To save time, Qu Yangbo took the last flight out and then the last flight back the following day. By the time he returned to the fire station, dawn was almost breaking.
After daybreak, the Hongwu Fire and Rescue Brigade published an investigative report on its official account regarding Phoenix Fire Station’s response to the fire at Anjia Residential Community. The report presented evidence from multiple sources demonstrating that Phoenix Station had responded within the required timeframe, and that the delay in arrival had been caused by unavoidable traffic congestion. The commander’s on-site decisions had followed proper procedures, and there had been no violence, threats, or similar misconduct. As for the various allegations against the station captain, he had been suspended pending a separate investigation.
By this point, with the release of the complete video and revelations from multiple sources, public opinion had begun to split into opposing camps. More people were adopting a wait-and-see attitude. It was a positive sign, but Ren Yi knew his crisis was far from over.
After his suspension became official, Ren Yi discovered what it meant for each day to feel like a year. Every time the alarm sounded, he would instinctively spring up from his chair or bed, only to remember immediately that he was no longer allowed to respond to emergencies—and might not be able to for a long time. The realization left him feeling miserable.
He received messages of comfort from many friends. Whenever the firefighters had a spare moment, they would seek him out to hang around with him. Qu Yangbo also told him about every bit of good news as soon as he heard it. To keep everyone from becoming discouraged on his account, Ren Yi forced himself to smile every day, maintaining an air of calm confidence as though he had everything under control.
He also visited his father at the nursing home. Fortunately, his father usually just watched the news and rarely went online, so he had no idea of the uproar his son had recently caused on the internet. Ren Yi was terrified that he might find out. The private hospital issue alone would make his father furious.
After several days of drifting through life in a daze while pretending to remain composed, Saturday finally arrived. That afternoon, Ren Yi bought two bottles of fine liquor and waited for Gong Yingxian to finish work and pick him up.
They had arranged to have dinner at Gong Yingxian’s house that evening. He had heard that Gong Feilan would be joining them, too. Ever since the girl started high school, she had been so busy that she hadn’t come to the station to pester him in ages. She had to complete three years’ worth of coursework in just one year.
The sun had barely set when Gong Yingxian arrived at the station. Ren Yi got into the car and asked expectantly, “I wonder what Uncle Sheng has prepared for us tonight.”
“He’s probably made a lot of your favorite dishes.” Gong Yingxian absently scrolled through his phone, then looked up. “Have they finished investigating the fire at Anjia Residential Community?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been following it. Why?”
“The district bureau received an anonymous tip today. We haven’t had time to verify it yet.”
“What tip?”
“Last year, the husband took out a large life insurance policy on his wife. Their daughter was named as the beneficiary.”
Ren Yi instinctively sat up straighter.
Gong Yingxian nodded. “We want to investigate it, but your fire investigation department hasn’t filed a report with the police to this day. It’s been more than a week. Does that mean they’ve already ruled out arson?”
“Based on the timeline, yes. They’d normally have the results by now. If there were any suspicions at all, they would have handed the case over to the police. And it was an ordinary residence of less than a hundred square meters, so the investigation shouldn’t take long. I can ask them.”
“Please do.”
Ren Yi sent a WeChat message to a colleague in the fire investigation department, asking them to send him the complete investigation report on the Anjia Residential Community fire.
After putting down his phone, he recalled how distraught the victim’s husband had looked at the scene.
“He seemed genuinely devastated at the time.”
“Grief and anger can both be faked. Don’t judge by appearances. Look at the evidence.”
“Mm…”
Gong Yingxian started the car. “Forget about that for now. Think about dinner instead.”
Ren Yi laughed. “You said Feilan was coming today, right? How has she been lately?”
“She’s in high school now, and the academic pressure is intense. She kept pestering me to let her see you a while ago, but I wouldn’t let her go to the station. Since we’re having dinner today, I thought I’d pick her up and bring her along.”
“By the way, how’s the investigation into that matter you mentioned last time going?” Ren Yi was referring, of course, to the matter concerning Feilan’s father.
“We’re still investigating it discreetly.”
Ren Yi hesitated. “If he really has done something wrong, what are you going to do?”
Gong Yingxian kept his eyes on the road, his gaze icy. “I don’t want to hurt Feilan, but I will never let any suspect get away.”
Ren Yi sighed softly.
When they arrived at Gong Yingxian’s house, Uncle Sheng welcomed Ren Yi with twice his usual enthusiasm. He had also heard about the recent controversy and repeatedly offered words of comfort, making Ren Yi feel a little embarrassed.
“When will Feilan arrive?” Gong Yingxian glanced at his watch.
“Miss Feilan’s school organized an off-campus visit today. Apparently, it was supposed to finish at six, so she should be about done by now,” Uncle Sheng said. “The place isn’t far from here, either.”
“What are they visiting?” Ren Yi asked casually.
“Some kind of dairy processing plant, I think. I heard they spent more than a billion yuan building the new facility.” Uncle Sheng ushered Ren Yi into the living room. “You two can chat for a while. We’ll have dinner once Miss Feilan arrives.”
Ren Yi turned to Gong Yingxian. “Want to show me your pets?”
The two of them headed to the expensive climate-controlled room.
Compared with the nervousness and curiosity Ren Yi had felt the first two times he entered, he was much more relaxed now. After all, the animals really did seem incapable of getting out.
But the very next moment, Gong Yingxian opened one of the climate-controlled enclosures.
“Hey…” Ren Yi couldn’t stop him in time. He watched as Gong Yingxian took out a snake as thick as a human arm, its entire body a vivid water blue.
This was Gong Yingxian’s very first pet, Sachiel, a blue-blooded snake.
Its scales were brilliantly patterned and exuded an air of luxurious elegance. The shimmering blue-green color resembled the rippling waters of Lake Interlaken, while its golden eyes were like those of a sea serpent, radiating a mysterious and dangerous beauty.
Gong Yingxian draped Sachiel around his arm. “Want to touch it?”
Ren Yi initially smiled and shook his head, but then he found himself a little tempted.
“Go ahead. It’s actually a mutant green tree python. It isn’t venomous, and it doesn’t bite.”
Ren Yi walked over, blinking at the snake. “Let me make one thing clear first. I’m not scared. I’ve caught snakes before. I just don’t particularly like creatures like this.”
Gong Yingxian gently ran a finger along its body. “It’s cool and smooth. Very comfortable to touch.”
After mentally preparing himself, Ren Yi tentatively reached out a hand. “It really won’t bite me?”
“It won’t.” Gong Yingxian added, “And even if it does, it won’t kill you.”
Ren Yi shot him a sidelong glance, took a deep breath, and lightly touched the blue scales with his fingertips.
Just as Gong Yingxian had said, they felt cool and smooth. The sensation was wonderfully strange.
“How is it?” Gong Yingxian asked, looking at Ren Yi with anticipation. His eyes were shining, like a child earnestly sharing a toy with a friend.
Ren Yi smiled. “It’s kind of interesting.”
“Sachiel is gentle, but also indifferent. It won’t form an emotional bond with you the way domesticated animals like cats and dogs do, yet it definitely recognizes you.” Gong Yingxian seemed to recall something and spoke with a hint of wistfulness. “I used to think this was the best way for living things to interact. If people could exercise the same restraint with one another, it would save us a lot of trouble.”
Ren Yi laughed. “If everyone were like that, the world would be boring. Humans are emotional creatures. Without emotions, we’d even lose our creativity, wouldn’t we?”
Gong Yingxian nodded. “You’re right.”
Ren Yi gradually grew bolder, even letting Sachiel settle on his own arm. His heart raced, and he found the experience rather thrilling.
“Come on, take a picture of me!”
Gong Yingxian pulled out his phone and took a photo of Ren Yi.
Then, in unison, they said, “Let’s take one together, too…”
They looked at each other and laughed. Gong Yingxian placed his phone on a tool rack, set the timer, and took the first photo of himself and Ren Yi together.
Ren Yi looked at the picture, his heart brimming with sweetness. “Hey, let’s take a few more.”
He had wanted to take a picture with Gong Yingxian for a long time. At last, they had found a perfectly natural opportunity.
They took several photos, played with the snake for a while, and looked around the room. Finally, Ren Yi stopped in front of the workbench and asked, “What happened to that lizard specimen?”
“I’ve finished restoring it. It’s not here, though. I’ll take you to see it after dinner.” For some reason, Gong Yingxian’s face grew slightly warm as he said this.
Ren Yi didn’t notice. He teased him, “You’re being so mysterious. Now I’m even more curious.”
Gong Yingxian checked his watch. “Feilan should be arriving soon. Let’s go back.”
Ren Yi suddenly moved close to Gong Yingxian and whispered into his ear with a mischievous laugh, “Hey, next time, I want to try doing it here.”
Gong Yingxian immediately wrapped an arm around his waist and murmured, “We can do it now.”
Ren Yi clicked his tongue. “Tsk. I’ve noticed you’re getting bolder and bolder. It’s not even fun teasing you anymore.”
“You were teasing me?” Gong Yingxian raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “Then was what you said true or not?”
“Of course it was true.” Ren Yi grinned. “But right now, we need to go eat.”
Gong Yingxian took his hand instead. “Come on.”
They held hands all the way back to the living room and only let go when they arrived. Uncle Sheng was directing the staff as they set out the dishes.
“Has Feilan arrived yet?”
“Not yet. I just called, and Xiao Wang said their visit was delayed. They haven’t finished.”
Gong Yingxian said, “Then let’s not wait for her. Save a portion of whatever she likes, and we’ll eat first.”
“All right.”
The two had barely sat down and eaten a few bites when Gong Yingxian’s phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that the call was from his driver. He frowned. The driver rarely called him directly.
“Young Master, something’s happened!” the driver shouted anxiously over the phone. “The second Pinxian factory is on fire!”
His voice was loud enough for both Ren Yi and Uncle Sheng to hear.
Ren Yi’s hair stood on end. “Pinxian? Pinxian Dairy?”
Gong Yingxian asked urgently, “What happened? Where’s Feilan?”
“They haven’t come out yet. The situation at the scene is chaotic. We can’t get in, and we can’t get in touch with Miss Feilan.”
Gong Yingxian hung up and strode toward the door.
Ren Yi followed immediately, pulling out his phone as he went. The captain of the fire station responsible for that district was a friend of his.
The two got into the car. Gong Yingxian kept calling Gong Feilan as he started the engine.
“Hey, Wei-ge,” Ren Yi said quickly into his phone. “Has something happened at Pinxian’s second factory?”
After receiving confirmation, his voice began to tremble. “Tell me what’s going on. My sister is inside on a school visit, and there’s a whole group of students there!”
Ren Yi listened for a while, his brows furrowed. “Tell me immediately if there’s any news. Please, Wei-ge.”
After hanging up, Ren Yi wiped his face with one hand. “They don’t know much yet, either. They’ve only just received the emergency call. Let’s not panic. We need to stay calm. Feilan will be fine.”
Gong Yingxian’s eyes were bloodshot. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, slammed his foot down on the accelerator, and drove toward the factory as fast as he could.