Gold Cage - Chapter 30

Late at night, a light still burned in a second-floor bedroom of Yunhai.

Mu Yu sat cross-legged at his desk, yawning as he ended his call with Lu Hao. They had been discussing work until nearly one in the morning. Lu Hao was a ball of energy, often going out with clients for drinks before meeting up with friends to party. When he got too excited and couldn't sleep, he'd call Mu Yu to talk about work and life. If Mu Yu didn't pick up, he'd turn to pester Huo Shiyin instead.

Mu Yu had recently traveled to Europe for an international conference. Still jet-lagged after returning, he was invited by a business partner for a swim. The pool water was unusually cold, leaving Mu Yu unsatisfied with the experience, and he came back with a lingering cough.

He turned off the lights and curled up in bed, his headache making sleep elusive. Tossing restlessly for a while, he finally began to drift off, his movements gradually stilling.

But deep sleep evaded him. Fragments of dreams flickered through his consciousness, leaving his rest unsettled. At times, he felt as though he were sinking into darkness, the deep currents of a lake surging toward him once more, bubbles rushing against his face. The sensations of cold and suffocation wrapped around him with startling realism. His breathing grew uneven, and between fitful dreams, he coughed uncomfortably, his hands and feet turning icy.

Then, suddenly, a familiar warmth brushed against his cheek, enveloping him. The chill that had clung to him dissipated almost instantly. Mu Yu stirred awake, meeting the gaze of Mu Hanxiao, who sat at his bedside.

"Made some pear soup," Hanxiao said. "Sit up and drink it."

Mu Yu remained silent for a moment before pushing himself up and accepting the bowl. The sweet, warm liquid soothed his throat as it went down. Hanxiao set the bowl aside, pulled back the covers, and drew Mu Yu into his arms. Mu Yu tensed, but the man simply held him close—one hand resting over his chest, the other cradling his wrist, fingers interlacing with his. The motions were practiced, honed from countless nights of holding a younger Mu Yu, who had always been quick to burrow into his embrace for warmth. Now, though, Mu Yu kept his back turned, refusing to speak.

Hanxiao's searing body heat quickly chased away the cold, turning the frigid sheets into a comfortable cocoon. Despite his reluctance to accept this closeness, Mu Yu's body unwittingly relaxed.

Hanxiao's fingers brushed over Mu Yu's bare ring finger. Mu Yu pulled his hand back, tucking it beneath the pillow. Hanxiao ignored the small defiance. "The doctor will check on you tomorrow," he said. "You're staying home."

"What about Li Bing?"

"Fired. By you."

Mu Yu was about to snap back when Hanxiao pulled him closer, murmuring against his ear, "Old Master Liu has passed. The Liu family will be in upheaval. I've been busy—don't go running off."

Mu Yu scoffed. "With your wife scrambling to handle things, the great CEO Mu still has time to return to Yunhai? Can't even bother with appearances anymore?"

Hanxiao didn't answer. His steady breaths warmed the back of Mu Yu's neck. Gradually, Mu Yu's limbs thawed, and in the darkness, he found himself lost in thought. The rhythmic pulse of Hanxiao's heartbeat against his back seeped into his chest, steady and insistent, drowning out everything else.

When Mu Yu was thirteen, he did something shocking. After being released from that terrifying confinement, he had fallen seriously ill. By the time he recovered and was discharged, he spent a long time recuperating at Yunhai before finally returning to school.

He behaved well—everyone thought he had outgrown his childish defiance, that he could be coaxed into obedience. But despite Hanxiao's watchful care, he managed to slip away unnoticed. One morning, after dutifully eating breakfast and being dropped off at school by the driver, he scaled the wall and ran away. His backpack held no books—ust his ID, bank cards, some cash, and a change of clothes.

The "escape" plan was successful—the plane landed at an airport in the northern country. Unfortunately, Mu Hanxiao was faster. Upon receiving the news, he immediately set off in his private jet and intercepted Mu Yu at the airport.

Mu Yu refused to go back with him, standing stubbornly at the airport entrance in the freezing snow, locked in a standoff with Mu Hanxiao. The airport staff who had accompanied the search exchanged uneasy glances. Mu Hanxiao, wrapped in a heavy coat, his face dark with exhaustion, blocked Mu Yu's path.

Mu Yu: "I want to come back and live with Mom!"

Mu Hanxiao: "That's not a reason for a thirteen-year-old to buy a plane ticket and leave the country alone!"

Mu Yu glared at him. "No, you don't care about me at all. I was locked up, I got sick, and you didn't even care. You only care about your family —but I'm not part of it. You only have two younger brothers, not me."

Mu Hanxiao's expression remained cold. "So now you're refusing to speak Chinese with me, is that it?"

Whether it was because he had returned to the country where he was born and raised or for some other reason, Mu Yu had been arguing with Mu Hanxiao in his native language since stepping off the plane, leaving the local staff nearby casting suspicious looks at Mu Hanxiao. The boy's eyes were brimming with tears, his pale face half-buried in a scarf, his eyelashes glistening with moisture.

"I learned Chinese properly just to talk to you," the boy sobbed, accusing the cold-hearted man before him. "I am your brother too! It was Mu Zhiye who annoyed me first—I only pushed him away, but you took his side! I was locked in that tiny room, begging for you to come. I was so scared, but you never showed up!"

Mu Hanxiao opened his mouth to speak, but Mu Yu didn't want to hear it. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and bolted out of the airport. The bodyguards immediately looked to Mu Hanxiao for orders, only to see an uncharacteristic flicker of helplessness cross the man's face—for once, he was at a loss with a child.

Later, Mu Hanxiao and Mu Yu stayed in the area for two days. Mu Yu never got to see his mother—heavy snowfall had blocked the roads and waterways leading to the village by Lake Baiha'er. Mu Hanxiao used this as an excuse to keep Mu Yu from running any further.

"You're not suited to live in conditions like this," Mu Hanxiao said.

Mu Yu sat wrapped in a blanket by the window, the hotel room warm with heating. He turned his face away. "I grew up here."

"You developed chronic health problems after being rescued from the lake. That's why your mother sent you to us."

Mu Yu didn't respond, silently watching the snow outside. The world was a frozen wasteland. Softly, he murmured, "But being with you all is so lonely. It's cold—colder than the snowfields by Lake Baiha'er."

That night, Mu Yu fell asleep early, exhausted from the journey. Once night fell, he was out like a light. Mu Hanxiao sat alone in the living room, smoking, handling a few work calls before finally getting up to check on him. Mu Yu was curled up under the blankets, a small figure in the dark, his breathing quiet and even.

Perhaps, by the time Mu Hanxiao had chased him to the airport and then stayed trapped with him in this snowbound place, the boy had already forgiven his less-than-perfect older brother. He held grudges easily, was quick to jealousy, and often lost himself in grievances and demands aimed solely at Mu Hanxiao. He never stopped to wonder why Mu Hanxiao had learned his native language, or why he had been allowed to stay in Yunhai all this time, growing up slowly, safely, under their care.

All he wanted was for Mu Hanxiao to love him wholeheartedly, without having to search painfully through fields of sharp stones for the faintest trace of blooming flowers.

Deep in his heart lay a garden, waiting year after year for his elder brother to step inside.

Mu Yu opened his eyes.

Outside the window, birds sang melodiously as dawn broke. He blinked slowly before sitting up in bed. The pillow beside him was empty, only the lingering warmth on his skin serving as proof that he had spent the night in someone's embrace.

The door to the hospital director's office opened, and Lan Mo stepped out alongside her father. The two descended the stairs one after the other, drawing curious glances from passersby who noticed the director's daughter trailing behind him.

Compared to the director's accomplished and well-known son, most people had only a vague impression of his younger daughter—still seen as a naive child with little ambition. Despite her years of education abroad, she had returned only to work as a lowly nurse in her father's hospital.

"Starting today, you'll stay home to rest during your pregnancy. No more coming to work," the man said sternly as he walked ahead. "How can you still be so careless at a time like this?"

Lan Mo followed in silence. When they reached the parking lot, her father pulled her aside and repeated the lecture he had given in his office: "How many times must I say this? After marrying into the Mu family, your husband must be your priority. You need to be a proper wife. Countless people would kill for a connection to the Mu family, yet here you are, completely indifferent! No matter how much I teach you, it never sticks. No one in this family is as foolish as you..."

Lan Mo listened with downcast eyes, offering no rebuttal. She had long since learned to avoid harsher treatment by playing obedient in front of her domineering parents. The only difference now was that, whereas they had rarely paid her any attention before, ever since her marriage to Mu Yu, she received weekly "concerns" from them—questions about the baby in her womb, whether her marital life with Mu Yu was harmonious, and so on.

They asked about everything—except how their daughter was doing.

Lan Mo drove back to Mu Yu's residence. She now lived alone in his apartment, though he visited regularly and had hired a chef and a caretaker for her. Occasionally, he would drive her to medical checkups, maintaining the facade of a loving couple.

That afternoon, Mu Yu arrived just as the chef was preparing dinner. The two snacked and played video games while waiting for the meal. Unaware that she had lost her job, Mu Yu asked if she needed a chauffeur to spare her the inconvenience of commuting alone.

Lan Mo laughed softly. "No need, brother. I'm just pregnant, not disabled."

She cherished the life growing inside her, sticking to a daily exercise routine, following a carefully planned diet, and attending regular prenatal checkups. Excitedly, she told Mu Yu that once the baby was born, she wanted to take them traveling around the world, to enjoy delicious food together, and to buy them the best gaming console.

"I don't know why, but I've loved this baby for a long time," Lan Mo murmured absently, hugging a bag of snacks. "Ever since I found out I was pregnant... No, even before that from the moment I decided to have a child, I already loved them."

Lan Mo's child was conceived through sperm bank selection, though Mu Yu still didn't understand why she'd made this choice. She didn't seem to have any strong maternal instincts, despite pouring all her love into this unborn child.

Mu Yu said, "That's wonderful. The baby will surely grow up very happy."

"Brother, I once watched an animated series." Lan Mo's thoughts wandered freely as she spoke. "One episode left a deep impression on me."

"What was it about?"

"There was a village where a girl worked as a servant for a young master's family. One day, the girl got kidnapped by demons. When she returned, she developed a condition—if the person she loved didn't care for her enough, she would gradually disappear from this world. The young master did love her and wanted to marry her, but his family objected, villagers spread rumors, and society scorned their relationship. Eventually, he lost patience with her. Then the girl vanished."

Mu Yu pondered this. "And then?"

Lan Mo smiled. "They ended up together in the end. After being reminded by the protagonist, the young master had an epiphany. Even though everyone else could no longer see the girl, he still married her. Finally, the vanished girl reappeared before everyone because his love for her had returned."

After hearing this story, Mu Yu thought for a while before saying, "It's a beautiful ending, but if you think about it differently, isn't the girl pitiful if her existence depends entirely on the boy's love?"

"Yes," Lan Mo agreed. She grew quiet—she'd become much more subdued lately, whether from life's blows or because this was her true nature.

"But what if it's not just one person?" Lan Mo suddenly said. "In reality, if someone loses their parents' love, their family's love, their partner's love... Do you think that person might truly disappear from the world? Brother, I often feel like no one can see me, like everyone's forgotten me."

The game controller fell onto the carpet as the idle music from the TV kept playing. Mu Yu looked at Lan Mo seriously. "That's not true. You're a dear friend to me, and both A-Yin and Lu Hao like you very much. But some feelings can't be forced, and we don't need them to be, right? You'll meet better people—trust me."

Lan Mo smiled and nodded with a quiet "Mm." Yet from her despondent expression, Mu Yu suddenly glimpsed the absurd yet understandable reason behind this girl's choice to raise a child alone. She loved this unborn baby so intensely, pouring all her emotions into it. Whether this love was too heavy or immature, Mu Yu couldn't bring himself to judge.

Because everyone had made too many mistakes, and this girl was simply too lonely.

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