Two Faced Lover - Chapter 15

15: Phone Call
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‎For several days in a row, Bo Mingyan only had to take care of the cat and didn’t have to play the role of a housewife-cook, which put her in a very good mood.
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‎The company operated on a rotating single-day-off system, and Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day) happened to fall on a Saturday—a workday.
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‎With the boss absent, the office atmosphere was relaxed.
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‎Meng Xuran was deeply invested in this project, and on normal days, it was common to see her pacing around the haute couture team’s workspace like an imperial princess on patrol, her face stern.
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‎As Hu Jingjing put it, “She’s like a mobile air conditioner. When Little Director Meng makes her rounds, the company saves a ton on electricity—no need for AC, her presence alone makes you feel cold.”
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‎”That description isn’t quite accurate.” Liu Yang chimed in. “It’s more like back in elementary school when you’re sitting there taking a test, and the teacher walks around with their hands behind their back. The moment they stop by your desk, your heart skips a beat—Did I mess up again?”
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‎Ava burst out laughing at the analogy. “Looks like you were a bad student. Teachers always loved peeking at the underachievers’ papers.”
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‎”Bullshit.” Liu Yang retorted. “Teachers prefer the top students.”
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‎Hu Jingjing scooted closer to Bo Mingyan and whispered with a grin, “No wonder Little Director Meng always checks on our Miss Bo.”
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‎”The way Little Director Meng treats our Xiao Bo is like…” Liu Yang frowned, thinking hard before suddenly slapping his thigh. “Like a strict principal dealing with an arrogant honor student!”
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‎”You know what? That actually makes sense.” Zhou Wenlin, the oldest and most composed designer in the haute couture team, joined in. “Mingyan becomes a completely different person when she’s working.”
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‎Hu Jingjing defended in a hushed voice, “Sister Mingyan is just focused.”
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‎As the subject of discussion, Bo Mingyan wore a mild, faint smile, listening quietly without comment. Her thoughts drifted briefly.
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‎Meng Xuran did indeed linger a little longer at her workstation each time. And Bo Mingyan was the type to become utterly absorbed in her work, tuning out everything else.
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‎Once, Meng Xuran had reached directly for a decorative piece Bo Mingyan had collected. Before she could say anything, Bo Mingyan rapped her hand away with a pen.
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‎The crisp smack had echoed like ice cracking, the fracture line starting from Bo Mingyan’s desk and extending all the way to the neighboring one.
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‎The atmosphere had frozen solid.
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‎According to Comrade Hu Jingjing’s later account, the moment Bo Mingyan looked up and locked eyes with Meng Xuran, she swore she saw sparks fly.
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‎Bo Mingyan thought the girl had been watching too many shounen anime.
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‎Later, rumors began circulating—no one knew who started them—that “the new colleague accidentally struck the beauty tyrant, the tyrant bides her time to retaliate, the beauty is fierce, the beauty is brave, both secretly endure till year-end.” And just like that, the story spread that Bo Mingyan had offended Meng Xuran, and the two were fundamentally incompatible.
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‎The phone on the desk vibrated twice, pulling Bo Mingyan back to reality. She glanced at the screen and tapped the unread message.
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‎[Difficult to Handle: [Image]]
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‎It was a photo of a lunchbox—two vegetable dishes, one meat dish, and a soup. Looked decent.
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‎Bo Mingyan checked the time in the top-left corner: 12:50 PM. She typed back: [Just now eating?]
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‎[Difficult to Handle: Yeah.]
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‎[Difficult to Handle: Tastes bad.]
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‎Even through the screen, those two simple words conjured up an image in Bo Mingyan’s mind of Meng Xuran’s disdainful expression—delicate brows slightly furrowed, lips pursed, cheeks puffed out just a little.
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‎Those warm, amber-brown eyes would surely be glazed with a thin layer of frost, shooting icy daggers at the offending food.
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‎If looks could kill, the dish would’ve been shattered into pieces by now.
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‎Bo Mingyan snapped out of her thoughts, considering whether she should console the delicate princess, when her phone rang.
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‎Unknown number.
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‎Around her, the Qixi Festival chatter was in full swing, with Ava and Liu Yang practically shouting over each other. Bo Mingyan leisurely made her way to the stairwell outside the lobby, phone in hand, wondering who the caller could be.
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‎The caller was persistent. When the call timed out and disconnected, they immediately dialed again.
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‎Bo Mingyan answered.
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‎No one spoke, but faint sounds came through—like fingers idly tapping against something.
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‎Bo Mingyan broke the silence first. “Hello?”
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‎”What are you doing?” A very distinctive voice came through.
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‎Bo Mingyan recognized it instantly as Meng Xuran’s. Annoyed but still obedient, she replied, “Talking to you on the phone.”
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‎”…”
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‎What a useless answer! Meng Xuran nearly laughed in exasperation. But hearing Bo Mingyan’s soft, gentle tone, she swallowed the retort and slowed the rhythmic tapping of her fingers against the tablet. “Then before this? You took forever to pick up, and you didn’t reply to my message.”
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‎The complaint carried a hint of petulance.
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‎Even after getting her to answer, she still found something to nitpick. The little princess was truly hard to please. But then again, considering how late she’d eaten and how bad the food was, her foul mood was understandable.
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‎Bo Mingyan patiently explained, “It was an unknown number. I was trying to figure out who it was.”
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‎Her answer was vague, deliberately omitting the reason she hadn’t replied to the message.
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‎A long silence followed before a low, suppressed sound rumbled from the other end—something between a scoff and a laugh.
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‎Bo Mingyan rubbed her earlobe and got to the point. “Did you call me for something?”
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‎They hadn’t exchanged numbers privately, and since Meng Xuran already knew her number, the call had to be work-related.
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‎”Mmm~” Meng Xuran drew out the syllable. “Don’t rush to the office on Monday morning. Wait for me—we’re going on a business trip to Shen City.”
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‎Though they lived together, they’d never left for work at the same time. Sometimes Bo Mingyan was out the door before Meng Xuran even woke up.
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‎Bo Mingyan frowned. “What for? How long?”
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‎”If nothing goes wrong, we’ll go and come back the same day.” Meng Xuran continued, “Assassination’s female lead has been recast as Gu Yuwei, and the characters been adjusted, so the costumes need changes too. The stylist and screenwriter for Assassination are both at the film studio in Shen City. Coincidentally, Gu Yuwei will be there on Monday for a magazine shoot. We’ll take her measurements and discuss with the two professionals how to modify your previous drafts.”
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‎Assassination was the film project they were collaborating on, and Bo Mingyan was responsible for the female lead’s costumes.
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‎Bo Mingyan: “Oh, okay.”
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‎Though it was daytime, the weather was gloomy, rain pattering outside. The stairwell was dim, the square window tilted open just enough for the rain to drum softly against the sill.
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‎After Bo Mingyan’s acknowledgment, Meng Xuran fell silent but didn’t hang up.
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‎Without headphones and her arm growing tired from holding the phone, Bo Mingyan switched hands. Suddenly remembering something, she spoke up. “You—”
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‎At the same time, Meng Xuran—who’d been waiting for Bo Mingyan to say something first—lost patience and also spoke, letting out a quiet laugh.
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‎Bo Mingyan pressed her lips together. “You go first this time.”
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‎”Fine, I’ll go first.” Meng Xuran cleared her throat, adopting a businesslike tone. “Prepare the materials and don’t forget anything. Also, we can’t be sure Gu Yuwei and Teacher Chen will definitely have time for us on Monday. Just in case we have to stay an extra day in Shen City, pack a change of clothes.”
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‎Privately, Bo Mingyan had seen Meng Xuran cry too many times, delicate as a hothouse flower untouched by hardship. So whenever Meng Xuran handled work matters with such thoroughness and attention to detail, Bo Mingyan always found it refreshing.
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‎”Oh, okay.” Bo Mingyan replied.
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‎Meng Xuran laughed again, though it was unclear what amused her. After a few seconds, she asked, “What were you going to say earlier?”
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‎Bo Mingyan glanced toward the stairwell door and descended a few more steps before asking, “You’re not coming back tomorrow?”
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‎These matters could’ve been communicated via text. If she was worried a message wouldn’t suffice or typing was inconvenient, she could’ve waited until they were home to discuss it in person. There was no need for a phone call.
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‎Unless Meng Xuran had last-minute plans and wouldn’t be back tomorrow.
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‎Meng Xuran guessed her train of thought and explained, “Not sure. If I do come back, it’ll probably be very late.”
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‎A pause.
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‎”I was afraid I might disturb you.”
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‎Almost simultaneously, the stairwell door creaked open, and hushed voices could be heard.
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‎Bo Mingyan’s heart skipped a beat.
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‎She wasn’t sure if it was because of Meng Xuran’s words or the sudden intrusion.
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‎But neither seemed like a valid reason to feel flustered.
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‎Bo Mingyan made a noncommittal noise, momentarily at a loss for words.
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‎On the other end, muffled conversation filtered through before Meng Xuran said, “Something’s come up here. I’ll hang up first.”
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‎Perfect timing. Bo Mingyan agreed readily.
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‎After the call ended, Bo Mingyan thought about heading back upstairs but heard male voices from above—too quiet to make out the words, except for a clear “do well.”
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‎The voice sounded familiar.
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‎Then came a somewhat saccharine female voice: “Thank you, Manager Sun.”
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‎Only then did Bo Mingyan remember—the male voice belonged to Sun Haoqi, and the female voice was likely the new designer hired after she’d been transferred to the haute couture team.
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‎The haute couture team wasn’t under Sun Haoqi’s jurisdiction, and after not interacting with him for a while, Bo Mingyan had nearly forgotten about him.
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‎She fished a mint candy from her pocket, popping it into her mouth to refresh herself while waiting for the two to finish their conversation and leave.
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‎When she returned, the haute couture team was huddled around their phones, gasping and exclaiming in unison like a symphony orchestra.
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‎Bo Mingyan sat back down and asked Hu Jingjing, who was closest, “What’s everyone looking at?”
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‎”Looking at Little Director Meng.” Hu Jingjing replied, then remembered who’d asked and added, “In the group chat, Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.”
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‎The haute couture team had two group chats: one included Meng Xuran and Lu Shan, called Haute Couture Work Group, and the other had only the four designers and their assistants—eight people in total. Liu Yang had renamed it Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.
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‎Right now, Eight Immortals was being flooded with: [!!! Does Little Director Meng have a partner?!]
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‎Bo Mingyan’s eyebrow twitched. She scrolled until she found the source of the collective freakout.
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‎Eight minutes ago, Ava’s assistant had posted: [A big influencer I follow also went to Little Director Meng’s show! During her backstage livestream, she caught Little Director Meng on camera!!!]
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‎Below was a video clip.
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‎In the video, Meng Xuran stood by a floor-to-ceiling window, phone in hand. The camera suddenly zoomed in, capturing the moment she lowered her head slightly, her lips curving into a gradual smile.
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‎Like ice thawing at the first touch of spring, like a flower blooming in the wake of a rising tide—radiant and exquisite.
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‎The influencer’s voice could be heard in the video: “Oh my god! Moment’s design director—wow, she’s so beautiful. I wonder if she’s talking to her partner. Her smile’s so sweet. Ah~ Qixi Festival really is for other people.”
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‎The camera panned away. Bo Mingyan exited the video.
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‎A notification popped up at the top of her screen.
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‎[Difficult to Handle: Remember to save my number.]
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‎Bo Mingyan blinked. After a long pause, she replied as usual: “Oh, okay.”