MTLNOVEL Chapter 91 - Liu Meng’s personality
After Bai Yu returned to the shop to work, nothing out of the ordinary happened. She simply carried on with her tasks quietly, saying not a word.
This wasn’t surprising, though. After all, WuYue had already left, and for someone like Bai Yu, who seldom interacted with others, it was natural to have little to say.
Feeling that she had done enough investigating for the day, Liu Meng packed up her things and prepared to head home.
After all, with someone new at home, she couldn’t stay late like she used to.
Seeing her start to tidy up, Bai Yu showed a rare expression of surprise and asked,
“Liu Meng? Are you leaving work this early? You usually don’t finish at this time, right?”
“Oh~ that? It’s because I used to stay late voluntarily,” Liu Meng replied with a smile, noticing Bai Yu’s slight astonishment.
“Recently, I’ve had some personal matters to deal with, so I leave earlier. Besides, I’ve worked overtime plenty of times, and the boss gave me the freedom to adjust my schedule. So, I’m heading home early.”
“Ah… I see.”
Hearing this, Bai Yu nodded, not probing further into this unusual occurrence. Instead, she simply said,
“Well then, see you, Liu Meng.”
“Mm, see you.”
With a smile, Liu Meng waved goodbye, pushed the door open, and left the cake shop.
Watching her retreating figure, Bai Yu sighed, recalling the recent scene when YouYu came in with WuYue to buy a cake.
If she hadn’t avoided things back then, maybe she could be like Liu Meng now, smiling warmly no matter what she faced.
“YouYu…”
“How are you doing now?”
…
Walking home, Liu Meng passed through alleyways, reached her building, got into the elevator, and soon arrived at her front door.
“…”
She stood for a moment, gazing at the scenery below through the window before turning to look at her door, lost in thought.
Click—
“Huh? This smell…”
As she turned the key and opened the door, a distinct aroma greeted her. It wasn’t unfamiliar—she’d often smelled it in restaurants before. It was the fragrance of food.
“Could it be YouYu?”
Thinking this, Liu Meng looked toward the kitchen. Sure enough, there stood a figure hard at work.
Noticing her gaze, YouYu, the figure’s owner, set down the bowl in his hand, looked up at her, and smiled in mild surprise.
“Oh, Liu Meng, you’re back? Sorry, I didn’t notice earlier… Why don’t you take a seat and rest for a bit? Dinner will be ready soon.”
“…I didn’t expect you to cook.”
“Huh? What’s strange about that? Living alone, cooking is a necessary skill, isn’t it?”
“No, that’s not what I meant… I’m surprised you’ve adjusted so quickly and even started cooking.”
“Well… spending all day here gets dull. I can’t just sit idle, and I’m not one to enjoy watching TV. So, I had to find something to do.”
“Besides, I’ve come to understand my situation better. Without your help, I wouldn’t know what to do next.”
“So… consider this my way of repaying you. I’ll probably be relying on you a lot from now on. It wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t contribute.”
Hearing his explanation, Liu Meng looked at him in silence for a long moment before suddenly shaking her head with a laugh.
“Uh, what’s wrong, Liu Meng?”
“Nothing… I just suddenly feel like you might still have hope.”
“Huh?”
Without addressing his confused expression, Liu Meng quickly set down her things and walked toward the kitchen. Grabbing an apron, she said,
“Let me help. After all, I’m the head of this household. I did say I’d keep an eye on you, and it wouldn’t be right to leave all the work to you.”
“Besides, if we work together, things will go faster.”
“…You’re not wrong, but don’t you need to rest after just getting off work?”
“I’m used to it. It’s no big deal.”
“Alright then.”
Seeing her insist, YouYu didn’t argue further and got back to work.
Liu Meng didn’t say much either, relying on her memory to organize the dishes step by step.
…
Once they teamed up, the work progressed quickly. Before long, they’d finished most of the preparations.
All that remained were some final steps before they could eat.
“I was planning to make a few more dishes, but… the ingredients in the fridge are pitifully scarce,” YouYu remarked, looking at the two simple plates on the table.
“Well, I rarely cook, so I don’t stock much in the way of meat or vegetables,” Liu Meng admitted.
“If you need them, I’ll buy more next time. That way, you won’t have to worry about running out, and I can start cooking again too. I shouldn’t always trouble you.”
“Actually… if you’re busy with work, there’s no need for that.”
“From what you’ve said, the reason you don’t usually cook for yourself is because of work, right? Even at noon, you come back, cook quickly, and then rush off again.”
“If time is tight, there’s really no need to go out of your way to do these things.”
“If you insist on making something… just bring me the kind of bread or snacks you usually eat. Honestly, my taste is pretty adaptable.”
“No! That’s out of the question!”
Hearing this, Liu Meng’s expression turned serious.
“You just became a Negative Beast. Compared to plain bread, freshly prepared hot meals are much better for replenishing energy and suppressing negative emotions!”
“And since I promised to take good care of you, it’d be irresponsible to slack off just because it’s inconvenient!”
“Furthermore—”
“…”
Before she realized it, Liu Meng’s lecture had stretched on for over half an hour.
By then, YouYu’s expression had shifted from “earnest listening” to one of slight numbness.
Only when she noticed the food was getting cold did she hastily wrap things up.
Watching her flustered demeanor, YouYu sighed deeply.
“Liu Meng’s personality… I think I get it now.”
She was the type to nag like a concerned parent, but her words always carried a sense of genuine care—a “mom type,” so to speak.
Her style of advice and tone… it was hard not to make the connection.
It even reminded YouYu of a saying: “She’s someone who could be my mother…”
“YouYu! Stop daydreaming!”
“Come help out!”
“…Oh! Coming!”