Gold Cage - Chapter 38

Mu Yu stumbled into the car in a daze. Soon he developed a fever, vomiting twice until only stomach acid remained. Mu Hanxiao took him to a hospital in Bugashk where he received IV fluids, his body alternating between chills and fever, nauseous and weeping uncontrollably. Mu Hanxiao could only hold him close, gripping his trembling shoulders.

Mu Hanxiao never left his side. When Mu Yu grew restless in the hospital, agitated by the smell of disinfectant, Mu Hanxiao soothed him with soft words, feeding him warm sweet drinks and restraining his hands during injections.

After Mu Yu's fever finally broke, Mu Hanxiao brought him to Yu Jing's home. Exhausted, Mu Yu curled up in his bed, drifting in and out of sleep—sometimes waking to see Mu Hanxiao sitting beside him, other times only Yu Jing and Anna.

Nightmares plagued him for days until his nerves frayed. He'd wake trembling in the middle of the night, startling Yu Jing who stayed with him.

"Helkin! Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," his mother murmured, holding him tight as she kissed his forehead and cheeks repeatedly. "The nightmares aren't real, my baby. Don't be scared, Mama's here."

Gasping heavily, Mu Yu clung to Yu Jing, whispering weakly, "Mama, don't leave me... don't leave me."

Yu Jing stroked his hair, humming fragmented lullabies from her childhood until miraculously, he fell into deep sleep.

Lan Mo's body was recovered at the base of the cliff. While Liu Shuyan remained in shock, Mu Hanxiao handled all funeral arrangements. When Mu Yu recovered somewhat, Mu Hanxiao asked where she should be buried.

"By Lake Baiha'er," Mu Yu told him.

Yu Jing stayed by Mu Yu's side without leaving for a moment. Lan Mo's death had also dealt her a tremendous blow—who would have thought that seemingly gentle and sweet girl would suddenly take her own life? She had only just learned that Mu Yu and Lan Mo were married! Mu Yu had kept many things from her, and Yu Jing had come to realize this. Her precious child might not have been as happy as he appeared on the surface.

Yu Jing herself was a carefree person with no complicated thoughts. In truth, her life had been full of hardships, but she had endured them all and never considered herself unlucky. Yet she was terrified of something happening to Mu Yu. Seeing him fall ill whenever he was sad or distressed filled her with regret—if only she had taken better care of him when he was young, he wouldn't have been left with a lifelong ailment.

But Mu Yu saw her worry and guilt and instead comforted her: "It's okay, Mom. I'll be fine."

He forced himself to gather his strength, changed into a black formal suit, and prepared to attend Lan Mo's funeral. Anna helped him into a black cotton coat, insisting he not take it off—even in spring, the lakeside was bitterly cold.

Mu Hanxiao's car was already waiting downstairs. Phil had come to pick them up, driving Mu Yu, Yu Jing, and Anna to Lake Baiha'er.

In the village where Mu Yu and Yu Jing had once lived stood a small church, where Lan Mo's funeral was held. The ceremony was sparsely attended. Out of respect for simplicity and Mu Yu's wishes, Mu Hanxiao had temporarily withheld the news of the funeral from her parents and relatives.

Liu Shuyan, dressed in a black dress, sat alone in a corner of the church, staring blankly at the black coffin surrounded by flowers beneath the church's sacred statue.

The church stood on the lakeside, nestled in the grass, with the vast expanse of Lake Baiha'er stretching beyond its doors. The cold spring wind scattered the clouds, and sunlight pierced through the overcast sky, casting shimmering reflections on the lake's surface, dispelling some of the desolation from this sparsely populated village.

Mu Yu entered the church accompanied by Phil and Anna. His face still bore traces of illness, pale and fragile, his slender frame wrapped in black, making the faint green in his eyes appear even more translucent. He exuded an icy, delicate vulnerability.

He approached Lan Mo. She had been meticulously restored—the mortician had worked through the night to reconstruct the girl's face and body, making her look as vivid and radiant as she had in life, as though she were merely sleeping peacefully among the flowers, ready to wake at any moment.

Liu Shuyan rose and walked over. Mu Hanxiao, standing beside Mu Yu, glanced up at her, but Liu Shuyan only came to gaze at Lan Mo. She reached out to touch her face, but Mu Yu spoke coldly: "Don't touch her."

Phil gently blocked Liu Shuyan's hand. She lowered her arm and stood there, murmuring suddenly, "When the accident happened, you threw yourself over to shield me... That's why you were so badly hurt, why you lost the baby... Mo Mo, I thought you still loved me like before. I wanted to make it up to you. We could have gone back to England together, lived in the same house as before..."

She swayed, nearly collapsing, bending over as she struggled to catch her breath. A bodyguard moved to support her, but she pushed his hand away and turned to Mu Yu. "Did she say anything to you? Or leave you a letter? She loved writing—notes, little memos. She adored you so much, she must have written you something."

Mu Yu remained silent, watching her. Liu Shuyan lowered her voice, pleading faintly, "Just let me see it, please?"

Mu Yu said, "By what right do you ask for her belongings, Miss Liu?"

His voice was icy, still carrying the hoarseness of recent illness, teetering on the edge of erupting fury: "Did she ever beg you to stay? Did she ever send you a single cry for help? Did she harm or neglect you even once? When she was alive, you couldn't be bothered to glance her way. Now that she's gone, who are you putting on this pitiful act for, Liu Shuyan? In this entire world, only she would look at you with genuine care. From now on, no one will ever look at you like that again!"

His face grew paler, rage making his breathing unsteady: "Go ahead and spend your life as the untouchable ruler on high. But don't you dare take a single thing that belonged to her—I won't let you taint her memory."

Mu Yu felt dizzy, and Phil quickly supported him as they stepped outside the church for air. Inside, apart from the priest's murmured prayers, silence reigned.

Mu Hanxiao and Liu Shuyan stood beneath the statue of Christ, the massive stained-glass windows casting kaleidoscopic colors over their motionless figures.

"Mu Hanxiao, do you feel relieved?"

Liu Shuyan wore no makeup. Though her delicate features remained striking, she seemed to have aged several years overnight.

Yu Jing walked over. Her injured leg had improved enough that she no longer needed crutches. Kneeling beside the coffin, she gently stroked Lan Mo's pristine hair.

"My grandmother once told me that departed souls always return to this world in another form someday—whether as a flower, a butterfly, or a drop of rain..."

Yu Jing whispered tenderly, "Sweet dreams, Lan."

The wind swept past the church spire. Mu Yu tightened his collar, coughing softly. His phone rang—it was Lu Hao calling.

Mu Yu answered. "Yu-ge, are you in Yu City right now?" Lu Hao asked.

"No, why?"

Lu Hao's voice was grave. "Remember that girl we saw being bullied by He Cheng and Mu Zhiye at the bar?"

"I remember."

"She's dead."

Like the tolling of a funeral bell, the words reverberated in Mu Yu's mind. His fingers clenched. "What happened?"

"Before she died, she tried to publicly expose the He family... and the Mu family. It got suppressed. No one knows how her body was discovered it almost made the news."

The He family had long been driven out like stray dogs to Macau. How the girl died was painfully obvious. Mu Yu hung up, his eyes reddening as the biting wind lashed his face with cruel, stinging cold.

"Helkin?" Anna looked at him worriedly.

Mu Yu avoided her outstretched hand. In mere moments, his expression had steadied, his green eyes crystallizing into frost.

"Phil, we're going to America tomorrow," Mu Yu said.

He turned to leave but suddenly felt a strong hand grip his wrist. Looking back, he met Mu Hanxiao's gaze.

Since returning from the cliff, the two had barely spoken. The confession Mu Hanxiao had blurted out when Mu Yu was on the brink of death had struck like an earthquake, shocking everyone present. The carefully maintained facade of their adult game had finally collapsed—yet Mu Yu found no satisfaction or vindication in it.

Six years of separation, two marriages, a body covered in scars and torment, culminating in a death filled with endless regret.

Love was no longer as pure as in their youth, hatred had been crushed beyond recognition.

"That girl who was thrown into the pool by He Cheng and Mu Zhiye is dead," Mu Yu said.

Mu Hanxiao replied, "I know."

"What else do you want to stop me from doing?" Mu Yu couldn't control his temper when facing Mu Hanxiao. "Even you want to cover this up?!"

"Tell Fan En to bring Zhao Zuo to me."

"What?"

"Father is already after Zhao Zuo. Fan En must act immediately. Your friend has considerable family influence in the U.S., so this should be a trivial matter for him," Mu Hanxiao said calmly.

Mu Yu had no time to wonder how Mu Hanxiao knew he had been tracking Zhao Zuo. He spoke word by word, "No, I don't trust you."

The man looked down at him. A cold wind swept across the endless grassland, the shifting daylight casting sculpted shadows over Mu Hanxiao's brows and eyes.

They stood close. Mu Hanxiao's grip on Mu Yu was firm as he whispered in his ear, "Mu Yu, you have to listen to me on this. Otherwise, I'll take you back to China right now and lock you in the basement of Yunhai. No one will see you again—you'll have only me for the rest of your life."

His tone was indifferent, his gaze icy, but Mu Yu didn't doubt for a second that if he refused again, this seemingly composed man would do exactly as he said. It seemed he had been indulged too many times. When the man stood before him issuing commands, there was no room for refusal, nor could he bear the consequences.

Mu Hanxiao tightened his grip on Mu Yu's arm and said to Anna, "Call Liu Shuyan and Yu Jing. I have something to say to everyone."

Three days later. Zhao Mengling was on her way to inspect a construction site, her brow slightly furrowed. Someone under her watch had died, and it weighed on her.

Her subordinates had already suppressed the news. The incident brought more harm than good, the only silver lining being that it served as a warning to the girl's companions—her death would silence them forever.

What troubled her was that she was less than two years away from a promotion, and soon she would be reporting to the capital. Despite all her caution, trouble had still arisen at this critical juncture.

As she stewed in frustration, her assistant called with shocking news: Lan Mo had fallen off a cliff and died.

Before she could process this, another bombshell dropped.

"Mu Yu is dead?" Zhao Mengling braced herself against the car seat. "Was the body seen? How did it happen?!"

Her assistant quickly replied, "Hanxiao delivered the news. Mu Yu's wife, Lan Mo, lost their unborn child in a car accident and had been mentally unstable. Mu Yu took her to Lake Baihaer to relax, but she tried to commit suicide. Mu Yu tried to save her, and they both fell from the cliff...

Zhao Mengling felt a rare wave of dizziness but quickly composed herself.

"Lan Mo has already been buried at Lake Baihaer. Mu Yu's body has been sent back to China. Hanxiao wants the funeral held as soon as possible...

Zhao Mengling tossed her phone onto the seat. She pressed her throbbing temples hard, forcing herself to stay calm.

Mu Yu's remains were properly transported back to the country, and news of his death quickly spread. The funeral proceeded as scheduled. The spacious memorial hall was adorned with flowers, the faint scent of incense lingering in the air. The coffin at the center was surrounded by floral arrangements, the blooms nearly burying Mu Yu's body within.

Zhao Mengling and Mu Yunting arrived at the funeral with Mu Zeju and Mu Zhiye in tow. Mu Hanxiao and Liu Shuyan waited for them by the corridor. Mu Zeju was still somewhat dazed upon hearing the news of Mu Yu's death. He hurried into the memorial hall and saw the body lying in the coffin.

He stood there for a long moment before turning to go outside for a smoke.

Zhao Mengling and Mu Yunting also saw the body. The reality of Mu Yu's death was undeniable. The couple remained silent for a long time before summoning Mu Hanxiao and Liu Shuyan.

Zhao Mengling asked, "What were you doing at Lake Baihaer?"

Liu Shuyan, still dressed in her black gown, her pale face unable to conceal her exhaustion, spoke first. "I heard that Xiao Yu and... Xiao Lan were going to Lake Baihaer for a trip. I thought it would be nice for the family to go out together for a change of pace, so I dragged Hanxiao along. I never expected..."

Mu Yunting lowered his aged eyes at her words and let out a long sigh.

At that moment, Huo Shiyin and Lu Hao arrived. Huo Shiyin, supported by Lu Hao, could barely walk, her legs weak with grief. When she entered the memorial hall and saw Mu Yu lying peacefully in the coffin, she nearly collapsed to her knees, crying out, "How could this happen? How?! Wasn't he just going home for a visit?!"

Lu Hao, his eyes reddened, glanced at the coffin before turning away in pain, covering his face with his hands. Neither of them could believe that Mu Yu had died so suddenly, and with Lan Mo gone as well, receiving news of both friends' deaths in a single day was too much to bear. Staff members had to escort them to a resting area to calm down.

Witnessing this scene, Zhao Mengling, who had been skeptical before, now believed it to be true. She had always been suspicious by nature, disliking Mu Yu's very existence and convinced he would do something to her or the Mu family. But now that he was dead, she felt an indescribable mix of emotions—relief, as if a long-standing stain had finally been cleansed, but also hesitation and confusion, as though she had lost something she couldn't quite name.

Another guest arrived—Xia Ge.

Dressed in a black formal suit, his hair combed as neatly as possible but still disheveled, Xia Ge had rushed from school. His heart had already sunk when he heard the news, and seeing Mu Yu in person left him utterly shattered.

"Mu Yu," he murmured, staring blankly at the figure surrounded by flowers. There wasn't a single wound on his body, his complexion still rosy and peaceful, as if he were merely sleeping. How could this be a funeral?

They had promised he would reserve the best seat in the front row for Mu Yu at his concert, and Mu Yu would definitely come. How could you break your promise, Mu Yu?

Devastated, Xia Ge slumped in the resting area. Huo Shiyin trembled with sobs, while Lu Hao, also in tears, held her gently, patting her back.

Mu Zeju, having smoked two cigarettes, felt slightly calmer and turned to go back inside. Mu Zhiye couldn't stand the atmosphere and had already retreated to the car, refusing to come out. His parents and eldest brother were discussing Mu Yu's final arrangements inside.

"The real estate will be reclaimed by me. The company shares can be given to Huo Shiyin and Lu Hao..."

He overheard his eldest brother discussing the handling of Mu Yu's assets. Mu Yu had passed away too suddenly, leaving no will behind.

His father's voice chimed in, "That small company of his—just take it over. It doesn't make much money anyway..."

"The main company is based in the U.S., and his friend Fan En holds the majority shares. Acquiring it won't be easy."

Mu Zeju watched them coldly until Zhao Mengling noticed him. "A-Ju, why don't you come over?"

He glanced at Mu Yunting, then at Mu Hanxiao, feeling a wave of helplessness. "No matter what, he was related to us by blood. Even if our relationship was distant, we still lived together for over a decade... And now, at his funeral, all you're discussing is his inheritance."

Mu Hanxiao met his gaze, his dark eyes unreadable. Mu Yunting said, "Death is an immutable fact. Handling his affairs properly is the best way to give everyone closure. A-Ju, you're a sentimental person, but don't let emotions cloud your judgment."

Mu Zeju replied stiffly, "I just don't want to remain indifferent even in the face of death."

"A-Ju!"

Mu Zeju turned and walked away alone.

Late at night, the funeral hall welcomed one last, belated guest.

Fan En had received the news too late. Rushing over on a private jet, he arrived when most guests had already left. Only Lu Hao and Huo Shiyin refused to leave, keeping vigil by Mu Yu's side through the night.

The three old friends reunited under these circumstances. Huo Shiyin's eyes were swollen from crying, and Fan En couldn't accept the truth. "What happened? He was perfectly fine when we spoke on the phone just days ago!"

Lu Hao replied wearily, "A cliff accident. It was too sudden—Lan Mo is gone too."

Fan En stormed out of the hall, where Mu Hanxiao stood waiting at the foot of the steps, as if anticipating him. He marched up to Mu Hanxiao. "You were the ones who asked me to bring Zhao Zuo here. And now you're telling me Helkin is gone?"

"Yes. Accidents are unavoidable."

"You—!"

"Where is Zhao Zuo?"

"Someone's trying to kill him! It took me great effort to bring him to your country this was my promise to Helkin. He, he—”

Fan En's voice cracked with emotion, tears of anger spilling over. "I always knew your family didn't care about him, but even now, seeing it with my own eyes, I can't believe you'd be this indifferent to his death!"

Mu Hanxiao had been quietly smoking throughout, listening to Fan En's accusations with detached indifference.

Once Fan En's outburst subsided slightly, he spoke politely, "You should focus on fulfilling your promise to him now. Let's go."

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