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Obsessed with Cleanliness Chapter 13: Eyes
Yu Qinghan waited at the airport arrival gate until her eyes ached from staring. There were so many people waiting for that flight, and she and Chang Linran had arrived a bit late.
The area in front of the gate was already packed, so they couldn’t squeeze in and had to stand further back, trying to peer inside through the crowd.
Thinking back, the last time she had seen Mo Xiyuan was when Yu Qinghan was still in high school. In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed, and Mo Xiyuan hadn’t returned even once during that time.
At first, Yu Qinghan was angry, angry that she left the country without a word, not even a goodbye. But over time, the anger faded, leaving only longing. Then even that longing faded, and Mo Xiyuan was tucked deep into her heart, only surfacing in the quiet hours of sleepless nights.
"Why is she still not out? The flight's already half an hour late!"
Yu Qinghan stretched her neck and stared unblinkingly at the arrival gate.
After a while, her neck grew sore and her eyes started to sting. She turned to complain to Chang Linran, only to see her leaning against the wall, grinning smugly.
Yu Qinghan was already frustrated from the wait, and seeing that expression made her snap.
She kicked Chang Linran’s leg and growled, "Chang Linran, you didn’t trick me again, did you?"
Chang Linran dodged with a laugh. "Don’t panic, don’t panic. You heard them earlier, the plane already landed. She’ll be out any minute."
Just as she finished speaking, passengers from that flight began to file out. Yu Qinghan stopped joking and stood up straight, smoothing her hair with her hands and flattening the wrinkles on her clothes by pressing them against the reflective glass.
She stared hard at the crowd, her eyes wide open, rare for someone who was usually half-squinting. Her eyes were now so wide they looked like bronze bells about to pop out.
Chang Linran, who had known her for years, had never seen her this serious before. She couldn’t help but think: there really is someone in this world who can make Yu Qinghan act like this.
Soon, the crowd began to thin. Only Yu Qinghan and Chang Linran were still waiting when Mo Xiyuan finally strolled out. Her shoulder-length black hair had soft waves at the ends, and she wore oversized sunglasses that covered half her face, revealing only her vibrant red lips and perfectly shaped jawline.
In a short skirt and tall boots, the click of her heels on the airport floor made it feel like she was walking a fashion runway, absolutely stunning.
The moment she appeared, Yu Qinghan’s eyes locked onto her and couldn’t look away. She stared until Mo Xiyuan reached her, stopped, and looked at Yu Qinghan through the sunglasses. Her lips curled into a soft smile as she gently patted Yu Qinghan’s shoulder.
"Ten years gone, and my little Han has grown into a beautiful young woman," she said warmly.
Yu Qinghan stared at her in a daze. That one sentence was enough to make her eyes turn red. She clenched her fists and took a step forward, throwing her arms around Mo Xiyuan and gripping her shoulders tightly.
"Mo Xiyuan, you actually came back!" she growled through gritted teeth.
"Of course I did. This is my home," Mo Xiyuan replied with a helpless sigh, returning the hug. "Xiaohan, it’s been ten years. I really missed you."
It didn’t seem like the two of them were going to stop being mushy anytime soon. Chang Linran shrugged and walked up with a grin, taking the suitcase from Mo Xiyuan’s hand.
"Sister Xiyuan, welcome home."
Mo Xiyuan let go of Yu Qinghan and finally took off her sunglasses. She gave Chang Linran a slight smile. "Ah Ran, ten years without seeing you, and you’ve matured quite a bit."
Behind those sunglasses was a pair of breathtaking eyes, bright and expressive, sparkling with intelligence. On the outer corner of her right eye was a faint beauty mark, delicate and tear-shaped, making her look both sorrowful and enchanting.
As Chang Linran looked into those eyes, all she could see was Xiao Tong’s face. She smiled politely, but in her heart, she sighed deeply.
What a strange coincidence. Two people who looked nothing alike could somehow have exactly the same eyes. If not for those eyes, Yu Qinghan would never have gotten involved with Xiao Tong. And if not for those eyes, Xiao Tong wouldn’t have suffered through these long, tormenting years.
But unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world. Chang Linran pushed away those messy thoughts and said to Mo Xiyuan, "You must be hungry after the flight, right? Let’s go get something to eat. What do you feel like having?"
"Me? I don’t really want anything... I just really miss the cakes Xiaohan used to make," Mo Xiyuan said, winking playfully at Yu Qinghan.
Even though she was no longer young, that playful smile still carried the charm of a young girl. Yu Qinghan’s heart skipped a beat. For that smile, she would’ve done anything. Not just bake a cake, if Mo Xiyuan had asked for the stars or the moon, she would’ve gone and fetched them.
Yu Qinghan immediately nodded and patted her chest in assurance. "Just a cake? Sister Xiyuan, come on, let’s go to Aran’s place. I’ll make you one myself. I guarantee it’ll taste exactly like the ones you used to love."
Mo Xiyuan had a sweet tooth, especially for cakes and pastries. When Yu Qinghan was young, she learned baking from the family chef just to please her. Her desserts were better than what you’d get from a typical pastry shop. And because it was for Mo Xiyuan, she put extra care into it.
When the cake came out of the oven, the whole house was filled with the rich, sweet aroma. Even Chang Linran, who didn’t like sweets, couldn’t help but swallow a bit of drool.
"Sister Xiyuan, you’re not eating that alone. Save me a slice!" Chang Linran said hungrily.
"Shoo, none for you," Yu Qinghan teased, pushing her aside.
The two of them bickered playfully while Mo Xiyuan covered her mouth and laughed. Soon, all three of them were laughing together, and the house was filled with the scent of cake and warmth.
After all the laughter, Yu Qinghan had the vague feeling that she had forgotten something. But when she looked at Mo Xiyuan’s radiant smile, her mind completely blanked. Whatever she had forgotten was already long gone from her memory.
……
Xiao Tong had been restless since the afternoon. She stared blankly at her computer screen, glancing up at the clock on the wall every few minutes. The afternoon seemed to drag on unusually slowly.
Even her assistant teased, "Sister Tong, do you have a date tonight?"
"You probably don’t know, do you? Today is Sister Xiao Tong’s birthday! She even turned down her birthday party. On a day this meaningful, of course she’s waiting to celebrate it with her lover!" the intern chimed in playfully.
"Come on, like I don’t know it’s her birthday?" The assistant rolled her eyes and shooed the nosy intern out of the office. Then she turned to Xiao Tong and gently said, "Sister Tong, if you’ve got plans, just head out early. It’s not like the company has strict hours for you. If anything urgent comes up at the studio, I’ll just give you a call."
"Thank you, Xiao Zhao, but I can’t leave just yet…"
"Ohhh, I get it! Your lover's coming to pick you up, right? Ah, Sister Tong, I’m so jealous. You’ve got someone who dotes on you so much…"
Embarrassed by her assistant’s teasing, Xiao Tong’s face flushed bright red. She half-pushed, half-shooed her out of the office, closed the door, and leaned back against it.
She watched the clock tick slowly toward the end of the workday, her heartbeat racing uncontrollably as she waited for Yu Qinghan to call and say she had arrived.
When the clock finally hit the end of the day, Xiao Tong stared at her phone without daring to relax, afraid she might miss Yu Qinghan’s call.
Today was Xiao Tong’s birthday, a day she hadn’t celebrated in many years.
The last time she celebrated her birthday was ten years ago, when she had just turned eighteen.
Back then, Yu Qinghan still treated her well. Xiao Tong remembered the wish she made that year: to be with Yu Qinghan for the rest of her life. It was as if Yu Qinghan could read minds and had guessed what she wished for.
She hugged Xiao Tong around the waist from behind and blew out the birthday candles with her.
"Xiao Tong, why wish for something that’s definitely going to happen? What a waste of a wish."
Xiao Tong turned to look at her. Her eyes, flickering in the candlelight, were especially tender and deep. Xiao Tong almost drowned in them, unable not to believe.