Monster Manicure Shop Operation Guide 27

Chapter 27

The softly glowing baroque pearls piled up in Ning Zhixia’s cupped hands, almost overflowing. Qu Banqing, holding his shirt out, scooped up a handful.

“Ah… um…”

Winnifa’s seaweed-like brown hair practically stood on end in embarrassment. Her hoarding habit had made her keep what the other sea monsters considered trash, and now she had accidentally spilled them everywhere.

“Use these as payment.”

Qu Banqing glanced at the freckled siren and spoke before she could stammer out an apology. “I quite like these pearls.”

It was his payment, so naturally, it was up to him.

The sirens looked surprised: “Are you sure? Just these?”

Qu Banqing: “Yes!”

Xinya couldn’t understand his preference and shook her head, sighing that he really didn’t know how to do business. Before leaving, she placed a regular pearl on the QR code scanner.

The other sirens lined up, affectionately patting their heads before leaving.

Their hair ruffled from the pats: “⊙.⊙!”

Ah, was this the joy of being tipped by rich ladies?

After the customers left, Ning Zhixia casually placed a baroque pearl on the QR code scanner, and his account balance showed—

Two yuan and fifty cents!

Ning Zhixia was dumbfounded: “How could this be?” Even if they were cheap, they were still pearls, how could they be worth so little?!

Qu Banqing thoughtfully stared at the baroque pearl in his hand, its luster not bad at all, and guessed, “It seems the QR code’s value assessment is linked to the original plane’s culture.”

“Then what should we do? Keep them or sell them online?” Ning Zhixia shook the bulging bag, unsure how to deal with them.

Qu Banqing took the bag, patted it, and said cheerfully, “Give them to me, I’ll make some trinkets.”

He got to work immediately, taking a pile of tools and materials back to his room that night.

The next morning, Ning Zhixia was sleeping soundly when he was woken by the sound of scratching at his door.

He sat up and yawned, sleepily grabbing the doorknob and muttering, “Bad kitties, you don’t have to go to work or school, why can’t you sleep in…”

As soon as he opened the door, a chorus of meows greeted him.

The Mahjong Kitten Squad, like returning kings, all looked up, their fluffy necks adorned with pearl necklaces that shimmered delicately.

Fatty Orange, with both paws together, as if afraid Ning Zhixia wouldn’t notice, squeezed into the center, determined to be the most glamorous cat in the world.

Ning Zhixia’s eyes widened: “Wow…”

Fatty Orange, you actually have a neck!

No, wait, it was more like a house cat transformed into a glamorous diva!

“Ta-da! Pretty, right?” Qu Banqing leaned against the wall, raising an eyebrow smugly. “I worked on them all night.”

“Did you grow a person on your liver?”

Ning Zhixia was so shocked he didn’t know what to say, then a cold object was thrown at him.

Qu Liver-Qing said generously, “Here, your share.”

Ning Zhixia caught it and saw a puppy-shaped baroque pearl brooch in his hand.

The pearl was quite large, its cloud-like irregular shape providing ample space for creativity. Two small black crystals served as eyes, and a small silver bow tie was embedded below, making it look like a playful marshmallow puppy!

“Oh, it’s so cute! So cute!” Ning Zhixia immediately changed his clothes and pinned it to his chest.

He ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror, then ran downstairs and admired himself in the full-length mirror, as smug as the kittens behind him.

“Stop admiring yourself, I made a lot more, take them and play.” Qu Banqing, like he was coaxing a child, casually shook the bag, spreading the contents on the table—

A small elf holding a torch, a magician bunny casting a spell, a multi-layered peony… With silver and other small accessories, these imaginative pearl creations had been transformed.

Ning Zhixia touched each one lovingly: “Did you use all the pearls?”

“Not all of them, there are still some left.” Qu Banqing shrugged. This amount of crafting wasn’t even enough for a warm-up. He had used the larger pearls, and he hadn’t decided what to do with the smaller ones yet, so he put them away in a jewelry box.

He then went to the kitchen to make breakfast, leaving Ning Zhixia admiring the pearl trinkets enviously.

Damn it, why were humans so easily tired and sleepy!

After breakfast, Qu Banqing set off with his shopping basket to buy free-range eggs from the vendors he had arranged to meet.

Ning Zhixia, fueled by his worker bee energy drink, waited for Lu Yaoguang, who had a morning appointment.

“Good morning, Boss Ning, want some cookies? Cranberry yogurt flavor.” Lu Yaoguang, now a regular, greeted him, shaking the small paper bag in her hand.

Ning Zhixia patted his belly, remembering his recent exercise efforts, and nodded: “Just a little.”

“Hee hee…” High-calorie food was best enjoyed with company. Lu Yaoguang sat down with the bag and her eyes immediately landed on Ning Zhixia’s chest.

“Eh! Where did you buy that brooch?” Lu Yaoguang asked enviously. “I’ve been wanting to buy one lately, it would look so good with sweaters and wool capes in the fall and winter!”

Ning Zhixia was stunned: “It’s just the beginning of summer.”

Lu Yaoguang coughed lightly and said seriously, “I’m a forward-thinker.”

Ning Zhixia nodded as if he understood, and seeing that she was still staring at his brooch, subtly blocked it from her view and pointed to the side table: “You can’t have this one, but you can look at the others.”

Lu Yaoguang looked over, her face lighting up, and picked up a little monster pendant, her voice unconsciously becoming sweeter: “Oh my god, so many cute little things here, and I didn’t even notice!”

Ning Zhixia puffed out his chest proudly: “Banqing made them, impressive, right?”

“Wuwuwu, Mr. Qu’s hands are so skillful.” Lu Yaoguang touched the pendant, reluctant to let go, and asked eagerly, “Are these for sale? They are, right?”

Ning Zhixia froze. These were just trinkets Qu Banqing had made for him to play with, and he felt a little embarrassed to charge a regular customer for them.

He scratched his head in confusion and said, “These aren’t for sale.”

Before Lu Yaoguang could express her disappointment, he continued, “But you can choose one for free with every 2000 yuan spent.”

“Really?”

Lu Yaoguang calculated, remembering that she was only 500 yuan away, and since she was getting a complex design today, she felt like she had hit the jackpot.

She quickly extended her hand, her eyes gleaming with excitement, and urged, “Come on, let’s start, I want to take one home today!”

When Qu Banqing returned, Lu Yaoguang had already left, satisfied with her reward.

Ning Zhixia told him about his plan to use the trinkets as loyalty rewards, but Qu Banqing hesitated, pursing his lips and remaining silent.

Ning Zhixia was stunned: “Friend, what’s wrong?”

“Should we prepare something else?” Qu Banqing held a pendant, squinting at it from different angles, his brow furrowing as he said uncertainly, “These things I randomly made, aren’t they too cheap…”

Ning Zhixia put on a serious face: “Nonsense.”

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Qu Banqing could only sigh and say helplessly, “Fine, fine, don’t come crying to me when the customers complain.”

Meanwhile, after returning home, Lu Yaoguang quickly filmed a new seasonal outfit video.

She had strung the small pendant on a silver chain and wore it as an accessory. Usually, she would change her accessories with each outfit, but this time, she kept wearing this necklace.

Whether the dress was playful and quirky or elegant and gentle, it perfectly complemented the necklace.

“Little Deer, your dresses in this video are so beautiful, I want to buy them all!”

“Can you share the link for the necklace? It’s not in the description.”

“I noticed it too, is it a baroque pearl? It seems to shimmer, more versatile than I thought!”

Lu Yaoguang was at an age where she couldn’t keep secrets, and she didn’t intend to. Seeing that her fans appreciated her taste, she happily shared in the comments: “Monster Manicure Shop has new loyalty rewards, this is a free gift for spending 2000 yuan!”

Fans who had been to the nail salon quickly checked their spending records.

Ning Zhixia also posted the details of the campaign on his account. The rewards were cumulative annually, with gifts offered at 2000, 5000, 10,000, and 20,000 yuan thresholds.

Seeing the high amounts and the keywords “cumulative annually,” everyone went crazy.

“What do you mean, cumulative annually? Does that mean the amount resets every year?”

“Are you crazy? I don’t believe anyone would spend 20,000 yuan a year on manicures, why set the threshold so high?”

“This gimmick is so pointless. It’s not some rare treasure, there’s no incentive, who would spend so much money at your shop just for a small pendant?”

Qu Banqing read a few comments and collapsed dramatically onto the chair, covering his teary eyes with his small metal wings.

He knocked Ning Zhixia’s head repeatedly: “Brat, see, see… I knew this would happen!”

Ning Zhixia’s head bobbed: “Ow, ow, ow.”

He slyly placed a cow-patterned cat on his head to shield himself from the blows, continuing to upload photos, muttering like he was casting a spell, “Upload, upload, upload!”

With a whoosh, the account was updated again, with detailed pictures of the loyalty rewards.

The thousand-yuan tier rewards were various pendants and brooches. The ten-thousand-yuan tier was different. It seemed to have been carefully selected, using flat, petal-shaped pearls, arranged into a multi-layered plum blossom, mimicking the growth of vines, and made into a necklace.

The netizens thought it was interesting, initially just browsing casually, but their fingers couldn’t help but scroll faster and faster. When they saw the final reward, their minds went blank—

The jewelry on the black velvet cloth was also made of baroque pearls, long and short pearls arranged into wings, with a teardrop-shaped pearl in the center, intricate, luxurious, and elaborate, clearly eye-catching.

“Who would spend so much for a reward… I would! I would! I’m booking an appointment right now!”

“Is this Mr. Qu’s work? Amazing! I’d be willing to buy it directly!”

“Please make more, don’t overwork yourself, but also don’t be idle!”

“Damn it, it’s you again! The super competitive nail salon!”

All the pearls were flawless, with thick nacre, instantly setting them apart from the cloudy baroque pearls on the market.

Not only were the netizens going crazy, but even many renowned crafters were sending private messages, asking where he got the pearls.

Ning Zhixia lifted one of Qu Banqing’s metal feathers and showed him the compliments, humming proudly, “See? Everyone loves your work. There are many high-end nail salons, we have to come up with gimmicks, add some emotional value.”

Qu Banqing stared blankly for a long time, his small wings gradually fluttering happily, and muttered softly, “Then I have to make more.”

Ning Zhixia chuckled, thanked the hardworking little Qu, handed him the tablet, and ran off, a cat perched on his head.

The loyalty reward campaign ignited a new wave of consumer enthusiasm. Everyone wanted to get the small gifts quickly. Even if they couldn’t get the two necklaces, it was fine, they could still watch the rich ladies unbox and show them off.

Seeing was believing, and believing was having!

This enthusiasm surprised Ning Zhixia. He bought a new display case and placed Qu Banqing’s finished jewelry inside.

From then on, customers would calculate their spending, tempted by the small pendants. If they were only a few hundred yuan away, they would opt for a complex design or add some Swarovski crystals to reach the threshold.

With increased customer loyalty, the small pendants quickly dwindled.

Qu Banqing hadn’t expected his casual creations to be so popular. Under the kittens’ puzzled gazes, he accepted Ning Zhixia’s enthusiastic applause.

That evening, while serving the sirens, Ning Zhixia told them about it, and the sea creatures were greatly surprised.

“Why?”

A siren picked up a small pendant and examined it, muttering softly, “Even if they’re transformed, they’re still worthless…”

“Maybe it’s the added value from Banqing?” Ning Zhixia glanced at his friend, who was showing off his newly made pearl hair crown to Winnifa, making the girl giggle.

Ning Zhixia also chuckled, munching on a cookie and saying indistinctly, “They’re quite interesting, at least when they’re growing, you can’t imagine whether they’ll become puppies, bunnies, or little ghosts…”

The other sirens paused, looking thoughtfully at their youngest sister, whose personality and preferences were so different.

Xinya suddenly smiled: “I think I understand what you mean.”

Ning Zhixia shrugged and continued working.

The baroque pearls, precisely because of their unique, irregular shapes, added a whimsical touch to the elegant texture of pearls. Of course, they also held the infinite possibility of transformation.

Each one was unique, just like the girls themselves.

After the beginning of summer, the weather gradually became warmer, even the south wind carrying the fragrance of plants.

Beside them was a misty arched window, and before them was a screen displaying a lush green scene. The Bureau employees were getting restless, glancing warily at the door of the director’s office, which represented the highest authority.

Perhaps because of the weather, their boss hadn’t been seen much lately, even his daily dessert runs had been put on hold for several days.

“He probably doesn’t like going out in the heat.”

“Summer and autumn in this plane are his least favorite seasons.”

“Why don’t we move headquarters to another plane?”

“No, this place is so stable and there’s no weird food, where can you find a better place?”

“Shh— be quiet!”

A few administrators huddled by the gleaming door, listening intently. After a long silence, they could only vaguely hear the sound of splashing water, then grinned mischievously.

“What are we waiting for, let’s go!”

Two female administrators, arm in arm, snuck out the door.

Ah, fresh, warm air! Ah, the fragrance of flowers and plants!

They took deep breaths like prisoners just released from jail, their eyes fixed on 19 Qingxi Road, and soon came face to face with the bejeweled kittens in the courtyard.

“Meow—”

Fatty Orange, with its tail raised, sniffed at the unfamiliar visitors, then, seeming to recognize a familiar scent, graciously rubbed against their hands.

The two administrators’ expressions changed repeatedly, unsure whether to marvel at the adorable chubby face or the fact that Golden Toast actually had a neck.

Just then, hearing the noise, Ning Zhixia opened the window, poked his head out, and stared at the familiar faces in surprise: “What are you doing here?”

The administrators chuckled awkwardly and rubbed their hands: “We want to order some press-on nails…”

“Sure, but…” Ning Zhixia nodded, then asked in confusion, “Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?”

He remembered that administrators weren’t supposed to freely enter other planes.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” An administrator waved her hand dismissively. “No one cares!”

“Comrade Xiao Ao is just like that.” The other one was even more daring. “We’ve been so free lately, we can sneak out whenever we want, just wandering around!”

“Wandering around, huh?” Ning Zhixia was about to invite them in when he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye, his smile widening.

Sensing the change in his expression, the alert administrators turned their heads with a start, and their faces fell.

“Good afternoon.”

Under the shade of the trees, bathed in dappled sunlight, Audrow’s silver-gray hair seemed to shimmer. He greeted them lazily, waving his phone perfunctorily, the meaning in his eyes clear—

Caught you, attendance points deducted.

“…”

The administrators closed their eyes in despair, their hearts turning to ice.

Ning Zhixia chuckled beside them: “What a coincidence, you and your boss had the same idea!”

As soon as he finished his slightly gloating remark, the administrators glared at him angrily—

Boss Ning, you’re evil!