Gold Cage - Chapter 17

On the day Mu Yu was discharged from the hospital, Xie Ming personally came to pick him up.

Originally, everyone assumed Mu Yu would be left alone with no one to care for him after leaving the hospital. Lu Hao, Huo Shiyin, and Lan Mo all wanted to take him in, but once Xie Ming arrived, the group had no choice but to pile into his car.

The car drove straight toward Yunhai.

Mu Yu frowned. "Uncle Xie, you took the wrong route?"

Xie Ming replied, "Mr. Mu instructed me to bring you to Yunhai. The facilities here are well-equipped and better suited for your recovery."

Mu Yu suppressed his irritation. "I'm fine now. He doesn't need to meddle."

"Please don't make things difficult for me, President Mu."

Mu Yu was on the verge of losing his temper. "Whose subordinate are you, anyway? Maybe you should just quit our company right now?"

Huo Shiyin gasped in horror and immediately covered his mouth. "Teacher Xie, don't listen to his nonsense! He's joking! Please don't resign!"

Lu Hao also protested, "Uncle Xie still has to accompany me to meet with a client tonight! Mu Yu, stop acting crazy!"

Mu Yu glared at them. Lan Mo tried to ease the tension. "It's good that Brother Yu will be staying with Brother Mu. He'll have dedicated care, and we won't have to worry about the He family causing trouble. We can all rest easy."

When the car arrived at Yunhai, Mu Yu had no choice but to enter the villa under the watchful eyes of the other three.

The household staff were already waiting for him. The servants in Mu Hanxiao's home mirrored their master's demeanor—reserved, efficient, and as silent as the paintings on the walls when not needed.

Yunhai remained a tranquil fortress.

Dinner wasn't ready yet, and Mu Hanxiao wasn't home. Mu Yu went to his room, took a shower to wash off the lingering scent of medicine and disinfectant, then lazily sprawled on the bed in his pajamas, scrolling through his phone.

Just as he opened a social media app to browse entertainment news, his phone suddenly displayed an error message— password incorrect.

He was baffled. He had never changed his password and always logged in automatically-how could it suddenly say the password was wrong?

After several failed attempts, he exited in confusion and searched for his account name as a guest. The username was unchanged and still searchable, but the display name had been altered.

His social media account was tied to his real identity, registered during college. He rarely posted updates, and after starting his business, he mainly used it as the company founder, occasionally sharing snippets of daily life or liking posts about his interests—food, music, and the like.

The first thing he noticed was that his most recent repost about Xia Ge's concert was gone. Scrolling through his feed, everything seemed normal, except all his personal posts and liked content had vanished. The account now only contained work-related updates.

Only one person could have done this.

Mu Yu waited patiently until past ten in the evening when the sound of a car pulling into the courtyard signaled the other's return.

Wearing pajamas, he stood at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed. "Mu Hanxiao."

The man had just stepped inside, a servant handing him slippers and taking his coat. Hanxiao glanced up at him.

"Why did you change my account password? And delete my posts?" Mu Yu fumed. "Give it back."

Hanxiao ignored his anger. "Your personal account will now be managed by a professional team. All official content will go through them. No personal posts."

Mu Yu's eyes widened. "It's my account. What I post is none of your business!"

"Because you lack basic privacy awareness."

"I lack privacy awareness?" Mu Yu scoffed. "Did I post my birthdate or measurements online? Not everyone needs to live like you—no social media, encrypted calls, bodyguards on standby 24/7, paranoid about being assassinated."

No one dared speak to Hanxiao like this. The staff held their breath, wishing they could flee the tension.

But Hanxiao didn't lose his temper. His response was icy. "Your idiotic way of thinking is why even a naive kid could trap you."

With that, Hanxiao walked straight to his study. Left alone on the stairs, Mu Yu seethed, chest heaving, before storming back to his room and slamming the door.

Of course, he knew He Cheng's appearance at Xia Ge's concert was either related to Mu Zhiye or traced through his social media activity.

He just wanted to provoke Hanxiao—even if the truth was that his private life had been targeted. Hanxiao's solution was authoritarian and final, leaving no room for negotiation. No barrier was strong enough if Hanxiao decided to override it.

His own wishes were irrelevant in Hanxiao's considerations.

Locked out of his account and stuck at Yunhai, Mu Yu sulked in bed, scrolling on his phone. He rolled around restlessly before creating a new account, adding Lu Hao, Huo Shiyin, and Fan En. All three sent him question marks. Shiyin asked why he wasn't using his old account.

Mu Yu replied: Cherish the present. Who knows when this one might get taken over too.

The room was faintly scented with calming incense. Late into the night, Mu Yu settled down, curled up softly in the blankets, and called Mu Hanxiao.

Mu Hanxiao answered. Mu Yu asked in a gentle voice, "Mu Hanxiao, how long do you plan to keep me locked up?"

The man replied, "Until you realize your mistakes and stop causing trouble every day."

Mu Yu burst out laughing. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old? Am I just supposed to abandon the company? Stop taking care of the employees?"

"Xie Ming is handling it."

"You're really working one man to the bone? Uncle Xie is older than you are you trying to exhaust him to death?"

Mu Hanxiao grew impatient. "Did you call just to spout nonsense?"

"One last question." Mu Yu grinned slyly, lowering his voice as he covered the phone. "Brother, why did you come back to Yunhai so late at night instead of staying with your wife?"

"—Could it be... you're impotent?"

Silence hung on the other end for three seconds before the call disconnected. Mu Yu buried himself in the blankets, laughing uncontrollably. Only when he finally caught his breath did he toss his phone aside, satisfied, and go to sleep.

The next morning, he was woken by a servant for breakfast. Mu Yu's room was bathed in sunlight, the warm rays filtering through the half-drawn curtains as he lazily got up to wash.

When he went downstairs, he was surprised to see Mu Hanxiao already seated at the dining table. It had been ages since the two of them had eaten alone together. Mu Yu said nothing, sitting down and accepting the towel handed to him by a servant to wipe his hands.

With just the two of them left in the dining room, Mu Yu had just taken a sip of soup when Mu Hanxiao spoke. "Stay out of the He family's affairs from now on."

Mu Yu smirked, intrigued. "You're really cutting ties with them? That's the He family—the right hand of our Mu family, you know?"

"They're not qualified for that title."

"You're being this ruthless—aren't you afraid they'll snap and bite back? After so many years of cooperation, leaking some of your trade secrets wouldn't be hard, would it? Or maybe they'll just burn down the headquarters—since they've lost everything, who knows if they'd go that crazy?"

Mu Hanxiao glanced at him.

"Your concern is unnecessary," he said.

Suppressing his rising irritation, Mu Yu forced a smile. "And where exactly did you get the idea that I was concerned?"

Mu Hanxiao ignored him. Mu Yu finished his breakfast in silence, setting his utensils aside but not leaving immediately. With a stern expression, he asked, "Where did you send Li Bing?"

Mu Hanxiao remained silent for a moment. Mu Yu said, "Don't bother telling me you don't know Li Bing—I'm not stupid enough to believe a family doctor would wait outside a bar late at night just to see me home. But what does surprise me is that Li Bing and Phil were sent to me right after I went abroad six years ago. I actually thought they were just a doctor and a chef. Now it seems you've been keeping tabs on everything I did overseas—who I met, even what I ate for every meal."

Mu Yu stared at Mu Hanxiao. "Brother, anyone would think I'm some kind of spy, the way you've been monitoring me so closely."

Mu Hanxiao's expression remained cold. "You have quite the imagination. But I don't have time to monitor you, nor do I need to."

Mu Yu gave a careless smile.

"Give Li Bing back to me," he said bluntly. "He's my family doctor. We have a signed contract in black and white. Can you stop interfering with normal employment relationships?"

Mu Hanxiao seemed to have lost patience. With a dark expression, he stood up and walked out of the dining room. Mu Yu watched his retreating figure and called out, "Mu Hanxiao!"

The man left without looking back. Mu Yu glared resentfully after him. He hated Mu Hanxiao's authoritarianism—no explanations, no room for discussion.

What he despised most was the man's indifference and coldness.

After breakfast, Mu Hanxiao left Yunhai. Mu Yu locked himself in his room, only to emerge later in pajamas. He padded downstairs in slippers, the sound echoing as he made his way to the front gate.

The ornate wrought-iron gates were firmly shut. As soon as Mu Yu approached, several bodyguards materialized out of nowhere, silently blocking the entrance—making it clear he wasn't allowed to leave.

Mu Yu said expressionlessly, "I want to go out."

The bodyguards replied respectfully, "Please return to your room, Mr. Mu."

Mu Yu planted his hands on his hips and asked seriously, "Do all of you have some kind of dirty secret that Mu Hanxiao's holding over you? Why are you so obedient? I just want to go out for a walk, clear my head. Is that too much to ask?"

The bodyguards looked uncomfortable but remained dutifully stationed at the gate, politely urging Mu Yu to go back inside.

Furious at being confined, Mu Yu wandered aimlessly around the garden before stomping back into the house and locking himself in his room again.

He began a hunger strike in protest.

The servants knocked on Mu Yu's door but got no response. The lunch they prepared went cold, was reheated, then cold again. They eventually threw it out and made a fresh meal, but Mu Yu still refused to come out. The staff grew frantic, worried he'd hurt his stomach by skipping meals, and quickly contacted Mu Hanxiao.

Mu Hanxiao's response over the phone was brief: "Let him starve."

The afternoon passed with Mu Yu still holed up in his room, refusing even water. When dinner was brought to his door, he snapped from inside before they could knock, "Leave me alone! I'm not eating!"

That made two missed meals. The servants exchanged anxious glances, unsure what to do. They didn't dare press further, afraid of provoking Mu Yu's temper.

Mu Hanxiao returned to Yunhai that evening. Given his busy schedule, he rarely stayed overnight at Yunhai anymore, let alone two nights in a row. As soon as he entered, the servants rushed to inform him that Mu Yu hadn't had a single sip of water all day and they didn't know what to do.

Mu Hanxiao went upstairs to Mu Yu's room. Though the door was locked from the inside, Mu Hanxiao merely placed his hand on the knob. With a slight brush of his thumb, the lock clicked open, and the door swung inward.

Mu Yu, who had been curled up in bed reading, suddenly sat up and looked at Mu Hanxiao as he entered the room, the door closing behind him.

"You changed the lock on my room?" Mu Yu said incredulously. "Did you even ask for my permission?"

Mu Hanxiao replied, "This is my property. Every inch of it belongs to me."

Furious, Mu Yu threw off the covers and got out of bed. "Fine, it's all yours. Since I'm just taking up space here, I'll leave."

He didn't even bother changing his clothes, grabbing his phone in his pajamas as he headed for the door. As he passed Mu Hanxiao, his arm was seized in a firm grip. He struggled, "Let go! Mu Hanxiao, are you insane?"

Mu Hanxiao's grip was unyielding, immobilizing Mu Yu effortlessly. He looked down at him, his gaze icy. "You've grown bold—daring to pull a hunger strike now."

Mu Yu stretched out his hand. "Give Li Bing back to me."

"He's just a family doctor," Mu Hanxiao said coldly.

"Even a dog would inspire affection after years of care," Mu Yu countered, his lips curving into a deceptively gentle smile. "Brother, just because you treat people like objects doesn't mean everyone else does."

The two stood in tense silence. Mu Yu stubbornly held Mu Hanxiao's gaze, his chin lifted in defiance. Mu Hanxiao merely lowered his eyes briefly, his faintly green irises like a disorienting stretch of forest.

Then Mu Hanxiao released him and turned away.

But Mu Yu suddenly reached out and caught his tie. Mu Hanxiao frowned slightly as the tug forced him to lean down, bringing their faces mere inches apart.

The hallway was quiet, bathed in dim yellow light. The faint scent of calming incense and a cool, clean fragrance lingered around Mu Yu. His lashes were long, his lips soft and pale pink. "He just lost sight of me for a moment, and you discarded him. Mu Hanxiao, do you treat only me this way, or is this just how heartless you've always been?"

"Are all you Mu family members this cold-blooded?" Mu Yu's thin lips curved as if in amusement, though his smile was frigid, never reaching his eyes. "Keep someone around when you're pleased, throw them away when you're not. And before tossing them out, you might as well torment them, break them completely—that must be what satisfies you the most."

His wrist was seized in a crushing grip before he was shoved back. Stumbling, he barely caught his balance, his fair skin already reddening where Mu Hanxiao had held him.

Mu Hanxiao's tie bore a faint crease. He didn't bother straightening it. His expression was terrifying—beneath the calm surface, a flash of brutality flickered and vanished just as quickly.

"At least you carry the Mu family's blood. As long as you follow the rules, you'll remain part of this household."

With that, Mu Hanxiao left. Mu Yu stood alone in the room, his silhouette swallowed by the night, casting a solitary, indistinct shadow.

So, because he bore the Mu name, he wouldn't be discarded like a dog. But Mu Hanxiao didn't treat him as a person either— locking him away or casting him aside at will. Only Mu Hanxiao moved freely, imposing absurd rules in the vast empire where he alone reigned, its gears turning relentlessly, day after day.

But Mu Yu didn't follow the rules.

And so, he lost the right to be seen.

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