Gold Cage - Chapter 4

Mu Yu's fragile frame had nearly been broken by Mu Hanxiao's rough handling. When the family doctor came to examine him, his back was covered in bruises and his elbow swollen red.

After prescribing medication and advising rest, the doctor left. Mu Yu only fell asleep at 2 a.m., only to be rudely awakened by a phone call the next morning. Groggy and irritable, he grabbed the phone.

Lu Hao's excited voice came through: he'd secured a meeting with a major brand representative, and hearing the CEO might attend, he wanted Mu Yu to join him that evening.

To his surprise, Mu Yu coldly replied, "Not going," and hung up.

Lu Hao frantically called back to no answer. Driving to Mu Yu's favorite restaurant, he hastily packed breakfast before heading to Mu Yu's apartment.

Mu Yu lived in a high-rise. Lu Hao rang the bell for five minutes before the door finally opened.

Barging in with breakfast, Lu Hao complained, "What's the point of your damn smart door if it takes this long to open?!"

Mu Yu's door could be opened remotely. His massive bed was buried under blankets, the occupant nowhere to be seen. Lu Hao pulled back the covers to find Mu Yu curled up expressionless inside.

"I drove my Rolls-Royce Phantom to get you breakfast, and you won't even get up to thank me?"

Mu Yu scoffed, "Nouveau riche."

Seeing his listless state, Lu Hao held back his temper and laid out the food. "Got your favorite blood sausage glutinous rice and crab roe soup dumplings. Eat them while they're hot."

Tempted by the food, Mu Yu slowly got up and pulled on a robe. Lu Hao caught a faint medicinal scent. "You using ointment?"

"Fell getting out of bed last night when I went to the bathroom in the dark."

Rolling up his sleeve, Mu Yu showed his bruised elbow. His pale skin bruised easily, making the swollen injury look alarming at first glance. Lu Hao chided him for never turning on lights, but Mu Yu said nothing, sitting cross-legged on the floor to eat the dumplings.

Lu Hao could tell he was upset. Ah Yin had mentioned Mu Yu being summoned by his eldest brother for dinner yesterday—clearly it hadn't gone well.

Having no words for Mu Yu's complicated family drama, Lu Hao said, "Rest at home then. I'll ask Uncle Xie to go tonight instead." 

"I'm going. Why wouldn't I?"

Lu Hao wore an expression that clearly said 'You're messing with me again,' but Mu Yu had always been this capricious, and he was used to it. The two sat casually on the floor, enjoying a delicious breakfast. Lu Hao had work to attend to, so he left shortly after eating.

Mu Yu skipped work that day, lounging at home—sleeping, scrolling through his phone, and watching comedy shows. His personal chef never disturbed him, silently arriving at scheduled times to prepare lunch and dinner before quietly leaving.

The chef, named Phil, was also of mixed heritage and skilled at cooking Mu Yu's hometown dishes, earning his favor. Mu Yunting was generous materially, Mu Yu lacked nothing. He had nearly the same privileges as the three biological children, at least on the surface, with no obvious omissions.

That evening, Mu Yu dragged his sore body to a dinner engagement. The moment he switched to work mode, he became a social butterfly, discussing business trends with the brand's CEO alongside Lu Hao, making Xie Ming, who remained mostly silent, seem unremarkable. In reality, Xie Ming had already closed the deal that afternoon—Lu Hao had expected it to take days longer, but Xie Ming's efficiency was astonishing.

The dinner was relaxed. After it ended, they said their goodbyes. Lu Hao, having drunk too much, waited for his chauffeur to retrieve his car from the underground garage while Mu Yu kept him company by the roadside.

Xie Ming approached and handed Mu Yu a business card. "President Mu, this is Miss Lan Mo's contact information."

Mu Yu, slightly tipsy, blinked in confusion. "Who's Lan Mo?"

"Daughter of Director Lan from Yushan Hospital, Xie Ming reminded him. "Mr. Mu hopes you'll contact her as soon as possible."

Mu Yu's expression darkened. "Tell Mu Hanxiao to speak to me directly."

"Mr. Mu left for Jinshan this morning. I'm afraid direct communication won't be convenient."

Mu Yu froze for a second before bursting into laughter. "He went to Jinshan for racing? Seriously? The man's almost forty—Uncle Xie, you better warn him to watch his old back."

Xie Ming chuckled.

Jinshan was a famous international mountain racing circuit near Yu City. Despite his stern and composed demeanor, Mu Hanxiao had indulged in extreme sports in his youth, mountain racing being one of them. Mu Yunting and Zhao Mengling had repeatedly reprimanded him for it, to little effect.

Amused, Mu Yu tucked the card back into Xie Ming's breast pocket and patted it. "Tell Mu Hanxiao to mind his own business. Wouldn't want him crashing into a tree and showing up to his wedding on crutches."

Xie Ming, ever the unflappable secretary, maintained his smile. "Understood. Thank you for your concern, President Mu."

Only after Xie Ming left did Lu Hao dare speak up. "With that mouth of yours, aren't you afraid your brother will beat you up?"

Mu Yu thought, He could toss me against a wall with one hand—if he actually decided to hit me, I'd be done for.

Truth be told, Mu Yu had seen Mu Hanxiao lose his temper before.

When Mu Yu first arrived at the Mu household, he was very young, and Mu Zeju was still in high school. Mu Zeju despised this outsider who wasn't their mother's biological child, treating him like an intruding dog encroaching on his territory, and often bullied him. Back then, Mu Yu was frail and sickly. After enduring it repeatedly, he finally snapped and tearfully complained to Mu Hanxiao when he returned home.

That day, Mu Hanxiao forced Mu Zeju to kneel and whipped him with two thick oxhide straps until he nearly coughed up blood. Mu Yu, who had never witnessed the Mu family's disciplinary methods before, watched from the sidelines, stunned.

From then on, Mu Zeju and Mu Yu never openly showed discord again. The ten-year-old Mu Yu was so terrified by Mu Hanxiao's whip-lashing that he had nightmares for several nights in a row even now, the memory made his heart race with lingering fear.

At times, Mu Hanxiao seemed more like their father—tall, rigid, exuding an unquestionable authority.

Back then, in his twenties, Mu Hanxiao didn't treat him as an outsider but disciplined and protected him like his own younger brother.

But ever since Mu Zhiye was born, it was as if Mu Hanxiao finally had a replacement for the brother whose bloodline wasn't pure. Now, there was a real younger brother one who belonged solely to the Mu family.

Mu Yu was a counterfeit, so Mu Hanxiao would never protect him again.

Mu Yu seemed to have let himself go, indulging in days of debauchery with all sorts of people. As Mu Hanxiao and Liu Shuyan's wedding approached, Mu Yu finally reined himself in, donning a polished facade to return to the office.

Dressed in an exquisite tailored suit, his black hair slicked back behind his ears, he wore gold-rimmed glasses and typed away coldly at his computer. The young female colleagues passing by his office nearly pressed themselves against the windows, phones at the ready to snap pictures of him.

Huo Shiyin pushed the door open with a stack of files in hand, casually lowering the blinds to block the eager gazes from outside.

"Sign these," she said, placing the documents in front of Mu Yu before adding offhandedly, "There's a pretty girl here to see you. Lu Hao stopped her in the reception room-they're chatting now."

"Who?"

"Her last name seems to be Lan."

Mu Yu picked up the pen, then tossed it back down with a sigh.

Quickly composing himself, he picked up the pen again, signed the contract, straightened his collar, and stood.

Huo Shiyin's gossip radar buzzed to life as she craned her neck. "Who is she?"

Mu Yu opened the office door, turning back to give her a polite smile. "A blind date."

When Mu Yu entered the reception room, Lu Hao was deep in conversation with the girl. She wore a simple, elegant light-colored blouse and jeans, her features sweet and innocent, her large, light-colored eyes doe-like. The moment she saw Mu Yu, she stood up.

"Mr. Mu Yu, hello! I'm Lan Mo."

Mu Yu teased her, "And how do you know I'm Mu Yu?"

The girl answered honestly, "My mother showed me your photo. You're so striking, it's impossible to forget-I mean, one glance was enough to remember your face!"

Lu Hao burst out laughing while Lan Mo flusteredly tried to explain. Mu Yu sighed. "Relax, have a seat."

Lu Hao tactfully excused himself, flashing Mu Yu a thumbs-up on his way out a silent message of good luck, you're on your own.

Lan Mo was very polite, apologizing for her sudden visit while handing a bag to Mu Yu. "I didn't want to intrude, but my family insisted I come see you. My sincerest apologies... This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

Mu Yu didn't take the gift. He had always been gentle with women. "No need for formalities. I'm just a few years older than you you can call me brother if you don't mind. I heard you just returned after graduating abroad?"

"Yes, I studied nursing at the University of Manchester and am currently doing my internship at a hospital."

"Such an outstanding student. Why didn't you continue your studies?"

Lan Mo chuckled sheepishly. "I missed my parents, so I came back."

A diligent, well-behaved girl who loved to learn. Not wanting to waste her time, Mu Yu decided to clarify things quickly. "Are you free for dinner tonight?"

Lan Mo gasped in shock. "What? I'm in casual clothes! Please let me go home and change."

She immediately stood up to leave, making Mu Yu laugh helplessly. "It's just a casual meal!"

The girl was a bit impulsive. Mu Yu stopped her, briefly wrapped up his work at the office, then took Lan Mo to a restaurant.

During dinner, Lan Mo asked, "Brother Yu, don't you like my gift?"

Mu Yu replied, "I appreciate the thought, but I can't accept it."

"Why not?"

"I have no plans to marry," Mu Yu said tactfully. "But my family refuses to accept my decision. The miscommunication on their end led to this misunderstanding, and I truly apologize."

Lan Mo quickly responded, "It's alright! It would be great if we could just be friends. What do you think?"

"Of course."

Perhaps due to her youth and recent graduation, Lan Mo still seemed like a carefree child. Their conversation flowed easily, and after dinner, Mu Yu drove her home. She didn't live with her parents but had her own place near the hospital where she interned.

Mu Yu reminded her to stay safe and only left after receiving her message confirming she'd arrived home.

As he drove through the neon-lit night, the car stereo thumped with heavy bass. Mu Yu wanted a cigarette but found his pack empty.

The more innocent Lan Mo seemed like a child full of curiosity and kindness toward the world, the more Mu Yu despised the Mu family for sending her to him.

Ruining someone's life meant nothing more than a passing thought to them.

What he hated even more was that he would always remain at the mercy of Mu Hanxiao's whims.

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