Gold Cage - Chapter 43

Huo Shiyin had taken the morning off to care for her sick grandmother at the hospital. She barely managed to grab lunch before rushing back to the office without a moment's rest.

The moment she stepped into the company, she sensed something was off. Many employees were sitting at their desks, distracted, and none of the managers were in their offices. Lu Hao had said he'd be in today, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Her assistant hurried over and whispered, "Sis, we seem to have a visitor."

"Who?"

"Not sure. Brother Lu brought them in. They look like investors really intimidating presence." The girl blushed slightly. "... And really good- looking too."

Huo Shiyin gave her a look that said, "You hopeless child," before walking up to the closed meeting room door and knocking. "Lu Hao?" Lu Hao's voice came from inside. "Shiyin, come in!"

She pushed the door open to find all the company's executives gathered inside. Lu Hao sat stiffly in a suit at the table, while the person seated at the head was none other than Mu Hanxiao.

Mu Hanxiao was reviewing a proposal, a stack of documents beside him. When she entered, he glanced up briefly. The others turned to look at her, all sitting rigidly as if afraid to speak out of turn.

Huo Shiyin nearly shut the door and walked away. Forcing a smile, she said, "Director Mu, what brings you to our company?"

Lu Hao had already recovered from the shock and horror of discovering that morning that the "help" Mu Yu had sent over was actually his older brother, the former chairman of Mu Corporation. He introduced, "Mr. Mu heard we were short-staffed and came specifically to apply. He's open to any position and isn't demanding about salary. Shiyin, any suggestions?"

Huo Shiyin felt her vision darken. Who was interviewing whom here? If they refused, would the company be bought out by tomorrow? Lu Hao was frantically signaling her with his eyes. Weakly, she said, "This... isn't a joke, is it?"

Mu Hanxiao flipped another page of the report. "I'm serious about joining. I wouldn't joke about this with all of you present."

Lu Hao and Huo Shiyin quickly realized—Mu Hanxiao's presence here was undoubtedly Mu Yu's doing, and there was probably some extraordinary deal involved for someone of his stature to lower himself to their small company. With his formidable work ethic, connections, and financial resources, why would they refuse?

Their minds made up, they hastily signed the contract with Mu Hanxiao, afraid he might change his mind. Mu Hanxiao wasted no time either—he started working that very night, with Lu Hao, Huo Shiyin, and the other executives taking turns to brief him.

"Front-end projects are coming in fast, but back-end integration can't keep up. There's too much overlap between the design and advertising departments—they need restructuring. The marketing division can no longer be solely managed by Lu Hao. We'll split it into four regional branches across the country, each with its own regional director. Assistants will coordinate project follow-ups with headquarters. Starting tomorrow, Huo Shiyin will only oversee planning and resources—design and finance will be reassigned to others." Mu Hanxiao marked up several reports as he spoke: "The project proposals for New Tech Computing Power, Celebrity, and Lamborghini need to be redone. I've annotated the reasons and directions for revision. After Huo Shiyin reviews them, send them back to me. If the teams can't deliver, we'll reassign personnel and prioritize other projects."

The group dispersed with their assigned tasks. Both Lu Hao and Huo Shiyin had heard about Mu Hanxiao's uncompromising work style, but experiencing it firsthand still left them sweating. They tentatively asked if he'd like to join them for dinner or attend a welcome reception at the company.

"Unnecessary. I appreciate the thought."

Lu Hao ventured, "Brother Hanxiao, is there anything else you need? Shiyin and I will do our best to accommodate."

"Nothing," Mu Hanxiao replied. "My office hours are irregular. Contact me by phone if needed."

"Understood."

After Mu Hanxiao left, Lu Hao and Huo Shiyin exchanged bewildered glances, each seeing the other's expression mirroring their own sense of surrealism.

"Seems Xiao Yu really has reconciled with his brother," Huo Shiyin mused. "Otherwise, why would he ask him for help... And now we've got a heavyweight on our hands."

Lu Hao sighed, "The real question is—his brother actually agreed? He never seemed to care about Yu before... Well, after everything that's happened, I guess people can change."

Mu Zeju visited Yunhai again recently. His company had been embroiled in a series of legal disputes not—catastrophic, but troublesome enough that he sought Mu Hanxiao's advice on resolving them.

Since Zhao Mengling's downfall and Mu Yunting's arrest, the temporarily weakened Mu family had become a target for opportunists, whether seeking revenge or trying to profit from their vulnerability. The Mu Corporation suffered severe staff attrition, but thanks to Xie Ming's efforts to turn the tide and Mu Hanxiao's steady leadership, the company gradually regained its footing.

As the two brothers discussed business in the living room, light footsteps descended the stairs. Mu Zeju turned to see Mu Yu bouncing down humming a tune with headphones on, wearing a milky green sweater—knitted by Yu Jing—paired haphazardly with plaid sleep pants, his bedhead sticking up in all directions as he drifted leisurely into the kitchen.

Mu Zeju checked the time—noon—and raised an eyebrow. "Did he just wake up?"

Mu Hanxiao answered, "He had breakfast and went back to sleep."

It happened to be lunchtime, so Mu Zeju stayed for the meal. Mu Yu fetched a juice from the kitchen, removed his headphones, and picked up chopsticks at the dining table. Watching his carefree, work-shirking demeanor, Mu Zeju couldn't hide his resentment: "Aren't you planning to get a job?"

Mu Yu popped a piece of red wine-braised beef into his mouth and glanced at Mu Hanxiao.

Mu Zeju: "?"

"I said I wanted to work in the U.S.”, Mu Yu swallowed the beef and said. "This guy won't let me go."

Mu Hanxiao said, "Your health isn't good enough for long journeys."

Mu Yu chuckled darkly, "I was practically a VIP resident at the hospital for two years straight, and now you're telling me my health can't handle travel?"

Mu Hanxiao replied, "I was wrong before. From now on, I'll be keeping a close eye on you."

Both men stared at him in shock. Mu Zeju could hardly believe his ears, while Mu Yu frowned deeply. "I don't like you watching over me! You control everything I do what I eat, when I sleep, even when I can leave the house. Aren't you tired of this?"

Growing increasingly irritated, Mu Yu pushed away his plate of beef bourguignon—his favorite dish—and stormed upstairs.

Mu Hanxiao seemed accustomed to such scenes. "Take a plate up to him," he instructed.

A servant carefully prepared a single-serving meal and carried it upstairs. Mu Zeju glanced between the staircase and his elder brother. "Brother," he asked incredulously, "What exactly is going on between you two?"

Mu Hanxiao raised an eyebrow, waiting for clarification. Mu Zeju struggled to articulate his thoughts: "Are you seriously controlling him like this?"

"He's someone who 'died' once already. It's not appropriate for him to appear in public now."

"Then wouldn't America be the perfect solution?"

"No."

"Brother! Keeping him confined at home like this—it's practically... it's practically..." Mu Zeju couldn't bring himself to say the words, finally erupting, "Must you cling to him like this?"

Mu Hanxiao set down his chopsticks, his dark eyes calmly meeting his brother's gaze.

"Yes," Mu Hanxiao stated. "And I intend to marry him."

A chair screeched violently against the floor as Mu Zeju shot to his feet, sending the heavy armchair crashing backward. Servants quietly righted the furniture and withdrew as Mu Zeju stood trembling at the table, his face contorted with horror.

"Marry who?" he rasped. "He's your brother!"

Mu Hanxiao casually took a cigarette from the table, lighting it and drawing deeply before exhaling a slow stream of smoke. He hadn't smoked in years—especially not during his time in Yunhai.

"His name is Helkin now. Helkin Glinka."

"Have you fucking lost your mind?!" Mu Zeju abandoned all pretense of fraternal decorum. "You share blood! And he's a man! How could you possibly marry him? Spend your life with him?!"

"Yes."

Mu Zeju felt like his head might explode. Gripping the chairback for support, the world suddenly seemed utterly absurd the very scenario he'd desperately tried to prevent was now unfolding in the worst possible way.

"Brother, you really... you can't do this."

Mu Hanxiao replied indifferently, "I'm merely informing you."

"Why must you always be like this? You never discuss anything with us, never give us the choice to accept or refuse!"

"This isn't open for discussion."

Mu Zeju's voice shook with anger: "I knew it! I sensed it before! You've always paid him too much attention. You've been so controlled your entire life, yet only when it came to him would you show emotion! When Mother locked him up for three days that time, you tore through Yushi searching for him—I never understood why you cared so much about some outsider kid—”

Mu Hanxiao suddenly stilled, his gaze shifting beyond Mu Zeju's shoulder toward the second-floor landing. Following his brother's line of sight, Mu Zeju turned to see Mu Yu standing motionless on the staircase, one hand resting on the banister as he watched them silently.

Mu Yu stared fixedly at Mu Hanxiao. After locking eyes briefly, Mu Hanxiao lowered his gaze, stubbed out his cigarette, and set it aside. In the silent room, Mu Yu turned and left, while Mu Zeju seemed drained of strength, sitting down wearily with his forehead propped in his hand.

He desperately wanted to ask Mu Hanxiao why he had entangled himself with his younger brother to this extent, why he insisted on walking this path that defied societal norms and invited public scorn, why he remained so indifferent and cold-faced before his family.

For some reason, he recalled a memory from many years ago when he was still young and their entire family lived at Bibotang. Once, after failing an exam, he had clutched his test paper, too afraid to ask his parents to sign it. Instead, he secretly sought out his eldest brother, begging for his help.

His brother signed it for him and even corrected all the mistakes on the test. When their mother later discovered the signed paper, Mu Hanxiao knelt in the study that day, his back nearly bleeding from the lashings of a leather whip.

Their mother didn't punish Mu Zeju, only led him by the hand to stand before Mu Hanxiao and asked, "Will you still let your eldest brother sign for you in the future?"

Terrified, young Mu Zeju shook his head vehemently. He was then sent out of the study, while Mu Hanxiao remained kneeling inside for another three hours.

Later, Mu Zeju ran to find Mu Hanxiao, tearfully apologizing to his brother. Mu Hanxiao sat on the edge of the bed, neither angry nor tearful, simply telling him calmly that it was alright.

Like a stone that couldn't feel pain, as if his human heart had been carved out—no tears, no cries.

It was in this moment that Mu Zeju finally understood.

Without any demands or expectations, of course there was no pain or tears. For so many, many years, no one had ever asked his eldest brother what he wanted or what kind of person he wished to become. Even Mu Zeju had instinctively assumed that his brother had always been this way as if he were born to be their omnipotent guardian deity.

Only when the god fell to the mortal world, his perfect shell stripped away and burning, could one see that inside was merely a man of flesh and blood.

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