The Golden Cage and the Red Light

“Chu Ci?”

A soft call from Ji Yanli drifted into his ear. Chu Ci opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings with a dazed expression.

The black car had stopped in front of a villa at some point. Sharp, cold light reflected off the grand gates. A pebble path meandered backward, and behind the lush foliage of the flower beds, Chu Ci could only see the roof of the house hidden deep within.

He withdrew his gaze and rubbed the corners of his eyes.

When had he fallen asleep?

“Get out of the car.” Ji Yanli took a step back. Chu Ci nodded and climbed out obediently. So much time had passed that his legs felt soft and numb; he had to force himself awake to avoid stumbling the moment his feet hit the ground.

As the car door closed, the driver skillfully reversed and drove toward a nearby underground garage. Ji Yanli walked to the side and lightly pressed a specific tile on the perimeter wall. With a “click,” the tile slid down to reveal a fingerprint recognition scanner.

Ji Yanli placed his finger inside. Following a mechanical “Welcome home, Young Master,” the gates before Chu Ci slowly groaned open.

Chu Ci watched all of this with wide eyes. His hand instinctively reached into his pocket, and upon feeling the cold, jagged key lying inside, a sudden pang of bitterness hit him.

Damned upper-class people.

He let out a sigh.

When Ji Yanli turned around, he saw Chu Ci wearing a face full of misery.

“What’s wrong?” He withdrew his hand, and the hidden mechanism automatically reset itself.

Chu Ci shook his head and let out a cold snort. “Is this what rich people’s houses are like? Doesn’t look like much.”

Ji Yanli tilted his head. “This is just a place my parents bought for me temporarily because I’m attending school nearby.”

“The place where I grew up isn’t here.” Ji Yanli looked inside as if in agreement, then smiled. “It really isn’t much, but since I live alone, I’m not that particular about it.”

Hearing this, Chu Ci silently shattered into pieces.

Why did you have to add that extra detail?

He closed his eyes, mourning his dignity with an invisible tear.

Ji Yanli led the “broken” Chu Ci inside.

The courtyard in front of the villa was clearly professionally designed in a European style. The flower beds were filled with many blooms that didn’t belong to this season. The trees overhead were lush; whenever the wind blew, the only sound was the rustle of leaves brushing against each other.

Neat floor lamps stood along both sides of the path. No other lighting was needed; the soft glow of the lamps illuminated everything perfectly, appearing neither cluttered nor lacking in atmosphere.

Chu Ci followed behind Ji Yanli, his eyes darting around uncontrollably, secretly scouting for a good spot to place his own grave.

Within a few minutes, Chu Ci had already decided: if his mission failed and he unfortunately lost his life, he would definitely install his tombstone right here at Ji Yanli’s place.

—Let the guy feel guilty every time he looks at it!

A smile curled at the corners of Chu Ci’s lips, but when he looked up and saw Ji Yanli watching him, he hurriedly suppressed the grin.

Little did he know that every single one of his thoughts was being heard loud and clear by Ji Yanli.

Ji Yanli stared at him for a long while until Chu Ci began to feel inexplicably guilty. Only then did Ji Yanli look away, turn back, and begin entering the code for the front door.

After a few beeps, the heavy door was opened from the inside. A middle-aged woman, appearing to be in her fifties, poked her head out. Seeing Ji Yanli, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Young Master, you’re finally back.” She was wearing a housekeeper’s uniform and holding a cordless phone. Her expression was hurried, as if something had happened.

The housekeeper gave Chu Ci a quick glance but didn’t ask questions. She bent down to bring out slippers for Ji Yanli and a new pair for Chu Ci.

Chu Ci whispered a thanks. The housekeeper gave him a faint smile before turning back into the house.

The interior of the villa was more elegant than Chu Ci had imagined. Compared to the European courtyard outside, the inside had a heavy classical feel. The collision of the two styles wasn’t jarring; it was clearly the work of a master designer.

The housekeeper leaned in close to Ji Yanli and whispered. Chu Ci couldn’t hear the content, but Ji Yanli’s expression chilled for a split second. His brow remained furrowed for as long as she spoke. It wasn’t until the housekeeper finished and Ji Yanli met Chu Ci’s gaze again that his expression slowly relaxed.

“I understand,” Ji Yanli nodded. “I’ll call home tomorrow to explain. Thank you for the trouble, Auntie Zhang.”

Auntie Zhang made a dismissive sound and patted Ji Yanli’s shoulder. “I’ve watched you grow up since you were small. I know exactly what kind of person you are. If you ask me, the Boss and the Mistress are just worrying too much. Our Xiao Li is already a grown boy, why are they still…”

“Auntie Zhang.” Ji Yanli interrupted her bluntly. “It’s my parents’ well-meaning intention. I know.”

“It’s quite late now. You should go back and rest early.”

Hearing this, Auntie Zhang had no choice but to close her mouth. She shook her head helplessly. “Sigh… I won’t say more. There’s food in the kitchen. You left in such a hurry you didn’t eat anything. Go have a bite to settle your stomach.”

Ji Yanli nodded obediently. Auntie Zhang finally felt at ease enough to leave. As she passed Chu Ci, she turned and gave him a gentle smile.

Auntie Zhang was a character who hadn’t appeared in the original novel, but she seemed very kind and didn’t seem like a bad person.

Chu Ci had asked Xiao Ba if there were any villain characters in this book. At the time, Xiao Ba had solemnly promised that the original story was a pure “sweet pet” novel and no villain would appear from beginning to end.

However, Ji Yanli seemed to have truly encountered some trouble. Even though he tried his best not to let Chu Ci see any flaws, he couldn’t hide the forced and helpless nature of his smile.

“Do you have something to say to me?” Ji Yanli noticed Chu Ci’s doubt and broke the silence first.

Chu Ci bit his lip and didn’t answer.

Ji Yanli didn’t press him further. He led Chu Ci upstairs, saying, “My room is here. Go in first while I go downstairs to bring up some food.”

He opened a door, glanced inside, and added, “Please wait a moment for me. I want to tidy up a bit first.”

With that, Ji Yanli entered the room and softly closed the door.

Chu Ci stood outside, looking around idly. The second floor was very spacious. Aside from Ji Yanli’s room, all the other doors were locked. He scanned the hallway; seven or eight mahogany doors blocked the way, giving off an indescribable sense of oppression.

Just then, something caught the corner of Chu Ci’s eye. He froze, then looked up at a corner of the ceiling.

The ceiling of the villa was covered in marble tiles, so clean they could reflect a person’s shadow. Chu Ci took one look and wanted to look away; combined with the layout of the environment, he couldn’t help but feel as if he were trapped in a cage.

And just now… he thought he saw a flash of red light. But looking at it now, the area showed absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

Chu Ci found it strange. The first floor was perfectly fine, so why did the second floor feel so suffocating?

And this house was so huge, yet it seemed only Ji Yanli and Auntie Zhang lived here. Wasn’t he lonely?

Chu Ci leaned against the wall, lost in thought. Before long, Ji Yanli finished tidying the room and opened the door to invite him in.

“My room is quite simple. Usually, only Auntie Zhang comes in to clean. You’re the first person to ever enter my room.”

Chu Ci followed Ji Yanli inside. Once he saw the layout, he understood what Ji Yanli meant by “simple.”

The room was about the size of a living room and a half, decorated entirely in shades of gray and black. Despite the vast space, there were only three necessary pieces of furniture: a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. Beyond that, there was nothing else.

No one would expect a pampered young master’s room to be so barren.

“Are you surprised?” Ji Yanli asked when he saw Chu Ci dazed at the doorway.

Chu Ci snapped out of it and gave a soft “Mm.” “A little.”

Ji Yanli smiled as if used to it and took the backpack from Chu Ci’s hands, placing it on the desk. “I haven’t had many hobbies since I was a kid, nor do I have many things I like. So my room is a bit different from others.”

“Doesn’t it feel… empty?” Chu Ci frowned. The space was so vast that even the air felt chilly against his skin.

Ji Yanli shrugged. “I’m used to it.”

With that, he switched on another light, finally illuminating the entire room.

“Work on your homework for a while. I’ll go down and get some food,” Ji Yanli continued. Then, as if fearing Chu Ci would feel awkward, he pulled out a chair with a plush cushion from the desk and said softly, “Don’t be stiff. Just treat this place like your own home. We’re friends, after all.”

He said the exact same words he had once said back in the dorm.

Except this time, “classmate” had become “friend.”

Chu Ci suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and sat at the desk. After watching Ji Yanli leave, he slowly pulled his workbook from his bag.

High school knowledge had long since been tossed to the back of Chu Ci’s mind after graduation. Combined with the fact that he hadn’t listened to a single word the teacher said in class, he now felt his head spinning at the sight of the dense exercises. Before long, drowsiness began to wash over him like a tide.

Chu Ci propped his head up with one hand, his eyelids starting to lose the battle. Just as he was about to drift into dreamland, he suddenly heard a series of faint clicks.

Tick, tick, tick.

It sounded like a timer, but the sound was extremely faint. If one wasn’t paying attention, it would be impossible to catch.

Chu Ci snapped awake instantly. He lifted his head and looked left and right.

Just then, a flash of red light darted across his peripheral vision. But when he looked toward it, it vanished again.

Too weird.

Chu Ci’s brow knitted tightly together. The feeling this room gave him was truly unsettling, sparking an uncontrollable urge to flee.

He lowered his head, staring at the white paper and black ink of his workbook, when a sudden bolt of realization flashed through his brain.

Chu Ci finally realized what those things hidden in invisible places were.

He swallowed hard and lifted his gaze to look at Ji Yanli, who had returned at some unknown point.

Ji Yanli was carrying a tray with two bowls of rice and several side dishes. Upon meeting Chu Ci’s eyes, Ji Yanli smiled apologetically. “Sorry for making you wait.”

Chu Ci’s heart sank. Before Ji Yanli could put the tray down, Chu Ci stood up abruptly and pulled him out of the room.

He leaned in close to Ji Yanli’s ear and spoke in a very, very soft whisper.

“—Ji Yanli, is someone monitoring you?”