When Ren Yi came out of the bathroom, his legs were so weak they could barely support him. He was filled with regret over his own foolish, self-destructive behavior.
He had finally learned his lesson: Gong Yingxian was not someone he could tease carelessly. Gong Yingxian was already terrifying when he was simply being himself. Once Ren Yi deliberately provoked him, it was practically a death sentence.
And yet, Ren Yi just couldn’t help himself. He particularly loved teasing and provoking Gong Yingxian. Seeing Gong Yingxian blush or become visibly aroused filled him with immeasurable satisfaction—though, of course, he also had to bear the consequences himself.
Gong Yingxian noticed that Ren Yi seemed to be walking a little strangely and reached out to support him.
Ren Yi immediately dodged away. Did he have no pride at all?
Gong Yingxian asked softly, “Do you want to rest for a while?”
“No need.” Ren Yi sneaked a glance at Gong Yingxian, and his mischievous thoughts began stirring again. “I’ll go sit on the sofa for a bit.”
“Okay.”
The moment they sat down on the sofa, Ren Yi threw himself onto Gong Yingxian and settled into a comfortable position against him.
Gong Yingxian pressed his lips together in a smile, placed one hand on Ren Yi’s back, and gently patted him.
Ren Yi’s ear rested against Gong Yingxian’s heart. Even through the fabric of his clothes, he could feel the faint vibrations. That vigorous, life-filled heartbeat belonged to the person he loved, and suddenly, for no apparent reason, Ren Yi’s heart began to race.
Gong Yingxian rested his chin lightly on the crown of Ren Yi’s head. The fluffy head of hair in his arms carried the fresh, pleasant scent of soap, while the solid weight of Ren Yi leaning against him gave him a sense of responsibility.
Neither of them spoke for a long time. They wished only that time could stand still in this moment.
Ren Yi half-closed his eyes lazily, on the verge of falling asleep. In a quiet voice, he said, “I wish I didn’t have to go to work.”
“I have plenty of leave saved up. I haven’t used any of it yet,” Gong Yingxian said beside his ear.
“Same here. I haven’t really used much of my leave this year either.” Ren Yi smiled faintly. “When everything is over, let’s go on a trip. Somewhere warm, with the sea.”
“Okay.”
“I haven’t traveled anywhere since I graduated from college.” Ren Yi sounded a little regretful. “My mom was gone by then, and I’d just joined the fire station. I spent every day training and studying like my life depended on it. Then my dad got sick, and I couldn’t leave him either.”
“I rarely go anywhere, too.” Gong Yingxian wasn’t opposed to traveling. It was just that he had always been alone. Wherever he went, there was no one to share the experience with. Studying and working were better; at least those were things he could enjoy on his own.
“Then from now on, we’ll go places together.”
Gong Yingxian answered solemnly, “Mm. Together.”
Ren Yi felt warmth spreading through the very center of his chest. He felt as though he were floating among the clouds, overcome by a lightness and happiness he couldn’t put into words.
They held each other like that for a long time. Ren Yi was torn between reluctance and the knowledge that he had to return to duty, but eventually he had no choice. He climbed off Gong Yingxian and said helplessly, “I really have to go back.”
Gong Yingxian couldn’t hide his disappointment. “All right.”
Ren Yi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I don’t want to leave you either.”
Gong Yingxian touched his cheek, the corners of his mouth lifting into a satisfied smile. “Come on. I’ll drive you back.”
Along the way, Gong Yingxian deliberately drove very slowly. It was rush hour, too, so traffic was already congested. As a result, what should have been a fairly short journey took them a long time.
When they reached the fire station, the two of them lingered in the car, kissing for a long time, reluctant to part.
Breathing a little heavily, Ren Yi asked, “Do you think anyone outside can see us? Like the police officers assigned to protect me or something?”
“No.” Gong Yingxian gently brushed his lips against Ren Yi’s. “The car has been modified. Unless someone presses right up against it, they basically can’t see inside.”
Ren Yi burst out laughing. “You actually modified your car? What did you do to it? Turn the trunk into Doraemon’s magic pocket? Make it bulletproof?”
“Yes.”
“Huh?”
“Bulletproof.”
Ren Yi’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“Of course.” Gong Yingxian replied calmly, “Almost everything about this car has been modified except its appearance, but you can’t tell just by looking at it.”
“You rich people really know how to have fun.”
“If you like, I can have your car…”
“No, no! My car’s perfectly fine.” Ren Yi gave Gong Yingxian another firm kiss. “I’m going.”
Gong Yingxian nodded and watched Ren Yi get out of the car and walk toward the station. He leaned back comfortably in his seat and lightly ran his tongue over his lips, which still retained the warmth of Ren Yi’s kiss. His gaze was filled with a tenderness that was difficult to describe.
Ren Yi went straight around to the garage, where he saw a group of people servicing the equipment. He was just about to say something when the alarm suddenly rang.
Sun Dingyi pointed at Ren Yi and laughed. “Captain Ren, this one’s been prepared just for you!”
Ren Yi dropped his luggage onto the ground. “Let’s go!”
Everyone quickly began changing into their gear. A communications officer hurried over.
“Captain Ren, there’s a major fire at Wenhui Mall.”
“Wenhui? The one on Dayu Road?” Dayu Road wasn’t within his station’s jurisdiction, though it was still inside Hongwu District. Ren Yi wasn’t as familiar with shopping malls assigned to other stations, but he knew at least something about every key fire-safety facility within Hongwu District.
“That’s right. It’s a small-goods wholesale market. The corps initially dispatched four fire stations, but they couldn’t get the fire under control, so another four have been sent.”
Eight fire stations…
This was a major blaze.
They finished gearing up as quickly as possible, climbed aboard their fire engine, and set off.
On the way, Ren Yi began contacting headquarters to get the basic situation.
Wenhui was a large, mixed-use commercial complex. Building A was a seven-story wholesale clothing market. Building B was a thirty-story high-rise that housed shopping facilities, entertainment venues, restaurants, a hotel, and office spaces. Building C was still under construction. A seven-story connecting structure linked Buildings A and B, and the fire had already spread through it into Building B. The construction site at Building C had also caught fire after being affected by the blaze. To the north of Wenhui Mall was another large wholesale market, which lay within the potential path of the spreading fire. The situation was extremely dangerous.
In a place where combustible materials were packed so densely together, a fire could spread at tremendous speed if it wasn’t brought under control at the very beginning. Even before arriving at the scene, Ren Yi could already imagine the devastation that awaited them.
Ren Yi kept looking ahead, wishing their vehicle could move faster, but the traffic wouldn’t allow it. Suddenly, he caught sight of a familiar-looking car in the rearview mirror. Leaning forward, he looked more closely.
Was that really Gong Yingxian’s car?
Ren Yi called him.
“Are you behind our vehicle?”
“I was just about to leave when I heard your alarm. What’s happened?”
“A large shopping mall on Dayu Road is on fire. Our station has been dispatched to assist.”
“Is it serious?”
“Eight fire stations have been deployed so far. Obviously, it’s pretty serious,” Ren Yi replied. “Are you… following me?”
“I was heading in this direction to return to the sub-bureau anyway.” Gong Yingxian paused. “Do you need me to come over?”
Ren Yi smiled. “Of course not. This is our job. You go take care of your own work.”
“A major fire breaking out at this time, and in Hongwu District, makes me a little worried. Could it have something to do with Purple Flame?”
“I suspect it might, too, but there’s no point speculating right now. Whether or not he’s involved, we’ll be extremely careful. Besides, it’s too early to investigate the cause. Whatever started the fire, whoever was responsible, our first priority is to put it out.”
Gong Yingxian fell silent for a moment.
“…I’m still going to the scene. If someone deliberately started this fire, the arsonist could very well still be there.”
“Fine. Just be careful.”
“You be careful, too.”
By the time their fire engine arrived, more than forty fire engines were already at the scene, and even more firefighters and officers were on their way.
Ren Yi glanced at Building A, where the fire had started. The flames had developed into a fully involved, three-dimensional blaze. The building was beyond saving. Their strategy now had to be to protect Buildings B and C and prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding commercial properties. As for Building A, all they could do was watch it burn to the ground.
Ren Yi led Gao Ge toward the temporary command post. Chen Xiaofei and Chief of Staff Xu Jin were in a meeting with several station captains.
Ren Yi saluted. “Captain Chen. Chief of Staff.”
“Come over here.” Chen Xiaofei beckoned to him.
Ren Yi walked over. “Are there any trapped people in Building A?”
“When the fire started, there were only a few security guards in Building A. Once they realized they couldn’t control it, they all evacuated. But there are still large numbers of people trapped in the shopping areas and hotel in Building B. Wang Meng is leading a team to evacuate them.”
Xu Jin frowned. “Those security guards were afraid of being fined when the fire first broke out, so they didn’t report it. They tried to put it out themselves and ended up missing the critical window for extinguishing it. Building A is now a total loss. There are more than two thousand shops inside. The damage is going to be enormous.”
“The high-rise in Building B is a hotel? Doesn’t our district only have one aerial platform truck capable of reaching extreme heights?” Building B was more than a hundred meters tall, while the highest their station’s platform truck could reach was only around the twentieth floor.
Xu Jin nodded. “We’ve already called in every ultra-high aerial platform truck in the entire city. Two have arrived so far. Given the current scale of the fire, we still don’t have enough personnel. Headquarters has dispatched another three fire stations as reinforcements.”
Chen Xiaofei pointed to the site plan.
“This is the strategy we’ve just worked out. We’re going to divide our forces into four groups.
“The first group will enter Building B to rescue the trapped civilians.
“The second group will attack the fire from below the seven-story connecting structure, forcing the flames back toward the connector.
“The third group will use high-pressure water cannons from the north to block the fire and protect the neighboring Mudan Mall. If necessary, they’ll enter Mudan Mall and fight the flames at close range.
“The fourth group will enter the construction site at Building C, remove the large quantities of combustible materials, and prevent the fire from spreading.”
Everyone answered in unison, “Yes, sir!”
Chen Xiaofei looked at the station captains one by one, his expression grave.
“This is the biggest fire Hongwu District—and perhaps the entire capital—has faced in nearly five years. The flames are ferocious, and every second counts. This is the moment when the people need us. This is the moment when the people are putting us to the test.
“I expect every one of you to fulfill your duties and give everything you’ve got. We’re going to fight this battle with everything we have. But as station captains, I also expect you to protect yourselves and the firefighters under your command.
“I’ll be waiting for all of you to return victorious.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Now, let’s assign the missions.”