Monster Manicure Shop Operation Guide 56

Chapter 56

After a few autumn rains, the weather turned cooler. Yucheng was always damp and chilly, so Qu Banqing had switched to fluffy slippers, which were comfortable and often had the kittens rubbing against them and purring.

Ning Zhixia also changed to a thicker comforter, subtly hinting that he didn’t need a human air conditioner at night anymore.

Audrow didn’t say anything, just stared at him for a moment, then took his pillow and went downstairs.

A few days later, he returned from the Bureau wearing a jade ring. The chilling aura around him was completely suppressed, and he seemed almost human, even radiating a gentle warmth that attracted the cats and dog, who rubbed against him shamelessly.

“Where did you get the jade ring?” Qu Banqing could tell at a glance that it wasn’t an ordinary object.

“Asked for it.”

Audrow held up his hand, showing the ring.

Qu Banqing exclaimed: “What?!”

Audrow ignored him, took his pillow, and went back upstairs.

Such effortless privilege!

Qu Banqing gritted his teeth, fuming. Damn it, that biased Lord God!

Ning Zhixia, oblivious to Audrow’s methods, slept soundly, his face nuzzled against the soft, smooth hair.

So the next day, when Miss Li came to order press-on nails, she looked at his face and asked, stunned, “Boss Ning, what’s your skincare routine?”

What skincare routine? He couldn’t exactly recommend the merman sleep pillow, could he?

Ning Zhixia could only chuckle shamelessly: “Naturally beautiful.”

Miss Li pouted: “Hmph.”

She had a busy schedule, and she was flying abroad for a fashion show later, so she wanted to have her measurements taken and finalize the designs for her press-on nails.

“Okay, what kind of design do you have in mind?” Ning Zhixia chewed on his pen cap, diligently recording her measurements.

Besides the width, he also measured the curve and height of her nails. Her nail arches were higher than average, and ill-fitting nail tips could trap water and cause infections.

“Oil painting style is trending lately… I want to have my pets painted on them, one pet per hand is enough!” Miss Li showed him a photo of a beautiful silver tabby Maine Coon, looking majestic like a proud little king.

As expected of a rich cat, he knew the design would be complex, so custom press-on nails would save time.

Ning Zhixia glanced at the photo. He hadn’t done this kind of design before and was intrigued, so he nodded and agreed, “Send me the photo, I’ll try it tonight.”

“Okay.” Miss Li happily agreed and left, swinging her new handbag.

After seeing off his VIP client, Ning Zhixia, full of energy, picked up his brush and started working.

The sun was setting, the light shifting on the table, but Ning Zhixia’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and finally, he slumped onto the table, defeated.

Ah… so difficult… how could it be so difficult…

The brush clattered onto the table, splattering paint on the almost finished design.

His messy hair swayed slightly in the breeze, and Ning Zhixia, his chin resting on his hand, sighed heavily.

Oil painting emphasized the warmth and coolness of colors, the intensity of light and shadow, the layers and textures, and the slightest difference in brushstrokes and composition would create different effects.

Ning Zhixia hadn’t formally studied oil painting, and relying on his general artistic skills, he had thought he could manage with watercolor and acrylic, but the result wasn’t good. He could paint a cat, but it lacked spirit, and it was still quite different from the photo.

He couldn’t deliver such a subpar product, even if Miss Li didn’t mind, he couldn’t accept her money.

Like he was solving a math problem, determined to find the answer, he returned to his workstation after dinner, reviewed the steps in his mind, and continued practicing under the lamp.

Qu Banqing, who had to leave early tomorrow morning to collect produce and eggs from the farmers, was preparing to sleep. Seeing Ning Zhixia repeatedly erasing and redrawing, he knew the idiot was being stubborn.

He approached, intending to offer some casual guidance, then leave gracefully without a trace.

The brush moved swiftly, and Ning Zhixia, eager to learn, leaned closer for a better look, only to see a scribbled cat that looked like it had escaped a fire.

They stared at each other for a moment, both slightly embarrassed.

Qu Banqing, having made a fool of himself, coughed and said, “Study your father’s masterpiece carefully,” then turned and quickly left.

“Hmm…”

Ning Zhixia pursed his lips, watching his retreating figure, and picked up his brush again.

Time passed. As Audrow came out of the storage room, a group of kittens gathered around his feet. He picked one up and stroked its fur, his gaze drifting past the screen, following a half-hidden figure.

The bright light illuminated the young man’s back, his hair falling over his forehead, partially obscuring his focused expression, shadows cast on the bridge of his nose.

Ning Zhixia felt inexplicably irritated, crumpled the failed drawing, and was about to offer Miss Li a refund when he heard a voice beside him, “What’s bothering you? Your lips are almost touching your nose.”

He was startled, looked up, and saw Audrow putting down the cow-patterned cat and approaching him.

“Aren’t you watching SpongeBob?” Ning Zhixia, as soon as he spoke, realized that the TV wasn’t even on, and even the fox cubs and sirens who had come earlier had been unusually quiet.

“Went to catch crabs, we’ll watch tomorrow.”

Audrow seemed to have a strict schedule, which days he worked at the Bureau, which days he watched cartoons, which days he soaked his tail in the pool… everything meticulously planned.

He pulled out a chair and sat down beside Ning Zhixia, his chin resting on his hand, turning his head to look at the unusually messy workstation: “Can’t draw it?”

Frustrated at failing in his area of expertise, Ning Zhixia lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before replying softly, “Yeah…”

Audrow asked, “How many have you ruined?”

“Not…” Ning Zhixia mumbled, his fingers nervously shuffling the failed nail tips on the table, hiding them in his hand. “Not many.”

“Is that so… then it must be this cat that’s too difficult to draw, making you so frustrated you’re turning your hair into a bird’s nest.”

Audrow’s lazy voice carried a hint of amusement. He looked at the photo on the tablet and took the brush from Ning Zhixia’s hand.

The practice paper still bore Ning Zhixia’s pencil sketch. He dipped the brush in burnt umber and outlined the cat’s features.

Ning Zhixia was surprised to see that he didn’t start with the colors, but with the eyes, like applying eye makeup before the rest of the face.

With the most challenging part done, he started blending the colors, and the characteristic three-dimensionality of oil painting gradually emerged. Ning Zhixia, snapping out of his shock, realized that Audrow was truly skilled.

Ning Zhixia’s face lit up with surprise, his earlier dejection gone, and his voice rose, “Xiao Ao, you can paint with oils?”

Audrow “hmmed,” his light-colored eyes as indifferent and calm as usual: “My father taught me for a while.”

Seeing the young man’s puzzled look, Audrow, understanding his question, added, “He wasn’t a merman.”

It was the first time Ning Zhixia had heard him mention his family, but since he didn’t seem to want to elaborate, he didn’t ask, only praising, “He must have been a great painter in this world!”

Too bad he was already bones.

Audrow naturally didn’t say that out loud, quickly finishing the cat that had been troubling the young man, twirling the brush in his fingers and putting it aside.

“Wow! It’s exactly like the photo!”

Ning Zhixia leaned closer, admiring the painting, showering him with praises, every word pleasing to the ear.

Audrow didn’t reply, his chin resting on his hand as he watched him, his finger gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind Ning Zhixia’s ear.

It was late, and he had intended to send the young man upstairs to wash up and sleep, but seeing his actions, the smile in his eyes froze, replaced by confusion.

Ning Zhixia placed the finished nail tip aside as a sample, picked up a new one, and started filing and applying the base coat, clearly preparing to continue painting.

Audrow frowned: “It’s too late, just use the one I painted for the order.”

“No, no, no…” Ning Zhixia rubbed his sleepy eyes, trying to stay awake, and turned to him, “That’s not mine, it’s different.”

Although he could cheat with his non-human friends’ magic, Ning Zhixia didn’t want to.

It was like playing a game, the items he obtained himself and the ones he got through cheats were both satisfying, but the feeling was different. Things obtained too easily lost their value.

This empty sense of accomplishment might make him lose interest in his hobby.

Ning Zhixia explained this to Audrow, then chuckled and muttered, “And I want to enter this design in the competition, so it wouldn’t be fair to use yours!”

The previous collaborative designs had mostly used watercolor techniques, and after painting hundreds of sets, Ning Zhixia’s skills had improved, but it also meant his brushstrokes and techniques had become ingrained habits.

Perhaps he had realized this himself, which was why he had taken on the challenge of detailed oil painting.

Unfortunately, even after carefully observing Audrow’s demonstration, his own attempts were still clumsy. His eyes understood, but his brain and hands couldn’t break their habits.

Audrow watched for a while, then gently pinched his earlobe: “Wrong, your brushstrokes are wrong.”

Ning Zhixia, already nervous under his gaze, flinched at his words, his mind buzzing, Stupid hands, keep painting, why is it wrong again?!

Audrow leaned closer and took his hand, his fingers wrapping around his, guiding his slightly trembling hand, demonstrating the brushstrokes and color blocking on a blank piece of paper.

Oil painting was like layering different colors from dark to light. The brushstrokes were bold and decisive, not the gentle dabbing and lifting of watercolor. Ning Zhixia pursed his lips, letting Audrow guide him, and he gradually understood.

After Audrow released his hand, Ning Zhixia practiced a few times, breaking down a drawing into several layers, his confused mind becoming clearer.

He tried it again with gel polish on a nail tip, and the result was much better.

Since he was working on nails, he couldn’t use real oil paints. Ning Zhixia, now getting the hang of it, switched to a thicker gel polish.

He applied a translucent nude gray base coat mixed with fairy dust, then layered darker colors, gradually lightening them. After painting the eyes, he used a dry brush technique for the fur, the heavy, three-dimensional effect gradually emerging, then switched to a striping brush.

Each stroke was adjusted according to the length and direction of the Maine Coon’s fur, adding highlights and shadows to create a realistic, silky effect, making it clear that this was a well-groomed, healthy cat!

The most difficult part was done, and Ning Zhixia’s brushstrokes became smoother, using the finest striping brush to add the ear tufts and whiskers.

Looking at the finished product, almost identical to the photo of the regal cat, Ning Zhixia breathed a sigh of relief.

He was quite satisfied with his masterpiece and raised his chin with a competitive spirit: “Although it’s not as good as yours, maybe I’ll catch up after a few more practice sessions!”

“You’re not necessarily worse than anyone given the same amount of time. If you’re interested, I don’t mind taking you as my student.” Audrow, his chin resting on his hand, watched him, the young man’s delighted expression reflected in his slightly sparkling eyes.

“Do I have to pay tuition?”

“Indeed.”

“Then how about some cookies?” Ning Zhixia rubbed his hands, ready to rush to the kitchen.

Audrow frowned at him: “…Don’t try to bribe me.”

“Hee hee… just kidding.” Ning Zhixia picked up the nail tip and brush, muttering as he painted, “I’ll practice one more, then we can eat the crabs you caught?”

Audrow readily agreed: “That’s acceptable.”

In the soft light, their shadows stretched across the floor, and the kittens by the table, tilting their heads as their shadows intertwined, pounced and played excitedly…

With the guidance of a professional merman teacher, Ning Zhixia improved rapidly. A few days later, he sent the finished product to Miss Li and posted the photos online for the competition.

As expected, his entry instantly heated up the already competitive field.

“Oh my god, are his hands printers? The accuracy is 100%!”

“Wonderful, I also want to paint my babies on my nails, so I can see them anytime!”

“Can you make a pet-themed series of press-on nails? I’ll definitely buy the Mahjong Kitten Squad set!”

“I saw the buyer’s photos! 2500 yuan! Yay, a new career path for art students!”

“Stop raising the bar, wuwuwu…”

Ning Zhixia smiled, reading Miss Li’s compliments, his non-existent tail wagging happily.

She had not only paid but also referred another customer from overseas, who would be coming later to order custom press-on nails to show off at school. Ning Zhixia readily agreed.

The autumn wind swept away the last traces of summer heat, osmanthus blossoms carpeting the ground like fallen stars, water droplets dripping from the eaves and splashing onto the green bricks, the aroma of chicken soup drifting from the kitchen. Ning Zhixia took a deep breath.

Ah, it was so nice not to be stuck in a cramped office.

Qu Banqing, having successfully bought a few plump free-range chickens, simmered them in a clay pot. Golden beads of oil floated on the surface of the clear broth, pushed aside by the ladle as he scooped some out before adding salt.

The kittens, eagerly anticipating, meowed incessantly.

“Don’t rush, don’t rush, you’ll burn your tongues…” Qu Banqing muttered, opened a can of wet food, divided it among them, then poured the hot soup over it in their colorful bowls.

He muttered about how the stray cats outside didn’t have such luxury, then looked around and asked, “Where’s Fu Fu?”

“He chased Dorothy to the Whispering Woods yesterday. They found a new flower field, said the flowers there were prettier than the ones the fox cubs brought, and insisted on picking them…”

Ning Zhixia shook his head, sighing about how children grow up and want to explore the world, when the half-open door was pushed open, and a girl in a hoodie entered.

“Hello, are you Boss Ning?” Shu Shaoqing held up her phone. “I have an appointment, I’d like to order some press-on nails.”

“Oh, please come in!”

Ning Zhixia hadn’t expected the customer referred by Miss Li to arrive so early and quickly invited her to sit down. It was lunchtime, and Qu Banqing, seeing the customer, brought her a bowl of chicken soup.

Shu Shaoqing had never been to a nail salon that served soup. The rich aroma filled the air, and she took small sips, the damp chill dispelling from her body, and sighed contentedly, “I want to eat a dozen chickens before going back to school.”

Ning Zhixia’s eyes widened in horror. Were all overseas students reincarnated gluttons?!

The girl finished the soup, still looking slightly unsatisfied, wiped her mouth, and finally remembered her purpose.

“I want six sets, these are the designs…” She sent the designs to Ning Zhixia, then a photo. “I also want to order pet-icures, like the one Li Li got.”

Ning Zhixia opened the photo, looked at the puppy on the screen, and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Hmm, a white terrier, quite similar to Fu Fu.