Two Faced Lover - Chapter 13

13: Difficult to Handle

‎Perhaps it was because the room was too quiet, or perhaps because the two of them were so close, but Meng Xuran’s voice was soft and low, the words “Xiao Man” rolling off her tongue like a whisper.
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‎Laden with a heavy nasal tone, wrapped in a subtle, lingering warmth.
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‎Bo Mingyan’s heart skipped a beat, her spine stiffening.
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‎That she could share a name with a cat was something she hadn’t expected.
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‎In that instant, she thought of Bo Weize. Before calling her “Manman” Bo Weize had always called her “Xiao Man” On her tenth birthday, Bo Mingyan declared that she was grown up, and only then did Bo Weize start calling her “Manman.”
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‎”Meow~”
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‎Hearing its name, the black cat leaped onto the nightstand, tilting its head and rubbing against Meng Xuran with half-lidded eyes, rolling its entire body over in the process.
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‎Meng Xuran tossed the pill into her mouth, gulped down two mouthfuls of water, and scratched the cat under its chin.
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‎”The seller said its birthday is May 21st, which happens to be Xiaoman (Grain Full).” Meng Xuran said, finishing the rest of the water, her tone full of pride. “Not a bad name, right? I’ve never met anyone else with the same name.”
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‎The cat stretched its paw toward Meng Xuran’s arm, but as she raised her hand, the cat missed and tumbled off the nightstand, landing at Bo Mingyan’s feet. Its tail brushed lightly against her calf.
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‎Soft and fuzzy, with a faint tickle.
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‎Bo Mingyan’s shoulders relaxed slightly. She gave a noncommittal “Mm” and said, “Get some rest.”
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‎She paused, then reached out her hand. “Give me the cup.”
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‎”Wait a second.” Meng Xuran dodged her hand, holding the cup without saying anything else.
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‎Out of the corner of her eye, Bo Mingyan saw the hand at her side curl slightly, but she didn’t press further, patiently waiting for Meng Xuran to continue.
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‎Meng Xuran rubbed the cup, her gaze sweeping over the medicine box on the nightstand. “Why did you think to buy me medicine?”
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‎Bo Mingyan replied, “To repay you for the ginger tea last time.”
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‎Meng Xuran’s expression darkened slightly. She pressed, “Didn’t you say you’d cook for me?”
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‎Bo Mingyan answered smoothly, “That was to repay you for the pots and pans.”
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‎Meng Xuran’s face visibly fell completely.
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‎The room fell silent for a moment before Meng Xuran let out a soft “Oh” muttering under her breath, “Medicine for ginger tea, food for pots and pans—my high school math teacher wasn’t as precise as you.”
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‎Bo Mingyan could only see her pale lips moving soundlessly. Since she hadn’t spoken at a normal volume, she probably didn’t want to be heard.
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‎”Is there anything else? If not, I’ll leave.” Bo Mingyan said, stretching out her hand and curling a finger toward the cup. “Give me the cup.”
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‎”Take it, take it, just take it all.” Meng Xuran shoved the cup into Bo Mingyan’s hand, then reached for the medicine on the table. “Thanks for the medicine. I only made you one cup of ginger tea, but…”
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‎She abruptly changed tack. “Even so, I also gave you ginger candies. Consider the rest as repayment for those.”
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‎With that, she snatched the medicine back, hugged it to her chest, flopped onto the bed, and turned away from Bo Mingyan, pulling the covers over her head.
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‎The whole sequence was so exaggerated, as if she were afraid someone would snatch the medicine from her.
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‎Bo Mingyan was momentarily stunned before letting out a dry chuckle. “…Those candies were expensive.”
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‎”Of course, they were a token of my sincerity.” Meng Xuran’s muffled voice came from under the blanket, sounding sulky, as if she were pouting.
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‎Bo Mingyan stared at the lump under the blanket.
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‎Even though Meng Xuran was sick, covering herself so tightly with a summer quilt in the middle of summer had to be suffocating.
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‎Bo Mingyan opened her mouth, wanting to ask if she wasn’t hot, but decided it was none of her business—and the woman was already in a bad mood.
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‎Best not to provoke her further.
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‎As she closed the door behind her, Bo Mingyan heard a faint “beep” from inside the room—the sound of the air conditioner turning on. The little princess inside let out a dramatic “Ugh” and said, “I’m suffocating! Bad Xiao Man, stop lying on me.”
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‎The slight curve on Bo Mingyan’s lips froze. She rubbed her thumb against the rim of the cup.
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‎By the next morning, Bo Mingyan still hadn’t seen Meng Xuran emerge from her room.
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‎Considering Meng Xuran’s cold, Bo Mingyan cooked a light, simple meal. To save time and effort, she made two identical portions—one for herself and one for Meng Xuran.
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‎Bo Mingyan wrote a note—[Lunch is in the fridge]—and stuck it on the refrigerator door as a reminder for Meng Xuran before leaving.
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‎After the film costume project’s designs and materials were finalized, the team moved on to refining the details—everything from fabric choices down to decorative elements and embroidery threads had to be confirmed.
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‎One particular fabric had a color discrepancy from the sample, and the supplier claimed they couldn’t replicate the original shade. Since the supplier was local to Nanquan City, Bo Mingyan decided to visit them in person, notifying HR and bringing Hu Jingjing along.
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‎By the time they returned to the office, it was nearly 12:30 p.m.
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‎The break room was empty, the lunch rush long over, though the lingering scent of food still hung in the air.
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‎As Bo Mingyan took her lunchbox from the fridge and was about to close the door, a voice called out from behind her.
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‎”Hey, wait—don’t close it yet.” The voice belonged to Lu Shan, Meng Xuran’s assistant.
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‎A slender, pale hand reached past Bo Mingyan to hold the fridge door open. Instinctively, Bo Mingyan turned around.
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‎The fridge in the break room was placed against the wall, so when Bo Mingyan turned, she found herself nearly encircled by the person behind her—close enough that, looking down slightly, she could clearly see the movement of their throat as they swallowed.
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‎So close that the sound of their heartbeat might as well have been audible.
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‎The scent of sandalwood filled the air.
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‎It wasn’t Lu Shan.
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‎It was Meng Xuran.
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‎Cold air seeped from the fridge behind her, yet Bo Mingyan felt a fire ignite in her chest.
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‎Lu Shan had meant to hold the fridge open, but Hu Jingjing bumped into her, causing her to step on Hu Jingjing’s foot. The two were now locked in a cycle of awkward apologies.
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‎”Whoa.” Ava strode into the break room carrying a large water bottle, skidding to a stop. “Hu Liuri, 63, are you two getting married here?”
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‎Only then did Hu Jingjing and Lu Shan pause.
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‎Ava followed their gazes and made a discovery. “Huh, Director Meng and Ms. Bo have the same lunchbox.”
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‎Hu Jingjing and Lu Shan turned to Ava in unison, giving her a thumbs-up for her boldness. Ava, realizing she’d just teased her boss, mimed zipping her lips.
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‎By then, Bo Mingyan had already slipped out from under Meng Xuran’s arm and walked over to the microwave.
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‎To allow enough space for people to queue up for the microwave, it was placed quite a distance from the fridge.
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‎One of them shoved their lunchbox into the microwave, while the other took theirs out of the fridge—no interaction whatsoever.
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‎The atmosphere in the break room was a strange mix of tension and heat.
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‎”Lu Shan.” Meng Xuran suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. “Heat this up for me.”
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‎Lu Shan: “Yes, Director Meng.”
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‎After Meng Xuran left the break room, Ava rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Mingyan, was Little Director Meng just rejecting you? She left as soon as someone pointed out your lunchboxes match.”
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‎It wasn’t entirely unreasonable for Ava to think that—ever since the gossip incident where Meng Xuran caught them red-handed, she’d been worried Meng Xuran had a grudge against Bo Mingyan.
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‎”…Maybe.” Bo Mingyan stared at the orange glow inside the microwave, the heat in her chest refusing to fade. She turned to pour herself a cup of cold water.
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‎At the other microwave, Hu Jingjing finished heating her meal, and it was now Lu Shan’s turn.
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‎When Lu Shan opened Meng Xuran’s lunchbox, Ava peeked over. “Little Director Meng actually brings homemade lunch? Let me see what she’s got.”
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‎”Uh…” Lu Shan was stunned. “Why is there stir-fried mushrooms with greens?”
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‎”What’s wrong with that dish?” Hu Jingjing tilted her head to look. “It looks pretty good.”
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‎”Director Meng hates the taste of mushrooms.” Lu Shan explained as she placed the lunchbox in the microwave.
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‎”Huh?” Ava’s imagination ran wild. “Maybe her mom tried cooking and forced her to bring it to work.”
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‎Hu Jingjing nodded in agreement. “Very possible. My mom always cooks things I don’t like.”
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‎”No wonder Director Meng’s been pushing to get the cafeteria set up in the downstairs shop.” Lu Shan said. “I thought she was just fed up with takeout, but turns out it’s because her mom’s stepping in.”
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‎Hu Jingjing: “Oh, we’re getting a cafeteria?”
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‎Ava clutched her chest in despair. “Oh no, does that mean our meal allowance is gone?” The company’s meal subsidy was generous, and she clung to a sliver of hope. “Is the cafeteria really happening?”
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‎”Definitely.” Lu Shan recalled, “That day, the takeout she ordered was terrible. She took one bite and her face changed—she immediately called to hurry things along. Oh, right! That day, when I went to pick up the order, I ran into Ms. Bo. She’d ordered from the same place.”
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‎The microwave beeped.
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‎Lu Shan suddenly remembered and asked, “Was it really that bad? I saw you ended up having a cup of oatmeal instead.”
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‎Bo Mingyan reached into the microwave to grab her lunchbox but flinched back from the heat. She pinched her earlobe and replied absentmindedly, “I guess so.”
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‎”I remember now.” Hu Jingjing chimed in. “Mingyan said the takeout rice was spoiled and the vegetables were undercooked.”
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‎Lu Shan nodded in realization. “That explains it.”
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‎Once her fingertips cooled, Bo Mingyan closed the lunchbox lid, bid farewell to the trio, and left.
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‎By the time she finished eating, Ava and Hu Jingjing had returned. Hu Jingjing immediately launched into a story about Ava’s social prowess—how she’d befriended Lu Shan in just a few sentences. “She even added Lu Shan as a friend, saying she could get real-time weather updates. So I added her too.”
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‎Bo Mingyan was confused. “What weather updates?”
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‎Hu Jingjing pointed at the director’s office. “That one is the weather.”
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‎In other words, Meng Xuran’s mood dictated the forecast.
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‎Their phones vibrated in quick succession.
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‎Bo Mingyan opened her messages.
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‎Perhaps to prove she wasn’t picky, “the weather” had sent her a photo—the lunchbox was practically empty.
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‎[Crybaby: Thanks for the meal.]
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‎Didn’t she hate mushrooms? Just as Bo Mingyan was about to ask if the food was to her liking, Hu Jingjing sighed dramatically. “Oh my god, I feel so bad for Director Meng.”
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‎?
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‎Bo Mingyan gave her a puzzled look.
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‎Hu Jingjing handed over her phone without hesitation.
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‎[Hu Liuri: Sister Shan, don’t forget to order takeout for Director Meng.]

‎[63: No need. [crying-laughing emoji] Director Meng finished everything, even though she ate really slowly and struggled with the mushrooms [facepalm emoji]. She even took a photo—probably to report back to her mom.]
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‎Bo Mingyan choked, coughing so hard she nearly passed out.
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‎At that moment, Meng Xuran sent another message.
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‎[Crybaby: The mushrooms were great. Next time, don’t cook them.]
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‎Bo Mingyan clicked on Meng Xuran’s profile and changed [Crybaby] to [Difficult to Handle].