Gold Cage - Chapter 47

The spring night was much colder than the day. With the heating turned off at home, Mu Yu curled up in Mu Hanxiao's arms, secretly playing with his phone under the covers.

Busy with work during the day, and forbidden by Mu Hanxiao to stay up late, he would pretend to sleep, waiting until Mu Hanxiao dozed off to scroll through social media.

Seeing photos of others' dinner spreads, his stomach wasn't hungry, but his mouth watered. Putting down his phone, he nudged Mu Hanxiao. "Mu Hanxiao."

Roused awake, Mu Hanxiao opened his eyes to look at him. "I'm hungry. Make me a midnight snack," Mu Yu said.

"Didn't you eat enough for dinner?"

"I did, but I'm hungry again now."

"No eating at this hour."

"I want it now!"

He started pestering Mu Hanxiao again. Ever since they moved into the house on Congress Street together, Mu Yu had been finding reasons to bother Mu Hanxiao constantly. Now that Mu Hanxiao had resigned, he had to drive Mu Yu to and from work every day without fail. Mu Hanxiao was also responsible for the lawn and flowers at home—if he was going to give flowers, they had to be fresh daily; wilted or imperfect ones were unacceptable. Domestic work updates had to be reported on schedule, and international social engagements couldn't be delayed overnight. If he came home with even a trace of perfume on him, he might as well never step through the door again... and so on.

Fortunately, none of this was particularly challenging for Mu Hanxiao. But Mu Yu's whims knew no bounds—he now demanded Mu Hanxiao greet him with "good morning" every day and say "good night" before bed. Before leaving the house, Mu Hanxiao had to proactively disclose where he was going and whom he was meeting. When speaking to Mu Yu, he couldn't just answer with yes or no; he had to explain his reasoning, justify his actions, and politely seek Mu Yu's opinion.

Both Li Bing and Phil feared their boss would be driven mad by these demands. Yet Mu Hanxiao accepted these "harsh" and peculiar rules without complaint—though he often fell short on the last requirement, his attitude remained commendable.

Without another word, Mu Hanxiao got up and went downstairs to make his brother a midnight snack.

"I want noodles," Mu Yu said, scrambling out of bed to follow him. "With a soft-boiled egg, the kind with a runny yolk like Phil makes."

Mu Hanxiao, who had never so much as touched a kitchen utensil in his life, now found himself tasked with preparing eggs with runny yolks. Unfazed, he lit the stove, boiled water, and retrieved the noodles and eggs.

Phil and Li Bing had their own residences, leaving only the two brothers in the house at night. With no one to turn to for guidance, Mu Hanxiao had to rely on his limited kitchen knowledge. His movements were unhurried as he worked at the counter preparing noodles, while Mu Yu, now awake, sat at the dining table playing with his phone, occasionally glancing over at his brother.

The previous week, Mu Hanxiao had attended an auction and was caught up reminiscing with former business partners afterward, returning home late. Though he made it back, Mu Yu locked him out of their bedroom, leaving him with nowhere to sleep.

Mu Hanxiao stood outside the door: "Mu Yu, open up."

Mu Yu replied from inside: "You're late. Don't disturb my sleep."

"Only by two minutes."

"Two minutes is a hundred and twenty seconds. The great CEO Mu counts every second at work, but loses track of time when it comes to himself?"

These days, Mu Yu didn't even need a proper reason to throw a tantrum. Mu Hanxiao didn't argue and spent the night in the guest room. Since he disliked social engagements anyway, he used the excuse of strict family rules to decline future invitations, enjoying the extra peace. A bowl of noodles was placed before Mu Yu, with a poached egg hidden inside. He took a bite and was surprised by how good it tasted.

He bit into the egg next—though not perfectly soft-boiled, it was cooked just right. Mu Yu eyed Mu Hanxiao suspiciously: "Have you cooked before?"

Mu Hanxiao sat beside him, casually picking up a newspaper to read. "No," he answered.

"You're lying."

Mu Hanxiao glanced up at him. "I've always succeeded at anything on the first try. Cooking is just a matter of timing and measurements." The arrogance was astounding.

As Mu Yu ate the steaming noodles, it occurred to him that perhaps Mu Hanxiao wasn't being arrogant—just stating a fact.

He could master anything on the first attempt, armed with scientific logic and practical methods, like a flawless high-intelligence robot. Only when it came to understanding human emotions did he stumble, riddled with mistakes.

Fan En's uncle invited Mu Hanxiao and Mu Yu to the seaside. Fan En, who had been constantly roped into tasks by Mu Yu lately, eagerly extended the invitation upon hearing of the outing. Mu Yu agreed, so Mu Hanxiao joined as well.

Fan En and his uncle loved lively gatherings, always calling upon a crowd of friends, making quite the spectacle. Unexpectedly, Xie Ming also attended. He was there as a representative of Mu Corporation for a negotiation and had received an invitation from Fan En's family.

The entire coastline belonged to Fan En's family. The golf course was lush and green, but Mu Yu had little interest in playing. Wearing sunglasses, he stood by a snack cart eating ice cream. Xie Ming, having finished a round, joined him.

"Uncle Xie must be busy these days," Mu Yu chatted. "Mu Corporation is far from as relaxed as Qingfei."

Xie Ming sighed. "Swamped. Look at all these white hairs sprouting up."

"Why not return to Qingfei to retire? I'll personally cover your insurance."

Xie Ming chuckled. "With CEO Mu personally overseeing Qingfei now, what use is an old man like me adding to the chaos?"

As they walked along the course under the pleasant sunlight, Xie Ming remarked, "CEO Mu seems to be in good spirits. Resigning as chairman must have been the right choice for him."

"He doesn't even smile. How can you tell he's in a good mood?"

"After being a subordinate for so many years, I've learned a thing or two about reading people," Xie Ming said. "Looking back all these years, President Mu was always most at ease when he was with you."

Mu Yu fell silent. Xie Ming, reminiscing about the past, continued: "I remember when Old Mr. Mu sent me to Bucharest to bring you home. You were so young then, crying inconsolably the whole way... It was cruel when you think about it—what child would want to leave their mother? Back then, I was like a machine that only knew how to follow orders, but it was around that time I began questioning whether many of the things I did were right or wrong."

Mu Yu smiled faintly. "To still reflect on yourself when faced with profit. I must have been prejudiced against you before."

"It's not just me. If President Mu truly cared only about family interests as he appeared, he wouldn't have needed to see a psychiatrist and rely on medication after you left."

The sudden change in Mu Yu's expression made Xie Ming realize he had spoken out of turn. He had assumed the brothers had reconciled and reached this peaceful state of coexistence. Awkwardness set in—had they not fully made up after all?

"He's taking medication for psychological issues?" Mu Yu frowned. "How long has this been going on?"

Xie Ming could only reply, "I don't know the details, but I'm sure President Mu has improved significantly by now."

They had reached the edge of the golf course where Mu Hanxiao and Fan En's uncle, having finished their game, stood talking on the lawn. Fan En's uncle, a heavy smoker, puffed on a thick cigar and even cut one for Mu Hanxiao, who accepted it without refusal.

Mu Yu put his sunglasses back on, watching Mu Hanxiao from a distance. Fan En, chatting with a group of friends, spotted him and walked over. "Helkin, they're going racing by the beach later. Want to come watch?"

Mu Yu seemed not to hear. His mind was preoccupied—where did Mu Hanxiao hide his medication? Why had he never noticed? What thoughts tormented him to the point of needing psychiatric treatment? In the long period after his return, Mu Hanxiao had been unusually irritable and volatile. The old Mu Hanxiao had been cold and taciturn, but emotionally stable—just like the man standing there now.

Had he been lonely back then? Or had he missed him?

"This is Alex, a racer," Fan En introduced his friend to Mu Yu. "He recently placed top three in the CM series and has been eager to meet you." Mu Yu glanced at Alex, who smiled at him. "Helkin, I've heard so much about you. Want to join us later? You can ride with me."

The others teased, "Alex, you're being too forward!"

"What's the big deal!"

Mu Yu snapped back to the present. With a smile, he asked, "Are you that good a driver?"

Alex shrugged. "You can check out my past race footage or experience it firsthand. I won't disappoint."

But Mu Yu's gaze, hidden behind his sunglasses, had already shifted to Mu Hanxiao in the distance. Spotting them, Mu Hanxiao turned and began walking toward them. As Fan En and Alex continued talking to him, Mu Yu responded absentmindedly, watching Mu Hanxiao approach. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile.

Mu Hanxiao, you must have wanted so badly to be normal, didn't you?

You must have tried every possible way, exhausted all your strength to become a normal person accepted by society's rules. But what a pity—you'll never be one. Otherwise, you wouldn't have struggled so desperately only to abandon yourself, endured twists and turns of torment, shed layers of skin and pools of blood, only to end up exactly as you were at the beginning.

Psychiatrists can't cure you, and medicine won't help either. Mu Hanxiao, you've been pursuing the wrong treatment from the very start.

Mu Hanxiao stepped forward until he stood before Mu Yu. The surrounding crowd fell silent at once. They all recognized Mu Hanxiao—though apart from Fan En, none of them knew that Helkin was his younger brother.

Mu Yu raised a hand and removed his sunglasses, revealing faintly green eyes brimming with a sly amusement as they met Mu Hanxiao's. "Mu Hanxiao, care to join the fun?"

Alex glanced at the composed man before him and muttered, "No way. This is racing—if you're too old, your heart might just leap out of your chest."

Mu Yu, however, ignored him. He tapped Mu Hanxiao's chest with his sunglasses, leaning in close to speak in a deliberately bold tone, "If you win, I'll marry you. How about that?"

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