Just after 7 o'clock in the evening, many social animals were still struggling at their jobs, and I had already gone home to change my clothes and sat in the armchair by the window of a Western restaurant that I had loved for a long time.

Given that the dinner has been contracted by Li Lu in the last few days, I have rarely saved some money to indulge my desire to feast. This western restaurant focuses on authentic British style, perfect dining experience, and the decoration style is restrained and luxurious, with some taste of the British economy booming after Margaret Thatcher came to power in the last century. Perhaps because of its unique style, the restaurant here has been in the top three of the food review list all year round, and it has always been on my wish list.

Actually, the main reason why I decided to dine here today is because the Shell Nail Salons are located near this restaurant. The more I investigated, the more I felt that I was approaching the heart of some kind of secret, where all the fragments of truth were scattered in front of my eyes, and I had to piece them together with my own hands. This unresolved thrill made me nervous and excited, and I was able to forgive myself for my shriveled wallet.

I looked at the all-English menu for a while, translated a few out-of-the-box words on my phone, and then cautiously beckoned the waiter to come and order. Luckily, the waiter wasn't imported, otherwise I would have been forced to show off my broken spoken English.

"I'm going to, um, a portion of grilled wings, a portion of tomato pasta, and ...... Let's have a pot of black tea. ”

"I'm sorry Miss, our black tea is usually provided at tea time, and black tea is generally used to refresh the mind, and it is now past seven o'clock in the evening. "The waiter carefully recorded my needs, and when he heard that I wanted black tea, he stopped writing in a proper manner.

"It's okay, please order a pot for me if it's available now. I still have work at night. "I'd like to come in the afternoon, but it's not a condition.

"Okay, no problem. Ma'am, wait a minute. The waiter didn't raise any objections, just helped me tidy up the dishes, put away the menu, and bowed neatly and left. This shop is really good, at least from the quality of the waiter, he still shows respect and thoughtfulness to a poor customer like me who doesn't order steak and lobster wine, and not to be advocated by some kind of capital contempt chain.

Due to the simplicity of the meal, the chicken wing pasta was served quickly, and the waiter brought a fresh rose to be inserted into a tin vase on my table. I love the atmosphere of eating, the flowers, the candles, the jazz music and the old black armchair with polished hips underneath, and the intimate conversation of people in a strong sweetness and lightness, even if I just look at it, I can feel the happiness that I have not seen in the world.

After eating my chicken wings and pasta, I licked my fingers and wiped my lips clean. Then I took out my phone and drank tea while browsing the content about "Shell Nail Shop" on the review app. This is really a mysterious store, and the comment section is very polarized, with some complaining that "the business hours are uncertain, the service is all due to fate", "the group coupon is told that the service is not provided", and "the store staff is difficult to communicate", while the other part is the opposite, and many users who claim to be regular customers leave a full of praise.

Through the numerous reviews, I have come up with a few special features of this nail salon. First of all, its business hours are not fixed, and it does not accept reservations in advance, but considering Guan Linlin's invoice records, it cannot be ruled out that its business hours have some mysterious rules to follow. Secondly, many reviews mention the "secret massage service" with remarkable results, but they are not described in detail in a unified voice, and it seems that it is not secret.

Last but not least, I noticed that the names of nail technicians mentioned in the comments of different time periods are different, half a year ago it was basically "light rain", three months ago it was mostly "Sasha", and the most recent comment was this afternoon, which read, "I came to look for Sasha before, but I heard that Sasha left her job." Today's service to me is the new nail technician Ayu, I didn't expect the technology to be as good."

A nail salon wouldn't be so competitive, and it would be too cruel to change the nail technician every three months, unless—I didn't think any further, and reached out and poured another cup of black tea, and soon a refreshing aroma filled my nostrils, dispelling the mess. I suddenly understood that "Pride and Prejudice" says, "Coming back from a walk in the drizzle, the warmth and beauty provided by a cup of hot tea is indescribable", it is indeed a good comfort for the body and mind.

Just as I was thinking about it, suddenly there were raindrops on the transparent glass of the western restaurant, like a crack growing in the ice. Autumn rains are always frequent and unreasonable. It was just a light rain, so I took out an umbrella from my bag, called a waiter to pay the bill, and walked towards the shell nail salon with an umbrella.

According to the navigation, I was less than 300 meters away from my destination in a straight line, but due to road conditions, I had to take a detour for at least 10 minutes. The fine rain weaves a gray curtain between the heavens and the earth, but the umbrella gives me a sense of security and allows me to walk calmly through the streets.

The nail salon is located in a residential area, renovated from the old first floor, with no signboard, just the word "shell" on the glass of the room, and the inside is brightly lit. This style of shop, which was popular at the end of the last century, is too old-fashioned.

There was no light in the hallway, so I had to use the light of my mobile phone to go in in the dark. The door on the left, which leads to the nail salon, is ajar and draped with a pale pink curtain of mosquito-repellent gauze hanging from the outside, so that the interior of the room is a blurry pink.

"Is anyone there", how to say it, I thought that the nail salon that Guan Linlin would choose, even if it was not luxurious, should at least be bright and spacious, and it would not be this small store in front of her.

No one answered me in the door, and there was a faint sound of nostalgic old songs, and when I heard it, I knew that it was not a product of this era. I had to lift the curtain and push the door in.

"Is this a shell nail salon?" I asked again, but quickly, the furnishings in front of me answered my question. The living room was neat, with a table in the middle, covered with a pale green floral tablecloth and a well-lit old-fashioned lamp. Behind the desk is a wall of glass cabinets with a variety of nail polish and nail art materials, making the store as professional as it can be.

"Wait a minute", I walked to the plastic bench next to the table, as soon as I sat down, through another curtain I heard a woman's response from the room, originally a gentle and emotional voice, but at this time it was too low, as if it was deliberately pinched, I only felt familiar, and I could not remember the source.

"Okay", I continued to look around, and saw a stack of nail pieces on the table, not only exquisite craftsmanship, but also comfortable color matching, it seems that this small shop is really a little level. Not far away, there was a leather sofa with a torn backrest, on which were placed several fashion magazines, and the pages of the books were turned up, and they were no longer fashionable.

I wanted to take the book and read it, when suddenly there was a sound of footsteps from inside the room, and after a while, the white curtain opened, and out of the room came a woman wearing black sunglasses and a mask, completely covering her facial features, and no doubt I was startled by the "fully armed" woman in front of me.

"Welcome to Shell Nail Shop, what service do you need?"