Qu Yangbo sighed. “This situation has escalated incredibly quickly. It surfaced last night, and by today, it’s already sparked heated discussions all over the internet. The higher-ups have taken notice and decided to send an investigation team.”
Ren Yi was silent for a moment. “Was all of this done by that male relative?”
“It doesn’t look like it.” Qu Yangbo explained, “At first, it was. I’ve already asked Fu Kai to investigate the source of the news. Initially, the man exposed the incident online himself, then some netizens joined the discussion, followed by the media. Yesterday, it was spreading at the normal pace of a social news story. But starting today, things have become abnormal. Someone is using certain methods to boost the incident’s exposure and steer public opinion.”
“…That doesn’t sound like something a man who just lost his wife would be capable of doing.”
“Exactly. He posted about it to vent his anger. Right now, he should be comforting his family and dealing with the aftermath. He has more important things to attend to than venting his anger. This is the work of someone with ulterior motives.”
Ren Yi was about to speak when his phone rang. He had a feeling it was Gong Yingxian calling. He took out his phone, and sure enough, it was him.
As soon as the call connected, Gong Yingxian got straight to the point. “We’re handling this. Xiao Tan discovered that an online marketing company is fanning the flames. We suspect the funding behind it is connected to Purple Flame. Don’t worry. None of those spreading rumors will get away with it.”
Gong Yingxian’s voice was like a bird’s call echoing through a gloomy valley, bringing a clear, piercing sense of light breaking through the clouds. Ren Yi felt a little more at ease. “Mm. I’m not worried. Everything we did followed procedure. I have a clear conscience.”
“As much as possible, stop looking at things online. A lot of the negative comments may be from people who were paid, or people who’ve been misled. Let us handle it,” Gong Yingxian said softly. “Don’t pay attention to those things. We know what kind of person you are, and what kind of firefighter you are.”
Ren Yi murmured an acknowledgment, but he couldn’t help imagining just how many vicious comments were being posted online.
After the call ended, Qu Yangbo said, “The chief of staff is coming this afternoon to investigate. Let’s prepare a few things first: the dispatch footage from the station garage that day, the vehicle dashcam footage, the audio and video recordings and written records from the scene, and your leave application. You should also finish writing your incident report as soon as possible. I’ll take care of reassuring the firefighters. Just focus on your own tasks.”
“All right.”
Qu Yangbo reassured him. “You don’t need to worry too much. Like you said, we followed procedure.”
“What I’m worried about isn’t the investigation from above. It’s Purple Flame.” Ren Yi gritted his teeth. “This person is so mysterious that we can’t find even the slightest clue connecting anything to him. He’s hiding in the shadows, directing his followers to come out and commit evil acts one after another.”
“But his followers are also being caught and exposed one after another. Most of Chitian Angel’s users in the country have already come under police scrutiny. It’s only a matter of time before the police catch him.” Qu Yangbo blinked. “I have as much faith in Dr. Gong as you do.”
Ren Yi smiled faintly. He had always believed that Gong Yingxian would be the one to catch Purple Flame, that cunning and formidable criminal.
Back in his office, Ren Yi prepared to finish the incident report he had only half completed. But before he could put pen to paper, he couldn’t resist taking out his phone to search for information about the incident. He knew Gong Yingxian didn’t want him to look because he was afraid Ren Yi would get angry. He also knew that if he looked, he would definitely get angry. But he couldn’t help himself.
The most widely circulated post consisted of a video and accompanying text. The impassioned, accusatory message targeting Phoenix Fire Station and Ren Yi himself had clearly been written by the man from the scene, judging by its tone. It questioned their delayed response, accused Ren Yi of abandoning his post, and even mentioned the physical altercation and threats.
Just reading the text made Ren Yi’s chest tighten and his breathing grow rapid. He clicked on the video, which was just over two minutes long.
The footage had been edited. It showed when they arrived, followed by the part where they restrained the male relative to stop him from grabbing at them. Gong Yingxian’s warning was also included. The video ended with the man weeping over his dead wife.
Based on what the video showed, they had not only arrived far too late, missing the precious window of time when every second counted, but had also gotten into a physical confrontation with a family member consumed by grief. Any ordinary person could easily put themselves in the man’s shoes and feel outraged.
Ren Yi took a moment to steady his breathing before hesitantly opening the comments. With every comment he read, his heart sank a little further. The section was filled with irrational abuse, accusations, and baseless speculation. In the eyes of the public, they had become a group of negligent, heartless, cowardly criminals who were afraid to risk their lives and had caused a mother’s death.
Ren Yi slammed his phone onto the desk and rubbed his head in frustration. He wanted to reply, to explain, to argue back. But looking at the tens of thousands of comments, he felt utterly unable to defend himself.
If even he was this discouraged, what about the other firefighters…?
Ren Yi stood up, intending to check on them. But then he remembered what Qu Yangbo had said and sat back down. When a problem arose, the priority was to find a way to solve it. Right now, his first task was to finish the incident report and document everything that had happened, fully and accurately.
That afternoon, when Xu Jin arrived at the station with two investigators, Ren Yi and Qu Yangbo had already prepared everything. The evidence was sufficient to prove that they had not violated any rules or regulations.
Xu Jin entered with a dark expression. Ren Yi and the others had never seen him look like this before, which showed just how serious the situation was. But Ren Yi knew he had done nothing wrong, so he didn’t panic.
“Chief of Staff…”
“You two, come in with me.” Xu Jin pointed at Ren Yi and Qu Yangbo.
The two exchanged a glance before following him into the conference room.
Xu Jin slammed a thick stack of documents onto the table. “Those two investigators are from the corps headquarters. Disciplinary inspectors will be arriving shortly, too. I’m putting my own reputation on the line to talk to you privately first. Before they come in, we need to figure out what to do.”
“Disciplinary inspectors?” Qu Yangbo’s voice rose in alarm. “What do they have to do with this?!”
“Oh, you don’t know yet. But soon, everyone will.” Xu Jin pointed at the documents. “Open them and take a look.”
Ren Yi picked up the documents suspiciously and pulled them out. The moment he saw the first page, his expression changed.
Qu Yangbo leaned over to glance at it. His reaction was exactly the same as Ren Yi’s.
“You think I came here today just because of that video? Originally, yes. This kind of matter could have been handled by our own brigade. But this document was delivered to corps headquarters this morning. It’s probably already online, too.”
Ren Yi felt his scalp prickling. His mind went blank for a brief moment. The situation had truly become serious.
The document contained some of his father’s medical records from the hospital where Gong Yingxian worked, along with several photographs. It questioned how Ren Yi could afford a special-care room at a private hospital costing 1,800 yuan per day, as well as high-end customized medical treatment estimated to cost over a million yuan.
Ren Yi was still frozen in place, but Qu Yangbo had already collected his thoughts and spoken up.
“Chief of Staff, this can be explained.”
“Explained!” Xu Jin roared.
Qu Yangbo laid out his points clearly. “First, Gong Yingxian is the controlling shareholder of this private hospital. He and Ren Yi are close friends, and Ren Yi has helped him a great deal with investigations. Second, Gong Yingxian survived a fire nineteen years ago. The person who rescued him from that fire was none other than our former captain. Third, and most importantly, this hospital has places allocated for charitable medical care and research projects, which are completely free of charge. The former captain is using one of those places.”
Xu Jin glared at them. “Those reasons might make sense on a personal level, but do they hold up under disciplinary scrutiny? Ren Yi, you’re a public servant. If your conduct is classified as misconduct, it could be considered abuse of your position for personal gain, or even bribery.”
Ren Yi clenched his fists, his face deathly pale. “Who sent this in?”
“Anonymous, of course! And look at all this material. Do you think someone could have put it together overnight? They’ve been watching you for a long time!” Xu Jin said, deeply distressed. “Ren Yi, Ren Yi… How could you be so careless? Don’t you have any political sense? And you, Qu Yangbo! You grew up in a government compound, and you have a master’s degree in law from Renmin University. What the hell did you study all those years for? Couldn’t you have warned him?”
Qu Yangbo lowered his head in shame. “I… I overlooked it.”
“It’s not his fault,” Ren Yi said quietly. “I only told him afterward. I… I didn’t realize how serious this could become.”
“You two really…” Xu Jin was furious. “Once this gets exposed online, there’ll be no way to handle it quietly. When that happens, even Old Chen and I might not be able to protect you!”
Ren Yi said in a low voice, “Chief of Staff, I was wrong.”
“How did you arrange this with Captain Ren? Did you do it behind his back?”
Ren Yi nodded.
“How could you be so foolish? Do you think Captain Ren is after a little extra comfort? You might end up sacrificing your own future, and what will happen to Captain Ren in his old age?” Xu Jin glared at him furiously. “That police officer Gong grew up overseas. What the hell does he know about how things work in our system? He was willing to offer it, and you were willing to accept it. I’m telling you, he’s in trouble too. You were both equally stupid!”
Ren Yi felt miserable. Although Gong Yingxian had ultimately done something he shouldn’t have, his original intention had been kind. And none of this should ever have become public knowledge.
It had never occurred to Ren Yi that Purple Flame would do more than threaten their lives. He also wanted to destroy them from within, using methods they could never have anticipated.
What kind of opponent were they really dealing with?!
Qu Yangbo took a deep breath. “Chief of Staff, things have already come to this. We need to find a way to help Ren Yi. Everyone knows what kind of person he is. They also know he’s the best station captain. It’s obvious that this cult is behind everything. We can’t let them get what they want.”
“No one wants to let them get what they want, but we still have to give the public an explanation.” Xu Jin wiped his face. “The most urgent thing now is to turn public opinion around. If the fire service’s reputation suffers because of you, then even if you’re innocent, you’ll still be held responsible. The higher-ups will definitely impose a severe punishment.”
Qu Yangbo said, “We’ve already prepared evidence addressing the questions being raised online.”
Xu Jin nodded, then pointed at Ren Yi. “Contact Gong Yingxian immediately. Go to the hospital and get every document that can prove this was charitable medical care or part of a research project.”
“Yes, sir.”
Just then, Xu Jin’s phone chimed. He opened the message and let out a heavy sigh. His expression grew even darker.
The two watched him anxiously, both sensing that something worse had happened.
“What is it?” they asked together.
“They’ve started digging into your past online,” Xu Jin said gravely. “They’re claiming you got into fights in high school, failed several courses at the Armed Police University, and were disciplined for drinking and skipping classes. They’re also bringing up the incident a few years ago when you sprayed a reporter with a water gun and nearly got into a fight with a victim’s family member. With such a ‘long record of misconduct,’ how did you become a station captain at twenty-eight? Was it because your father was a former deputy brigade commander?”
After hearing all this, Ren Yi’s face went expressionless. His gaze turned vacant, and for a moment, he had no idea what to say.
What could he say?
That everyone had failed a course or two at university? That everyone had acted recklessly and made mistakes when they were young?
When you magnify a person’s flaws without limit, those flaws become a black hole capable of swallowing them whole.