Two Faced Lover - Chapter 30

30: Game

The server carried a fruit platter into the private room, set it down, and left. Not long after, Lu Yo and Yue Yunxi returned one after the other.

Bo Mingyan picked up a slice of watermelon and instinctively glanced toward the door. The hem of Lu Yo’s top, which had been tied at her waist earlier, was now untucked. Her face was flushed red, her collar slightly disheveled, and her lips were noticeably brighter than before.

She looked as if she had been thoroughly kissed. Bo Mingyan froze for a moment, then swept her gaze further back.

Had Yue Yunxi’s lipstick faded? Or was she misremembering?

Just then, Meng Xuran, beside her, let out two soft “tsk” sounds before whispering in her ear, “Damn, cherry red turned into an overripe tomato.”

She was talking about the change in Yue Yunxi’s lipstick shade.

Had Meng Xuran actually guessed right?

Bo Mingyan raised an eyebrow, inwardly surprised. She tilted her head slightly and glanced at Meng Xuran from the corner of her eye. The other woman was leaning over the table, a toothpick between her fingers, skewering a plump, red cherry tomato. Bo Mingyan lifted her gaze slightly and watched as Meng Xuran parted her red lips and popped the tomato into her mouth.

A droplet of water from the tomato glistened on her soft pink lips.

Sensing Bo Mingyan’s gaze, Meng Xuran set down the toothpick and met her eyes. Her brow arched, and her glistening lips moved soundlessly: Exciting, huh?

Exciting? Exciting my ass.

Bo Mingyan turned her head and glanced down at the slice of watermelon in her hand before silently offering it to Meng Xuran, muttering under her breath, “Eat your melon.”

It’s yours, actually.

Meng Xuran pressed her lips together, suppressing a barely perceptible smile.

The watermelon rind was thin, and the slice was narrow, leaving little space for Bo Mingyan to hold it without their fingers brushing. When taking the watermelon, Meng Xuran deliberately—or perhaps accidentally—let her fingertips graze over Bo Mingyan’s palm and the back of her hand.

The sensation was warm, damp, and tingling, like the lingering juice of the watermelon on her skin.

Bo Mingyan’s fingers twitched, her brow furrowing briefly before relaxing. She pulled a wet wipe from the side and wiped her hands, stealing a sidelong glance at Meng Xuran.

Meng Xuran cradled the watermelon slice with both hands, her red lips parting as she took a delicate bite from the tip, then nibbled her way down like a little hamster.

She looked unbearably cute.

“What kind of secret code are you two using?” Lu Yo asked.

Wary of being caught, Lu Yo had been observing Bo Mingyan and Meng Xuran since entering the room. She had noticed their lips moving occasionally, but from a distance, their voices were too soft to make out what they were saying.

“Just saying how sweet the watermelon is” Bo Mingyan lied casually.

“You haven’t even eaten any, how would you know it’s sweet?” Meng Xuran mercilessly called her out. Then, seeing Bo Mingyan’s impassive stare, she grinned and smoothed things over. “Oh, you mean it looks sweet when I eat it, right?”

Bo Mingyan: “…Right.”

Lu Yo and Yue Yunxi burst into laughter. Bo Mingyan rubbed her temples and changed the subject. “Where’s Tao Xin?”

The two immediately sobered up. After a brief silence, Lu Yo replied, “She had something to do and left early.”

Bo Mingyan nodded and didn’t press further.

With one less person, the atmosphere grew much more relaxed. The four of them ate until they were about seventy percent full, rested in the private room for a while, and then headed to Lu Yo’s bar for the next round.

They had eaten lunch late, so by the time they finished, it was already past two in the afternoon.

Since the bar wasn’t open for business yet, Lu Yo called over a female bartender and a DJ who were free at home. Both girls were younger than Meng Xuran and naturally sociable, blending in effortlessly after a few casual exchanges.

Lu Yo put on a random playlist and ushered everyone to a U-shaped sofa booth before walking behind the bar. “Anyone drinking?”

Yue Yunxi had to drive, and the two employees didn’t want to take advantage of their boss, so they both declined. Lu Yo’s gaze shifted to Bo Mingyan and Meng Xuran, who were sitting on the right.

“I’m not drinking.” Bo Mingyan said without looking up, answering for Meng Xuran as well. “She’s not either.”

Meng Xuran, who was currently shaking a dice cup on the table, paused mid-motion. She cracked it open just enough to peek at a single “1” before letting out a soft “Tch.”

“What, are you so used to being bossed around by CEO Meng at work that you’re eager to return the favor now?” Lu Yo teased. Ignoring Bo Mingyan’s objection, she turned to Meng Xuran. “Drink or not?”

Bo Mingyan twisted her head to glare at Meng Xuran, her expression clearly saying, “Try drinking, I dare you.”

“No, thanks, Xiao Lu.” Meng Xuran said, letting the lid of the dice cup snap shut. She tilted her head to meet Bo Mingyan’s gaze and beamed. “A slave finally turning the tables on her master—such a rare opportunity. Go ahead, boss me around.”

She emphasized the word “master” with deliberate weight, dragging out the syllable suggestively.

Bo Mingyan silently turned away, pretending not to hear.

The onlookers burst into laughter. After a moment, Lu Yo asked, “Want to play Liar’s Dice? Since no one’s drinking, how about the loser picks a truth or dare card?”

No one objected.

Lu Yo added, “Just a heads-up—the cards here are pretty wild.”

After all, they were meant for bar patrons.

The DJ grinned. “No big deal. We’re all women here—let loose and have fun.”

It was all in good fun, and since they were all adults, there was no point in being prudish. The others shrugged it off.

Lu Yo and the bartender brought over bottled drinks, five dice cups, and a stack of truth-or-dare cards. The existing dice cup on the table went to Meng Xuran, while the other five were distributed to the rest.

Meng Xuran tugged at Bo Mingyan’s sleeve and whispered, “How do you play this?”

Bo Mingyan blinked. “You don’t know?”

Meng Xuran shook her head. “I only ever came here for their lava cake. Never played before.”

Glutton.

Bo Mingyan’s lips curled slightly as she explained the rules. “Everyone shakes their cup once, checks their own dice, then tries to guess the others’ numbers. You call out your guesses in clockwise order—like ‘one three,’ ‘two fives,’ ‘one six.’ The others decide if they believe you. If they do, the next person raises the bet, but the number or the dice face has to be higher than the last call.”

Meng Xuran asked, “What if you don’t believe them?”

“Then you challenge them to reveal the dice, “Bo Mingyan said. “If the actual count is lower than what they claimed, you win.”

Meng Xuran nodded thoughtfully.

Bo Mingyan wasn’t sure if she really understood but said gently, “Don’t worry. Just play, and ask me if you’re confused.”

Meng Xuran didn’t quite grasp the rules of the game. She played with an experimental mindset, only to be targeted in the very first round. She chose “Truth” and since the cards were stacked in a pile, she lazily picked the one on top instead of drawing randomly.

The question on the card—[What are the color and style of the underwear you usually wear?].

The question was acceptable enough. Without blushing or her heart racing, Meng Xuran answered plainly, “Black, sexy ones.”

Those five words instantly stirred up Bo Mingyan’s memories from her business trip. She silently took a sip of her drink, thinking to herself—So the panties from that day weren’t just randomly packed by someone after all. Truly, appearances can be deceiving.

The others were equally surprised. Meng Xuran’s gentle, refined appearance was utterly misleading. The bartender covered her mouth and said, “I thought you’d be the type to wear white, ethereal ones.”

Lu Yo was also taken aback. “Why do you prefer black and sexy styles?”

Meng Xuran’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she cleverly deflected, “That wasn’t the question on the card.”

And so, in the second round, Lu Yo unhesitatingly targeted Meng Xuran again—and once more, Meng Xuran lost. She drew another Truth card:

[Have you ever fantasized about making love with someone you like?]

This question is downright brutal! Meng Xuran’s eyelashes fluttered nervously as she fidgeted with the card, completely losing the composed demeanor she had earlier.

Seeing her bite her lip, unable to answer, Lu Yo said, “You can switch to Dare if you want. But the cards I bought for the bar are pretty wild too. Maybe just close your eyes and answer?”

At this point, switching to Dare wouldn’t help. Her reaction alone made the answer glaringly obvious. Gritting her teeth, Meng Xuran admitted, “…Yes.”

Bo Mingyan raised an eyebrow, her gaze flickering toward Meng Xuran from the corner of her eye. The other woman had her face buried in her hands, letting out a long sigh—who knew what she was thinking about?

Withdrawing her gaze, Bo Mingyan picked up her drink, unconsciously running her fingers along the bottle.

Perhaps still rattled by the previous question, Meng Xuran was distracted during the third round and lost yet again. Her hand hovered between Truth and Dare, hesitating for a moment before ultimately drawing another Truth card—

[Who among the people here would you most like to have s3x with?]

“……”

Each question is more ruthless than the last. Meng Xuran bit down hard on her lower lip, desperately trying to keep her eyes from wandering.

Considering that Meng Xuran might not even be into women—and thus might not have an answer—Lu Yo offered, “Want to switch to Dare instead?”

“Yes.” Meng Xuran immediately set the card aside and drew another dare card. The moment she saw its contents, she nearly wanted to cry.

Noticing Meng Xuran staring blankly at the card, Bo Mingyan asked, “What’s the requirement?”

Meng Xuran swallowed hard, her voice low and slightly trembling: “Whisper into the ear of someone present…”

“Whisper what?” Bo Mingyan frowned, leaning in to look. But Meng Xuran swiftly moved the card away, making Bo Mingyan’s brows furrow even deeper.

“Bed!” the bartender interjected, slapping his thigh. “I know this one!”

The room fell into silence. Everyone exchanged awkward glances. Yue Yunxi, ever the considerate one, offered, “How about drawing another card?”

“Did you forget?” Lu Yo said leisurely. “The game only gets more intense with each card.”

Yue Yunxi: “…”

Lu Yo added, “But you can switch back to the previous truth question.”

“No need.” With that, Meng Xuran turned and leaned in close to Bo Mingyan, who was sitting beside her.

Her lips nearly brushed against Bo Mingyan’s earlobe.

A tingling sensation spread from the skin near Bo Mingyan’s ear, radiating outward…

The DJ on the left, never one to miss a chance to stir the pot, reminded, “No cheating, now.”

A soft, breathy moan suddenly filled the air—low and drawn out, laced with hesitation.

“Ha~ah.. Hmm..”

Perhaps out of shyness, or perhaps because she didn’t want others to hear, Meng Xuran’s voice was hushed, her exhale slow and deliberate, the trailing note curling delicately, echoing in Bo Mingyan’s ear over and over.

Bo Mingyan sat as still as an old monk in meditation, her back ramrod straight, appearing utterly unfazed. Only when one got close enough could they see the strands of hair tucked behind her ears—ears that were flushed crimson, the rosy hue spreading all the way down her neck.

The drink bottle in her hand had also warped slightly under her grip.

The moment was brief, lasting no more than a dozen seconds, yet it felt agonizingly long. After Meng Xuran finally pulled away, Bo Mingyan gulped down half her bottle of water.

The game continued.

By now, Meng Xuran had figured out the strategy. Fully focused and cautious, she simply added “1” to Bo Mingyan’s numbers each time, safely making it through eight rounds unscathed.

Then came the ninth round.

It was Bo Mingyan’s turn to call out a number. In the previous rounds, Lu Yo and the DJ had deliberately chosen higher numbers, and with their confident expressions, no one dared to challenge them. Bo Mingyan, however, had no tells when playing—her expression gave nothing away, making it impossible to guess if she was bluffing. No one called her out, and the turn passed to Meng Xuran.

Most likely, she’d be challenged again.

Bo Mingyan unhurriedly took a couple of sips of her drink. Seizing the moment, she glanced sideways at Meng Xuran beside her.

Meng Xuran still seemed dazed, the flush on her cheeks unmistakable even in the dim lighting.

After a brief silence, Bo Mingyan finally spoke: “Fifteen sixes.”

Lu Yo was thrilled. “Challenge! Finally, I get to call you out! Come on, truth or dare?”

“Truth.” Bo Mingyan said, too lazy to draw a card. She simply took the top one from the truth pile—

[When was the last time you kissed someone?]

Compared to the earlier cards, this was already a relatively tame question. Bo Mingyan exhaled in quiet relief, only to suddenly recall the night she brought Meng Xuran home. Her brow furrowed slightly.

In Lu Yo’s memory, Bo Mingyan had never even been in a relationship, making the question seem pointless. “Probably in your past life,” she joked.

But the moment she finished speaking, Bo Mingyan replied flatly, “*Great Heat.”

“Great Heat?” Lu Yo thought for a second. “Wasn’t that the day you got back to the country and came to see me? Who’d you kiss? How do I not know about this?!”

Bo Mingyan lowered her head, stirring her drink with the straw, and instinctively glanced at Meng Xuran.

At the same time, Meng Xuran was looking at her.

Through the dim light, it was hard to tell if their gazes had truly met, but the moment still sent her heart skipping—as if something had lightly scraped against it.

Author’s Note:

Bo Mingyan: Had I known this would be the question, I wouldn’t have helped.

Meng Xuran, shivering and clutching her first layer of disguise: I pick dare!

Bo Mingyan: “…”

*In this context, “Great Heat” refers to one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar. It usually falls around July 22–24 and marks the hottest period of summer.