Monster Manicure Shop Operation Guide 23

Chapter 23

“This is a major project that will bring joy to three hundred human women, a test of your self-improvement, and an opportunity to master new skills!”

Ning Zhixia transformed into a motivational speaker, and under his persuasive coaxing, Popokula reluctantly accepted this important commission from the human world.

It scratched its head with a tentacle: “Then I’ll give it a try?”

“No problem!”

Ning Zhixia quickly started the training, laying out his tools and demonstrating for Popokula.

“These are pre-shaped nail tips…” Ning Zhixia waved a sponge file. “But you need to file the edges with this, there can’t be any snags.”

“Okay!” Popokula widened its round eyes, carefully memorizing this important point. Girls’ hands needed to be protected, and nail tips with snags would make them uncomfortable!

After each step, Ning Zhixia would push the materials towards it: “Popo, want to try?”

“Yes, Popo will try!”

Popokula patted its tentacles, cheering itself on, shrinking its size, and carefully followed the instructions.

Its eight tentacles worked in pairs, not a single one slacking off.

The nimble tentacles learned quickly, and Ning Zhixia praised it in surprise: “Popo is so talented, you control your strength and speed so well, you’re a natural! You’ll become the best manicurist in no time!”

Popokula’s confidence soared, its tentacles excitedly twisting. It poked Ning Zhixia and urged, “Then what? Then what?”

“Next, you need to apply the base coat and color gel. This step is very important, don’t rush…” Ning Zhixia said like a responsible teacher. “Apply the gel in thin layers, and make sure the pressure is even, from left to right, slowly, otherwise there will be brush strokes…”

“Oh, oh…” As the young man spoke, Popokula held its breath, carefully applying the gel, looking at the brush after each stroke.

Soon, it no longer needed to observe Ning Zhixia and quickly finished painting the remaining nail tips.

“Wow, Popo is so smart! You’re definitely the most amazing sea monster I’ve ever seen!”

Ning Zhixia, who had only ever met one sea monster, cupped his face and praised it lavishly.

He wasn’t lying. These tentacles were even more dexterous than he had imagined, like a good student absorbing knowledge efficiently. The finished nail tips were identical to Ning Zhixia’s template.

Qu Banqing, ever the attentive host, brought over cookies and milk tea, and even brought the sleeping Fatty Orange over to keep Popokula company.

Their praises showered the octopus like confetti, and Popokula blushed even more, evolving from a pink marshmallow into a big, red strawberry!

The big strawberry shyly poked the floor with the tip of its tentacle and announced in a soft voice, “I’ve learned it! Ning Ning, give me all the press-on nails to do!”

“But it will be very tiring to complete three hundred sets with good quality.” Ning Zhixia hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “Popo, just come and help every night!”

“The smartest sea monster never gets tired!”

Popokula, already floating on cloud nine, was full of energy, rubbing its tentacles and repeating like a broken record, “Ning Ning, give them to me, Ning Ning, give them to me!”

“Okay, since you’re so sincere…” Ning Zhixia pondered for a long time, finally nodding under its sparkling gaze. “I’ll entrust this entire project to you.”

“On behalf of three hundred human women, I thank Popo for your hard work!” Ning Zhixia shook one of its pink tentacles.

“You’re welcome, Ning Ning!”

Popokula touched his forehead with a tentacle.

“Pop.”

A soft sucker attached itself to his forehead like a seal on a contract.

It gave a cheerful “hee” and, carrying a small bag containing various tools and a battery-powered UV lamp, waved its tentacles and left through the front door, full of ambition.

Ning Zhixia, with a cupping-mark-like red circle on his forehead, slowly revealed a satisfied smile.

Qu Banqing said faintly, “You look like a capitalist.”

Ning Zhixia: “^v^”

After outsourcing the press-on nail business, Ning Zhixia felt much more relaxed, thinking that with the increased popularity, he should also improve the quality of his service.

That afternoon, after finishing his work, Qu Banqing sent him out to buy the trending ice cream cake to serve to his customers.

The shop happened to be collaborating with a game IP, and the queue was long. Ning Zhixia hurried to the end of the line, bumping his head against the shoulder of the person in front of him.

“Sorry, sorry, good luck…” Ning Zhixia apologized reflexively.

The person in front turned around and looked down at him, then touched his forehead, where a red mark had appeared, with the back of his hand, the cool, comforting temperature spreading across his skin.

“Audrow?” Ning Zhixia blinked slowly.

After Audrow removed his hand, the young man tilted his head like a happy puppy, his bright eyes filled with easily readable emotions: Hello, hello, hi!

Ning Zhixia said happily, “What a coincidence.”

Audrow curled his lips lazily: “Yes, you’re number 100, I’m number 99, just enough to buy the limited edition flavor.”

Just then, an old man, holding a child with a toy gun, cut in line in front of them.

Ning Zhixia’s expression instantly changed: “…I’m out.”

Audrow glanced at him in confusion. The old man pretended not to notice, engrossed in watching short videos on his phone with the volume turned up loud.

“Grandpa, how much longer?” the child impatiently waved his toy gun, yelling, “I want it now!”

Audrow narrowed his eyes and poked the child out of line with his finger: “Don’t cut in line.”

“You—” The child looked up angrily, then, meeting Audrow’s cold gaze, shivered and burst into tears.

“Hey, what are you doing!” The old man, seeing his beloved grandson being bullied, turned around and yelled, “Dressed like a freak, how dare you bully a child! Didn’t your parents teach you to respect your elders?”

“Respect my elders?”

Audrow thought that made perfect sense, muttered “You’re right,” and then logically pushed the old man out of line as well.

“Hey, wait…”

The old man stood there blankly with his grandson, then reacted and started to yell again.

A dark-haired head popped up behind Audrow, staring at him, then suddenly yelled like a loudspeaker, “Cutting in line, cutting in line, the old man and his grandson are cutting in line!”

Instantly, passersby and people in the queue turned to look.

The old man looked around, his face red, and said, “I didn’t—”

“So it’s not your fault for cutting in line?!”

Ning Zhixia interrupted quickly, warning him fiercely, “If you keep causing trouble, no grannies will dance with you!”

“You, you— Good heavens, look at this, these young people are unbelievable…”

The old man, unable to win the argument, turned red with anger, and was about to throw himself on the ground when the back of his collar was suddenly grabbed.

Audrow lifted him up by his collar, making him stand at attention.

The crowd burst into laughter. The old man was dumbfounded, unsure what to do next.

“Hmph!”

Ning Zhixia, with a serious expression, waved his hand dismissively as if shooing away something dirty. “Go away, go away, don’t be like a stubborn toad that won’t budge!”

The others in the queue watched for a while, then understood what was happening, and joined in the jeering.

“Old man, stop whining, do you think we’re invisible?”

“Yo, yo, yo, such a big shot can’t even get on stage!”

“Why don’t you just cut all the way to the front and have them make it for you personally?”

The old man was embarrassed and angry. The two people in front of him, one with actions and the other with words, were both tough nuts to crack. Seeing that many people were recording with their phones, he quickly left with his grandson, his face red with shame.

“Hee hee…”

Ning Zhixia puffed out his chest proudly and extended his hand. “How about it, number 99, I did pretty well, right?”

“Yes.” Audrow shook his hand cooperatively. “Number 100 is very capable.”

Ning Zhixia returned to the shop with his box of cakes and found Yin Fuliu there. Before they could exchange a few words, it was 7:28.

Su Qiushui arrived on time with a string of fox cubs. Seeing Yin Fuliu looking through the designs, she turned her head and snorted coldly.

The two powerful Yokai had been rivals since before they transformed, fighting over territory, biting each other’s tails, and using each other as skipping ropes, their rivalry spanning their entire lives.

“Boss Ning, I want press-on nails too! A hundred times prettier than hers!” Su Qiushui glanced at the designs, then turned to Ning Zhixia, her tone suggesting she would transform and throw a tantrum if he refused.

“These are custom-made for me, two sets!” Yin Fuliu emphasized, waving her hands in front of Su Qiushui’s face. “Even if you wrapped ten foxes around your hands, they wouldn’t be as beautiful as mine.”

Su Qiushui’s eyes turned red with envy, and she opened her mouth to bite, making Yin Fuliu pull her ear: “You’re thousands of years old and still act like an impolite cub. I’m your senior in terms of cultivation, show some respect!”

Su Qiushui ignored her, opening her mouth and yelling: “Waaah!”

The fox cubs looked unimpressed, but their ears perked up, their triangular tips twitching excitedly.

They smiled and pulled Qu Banqing, who was about to intervene: “Qu gege, they’re grown-ups, let them play.”

Qu Banqing: “…” Such instigators!

“Why did you provoke her?”

Ning Zhixia didn’t want them to start a fight, so he opened the cake box and said, “I don’t have a fox design, but I do have a fox cake.”

Everyone looked over. On the surface of the ice cream cake, emitting a cool aura, were eight little cream foxes.

“Wow! I want to eat it!”

The fox cubs squeezed past the adults, their chins resting on the table, their eyes gleaming as they wagged their tails, staring at the cake.

Ning Zhixia cut the cake and served it to the fox cubs.

He divided it evenly, each piece of cake topped with a little fox.

Baizhu tilted his head and, seeing that the cream fox only had one tail, pouted unhappily.

Ning Zhixia, seeing this, scooped some cream with his fork and added two tails to the cream fox, satisfying the three-hundred-year-old cub’s sense of ritual.

“Woohoo!”

Baizhu’s fluffy ears perked up. He opened his mouth wide and stuffed the cake in, chewing and mumbling, “Thank you, Ning gege!”

Ning Zhixia was stunned: “Although we’re close, you don’t have to swallow it whole.”

Baizhu, his mouth covered in cream, scratched his ear embarrassedly.

Ning Zhixia sighed and told him to go to Qu Banqing to wipe his mouth, then cut a piece of cake for Yin Fuliu: “Miss Yin, have some too, thank you for the publicity.”

“You’re welcome, it also depends on whether your design is to my liking.” Yin Fuliu took the cake and raised an eyebrow triumphantly at Su Qiushui, saying casually, “And thanks to you, the commercial did well, and my endorsement was upgraded.”

“Hmph, what’s so great about that.” Su Qiushui snorted disdainfully. “Why don’t you just include our balm in the gift box, the customers would love it!”

Yin Fuliu scoffed: “A mere freebie.”

Su Qiushui was furious: “It’s a little surprise!”

Ning Zhixia quickly intervened, thinking that it actually made sense. After all, it wasn’t cheap, and a little gift would add a nice touch.

Su Qiushui, seeing that her suggestion was accepted, snorted again, then noticed Yin Fuliu taking pictures of the cake from different angles.

She couldn’t help but ask, “It’s just a thick cake, is it that rare?”

“Country bumpkin fox.” Yin Fuliu twirled her hair and chuckled. “There are six limited edition flavors, and this one is the best, it’s hard to get.”

“Indeed, there was only one left.” Ning Zhixia wiped his hands with a tissue and muttered, “Audrow gave it to me, he chose a different flavor.”

“What? Gave?”

The two powerful Yokai caught the keyword and looked at each other in disbelief.

Su Qiushui looked Ning Zhixia up and down, clicking her tongue in amazement. “I’d rather believe Yin Fuliu is selling pancakes on the street.”

Yin Fuliu narrowed her eyes elegantly and pinched Su Qiushui’s ear.

Su Qiushui winced in pain and pulled her hair in retaliation.

“Stop it, stop it… stop fighting…” Ning Zhixia yelled weakly, seeing that it had no effect, he picked up his tablet and stylus and whispered ominously, “If you keep fighting, I’ll draw your doujinshi!”

The two cultured Yokai, who had been exposed to enough fanworks, instantly froze, then smiled sweetly, released each other, and elegantly sipped their tea and ate their cake, as if the hair-pulling incident had never happened.

Ning Zhixia wanted to applaud their performance and whispered to Qu Banqing, “From now on, no foxes and pythons allowed inside at the same time…”

Qu Banqing nodded frantically: “Agreed.”

Since it was the Monster Manicure Shop’s first time selling press-on nails, and they were both limited edition and expensive, many interested people hesitated, muttering that the shop was using Yin Fuliu’s popularity to create hype and rip people off.

But the more unavailable they were, the more people wanted them, unable to resist the temptation, begging every day, “Please increase the quantity! Give me a chance to spend my money!”

Ning Zhixia didn’t want to work Popokula to death, so he could only reply that the shop had limited capacity and that the next sale would be announced in advance.

Other mass-production nail salons saw the opportunity and, lowering their prices, also offered similar designs and took a flood of orders.

Of course, they also prepared their customers for the inevitable disappointment—

“Dear, we’ve started working on the design. There will be slight adjustments, but really not much, about 40%~”

The eager customers: “…”

After making fifty sets of press-on nails, Ning Zhixia decided to ship them according to the order of purchase.

To enhance the experience, he ordered custom cherry-pink gift boxes that perfectly matched the little pink snake design, carefully packing the tools and nails inside, along with a jar of balm as a gift.

The fox cubs, as the balm suppliers, came to deliver the balm and helped with the packaging.

They imitated Ning Zhixia, trying to tie a bow with the ribbon, but after fumbling for a long time, they almost tied themselves up with the boxes, whining and whimpering.

Ning Zhixia had to untangle the little foxes, who had turned themselves into sausage links, and gave them a new task.

So the fox cubs brought large dried flowers and carefully tucked them into the bows, then nudged the boxes with their heads, arranging them neatly by the door.

Baizhu squatted in front of the mountain of boxes, wagging his tail. He knew that these beautifully packaged boxes would soon be on their way, flying like little birds to their owners…