Obsessed with Cleanliness Chapter 12: Cake

In the days that followed, Yu Qinghan’s attitude toward Xiao Tong improved a lot.

When Yu Qinghan was being kind to someone, she was really kind—caring, attentive, gentle in every way. Even the way she looked at people seemed drenched in honey, like she wanted them to drown in it.

Xiao Tong was caught off guard by her sudden change in attitude, and it took her several days to adjust. She couldn’t help but feel both anxious and sweetly happy.

These past few days, Yu Qinghan would get up early every morning to drive Xiao Tong to work.

Xiao Tong actually had her own studio.

She’d only gone to the company recently to handle some post-return tasks, so she chose to do interviews there for convenience.

Normally, she was busy working from her studio.

When they reached the front of the studio, Yu Qinghan parked the car. Xiao Tong reached for the door handle, but Yu Qinghan beat her to it and locked the door.

Xiao Tong looked at her, puzzled.

Yu Qinghan smiled and pinched her cheek.

"Your birthday’s coming up, isn’t it? What do you want as a gift?"

Xiao Tong’s eyes lit up. "You remembered?"

"Of course I remembered." Yu Qinghan took her hand and pressed it to her own cheek. "I’ll bake you a cake. How about that?"

Yu Qinghan couldn’t cook, but when it came to baking cakes, she was amazing.

Way back, when they had just started dating. Yu Qinghan had baked cakes for Xiao Tong a few times.

Each one had a different flavor and style, but all of them were delicious.

Xiao Tong loved the cakes Yu Qinghan made.

But baking was a hassle, so after a few tries, Yu Qinghan stopped.

Over the following ten-plus years, Xiao Tong visited cake shops all over the world, but never again found one that tasted like Yu Qinghan’s.

Yu Qinghan’s soft hair brushed gently against the back of Xiao Tong’s hand.

Xiao Tong couldn’t even remember how long it had been since she’d seen such a gentle side of her.

Her heart melted in an instant. Her eyes stung, and she gave a heavy "mm" in response.

She took a few deep breaths to stop herself from crying.

"Okay. Then next Tuesday, I’ll wait at home with the cake ready."

"Okay."

Yu Qinghan gave her a pat on the head before unlocking the door.

Xiao Tong got out of the car and stood there, watching her drive off until the car turned a corner and disappeared.

Only then did she turn and go into the studio.

In front of Yu Qinghan, Xiao Tong had thrown away all her pride and principles.

As long as Yu Qinghan treated her even a tiny bit better, she’d be over the moon.

You could almost see the word happy written across her face.

Even her assistant at the studio couldn’t help teasing her, "Sister Xiao Tong, did something good happen to you lately? Don’t tell me you won the lottery? I’ve never seen you this cheerful before."

Another intern who had just walked in, a bold girl born in ‘97— slung her arm around Xiao Tong’s shoulder and teased, "Won the lottery? Pfft, that’s too ordinary. Can’t you tell? Sister Xiao Tong’s in love! Hahaha..."

Xiao Tong wasn’t comfortable with close physical contact, so she gave an awkward smile and subtly stepped aside.

"In love?"

Everyone else in the studio perked up at the gossip.

"Xiao Tong, seriously? You’re dating someone?"

"No way! The last single woman in our studio is finally taken? And not by one of us? What about us poor lonely souls?"

"Oh my god! How could you let an outsider snatch her up! Xiao Tong, spill—who’s the guy? I swear I’ll hunt him down!"

"Please, even if it stayed in-house, it wouldn’t be you. But me? Handsome, charming, debonair— me and Xiao Tong would be a perfect match..."

That guy flipped his hair dramatically in mock arrogance, drawing a round of playful boos.

Everyone laughed and joked around, but no one really pressed her.

Soon they all got back to work, and Xiao Tong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She’d been in a great mood these days. On her way back to the office, she even started humming. But right at her office door, she bumped into Jing Xing.

Jing Xing looked visibly upset, and it was kind of intimidating. Xiao Tong had known her for years, but still felt a little nervous seeing her like that.

She stammered, "A-A Xing... is something wrong?"

"No. These are next week’s scheduling plans. I just need you to go over them with me." Jing Xing opened the folder in her hands.

Xiao Tong gestured for her to come inside. After they sat down, she blushed a little and hesitantly asked,

"A-Xing, could you help me clear my schedule for next Tuesday? I’ve got something really important that day."

"But next Tuesday is your birthday event. All those fans are waiting to celebrate with you. You’ve just started gaining traction, you can’t let them down."

"I’m just a designer, what fans would I even have? Come on, A-Xing, stop teasing me."

"I’m not teasing you," Jing Xing said bluntly. "After all these years of building your brand, you really think you have no fans? You think the whole company team’s been wasting their time? These days, it’s all about visibility. Xiao Tong, how can you still be so naive after all this time?"

"I don’t want fans... I don’t even know them... Why do they have to celebrate my birthday? A-Xing, I really have something important on Tuesday..."

"Is it Yu Qinghan?" Jing Xing suddenly asked.

Xiao Tong froze.

"What?"

"This important thing, is it about Yu Qinghan?"

Xiao Tong lowered her head, her face flushing, eyes staring out the window.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Xiao Tong, why are you so foolish?" Jing Xing’s tone held a touch of frustration. She tried to reason with her. "That woman is no good. Do you know how terrible her reputation is in the industry?"

Jing Xing hadn’t wanted to bring this up. But Xiao Tong was just too naive. If no one told her, she’d keep sinking deeper and deeper until she drowned in it.

Jing Xing thought it was just Xiao Tong being too pure, not knowing Yu Qinghan’s dirty side. But after a long pause,

Xiao Tong slowly nodded and said bitterly, "I know."

She looked at Jing Xing, a self-mocking smile on her lips.

"A-Xing, I know everything you just said."

Who doesn’t use the internet these days? Someone like the second miss of the Yu family, any little scandal, and it would be all over social media in vague but pointed gossip.

How could Xiao Tong not know?

"But I can’t leave her," Xiao Tong said with a bitter laugh. "I know I’m pathetic. If I had any dignity, I would’ve slapped her hard and walked away without looking back. But I can’t leave her... A-Xing, all these years, it’s her support that’s kept me going. Without her... I can’t survive..."

Xiao Tong said this while smiling. Regret, helplessness, and sorrow all hidden deep in her heart.

Only a trace of it surfaced in her smile. But to Jing Xing, it looked like she was about to cry.

Xiao Tong never talked about her relationship with Yu Qinghan.

She had held it all in for years. But now, she couldn’t hold it anymore. Yu Qinghan’s sudden kindness had shaken her.

Xiao Tong felt both happy and on edge, like any day could be the end.

Every day with Yu Qinghan felt like it could be the last.

She’d finally spilled a little to Jing Xing, just enough to ease the pressure inside.

And then she stopped. Not another word.

Jing Xing had worked with Xiao Tong for so many years. Until today, she’d never heard her complain. But just from that brief confession, she could tell how much pain Xiao Tong had been living with.

It made Jing Xing’s mouth go dry just hearing it. She couldn’t imagine how Xiao Tong had endured it all.

"A-Xing, did you know? Qinghan said she wants to spend my birthday with me this year." As Xiao Tong said this, a smile bloomed on her face again. "It’s been so many years since she last did that. She even said she’ll bake me a cake. It feels like a dream."

Jing Xing couldn’t bear to crush her hopes, so she forced a smile and joked, "Yu Qinghan? The woman who’s never so much as touched a pot? She bakes?"

"Her cakes are so good. Just one bite and you’d know..." Then she realized she’d said too much and quickly corrected herself. "Wait, no, you can’t eat it. Qinghan’s cakes are for me. None of you are allowed to eat them."

The way she said it like a child fiercely guarding her only toy, made Jing Xing’s heart ache.

She didn’t have the heart to poke holes in her dream.

So she just laughed and scolded, "You ungrateful brat. Fine, I’ll be merciful and give you the day off. Go enjoy it."

"Really? What about the birthday event—"

"You say one more word and I’ll cancel your day off."

Xiao Tong immediately clamped her mouth shut.

Jing Xing couldn’t help but laugh.

Then, after laughing, she let out a deep sigh.

……

Lately, Yu Qinghan had been in a really good mood.

Things between her and Xiao Tong had gotten a little tense some time ago, and the fallout had left her feeling uncomfortable inside and out.

So she softened her attitude toward Xiao Tong, and Xiao Tong obediently came clinging back.

That made Yu Qinghan feel completely at ease, and even hanging out with her group of useless party friends felt more enjoyable than ever.

At first, Yu Qinghan had wanted to dump Xiao Tong, get rid of her completely.

But after being apart once, she realized all the good things about Xiao Tong, and now found it hard to let go.

Quiet, well-behaved, obedient, not clingy, and even hardworking, apart from the fact that Yu Qinghan didn’t want to sleep with her, Xiao Tong was the perfect partner in every other way.

Besides, after so many years together, they’d grown so used to each other’s habits that life together ran almost perfectly.

Honestly, there might not be anyone else in the world who could put up with all of Yu Qinghan’s quirks.

Having someone like Xiao Tong by her side wasn’t so bad, she could party as much as she wanted outside without any worries, and when she got tired, she could come home and not have to lift a finger.

What could be better than that?

So Yu Qinghan figured, giving Xiao Tong a little sweetness every now and then was just something she had to do.

A relationship couldn’t survive on one-sided effort forever, and if a small bit of attention from her could earn back ten thousand times more from Xiao Tong, why not?

Besides, giving Xiao Tong a little sweetness wasn’t hard.

That woman, as long as she got a smile from Yu Qinghan, she’d be willing to die for her.

Everything was going smoothly, so Yu Qinghan’s mood stayed good.

She’d promised Xiao Tong she’d bake her a cake, and it couldn’t look too awful.

So she spent some time online watching tutorials, planning to brush up on her skills.

She had actually learned cake baking when she was not even nine years old, taught by the Yu family’s pastry chef.

Back then, every dessert she made got endless praise.

When she was young, she used that skill to charm quite a few girls.

But she hadn’t baked in years, so she was a little rusty.

After watching some tutorials, her memory kicked in, and with a bit of practice, she managed to get the hang of it again.

On Xiao Tong’s birthday, Yu Qinghan saw her off, then went downstairs to the supermarket to buy flour, cream, and other ingredients.

She had just come back upstairs and hadn’t even sat down when her phone rang, it was Chang Linran calling.

"Ah Ran, what’s up?"

"Qinghan, get over here! And make it quick!"

"What is it? I’m kind of busy."

"I said get over here. Why so many questions? I promise you won’t be disappointed."

"What’s going on? I’m seriously busy today."

"You? A spoiled rich brat? What could you possibly be busy with?" Chang Linran sneered. "Forget it then. Mo Xiyuan’s flying back today. If you’re not coming, I’ll just go pick her up from the airport myself..."

The bag of flour in Yu Qinghan’s hand slipped from her fingers, bursting open with a loud puff, spilling powder all over the floor at her feet.

"What... what did you say?" Yu Qinghan’s voice started to tremble.

"I said Mo Xiyuan is back. So are you coming or not?"

"Give me five minutes. I’m on my way."

Yu Qinghan hung up the phone, rushed into her room without another word, changed clothes in a flash,

threw on her shoes, and dashed out the door like lightning, as if being even one second late meant she might miss seeing Mo Xiyuan.

The front door slammed shut with a bang, shaking the walls with the force of it.

The apartment went completely silent, leaving only the scattered flour on the floor.