A Sparrow in a Cage

CEO x Painter

The CEO took one look at the painter and wanted to keep her, but she refused.

Only after the painter repeatedly hit dead ends in her industry and was betrayed by her best friend, who was jealous of her talent, did she realize that even extraordinary talent was no use on its own.

In the end, the painter went to the CEO herself and agreed.

“My little painter, you won't get far without power or money.”

Blurb:

Her mentor once told Mu Wan that she was a rare genius.

But her best friend entered her graduation project in a competition under her own name, and all the fame and awards Mu Wan had won in previous competitions were branded as plagiarism. Her mentor told her, “Talent isn't the only thing you need in the art world. There are opportunities she'll always beat you to.”

Overnight, Mu Wan became a plagiarist despised by everyone.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared as torrential rain poured down.

The rain hit so hard it hurt.

Mu Wan wiped the water from her face in a miserable daze, unable to tell whether it was rain or tears.

She hadn't wanted to cry. But she stood before the woman, completely naked, as the woman's brazen gaze roamed over her like she was a commodity waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.

She had come to the woman herself and begged for this.

“Ms. Chu.” Mu Wan's voice was terribly hoarse, her throat dry. “You... What you said three months ago, does it still stand?”

Chu Zhaoyun narrowed her eyes and let out a soft laugh.

“Come here.”

With her thick eyelashes trembling, wet with tears, Mu Wan sat on the woman's lap.

One hand stroked her smooth back, tracing the contours of her shoulder blades bit by bit. Her whole body was trembling, and she instinctively wanted to get up, but forced herself to stay still.

Her nails dug deep into her palm.

“Afraid?” Chu Zhaoyun's voice came close to her ear, her warm breath brushing Mu Wan's earlobe. “I don't like disobedient girls.”

“No. I'm not,” Mu Wan said.

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Chu Zhaoyun's neck. Closing her eyes in utter humiliation, she pressed her lips to the woman's and kissed her red lips.

A tear slid from the corner of her eye.

Chu Zhaoyun said nothing, only laughing softly. Her hand gripped Mu Wan's delicate waist, her calloused fingertips rubbing it with neither tenderness nor force.

She felt the trembling in her palm.

There's plenty of time.

“Only a bird with broken wings learns how important it is to cling to a high branch.”

Reader's Guide:

1. A story about being kept as a lover.

2. No groveling-to-win-her-back arc.

Theme: Keep striving every day.