Obsessed with Cleanliness Chapter 7: The Next Day

Yu Qinghan was in a foul mood and ended up getting completely wasted at a bar.

Fortunately, Chang Linran knew her limits better and kept herself under control. She stayed sober enough to think clearly.

Seeing that Yu Qinghan was drunk, she called the Yu family’s butler and personally helped Yu Qinghan into the car they had sent to pick her up before heading back herself.

She glanced at Zhang Xiaoxiao, who was napping on a sofa in the bar.

Chang Linran rubbed the bridge of her nose in resignation, lifted Zhang Xiaoxiao’s arms over her own shoulders, held her by the waist, and staggered out of the bar with her.

Zhang Xiaoxiao was jolted awake by the movement. Her hands, draped around Chang Linran’s neck, tightened and clung to her body. The smell of alcohol on her breath drifted against Chang Linran’s collarbone.

Chang Linran sneered, "If you’re awake, walk on your own. I’m not Yu Qinghan."

Zhang Xiaoxiao opened her eyes, hugged her neck tighter, and smiled sweetly at her.

"President Chang, you’re amazing. How did you know I was awake?"

Chang Linran stared at those bright, innocent eyes blinking at her.

She pulled Zhang Xiaoxiao’s hands off her neck and frowned.

"If you’re awake, then go back by yourself. I’ve got other things to do."

"Don’t leave, President Chang!" Zhang Xiaoxiao quickly clung to her arm. "I drank too much. My head’s spinning. And the dorm gates are locked this late, if you just leave me out here, aren’t you afraid something bad will happen to me?"

Chang Linran felt her arm being pressed against Zhang Xiaoxiao’s chest. Her elbow brushed up against two soft mounds.

She felt a little sick, pulled her hand away, and gave Zhang Xiaoxiao a sidelong glance.

This girl’s not simple, she thought.

She had come across as innocent and harmless, like a little white rabbit.

No wonder even Yu Qinghan got fooled even she had almost been tricked.

What a shame. She was still too young and not yet polished, already showing her fox tail.

She crossed her arms and gave a mocking smile.

"First of all, I’m not the reason your dorm is locked. I can’t help you there. Second, I’m straight. Sorry. If you were a fresh, young boy, maybe I’d consider it."

"What’s so great about men?" Zhang Xiaoxiao stuck close again, unwilling to give up. "Do men feel as soft and warm as I do?"

Chang Linran smirked to herself. Wow, this girl’s really shameless when she wants something.

Outwardly, she kept her composure.

"Listen, little girl. Everyone wants to climb higher in life. That’s normal. But you’ve got to pick the right way to do it. You’re still young, don’t sell yourself short like this. Because if you cheapen yourself now, you’ll only be worth less later."

She might as well have come right out and said Zhang Xiaoxiao was selling herself.

Zhang Xiaoxiao was still young and cared about her pride.

After learning that Chang Linran was the heir to Changlin Entertainment, she had hoped to cling to this golden ticket. It would be easier to rise in the entertainment world that way.

But unlike Yu Qinghan, Chang Linran didn’t buy into her act.

She even embarrassed her directly.

Zhang Xiaoxiao’s face flushed red, then turned pale, and she stood frozen for a long time.

Chang Linran couldn’t be bothered anymore, she turned around and left, thinking to herself: Yu Qinghan’s taste is getting worse and worse. She really went and picked someone like that? Sure, she looks a bit like her, but that vibe… she’s not even close to Mo Xiyuan, not to mention Xiao Tong, who’s on a whole other level.

Meanwhile, Yu Qinghan stumbled home to the Yu family completely drunk. Her father had just returned from a business trip. When he saw his daughter in such a disgraceful state, he flew into a rage and tried to hit her on the spot.

Luckily, her older brother Yu Qingming happened to come out to meet her. He stepped in just in time, stopping their father and having someone take Yu Qinghan back to her room.

Yu Qinghan didn’t get up until noon the next day.

She still had a pounding headache and nausea from the hangover. But Yu Qingming had already called her to the study for a lecture.

The gist of it: You’re from a respectable family. You shouldn’t be wasting your days fooling around. Why not help out at the company and support your father and brother?

Yu Qinghan had heard this same speech since she was a child. Her ears were calloused from it. Her mother had passed away early, and her father was always busy.

So it had always been her brother who disciplined her. But Yu Qinghan wasn’t afraid of him.

She slouched lazily on the sofa in the study, crossed her long legs, and said indifferently: "Brother, the Yu family only needs one heir. If I get involved too, wouldn’t that look like I’m trying to steal your spot?"

Yu Qingming couldn’t help but laugh in anger.

"If you could steal it, that’d be great! Then your father and I wouldn’t have to worry about you so much. Look at yourself, almost thirty years old and still loafing around every day. How are you going to get married at this rate?"

The moment she heard him mention marriage, Yu Qinghan’s expression darkened.

Her lazy, half-closed eyes snapped open.

"Brother, I told you already, I don’t like men."

Yu Qinghan had long since come out to her family, and it wasn’t even a secret in Jiangyu City’s high society anymore.

Back when Yu Qingming first found out, he was furious and tried to discipline her. But over the years, he had slowly come to accept it.

Now, he didn’t even get angry anymore. He just sighed.

"Even so, you should still find someone and settle down. Give Dad some peace of mind. What about that woman Xiao Tong? Isn’t she a good match? Why are you still out there messing around?"

Xiao Tong, Xiao Tong…

Why did everyone have to bring up Xiao Tong?

"It’s over. We broke up. You don’t need to worry about it anymore," Yu Qinghan said irritably.

She couldn’t be bothered to explain to Yu Qingming, so she snapped back at him and stormed out of the study.

She went down to the garage, got in her car, and drove off.

Yu Qingming stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching his little sister—nine years younger than him, drive away.

He let out another long sigh.

He thought to himself: Is there really anyone in this world who can rein her in?

……

Xiao Tong had a very long dream.

The beginning of the dream was always beautiful, it was about how she and Yu Qinghan first met, and how good Yu Qinghan had been to her.

But as the dream continued, it spiraled into a dark and uncontrollable nightmare.

Xiao Tong felt like someone was covering her mouth and nose, she couldn’t breathe.

Despair swallowed her whole.

She could hear someone calling her name from outside the dream.

Finally, she broke free of the nightmare and woke up.

Her eyes flew open wide, and she stared blankly at the ceiling.

It took a long while before her eyes began to focus.

She turned her head and saw Jing Xing sitting beside the bed, smiling at her.

Her eyes were heavy with dark circles, and she looked exhausted. Completely unlike the sharp, decisive agent Xiao Tong was used to.

"Thank goodness, Xiao Tong! You’re finally awake!" Jing Xing's joy was written all over her face. "You haven’t eaten anything in a whole day. Are you hungry? I ordered some congee for you. You should have a little later, okay?"

Xiao Tong looked at her, then looked around.

"Where is this?"

"Where else? The hospital, of course." Jing Xing rolled her eyes. "I thought you gave up the Paris fashion show and came back in silence for something big. Turns out you just wanted to end up in a hospital? Xiao Tong, keep messing around like this and next time I might be picking up your body."

Jing Xing was Xiao Tong’s manager. She had always had a sharp tongue.

When Xiao Tong first met her, she was a bit afraid of her. Only after spending a lot of time together did she begin to get used to her personality.

Eventually, she realized that although Jing Xing had a mean mouth, she was soft-hearted and genuinely cared about people.

That’s when Xiao Tong slowly began to trust her.

Later on, during a conversation, Xiao Tong found out that Jing Xing had actually been her classmate in high school, just one year younger.

She couldn’t help but marvel at how strange and wonderful fate could be.

"I thought you were in Paris. Why did you come back too?" Xiao Tong knew she was in the wrong, so she smiled pleasantly and licked her dry lips. "A-Xing, I’m thirsty."

"Why did I come back? The lead designer ran off—what, was I supposed to sit there and stare at reporters all day? Thirsty? Hah! You can just die of thirst for all I care!"

Jing Xing snapped.

But despite her words, she obediently picked up a cup of water and carefully spoon-fed Xiao Tong one sip at a time.

Xiao Tong twisted her fingers in the blanket, feeling guilty.

"This time it really is my fault. Don’t worry, A-Xing, if the company asks about it, I’ll tell the truth. I won’t drag you down."

Seeing how serious Xiao Tong looked, Jing Xing couldn’t keep up her stern act. She burst into laughter and almost spilled water all over the hospital bed.

"Xiao Tong, why can’t you take a joke? I was messing with you."

Xiao Tong looked at her, confused.

Jing Xing finally smiled and explained, "At first, when they found you were missing, things did get messy for a bit. But hey, I was still there, right? Don’t worry, everything got handled. We even built you a persona as the most eccentric designer in the fashion industry. That’s how this world works: The more polite you are, the more arrogant they get. But if you ignore them, they find you mysterious and the more curious they get. Don’t worry, you’ve made a name for yourself in the industry now."

Although Xiao Tong wasn’t great at socializing, over the years, she’d watched Jing Xing deal with the media on her behalf.

Still, she had been in this industry long enough to understand what people were like: everyone was sharp. If you slipped up even a little, those reporters wouldn’t hold back.

Jing Xing might sound relaxed now, but at the time, it must’ve been incredibly stressful.

Thinking about it made Xiao Tong feel overwhelmed with guilt. She didn’t know how to repay her, so she just kept saying "thank you" again and again.

"Come on, stop acting like we’re strangers. Lie down and rest a bit. I’ll go check if the congee has arrived yet." Jing Xing said, not able to handle how overly grateful Xiao Tong was.

As she spoke, she rushed out of the room.

She made no mention of the incoherent things Xiao Tong had mumbled earlier in her nightmare.

Xiao Tong watched her leave the hospital room, then turned to look out the window. The curtain hadn’t been fully drawn, and the sky outside was pitch black.

Xiao Tong reached for her phone on the bedside table.

She checked the time—— 8:00 PM.

It looked like she’d been unconscious for a full day.

There wasn’t a single missed call.

She had expected that.

Still, she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.

She had thought, just maybe... Yu Qinghan might care about her, even a little.

But clearly, she didn’t care at all.

Xiao Tong knew Yu Qinghan didn’t love her anymore.

But she still clung to that faint, faraway warmth from the past, fantasizing that one day, things might go back to how they used to be.

Back then, Yu Qinghan would carry her and walk long, long distances.

Back then, Yu Qinghan would hold her close, whispering softly into her ear.

Back then, Yu Qinghan couldn’t bear to see her cry.

Yu Qinghan used to say: "Xiao Tong, when you frown, it breaks my heart. And when you shed a single tear, it feels like someone’s cutting into my heart with a knife."

Back then, Yu Qinghan said so many things, did so many things. All of which gave Xiao Tong just enough warmth to keep herself going whenever life got too hard.

But even that kind of warmth eventually runs out.

How could someone just stop loving another person so easily?

Xiao Tong didn’t believe it.

That’s why she held onto Yu Qinghan for so many years because deep in her heart, she still had a tiny bit of hope left.

People need hope to keep going.