Two Faced Lover - Chapter 32

32: Little Ancestor

To thank Lu Yo for the day’s hospitality, Meng Xuran agreed to sing two songs on stage after the bar opened before heading home.

Bo Mingyan sat at the far right end of the bar counter—closest to the small stage where Meng Xuran was performing, yet tucked away in a corner where few would notice. Lu Yo had brought her a plate of macadamia nuts and mixed her with a non-alcoholic drink.

Leaning back on the barstool with her long legs stretched out, Bo Mingyan idly listened to the music while cracking nuts and logging into her long-abandoned Weibo account.

In earlier years, she had treated Weibo like a personal diary, often posting random sketches, thoughts she didn’t want to share on WeChat, and travel photos.

Bo Mingyan tapped into her photo album, scrolling through the images one by one.

One photo was taken aboard the Maid of the Mist—passengers in identical blue raincoats had inadvertently wandered into her shot. At the time, the spray from the falls had been so intense it felt like heavy rain, leaving the figures blurred in the mist.

The next photo showed her adjusted angle, avoiding the crowd to capture a rainbow arching over the American Falls against the turquoise water.

Bo Mingyan paused mid-nut-cracking, swiping back to the previous photo with people in it.

Just as she was about to zoom in, a hand appeared in front of her.

The skin was rough and darkened—definitely not the pampered hand of Meng Xuran.

Bo Mingyan placed the plate of macadamia shells into it. “Thanks.”

“Honored to—” The man who had come to hit on her choked on his words, ultimately walking away with the plate of shells.

Only then did Bo Mingyan realize he hadn’t been a waiter but someone inviting her to dance.

A soft, amused laugh sounded beside her.

Bo Mingyan turned to see Meng Xuran standing there.

The remaining bar stools were all occupied, so Meng Xuran leaned sideways against the counter, exuding lazy elegance. She held out a bottle of mineral water to Bo Mingyan, her gaze flickering briefly over the phone screen—only to be thwarted by the anti-spy film, revealing nothing.

“I don’t want any.” Bo Mingyan said, locking her phone and pocketing it before giving the water bottle a disinterested glance. “Done singing?”

Meng Xuran smirked. “Who said it’s for you? I can’t open it.”

So spoiled, so haughty, and so utterly unapologetic about it.

Bo Mingyan nodded very, very slowly, her voice gentle. “Good luck.”

Meng Xuran: “…”

Meng Xuran didn’t move, and neither did Bo Mingyan.

After a long pause, Meng Xuran let out a soft sigh.

“Help me.” she drawled, slipping effortlessly into her signature helpless, coquettish tone.

“…”

This time, it was Bo Mingyan’s turn to sigh.

She took the bottle, twisted the cap off effortlessly, and handed it back. “Say goodbye to Lu Yo, then we’ll go.”

“Fine.” Meng Xuran took a sip, her eyes drifting to Bo Mingyan’s drink. “What flavor is that?”

The custom cocktail shimmered in a gradient from aqua blue to mint green, dreamy and mesmerizing.

“Salty sparkling water.” Bo Mingyan said, watching as Meng Xuran stared at it with blatant longing. After a beat, she pushed the glass toward her.

It’s not like sharing a cup is new territory anymore. Bo Mingyan had reached a point of resigned acceptance.

Meng Xuran’s eyes instantly curved into crescents. She lifted the glass for a small sip, seemed to like it, then took another.

On the table were the macadamia nuts Bo Mingyan had shelled but not yet eaten. Meng Xuran helped herself, nibbling one after another.

By the time Bo Mingyan finished texting Lu Yo and looked up, only one nut remained from her stash.

She fixed the culprit with a deadpan stare.

Meng Xuran blinked back, her smile sweet and guileless.

The bar’s colorful lights reflected in her eyes like stars igniting the night sky, dazzling and bright. The curve of her lips was just right—delicate, enchanting.

Like a night-blooming cereus unfurling, stealing the breath of the entire evening.

“Thank you, sister~”

She deliberately drew out the last syllable, sticky-sweet like honeyed taffy pulled into teasing strands.

Bo Mingyan looked away, rubbing her earlobe, convinced she’d somehow been saddled with a little ancestor.

Worried the subway would still be crowded at night, they took a cab home.

It was nearly ten when they arrived.

The moment the door opened, a soft “meow” greeted them. Perched on the shoe cabinet, a pair of smoke-green gemstone eyes gleamed intently. Xiao Man was so black that without light, only those bright eyes were visible against the darkness.

Bo Mingyan reached for the switch.

Xiao Man tilted its head, round eyes wide, letting out a stream of sweet, chirpy meows.

Whenever Meng Xuran went on a trip, the cat would always act like this-grumbling and chattering away in a flood of feline complaints.

Meng Xuran bent down to pick it up and coaxed, “Alright, be good, I didn’t go out to flirt with other kitties. Mama loves Xiao Manman the most. Xiao Manman is the best, Mama will feed you something tasty.”

She used to call it just “Xiao Man,” but today it was “Xiao Manman.”

Even more cutesy than the cat’s own meows.

Anyone could tell Meng Xuran was doing it on purpose.

Bo Mingyan had only just gotten used to the cat’s name, but with Meng Xuran’s antics, she was back to square one.

And yet, she couldn’t say anything about it.

After entering the house, Meng Xuran saw the cat’s bowl was empty, so she scooped in some kibble. Trying not to laugh, she lowered her voice as if sharing a secret with the cat rubbing against her leg: “Xiao Man, let me tell you, you have the same name as your mama. Her nickname is Manman too.”

“…”

Bo Mingyan walked a few steps, stopped, and turned to ask, “How did I become its… mama?”

“When I’m not home, aren’t you the one feeding it? That makes you half its provider.” Meng Xuran said as she opened a can of cat food and put it in the bowl, as if it were only natural. “So of course you’re its mama.”

Xiao Man let out a “meow.”

“See, even Xiao Man agrees.” Meng Xuran said.

“…”

Twisted logic always sounds a bit convincing.

Bo Mingyan was left speechless and couldn’t find a retort, so she just ignored it, went back to her room, grabbed her pajamas, and headed to the bathroom.

Meng Xuran opened another can for Xiao Man, then went to feed the fish. As she was about to head back to her room, she caught the scent of shower gel wafting from the bathroom-a blend of tuberose and evening primrose, warm and elegant yet with a cool undertone, just like its owner. Suddenly, Meng Xuran didn’t feel like going back to her room.

The aquarium’s oxygen pump bubbles, the sound mixing with the cat’s slurping, but neither could drown out the faint sound of running water.

Meng Xuran stared at the fish darting back and forth in the tank, but her thoughts drifted to memories from earlier in the day. Only when she heard the bathroom door open did she snap out of it and pat her flushed cheeks.

Bo Mingyan came out of the shower, tousling her half-dried hair. The hallway before her was dim, but a strip of white light shone from the living room. As she turned the corner, she saw Meng Xuran standing by the aquarium wall.

Bo Mingyan really liked that aquarium wall-it was soothing.

She walked over. Today, she wasn’t wearing her usual conservative long sleeves and pants, but a light blue cotton nightdress that fluttered around her knees, making her look like a blooming flower. Her calves, fair and slender, glowed pink from the steam, as beautiful as jade.

“I used to think if I ever had my own place, I’d get an aquarium wall.” Bo Mingyan said, standing beside Meng Xuran and watching the fish swish their pretty tails.

Meng Xuran’s long lashes trembled as she slowly shifted her gaze back to the tank. “Now you have one.”

Bo Mingyan just smiled. There was an aquarium, but it wasn’t her house.

The living room fell silent again, but it was a different kind of quiet than when Meng Xuran watched the fish alone-peaceful and pleasant.

If only her phone would stop vibrating every so often.

Bo Mingyan reminded her, “Your phone’s ringing.”

Meng Xuran’s brows furrowed for a second as she checked her phone. The female DJ, according to Lu Yo, had heard they went skating that morning and said she got a membership card, inviting them to go next time. Meng Xuran pursed her lips and politely declined by text.

Bo Mingyan wasn’t one for gossip, but she accidentally caught a glimpse of the screen and saw the note “DJ” so she couldn’t help but ask, albeit indirectly: “Still working this late?”

“No, it’s the DJ from Sister Lu’s bar, showing off her skating card. Hmph, just a card.” Meng Xuran grumbled, “I’ll get one tomorrow.”

Bo Mingyan: “…”

She suspected Meng Xuran had completely misunderstood the other person’s intentions.

Meng Xuran put away her phone and turned to ask, “What plans do you have for the next few days?”

Bo Mingyan rubbed her neck tiredly. “Haven’t decided yet.”

Meng Xuran replied with an “oh” poking the aquarium glass with her finger.

Bo Mingyan glanced over and saw Meng Xuran looking gloomy and pitiful… bullying the fish through the glass. She sighed softly. “If I’m free after I wake up, I can go practice skating with you again.”

Meng Xuran immediately looked up, her eyes bright, but after half a second, she looked away, scratching Xiao Man’s chin and muttered awkwardly, “Maybe I’ll have plans too.”

Her phone buzzed again. Bo Mingyan let out a soft laugh from her throat. “Understandable, important people are always busy.”

Meng Xuran: “…”

“I’m going back to my room.” With that, Bo Mingyan walked away.

Meng Xuran watched her until she disappeared from view, then retracted her gaze, lips curving up. Maybe even Bo Mingyan hadn’t realized that her gentle mask was getting harder and harder to maintain in front of Meng Xuran.

She likes teasing out Bo Mingyan’s real self.

Back in her room, Bo Mingyan lay on her bed as usual, scrolling through fashion news on her phone. Suddenly, she remembered the photo she couldn’t enlarge at the bar, so she logged onto Weibo, found the photo, and examined it closely. It had been a clear day, a rainbow appeared between waterfalls, and everyone was taking pictures of the rainbow. She hadn’t found the right angle and ended up photographing the person in front of her, but in the shot, there was one person facing her-not taking pictures of the rainbow.

Bo Mingyan zoomed in on the photo with her fingers.

It looked like a girl, but the mist and backlight made it blurry, and no matter how much she zoomed in, she couldn’t make out the features.

She couldn’t prove it was Meng Xuran.

Forget it, there aren’t that many coincidences in the world. Bo Mingyan stopped overthinking, closed the photo, and was about to exit Weibo when her eyes caught the “like 1” under the picture.

Back when she still occasionally used this Weibo account, strangers would sometimes like her posts.

Bo Mingyan was feeling sleepy. She should have turned off her phone and closed her eyes to sleep, but as if possessed, she clicked in to take a look.

The person who had liked her post went by the username “[Nangezi].” Their Weibo had only one post from five years ago.

In the photo, colorful prayer flags fluttered in the wind under a sky of blue and white clouds.

Bo Mingyan was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. Before losing consciousness, she squinted at the caption on the photo—

“Full of happiness, peace, and joy.”

Meanwhile, on the other side, Meng Xuran had also finished washing up and was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep.

Both thought that after such an exhausting day, they would sleep soundly through the night without dreams. But in reality, as the saying goes, “Daytime thoughts lead to nighttime dreams.”

Author’s Note:

Meng Jiaojiao: “Oops, another one of my aliases has been discovered.”

Bo Manman: “I’ll peel them off you, one by one, like taking off clothes.”