Two Faced Lover - Chapter 29

29: Thoughts

There was a large shopping mall next to the sports stadium, with the fourth floor packed with various restaurants. Lu Yo was very familiar with this area, having eaten at almost every establishment. She wanted to try a newly opened private kitchen.

Tao Xin raised an objection: “What if it’s not good? The grilled fish place next door would be better. Didn’t you say you wanted grilled fish earlier, sis?”

Lu Yo glanced at her, then at Yue Yunxi, pursed her lips, and said nothing.

“This place has pretty good reviews, I think the taste should be decent.” Yue Yunxi said wisely. Caught in the middle and not wanting to take sides, she simply tossed the decision to Bo Mingyan and Meng Xuran. “What would you two like to eat?”

“Anything is fi—”

Bo Mingyan paused. She wasn’t particularly picky about food, so it didn’t matter to her, but the person next to her was different—extremely fussy about taste. Having cooked for that someone for nearly a month, Bo Mingyan knew very well that she couldn’t handle much spice and was sensitive to even the slightest hint of fishiness.

Grilled fish that wasn’t spicy often carried a fishy taste, which might be tolerable for others but not necessarily for that someone.

Bo Mingyan amended, “No grilled fish.”

Meng Xuran had been pondering that since whoever recommended the restaurant would pay, grilled fish wouldn’t be a bad option. She could endure it for Bo Mingyan’s friend’s sake, eating less if necessary. If it really wasn’t tolerable, she could always grab something else in the afternoon.

The moment Bo Mingyan changed her answer, Meng Xuran froze, abruptly lifting her gaze to Bo Mingyan. A wave of joy surged in her eyes.

Was skipping grilled fish really that exciting? Bo Mingyan shot her a glance, lips curling imperceptibly.

In the end, they settled on the private kitchen.

Inside the small private room, seated around a round table, everyone ordered one dish each. Lu Yo poured tea for everyone except Tao Xin, while Yue Yunxi called the server to add a few more dishes.

Tao Xin said, “Sis, I want to try that one.”

Yue Yunxi relayed the dish name.

Lu Yo’s hands, busy rinsing the tableware, paused subtly. She pushed the cleaned set toward Bo Mingyan, swapping it with the one in front of her.

It was a natural gesture, clearly a habitual action. Meng Xuran watched for a moment before averting her gaze.

“After being abroad for so long,” Bo Mingyan mused, “I’d forgotten about this step.”

Lu Yo teased, “Guess there’s no one to rinse tableware for you, young miss.”

Bo Mingyan smiled without confirming or denying.

In her first year abroad, it felt like she had fallen from the clouds into the mud. Not only was there no one to do these things for her, but she even had to stoop to tasks she’d never done before just to survive.

“Did you always do this for her before?” Meng Xuran interjected, asking Lu Yo.

“Pretty much. I was practically her little servant back then.” Lu Yo said. “When I first met her, her life skills were practically zero. Aside from being pretty, she couldn’t do anything. Can you imagine someone not knowing how to tie their shoelaces in elementary school? Or not being able to tie their own hair by middle school? But this person, despite being useless at practical things, was still picky—anything that wasn’t her own tableware had to be rinsed with hot water. And every time, she’d scald her hands before the dishes. Back then, since I often went to her place for meals, I ended up taking care of her a bit. Over time, it became a habit.”

It was a side of Bo Mingyan Meng Xuran had never known. She hissed softly, lifting her scalded hand to pinch her earlobe.

“Be careful.” Lu Yo said, amused. “You’re the second person I’ve met who scalds themselves like this.”

Bo Mingyan silently took Meng Xuran’s tableware and deftly rinsed them with tea. Lu Yo let out a surprised “Wow” but after a cool glance from Bo Mingyan, she wisely shut up.

Meng Xuran, still pinching her earlobe, stared at Bo Mingyan. “You as a kid and you now are like night and day.”

“People change.” Bo Mingyan said leisurely, sliding the cleaned tableware back to her. Casually, she asked, “Were you the same as a kid?”

Most likely, she’d gone from a proud little princess to the proud princess she was now, Bo Mingyan thought.

But Meng Xuran shook her head. “No, different.”

Bo Mingyan was surprised. “How so?”

Just then, the server entered with their dishes. The spot between Bo Mingyan and Lu Yo was the serving area. Seeing Lu Yo half-pulled into Yue Yunxi’s embrace, Meng Xuran’s lashes fluttered. She tugged Bo Mingyan’s arm.

Caught off guard, Bo Mingyan instinctively tried to pull away, but the next second, she caught sight of the server beside her. Her fingers curled slightly, and she stayed still.

Bo Mingyan turned to meet Meng Xuran’s gaze.

Their eyes locked, a shimmering light dancing in Meng Xuran’s. She countered, “What do you think I’m like now?”

Once the server finished, Bo Mingyan straightened up, shifting her chair slightly closer to Meng Xuran. “I’ve said it before.”

Seeing Meng Xuran’s blank look, Bo Mingyan stated plainly, “Tsundere, spoiled.”

Meng Xuran snorted, her gaze dropping under the table. Bo Mingyan was wearing white sneakers—spotless, evidence of how much their owner cherished them. Meng Xuran lightly stepped on the toe, leaving a faint mark.

“…And one more thing,” Bo Mingyan added after sipping water. “Mischievous.”

Meng Xuran: “…”

Bo Mingyan lowered her head, her brows relaxing with a faint, unreadable smile.

Lu Yo, listening nearby, burst into laughter. She steered the conversation back. “So, what were you like as a kid, little sis?”

“Me as a kid?” Meng Xuran swallowed a bite of food. “My mom said I was gentle and well-behaved, quiet and introverted, obedient and sensible, considerate, talented, kind and soft-spoken, hardworking—”

“Hard to believe.” Bo Mingyan cut in, mimicking her tone.

It truly was hard to believe. The current Meng Xuran was, at most, soft-spoken in appearance.

She was a rose blooming on a high cliff—aloof and cold from afar, but up close, one would find her delicate and thorny.

When happy, she’d brush against you with soft petals; when displeased, her little thorns would prick.

“Hahahaha!” Lu Yo nearly spat out her drink, teasing, “You two are complete opposites. What happened? Did your souls swap?”

Bo Mingyan took a sip of tea, glancing at Meng Xuran from the corner of her eye. Meng Xuran’s gaze was lowered, her chopsticks tormenting a piece of potato, lost in thought.

Likely, like her, it wasn’t a pleasant memory.

“Life beat us into shape.” Bo Mingyan joked lightly before changing the subject. “If there’s no plan for the afternoon, I’m going back to sleep.”

“Didn’t you sleep last night?” Lu Yo asked.

Bo Mingyan: “I did.”

Meng Xuran added: “She even took a nap this morning.”

Bo Mingyan shot her a sidelong glance. Meng Xuran tilted her head and smiled at her, all innocence.

Lu Yo was astonished. “And you’re still sleepy?”

Bo Mingyan looked away, scoffing coldly. “The boss works me too hard.”

Meng Xuran: “…”

Lu Yo, enjoying the drama, burst into laughter.

Bo Mingyan: “Stop laughing. What are you all doing this afternoon?”

As if suddenly remembering the sisters beside her, Lu Yo glanced at them. At some point, their small talk had died. Tao Xin said she was going home, while Yue Yunxi stayed silent.

Lu Yo’s smile faded as she turned to Meng Xuran. “Want to come to my bar for board games? A few of my staff are still around; we can play together.”

Meng Xuran smiled. “Sure.”

“Great, I’ll call and let them know.” Lu Yo pulled a pack of cigarettes from her bag and stepped out. The moment she left, Yue Yunxi followed. The remaining Tao Xin, not close to Bo Mingyan or Meng Xuran, excused herself to the restroom within half a minute.

The private room was now just Bo Mingyan and Meng Xuran.

Meng Xuran, who’d been holding back all this time, couldn’t resist asking, “Are Lu Yo and the short-haired one not getting along?”

The short-haired one was Tao Xin. Since Lu Yo hadn’t introduced her, Meng Xuran didn’t know her name.

Bo Mingyan considered it. If Meng Xuran accidentally said the wrong thing, it’d be awkward. Better to give a heads-up. “They used to date. Broke up.”

Meng Xuran’s face was a picture of shock.

Bo Mingyan frowned, thinking it was about two women dating, but two seconds later, Meng Xuran said, “I thought she and Yue Yunxi were…”

Her shock wasn’t about gender but about misidentifying the relationship.

Bo Mingyan’s brow smoothed. “She and Yue Yunxi are sisters, so they’re close.”

“Sisters?” Meng Xuran frowned. “Like me and Fu Junxue?”

For some reason, she felt Tao Xin looked at Yue Yunxi strangely.

“Not the same.” Bo Mingyan chose her words carefully. “They’re from two single-parent families that merged. Understand?”

“Oh…” Meng Xuran nibbled her chopsticks, then murmured, “How dramatic.”

Since they were sitting close and the room was quiet, Bo Mingyan heard her. “Dramatic how?”

Meng Xuran felt gossiping behind others’ backs wasn’t right and shook her head. “Nothing.”

Knowing Meng Xuran’s tendency to spiral into wild theories if not corrected, Bo Mingyan pressed, “What’s dramatic?”

Meng Xuran stayed silent. She spun the lazy Susan to pick up a piece of sweet-and-sour pork rib, but before her chopsticks could land, Bo Mingyan spun it away again. She spun it back; Bo Mingyan followed.

Watching the meat escape, Meng Xuran puffed her cheeks and glared at Bo Mingyan, half-annoyed, half-pleading. “Ugh! So annoying!”

Bo Mingyan met her glare calmly, raising a brow. “Going to talk?”

Her expression clearly said, No explanation, no meat.

“…”

Meng Xuran glanced toward the door—the trio hadn’t returned yet. Just in case, she leaned close to Bo Mingyan, whispering in her ear, “Lu Yo and Tao Xin are exes. Tao Xin has feelings for Yue Yunxi, and Yue Yunxi has feelings for Lu Yo. Isn’t that dramatic?”

Her voice was low, breath warm against Bo Mingyan’s ear. The tingling sensation was more electrifying than the gossip itself.

“How do you know about others’ feelings?” Bo Mingyan asked, amused. Just as she’d guessed, Meng Xuran’s imagination was running wild again.

“Because I—” Meng Xuran abruptly cut herself off.

Because I’m the same.

The same with hidden feelings, buried deep, growing wildly in secret.

When Meng Xuran didn’t continue, Bo Mingyan turned her head, her voice dropping to a whisper. “You… what?”

Meng Xuran was already close, and Bo Mingyan’s sudden movement left no room to retreat. Their noses brushed, lashes fluttering within sight. If either of them tilted their face just slightly, their lips would meet.

Voices murmured outside the door.

It was unclear who pulled away first. Neither looked at the other. Bo Mingyan picked up her cup. “Don’t overthink things.”

“I’m not overthinking,” Meng Xuran said. “You know what they say—eyes are the windows to the soul. Their eyes give it away.”

“Mm, what kind of eyes?” Bo Mingyan propped her chin on her hand, studying her. “Like yours when you look at—”

Meng Xuran’s heart skipped a beat.

Bo Mingyan placed a piece of sweet-and-sour rib on her plate, finishing leisurely, “—this?”

Meng Xuran: “…Hmph.”