The Caged Bird’s Gambit

“Luo Yao?” Mu Yaochen ventured, her voice a soft probe as she watched the vacant stare in his eyes.

“Luo Yao?” Receiving no response, Mu Yaochen extended her hand and waved it before his face, but he remained utterly still.

A nervous gulp escaped her lips.

‘Could he have…’

As she observed Luo Yao’s dazed state, a tendril of suspicion began to coil in Mu Yaochen’s heart.

‘Had he gone blank, or had he truly lost his memory?’ The thought sent a tremor through Mu Yaochen’s very core, shattering the fragile calm she had just managed to maintain.

“Is something amiss?” After a prolonged silence, Luo Yao finally broke the quiet.

‘It appeared she rather wished I had indeed lost my memory.’

“Well then, do you still remember who I am?” Mu Yaochen asked, a flicker of hope stirring within her that Luo Yao would shake his head in denial.

“I do.” Luo Yao met Mu Yaochen’s hopeful gaze with a simple nod, then deliberately shifted his attention to his arm, encased in its plaster cast.

“You know? That’s… good.” A wave of disappointment visibly washed over Mu Yaochen’s features as she processed Luo Yao’s curt reply.

“Would you like something to eat? Or perhaps…” Noticing Luo Yao’s vacant gaze fixed on the world outside the window, Mu Yaochen suddenly recalled that he hadn’t yet had breakfast.

In truth, she had forgotten that she, too, had skipped her own meal.

“Not hungry,” Luo Yao replied, his words as precious as gold, offering no unnecessary pleasantries to Mu Yaochen.

“No, you must eat, even if you don’t feel hungry.” Observing Luo Yao’s declaration of ‘not hungry,’ Mu Yaochen simply shook her head. Having already resolved to feed him breakfast, she was a woman whose decisions were virtually unshakeable.

“Then, fine.” Luo Yao understood that, despite his reluctance, Mu Yaochen would invariably compel him in matters such as this.

“Excellent, wait here for me.” As Luo Yao nodded his agreement, a fragile smile finally graced Mu Yaochen’s exhausted face, making her entire sleepless night feel utterly worthwhile.

Once Mu Yaochen had departed, Luo Yao leaned back against the headboard, his gaze drifting to the expanse of sky beyond the window.

His immediate task was to elevate his standing.

More accurately, he needed to increase his worth in Mu Yaochen’s eyes, ideally reaching a point where they could interact as equals. Yet…

Luo Yao’s fingers brushed against the collar encircling his neck; its very presence ensured he would forever remain in a subservient position.

Just then, the sharp click of high heels echoed from beyond the door.

“Someone will bring it up shortly.” Before Luo Yao could delve deeper into his thoughts, Mu Yaochen re-entered the room. Despite the profound weariness etched across her face, the mere fact that Luo Yao was willing to speak with her brought her a sense of profound contentment.

****

Luo Yao merely regarded her with a quiet intensity.

“About… Luo Yao, what happened last night…” As Luo Yao’s gaze settled upon her, Mu Yaochen felt a chilling certainty that their relationship might be irrevocably broken.

Staring at Luo Yao’s impassive face, Mu Yaochen’s sole desire was to offer an apology and somehow salvage the fractured connection between them.

She yearned desperately for the shy, timid boy who had once been so obedient to her every whim; the Luo Yao standing before her now felt like a complete stranger.

“Last night? What happened last night?” Upon hearing Mu Yaochen’s words, Luo Yao tilted his head slightly, his eyes fixed on her.

“Last night… you’ve forgotten what transpired last night?” As she observed the faint hint of confusion on Luo Yao’s face, a renewed flicker of hope ignited within Mu Yaochen.

‘Could he truly have forgotten everything that happened?’

“I remember,” Luo Yao stated, his face utterly devoid of expression as he addressed Mu Yaochen. “You intended to force yourself upon me, I tried to flee, and then I fell from the second floor.” His voice, devoid of any discernible emotion, simply recounted the events with chilling clarity.

Mu Yaochen watched Luo Yao’s stark recounting, and her heart shattered into countless pieces.

“Then you…” Mu Yaochen’s voice trembled, a stark contrast to her usual imperious tone, which was utterly absent now.

“I am fine,” Luo Yao said, a faint, unsettling smile gracing his lips as he watched Mu Yaochen’s body tremble. “For you are my master. On the contrary, I am the one who deserves punishment; I am clearly merely a…”

“Enough! Don’t say another word.” Mu Yaochen cut him off sharply, unable to bear another syllable. “I am the one at fault; I was far too overcome with emotion last night.”

As Luo Yao’s words echoed, Mu Yaochen felt her heart splinter into a thousand fragments, scattering across the floor.

“It was clearly my mistake, Master. Won’t you please forgive me?” Luo Yao asked, a subtle flicker of yearning appearing on his face as he observed Mu Yaochen’s expression.

“Don’t say that… It’s my fault, entirely my fault. Please, I beg you, just focus on recovering.” Mu Yaochen moved closer to the bedside, her hands reaching toward Luo Yao’s cheeks, her gaze exceptionally gentle as she spoke.

****

Every move Luo Yao made was a calculated gamble.

“My fault, all my fault. Luo Yao, I am so sorry; I should never have treated you that way.” Mu Yaochen watched Luo Yao’s impassive, emotionless face. Despite the ache in her heart, she found a sliver of solace only by holding him tightly.

“Please, forgive me, won’t you?” As she pleaded, two glistening tears welled in the corners of Mu Yaochen’s eyes.

“Then…” Luo Yao looked at Mu Yaochen, whose eyes were now red-rimmed, and for a fleeting moment, he completely forgot his script.

‘Should I truly forgive her?’

“I forgive you, but…” Even as Mu Yaochen held his gaze fixed on her face, Luo Yao’s mind was already churning with his own agenda.

‘Strike while the iron is hot,’ he thought, ‘take advantage of her weakness.’

“But what? Tell me, and I will agree to anything you ask.” Noticing the flicker of hesitation on Luo Yao’s face, Mu Yaochen instinctively tightened her embrace around his arm.

“When I’ve repaid the money, will you grant me my freedom, please?” A subtle yearning etched itself onto Luo Yao’s face. He had long harbored reservations.

‘Would Mu Yaochen go back on her word, or would she renege on her promise?’

“Then will you leave me?” Mu Yaochen’s grip tightened further, a desperate yearning to absorb him into her very being.

“You’re hurting me.” The escalating pressure sent sharp, throbbing pain through Luo Yao’s injured left arm.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Hearing Luo Yao’s pained protest, Mu Yaochen immediately loosened her hold.

“If I give you back your freedom, will you then leave me?” Before Luo Yao could even formulate a response, Mu Yaochen pressed him again.

“No, I won’t,” Luo Yao replied, his face a shade paler from the suffocating embrace. “I simply don’t wish to owe anyone anything.” He spoke to Mu Yaochen with an earnest expression, yet his words, to her ears, rang hollow and utterly unconvincing.

“Then, that’s… fine.” Mu Yaochen’s voice still quivered, for she knew Luo Yao was a man whose lips spoke one thing while his heart harbored another. He was undoubtedly still thinking of that woman, Su Mengqi; it couldn’t be anything else.

In his entire world, she had never truly held a place.

‘Why, then, do I care so desperately about Luo Yao’s perception of me?’

Perhaps, it wasn’t Luo Yao who should have lost his memory, but she herself.

She ought to forget these wretched events, and Luo Yao’s eyes should be fixed solely on her.

In an instant, Mu Yaochen abruptly rose to her feet. With one hand pressed to her temple, the cumulative effect of a sleepless night, coupled with her recent deluge of frantic thoughts, sent throbbing waves of discomfort through her mind.

The mere thought of Luo Yao in another woman’s embrace made her dizzy with anguish.

Despair, raw and potent, was all Mu Yaochen could feel.

Luo Yao, you have been nothing but a caged bird from the very beginning.

You yearn for the splendor of the world beyond, yet remain blissfully ignorant of its inherent despair.