The Cage Of The Past

"I am looking for the Chairman Gu! Big brother let me get inside!" Chao said.

"Uh! You wanted to talk to Chairman Gu?" said the guard.

"Yes! Let me in!"

The guard let him come in and bring him inside the Villa. A few minutes later Chairman Gu went down.

"Little boy, you are looking for me?" Chairman Gu felt strange when he saw Chao standing next to him. He looks at him thoroughly and He was surprised that the little boy resembled Rouzhen during childhood days.

"Yes! I am here to take back my little brother Han Gu!" he said while looking at the old man seriously.

"Why you take him away? You are just only his grandfather,"

"Uh! And may I know who you are and how come you become his brother?"

"My Mommy is Han's real mother, so Han and I are siblings!"

"So you are the son of that woman? You look like Rouzhen a lot, so you are his son?"

"No. It's a long story, I don't want to elaborate it. Please let my little brother went back home with me!"

"Han is not here! I sent him abroad!" Chairman Gu frown.

"You lied old man! You're not a good person!" Chao frowns and scolded Chairman Gu. "Han is upstairs and you lied to me that he's overseas! You lied! Shame on you!"

Lui Gu's face turns red, feeling distressed as he looks at the little boy's stern expression. This is the first time someone says something like this to him. He was so amused by the little boy's reaction. He remembers Rouzhen manner during childhood, he spoke and acted like this little demon in front of him. "Little demon, you should go home, tell your mom that Han belongs to the GU family and she shouldn't take back her words!"

"Why would she take back her words? Chao asks: "My mom won't do that. I need to bring back Han. Han! Han! Big brother Chao is here! I'm here downstairs! Come down now, let's go back home!" Chao shouted.

Han who is crying inside his room suddenly stops when he heard Chao's voice. "Big brother Chao!" He started bawling loudly again in no time.

"You hear that? All he knows is to cry…" Lui Gu frown and upset.

"Come down, Han!"

After a few minutes, little Han came out from his room.

Lui Gu suppresses his disappointment and yelled: "What are you crying for!?

"You yelled at him! I'm going to tell Mom! You abuse him! You'd go to jail, old man!" Chao points his finger at Lui.

Lui Gu stood up from the couch cross and said, "He's my grandchild and I can do whatever I want to do with him! Someone come and bring this child away!"

"Master, here I am!" Mama Betty rushes in and shocked when she saw Chao: "Where do your parents come from? How old are you?"

Chao turns to see a friendly old woman and says politely: "My name is Chao Chen. You can call me Chao. Han is my mom's child, and I'm the child she picks up. Grandma, can you please tell this old man to allow Han back home with me! My Mommy is sick-worried thinking about her son!"

"Your mom?" Mama Betty is confused: "Han's Mommy?"

"Mama Betty, send him back now!" Lui Gu orders sternly.

"Master he's Han's brother, you should probably let them meet up. Young master has been crying for a long time. If young master Rouzhen knew it, he will be mad at you!"

"Don't care about him! He'd stop crying soon!"

"You're so cruel!" Chao says upset: "Why in the world Han has a grandfather like you? You're such an annoying old man!"

Mama Betty looks at Lui worriedly, afraid that he'll get mad. But Chairman Gu just look at Chao, his eyes filled with admiration.

He lowers his head to look at the little boy, his little face showing disdain like he's looking down on him.

"Master the way he talks so much resembles young master Rouzhen, doesn't he? He's adorable!" Mama Betty chuckles and says before sighing. Time sure flies, it's been twenty years since then.

"What are you laughing at, Grandma? Please let Han come down, he's crying, don't you hear it? He finally had a mom and uncle did say he should stay with Mom always. Please let him come down!"

"Master Gu, would you please?" Mama Betty says.

"No! Send him back! Lui Gu yelled before striding upstairs.

Chao's black eyes turn cold and calm, unlike a child his age, after hearing what Lui Gu has said: "You sure? You'd regret this old man!"

Lui Gu turns around, stunned a bit: "Are you threatening me?"

"Uh-huh…" Chao's young voice contains a mȧturė tone.

"What are you planning to do?" Lui smiles, "Interesting little demon!"

"I'm going to tell the whole world that you're abusing children!" Chao states. He has planned this before he came to the GU mansion. He wants to publish the information on every platform on the internet and spread the message that his Mommy is being bullied by this old man and didn't allow her to see her son.

"Huh. How are you going to do it?" Lui Gu starts grinning.

Mama Betty is utterly stunned because this is the first time her master smiled cheerfully. She can't believe what she saw.

This child does look like a young master, Rouzhen Gu.

Especially his eyes, handsome and deep, his pointed nose and his red lips pressing together as he says, "That's none of your business!"

Chao glares at Lui Gu's smiling face for a while and turns to leave, sneering: "Hmph. I'll see you again,"

"Hey!" Mama Betty catches up: "Where do you live, kid? I'll send you home,"

"Okay," Chao replied. He doesn't know how to return anyways, it's better to let this nice old lady send him back.

Lui Gu watches Chao leave, a bunch of complex feelings filling his heart. He goes upstairs, hearing Han's weeps back to his room. The servant guarding the door becomes cautious when they see the old master approaching.

"Master!"

"Little young master still crying?" Lui Gu has never seen a child this useless. He compares Han and Chao immediately and feels ashamed that his grandson can't live up to what Chao is.

"Yes. He's been crying ever since yesterday. He wants his mom," The servant reports truthfully.

"Open the door!" Lui Gu says unhappily.

"Yes sir!" the door is opened.

Lui Gu enters the room and sees his grandson, cowering on the bed, crying.

"Why are you crying? How could you be a crybaby when you're a man!?" Lui hollers.

Han stops crying all at once, his shoulders trembling, fearful of his grandfather.

Lui Gu sighed, feeling defeated when he sees how much his grandson was afraid of him. "Alright, stop crying," he said gently.

Han lies on the bed, not moving an inch.

"You're a man, Han! How can a man be a crybaby? Look at your daddy, he never cries, You should learn from him. Men should stay strong," Lui leaves the room after lecturing his grandson.

"I want Mommy!" Han shouts, still shivering.

This is the first time he's so determined and eager to ask for something bravely. Han slips out of his bed and follows Lui, his small voice unwavering: "Grandpa! I want Mommy!"

"I will not allow seeing you see your Mom!" he says coldly.

"I want my Mommy!" Han shouts.

"Send the little young master back into his room!" Lui Gu orders the servants.

"I want Mommy, Grandpa! I don't like grandpa and I want my Mommy!" Han continues shouting and struggling as he is carried back to his room. "Please, please, put me down, Mommy, Daddy! Daddy come home!" Han whining!

In the car…

"What's your mom's name, kid?" Mama Betty asks the driver to send Chao home, and she follows along too. She loves this boy too much. He's so mȧturė and stubborn that he resembled Rouzhen.

"Xiaoxi Chen!" Chao answers obediently.

The car leaves the Gu mansion and a taxi arrives at the same time. Both cars passed each other. Xiaoxi hops down from the taxi.

Guard asks, confused: "Miss, how can I help you?"

"Did a child come here?" Xiaoxi asked, worried-sick that Chao might come at Gu mansion.

"A child?" The guard point at the gates: "He just left. Mama Betty sent him home,"

"What's his name?" she asked.

"He said his name is Chao Chen!"

"Oh my God!" Xiaoxi exclaims but as she is about to return to the taxi, someone calls from the Villa.

"Who's outside?"

"Sir, she's here to look for the child just now,"

"Have her come in!"

"Miss, our master wants to see you!" the guard calls out.

"But…" Xiaoxi panics and looks at the taxi which is leaving her sight. She turns to tell the driver: "I'm sorry, please wait for me,"

She didn't dare to come to find Han because Rouzhen said he'd arrive soon to settle things out but Chao comes barging to find Han all by himself. What a courageous kid?

In the hallway, Lui Gu recognizes Xiaoxi. He knows that she's the one who works in the restaurant that catered to the engagement party of his son. "It's you, Miss Chen? You're the one who's working in Weicheng's restaurant!"

"Yes," Xiaoxi replied.

"I didn't expect you to be Han's mom." Lui Gu cut straight to the point.

Xiaoxi stiffens for a bit before saying: "yes. I didn't think that Han would be my child, too,"

"Miss Chen. You've known that all of this had a contract. What are your intentions now?" Lui Gu raised his eyebrows and stares the woman sharply. She doesn't look like those women who'd pawn her body ff. But instead, she gives her body out in exchange for a child. Women like this are dangerous, they look pure and clean, but it could only seem like that on the outside.

"I want my son!"

"Miss Chen. That would not be possible!"

Xiaoxi lifts her head to look at Lui. The old man looks cold and his face is tightly strained, She finally knows who Rouzhen looks like. He looks like his father a lot. She realized, Chao has the same facial features too.

Lui Gu sharp eyes staring at her, reviewing her. This woman didn't look that old. Research says that she's only nineteen when she accepted to be a surrogate mother and now she'd be twenty-four years old.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Chen!"

"Nice to meet you too, Chairman Gu!" Xiaoxi says quickly.

"Miss Chen, I like to get to the point fast. I suppose you understand that you're a surrogate mother. Yes, indeed, you are excellent but that doesn't change the fact that you sign a contract between with my son,"

His words shatter Xiaoxi's heart into pieces like a huge hammer. A cold feeling runs up Xiaoxi's ċhėst, agonizing pain, and bitterness.

"You should understand what business we're running here at the GU Corp. Han is the grandson of mine, Lui Gu and he had to inherit the family business. Do you wish that the truth of his biological mother a surrogate, to leak out in the public? Do you think that he'd still be able to inherit the family business? People in the business world are cruel and judgemental, do you wish your son suffered the consequences of being a son of a surrogate mother? I'm worried that the stock price of GU Corp will plunge once the news leak in the future. Do you know how bad it would be for your son?" Lui Gu uttered.

Chairman Gu's words cast extreme pain on Xiaoxi.