Obsessed with Cleanliness Chapter 2: Tear Mole

Yu Qinghan was bothered by the strong smell of smoke on Xiao Tong.

She took the suitcase from her without a word and walked ahead without waiting.

Xiao Tong knew Yu Qinghan was angry, so she didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, following behind her at a distance of over a meter.

When Yu Qinghan entered the elevator with the suitcase, Xiao Tong stayed outside, hesitating, wondering if she should wait for the next one.

Yu Qinghan raised her arm to block the elevator doors and said impatiently, "What are you standing there for? Do I really have to invite you in?"

Xiao Tong took a step back instead.

"I… I reek of smoke…"

"Oh? So your nose still works, huh?" Yu Qinghan mocked. "Cut the crap and get in here. Stop making a scene."

Hearing that, Xiao Tong quickly stepped into the elevator. Her apartment was on the sixth floor, not too high or low. The elevator only took a few seconds to reach it, but she still pressed herself cautiously against the wall.

As soon as the doors opened, she stepped out, and it was only when she reached the door and started digging in her bag for the key that she remembered she had lied earlier about not having it.

She pulled her hand out of the bag awkwardly and said, "I forgot my key."

Yu Qinghan didn’t respond.

She just opened the door herself and let Xiao Tong in first.

The moment Xiao Tong stepped into her own home, the first image that flashed through her mind was the glimpse she’d caught through the bedroom door last night— Yu Qinghan’s graceful, slender back.

Her heart clenched sharply, and she didn’t dare step into the bedroom. She went straight into the bathroom instead.

Yu Qinghan shoved the suitcase into the cabinet near the entryway.

She stood there a moment, hesitating, then finally stepped through the door herself.

Technically it was Xiao Tong’s home, but the entire interior was decorated to match Yu Qinghan’s taste: cold glass furniture, black and white tones, everything clean and minimal.

The place was spotless, so meticulously maintained that even Yu Qinghan, with her severe cleanliness obsession, couldn’t find a single flaw. Not even the housekeeper who had cared for her since she was a child could match the level of detail Xiao Tong maintained.

Yu Qinghan sat in the living room for over an hour. Xiao Tong lingered in the bathroom for over an hour.

Eventually, when Yu Qinghan’s patience was completely worn out, Xiao Tong finally came out.

She had rushed into the bathroom without grabbing pajamas, and she didn’t dare ask Yu Qinghan to bring them. So she came out wrapped in a towel. She was very slim, with a delicate frame, and after a long trip, she looked visibly exhausted. Barefoot, she walked over to Yu Qinghan, fragile and beautiful in a sickly way.

Yu Qinghan looked up, and their eyes met.

Xiao Tong wasn’t the most stunning beauty, but her eyes were exactly Yu Qinghan’s type— soft and glistening, like autumn water.

Especially the small mole at the corner of her right eye, it looked like a tear about to fall. It made people want to lean in and kiss that droplet away. It was a look that stirred sympathy.

The first time Yu Qinghan felt her heart skip was because of those eyes. Even after more than ten years, they still made her heart flutter. She couldn’t bring herself to get mad anymore.

Her expression softened as she said gently, "Go put on some clothes and get to bed. You’ll catch a cold."

Xiao Tong shook her head and whispered, "I can’t sleep."

Without Yu Qinghan, Xiao Tong couldn’t sleep.

Yu Qinghan looked at her.

Xiao Tong looked back at Yu Qinghan, the tear-shaped mole at her eye shimmering, as if it might turn into a real tear at any moment.

They stood there in silence for a while.

Finally, Yu Qinghan sighed, stood up, and walked into the bedroom. Xiao Tong gave a secret smile and followed. Yu Qinghan took off her jacket and lay on her side on the bed.

Xiao Tong quickly changed into her pajamas and climbed into Yu Qinghan’s arms. She grabbed the collar of Yu Qinghan’s shirt with both hands, closed her eyes like a child, and within moments, her breathing became steady.

Half-asleep, she nuzzled deeper into Yu Qinghan’s embrace. Yu Qinghan had been scrolling on her phone.

When she heard Xiao Tong’s breathing steady, she put the phone down and looked down at her face.

After staring for a while, she felt something was off. So she reached out and covered half of Xiao Tong’s face, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Only then did she smile, satisfied.

So alike. Too alike.

No matter how flawed this woman was, those eyes were always beautiful. Yu Qinghan thought of the girl from last night, she also had beautiful eyes. When she smiled, they curved like crescents.

In moments of passion, her eyes sparkled like spring water, rippling with emotion. They were about 60% similar to Xiao Tong’s. But something was still missing, maybe it was the absence of that little mole at the corner of the eye.

Without it, she just didn’t look quite the same.

But Yu Qinghan licked her lips, half-squinting as she thought, Young girls who’ve just started to understand love are so pure and shy.

They actually taste… quite nice.

Eighteen was the perfect age, a little like how Xiao Tong used to be but cleaner, fresher in a way that suited Yu Qinghan’s preferences perfectly.

Come to think of it, when Yu Qinghan first met Xiao Tong, she was only sixteen or seventeen.

That year, Yu Qinghan’s family had run into some trouble, and her father had sent her off to lay low in some tiny backwater county. She went to school and came home like clockwork every day. It was so boring she felt like she was going moldy.

Seeing how restless she was, Chang Linran, who had come along with her, rolled her eyes one day, and dragged Yu Qinghan off to skip class, mysteriously saying she had a "surprise" in store.

They climbed over the school wall, and in a run-down alley behind the school, that’s when Yu Qinghan first laid eyes on Xiao Tong. Back then, no one had coined the term "school bullying" yet.

Yu Qinghan had dirtied her brand-new Burberry pants just to follow Chang Linran over that wall, only to see a bunch of delinquent girls ganging up on someone.

She was furious and about to lose her temper, but Chang Linran quickly calmed her down, pointing at the group and saying, "Relax, relax, look carefully. The surprise is right there."

Yu Qinghan followed her finger and glanced again, sarcastically saying, "You call watching girl thugs beat someone up a surprise? Chang Linran, since when were you into something so twisted?"

Chang Linran didn’t answer.

She leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, a smug smile on her face.

"Just wait. I promise it’s a surprise."

Yu Qinghan held back her impatience and kept watching. It was just a few flashy girls bullying another girl. The victim was blocked from view, quiet and submissive, being slapped, kicked, and yanked by the hair.

She didn’t even fight back.

Yu Qinghan looked down on cowardly people like that. She watched coldly, just to see what trick Chang Linran was playing.

Eventually, the bullies seemed to have had enough. Laughing and chatting, they walked off.

Chang Linran straightened up with a grin.

"Come on, let’s go take a look."

The girl who had been bullied was still crouched on the ground, her clothes dirty and torn, hair a complete mess.

Yu Qinghan followed Chang Linran as they walked over.

The girl suddenly looked up like a startled animal, eyes full of alarm, staring right at them.

Yu Qinghan locked eyes with her without warning, and her heart skipped a beat.

She was momentarily speechless.

Chang Linran enjoyed watching Yu Qinghan’s stunned reaction.

After a long moment, she elbowed her in the back with a smirk and said meaningfully, "So? Doesn’t she look familiar?"

Yu Qinghan was too stunned to speak.

She nodded slowly, murmuring, "She does."

More than just familiar... those eyes looked like they had been carved from the same mold.

Even the tear-shaped mole at the corner of the eye was identical.

Chang Linran slung an arm around Yu Qinghan’s shoulders, proud of herself.

"Surprised?"

Yu Qinghan couldn’t take her eyes off that girl.

"Yes."

"Well then, I’ll leave you to it. I found you a little treasure, you better treat me to a good meal."

Chang Linran laughed and swaggered off with her hands in her pockets, leaving Yu Qinghan frozen in place, still staring at the girl crouched on the ground like she was spellbound.

The girl stared back, sizing her up.

After a long pause, she finally asked in a shy, barely audible voice, "Who are you?"

That snapped Yu Qinghan out of her trance. She realized she’d been staring way too intensely.

Quickly, she bent down and offered her right hand, turning her head slightly to show her best angle, and smiled gently.

"Are you okay?"

The girl blinked for a moment before reaching out. She placed her hand in Yu Qinghan’s. Her hand was filthy, covered in dust and dirt.

Yu Qinghan frowned slightly in her heart, but she didn’t pull back the hand she had already extended.

"My name is Yu Qinghan. What’s yours?"

"Xiao Tong."

"How do you write that?"

"‘Xiao’ as in falling leaves, and ‘Tong’ as in the Chinese parasol tree in the autumn rain."

"Then our names make a perfect match," Yu Qinghan said softly with a warm smile.

"That’s a beautiful name."

"Thank you." Xiao Tong’s face flushed red at the compliment. She lifted her head with a shy but proud look. "My mom gave it to me."

As the sky darkened and streetlights flickered on, Xiao Tong said this while looking at Yu Qinghan. Her hair and face were streaked with mud, but her eyes sparkled like polished black pearls.

Yu Qinghan couldn’t take her eyes off them. She held Xiao Tong’s hand tighter, reluctant to let go.

Xiao Tong became self-conscious under her gaze, turning her face away shyly.

Her ears burned bright red, but a small smile quietly formed on her lips.

This person… was really good-looking.

……

Yu Qinghan hadn’t thought about those things in a long time. She thought she had already forgotten them. But when she actually remembered, she realized she could recall every detail so clearly even the color of the jacket Xiao Tong had been wearing that day.

She looked down again at Xiao Tong, who was lying in her arms.

All traces of youthfulness had long vanished from Xiao Tong’s face. The round cheeks of her teenage years were gone. Now her chin was sharp, and her lips were thin— giving her a slightly harsh look. Far from the heart-fluttering impression she’d left when Yu Qinghan first met her.

Only those eyes remained unchanged. That’s why Yu Qinghan kept hesitating, she was tired of this person but couldn’t bring herself to let go of those eyes.

Xiao Tong slept deeply in Yu Qinghan’s arms, completely unaware of her messy, tangled thoughts.

Even in her dreams, she seemed uneasy.

Suddenly, her breathing grew rapid, and both hands clutched tightly at Yu Qinghan’s collar, pulling herself close until their bodies fit perfectly together.

Yu Qinghan was already used to this. She simply wrapped her arms around Xiao Tong’s back and patted her twice.

Sure enough, Xiao Tong immediately calmed down. But then, Xiao Tong whispered right by Yu Qinghan’s ear— a line spoken in her sleep: "Qinghan, save me."

Yu Qinghan listened without any expression.

Years ago, she might’ve felt guilt or pity hearing that.

But after hearing the same line over and over, she had grown tired of it.

Now, she didn’t feel anything toward this person.

She was done.

Yu Qinghan felt that she owed Xiao Tong nothing. And even if she ever had, these past ten-plus years had already paid that debt in full.