Two Faced Lover - Chapter 41

41: Clues

Meng Xuran did not return as planned within two or three days. The online sales incident had caused an uproar, and the aftermath was far-reaching. Her Four Seasons collection sold on the webstore consisted of everyday styles, but the materials and details were on par with the formalwear versions, hence the high price. Most people found them expensive and difficult to maintain, so they merely added them to their wishlists. Those who purchased them were mostly young professionals who disliked wearing the same clothes as others.

On the day the discount coupon was mistakenly set, many bargain-hunting influencers led their followers to claim the coupon and make purchases. The immediate issues were the explosive sales and staggering losses. Soon after, customers who had recently bought the items at full price, feeling unfairly treated, began requesting refunds. Some customers, believing the clothes had become too common, started withdrawing their support and even turned against the brand.

Marketing accounts speculated that to mitigate losses, Moment would inevitably force refunds by citing reasons like fabric shortages or switch materials for the “discounted” products.

In reality, under Meng Xuran’s direction, the official account promptly issued an apology statement, only mentioning potential delays in shipping. There was no mention of whether materials would be sufficient or changed.

This triggered another wave of voluntary refunds from customers.

Because the brand neither confirmed nor denied the speculation, many assumed Moment would definitely change the materials. As a result, the brand’s reputation took a significant hit.

It was rumored that the magazine that had previously interviewed Meng Xuran had temporarily removed her segment and even returned the Four Seasons collection’s formalwear ahead of schedule.

During Meng Xuran’s business trip, some suppliers took advantage of the situation, refusing to offer concessions and even finding excuses to raise prices, deliberately making things difficult.

Bo Mingyan learned about all this from others—first from Ava, who kept tabs on the latest gossip, and later from Lu Shan, who was traveling with Meng Xuran and provided real-time updates on her situation.

In contrast, Meng Xuran herself remained calm and composed. When she messaged Bo Mingyan, it was only to share beautiful scenery photos, pictures of exquisite fabrics, or the occasional photo of herself without showing her face.

It was as if she wasn’t on a business trip but a vacation, revealing no hint of her troubles.

Occasionally, Meng Xuran would vent, but her complaints were entirely different from what Lu Shan griped about to Hu Jingjing.

Difficult to handle: “I was eating a boxed lunch by the roadside at noon, and someone actually asked me if I was filming a movie [pouting].”

Difficult to handle: “Can’t blame them for their poor eyesight—it’s my fault for being too beautiful.”

Bo Mingyan replied unkindly: “Thick-skinned.”

But the moment she put her phone down, she couldn’t help but smile.

Difficult to handle: “Is it as thick as these potato strips?”

Attached was a photo of a boxed lunch, the food picked apart and separated into sections. Above the box, slender, jade-white fingers held chopsticks gripping a… potato chunk.

Bo Mingyan guessed she was about to start complaining about the meal.

Sure enough, the next second, the little princess’s grievances came through.

Difficult to handle: “Pile these together, and they could build a potato wall. The ‘pepper and pork stir-fry’ should be renamed ‘pepper strips with pepper chunks.’ And the circled dish? ‘Grandma’s braised pork.'”

Difficult to handle: “Grandma’s reputation is ruined, and she’s shedding tears of sorrow.”

When this person complained, she did it with flair. Bo Mingyan clutched her phone, her shoulders shaking with laughter. Just as she was about to reply, someone bumped into her, and an energy bar was placed beside her hand.

Bo Mingyan looked up to see Ava chewing on an energy bar. “Thanks.”

“Who are you chatting with? You’re grinning so wide.” Ava took the energy bar out of her mouth, eyes gleaming with curiosity. “Are you dating someone?!”

Bo Mingyan: “……?”

Ava studied her intently, as if trying to uncover clues. After a long moment, finding nothing, she still insisted, “You’re smiling like you’re in love. If it’s not your significant other, who else could it be? Xiaoyanyan, let me tell you, men are the worst creatures on this planet. Before marriage, protect yourself—don’t just sleep around. If you must, make sure to ask for a health check report.”

Bo Mingyan was utterly baffled.

Ava continued, “I once read this news about a girl who was tricked by a gay man—”

“Wait, Ava, stop!” Bo Mingyan cut her off and explained, “I’m not talking to a man.”

To her surprise, Ava’s eyes lit up even brighter. She dragged her chair closer and whispered, “I knew you were a lesbian! But hey, you can’t let your guard down with women either. Sometimes, being a jerk, like love, knows no gender. Things like sleeping with someone and then ghosting aren’t exclusive to men.”

Bo Mingyan realized that if she let Ava’s imagination run wild, she’d be stuck listening to love advice until the end of the workday. Softly, she corrected, “It’s not a significant other either.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, her phone vibrated. A message popped up on the screen. Bo Mingyan instinctively opened it, and Ava, overcome with curiosity, leaned in. “Not a significant other? Then why—wait, you are dating! Even the nickname is lovey-dovey!”

The screen clearly showed a message from Meng Xuran:

Difficult to handle: “I miss your cooking.”

Taken out of context, paired with the note “Difficult to handle,” it was easy to misunderstand. Bo Mingyan quickly locked her phone and put it away, trying to think of an explanation. Then she remembered Meng Xuran’s profile picture and tensed up.

Sure enough, Ava muttered, “This dark, smoky profile picture looks familiar… I think I have it in my contacts too.”

As she spoke, Ava pulled out her phone and scrolled through her WeChat contacts. She gasped. “Holy—isn’t this Little—”

Bo Mingyan swiftly shoved the remaining half of the energy bar into Ava’s mouth and dragged her to the break room.

Ava often lured Bo Mingyan to the break room for chats, so no one paid much attention to their movements.

It was already evening, and the few people staying late were swamped with work. The break room was empty.

“Even if you know who it is, don’t say it out loud. Unless you want to risk consequences.” Bo Mingyan felt she’d been corrupted by Meng Xuran—she didn’t even feel guilty about threatening someone now.

Ava finished the energy bar and processed the information. She’d nearly choked on the bar earlier. Now, she grabbed a disposable cup, poured herself some water, and gulped it down. After sitting and catching her breath, she finally managed, “So… what’s going on between you and… her?”

Bo Mingyan hesitated. There was no need to hide the fact that they were roommates, but with Meng Xuran in the middle of a storm, she wasn’t sure how such news might spiral if it got out.

After a moment’s thought, Bo Mingyan said, “I took on a side job. It includes meals and lodging.”

“So?” Ava was confused. “What does that have to do with her?”

“The side job is cooking for her,” Bo Mingyan said.

Ava let out a drawn-out “Ah!” of realization. Her first reaction was: “Meals and lodging?! So you’re sleeping with Little Meng every night, then pretending to be strangers at work? Damn, office hidden marriages and celebrity secret relationships have nothing on you two.”

“……”

The phrasing was… odd. Bo Mingyan, mid-sip of water, nearly choked. Thankfully, she’d been tempered by Meng Xuran’s shocking remarks and kept her composure.

Bo Mingyan feigned calm and took another sip. “Flattered.”

“…Xiaoyanyan, you’ve changed.” Ava tsked twice. “Is it ‘keep good men company and you’ll be of the number,’ or ‘he who touches pitch shall be defiled’?”

The once gentle and reserved Bo Mingyan now knew how to clap back—and had grown a thicker skin.

Bo Mingyan pretended not to understand.

Ava didn’t press further. After a moment, she had a second realization and slammed the table. “Holy—so you’re Little Meng’s mom!”

“Huh?”

Bo Mingyan belatedly remembered that when she first started bringing meals for Meng Xuran, thanks to Lu Shan, the office had buzzed with rumors: Little Meng is bringing home-cooked meals! Her mom made them! Little Meng is scared of upsetting Mom, so she takes photos of every meal as proof!

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Bo Mingyan pulled it out, glanced at it, and got up from the stool, heading out with her phone.

Ava called after her, “Hey! Where are you going?”

Bo Mingyan replied, “My daughter called.”

Ava: “……”

Bo Mingyan walked all the way to the stairwell before answering Meng Xuran’s call.

“What are you up to?” Meng Xuran’s voice sounded strange, as if she had a cold—nasal and slightly muffled, but not too obvious.

“Talking to you,” Bo Mingyan said. “What’s wrong with your voice?”

“…Probably the cold wind.” Meng Xuran sounded subdued. “Why’d you take so long to answer?”

Bo Mingyan frowned. She usually disliked feeling overly scrutinized, but right now, her focus wasn’t on Meng Xuran’s words but her tone.

The trailing note was downturned, listless.

“I was in the break room earlier,” Bo Mingyan explained gently, recounting how Ava had discovered their connection. “Will this affect you?”

Hearing Bo Mingyan describe it as a “side job” and answering her “daughter’s call,” Meng Xuran laughed. “You’re taking advantage of me! I’m docking your side-job pay!”

Her tone lifted again.

Bo Mingyan chuckled, her mood lightening. Her words flowed without filter: “No money left to dock. How about an extra dish instead?”

“I want meat,” Meng Xuran agreed readily.

Bo Mingyan teased, “Aren’t you on a diet?”

Meng Xuran protested, “I’ve lost weight already!”

“Really?”

Outside, the night was deep. Bo Mingyan stood by the stairwell window, the dim yellow light casting faint shadows around her. She abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

Because at that moment, what she wanted to say—”Then I’ll see for myself when you get back.”

—felt like crossing a line.

On the other end, Meng Xuran clearly didn’t overthink things as much. She huffed, “When I get back, you can see for yourself.”

Bo Mingyan’s lashes fluttered. After a pause, she murmured, “Okay.”

After hanging up, Bo Mingyan lingered in the stairwell for a while, half in light, half in shadow. She looked up through the square window at the moon hanging in the night sky—a slender, beautiful crescent, soft and luminous.

Suddenly, she realized: after just a few days apart, she missed Meng Xuran a little.

On her way back, she passed the break room and remembered Ava might still be inside. She stepped in to check, only to hear Hu Jingjing on the phone.

“Those people are going too far! They’re clearly bullying you! What nerve—a bunch of old men forcing two young women to drink! Are you and Little Meng okay?”

Bo Mingyan froze in the doorway.

Hu Jingjing continued, “Really?! Little Meng can drink like a fish? That’s amazing! …Oh, she had to practice? …Sorry, 63. You’re right—like everyone else in the company, I forgot Little Meng is only 23. She’s just a young woman too… Wait, Little Meng cried?! Oh no, my goddess cried… 633, stop, or I’ll cry too.”

Author’s Note:
Bo Mingyan: “Oh~ ‘can drink like a fish’~ Let’s revisit how Chapter 2 ended, hmm?”

Meng Xuran: “I was drunk. What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”