Obsessed with Cleanliness Chapter 22: A Prophecy Fulfilled

Xiao Tong brought Yu Qinghan back to her place. She no longer wanted to enter the bedroom that had already been defiled by the other women Yu Qinghan had brought there. So she locked Yu Qinghan in the small secret room and tied her hands and feet with rope.

The tiny bed was only one meter by two meters. With Yu Qinghan tied on it, there was hardly any space left. She lay there with her eyes closed, her hands bound to the headboard. Her soft brown curls spread across the white pillow, her lips slightly red and glistening.

Xiao Tong sat cross-legged on the floor beside the bed, resting her chin on her hands, her elbows propped against the mattress, quietly staring at Yu Qinghan her eyes, her lips, her neck, her collarbone taking in every detail, inch by inch, completely satisfied.

What more could she want? The place that belonged to her, the person that belonged to her, nothing was missing. There would never be a better moment than this. Xiao Tong only wished this moment could last forever.

She hoped Yu Qinghan would never wake up. She hoped no one would come looking. From now on, no matter how bleak or dark the outside world became, it would no longer have anything to do with her.

Xiao Tong truly had intended to let Yu Qinghan go. But unfortunately, she was more selfish than she had thought especially after seeing Yu Qinghan lean so sweetly on another woman’s shoulder, especially after seeing how gently Yu Qinghan looked at her and whispered sweet nothings.

Sleeping pills weren’t easy to get, but luckily, she had a doctor’s note. Getting Yu Qinghan to take them wasn’t easy either, but thankfully, even though Yu Qinghan hated her, she never saw her as a threat.

In Yu Qinghan’s eyes, Xiao Tong was just a clingy, harmless little rabbit. She didn’t know that even rabbits bite when cornered.

Xiao Tong looked at Yu Qinghan without any further plans. She could have done anything she wanted to her but she didn’t want to. That incident from before had nearly destroyed her. When it came to sex, all she felt was disgust. Nothing else.

Of course, if she wanted, she could have kissed Yu Qinghan, just like she had seen Yu Qinghan kiss that young girl that time. But she didn’t want to.

Those beautiful lips of Yu Qinghan’s, who knew how many women they had touched? Xiao Tong frowned at the thought. Absolutely filthy.

She didn’t do anything. She didn’t even change Yu Qinghan’s clothes. The gown still outlined her graceful figure. Xiao Tong just laid next to her for the whole night, sleeping beside that perfect figure.

The next morning, Yu Qinghan still hadn’t woken up. Xiao Tong guessed she may have given her too much of the drug. A little anxious, she checked her breathing. It was steady. Nothing serious.

She washed up and changed clothes, and before leaving for work, she double-checked the knots to make sure they were tight before heading out.

She went to work like normal. Even Jingxing didn’t notice anything off. Still, out of concern, Jingxing casually brought up the night before during lunch.

"Last night?" Xiao Tong smiled calmly. "I almost forgot. There were so many people. I was out on the balcony smoking the whole time. I didn’t even say hi to you. You’re not mad, right?"

"That’s not what I meant. I mean… did you see Yu Qinghan last night?"

Xiao Tong looked up, pretending to be surprised.

"Yu Qinghan? She was there too?" Then she chuckled to herself. "Of course she was. She’s from the Yu family and technically still the boss of ZhongShe. Of course she’d show up."

"You didn’t run into her?"

"Nope."

"Really?"

Xiao Tong smiled. "It’s not that big a deal. Why would I lie to you?" Then her tone softened and her eyes dimmed. "Besides, even if I wanted to see her, she probably wouldn’t want to see me. She might’ve gone out of her way to avoid me."

With that, Jingxing looked suspicious but said no more.

Xiao Tong relaxed her grip on the spoon and quietly let out a sigh of relief.

After work, she picked up some groceries and went home. She washed her face, didn’t even sit down, and immediately brought a cup of water into the secret room to check on Yu Qinghan.

As expected, Yu Qinghan had woken up. Xiao Tong entered just in time to meet her cold gaze.

"You’re awake," Xiao Tong said with a smile. She scooped a bit of water and brought it to Yu Qinghan’s lips. "You haven’t eaten in a day and a night. Drink some water first. I made porridge this morning. I’ll heat it up for you."

Yu Qinghan’s hands were still tied to the iron bars of the bed. Her lips were cracked and tightly closed, her expression cold. Xiao Tong noticed her wrists probably from struggling when she woke up, they were red and chafed.

Xiao Tong put down the spoon and sighed. "I know what you’re thinking."

"You’re probably thinking, ‘Xiao Tong, how dare you humiliate me like this. When I get out, I’m going to tear you apart.’"

Yu Qinghan said, "Xiao Tong, this is kidnapping. Once my brother finds out, you’re going to jail."

"I know." Xiao Tong nodded. "I never planned to get away with this."

"If you let me go now, I won’t say anything. It’s not too late to fix this."

"I’m not letting you go." Xiao Tong sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled, squinting. "I hope they do catch me. Ten years would be good. No, twenty. By the time I get out, you’ll be old and ugly. I won’t love you anymore."

"Xiao Tong…" Yu Qinghan was silent for a long while before finally speaking. "I know you hate me."

"I don’t hate you." Xiao Tong shook her head. "When I hate someone, I stay far away from them. Why would I go to all this trouble, suffer like this, just to keep you by my side?"

She said, "I don’t hate you. I love you."

She had loved her since she was sixteen, all the way until she was twenty-eight. Loved her until she didn’t want to anymore—yet still couldn’t stop.

"Kidnapping, imprisoning me, is that your way of loving someone?" Yu Qinghan sneered. "I’ve never seen such a cruel kind of love."

Xiao Tong looked at the face she loved most, listened to her bitter accusations, and couldn’t help but laugh.

She laughed at Yu Qinghan for using a pair of similar eyes to lie to her, trap her, let her stick around as a stand-in all these years, and still have the nerve to call her cruel.

Xiao Tong said, "Cruel? I’m not even one-tenth as cruel as you."

Faced with Xiao Tong’s words, Yu Qinghan had no way to argue. She just turned her face away and stayed silent.

Xiao Tong didn’t argue further either. She turned and went to heat up the porridge she had made that morning, then brought it back for her.

Yu Qinghan still refused to eat.

She wouldn’t drink or eat, using starvation as a form of protest to force Xiao Tong’s hand.

But if anyone knew Xiao Tong, it was Yu Qinghan. And she should’ve known: in a battle of will, she couldn’t win.

This time, though, Xiao Tong surprised her. She didn’t panic at all. She simply took the bowl away and brought in an IV drip. "Even better if you won’t eat. I’ll just hook up the glucose. Saves me the trouble of cleaning up after you."

"Xiao Tong, you say you love me."

"I do love you." Xiao Tong slid the needle into the back of her hand. "I just don’t feel sorry for you anymore."

Yu Qinghan suddenly realized, this Xiao Tong, she didn’t recognize her anymore. She was scared now. Scared that maybe Xiao Tong really would keep her locked up for the rest of her life.

Days passed. One, two... Locked in that secret room, Yu Qinghan’s hunger strike did nothing. Sustained only by glucose, her muscles began to atrophy. Her limbs grew weaker.

Xiao Tong was afraid the blood loss from being tied too long would cause permanent damage, so sometimes she’d untie her. But by then, Yu Qinghan no longer had the strength to escape.

She cursed herself for being stupid. With all her usual strength, how could she end up lying helpless in Xiao Tong’s arms?

But Xiao Tong didn’t actually do much to her. Once she realized Yu Qinghan couldn’t fight back, she stopped tying her up unless she was leaving the house. Otherwise, she squeezed onto that one-meter-wide bed and held her close, whispering softly in her ear about the past.

She told her about the first time they met. About the first time she brought Yu Qinghan to meet her grandmother. So many things Yu Qinghan had forgotten, but Xiao Tong remembered them all. Every detail. Every word. She recited them back like a story.

As she followed Xiao Tong’s memories, Yu Qinghan realized, some of it did feel familiar.

Xiao Tong said, "Back then, you carried me on your back and walked such a long, long way. I cried on your shoulder, and you said, ‘We’ve got a long future ahead, I’ll take good care of you.’"

Did she? Yu Qinghan wondered. Maybe she did.

But happy memories didn’t last long. Soon, they ran out. So Xiao Tong told them again.

Again and again, like a grieving widow, clinging to what little she had. Repeating it endlessly.

Yu Qinghan found herself listening more carefully each time. Eventually, Xiao Tong said so much that she could even begin to piece together those forgotten fragments on her own.

"Then you left," Xiao Tong said. "No matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find you."

"I went to your place. I asked your teachers. I asked everyone I could. No one knew where you went."

"I called your name, and no one answered me."

"Then you came back but everything had changed."

"Yu Qinghan, I asked you for ten years. You never told me, where did you go? Why did you leave me alone in that horrible place?"

Where did Yu Qinghan go? Naturally, she had gone looking for Mo Xiyuan, the one who’d disappeared without a word. But it ended in nothing. Only then did she remember Xiao Tong.

By then, Xiao Tong had nearly lost her mind.

"Where did you go? Where did you go? Why didn’t you say a single word?" Xiao Tong gripped Yu Qinghan’s throat, tightening her fingers. "Yu Qinghan, where the hell did you go?"

Yu Qinghan stared at her with wide, unfocused eyes. Her expression was off. She knew, Xiao Tong must’ve had another breakdown.

"Yu Qinghan, why don’t we just die together?" Xiao Tong smiled strangely, tightening her grip. "We’ll die nice and clean. That way, you won’t have to hate me, and I won’t have to hate you. In the next life, I’ll be the one to love you. I’ll be the one to save you. I promise, I’ll be so good to you, so much better than you ever…"

Yu Qinghan’s face turned red from lack of air. Her eyes bulged. For a moment, she really thought she was going to die.

And in that instant, all she could think was, Xiao Tong’s idea didn’t sound so bad. If she could speak, she’d probably say, "Okay."

But Xiao Tong let go.

"Pft. Like hell," she snapped. "Who’d want to see you in the next life? I’m going to stay as far away from you as I can. The farther the better. I never want to see you again. Everything you said, you lied. Not a single word was true…"

Air rushed back into Yu Qinghan’s lungs. She lay coughing in Xiao Tong’s arms.

Once the coughing stopped, neither of them said a word.

Yu Qinghan looked up at Xiao Tong’s face.

Yu Qinghan felt a little sorry.

Once New Year's Day on the solar calendar passed, the end of the year approached. As the Lunar New Year drew near, Xiao Tong canceled all her work and stayed in the secret room with Yu Qinghan, not going anywhere.

On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the skies finally cleared, and the rare winter sun came out. Xiao Tong held Yu Qinghan in her arms and sat with her on the balcony, letting out a soft sigh.

"Qinghan, this is the first New Year you’re spending with me."

But just as she finished saying that, the door to the house was suddenly kicked open with a bang. A group of strangers rushed in, some even holding guns, shouting loudly at her not to move.

The last to enter was Yu Qingming, who had a face similar to Yu Qinghan’s, but without the feminine softness. His thin lips spat out a few words that were as cold and sharp as the wind blowing in through the door.

"Xiao Tong, let Qinghan go."

Xiao Tong had expected this. She just didn’t think it would happen so soon. She felt a bit of regret, she really wasn’t going to get a full New Year with Yu Qinghan after all.

So this wasn’t the first New Year Yu Qinghan had spent with her, it wasn’t one at all.

Xiao Tong didn’t resist. She handed over the weak and lifeless Yu Qinghan to them. Mo Xiyuan caught her, and then she was surrounded by a group of doctors and taken away.

Xiao Tong’s eyes stayed fixed on her the whole time, watching until she completely disappeared from view.

But after Mo Xiyuan appeared, there wasn’t a single moment when Yu Qinghan looked back at Xiao Tong.

Xiao Tong was temporarily detained and spent New Year’s Eve in a holding cell.

Maybe it was for the best, Xiao Tong thought. Her own words had become prophecy, this would be the end of everything she’d been holding onto.