Gold Cage - Chapter 12

Mu Hanxiao stopped in front of Mu Yu. He glanced at Fan En, who immediately took the hint and abandoned his comrade with a nervous laugh, making himself scarce.

Mu Yu wasn't bothered. He joked with Mu Hanxiao, "Big brother, why are you stealing the instructor's job?"

Mu Hanxiao removed his sunglasses, his frown deepening with impatience. A simmering anger lurked in his eyes—it was clear he was deeply dissatisfied with this behavior.

"Turn around and leave now, or I'll take you up myself," Mu Hanxiao said coldly.

Mu Yu spread his hands with a smile. "Anyone can take me up. I've already signed the agreement—I'm doing this today, and you can't stop me."

With that, he turned and boarded the helicopter. Mu Hanxiao followed a step behind. The cabin door closed, the helicopter roared to life, and the rapidly spinning rotors kicked up dust and wind as they ascended into the sky.

The ground quickly shrank beneath them. The sky was a flawless blue, and the helicopter headed toward the sea, where sunlight danced across the water in countless glittering reflections.

As the helicopter climbed steadily, Mu Hanxiao checked the equipment from his seat. After exchanging a few words with the pilot, he reached out, pulled Mu Yu in front of him, and began fastening his safety harness. He also clipped an additional heart rate monitor to Mu Yu's wrist.

Mu Yu obediently let Mu Hanxiao securely fasten him in front. The two were so close, yet Mu Yu remained silent. The helicopter's roaring noise was deafening, and with his ear protectors on, he focused solely on the sky outside.

As they approached the jump altitude, Mu Hanxiao took the goggles and placed them over Mu Yu's face. Mu Yu's goggles were transparent, while Mu Hanxiao wore a pair of black ones. He raised his arm to check the altimeter.

The helicopter door swung open abruptly, and a fierce wind rushed into the cabin.

They were already four thousand meters above the ground. The traces of the city below sprawled like scattered stars, winding along the vast coastline. The wind whipped past Mu Yu's body, threatening to pull him out of the cabin.

But he was firmly secured against Mu Hanxiao's chest, steady even in the high-altitude winds. One hand gripping the cabin door, he stared down at the scattered clouds and the sea beneath, swallowing hard.

His desire to try skydiving had been a spur-of-the-moment whim. Now, standing on the edge of the jump, pretending not to be nervous was impossible. Instinctively, he wanted to seek something from Mu Hanxiao behind him—his body was warm, radiating heat against his back. He wished Mu Hanxiao would hold him or take his hand. Only now did he realize how perfectly timed Mu Hanxiao's sudden arrival had been.

Yet all he did was clutch the door tightly, taking deep breaths in the wind.

His wrist was suddenly grasped and pulled away. Mu Hanxiao held onto the upper cabin door with one hand, guiding Mu Yu's hand to the chest strap for him to grip. Then, he lifted Mu Yu's chin with a slight force, forcing him to tilt his head back and lean against his shoulder.

"Scared?" Mu Hanxiao's voice was low in his ear, cutting through the roaring wind and the helicopter's noise, warm enough to send a shiver down Mu Yu's spine.

Mu Yu steadied himself slightly, feigning calm. "No."

The man's breath was right behind him, tangible against his ear and neck. Unable to resist, Mu Yu turned his head slightly— only to see the sharp line of Mu Hanxiao's throat and his stern profile.

Mu Hanxiao said, "Jump."

Mu Yu closed his eyes as they plunged from the helicopter together.

***

As a child, Mu Yu had no friends. When he was first brought to the Mu family, his health was poor, so he spent a year recuperating at home. Mu Yunting hired private tutors to teach him language and general knowledge. By the time he finally joined school, he could only be placed in an existing class.

Back then, he was quiet, withdrawn, and unwilling to make friends. He feared his imposing father and stepmother and despised Mu Zeju, who bullied him. All he wanted was to go home and wait for Mu Hanxiao to return.

Mu Hanxiao was cold and rarely spoke. But he never bullied Mu Yu or treated him with disdain. His aloofness seemed innate, yet he showed an unusual patience toward this frail, lonely outsider of a younger brother. Maybe it was because Mu Yu seemed so pitiful—or perhaps he simply didn't care much about this stray-cat-like child.

Yunhai rarely had visitors. Apart from occasional family visits, Mu Hanxiao never brought any work matters home. In those rare years, Yunhai was like a safe secret base for Mu Yu, with Mu Hanxiao guarding the entrance—no one would dare barge in uninvited.

But Mu Hanxiao was often away. When Mu Yu waited too long for his brother to return, he would cry, hiding alone in his room. And when Mu Hanxiao finally came back, he would cry even harder in front of him, asking why he was never home, if he, like the rest of the Mu family, didn't like him.

At that time, Mu Hanxiao had only just officially taken over the company's affairs, and his workload was overwhelming. Even so, he still took Mu Yu skiing in the mountains.

Since being brought back to the country, Mu Yu had rarely traveled far. Mu Hanxiao personally taught him how to ski. Mu Yu, with his poor stamina, was panting heavily but exhilarated, clinging to Mu Hanxiao's arm, laughing and chattering excitedly. Mu Hanxiao didn't let him play for too long, carrying him down the slope despite Mu Yu's protests.

That day, the sunlight was perfect—the mountains blanketed in pristine snow, the sky a vast, unblemished blue. Bundled up in a hat and scarf, Mu Yu wrapped his arms around Mu Hanxiao's neck, his cheeks flushed as he pointed upward. "Brother, look! Someone's flying in the sky!"

A brightly colored parachute carried a person drifting slowly toward the foot of the mountain. Mu Hanxiao, holding Mu Yu with one arm, glanced up and said, “He's skydiving."

"I want to skydive too—"

Mu Hanxiao told him, “Skydiving means jumping from thousands of meters in the air. You'd be scared."

Mu Yu leaned against him trustingly. "If you're with me, I won't be scared."

Mu Yu was clingy, pressing Mu Hanxiao with soft, pleading questions about whether he could go with him. Mu Hanxiao carried him back to the car, where Mu Yu obediently fastened his seatbelt and grabbed his brother's sleeve.

In the end, Mu Hanxiao told him that when he grew a little older and his health improved, he would take him.

***

The wind of the descent rushed past Mu Yu's face, clouds swirling rapidly around them. The sea stretched below like a vast blue eye, watching as the two figures fell from the sky.

Mu Yu clutched the harness tightly, his lips pressed together, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. In the boundless expanse of sky and earth, he suddenly felt infinitesimally small—only Mu Hanxiao, strapped to his back, was a single source of warmth.

The high-altitude air was cold, yet the blazing sunlight cut through it. Adrenaline surged uncontrollably, and Mu Yu's breathing grew erratic. Gazing at the distant horizon, his body pierced through the clouds, the icy mist brushing against his skin. The sky felt within reach, so blue it made him want to cry.

For a fleeting moment, a wild thought crossed his mind—what if he unbuckled his harness? Would it terrify Mu Hanxiao?

Watching him plunge into the sea, even Mu Hanxiao's expression would surely be something to behold.

But the madness lasted only a second before Mu Hanxiao deployed the parachute. With a sharp snap, the canopy billowed open in the wind, yanking Mu Yu upward as he snapped back to reality.

The parachute glided leisurely through the sky. Behind him, Mu Hanxiao's voice came, calm and steady: "Arms out."

Mu Yu remembered the instructor's earlier lesson and loosened his grip on the harness, relaxing his limbs. The descent slowed abruptly, though his heartbeat still hammered violently. Breathing shallowly, his body suddenly felt weightless, his legs numb. The distant sea below softened, waves rising and falling endlessly, like a gentle cradle waiting to catch him.

Mu Yu gazed blankly at the scenery between heaven and earth, momentarily feeling as if he were truly flying—like the birds he'd seen soaring overhead, tracing paths through wind and sunlight. Briefly freed from earthly constraints, his confined soul seemed to break free from his body, dancing with the wind across the sky.

His wrist was suddenly grasped as Mu Hanxiao checked his heart rate monitor from behind with steady movements.

His pulse was racing too fast. Mu Hanxiao placed a hand over his chest, as if to soothe him. "Relax. You'll be fine."

The man's voice blurred in the wind. Yet, strangely, Mu Yu gradually calmed under the warm, broad palm pressed against his heart.

For some reason, he recalled the year he turned ten, playing by the lake near his home. The day had been bitterly cold, the sunlight itself icy. The frozen shore was slippery, and he had fallen into the lake. When the adults fished him out, his entire body was frozen, terrifying his mother into uncontrollable trembling and tears.

The sensation of sinking into the lake had been suffocating, dark—like being sealed inside an icy coffin. Ghostly hands from the depths seemed to drag him down as freezing water flooded his lungs. Young Mu Yu had nearly died that day, and for the first time, he saw despair and terror in his mother's eyes. In his memories, she had always been carefree, careless, even a little foolish.

After that, he was sent to the Mu family. His mother left, abandoning him in another frozen lake, never to return.

The ground drew closer as the parachute glided smoothly over the coastline, settling gently onto the grass. Mu Hanxiao landed first, with Mu Yu touching down a second later, nearly stumbling before being steadied by Mu Hanxiao, who then unfastened his harness.

Fan En, Lu Hao, and the others rushed over to greet them. With Mu Hanxiao present, no one dared act too rowdy, merely giving Mu Yu restrained pats on the back. "How was it? First time skydiving—felt amazing, right?"

The moment his feet touched solid ground, Mu Yu bounced back, flashing a grin. "Absolutely incredible. Lu Hao, you should try it too."

Lu Hao yelped in refusal, while Mu Hanxiao ignored them entirely, efficiently packing the parachute. A few instructors jogged over to help fold it, taking the gear as Mu Hanxiao removed his goggles and gloves, handing them off before walking away without another word.

Xie Ming, wisely this time, didn't follow Mu Hanxiao but stayed by Mu Yu's side. Mu Yu smirked. "Uncle Xie, why aren't you leaving with the boss?"

Xie Ming chuckled. "You flatter me, Young Master Mu. You're my boss."

"Then why did you report even what I wanted to do?"

"Extreme sports like skydiving carry risks. It's only right to inform your family, so they won't worry."

Mu Yu pointed at himself. "How old do you think I am? Did you really have to tell him?"

Fan En and Lu Hao pulled him along. "Alright, alright, let's go eat."

Mu Hanxiao was already far ahead when a car pulled up by the roadside. Someone stepped out to open the door, and without hesitation, Mu Hanxiao got in and drove off.

Fan En muttered in confusion, "What's your brother's deal? Comes to take you skydiving and just leaves? Did he think the instructors or equipment here weren't good enough? This is a top-tier skydiving center."

Mu Yu shrugged indifferently. "Who cares? Let him do whatever he wants."

He didn't want to speculate about Mu Hanxiao's thoughts. Presumably, Mu Hanxiao disliked being scrutinized he was adept at concealment, never revealing joy or anger, maintaining that icy demeanor for years, burying any trace of emotion.

Besides, Mu Hanxiao had always been like this, coming and going as he pleased. Only the naive, younger version of himself would have seen it as a blessing, rejoicing at the man's presence and weeping at his departure.

What a pitiful, easily manipulated fool he had been.

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