Chapter 38: A Man's Mouth Is a Deceiver of Ghosts!

“What the hell is going on? Why am I being treated like *you* brought me here? And where the heck are *you*?”

“I’m at your house, Xun. Listen—I’m telling you, we look exactly alike. That’s why they mixed us up. If I’m not mistaken, we’re twins.”

“Wait… *twins*?”

Xun was stunned. He stood frozen beside the TV cabinet, clutching the phone, his mind completely blank for a long moment.

Mo Bao nodded. “Yeah. I was actually supposed to go see your dad today—he keeps bothering Mommy. But when I got there, everyone thought I was you! Even your dad didn’t recognize me. So Xun, I think we’re twins!”

“Twins?”

“Yeah, twins! Think about it—after you were brought to my house, Mommy and Ruoruo both thought you *were* me. That means we’re identical. Twins are supposed to look exactly the same, right?”

Xun: ……

…Yeah. That actually made sense.

Finally, Xun accepted the idea. But as soon as he did, he heard the sizzle of stir-frying in the kitchen—and remembered the strange food he’d just eaten, dishes he’d never tasted before.

His pale little face instantly darkened again.

“If we’re twins… then why did *she* tell you not to take me? And why did Dad say she’s *dead*?”

“Huh?”

Now it was Mo Bao’s turn to be speechless on the other end.

The “she” Xiao Guban mentioned—was that Mommy? Was he blaming Mommy for not wanting him? And saying she was dead?!?!

Mo Bao snapped. “You actually believe that? Men’s words are full of lies. Mommy told me and my sister that Dad’s dead too. So is he dead or not?”

Xun: ……

At last, he stood there, face ashen, no longer silent.

Why were grown-ups always so messed up?

“Xun,” Mo Bao said gently, “grown-up stuff is complicated. We shouldn’t believe everything they say. What we need to figure out now is: what happened between them? Why did they split up? And why are we each stuck with one of them?”

That was the real reason Mo Bao had called.

Xun listened, then nodded in agreement.

“So… what do we do now? How do we find out the truth?”

“Well… I think we should meet in person first. Face-to-face. And also—since we’ve swapped places, the longer we stay like this, the more likely our parents will notice. So we should switch back as soon as possible.”

After a thoughtful pause, Mo Bao offered the plan.

It made sense. The top priority was getting back to their own lives before someone figured it out. From what he could tell, Mommy definitely knew about Xiao Guban. But Dad? He had no clue about Mo Bao and his sister. If he knew about Mommy, why hadn’t he ever asked to see the other two kids?

Mo Bao caught that detail quickly. He decided they needed to swap back—fast.

Xun agreed.

“Mo Mo! Ruo Ruo! Come eat! Mommy made your favorite—sweet-and-sour ribs, and braised chicken legs!”

Just then, a warm voice rang from the kitchen.

Mo Bao grinned on the phone, his fox-like eyes crinkling with delight. “Go eat! Mommy’s calling you. Xun, you haven’t spent time with her yet—today’s your chance to enjoy it. I’m telling you, Mommy’s the best person in the whole world.”

Xun: ……

A flicker of irritation rose in his chest. Then, without a word, he slammed the phone down.

“Hmm? Mo Mo, who was that?” Just then, Wen Xuxu stepped into the room, carrying a tray of food, puzzled by the sudden silence.

Xun forced a flat smile. “No one. Junk call.”

Junk call?

Wen Xuxu didn’t press further. She set the dishes on the table and placed a small bowl of rice in front of her son. “Here’s yours, Mo Mo. See? Your favorite sweet-and-sour ribs.”

“But me? Me? Mommy, don’t play favorites! What about Ruo Ruo’s big chicken leg?”

“Oh right, right! Our little Ruo Ruo! Here you go, sweetheart!” Wen Xuxu scooped another massive drumstick into her daughter’s bowl.

The scene was pure warmth.

Three people, sharing a tiny table in a modest home—no grandeur like the Shallow Bay Number One Mansion—but the air was alive with love. They passed dishes back and forth, stealing bites, laughing over nothing. This kind of closeness, this simple joy—it was something cold, sterile mansion could never replicate.

Eventually, Xun lowered his head and picked up his chopsticks. By then, his bowl was already piled high, almost spilling over like a little mountain.

—

Meanwhile, that same noon, Mo Bao was sitting across from his dad, eating a meal he’d cooked himself.

But just as father and son were enjoying their lunch, a knock came at the villa gate.

“Sir… uh… Miss Gu has arrived. She says she’s bringing autumn pear syrup for the young master. The last batch ran out, so she came personally to deliver a fresh one.”