Being Raised in Captivity by the Former Canary - Chapter 23

Quan Ruo’an stayed with her every night.

Before falling asleep, she would flutter out of bed and the bedroom like a graceful butterfly.

The moment Jiang Jixue opened her eyes in the morning, she saw a message on her phone:

Elder Sister: How do you want to celebrate your birthday this year?

Jiang Jixue’s gaze drifted to the starlight-colored gown draped over the bedside table. Bathed in the morning sunlight, the dress shimmered with iridescent hues, pearlescent threads radiating from its layers of delicate tulle.

It was truly as beautiful as something from a fairy tale.

She figured this year’s celebration would be much the same as last year’s. Quan Ruo’an always gifted her luxury brands and a bouquet of flowers with a card bearing a generic message.

The card’s message was even written by a florist employee.

With no particular expectations, Jiang Jixue replied flatly, “I’ll love anything you give me, Elder Sister.”

The message she sent vanished into the void.

As a senior, Jiang Jixue didn’t have many classes. She had just picked up a package from the school’s courier station and was still standing by the entrance when she received a message from Sister Han. It was a casual inquiry about her class schedule and whether she had time to paint a mural on the other side of the bar’s wall.

After considering her three consecutive days off, Jiang Jixue agreed. Sister Han immediately transferred a deposit and told her to report for work the next day. Since she still had leftover materials and tools from the previous project, she could use them all up this time.

“Jixue.”

Jiang Jixue had just finished replying to Sister Han and turned off her phone when a sudden voice from behind startled her.

Turning around, she saw Yue Tingqin’s gentle, refined face.

“Tingqin,” Jiang Jixue greeted him with a polite smile.

“I ran into you just around the corner,” Yue Tingqin said with a smile, his gaze drifting to her WeChat screen. “Chatting with your girlfriend?”

Jiang Jixue immediately shook her head in denial. “No. It’s the bar owner asking me to paint a mural for them.”

“Hmm? Wall painting?” Yue Tingqin asked, her eyes sparkling. “Can I come with you?”

Her sudden request caught Jiang Jixue off guard. Yue Tingqin came from a well-off family—she shouldn’t be desperate enough to compete for jobs, right?

Seeing Jiang Jixue’s bewildered expression, Yue Tingqin chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to steal your work. I’ve never done wall painting before. Wouldn’t you like an assistant?”

Yue Tingqin’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled, her disarmingly genuine smile radiating warmth.

Jiang Jixue couldn’t refuse. “Then meet me at the first bar on West Street tomorrow at 3 PM? We don’t have classes these next few days, so we can work together.”

“Great! We can grab dinner together too. I found a few good places on Xiaohongshu—let’s try them all!”

Jiang Jixue suddenly remembered she still owed Yue Tingqin a meal for helping her find her phone. “Send me the restaurant names,” she offered. “I’ll check for group deals or coupons first.”

Yue Tingqin held up her Xiaohongshu QR code, saying somewhat awkwardly, “…I don’t think I have one.”

Jiang Jixue’s expression remained neutral, showing little reaction. She was slightly surprised by Yue Tingqin’s gesture, as she had meant to exchange WeChat contacts. Seeing Yue Tingqin persistently holding up her phone, Jiang Jixue relented and added her as a friend.

Jiang Jixue maintained multiple accounts across various platforms, owning four phone numbers alone. One account was for casual browsing, another was dedicated to selling her artwork, and a third was used to record, collect, like, and follow everything related to Quan Ruo’an…

She added Yue Tingqin using her art sales account.

Upon seeing Jiang Jixue’s uniform homepage after adding her, Yue Tingqin exclaimed in genuine surprise, “You’ve drawn so much! Are you selling them?”

Jiang Jixue shrugged. “Yeah, but the platform’s algorithm is terrible. My posts get barely a dozen views, and I get almost no private messages.”

“So, how many pieces have you sold?” Yue Tingqin asked, a hint of fondness creeping into her smile.

“Just three.”

“That’s pretty good. I guess I need to learn from you more.” Yue Tingqin casually scrolled through the posts on Jiang Jixue’s homepage, then casually remarked, “Next time you post new work, you can come to me. I have quite a few followers.”

“Is Teacher Yue going to share some tips?” Jiang Jixue countered, her voice soft and gentle, but the smile in her clear eyes didn’t quite reach her heart.

“Yes. So let me help you sell your paintings,” Yue Tingqin said, her gaze fixed on Jiang Jixue’s face, her tone unusually earnest.

Jiang Jixue replied with equal lightness, “Sure, why not?”

As they spoke, they had walked shoulder-to-shoulder to the school gate. It wasn’t until they were about to scan their faces to exit that Jiang Jixue realized Yue Tingqin had been following her. She turned to look at the person behind her. “Why have you been following me?”

Yue Tingqin’s expression remained calm, her eyebrow lifting slightly at the question. “I’m going to the snack street outside for some spicy hot pot. Want to join me?”

“…No, I’m going home.”

After parting ways with Yue Tingqin, Jiang Jixue felt a strange sensation in her heart. It stemmed from their evolving relationship, which seemed to have leaped forward after she proactively helped Yue Tingqin find her phone.

No, perhaps it had started even earlier—when Yue Tingqin confided in her about the dormitory incidents, or during that drunken night at the bar…

Enough thinking, Jiang Jixue told herself, clutching the package in her hand and quickening her pace.

Inside was the transparent lingerie she had ordered online.

Elder Sister should be home today, right? If I wash it this afternoon while the sun is strong, it should dry before Quan Ruo’an gets back.

Filled with a mix of anticipation and complex emotions, Jiang Jixue lay on her bed, silently counting the minutes. At nine o’clock that evening, driven by growing anxiety, she dialed a starred number.

The phone rang several times in the quiet bedroom without an answer. Jiang Jixue’s delicate brows furrowed. After a moment’s hesitation, she scrolled down to find Ruo Shui’s number.

The call was answered after a few rings, and Jiang Jixue’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly calmed. She exhaled in relief. “Assistant Ruo, is Elder Sister there?”

Ruo Shui glanced at the tightly closed door through her gold-rimmed glasses, paused for a moment, and then spoke, “Miss Jiang, President Quan is still attending to business and won’t be returning tonight. She asked me to tell you to get some rest.”

Even standing outside the private room, the mingled scent of smoke and alcohol hung heavy in the air.

As Quan Ruo’an’s personal assistant, Ruo Shui had mastered the art of reading her boss’s moods and proactively delivering messages according to her temperament. Having worked by Quan Ruo’an’s side for years, she executed these tasks with effortless grace and natural ease.

“…Alright, thank you, Assistant Ruo. Please tell my sister I called earlier, but she didn’t answer.”

Hearing the increasingly dejected tone on the other end of the line, Ruo Shui felt a flicker of complex emotion, but her voice remained calm and professional as she replied, “I will.”

Why hadn’t Quan Ruo’an answered the phone?

Because her backup phone was always kept in the car. The boss never carried unnecessary items during business engagements.

After hanging up, Ruo Shui composed her expression and pushed open the door to re-enter the private room.

Amidst the clinking glasses and lively chatter, Quan Ruo’an glanced up as she set down her wineglass and casually asked, “Who was that?”

“Miss Jiang,” Ruo Shui replied.

Quan Ruo’an’s neck flushed crimson, her eyes glazed over, as if her mind had momentarily crashed. After a moment of processing Ruo Shui’s mention of “Miss Jiang,” she finally instructed, “Tell her I won’t be back for the next two days.”

Ruo Shui replied with a solemn nod, “I’ve already informed her.”

Quan Ruo’an: “…Alright.”

Just after midnight, Ruo Shui helped Quan Ruo’an to her hotel suite and settled her in. Before leaving, she suddenly asked, “Miss Jiang’s birthday is in four days, Sister Quan. What kind of gift would you like to give her?”

Quan Ruo’an, lying on the bed, let out a muffled groan of annoyance and yanked the blanket over her face. “Just handle it yourself,” she mumbled impatiently from beneath the covers. After a moment’s thought, Ruo Shui stood her ground, replied with a simple “Alright,” then turned to switch off all the lights and closed the suite door behind her.

The sheer lingerie, hanging on the balcony all day, swayed in the breeze, bathed in sunlight.

Jiang Jixue and Yue Tingqin had agreed to meet at the school’s back gate. They planned to grab lunch together before heading to the bar for their shifts.

Yue Tingqin’s message about the crowded internet-famous restaurant proved accurate; they had to wait for a table before finally being seated.

“My fault for not making a reservation,” Yue Tingqin said apologetically across the table from Jiang Jixue.

Jiang Jixue gently reassured her, “It’s not a big deal. Who could have predicted that a shop right next to the school would be so crowded?”

“Probably because it’s a new opening, plus all the marketing they’ve been doing,” Yue Tingqin replied.

“You figured that out already?” Jiang Jixue said, her smile strained.

Yue Tingqin hissed softly, then leaned closer and pressed the back of her hand against Jiang Jixue’s forehead, frowning. “Are you feeling unwell? You look so weak.”

Yue Tingqin’s signature perfume drifted over, and Jiang Jixue stiffened, subtly leaning back. “No, I’m fine,” she replied stiffly. “Probably just because I didn’t get to sleep until after 2 a.m. last night.”

“Did your girlfriend not come back?” Yue Tingqin asked casually.

Surprised by Yue Tingqin’s accurate guess and boundary-crossing question, Jiang Jixue gave a vague, polite reply: “…She’s been quite busy lately.”

“Oh~ If your girlfriend’s not home on the weekends, we could hang out together.”

Yue Tingqin’s attempts to get closer felt natural, neither off-putting nor intrusive.

Jiang Jixue: “I’m still busy with my graduation project. I don’t have time to hang out…”

Yue Tingqin: “True.”

The bar was dark during the day, with the lights off. After Sister Han handed over the task and the necessary materials, she went about her own business. As she left, she added, “If you want a drink, you can mix one yourself from the bottles on the back wall.”

After thanking Sister Han, Jiang Jixue stood at the counter with Yue Tingqin, divided the tasks, put on an apron, and began painting the mural on the wall.

Midway through, Yue Tingqin suddenly turned to Jiang Jixue, her eyes sparkling. “Want me to make you a drink?”

“You can mix drinks?” Jiang Jixue asked, surprised.

Yue Tingqin was reserved and rational, giving off the impression of a well-behaved girl who wouldn’t touch alcohol or cigarettes.

But now, in the dim light of the bar, Jiang Jixue saw a hint of playfulness and mischief in her eyes.

Yue Tingqin smiled faintly. “Just a little.”

When five meticulously crafted cocktails were arranged before Jiang Jixue in different glasses, she finally looked up at Yue Tingqin with newfound respect.

Her eyes seemed to say, “Tingqin, how many surprises do you still have hidden?”