Gold Cage - Chapter 9

 The high-level meeting in the building proceeded smoothly. Directors and executives gathered around the conference table, but the seat at the head remained empty.

Mu Hanxiao sat alone in his office. He was on the phone—whoever was on the other end, he listened briefly before hanging up, a cigarette burning between his fingers.

The desk phone rang. Mu Hanxiao picked up, hearing the slightly uneasy voice of his secretary. "Mr. Mu, your brother Mu Yu is here to see you. We informed him you were in a meeting, but he insists on coming up..."

Before she could finish, faint footsteps sounded at the door. Mu Hanxiao set down the receiver, pressed the door release, and stubbed out his cigarette.

Mu Yu pushed the door open as if he owned the place, trailed by several flustered secretaries unsure how to stop him. Mu Hanxiao gestured for them to leave, then closed the door.

"Good afternoon," Mu Yu said lightly, strolling in and glancing around leisurely. Mu Hanxiao's office was old-fashioned and lifeless, making Mu Yu's sudden intrusion seem all the more vivid and out of place.

Mu Hanxiao said, "A few years away, and you've forgotten basic manners entirely."

Mu Yu listened with great amusement. He casually picked up a jade ornament from Mu Hanxiao's desk, playing with it absentmindedly as he remarked, "Basic courtesy? Was it not knocking before entering, or was it pushing an unarmed girl into the swimming pool at such a young age?"

Mu Hanxiao ignored him. Mu Yu circled around the large desk—the sofa was too far away—so he simply lifted a leg and sat on the edge of the desk, right beside Mu Hanxiao's hand.

His actions were utterly audacious. No one had ever dared to show such disrespect to Mu Hanxiao. Yet Mu Hanxiao merely lifted his gaze, his dark eyes unreadable.

"Aren't you the best at disciplining people, Mu Hanxiao?"

Mu Yu propped himself up with one hand on the desk, tilting his head as he studied the man with keen interest. The gray daylight stretched across the high-rise view the higher the floor, the colder the light.

"So why is it that when it comes to your most treasured little brother, you turn a blind eye?" Mu Yu softened his voice, as if whispering sweet nothings. But his eyes were icy, locked onto Mu Hanxiao's face. "What gives you the right to favor him?"

Mu Hanxiao's voice was low. "You shouldn't have provoked him."

"I was punished for it—your dear mother nearly beat me to death." Mu Yu smiled brightly. "Mu Hanxiao, would you like to see?"

He reached for the first button of his shirt, undoing it. Mu Hanxiao watched him coldly. "You're growing more reckless by the day."

"Afraid to look?"

Mu Yu unfastened the second button. His skin was pale, his neck and collarbones delicate. The late afternoon light blurred the boundaries—neither bright nor warm, just a hazy wash of gold enveloping him.

"Why was it that when Zhao Mengling locked me up for three days and nights, you never once came to see me? But now that Mu Zhiye has made a mistake, you turn away?"

Mu Yu undid another button, revealing half-covered glimpses of his unblemished chest and stomach. Slowly, he slid the shirt off his shoulders—his frame was slender yet smooth, the elegant wings of his shoulder blades almost seeming ready to take flight. But across his back, horrifying bruises from the lashings remained, the wounds slow to heal, the marks stubbornly lingering.

"Mu Hanxiao, where are your rules now?"

Mu Hanxiao stood.

His shadow swallowed all the light around Mu Yu. Mu Yu looked up at him, smiling carelessly. "Going to throw me out again?"

"Put your clothes on," Mu Hanxiao said, his voice deep.

"No, brother." Mu Yu called him sweetly, raising both arms in complete vulnerability, exposing his fragile chest and abdomen. "I was in so much pain—why didn't you come see me? Why didn't you care?"

"If you had any self-awareness at all, you'd keep your distance from them."

Mu Yu laughed, then let the smile fade. "You know I don't have that kind of thing."

The two men locked eyes in silence. Mu Yu showed no intention of backing down, sitting leisurely on Mu Hanxiao's desk with his hand raised. They were so close that their warm breaths slowly mingled in the air. As Mu Hanxiao's long-absent body heat radiated toward Mu Yu, the younger man momentarily lost himself in the moment.

Backlit by the light, Mu Hanxiao's expression was shrouded in darkness. The man's aura was cold, his usual roughness and domineering presence restrained, leaving only an elusive restlessness. Mu Hanxiao grabbed Mu Yu's clothes—not gently— pulling him closer as he methodically buttoned up the disheveled shirt.

Mu Yu noticed the ring on his brother's ring finger. He stared at it for a long moment before looking up. "Brother, you and your wife seem so sweet together."

Mu Hanxiao ignored him. Mu Yu leaned closer to his face. "Do you love her?"

"That's a childish question."

"Is love childish?"

The distance between them couldn't get any closer. As Mu Hanxiao finished buttoning his shirt, Mu Yu's lips were just a finger's breadth away—their shadows had long since merged into intimate overlap.

Mu Hanxiao looked at Mu Yu. His eyes were deep black, like a desolate universe where the death of stars and the birth of nebulae occurred in perfect silence.

Mu Yu's eyes, in contrast, were clear and luminous, sparkling with emerald flecks like new buds bursting through tree branches—uniquely beautiful and vibrant, capable of making one lose themselves in an instant.

Suddenly, Mu Yu's chin was seized. Mu Hanxiao's large hand gripped most of his face, his long, powerful fingers pressing painfully into his skin. The wedding ring dug into Mu Yu's jawbone, causing both pain and an inexplicable urge to laugh. "You and Mu Zhiye are different," Mu Hanxiao finally answered his question. "That's the rule."

***

During a free discussion session in class, Mu Zhiye sat at his computer, spinning a pen between his fingers.

He didn't need to do any work—others would eagerly do it for him. He was never short of friends, with He Cheng being the most persistent among them.

After casually flirting with a nearby girl, He Cheng noticed Mu Zhiye's sour expression and slung an arm over his shoulders. "What's up, Wild Brother? You've been scowling all week. Who pissed you off?"

Mu Zhiye shoved him away irritably. He Cheng just laughed shamelessly. "Still mad about that incident? Didn't your mom already get revenge for you?"

She had indeed gotten revenge, and seeing Mu Yu get beaten up had delighted him. But he'd also been lectured by his second brother, and worst of all, his eldest brother had frozen his credit cards! What baffled him most was that Mu Yu had dared to show up at the wedding, stirring trouble during what should have been a perfect ceremony—hadn't he been beaten enough?

Mu Zhiye kicked He Cheng in frustration. "This is all your fault! Why did you have to drag that girl to the party?"

He Cheng shrugged. "Couldn't stand her looking down on you. Just some bookworm with no family money—who does she think she is, giving you attitude in public? Just wanted her to take a little dip to remember her place. By the way, that girl actually came back to school. Got some nerve, huh? Want to go teach her another lesson?"

Mu Zhiye was too preoccupied with thoughts of Mu Yu. The private insults Mu Yu had thrown at him during the wedding still burned in his mind. "Can't be bothered with her. I've got bigger problems."

He Cheng clearly wasn't that interested in the girl either. He leaned closer to Mu Zhiye, lowering his voice this time. "Wild Brother, I've been curious about something... that illegitimate brother of yours—"

Mu Zhiye shot He Cheng a sideways glance, to which He Cheng responded with a grin. With his unruly looks and a buzz cut, He Cheng had a roguish charm when he smiled. The He family had made their fortune in real estate, expanding their business through the Mu family's influence—the two families had been long-term business partners.

"Say what you will, but he's damn good-looking."

Mu Zhiye scoffed. "His mother was a bombshell actress. What do you expect?"

He Cheng burst into laughter. After a moment of thought, he leaned in eagerly. "What was his name again?"

"Mu Yu."

"Your family doesn't approve of him, do they?"

Mu Zhiye replied impatiently, "Who the hell would? Stupid question."

He Cheng spun his chair like a delinquent, lost in thought. Mu Zhiye eyed him suspiciously. "...Don't tell me you're into him? He's already twenty-four, for fuck's sake."

"Of course not, just curious. So no one in your family likes him?"

"If he so much as touches me, my mother will send him straight to the hospital. Who'd dare say a word?" Mu Zhiye said coldly. He didn't want to discuss Mu Yu further, and He Cheng, sensing his mood, quickly changed the subject.

Mu Yu's injuries hadn't fully healed, and his reckless behavior had led to recurring fevers after returning home. Li Bing simply moved into the guest room to keep an eye on him.

Phil adjusted Mu Yu's daily meals based on his condition, restricting him to bland food and fruit. Mu Yu craved barbecue, but Phil refused.

When Mu Yu tried to smoke, Li Bing stopped him. The moment Li Bing was out, Mu Yu ransacked the house, only to discover in shock that every cigarette and bottle of alcohol had vanished.

Upon returning, Li Bing surveyed the mess calmly. "Mr. Mu, I will strictly enforce your abstinence from smoking and drinking. From now on, no such items will be allowed in this house."

Mu Yu, panting and hands on his hips, pointed at the door. "You're fired."

Li Bing bowed politely and retreated to his room. Mu Yu called Lu Hao, demanding cigarettes.

"You still dare to smoke?!" Lu Hao roared over the phone. "You're never touching that shit again!"

Undeterred, Mu Yu called Huo Shiyin, only to be coldly rejected. It was as if they had all conspired—no one would indulge his cravings. Furious, Mu Yu hurled his phone onto the bed, wrapped himself in the blanket, and refused to eat in protest.

Li Bing knocked on the door. "Mr. Mu, please take care of your health. Excessive agitation is harmful."

Silence. As dinner time passed, Li Bing considered barging in—until a rich aroma filled the air.

The towering Phil approached, carrying a tray: a bowl of creamy potato, carrot, and spinach soup; a small bamboo steamer of handmade vegetable and meat buns; and a delicate meringue mousse topped with an intricately crafted sugar flower.

Phil had spent the afternoon preparing this meal. Now, he stood silently outside Mu Yu's door, waiting. The scent was irresistible—Li Bing whispered, asking if there were leftovers.

Phil replied, "After Mr. Mu eats."

The two stood there for nearly twenty minutes before movement finally came from inside the room.

The door opened, revealing Mu Yu standing there in his pajamas. The aroma had seeped through the door crack and even into his blanket seams, finally luring him out of bed.

Mu Yu sat at the small counter eating dinner. Phil  had quietly left after cooking, and with the employer's permission, Li Bing polished off the remaining soup and buns.

It was simply too delicious.

Mu Yu finished his meal half-heartedly and opened his laptop to tackle the day's work. He hadn't been to the company in too long, and the backlog of tasks had piled up.

However, upon opening his inbox, he found that most emails had already been replied to or resolved at Huo Shiyin's level. Skimming through them, Mu Yu could tell some responses weren't in Huo Shiyin's style—likely Xie Ming's doing.

Xie Ming had drafted an entire set of detailed HR policies and financial guidelines, now sitting in Mu Yu's inbox. As Mu Yu opened the document and began reading carefully, his hand instinctively reached for the side of the desk—only to grasp at air.

Finally, he completely lost his patience. "Li Bing!"

Li Bing appeared promptly, carrying a cup of hot milk, which he placed beside Mu Yu. Just as Mu Yu took a deep breath, ready to explode, Li Bing produced a small plate of snacks and a tiny box of cigarettes.

"When you feel like smoking, you can have some snacks instead—it might help ease the craving," Li Bing said gently. "This pack is your monthly allowance. For the first three months, I'll regulate your nicotine intake this way, then gradually reduce it each month until you can quit entirely."

Mu Yu picked up the cigarette box and opened it. "There are only five cigarettes in here."

"Yes. Generally, you can smoke once a week, Mr. Mu."

Mu Yu sneered and threw the box straight at Li Bing's face.

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