Obsessed with Cleanliness Chapter 23: New Year's Eve

This New Year was anything but peaceful.

On New Year's Eve, Xiao Tong sat on the iron bed in the detention center, looking up at the small, narrow window in front of her. It was a night of reunion, with lights glowing from every household.

The sky outside was especially lively, fireworks burst one after another. She couldn’t see how they bloomed in the sky, but even the flashes of colored light that occasionally filtered through the palm-sized window were enough to help her imagine how beautiful it must be.

Xiao Tong stared at the sky, lit up by fireworks, but in her mind, she kept replaying the image of Yu Qinghan as she left, so weak, like a small animal just rescued from a trap, completely leaning on… what was that woman’s name again? Mo Xiyuan, right? A gentle and beautiful woman, no doubt.

Not even a single glance was left for Xiao Tong.

But of course, Yu Qinghan probably hated her to the core by now. Xiao Tong thought to herself, that wasn’t a bad thing either. If she couldn’t make Yu Qinghan love her, then at least she could make sure she’d never forget her.

Leaning against the iron bars, Xiao Tong smiled. While most people in her position would be panicking about their impending jail sentence, she smiled like someone finally freed.

She needed a place to lock herself away, where no one could come in, and she couldn’t get out. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to control herself, wouldn’t be able to stop herself from chasing after Yu Qinghan again and again, humiliating herself.

Now she’d found such a place.

"Hey, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone so happy to be in a detention center during the New Year." The officer on duty was a young cop, watching the Spring Festival Gala on his phone. When she came around on patrol and saw Xiao Tong grinning at the barred window, she couldn’t help but comment, "You’re the infamous kidnapper who took Miss Yu, the second daughter of the Yu family? You're pretty, I wouldn't have guessed you had that kind of ability."

Xiao Tong turned her head and glanced at her.

"Hey, don’t glare at me like that. You have no idea, just to catch you, I heard they mobilized the criminal investigation unit and even the armed police. That eldest Yu brother almost turned the whole city upside down. I gotta say, you’ve got talent. Respect." The young officer gave her a thumbs-up.

Xiao Tong thought to herself, This guy might be an idiot.

It was New Year’s in the detention center, and there weren’t many people around. The young cop was clearly bored and a chatterbox. She kept talking to Xiao Tong.

Normally, she didn’t like chatting with strangers, but something about the uniform gave her a strange sense of safety. Plus, her exaggerated stories were kind of entertaining, so she just listened.

Ever since her grandmother passed away, Xiao Tong had spent ten lonely New Year’s Eves. Who would've thought this would be the liveliest one?

"Xiao Yao! What are you doing? I told you not to talk to suspects casually. You want to get written up again?" About half an hour later, an older officer came to scold her.

"Sorry, sir..." The young cop immediately shut up, and didn’t dare linger a second longer. She obediently followed the older officer away.

The cell quickly returned to silence, and even that tiny bit of liveliness was gone.

"Another year’s gone," Xiao Tong murmured, resting her head against the iron bars.

Yu Qinghan had been rescued by Yu Qingming and was soon taken to the hospital. The doctor said she was suffering from malnutrition, but there was nothing seriously wrong.

Since spending the New Year in a hospital was considered bad luck, she was discharged the same day and brought back to the Yu residence to rest.

When Old Master Yu saw that Yu Qinghan had returned, he was so angry he raised his hand to strike her. But looking at her pale face and sharp chin, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. His hand, raised halfway, dropped back down. He told the nurses to take her back to her room, then turned and slowly walked back to his own.

"Dad." After escorting Yu Qinghan upstairs, Yu Qingming knocked and entered the old man’s room, standing behind him and quietly calling out.

The old master was looking at the portrait of Yu Qinghan’s mother. When he heard Yu Qingming’s voice, he quickly wiped his eyes and cleared his throat before standing up and turning to face him. "How… how is Xiao Han?"

"Dr. Li said if she rests properly, she’ll recover in a few days."

"That’s good. That’s good…" The old man sat down, supporting himself with a chair. He put the portrait of the late Madame Yu back into the bedside drawer. "Your mother passed away early, and I was always busy back then. Qingming, thank you for holding this family together all these years."

"Don’t say that, Dad." Yu Qingming stood respectfully before him, calm and composed.

The old master looked at his eldest son carefully, his heart full of guilt. This son had always been mature and intelligent, calm and reliable. From learning martial arts and academics to taking over the family business, he’d never caused a single problem.

Back then, everyone envied the Yu family for having such a capable heir. The old master had been proud too. But as he got older, he began to feel sorry for him.

When Yu Qinghan was little, she used to cling to his leg and act cute. He doted on his sharp-tongued, lively daughter. But Yu Qingming, he had somehow overlooked him. He couldn’t even remember what Yu Qingming was like as a child. It was as if he’d been born an adult, never having a real childhood.

"Another year’s gone by in the blink of an eye. You’re thirty-nine now. You shouldn’t just be focused on work. It’s time to start thinking about your own life. Start a family. Find someone who really cares for you. That way, when I’m gone, I can rest easy."

"Dad, you’re still in great health. Don’t say such things," Yu Qingming replied.

He was still wearing formal clothes. He and Yu Qinghan were full siblings and looked very alike, but his features were sharper and more defined. At nearly forty, all the sharpness of his youth had been refined into restraint.

He was like a sword sheathed, controlled and poised. With his looks and family background, there was no shortage of people both women and men, who admired him. But all these years, Yu Qingming had kept himself disciplined and spotless, not a single scandal ever linked to his name.

No wonder people often said that the Yu siblings were nothing alike apart from their looks. The older brother was a model of excellence; the younger sister, a wild, reckless troublemaker.

"Qingming, tell me, after all these years, you never met anyone you truly liked?"

Yu Qingming’s eyes flickered slightly. "No."

"Qingming…"

"Dad, it’s getting late. You should rest. I’ll go check on Xiao Han." Yu Qingming cut him off and turned to leave the room.

In the corridor, Yu Qingming ran into Mo Xiyuan. He paused for a moment.

Mo Xiyuan looked like she had just taken a shower. She wore a silk camisole nightgown with a light sheer robe draped over it. Her damp hair hung over her shoulders, revealing a bit of her collarbone.

She tilted her head and smiled at him. The beauty mark near her eye glinted slightly, and for a moment, Yu Qingming’s heart skipped a beat.

He quickly averted his eyes and said in a low voice, "It’s late. You’re still awake?"

"You’re not asleep either, are you?" Mo Xiyuan walked over, standing on tiptoe in front of him. She looked up and smiled, her eyes curved into crescents.

"Brother Yu, I’ve been gone for ten years. Did you miss me?"

"It’s cold outside. You should go back in and put on another layer."

"No. I’ve been back for so long, and you’ve been avoiding me this whole time. If it weren’t for what happened to Xiao Han, I probably wouldn’t have seen you at all this year." Mo Xiyuan grabbed Yu Qingming’s arm tightly. "I’m scared that the moment I turn around, you’ll disappear again."

Yu Qingming quickly pulled his arm away and stepped back. His tone polite but distant, he lowered his head and said, "I still have things to take care of. I’ll be going now."

"Yu Qingming!" Mo Xiyuan frowned and raised her voice to stop him. "You avoided me back then, and I thought you hated me. Fine, I didn’t get in your way. I went abroad for ten years, waited for you to get married and have kids before I came back, just so I wouldn’t mess up your life. But what are you doing now? Yu Qingming, you’re supposed to be a grown man, strong and upright. We’re not relatives, we’re not enemies, why can’t we be together? Is it really that hard to admit you love me?"

Mo Xiyuan got emotional, and as the cold finally hit her, she involuntarily shivered. Her voice started to choke.

"Look me in the eye and tell me right now that you don’t love me that this was all just me fooling myself. If you say it, I’ll listen to my family, marry someone else tomorrow, and I’ll never bother you again. Yu Qingming, if you’re a man, then look me in the eyes and say it."

Tears rolled down from Mo Xiyuan’s eyes as she rasped, "Say it!"

Yu Qingming looked into her eyes. His heart ached. He clenched his jaw and stood there for a long time before finally letting out a repressed sigh.

"Xiyuan, it’s your life. You shouldn’t degrade yourself like this."

"My life is mine. If you really don’t love me, just say it and end this for me. How hard could that be?"

Mo Xiyuan looked at him, scared and hopeful at the same time. She knew she was pushing him, but she didn’t know what else to do. Yu Qingming had been like a turtle hiding in its shell all these years. If she didn’t push him now, he’d probably be the same even at fifty.

Yu Qingming’s lips moved slightly, and Mo Xiyuan held her breath. Then he let out a long sigh and said in a heavy voice, "Xiyuan, I’m sorry."

After that, he turned and walked away, almost ran. His usually steady steps now showed clear panic.

Mo Xiyuan’s heart ached.

She couldn’t understand it, this man who once loved her so much, how had things changed so completely overnight? Their breakup had blindsided her.

The clock struck twelve.

The New Year had arrived. The old year, filled with regret, resentment, and heartbreak, was finally over.

Yu Qinghan stayed home to recover until the seventh day of the New Year. After the trauma she had endured, Yu Qingming practically kept her under house arrest, afraid something might happen again. Luckily, Mo Xiyuan came by often. With her around, the days stuck at home didn’t feel quite so dull.

How was Xiao Tong doing?

Yu Qinghan had just finished a video game round with Mo Xiyuan. As she set down her controller and glanced at her profile, Xiao Tong’s image suddenly popped into her mind. Startled, Yu Qinghan shook her head, trying to force the thought out.

What was wrong with her?

She and Xiao Tong were over. Completely over. Why was she still thinking about her?

No, no, can’t think about her…

But when she looked around, everything in the Yu house made her feel off. The maids were all diligent, the place was spotless, but still—— something felt wrong. The magazines weren’t arranged by date, the DVDs weren’t sorted by color. Everything looked chaotic to her. Frustrated, she reorganized her entire room, but still wasn’t satisfied. It all felt messy.

"Xiao Han, what’s going on with you? Why are you so worked up again?" Mo Xiyuan asked while waiting for a game to load. She glanced over and teased,

"You haven’t even recovered and you’re already exhausting yourself again? Be careful, or I won’t come visit next time."

"Xiyuan, I just feel like something’s off."

"What’s off?"

"Look at this room."

"What about it?" Mo Xiyuan looked around. "It looks fine to me, clean and tidy."

"You call this tidy?" Yu Qinghan cried out dramatically.

"This place is a total disaster!"

"This is a disaster to you? Then you’d probably die if you ever saw my place."

The game finished loading, and Mo Xiyuan laughed, turning back to focus on her game and ignoring Yu Qinghan.

Something felt wrong. Really wrong.

This mess of a room made her feel completely unsettled, and the worst part was, she didn’t even know how to fix it.

If only Xiao Tong were here…

Ugh! Why was she thinking about Xiao Tong again?

But, it was the New Year… paying her a visit wouldn’t be that strange, right?

Yu Qinghan thought, Where is Xiao Tong now, anyway?

She had apparently completely forgotten that Xiao Tong had kidnapped her. All she could think was: maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to go wish her a Happy New Year. Without hesitating, she picked up her phone and dialed.

The call went through, but no one answered.

Yu Qinghan frowned. Strange. Where had Xiao Tong gone?

A few days later, someone from the police station came by to ask her to testify, and that’s when she found out where Xiao Tong had gone.

Turned out, Xiao Tong had spent the New Year in a detention center.