Chapter 52
Qu Banqing, interrupting someone’s attempt to instill negativity, raised his voice and said, “Since we’re keeping it, let’s give it a name! Calling it ‘puppy’ is boring.”
“You’re right.” Ning Zhixia nodded.
“Let me see… tonight, the lights are bright, the moon is clear, a beautiful night…”
Ning Zhixia pondered seriously for a moment, then, as if struck by inspiration, lifted the puppy’s face and announced loudly—
“Your name is Xiao Long Bao!” (Steamed Bun)
“…”
Qu Banqing patted the puppy’s head sympathetically, “Poor thing, you got a name-challenged owner.”
“Woof…”
Xiao Long Bao didn’t react to the name, resting its head on its paws and letting out a soft snort.
No one objected to the new member. The next day, taking advantage of the sunny weather, Ning Zhixia gave Xiao Long Bao a bath and took him out to the courtyard to bask in the sun.
The plants in the front yard would water themselves every morning, and with Audrow occasionally trimming them, they were thriving.
Xiao Long Bao seemed to like the courtyard, often nudging the door open with his nose and lying quietly under the windowsill.
Soon, everyone noticed his preference, and Qu Banqing made him a small orange cushion.
The puppy’s belly had to be kept clean, after all, bathing him was a hassle.
After being cleaned, his matted fur became soft and fluffy, his caramel-colored ears like small, triangular cookies, still drooping listlessly.
Audrow, coming in after tending to the plants, saw the puppy by the door, paused, tilted his head, and stared at it silently for a while, then bent down and touched its ears.
Except for occasionally scaring the fox cubs, Audrow rarely interacted with furry creatures, even ignoring his loyal cat followers.
Ning Zhixia, seeing his unusual interest in Xiao Long Bao, was intrigued and approached him curiously, hands behind his back, “So Xiao Ao likes dogs?”
“Not really.” Audrow thought for a moment and said, “You looked quite similar to it when you wore that puppy hoodie in early spring.”
Ning Zhixia tilted his head: “???”
What did that mean?
Audrow calmly patted his head and went to the living room to watch TV, leaving the confused young man behind.
Having recently finished a large batch of orders, Ning Zhixia wanted to relax, so he wasn’t taking many appointments. He Mingzhu, however, messaged him, urgently requesting a set of press-on nails.
Seeing her request, Ning Zhixia smiled knowingly and quickly made them, sending them over.
A few days later, news of the “Two Swallows” painting’s return spread like wildfire.
People were deeply moved to learn that the painting and the blue and white porcelain meiping vase had been exhibited together for a century, and they were even more excited when the news of their reunion at the Yucheng Museum was announced.
This was a momentous occasion, and many people watched the live stream of the return ceremony. He Mingzhu, wearing a set of swallow-themed nails, attended the event, instantly becoming the center of attention, countless photos taken by reporters.
She was already a trending topic, and her outfit, including the press-on nails, was quickly identified.
Due to the previous controversy stirred up by the rejected brands, some jealous competitors had spread rumors, and her angry fans, not wanting to give them more attention, felt frustrated.
With the appearance of these press-on nails, He Mingzhu specifically tagged and thanked the Monster Manicure Shop, and the Yucheng Museum quickly followed suit, posting close-up photos of the painting and the nails, practically ready to start selling them in their shop.
The internet erupted again, countless fans and passersby flocking to the previous smear campaign posts to celebrate their victory.
“Ha ha ha, I’ve never seen an official account so eager!”
“Yucheng Museum: Damn it, who dares touch my God of Fortune!”
“Lol, look at how much attention they’ve brought to the museum’s merchandise sales!”
“As expected of Monster Manicure Shop! This is their second collaboration with an artifact exhibition, right?”
“Who’s saying they’re arrogant now? With these skills, they only play in the high-end league!”
“Collaboration is a two-way street, if they rejected your offer, maybe you should reflect on yourselves!”
More collaboration invitations flooded his inbox and email, but Ning Zhixia didn’t rush to accept them. He sent the list of smear campaign accounts Qu Banqing had compiled to the law firm recommended by He Mingzhu, then posted an announcement on his account, his firm stance earning him praise from his fans.
So efficient, Boss Ning takes care of everything himself!
Thanks to these publicity events, Ning Zhixia successfully transitioned to high-end nail art, selectively taking custom orders and collaborations, no longer needing to worry about money thanks to his income from other planes.
“Tsk, tsk… it feels so good to say ‘I don’t need money’!”
Ning Zhixia munched on a KFC chicken drumstick and sighed contentedly.
“You’re so resourceful, young master. If it weren’t for you and Miss He, I don’t know how long I would have been separated from my little swallows.” The Porcelain Fairy came specifically to flatter him, two small swallows with beady eyes fluttering around her.
The kittens stared intently, their fangs bared, chirping non-stop, their butts wiggling restlessly.
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome…”
Ning Zhixia quickly stood up, held the Mahjong Kitten Squad down, and gestured for Audrow to open the passage and send them back.
If anything happened to these swallows, the museum would be devastated.
The Porcelain Fairy obediently left with her swallows, her long sleeves brushing past Xiao Long Bao’s head, making him sneeze violently.
The non-human visitors all knew that the shop had a new puppy.
During the day, he would bask in the sun in the courtyard, and at night, he would lie beside the fluffy cats, letting Qu Banqing brush his fur, his routine as regular as a clock.
At first, Xiao Long Bao would tremble at the sight of these strange guests, but after being passed around in the centaurs’ arms, he returned to his usual listless demeanor.
Even when the little calico cat occasionally patted his black nose with its paw, he would only grumble and nudge it away, then continue licking his fur.
“Sigh, he barely touched his dinner again…” Ning Zhixia looked at Xiao Long Bao’s food bowl and sighed sadly.
The terrier had become a bit bolder recently, but his appetite was still poor, and neither he nor Qu Banqing could tempt him with their various culinary creations.
Fatty Orange, like a semi-truck, brushed against his legs, its tail raised, and Ning Zhixia lifted his foot, gently moving it aside, muttering about some having too much and others too little.
“That must be because your food doesn’t suit his taste!”
The centaurs, barging in, overheard the human’s complaint and scoffed.
Harpas immediately took out a piece of red meat from some unknown creature and enthusiastically tried to shove it into the puppy’s mouth.
The strong metallic scent filled the air, and Xiao Long Bao whimpered: “Wuwuwu…”
Ning Zhixia was startled: “Hey, what are you doing?!”
Audrow snapped his fingers lightly, and the bloody meat instantly turned into a block of ice, almost hitting Harpas’ hoof.
The red-haired centaur gritted his teeth: “Hey, watch it! You almost froze my hand!”
Audrow said calmly, “Really? You’re lucky then.”
The bloody ice was tossed to the plants outside. Ning Zhixia breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Xiao Ao was still reliable.
However, he then saw Audrow pick up a piece of chocolate cream cake with a silver fork and offer it to the puppy.
“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?!”
He couldn’t relax for even a second!
Ning Zhixia grabbed Audrow’s wrist, turned it, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed the cake.
He frowned, chewing seriously, and warned them, “Don’t feed him randomly!”
Audrow blinked, then offered another piece of cake to Ning Zhixia.
“Ah.” Munch, munch, munch…
The young man’s cheeks puffed out.
Audrow, his chin resting on his hand, patiently waited for him to finish chewing, then put down his fork with a clink.
A cold finger gently wiped the black cream from Ning Zhixia’s lips.
Harpas and Mili’s faces darkened, and they stomped their hooves, muttering, “Why him—”
Maureen rolled her eyes and snorted sarcastically.
She covered Pipi’s eyes with her hand and said slowly, “You won’t learn these tricks even in a hundred years…”
The long finger changed direction, licking the sweet cream clean.
The cool sensation lingered. Ning Zhixia blushed, scratched his head, and quickly wiped his mouth with a tissue.
Suddenly, his shoulder was patted, and Ning Zhixia turned around in confusion.
Mili tore the meat into smaller pieces, placed them on a silver fork, and offered them to Ning Zhixia expectantly, “Here, open your mouth, ah—”
Ah, my foot!
Ning Zhixia was annoyed. He flicked the blond centaur’s head and refused, “Get lost!”
“Ha.”
Mohui chuckled at his brother’s rejection.
Mili glared at him, crossed his arms, and lay down with a thud.
“Hey…” Harpas nudged the young man, complaining, “Why do you eat what he gives you…”
“Someone’s jealous.” Hecate’s face twisted as he started his usual sarcasm.
“Jealous? Jealous of what?!”
The key word triggered Qu Banqing again, his expression changing drastically.
He kicked the centaur’s sturdy butt and scolded angrily, “Is it food? Why are you even offering it?”
Maureen sighed deeply. The dynamics in this house were truly complicated.
She wasn’t here for a manicure this time, but to urge Ning Zhixia to design the next batch of patterns.
“Why are we drawing again… drawing again…” Ning Zhixia grumbled as he sketched. “I thought the journal was called Magic Weekly?”
Maureen smiled and replied, “Darling, it can also be called Fashion Bazaar.”
“You’re quite up-to-date.” Ning Zhixia sighed, his pen moving quickly as he finished a design.
Just then, a new roll of parchment stealthily appeared.
Maureen lowered her voice and said mysteriously, “Are you taking any other commissions?”
Ning Zhixia paused: “What?”
“Um… ha ha ha… I saw some of the comics upstairs…”
Maureen blushed, twirling Pipi’s ear between her fingers. “I wrote some fanfiction about Miss Yin and the others while delivering the designs to the journal.”
“???” Ning Zhixia looked up abruptly.
Maureen rubbed her hands: “So I want to commission some illustrations, serious ones, are you interested?”
Ning Zhixia: “…”
You’re quite versatile, aren’t you?
He looked around and lowered his voice, “Do Yin Fuliu and the others know?”
Maureen said seriously, “It’s just for fun, we can’t let the real people see it!”
Ning Zhixia couldn’t help but clap his hands: “You’ve been learning a lot about our plane lately.”
“Not at all.” Maureen said humbly, “Learning never ends.”
A disaster in real-life cooking, a master in cyber cooking. With someone taking the initiative, Ning Zhixia half-heartedly agreed to Maureen’s proposal, deciding to give the foxes some snacks as payment for their inspiration.
After the client left with her nail art designs, Ning Zhixia chuckled and started drawing.
Hmm… green plums, green plums…
So cute!
His pen moved swiftly, and a fluffy fox and a small snake cuddling under a tree appeared on the page.
As he was engrossed in his work, shimmering light specks fell before him, and a small voice suddenly sounded—
“Hello… hello…”
Hmm?
Ning Zhixia looked up and saw a small girl in a flower dress with butterfly wings fluttering towards him. She was only about seven or eight centimeters tall, tiny specks of light falling from her wings.
Ning Zhixia suddenly felt his nose itch and sneezed: “Achoo—”
“Waaaah!”
A gust of wind blew the girl off balance, and she tumbled from the table like a leaf, screaming.
Ning Zhixia froze. Crap, what did I just blow away?
He anxiously leaned over to look, but saw the girl sitting unharmed in a pile of cream-colored fur, her hands cupping her face in surprise as she floated up.
Xiao Long Bao, his hind legs planted firmly on the ground, rested his head on the table. After the girl slid down his snout like a slide, he wagged his tail and barked—
“Woof!
