Ren Yi was just about to walk toward the passenger seat when Gong Yingxian suddenly tossed the keys at him. He instinctively reached out and caught them.
“Hmm?”
“You drive.”
“Why?”
“I’m not feeling well,” Gong Yingxian said matter-of-factly.
Ren Yi had no choice but to walk around to the driver’s side, open the door, and get in.
Gong Yingxian very consciously settled into the rear left seat.
Ren Yi turned around and glared at him. “Are you treating me like your chauffeur?”
Gong Yingxian blinked, opened his briefcase, and took out another pair of white gloves. “If I were treating you like a chauffeur, I would make you wear these.”
Ren Yi gritted his teeth and started the car.
“Besides, with your level of professionalism, you couldn’t possibly be my chauffeur. But if you want to wear them…”
“No, I don’t.”
Ren Yi noticed a faint herbal scent permeating the car. It wasn’t unpleasant—in fact, it had a dry, clean quality to it. After breathing it in for a while, one actually began to feel somewhat comfortable, as if a single breath could purify one’s lungs.
He looked around the interior. He had always liked Jeeps. They were spacious, rugged, and very masculine vehicles. It was just that their rough exterior didn’t quite match Gong Yingxian’s refined, meticulously polished appearance from head to toe.
Ren Yi imagined what kind of car the man behind him ought to drive. No, Gong Yingxian probably shouldn’t be driving at all. There should be a chauffeur wearing white gloves opening the double doors of a Rolls-Royce for him, dressed impeccably in his suit.
Damn it, this bastard really thought he was a chauffeur.
Ren Yi cursed Gong Yingxian inwardly, but still obediently drove toward Hongwu Hospital.
Along the way, Gong Yingxian kept his head down in the back seat, flipping through documents. Ren Yi increasingly felt like a chauffeur, and he was thoroughly annoyed. To ease the awkwardness, he spoke up.
“How’s Feilan been lately?”
“Her mother returned to the country and is looking after her.” Gong Yingxian paused. “Are you very concerned about her?”
“Is it against the law to show a little concern?”
“She’s fine. Just focus on driving.”
Ren Yi kept sneaking glances through the rearview mirror and discovered that Gong Yingxian hadn’t raised his head even once. He took a deep breath and silently repeated to himself, Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. If anger makes you sick, no one else will take your place.
——
Hongwu Hospital had received a large number of injured people brought over from the Fourth Perspective the previous night, making the entire place extremely busy and chaotic.
The two of them arrived at a private hospital room. A uniformed police officer was standing guard outside the door. The officer stood up and looked at Ren Yi inquisitively.
Gong Yingxian nodded toward his colleague. “This is the captain of the Phoenix Squadron. He’s here to assist me in interrogating the suspect.”
The police officer opened the door for them.
The two entered the hospital room. A young woman was lying on the bed, one hand hooked up to an IV while the other held her phone. The man beside the hospital bed was presumably her father.
Upon seeing them enter, she sat up, looking somewhat nervous.
Gong Yingxian asked, “Miss Cai, are you feeling better after having your lungs washed?”
Cai Wan said softly, “It was very uncomfortable, but I’m feeling a little better.”
“We have some new developments we’d like to discuss with you.” Gong Yingxian turned to her father. “Please step outside for a moment.”
The man hesitated briefly before leaving the room.
Gong Yingxian introduced him. “This is Captain Ren of the Phoenix Firefighting Squadron.” As he spoke, he switched on the recorder. “Captain Ren is a fire investigation expert. He organized the firefighting efforts during the bar fire this time, and he is also responsible for the subsequent fire investigation. Do you know what fire investigation is?”
Cai Wan glanced at Ren Yi, her gaze shifting uncertainly.
Gong Yingxian gestured for Ren Yi to speak.
Ren Yi said, “Fire investigation involves examining the various traces left behind at a fire scene to determine the time the fire started, its point of origin, the cause of the fire, the path along which it spread, and so on. To outsiders, the scene may look like nothing more than ruins, but using scientific methods and experience, we can uncover a great deal of evidence related to the fire.”
Cai Wan lowered her head without saying a word.
Ren Yi said quietly, “Miss Cai, I can state with certainty that the point of origin at the Fourth Perspective was the sofa in the private room where you were drinking, not the curtains as you claimed. I hope you can give us an explanation.”
Cai Wan slowly raised her head, her face pale. “Maybe… I remembered incorrectly. It was the sofa, I suppose. The sofa and curtains were very close together.”
Gong Yingxian said, “Please recount what happened that night once more.”
Cai Wan was silent for a moment. “A few of us were celebrating a friend’s birthday. Everyone had drunk too much. I don’t know who was smoking, but someone threw a cigarette onto the curtains… Uh, maybe it was the sofa. I can’t remember clearly. Anyway, it caught fire.”
“Caught fire? What kind of fire was it? Was it burning intensely?”
“It just caught fire. We initially tried to put it out, but we couldn’t. The smoke became thicker and more choking, so I ran out.” Cai Wan’s eyes reddened, and her voice trembled slightly. “I thought they had all come out too, but… they had drunk too much. I was the only one who made it out.”
“Who was smoking?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Who discovered the fire first?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Did you smell smoke first, or did you see the fire first?”
“I… I don’t know how to answer that. I saw the fire, and I felt choked. At first, we really did try to put it out. We did.”
“Miss Cai.” Gong Yingxian’s gaze turned cold, and his tone became harsh. “There were only four people in your private room. You don’t remember who was smoking, you don’t remember who discovered the fire first, you don’t remember whether the curtains or the sofa caught fire first, and you can’t even clearly explain whether the smoke came before the flames. This major accident caused twenty-nine deaths and more than a hundred injuries. You are the sole survivor of the room where the fire started, making you the prime suspect. Yet your statements are contradictory and incoherent. Do you understand the situation you’re in?”
Cai Wan shuddered in fright, her eyes filled with terror. “It wasn’t me who smoked… It wasn’t me.”
Ren Yi gave Gong Yingxian a meaningful glance. He then said in as gentle a voice as possible, “Miss Cai, I understand that all of this is painful and frightening for you. But you have to be a little stronger, whether for your own sake or for the sake of your friends who died. If you can’t prove how much responsibility you bear in this accident, you’re going to be in serious trouble.”
Cai Wan began crying. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.”
“Miss Cai, based on our assessment of the scene, at least three of your statements are contradictory. First, the point of origin was the sofa, not the curtains. Second, without an accelerant, a cigarette butt cannot ignite a sofa all at once. The most likely scenario is that it burned briefly before going out on its own, or that it began smoldering. Smoldering means combustion without visible flames. Third, when smoldering occurs, it initially only produces smoke, which would make you feel choked. By the time you saw flames, the smoldering would have developed into open flaming. At that point, what you would experience would no longer be merely choking, but various symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. During this process, anyone capable of moving would not possibly remain at the scene.”
Cai Wan stared blankly at Ren Yi, her body trembling slightly.
Gong Yingxian stepped closer. His gaze was sharp, his attitude cold and hard, and his tall frame exerted an invisible pressure.
“What exactly happened that night?”
Cai Wan cried, “I told you, it wasn’t me who smoked, it wasn’t me… It just caught fire. I don’t know. I don’t remember. I’m sorry, I didn’t… I don’t know…” Her words became increasingly incoherent as she broke down into sobs.
Gong Yingxian paused, then moved even closer. He even removed his mask, bent down, and braced both arms against the hospital bed, quietly staring at her.
The hospital room door opened, and the man rushed in, pushing the two of them away. His face flushed red as he shouted, “What are you trying to do? My daughter is only twenty years old! She’s a good girl. She doesn’t smoke. This has nothing to do with her!”
Gong Yingxian and Ren Yi exchanged a glance.
Gong Yingxian put his mask back on. “Miss Cai, we’ll come back after you’ve recovered a little more.”
After leaving the hospital room, Gong Yingxian said something quietly to his colleague.
The two walked out of the hospital. Gong Yingxian removed his mask and took a deep breath of fresh air. Then he took out disinfectant and sprayed himself and Ren Yi several times.
Ren Yi waved his hand in front of his face. “All right, all right. I’m not as delicate as you are.”
Gong Yingxian frowned. “Things are more complicated than we thought.”
“Did you discover anything?”
“I noticed that her tongue coating was extremely dry, and there was a very faint metallic odor in her mouth, similar to what one might smell after using stimulants such as amphetamines or ketamine. I asked my colleague to contact her doctor and arrange a urine test.”
Ren Yi was surprised. “You suspect she was taking…”
“Her appearance doesn’t reveal anything unusual. She may not have been using for very long. I didn’t notice it at first either, but later, when she was desperately trying to deny responsibility, she used the word ‘smoke’ instead of ‘smoke cigarettes.’ From a behavioral psychology perspective, if you know you’re innocent and are determined to clear yourself of suspicion, you’d have the confidence to use extremely clear and definite language, such as, ‘The fire wasn’t caused by me smoking.’ But she kept avoiding and shifting the focus. Subconsciously, what she truly wanted to avoid may not have been limited to responsibility for the fire. My guess is that she has at least used an inducible drug such as marijuana.”
Ren Yi raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you had this kind of talent.”
Gong Yingxian ignored his teasing. “Once the samples extracted from the fire scene have been tested, get me the results as soon as possible.” After saying that, he turned to leave.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“Back to the precinct to interrogate the other suspects.”
“At lunchtime, too? Aren’t you hungry?”
“I have no appetite.” Gong Yingxian recalled everything that had happened that morning and still felt nauseated.
“If you’re not hungry, I am. Come eat with me.”
“I don’t eat with other people,” Gong Yingxian replied without the slightest consideration for Ren Yi’s feelings.
“Oh, right.” Ren Yi answered awkwardly. “Traffic is terrible around this time of day. If you go back to the precinct now, you’ll arrive at the same time as if you left half an hour later. How about I eat while you watch?”
Gong Yingxian narrowed his eyes. “Can’t you eat by yourself? I don’t have time to engage in this kind of pointless social activity with you.”
Ren Yi clenched his fists and cursed inwardly. What an asshole.
“Do you know how difficult it is to get a taxi outside a hospital? The average waiting time here is forty minutes. I want to eat first, then catch a ride back to the station.”
“That’s your problem.”
Gong Yingxian turned and walked away.
“Fuck.” Ren Yi cursed. “Gong, I’ve put up with you for long enough. If we weren’t forced to work together right now, I wouldn’t want to say another word to you. Didn’t your parents ever teach you to be polite or respect other people?!”
Gong Yingxian’s footsteps paused. His back also stiffened noticeably, but he did not turn around. In a calm voice, he said, “No.”
With that, he walked straight toward the parking lot.
Ren Yi was so angry he wanted to punch Gong Yingxian to death. He had no choice but to open a ride-hailing app and join the queue, while wondering whether he should wait here or find a nearby restaurant to grab something to eat.
But it was too hot outside, and he had absolutely no desire to walk out. He also didn’t want to return to the hospital, so he simply stood at the hospital entrance, enjoying the air conditioning.
Suddenly, he heard a rapid series of car horn honks. Looking up, he saw the black Jeep parked in the distance. The window rolled down, revealing Gong Yingxian’s porcelain-white face.
Ren Yi snorted coldly and turned away, ignoring him.
The car continued honking relentlessly, with an almost obsessive-compulsive sense of rhythm.
Ren Yi was annoyed beyond measure and had no choice but to walk over.
“What?”
“Get in.”
“Weren’t you unwilling to deal with my problem?”
“I thought about it. You’re right. We’re still going to be working together, and pointless social activities aren’t entirely unnecessary.” Gong Yingxian lifted his chin and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument. “Get in.”
Ren Yi glanced at the blazing sun overhead. After hesitating briefly, he still opened the door and got in.
Gong Yingxian stretched his long arm toward the back seat, picked up a white hard plastic box, and placed it on Ren Yi’s lap.
It was surprisingly heavy.
Ren Yi asked curiously, “What’s this?”
“A cooler. Open it.”
Ren Yi opened the lid and discovered two meal boxes inside, with ice packs underneath. He took one out and glared viciously at Gong Yingxian.
“Is it what I think it is?”
Gong Yingxian concentrated on driving. “There’s a dining cloth inside. Take it out and place it on your lap. Don’t dirty my car.”
“Is this how the hell you invite someone to lunch?”
“Mm.”
Mm my ass.
Ren Yi resigned himself to his fate and opened the meal box. Inside was a salad, half greens and half meat, along with an egg. It looked fairly nutritious and balanced. He complained resentfully, “It’s so cold. I’ve been working hard all morning. I want something hot.”
“There isn’t any.”
“You don’t eat this kind of thing for lunch, do you?”
“Mm.”
“Are you dieting?” Ren Yi looked Gong Yingxian up and down. His physique was already perfect.
“Are you going to eat or not?”
Ren Yi took a deep breath, pulled out the dining cloth, and spread it over his lap. As he ate, he continued complaining. “Tsk, it’s so cold. How do you usually eat? Do you microwave it? Salad doesn’t taste very good when it’s warm either.”
“This is how I eat it.”
“This is how you eat it? So cold.”
“I only eat cold food.” Gong Yingxian continued looking straight ahead, his eyes never leaving the road.
“…Why?”
“Why do you have so many questions?” Gong Yingxian said impatiently.
“…Good thing I’m broad-minded and won’t stoop to your level. Someone with a worse temper would’ve punched you already.”
Gong Yingxian let out a cold laugh.
Ren Yi stopped paying attention to him and began eating heartily.