They watched a documentary about marine life together. Ren Yi, having taken fever medicine, fell asleep on the sofa halfway through. Gong Yingxian quietly pulled him into his arms, letting his head rest against his shoulder.
The heavy weight of him made Gong Yingxian feel warm and content.
Ren Yi did not wake even after the movie ended, so Gong Yingxian carefully picked him up and carried him back to the bedroom.
This time, Ren Yi woke up. Looking at Gong Yingxian as he tucked the blanket around him, he yawned and murmured sleepily, “When did I fall asleep?”
“The medicine you took contains a sedative.”
“Did that little shark die in the end?”
“No. It grew into a big shark.”
Ren Yi smiled. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You should get some proper rest.” Gong Yingxian looked at Ren Yi, seeming to hesitate over something.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have to go back to the precinct.” Gong Yingxian said somewhat reluctantly, “There’s too much waiting for me to deal with. But I’ll come back later, or tomorrow morning.” Even while watching the movie, he had kept checking all kinds of messages in the group chat, unable to settle his mind. He really wanted to stay with Ren Yi, but he simply could not let go of the case.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to stop worrying.” Ren Yi gazed gently at Gong Yingxian. “Go. Don’t worry about me. I feel like I’ll be fine after getting some sleep.”
“Mm.”
Ren Yi suddenly grabbed Gong Yingxian by the collar. Gong Yingxian froze for a moment, then followed the pull and bent down, only to be given a hard kiss from Ren Yi.
Ren Yi grinned. “Don’t worry. Go.”
Looking at the smile in Ren Yi’s hazy eyes, Gong Yingxian’s heart stirred. He liked the Ren Yi from before, and he liked the Ren Yi he was now. Every little thing about this person deeply, deeply attracted him.
But he wasn’t the type Ren Yi liked. Even so, that did not prevent them from having this kind of relationship. This must be what Ren Yi meant by the “world of adults.”
With a trace of unwillingness, Gong Yingxian looked deeply at Ren Yi and said, “Get some proper rest.” He stood up and left.
Ren Yi gently touched his lips, where a trace of lingering warmth still remained. He told himself that a person should know when to be satisfied. If you wanted something and got it, what more could you ask for? Where in this world was there such a thing as perfection? If you could have a part of it, you should be satisfied.
Gong Yingxian worked through the entire night. When dawn came and he was about to go back to check on Ren Yi, he discovered that Ren Yi had sent him a WeChat message saying that his fever was gone and that he had already returned to the station.
Gong Yingxian was quite disappointed, but there was nothing he could do about it. How could he see Ren Yi as soon as possible?
After returning to the station, Ren Yi still felt a little unwell, so he decided not to go out on calls today.
The moment Qu Yangbo saw him, he gave him a mischievous smile and raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Ren Yi pretended to be completely calm. The matter between him and Gong Yingxian absolutely could not be known by anyone else. One reason was to protect Gong Yingxian, and the other was that he truly found it difficult to talk about. He said, “He went back to the precinct a long time ago. He had his family doctor treat me.”
“Oh, so that’s all.”
“What else did you think happened?”
“You were burning up and barely conscious at the time. I said I’d take you to the hospital, but he insisted on taking you home. The way he looked, tsk, tsk.” Qu Yangbo shook his head. “If you told people there was nothing going on between you two, no one would believe you.”
For a moment, Ren Yi did not know how to respond. There really was “something going on” between them, but there was always something improper and ambiguous about it. If it had been someone else, like Qi Xiao, he would not have felt this urge to hide it, nor would he have felt so awkward. At the very least, he would not have had to lie to his best friend. But Gong Yingxian was different. Different in every way.
Qu Yangbo put away his teasing expression and became serious. “Si Huo, sometimes, when looking at a problem, you shouldn’t only look at the surface. A lot of people’s true thoughts are hidden behind their words.”
Ren Yi was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, Dr. Gong cares about you far more than you think.”
Ren Yi was silent for a moment. “I know he cares about me. It’s just… forget it. Never mind.”
Qu Yangbo really wanted to point out a few more things to Ren Yi, but matters of the heart were extremely delicate. He wanted to help Ren Yi, but he was also worried that he might make things worse. It was better to wait for a more suitable time. He patted Ren Yi on the shoulder. “Go get some rest.”
Ren Yi spent the first half of the day after returning to the station eating, taking medicine, and sleeping. When he woke up in the afternoon, his fever had completely gone down, and he genuinely felt refreshed and light.
He wanted to go see what everyone else was doing, only to discover a group of people gathered around the garage, laughing and joking about something.
“What are you guys doing?” Ren Yi walked into the garage.
“Captain Ren, we have a dog! We have a dog!” Sun Dingyi shouted excitedly. He came running over with a black-backed German Shepherd. “The training base just sent him over.”
The German Shepherd was sturdy and well-built, with strong bones and a handsome appearance. Its temperament was also extremely stable. Even though it was surrounded and teased by so many people, it did not become overly excited.
Some fire stations were equipped with fire dogs, while others were not. When needed, they could borrow one from another unit. This time, for safety reasons, Qu Yangbo had specifically gone to the training base and applied for one.
“Captain Ren, guess what his name is?” Li Sa stroked his thick fur, her face full of affection.
“What?”
Qu Yangbo smiled. “I went to the base that day and asked them to pick one for me. As soon as they heard I was from Phoenix Station, they said they absolutely had to let me take him. His name is ‘Phoenix.’”
Gao Ge clapped his hands. “He was practically born to be ours.”
Ren Yi smiled too. “Isn’t that fate? Come, Phoenix, come here.”
Phoenix obediently walked over. Ren Yi crouched down and rubbed his chubby cheeks. Looking into his bright, lively eyes, he said with a smile, “From today onward, you’re a member of Phoenix Station.”
Phoenix gave a “woof.”
“Captain Ren,” Sun Dingyi said, “you weren’t here these past few days, so we let Miao Miao sleep in the instructor’s room. Should we bring Miao Miao out to play with Phoenix?”
“Sure, but don’t put them together right away, or they might fight. Let them get used to each other first. If they don’t like each other, then forget it.”
“No way. Our Phoenix is so handsome.” Sun Dingyi happily went to find Miao Miao.
Qu Yangbo pulled Ren Yi aside. “The date for the year-end meeting has just been set. The twenty-first. Then, on the twentieth, all the station captains will first attend the New Year safety and security meeting.”
“Okay. Has this year’s rotation and leave list come out yet?”
“This year…” Qu Yangbo turned his head and looked at the firefighters playing around. “These kids are all pretty sensible. Except for the full-time firefighters, who have fixed holidays, no one is taking leave this year. They’re all worried the station will be short-handed and something will happen.”
“It’s not that serious. Let them take their regular leave. The year’s almost over. Who doesn’t want to go home?”
“Yeah, I know. Li Sa volunteered to stay on duty. As for the others, those who didn’t take leave last year, I’m letting them take it this year.”
Li Sa was different from them. She was a professionally employed firefighter, basically working at the station like a regular employee. She had normal Saturdays and Sundays and statutory holidays, so technically she did not have to work over the New Year. Ren Yi glanced at Li Sa. “Isn’t that a little unfair?”
“She’s worried we won’t have enough people during the New Year and is willing to switch her days off. Besides, she’s a local, so it’s convenient for her to go home. That girl really is great.”
Ren Yi nodded.
“You’re the same. Take a few days off during the New Year and spend some time with the old man.”
“I’ll take leave starting on the fourth day of the New Year.”
The New Year was a knot in Ren Yi’s heart. His mother had passed away during the New Year period. The New Year was supposed to be a time for the whole family to reunite, yet it was precisely when his family had stopped being whole.
Later, Gong Yingxian called Ren Yi and asked about his recovery. Ren Yi reassured him, “I’m completely better. I have a little bit of a cough, but it’ll be gone in a few days. Don’t worry.”
“That’s good.” Gong Yingxian paused. “You shouldn’t have returned to the station by yourself today. Did you forget? I told you not to act alone.”
“It’s only a few kilometers. Don’t be so nervous. Have you made any progress over there?”
“Other than the identities of the mother and daughter we told you about yesterday, there hasn’t been any major progress. If there is, I’ll tell you.”
“Okay.” Ren Yi racked his brain, trying to think of a reasonable excuse to see Gong Yingxian. “Anyway, if you need any help, just let me know.”
“…Mm.”
Gong Yingxian was thinking about the same thing, but for the moment, he could not think of anything either.
After hanging up, Ren Yi felt somewhat frustrated. Did they really need a reason to see each other? When would the day come when simply “I want to see you” could be a reason, or when he could see Gong Yingxian anytime without needing a reason?
Two days later, Ren Yi went to the main fire brigade headquarters to attend the station captains’ meeting. There were a total of 126 fire stations in Beijing, with special-duty stations making up roughly one in ten. Meetings like this were held once or twice every year. After all, the end of the year was a period when crime and disasters were more frequent, and there was a lot of work to be done.
The station captains gradually took their seats in the auditorium. Ren Yi sat in the same section as Wang Meng and the other station captains from Hongwu District. They were discussing where to go for barbecue after the meeting, only to find that more than half of them had to remain on duty.
Just then, Ren Yi heard someone call his name. He turned around and saw that it was Yan Jue, the captain of the Xijiao Station, whom he had worked with not long ago.
“Captain Yan.” Ren Yi stood up and walked over, shaking his hand. “Thanks for last time.”
Yan Jue smiled, revealing a row of white teeth. “Why be so polite? That was my jurisdiction. It was my job anyway.”
Ren Yi smiled. “Are you going to tease me again? I’m apologizing to you, aren’t I?”
“Forget it. I wasn’t going to hold it against you anyway. But that meal you promised me last time…”
“How about today? There’s a barbecue place right near headquarters. We can go after the meeting. A few of the guys from our district are going too. Bring some of your guys.”
“No problem.” Yan Jue looked at Ren Yi with a smile. “I saw that you had a fever. You look like you’ve lost a little weight.”
“Then I’ll eat more today.”
“See you later.”