Ren Xiangrong did not say anything. Instead, he slowly took a sip of water.
Ren Yixiao’s heart was filled with guilt. He knew how unwilling his father was to go to a nursing home. This man, who had once been as tough and powerful as a mountain, had never been willing to admit that he was getting old.
But after seeing what that group of lunatics had done, for the sake of safety, he had no choice but to make this decision. He explained with difficulty, “Besides, Auntie Wang is also going back to her hometown. I asked the agency to find a few caregivers, but I wasn’t satisfied with any of them. I’m afraid there won’t be anyone suitable to take care of you. At least a nursing home will have professionals…”
“Enough.” Ren Xiangrong said in a muffled voice. “Your concerns make sense, so let’s go.”
Ren Yizhuo felt even worse. “…Dad, I’m sorry.”
“What is there to apologize for? Firefighters help the police catch bad guys. That’s only natural. We fight fires every day. Why would we be afraid of those stinking rats hiding in the dark?” Ren Xiangrong said. “I agreed to go to the nursing home not because I’m afraid, but because I don’t want you to be distracted worrying about me while you’re working.”
“I know. I know all of that.” Ren Yizhuo’s nose stung slightly, and he said unhappily, “Dad, once the case is closed, I’ll immediately go and bring you back.”
Ren Xiangrong neither agreed nor disagreed. He only smiled faintly. “Focus on what you should be doing. Don’t worry about me.”
The father and son discussed the timing. New Year’s Day was only a few days away, so Ren Yizhuo planned to personally visit several nursing homes, look around, and choose one. After New Year’s, he would send his father there.
Even if he himself was being targeted by a perverted lunatic, he would still move forward without hesitation. But he absolutely had to protect his family.
Ren Yizhuo slept at home that night and returned to the unit early the next morning.
Today, Gong Yingxian was going to personally interrogate Chen Pei, so he had to be there. He came back to change clothes, ate a meal, and then went over.
After breakfast, Qu Yangbo called him aside. “Hey, I just got a call from the detachment. Two things.”
“Go ahead.”
“One is the Hongwu Hospital explosion case. The headquarters and the Public Security Bureau want to give you guys an award.”
“Great.”
Qu Yangbo punched him lightly in the chest. “Congratulations.”
Ren Yizhuo smiled. “The award is pretty nice, but I really can’t feel happy about it this time.”
“I understand. No matter what, you all deserve it,” Qu Yangbo said. “There’s another major thing. The Honglin Stadium has a charity concert scheduled for New Year’s Day. It’s being organized by Song Media to raise funds for the earthquake-stricken areas in the northwest.”
“That soon? There are only a few days left. Why are we only being notified now?”
“It was organized urgently after the earthquake, so there was already a bit of a rush. You were also hospitalized before, so I didn’t tell you. Wang Meng handled the review of the fire safety plan, the on-site inspection, and the rectifications for you.”
“How many people did they report?”
“Thirty thousand. I heard they originally applied for fifty thousand, but that wasn’t approved. The sub-bureau has approved it, and so has the detachment, but given everything that’s happened recently, the higher-ups are requiring double the police and fire personnel.”
“Thirty thousand people is still a lot.” Ren Yizhuo frowned. “Send me the fire safety plan and the design drawings so I can take a look.”
Honglin Stadium was within his jurisdiction. It wasn’t considered a large stadium. Presumably, it was because several of the larger stadiums had already been booked well in advance for the New Year period, while the earthquake had been a sudden disaster. Otherwise, given the drawing power of the singers under Song Media, it would be impossible for them to hold a concert for only thirty thousand people.
“I already sent them to your email.” Qu Yangbo was also somewhat frustrated. “The holiday period is already our peak season for emergency calls, and now they want us to provide twice as much fire coverage.”
“Since that’s what the higher-ups require, they’ll definitely assign other units to help us.” Ren Yizhuo opened his email and glanced through the fire safety plan. Then he pointed at the crowd-control barriers around the outside of the stadium. “Why is there so much deployment here? People entering and leaving aren’t going to use only this one passage. We can’t put all the pressure on the main entrance.”
“I heard this is to deal with the fans. Once the concert starts, the main entrance will be packed with fans who can’t get inside and scalpers trying to take advantage of the chaos.” Qu Yangbo suddenly remembered something. “Oh, and Song Juhan is going to headline. Thirty thousand tickets are far too few. His fans definitely aren’t going to let it go.”
“What?” Ren Yizhuo clicked his tongue. “Isn’t that just asking for trouble?”
Song Juhan was a top-tier pop singer in the Chinese-language music scene. Ever since he withdrew from the entertainment industry and moved behind the scenes, he had rarely appeared in public. Even the new songs he occasionally released were distributed entirely online, and he never went out to promote them. In other words, his fans hadn’t seen him in person for a long time. Now that he was suddenly appearing and even performing, it would be strange if his fans didn’t go crazy.
A few years ago, Ren Yizhuo had been transferred to provide security for Song Juhan’s concert with an audience of one hundred thousand people. The popularity had been terrifying. If Song Juhan came this time, he had no idea how many additional people it would attract. Every single one of them was a potential safety hazard.
“So the security work is pretty difficult this time. It’s also the most important assignment during the New Year period. You need to get to the site for an inspection as soon as possible.”
Ren Yizhuo glanced at his watch. “We’ll definitely have to inspect the site several times, but I have to make a trip to Hongwu Sub-bureau in a bit. I’ll go tonight. I’ll notify you guys once I’m done over there.”
“Okay.”
Ren Yizhuo was just about to leave when Qu Yangbo grabbed him again. He changed his expression, raised his eyebrows, and said suggestively, “While you were hospitalized, did anything…hmm?”
“What ‘anything’? You’re a grown man. Can you stop being so damn nosy all the time?” Ren Yizhuo argued verbally, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help lifting.
Looking at his expression, Qu Yangbo almost burst out laughing. “Now I’m even more convinced there was ‘something.’ At the very least, you two got a lot closer, right? Shouldn’t you thank me?”
Ren Yizhuo licked his lips and said somewhat smugly, “Anyway, I’m his only friend.”
“That’s enough to satisfy you?”
Ren Yizhuo thought about it, then smiled gently. “I’m satisfied.”
When the time was about right, Ren Yizhuo took a taxi to Hongwu Sub-bureau.
The moment he entered the sub-bureau, he was stopped in the lobby and given a warm welcome.
“Wow, Captain Ren, you’re basically half a police officer now.”
“Captain Ren is awesome!”
Qiu Yan happened to be passing by. She smiled and said, “I propose that we give Captain Ren a round of applause to thank him and the Phoenix Special Operations Unit for their long-term assistance to the police. How about it?”
A burst of applause immediately filled the lobby.
Ren Yizhuo was somewhat moved. He clasped his hands together in thanks. “Actually, I’d rather thank all of you. I’ll spare you the mushy stuff. Let’s work together and take down those bastards.”
“Well said!”
Someone teased, “Captain Ren, are you here to see Doctor Gong again? You two were hospitalized together and still didn’t talk enough?”
“Of course not. The two of them are bonded by ‘mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.’” A female police officer put on an exaggerated, intoxicated expression. “A kiss beneath the ruins. What a tragic and touching scene.”
Laughter erupted around them. Suddenly, Qiu Yan coughed lightly, and the laughter stopped abruptly like a waterfall plunging off a cliff. Everyone’s faces immediately turned bright red from holding it in.
Ren Yizhuo turned around and saw that Gong Yingxian had appeared behind them at some point, looking at them calmly and unhurriedly.
“Oh, Doctor Gong.” Several people looked awkward.
Ren Yizhuo snorted with laughter and walked over, casually hooking an arm around Gong Yingxian’s shoulder. “I’m telling you, Old Gong, I think we’re never going to be able to clear our reputations.”
Quite a few people who had been holding back their laughter finally broke.
The female police officer laughed so hard she doubled over. “Hahaha, ‘Old Gong’! Captain Ren, you’ve done something every female police officer in the entire sub-bureau has wanted to do. I really admire you. Doctor Gong, can we call you that from now on?”
Gong Yingxian raised an eyebrow at Ren Yizhuo.
“Hey.” Ren Yizhuo pointed at her and said jokingly, “Only I can call him that. You guys can’t.”
“Why?”
Several of the female police officers were unconvinced.
“You girls have to be reserved.”
“Then why can you call him that?”
Ren Yizhuo spread his hands. “Because I have no shame.”
He thought to himself, Because Gong Yingxian belongs to me alone… Uh, as a friend.
A burst of uproarious laughter followed.
Gong Yingxian slapped his hand away. In the past, he would have been angry by now, but this time he merely pretended to be annoyed and scolded him, “You talk nonsense all day long. Come on, let’s go.”
Qiu Yan folded her arms across her chest and looked thoughtfully at the two of them. That harmonious, relaxed, and tacit atmosphere between them was all a reflection of their trust and closeness.
Gong Yingxian did not take Ren Yizhuo directly to the interrogation room. Instead, he first brought him to the monitoring room. The two stood side by side, staring intently at Chen Pei inside.
After a long while, Ren Yizhuo spoke first. “Has he changed at all since coming back from the hospital?”
“Yes. Before, his attitude was very arrogant, and he even got into fights with other suspects in the detention center. After coming back from the hospital, he became quiet and withdrawn.”
“Scared? Feeling guilty?”
Gong Yingxian shook his head. “I don’t know. Anyway, right now, he’s our biggest lead. No matter what method I have to use, I’m going to pry his mouth open.”
Ren Yizhuo looked at Chen Pei. Thinking about what that group of lunatics had done, a murderous look surfaced in his eyes.
“By the way, there’s something.” Gong Yingxian said, “This organization is too dangerous. We underestimated them before. Your father can’t continue living at that exposed address.”
“We were thinking the same thing. I’m already taking care of it. What about you? Are you going to move?”
“My home is fine. I’ve added another layer of security and hired several more bodyguards. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to break in illegally. It’s also safer for you to stay at the unit. Just try not to go out alone.”
“Mm. You need to be careful too.”
“Where are you planning to send your father? To a relative’s house?”
“I’m planning to send him to a nursing home for a while. They have professional care there.”
Gong Yingxian frowned. “I told you last time that I invested in a private hospital specializing in neurological and cardiovascular diseases. They happen to have a clinical research institute and rehabilitation center for Alzheimer’s disease. The facilities and environment are world-class. Why didn’t you discuss it with me?”
Ren Yizhuo scratched his head. “It’s not that difficult to deal with. I don’t want to trouble you.”
“This concerns your father. It’s such an important matter. What’s wrong with troubling me a little?” Gong Yingxian said unhappily. “Aren’t friends supposed to help each other?”
Ren Yizhuo smiled. “Yingxian, let’s forget it. We both know this disease can’t be cured. Treatment might be able to slow it down in the early stages, but there’s no point in doing any treatment now. Besides, I can’t just accept this kind of favor.”
“Even if he isn’t receiving treatment, simply going there for care would still be better than any nursing home.” Gong Yingxian said. “If you feel embarrassed, there’s no need to. The hospital has quite a few slots for experimental volunteers every year, as well as charity medical-care slots. They’re all free. Of course, we won’t conduct any risky experiments on your father.”
Ren Yizhuo was somewhat conflicted.
Gong Yingxian seemed very determined, and Ren Yizhuo genuinely wanted to give his father the best possible environment. Compared with an unfamiliar commercial institution, he naturally trusted Gong Yingxian.
Gong Yingxian gazed at Ren Yizhuo and said softly, “I want to help you…with anything.”
Ren Yizhuo was deeply moved. He couldn’t help wanting to say, “Don’t say things like that to me,” but he didn’t dare say it out loud. The better Gong Yingxian treated him, the deeper he fell. The word “love” was simply an unsolvable problem.
“Then let’s settle it this way. I’ll take you to the hospital to have a look in the next few days.”
Ren Yizhuo hesitated, then nodded.
Gong Yingxian lifted his chin toward the person inside. “Let’s go in.”
“Are you ready?” Ren Yizhuo glanced at him.
Gong Yingxian’s gaze was dark and chilling, coldness radiating from it.
“I’ve been preparing for eighteen years.”