Being Raised in Captivity by the Former Canary - Chapter 6

The bathroom in the art museum was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, so still it seemed the only sound was the other’s breathing.

 

Quan Ruo’an’s gaze was drawn to Jiang Jixue’s red-rimmed, tear-glazed eyes. Forcing herself to remain calm, she asked, “It’s been a long time. How have you been these past few years?”

 

Another one of those questions, like she’s talking to an elder.

 

A bitter, self-mocking smile curled Jiang Jixue’s lips. This question should be mine to ask.

 

Staring at the saintly face before her, Jiang Jixue couldn’t resist. Her mind went blank as she reached out, wrapped her arms around Quan Ruo’an’s neck, and began to suck and bite at those thin, delicate lips.

 

“Mmm…”

 

Quan Ruo’an instinctively tried to push her away, but the familiar sensation flooded her senses, enveloping her in a warm, comforting haven. She momentarily forgot to resist.

 

Even if this tender moment is fleeting, I’ll cherish it.

 

Just like those spring dreams about Jiang Jixue in her rented apartment.

 

But Quan Ruo’an suddenly snapped back to reality.

 

This isn’t a dream. This is real. And we’re at Xiao Xue’s art exhibition—anyone could walk in at any moment!

 

“Mmm!”

 

Jiang Jixue was forcefully pushed away, stumbling back a step until his back pressed against the cold marble wall of the restroom.

 

“We’re outside,” Quan Ruo’an said, her voice calm and cold, though she was still panting slightly. The kiss had left both their chests heaving.

 

Meeting her flustered yet deliberately composed gaze, a playful smile flickered in Jiang Jixue’s eyes.

 

This disoriented, timid older sister… possessed a unique charm.

 

The Quan Ruo’an of the past would never have worried about being seen in such a compromising situation.

 

After a moment of silent contemplation, Jiang Jixue chuckled softly and slowly approached again, draping his arm casually over Quan Ruo’an’s shoulder.

 

So many people were waiting for her outside; she couldn’t linger here any longer.

 

Yet, facing this “lost and found” person before her, she couldn’t bear to let go.

 

“…Sister, I’ve missed you so much. Can we meet later?”

 

With that, Jiang Jixue slipped a business card between his slender fingers and pressed it into Quan Ruo’an’s hand without another word.

 

While Quan Ruo’an glanced down at the card, Jiang Jixue turned and left.

 

Quan Ruo’an lingered alone, savoring the lingering fragrance of her hair, before finally emerging from the art museum in a daze.

 

The sudden transition from that other world to the cacophony of traffic and the warm late-spring sunlight brought her back to reality.

 

Jiang Jixue had handed her a business card with her phone number. Quan Ruo’an only took it out to look at after returning to the law firm.

 

After grabbing lunch at a noodle shop, Quan Ruo’an hesitated before adding Jiang Jixue’s number on WeChat.

 

Three years ago, she had left without a word, changing all her contact information. Even if she remembered Xiao Xue’s number, she had never once dialed it during all those lonely nights in that distant small town.

 

But the number on this card was also a new one, starting with 199.

 

Did this mean Xiao Xue had also tried to forget everything about their past?

 

Humans were indeed complex creatures. Even though Quan Ruo’an had been the one to leave without a word and change all her contact information first, she still felt a pang of sadness when she realized Xiao Xue had done the same.

 

Seeing that unfamiliar string of digits, Quan Ruo’an felt an uncharacteristic wave of disappointment.

 

It took half an hour for Quan Ruo’an to accept Jiang Jixue’s friend request.

 

When Quan Ruo’an’s friend request appeared, Jiang Jixue was at the same Western restaurant Quan Ruo’an used to take her to.

 

But she hadn’t come here by choice; it was the venue booked by the organizers of the current exhibition.

 

Located on the 47th floor of a downtown skyscraper, the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the glittering cityscape below. A medium-rare sirloin steak sat untouched on the minimalist black square table, the knife and fork still neatly arranged beside it.

 

Jiang Jixue zoomed in on Quan Ruo’an’s profile picture and the background image of her Moments feed.

 

Then she long-pressed to save them.

 

There was no particular reason, except that Quan Ruo’an’s profile picture was of herself, and the background image was clearly a photo she had taken herself.

 

Jiang Jixue knew this was her habit.

 

Holding her breath, Jiang Jixue began typing a message with intense focus.

 

Someone nearby asked, “Is something urgent? You look very serious.”

 

She looked up to see the son of the exhibition’s organizer, a young painter who had recently returned from studying at the Repin Academy.

 

Jiang Jixue gave him a polite smile. “No, nothing urgent.”

 

She quickly lowered her head again to continue typing. Some things could only be said through a phone screen; they were too difficult to voice in person.

 

Half venting her anger, half delivering an insult, she was using this deliberate method to reveal her true feelings.

 

Jiang Jixue: Every time I get out of the shower, naked, and sit on the edge of the bed staring blankly ahead, I feel a strange sense of disorientation. I keep thinking you should be kneeling in front of me, Sister.

 

Jiang Jixue: We never used to do this. You never even wanted to use your mouth.

 

Jiang Jixue: Can you help me tonight? Please?

 

She was testing Quan Ruo’an’s reaction, just like she had seven years ago when they first met, when Quan Ruo’an had used a QQ toy to gauge her interest.

 

What goes around comes around. No one escapes fate.

 

Quan Ruo’an, who had just finished a bowl of dry-mixed noodles and was sitting at the table, suddenly burst out laughing.

 

Four years of being kept, followed by three years of separation. In those three years apart, Xiao Xue had grown much bolder.

 

Quan Ruo’an’s gaze lingered on the message, a tingling sensation spreading through her lower abdomen. The long-dormant thrill made her expression soften.

 

In R City, Quan Ruo’an had never been one to refuse beauty.

 

After years of celibacy, just when she was beginning to think she might be losing her libido, her former lover had shattered that illusion with a single message.

 

Quan Ruo’an pondered for a long time before finally typing a reply.

 

When Jiang Jixue saw the notification pop up, her pupils contracted sharply.

 

Quan Ruo’an: Okay.

 

Quan Ruo’an: Address?

 

Jiang Jixue copied the address from her shopping app, her hands trembling slightly as she sent it.

 

After lunch, Jiang Jixue was driven back to her residence by her little assistant.

 

The car was quiet until the assistant suddenly turned around from the front seat and asked, “Teacher Jiang, where did you disappear to earlier today?”

 

Jiang Jixue rested her head on one hand, gazing out the window. After a moment’s hesitation, she replied slowly, “I mistook someone for someone else. I followed them around looking, but I couldn’t find them.”

 

“Did you mistake them for a friend?”

 

Jiang Jixue smiled, but the words caught in her throat.

 

She didn’t know how to explain her relationship with Quan Ruo’an.

 

The assistant glanced through the rearview mirror and noticed the sudden melancholy on Jiang Jixue’s face. Sensing her mood, the assistant fell silent.

 

After bidding farewell to the assistant and driver, Jiang Jixue entered her villa.

 

The house had been renovated just last year and was located not far from Quan Ruo’an’s residence—just a left and right turn away.

 

The drive from the city center had taken about half an hour, and she had nearly fallen asleep in the car.

 

Jiang Jixue decided to catch up on some sleep first. She had arranged to meet her sister at six that evening.

 

After dinner together, it would be time for…

 

The thought sent a shiver of anticipation through her.

 

During the years Quan Ruo’an had been missing, she had not only locked away her heart but also suppressed her desires and physical needs.

 

She was even extremely reluctant to use small toys for self-pleasure.

 

What would happen when three years of suppressed desire finally erupted?

 

The vast villa was sparsely furnished, its minimalist design emphasizing spaciousness. Jiang Jixue headed straight to the room at the far end of the second floor.

 

The door swung open.

 

A beam of light followed her silhouette into the dark, cold room, instantly illuminating it.

 

Jiang Jixue switched on the lights, drew back the curtains, and pushed open the perpetually closed window.

 

Large and small paintings hung on the walls, lay on the floor, and rested on shelves—all of them came into view.

 

Every single painting depicted the same person.

 

Quan Ruo’an’s eyes, his back, his slender hand wearing a ring, his profile, his sleeping face…

 

Each piece was framed, filling the entire room with portraits of a single man.

 

Even Jiang Jixue herself was shocked when she fully realized the extent of her obsession.

 

She had unconsciously painted so many portraits of him.

 

Jiang Jixue didn’t linger in the room filled with Quan Ruo’an’s likeness. Instead, she quietly closed the door, turned the key twice to lock it securely, and returned to her own bedroom, finally feeling at peace.

 

After leaving the noodle shop, Quan Ruo’an took a taxi to a remote suburban area.

 

Her destination was the Songhua Women’s Prison.

 

One of the reasons she had returned to R City was that Ruo Shui was about to be released.

 

She needed to personally pick her up.

 

Years ago, when the Quan Family faced financial ruin, Ruo Shui had voluntarily taken the blame, paving the way for Quan Ruo’an’s new life.

 

After speaking with Ruo Shui through the prison’s glass partition, Quan Ruo’an left. By the time she returned to the address Jiang Jixue had given her, twilight had already fallen.

 

Walking through the familiar residential complex, a sense of being in a different world gradually filled her heart.

 

Apart from the small apartment still registered under Xiao Xue’s name, her former house had long been auctioned off by the court.

 

Why had Xiao Xue chosen to live here?

 

The old Quan residence was only a hundred meters away, though it was now occupied by strangers.

 

As Quan Ruo’an passed her former villa, her gaze lingered for only a second before she looked away.

 

There was nothing left to miss.

 

Jiang Jixue had given Quan Ruo’an the passcode for the villa’s outer security gate.

 

Knowing she was coming, the owner had already left the main door ajar. Stepping through the foyer, Quan Ruo’an’s first impression was of a grand crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling and a spotless living room.

 

The owner of the house was descending from the second floor, a glass of red wine in hand.

 

Their eyes met.

 

A flash of white light streaked through Quan Ruo’an’s mind. This scene felt strangely familiar.

 

When Jiang Jixue clearly saw the person standing in her house, she smiled before she even realized it.

 

“Sister?”

 

A soft call reached her ears, accompanied by a sudden rush of a familiar fragrance.

 

When Quan Ruo’an regained her senses, she lowered her gaze to find a slender, graceful figure standing before her.

 

Jiang Jixue stood close, almost leaning into her, but not quite pressing against her chest.

 

A fleeting tenderness and heartache flickered in Quan Ruo’an’s eyes.

 

Xiao Xue had grown thinner, her hair now longer and styled with large, soft curls at the ends, transforming her into a harmless little lamb.

 

Unbidden, Quan Ruo’an’s hand rose and gently rested on the younger woman’s head.

 

The soft, smooth strands retained a lingering warmth against her palm—a long-missed, comforting sensation.

 

Quan Ruo’an’s voice softened as she lowered her gaze. “Did you just wash your hair?”