Gold Cage - Chapter 18

At dawn, Mu Yu awoke to the faint aroma of soup and congee.

His sleep had been poor. Frowning, he opened his eyes to see a familiar figure sitting quietly by the table. The man was carefully lifting the lid of a small soup pot, but upon noticing Mu Yu was awake, he withdrew his hands and placed them on his knees, greeting him politely.

"Good morning, Mr. Mu."

Mu Yu sat up and sized up Li Bing. Li Bing had tanned a bit, his hair cropped short, dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, exuding a sense of having traveled far and wide. Only his eyes remained as gentle as ever.

Mu Yu eyed him suspiciously. "Did Mu Hanxiao throw you into a mud pit to roll around?"

Li Bing looked down at himself. "I took a shower specially. Is it still not clean enough?"

Breakfast was lavish, with soup dumplings that Mu Yu loved. After washing up in the bathroom and returning, he found Li Bing had already laid out all the dishes and placed the utensils before him. Mu Yu scooped up a dumpling, took a small bite, blew on it, and licked the sweet broth.

Li Bing didn't answer his question—perhaps he couldn't. Mu Yu didn't press him. Li Bing remained as quiet as ever, sitting by his side after serving him breakfast, flipping through the medical reports from Mu Yu's hospital stay.

Li Bing looked somewhat exhausted, though it was unclear whether it was due to recent events or simply from traveling overnight. As he frowned over the reports, Mu Yu suddenly asked, "That night at the bar, why didn't you let me shoot He Cheng?"

Li Bing froze, then set the reports aside.

"... You are the young master of the Mu family. Whoever dares to overstep their bounds with you will naturally be dealt with by others. There's no need for you to take action yourself."

Mu Yu found Li Bing amusing. While everyone else treated him like a fake, Li Bing still earnestly regarded him as the young master, serving him dutifully.

Resting his chin in his hand, Mu Yu asked another question, "Where did that gun go?"

Li Bing replied, "I'm sorry, I don't know."

Mu Yu changed the subject. "Where did the gun come from?"

After a brief, reluctant silence, Li Bing answered, "As you know, the bar owner is a relative of Madam Zhao. No outsider would dare hide a gun there, so it could only belong to the bar owner."

A strange glint flashed in Mu Yu's eyes. "Besides that gun, were there others?"

Li Bing lowered his voice. "I don't know, Mr. Mu.

"Look into it."

Li Bing looked up in surprise. Mu Yu crossed his arms. "If it's too much for you alone, get Phil to help. I want to know what kind of business that bar owner is really running and who's backing him."

Li Bing quickly said, "Mr. Mu, both Phil and I must prioritize your safety above all else. We absolutely cannot leave your side without permission."

"Then you go." Mu Yu leaned in close, his eyes bright as he gazed at Li Bing. "Phil can stay with me. How about it? I know you're capable—I just want to satisfy a little curiosity. I promise I won't do anything reckless, no matter what shocking secrets we uncover. And I'll even quit smoking and drinking. Deal?"

Having said that much, whether Li Bing believed him or not, he couldn't refuse. No matter how conflicted he felt inside, seeing Mu Yu looking at him with such anticipation, he eventually had to compromise: "I'll... do my best. But no matter what, my priority will always be you first. I hope you understand that."

Mu Yu snapped his fingers: "No problem."

Li Bing had just been recalled and hadn't even warmed his seat before heading out to handle Mu Yu's affairs. Having gone hungry most of the previous day, Mu Yu ate breakfast and then had the chef prepare some hot dishes. Sitting cross-legged on the balcony of the living room, he worked while eating and sipping red tea.

Recovering from illness was like pulling silk—slow and tedious. Mu Yu's body was healing sluggishly, leaving him perpetually lethargic. The household staff took meticulous care of him, serving him a bowl of warm, nourishing medicinal soup before and after meals. If his tea cooled even slightly, they would replace it with a fresh brew. Noticing him working alone on the balcony, they draped a light blanket over his shoulders, careful not to disturb him, worried about the chilly late spring breeze.

Wrapped cozily, Mu Yu heard the sound of a car entering the courtyard in the distance. Looking up, he saw an unfamiliar vehicle slowly drive in, and a woman stepped out.

Recognizing her face, Mu Yu involuntarily raised an eyebrow.

Liu Shuyan was dressed in an elegant and professional outfit, likely coming straight from work. She sat on the sofa with a steaming cup of red tea in front of her, her long hair tied into a high ponytail. Her lightly made-up face was exquisitely beautiful, captivating at first glance.

Her voice was gentle: "I visited you once at the hospital, but unfortunately, you were resting. Your elder brother told me not to disturb your recovery. I've been busy too, but today I finally found time to see you. It seems you're recovering well."

Mu Yu responded politely: "Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law."

Liu Shuyan inquired in detail about his health and brought him many expensive tonics. Speaking of the bar where Mu Yu had been attacked, she said, "It's already been shut down. Those people were audacious, daring to commit such illegal acts in the heart of the city, making it known to everyone."

Shut down? Mu Yu wondered if they had fled. How would Li Bing investigate then? But then he thought, never mind—Li Bing was his brother's person after all, and he would surely find a way to dig something up.

His mind wandered until Liu Shuyan suddenly said, "Xiao Yu, I'd like to have a child with your brother this year."

Mu Yu's thoughts snapped back. He looked at Liu Shuyan, who smiled warmly, a hint of shyness in her expression. "I'm not getting any younger. I wasn't in a hurry before, but now I find myself wanting a child more and more... But your brother is always so busy, hardly ever home, and I'm not exactly idle either. It's frustrating."

"Do you live together?"

Liu Shuyan was taken aback. "We bought a new house in Huaifeng District. Didn't Hanxiao tell you?"

Mu Yu felt inexplicably dizzy. For a moment, he didn't register what she was saying, his mind stuck on the realization that whenever Mu Hanxiao wasn't at Yunhai, he was at his marital home with Liu Shuyan.

Briefly snapping out of it, he turned his slightly green eyes toward her.

"...Work is endless. Having a child sooner would ease the elders' worries," Mu Yu said with a smile. "If it comes to it, once the baby is born, I can help take care of it. I'm just an idle person—I'll always have time."

Liu Shuyan was amused by him: "How could I possibly trouble you with that? I just came to chat, and also hoped you could talk to your brother tell him not to work so much and spend more time with the family."

Mu Yu replied, "He wouldn't listen to me. You should talk to him yourself. You two are so close; he'll definitely listen to you."

Liu Shuyan smiled but didn't prolong the conversation, not wanting to disturb his rest. She didn't stay long before rising to leave.

Mu Yu escorted her all the way to her car. As they were saying goodbye, he suddenly asked out of the blue, "Sister-in-law, where's the necklace I gave you?"

Liu Shuyan froze, touching her neck—only her own jade necklace adorned it.

"That necklace... was too precious," she said after a pause. "I keep it safely stored unless it's a special occasion."

Mu Yu nodded without further comment, standing by the garden as he waved her off.

Mu Hanxiao returned to Yunhai late that night. Liu Shuyan had called him earlier, but their conversation was brief before he hung up.

As soon as he arrived home, the bodyguard stationed at the door hurried over and whispered something to him. Frowning, Mu Hanxiao glanced toward the second floor of the villa before stepping out of the car and striding inside.

He went straight upstairs, crossed the hallway, and pushed open Mu Yu's door. Moonlight spilled across the floor, the sheer curtains of the balcony fluttering gently in the night breeze, blurring the silhouette of the figure perched on the railing.

Mu Yu dangled one foot carelessly, a bottle of red wine and a plate of desserts beside him. His slender frame sat precariously on the unprotected railing, the lush garden sprawled below. The bodyguard had already positioned himself in the shadows of the flowerbed, anxiously watching Mu Yu, afraid he might lose his balance from drunkenness and tumble from the second floor.

Mu Hanxiao's voice was tight when he spoke: "Get down from there now, Mu Yu."

Lazily, Mu Yu propped himself up with one hand on the railing, the other holding a wineglass. Most of the bottle was already empty—the home's wine cabinet had been cleared out, and no one knew where he'd dug up this bottle. He didn't even bother turning his head, his cheeks faintly flushed with intoxication. "Why should I? The view of the moon is best from here."

Mu Hanxiao strode over, pushed aside the translucent curtains, and grabbed Mu Yu's arm. Wine splashed from the glass as Mu Yu was yanked off the railing, stumbling to stand before his brother.

Mu Hanxiao's expression was grim. "I told you not to drink anymore."

Mu Yu only chuckled darkly. He looked up at him. "Mu Hanxiao, why do you have to control everything? Are you insane?"

"You meddle in my drinking, my smoking, even whether I eat. Now you're policing me sitting on the balcony to look at the moon," Mu Yu said mockingly. "Aren't you exhausted? Why don't you go bother your wife instead? My sister-in-law is such an accomplished beauty, dreaming of a happy marriage and a house full of children, yet you're so clueless. I feel sorry for her."

Mu Hanxiao took a deep breath. "My marital life with Shuyan is none of your concern."

Something about that remark struck a nerve. Mu Yu suddenly erupted in anger: "Then why is my life yours to interfere with? What gives you the right to make decisions for me without my consent? What gives you the right to lock me up at home and forbid me from leaving? Do you really think you're some emperor, Mu Hanxiao? Do you really believe everyone has to obey you like dogs, bending to your will?!"

Mu Hanxiao's face darkened, his voice icy. "Say that again."

Mu Yu violently shook off his hand, his eyes red as he glared at Mu Hanxiao. "If you still think of me as that fucking teenager, that same pathetic stray who used to obey your every word, then you'd better wake the hell up, Mu Hanxiao. My brain's not waterlogged anymore—I won't ever do those stupid things again. Got it?"

The man's expression was terrifyingly grim, his chest heaving with barely suppressed rage, his entire presence radiating a bone-chilling cold. Yet Mu Yu showed no fear. His chest burned as if scorched by bitter, acidic flames, charring everything black inside. He might be losing his mind sitting alone on the balcony railing with a drink, staring at the moon, the endless night, the hazy mist, the crumbling ground beneath his feet, and the sea of flowers below. It should've been like this long ago. The thought looped endlessly in his mind. His brother was married now, about to have children. Liu Shuyan truly loved him, just like countless men and women who had once fallen madly into the web of Mu Hanxiao's allure—yet she alone had become the rightful, singular choice. Undoubtedly, she was the best, Mu Hanxiao's ultimate preference, his one pearl and crown.

And he? Beneath that boundless radiance, he was devoured alive by swarming jealousy, dragged into the abyss by shadows in lightless corners. He was neither a pearl nor anyone's crown. All he wanted was for that one person to spare him a glance, to grant him even a shred of tenderness—fake or real.

But there was nothing left. Mu Hanxiao wouldn't even give him pretense anymore. His fist-sized dignity had been crushed and discarded, his pride lost in relentless obsession. Like a man possessed, he carved Mu Hanxiao's name into his mind, turning it over endlessly. He watched as Mu Hanxiao exchanged affections—real and fake—with countless others, watched him formally wed Liu Shuyan and bring her home with all propriety, watched them treat each other with perfect respect and harmony. The mere memory of Liu Shuyan's tender expression when mentioning Mu Hanxiao earlier that day made him nauseous. He wondered—if Liu Shuyan really bore Mu Hanxiao a child, would he one day grab a knife and slaughter it? Or perhaps stab her pregnant belly first, then kill Mu Hanxiao, arranging their corpses together as a family so they could reunite in death and continue their perfect love story.

These deranged fantasies repeatedly churned his stomach. He clinically analyzed that such thoughts proved his abnormality—because only Mu Hanxiao needed to die. Mu Hanxiao was the root of all evil, the original sin. He should never have been sent to Yunhai in the first place. Why hadn't he clung to his mother's legs, wailing and begging her not to ruin her own son when she decided to abandon him to the Mu family?

Mu Hanxiao said to him, "The truth is, you still only know how to do stupid things. If you could just stay quiet for even a moment, I might have more patience with you."

These words nearly made Mu Yu burst into laughter. "Who do you think you are, Mu Hanxiao? That I'd need your patience? I'm perfectly content with my life—it's you who insists on disrupting it, meddling in my affairs!"

Mu Hanxiao suddenly gripped Mu Yu's chin, his fingers pressing hard enough to bruise as he glared down at him. "Meddling in your affairs? Mu Yu, I want you to remember—if I hadn't intervened, you'd have been raped by that damn underage kid."

Mu Yu grabbed his wrist, fingers whitening with force as he ground out through clenched teeth, "Did I ask for your interference? Why don't you go police for your real brother for assaulting an underage girl instead of worrying about who this fake one sleeps with? Funny enough, I do prefer them young—certainly not some old man pushing fifty like you!"

The next moment, Mu Yu was hauled up and thrown over Mu Hanxiao's shoulder. A glass shattered on the floor, dark red wine splattering across the ground. Cursing and struggling, Mu Yu was roughly tossed onto the bed. Mu Hanxiao yanked off his tie, pinning Mu Yu down and binding his wrists to the bedframe. Mu Yu writhed helplessly, eyes red-rimmed as he panted heavily, "You dare tie me up —you actually dare! Mu Hanxiao! Let me go—!"

Mu Hanxiao snatched a belt from the nearby coat rack, folding it sharply in his grip. The force of his movement sent the leather tail cracking against the wooden stand with a snap, toppling the rack with a crash as clothes scattered everywhere. Mu Yu flinched instinctively at the noise, his bound hands clenched into trembling fists as he lay disheveled and furious in the tangle of sheets. "Fine, Mu Hanxiao, so now you want to beat me to death? The Mu family truly is remarkable—your greatest talent is eliminating anyone who displeases you. You're every bit Madam Zhao's prized son!"

"Shut up!" Mu Hanxiao finally erupted in rage. He raised the belt, veins bulging on the back of his hand, poised to strike. Mu Yu instinctively curled in on himself, ducking his head under the covers, his bound fists shaking faintly behind him.

The blow never came. Mu Yu opened his eyes to see Mu Hanxiao standing before him, his silhouette backlit by the silver moonlight streaming in, breathing heavily. The belt was flung onto the bed, its buckle clattering dangerously close to Mu Yu's forehead. The man had reined in his fury at the brink of losing control. The door remained ajar, and the servants waiting outside had long been trembling at the violent argument, not daring to glance inside.

Mu Hanxiao hauled Mu Yu up by the arm, his grip anything but gentle, forcing Mu Yu to kneel on the bed and meet his gaze. Darkness enveloped them as the night breeze billowed the curtains, casting shadows over the chaotic room. Mu Hanxiao's breath felt scorchingly close, like the oppressive heat of mountains and clouds bearing down on Mu Yu. Defiantly unmoving under the man's searing presence, Mu Yu's arms ached from the tight hold. He lifted his eyes, meeting only the rigid line of Mu Hanxiao's jaw and tightly pressed lips.

"You're right about one thing. I should focus more on my wife and family, instead of wasting my time on you over and over again. All these years, your actions have made it abundantly clear that this is utterly meaningless." Mu Hanxiao's grip on Mu Yu was vice-like, his fingers digging deep into flesh until the bones ached. Yet Mu Yu remained silent, glaring at him with hatred, his eyes glistening with barely perceptible tears.

Mu Hanxiao seemed not to notice, his face dark with anger: "I admit it was a mistake from the start to let them send you to Yunhai. Compassion was wasted on you. I should have given you nothing from the beginning, made you understand your place as an outsider. Then you wouldn't have made a fool of yourself in front of everyone, thinking you were putting on some grand performance!"

He shoved Mu Yu away, roughly yanking the tie from his wrist and throwing it to the ground along with his belt before storming out of the room.

In the darkened room, Mu Yu knelt alone on the bed, trembling from the humiliation of Mu Hanxiao's words. His breathing was ragged, his entire body burning with a chaotic, overwhelming surge of emotion that clouded his mind. His vision blurred, and it took him a long moment to realize it was from tears.

He couldn't stop shaking. Tears fell one by one, quickly soaking his face. The heat in his cheeks gradually turned cold, like the fading warmth at his fingertips—silent and extinguished. The icy moonlight became a bottomless lake that swallowed him whole, stripping away his senses, hollowing him out until nothing remained but an empty shell.

Only the ceaseless night wind and the river of stars endured.

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