Chapter 51
The pool was deeper than he had imagined, the clear seawater not a depressing dark blue, but faintly illuminated by the sunlight outside.
Ning Zhixia tried swimming on his own, but he was too slow, so he gave up and let the merman, his arm around his waist, effortlessly pull him deeper.
Ning Zhixia was a little nervous, puffing out his cheeks and looking around.
A hand reached out and pinched his hamster-like cheeks, releasing a stream of bubbles.
Ning Zhixia, seeing the amusement in Audrow’s eyes, suddenly remembered that he could breathe, and grinned sheepishly.
As the fishtail swayed, silver scales occasionally brushed against his legs, and Ning Zhixia was now used to the cool, slippery touch. As a school of fish swam past, he extended a finger and poked the last one, watching it dart away in a panic.
He chuckled and gestured, [Are those your pets?]
Audrow shook his head, and a gentle voice sounded in the young man’s mind: [Snacks.]
A whole school of snack fish?!
Ning Zhixia’s eyes widened in surprise, his expression seemingly pleasing the merman.
Audrow tightened his grip on his shoulder, his almost two-meter-long tail swaying effortlessly as he spun around joyfully with the young man in his arms.
They swam past red coral reefs, through swaying seaweed, scattering schools of fish, his powerful tail casually flicking a ray out of the way.
Such a domineering way of navigating made Ning Zhixia feel sorry for the unfortunate fish, but he couldn’t help but laugh, releasing a stream of bubbles.
He continued blowing bubbles as he was taken to the deepest part of the pool, where a giant clam shell appeared before him.
[So big!]
The radiating grooves were colorful, the curved shell open wide, big enough to fit his entire body.
Ning Zhixia looked at the merman beside him in astonishment, his silver-gray hair swirling in the water, every curve alluring.
Audrow lowered his head, nuzzled Ning Zhixia’s face, his ear fins fluttering pleasantly, and gently pushed the dazed young man into the center of the giant clam.
Every merman, after reaching adulthood, would search for the most pleasing giant clam, bring it back to their nest, clean it, and use it to store their treasures.
Audrow brought countless corals and pearls, their soft light reflecting off the inner walls of the clam.
He carefully arranged them around Ning Zhixia, swam around his creation with satisfaction, then extended a long arm and hooked Ning Zhixia’s chin with his sharp claws.
[Do you like it?]
Ning Zhixia, having never seen such a sight, felt slightly dizzy: [I do, but where did you get all this?]
Audrow: [My plane.]
Ning Zhixia patted his chest, relieved: [That’s good, no need to go to jail.]
Audrow chuckled softly, his tail creating small ripples, and swam closer to Ning Zhixia, wrapping his arms around him.
Schools of fish, having calmed down, swam among the coral reefs in the dappled light.
Audrow glanced at the mesmerized young man, slightly regretting that it wasn’t a moonlit night, otherwise he might have said something cheesy like “The moon is beautiful tonight”…
After a while, the water surface churned.
Ning Zhixia was pulled back up, his body suddenly feeling heavy as he climbed onto the shore, his legs dangling in the water, creating ripples.
After enjoying his underwater adventure, he collapsed onto the carpet, his chest heaving, and laughed, “That was so fun!”
Audrow lay by the pool, silently watching the excited young man, his initial curiosity now replaced by other emotions.
He took Ning Zhixia’s hand and nuzzled his palm.
The touch of his ear fins and hair tickled, and Ning Zhixia giggled, trying to pull his hand away.
Audrow immediately nuzzled his palm again, “Was it fun?”
Ning Zhixia nodded honestly: “Yes!”
He looked up, and Audrow’s light-colored eyes were gentle and focused, like an inherited memory, as he softly asked the land creature, “Want to come again?”
Ning Zhixia felt his palm heating up, averted his gaze, and nodded softly, “Y-yes…”
Audrow smiled, propped himself up with his strong arms, and nuzzled the young man’s slightly flushed cheek. With a splash, his silver tail disappeared beneath the water’s surface.
As Ning Zhixia put the diving gear back in Qu Banqing’s designated clutter corner on the second floor, he felt like a rebellious teenager sneaking back in after a night out, slightly guilty.
It’s okay, it’s okay, Xiao Ao isn’t a delinquent.
He reassured himself, then, seeing Qu Banqing returning with groceries, he instinctively flinched.
Qu Banqing looked him up and down, his eyes narrowed at the wet young man. “You went into Audrow’s pool?”
So he knew!
Ning Zhixia relaxed and nodded: “Yes!”
Qu Banqing’s gaze was complicated. “But you can’t even swim…”
“It’s okay, Audrow said if I drink his blood and… I can move freely in the water.” Ning Zhixia omitted a key detail, blushing slightly, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Qu Banqing looked at the young man’s red lips, and after he left, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and punched his chest—
Ah! Cunning fish! Damn fish!
Before the early autumn holidays, the collaborative press-on nails were quickly completed with the help of the hardworking Popokula and Maureen. The internet was flooded with unboxing videos.
These were symbols of good luck, only a few lucky ones among tens of thousands of buyers, so naturally, everyone wanted to show them off.
Of course, there were always some negative comments, everyone’s aesthetics and spending habits were different, and some people just wanted to stir up drama, which was normal.
But soon, some self-proclaimed PR professionals started spreading rumors, accusing a certain small shop of being arrogant after collaborating with a local official organization, only serving celebrities and influencers, and ignoring other collaboration requests.
The target of their insinuation was clearly the Monster Manicure Shop.
The baseless rumors were like a spark, and no one knew when a gust of wind would turn it into a raging fire.
“Just you wait, I’ll take care of it!”
He Mingzhu, getting her nails done at the shop, angrily slammed the table, talking about the rumors.
Fatty Orange, unfazed, patted her hand with its paw.
“You’re always so impulsive.” A cup of calming herbal tea was placed beside her, and Qu Banqing, seeing her anger, added a plate of crème brûlée.
He Mingzhu pursed her lips, picked up the teacup, and said, “You guys are too calm.”
“It’s just those businesses who were rejected before trying to cause trouble.”
Qu Banqing held the plate and said soothingly, “It’s just rumors now, it hasn’t affected our business, just ignore them for now, don’t give them more ammunition.”
“I don’t care…”
He Mingzhu pretended to be indifferent, but she agreed inwardly. The more they tried to suppress it, the more it would seem like they had something to hide.
She twirled her hair, propped her chin on her hand, and sighed, “What kind of people are they…”
Qu Banqing shrugged: “Tall trees catch much wind.”
“Hmm?”
Ning Zhixia, having finished cleaning the cat hair, suddenly looked up and joined the conversation cheerfully: “Hee hee, I’m a big tree!”
“…” The other two looked at him silently.
He Mingzhu rolled her eyes and placed her hand on the hand rest, urging, “Let’s start, Boss Ning, you’re only smart when you’re working.”
“Hmph, I’m always smart…” Ning Zhixia wrinkled his nose, dissatisfied.
He Mingzhu hadn’t been here for a while and had gotten her nails done elsewhere. To avoid any chemical reactions between different products, Ning Zhixia spent extra time carefully removing her old nail polish.
“Wow, you’ve had these nails for a while!”
After cleaning her nails, Ning Zhixia examined her fingers closely and paused.
He Mingzhu’s nail beds were in good condition, especially since she rarely picked at her nails, her nail beds and free edges had grown long.
The skin connecting her nails to her fingertips had grown over, and even a slight touch would cause a sharp pain.
“Ouch…”
Every finger was the same, the situation worse than he had imagined. Ning Zhixia couldn’t file the edges immediately, so he applied cuticle remover to soften the skin.
After waiting for a while, he took a wooden cuticle pusher and was about to push back her cuticles.
“Hiss… hiss…”
Before the pusher even touched her skin, He Mingzhu winced.
Ning Zhixia threatened, “One more hiss and I’ll charge you 500 yuan extra!”
He Mingzhu immediately shut up, raising her chin weakly and letting him do as he pleased.
The pusher gently separated the softened skin from her nails, looking scary but surprisingly painless.
To avoid damaging the live skin, he didn’t trim the cuticles. The translucent dead skin would turn white in a few days and could be easily removed with any suitable tool.
The pulling sensation on her fingertips gone, He Mingzhu felt much more comfortable, then greedily said, “If only there was a permanent solution.”
“That’s easy.” Ning Zhixia grinned and gave her advice, “When tangerines are in season, peel a few every day.”
Who didn’t like sweet tangerines? He Mingzhu burst out laughing.
After her laughter subsided, Ning Zhixia said seriously, “You should still trim your cuticles regularly, just push them back yourself occasionally.”
He Mingzhu knew this herself and sighed, “I’ve been busy managing the family business lately, I haven’t had time for this.”
Qu Banqing, seeing her tired expression, chuckled, “Oh, what’s CEO He busy with?”
“Haven’t you heard about the returned artifacts? The group wants to acquire some too, but the legal procedures and moral persuasion haven’t been successful, so we’re contacting private sellers…”
He Mingzhu explained that if they could successfully acquire these artifacts, it would benefit the group’s projects in China, killing two birds with one stone.
Ning Zhixia asked curiously, “Any progress? What artifacts are they?”
“A boneless ‘Two Swallows’ painting, and a mother-of-pearl screen…” He Mingzhu’s expression turned troubled, probably because the price negotiations weren’t going well. “Unfortunately, these robbers are asking for a fortune, with this year’s budget, we can probably only afford one.”
A ‘Two Swallows’ painting?
Ning Zhixia paused and exchanged a look with Qu Banqing, equally surprised by the coincidence.
He thought for a moment and suggested, “Why don’t you contact the Yucheng Museum?”
He Mingzhu: “Hmm?”
Ning Zhixia said, “The returned blue and white porcelain meiping vase and the ‘Two Swallows’ painting were both displayed in the same museum overseas. If they could be exhibited together again, it would be big news.”
“That’s right!”
He Mingzhu’s eyes lit up. Since they were spending the money, they naturally wanted maximum publicity and return on investment. Her earlier hesitation vanished.
She smiled and praised, “Wow, Boss Ning, you’re so smart!”
Ning Zhixia puffed out his chest proudly: “Hmph, of course.”
Simple glitter manicures were trending recently, a gradient nude base with a layer of fine glitter. The glitter had to be fine and translucent, creating the effect of sunlight on the fingertips, not the “I spent a fortune on this manicure” look.
Few glitter polishes could achieve the natural effect Ning Zhixia wanted, and his expensive, branded one was almost empty, the color always out of stock.
Ning Zhixia used it sparingly, but He Mingzhu noticed and threatened to stuff the calico cat in a sack, making him abandon his profiteering scheme and finish her manicure.
After she left, happily waving her newly manicured hands, Ning Zhixia dejectedly tossed the empty bottle into the trash can.
Dear bottle, your mission is complete!
The recent large orders had depleted his stock, so Ning Zhixia, the lazybones, finally organized his cabinet, checking the remaining colors.
“Clink, clink…”
The delicate bottles of different brands clinked together, and the kittens, their short bodies wiggling, batted at them playfully.
Ning Zhixia stopped, warily looking around, but the floor was empty, not even a single cat hair, as if mocking his paranoia.
When children are quiet, they’re definitely up to no good…
Ning Zhixia looked over and saw the kittens, unusually, gathered on the windowsill.
Fatty Orange jumped up, a frozen treat in its mouth, its body wobbling, then it stuck its head out the window and dropped the treat.
“Hiss… Fatty Orange, you wasteful thing!”
Why was it imitating a picky eater throwing food out the window?!
Ning Zhixia hurried over and shooed the kittens away from the window. He glanced down and saw a small, white lump in the flowerbed.
“Oh my!”
Ning Zhixia’s eyes widened, and he called Qu Banqing to come out.
They hurried to the flowerbed, parted the branches and leaves, and found a small, dirty white terrier, curled up and surrounded by discarded frozen treats.
Ning Zhixia nudged Qu Banqing with his elbow: “Wow, my pets have a pet.”
“Are you trying to create a nested doll situation?” Qu Banqing pushed him aside and went inside to get a clean box and a towel.
The puppy seemed to have been straying for a long time, its cream-colored fur dirty and matted, its caramel-colored ears like small, triangular cookies, drooping listlessly.
Qu Banqing sighed, “Such a sad puppy!”
Ning Zhixia figured they couldn’t handle this and said, “Let’s take it to the vet.”
“Okay, okay.” Qu Banqing agreed, folded the towel, placed it in the box, and carefully lifted the puppy inside with Ning Zhixia.
“Woof…” The terrier whimpered softly, and the kittens, who had been watching with their tails raised, gathered around.
Usually, cats and dogs meeting would be like World War III, but the Mahjong Kitten Squad was incredibly well-behaved, each one nuzzling the puppy, as if reassuring it.
“Good kitties!” Ning Zhixia patted their heads, carried the box, placed it in the back seat of the car, and drove to the vet.
The pet hospital wasn’t far, and thanks to Popo’s increasing contributions, the district’s animal rescue program was well-funded. The checkup was free, a small benefit of their donations.
After the examination, Ning Zhixia learned that the male terrier had been neutered.
“Malnourished, lost a few nails on its hind legs, but fortunately, no other major health problems.”
The vet seemed unfazed, sighed, and said, “It’s either lost or abandoned.”
Ning Zhixia looked at the corner of the vet’s office. The terrier seemed to dislike the place, neither barking nor struggling, just curling up insecurely, reluctant to be touched by the nurses.
It seemed to have suffered a lot while straying. The vet said helplessly, “Mr. Ning, should we send it to the district’s animal shelter?”
“No, my cats found it.”
Ning Zhixia squatted down, put the puppy back in the box, and muttered, “They’ll throw a fit if I don’t take it home.”
It was dinner time when they returned from the hospital.
They had been having hot pot and spicy food for the past few days, so Qu Banqing bought some steamed buns and vegetable congee for a change.
The steamed buns were from a nearby old shop, thin-skinned and generously filled, the savory juices seeping into the dough. Instead of a steaming cloth, they were placed on pine needles, the rising steam carrying a faint fragrance. They easily came off the steamer with chopsticks, and after a dip in the sauce, they were incredibly delicious!
Ning Zhixia’s eyes were glued to them, but the puppy needed to be settled, so he gulped and placed the box in a corner of the living room, then moved the screen with Qu Banqing to create a simple partition.
Just as he was busy, Audrow returned. Seeing Ning Zhixia rearranging the furniture, he paused and said, “The foundation is still intact, no need to move.”
“It’s not that…”
Ning Zhixia put down the screen and showed him the box in the corner, pointing at the white lump inside. “Look, your followers found it.”
Audrow raised an eyebrow.
Ning Zhixia explained, “Banqing just posted about it on our account and in the neighborhood group chat, but…”
He glanced at the puppy and lowered his voice, “Both the vet and I think it was probably abandoned, so we’re keeping it for now…”
“Oh, abandoned?”
Audrow’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and he squatted down.
He flipped the puppy’s ear, then suddenly sneered, “Dirty little dog, your teeth and claws are useless.”
The puppy whimpered softly and buried its head in its paws.
