpering at the young man in the photo, as if telling his owner everything that had happened.

Lu Xiao took a few drags of his cigarette, wiped his eyes, and continued smoking.

A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, as if the departed soul had returned.

Ning Zhixia felt a pang of sadness, turned away, and wiped his eyes. Someone gently bumped his shoulder.

“Don’t cry, silly Meow Meow.” Qu Banqing comforted him. “The Lord God likes souls like his, he’s probably on a mission in another plane with a little orb now.”

Ning Zhixia stopped crying, his voice slightly choked: “Really?”

“Uh… maybe.” Qu Banqing scratched his face awkwardly.

Ning Zhixia’s lips trembled, his eyes welling up again.

“Woof, woof, woof!”

A wet nose nudged his hand. Fu Fu had come over.

Ning Zhixia sniffled and asked, “Are you done talking?”

Fu Fu didn’t reply, only wagged his tail, looked back, and whimpered softly.

“Then let’s go.”

Ning Zhixia put the leash back on, Lu Xiao extinguished his cigarette, looked at the tombstone, his hands in his pockets, and followed the two young men.

Fu Fu walked briskly in front, just like he used to in the forest, walking and walking, his little head firmly believing that he would one day be reunited with his sleeping owner.

At the entrance of the martyrs’ cemetery, they bid farewell to Lu Xiao and took Fu Fu home for dinner.

The slow-cooked meat was tender and juicy, and the cats and dog ate until their bellies were round, then collapsed on the carpet in the living room, purring contentedly.

“This is the new design, Popo, you just need to do the base coat, we’ll take care of the rest.”

Ning Zhixia assigned the next task to his star employee, Popokula, who waved a tentacle in front of its smooth, round head and said cheerfully, “Popo will complete the mission!”

“Very good, very good.” Ning Zhixia nodded with satisfaction, hands behind his back.

Having enjoyed his moment as a big boss, he took two egg tarts and poured them into Popokula’s giant mouth.

Qu Banqing winked: “Sweet, right?”

“Sweet!”

Popokula finished the small treats, opened its mouth wide, and pointed a tentacle inside, indicating it wanted more.

“Alright.” Qu Banqing opened four more boxes and continued pouring.

They had used the excuse of a “team building activity” to buy all the remaining egg tarts from the shop, filling the entire car trunk. Although it couldn’t fill the sea monster’s stomach, it was enough to satisfy its sweet tooth.

Ning Zhixia patted its jelly-like head and glanced at the lively scene in the living room.

The flower sprites were fluttering around, decorating the cats and dog with flowers from their baskets.

Fatty Orange sneezed loudly and ran off with the Mahjong Kitten Squad, leaving only Fu Fu, his tongue lolling out, happily accepting the decorations.

The flower sprites, having lost their subjects, circled around, then targeted Audrow, who was watching TV on the sofa.

Having interacted with him a few times, Dorothy was less afraid of him. She waved her hand, and the flower sprites, carrying their baskets, flew towards him.

His smooth, soft hair shimmered like moonlight, and three little sprites, each holding a strand, danced around it, other sprites joining them, carefully selecting fragrant flowers from their baskets and weaving them into his hair.

After a while, an episode of the cartoon ended.

Audrow finally came back to his senses and noticed the change in his hair.

He lifted a braid decorated with flowers, his brow furrowed in thought.

“Pfft.”

A chuckle sounded, and Audrow looked up abruptly.

The usually cold and indifferent merman, now decorated by the flower sprites like an elf prince, looked utterly bewildered.

Ning Zhixia, suppressing his laughter, quickly complimented him, “Xiao Ao, you look super pretty!”

Audrow took a violet from his hair, tucked it behind the young man’s ear, and said with a smirk, “You look pretty too.”

“Oh… oh, I, I know…”

Ning Zhixia stammered, averting his gaze as Audrow chuckled softly, his heart pounding.