Ren Yi asked, “How is Feilan? Is she still in the hospital?”
“Yes. She’s already awake, and there’s nothing seriously wrong with her. She’s just badly shaken. Once she’s recovered a little, she’ll definitely come visit you.” Gong Yingxian sounded worried. “She was caught in a fire at a coffee shop last year, and now this has happened again. This time, she was even kidnapped. It’s had a huge impact on her. Her mother and I discussed it, and we’ve decided to let her take a year off from school and stay in the United States. If she likes it there, she won’t come back.”
“That might be for the best. It’s not safe here, either.”
Gong Yingxian said in a muffled voice, “I’d arranged for bodyguards to take her to and from school a long time ago. Someone accompanied her everywhere she went. I thought at least the school would be safe. I never imagined Fang Zhixu would exploit this loophole.”
“This isn’t your fault. We underestimated Fang Zhixu. We treated him like a rebellious kid, never imagining he could turn into a criminal so easily.”
“His psychological problems were already quite serious. We’d spoken to his parents and strongly recommended that they take him to see a doctor. His father didn’t take it seriously, or perhaps he was afraid of losing face and refused to admit his son had a problem. The organization must have noticed him on Blazing Angels and exploited his psychological vulnerabilities, brainwashing and manipulating him. Then the online slander against you became the trigger that pushed him directly toward extreme behavior.”
“He’s only a teenager. How did he end up like this?” Although Ren Yi hated Fang Zhixu, he also felt a deep sense of sorrow for him. A child barely into his teens should have had an entire future ahead of him. Even with his psychological problems, he might never have done these things if the X cult hadn’t deliberately manipulated him.
Gong Yingxian frowned. “We suspect his father subjected both him and his mother to domestic violence for years, but we have no evidence. Over the past twenty years, his mother sought medical treatment four times. Each time, she claimed she’d fallen, twisted something, or been in a car accident. But those injuries were obviously caused by beatings. Fang Zhixu himself even reported it to the police once, but nothing came of it.”
Ren Yi drew a sharp breath, feeling even heavier at heart. Police officers and firefighters were frontline workers who dealt most closely with ordinary people. They witnessed more than anyone else of the mundane troubles and private affairs of everyday life. Most women suffering domestic violence were afraid to speak out for one reason or another, trapped in an endless cycle of pain and helplessness. And sometimes, there was nothing they could do.
“After he was arrested, he didn’t show the slightest sign of dejection. If anything, he seemed relieved, and he had absolutely no remorse.” Gong Yingxian shook his head. “Maybe I haven’t been a police officer long enough, but this is the first time I’ve encountered a suspect like him.”
“He’ll be a breakthrough in the investigation.”
“Mm. We’re interrogating him now.”
“If he refuses to talk, let me speak to him.” Ren Yi looked at Gong Yingxian. “Maybe he’ll be willing to tell me something.”
“Your injuries haven’t healed yet. Don’t think about that for now.”
“Catching Purple Flame is the most urgent thing. We have to prevent more tragedies like this.”
“We’ll see how things go. Let’s not talk about this anymore. I rushed over here whenever I could find a little time, and I’ll have to leave soon. Once I walk out of here, all I’ll be doing is working on the case. But while I’m here, could we…”
Gong Yingxian spoke a little shyly. “Could we just talk about us?”
“Of course. Let’s just talk about us.” Ren Yi smiled tenderly, gazing at Gong Yingxian without blinking.
Gong Yingxian shifted his eyes and asked softly, “You said you’ve liked me for a long time. How long exactly?”
“A long time means a long time. Since last year.”
“Be more specific.” Gong Yingxian stared at him insistently.
Ren Yi said helplessly, “At first, after I learned about your background, I started paying special attention to you. I realized I liked you when Chen Pei first brought up the matter of the mask. You looked like you were in so much pain, and I suddenly realized that your emotions seemed to have become my emotions, too.”
Gong Yingxian froze. “…That early?”
He lowered his eyes and suddenly fell silent.
Ren Yi knew they were probably thinking about the same thing.
Gong Yingxian finally spoke. “Then why did you still date that actor?”
Ren Yi took a deep breath. “I need to make one thing absolutely clear. Qi Xiao and I never dated. He wasn’t my boyfriend. After I realized I liked you, I never contacted him of my own accord, either. Running into him at the concert that day was an accident. If you hadn’t…” He thought back to what had happened that night, and he still felt a pang of pain. “Because you said those words, I didn’t want us to become unable to even remain friends. That’s why…”
“So you lied to me? You liked me, but you told me you didn’t?” Gong Yingxian stared at Ren Yi, his lips trembling slightly.
Ren Yi pressed his lips together and said quietly, “But you said I disgusted you.”
Gong Yingxian clenched his fists and struck the bed in frustration. He didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling at that moment. Anger? Regret? Resentment?
It was simply fate playing cruel tricks on them.
“Do you know when I realized I liked you?” Gong Yingxian asked in a trembling voice.
“…When?”
“That night.”
At those words, Ren Yi felt his eyes grow hot, and a wave of bitterness rushed into his nose. He turned his face away.
What had all their mutual suspicion, deception, and hurt been for? If only one of them had dared to tell the truth, neither would have had to suffer through so much doubt or spend countless sleepless nights tossing and turning.
Gong Yingxian buried his face in the hollow of Ren Yi’s shoulder and sniffled softly. Looking back on everything that had happened since that night, all he could feel was regret. They could have understood each other’s feelings so much sooner. Why had they tortured each other for so long?!
Ren Yi murmured, “Are we two fucking idiots or what?”
“Maybe we are.” Gong Yingxian lifted his head and wiped his face, his expression pained. “I didn’t really think you were disgusting. I was just saying things out of anger. When I saw that scene, I was so furious I wanted to hit someone.”
“I was saying things out of anger, too. In my heart, you’re perfect. Everything about you is exactly my type.” Ren Yi looked into Gong Yingxian’s eyes, his love completely undisguised. He smiled faintly. “At least it’s all behind us now.”
Gong Yingxian gently stroked Ren Yi’s face. “From now on, no more misunderstandings and no more saying things we don’t mean.”
“None. Never again.”
Gong Yingxian leaned forward and kissed Ren Yi on the lips. He didn’t dare apply any pressure, afraid of hurting Ren Yi’s injuries. The kiss was utterly gentle and deeply affectionate.
Ren Yi returned it softly. That kiss seemed to fill his body with boundless strength, making him forget his pain and illness for that brief moment.
After the kiss, Gong Yingxian muttered softly, “I still haven’t given you the lily-of-the-valley specimen. I wanted to give it to you that day, but Yan Jue broke it. After I repaired it, I invited you to my house, and then we ended up trapped in the cold-storage warehouse. It’s as if even heaven itself has been making things difficult for me.”
Ren Yi laughed. “Were you really planning to use it to confess your feelings to me?”
Gong Yingxian said resentfully, “You beat me to it.”
Ren Yi teased him. “You’re certainly creative.”
Gong Yingxian genuinely thought Ren Yi was complimenting him. “Of course. Lily was the first lizard I ever raised, so it has special meaning to me. Its specimen also had a very distinctive shape. I spent a long time thinking about it.” He sounded disappointed. “And now it’s all been ruined.”
Ren Yi stroked his hair and said gently, “Who says that? It’s the most romantic gift I’ve ever seen.”
Gong Yingxian’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Really. Only someone as intelligent as you could come up with such a creative gift.” Looking into Gong Yingxian’s bright eyes, Ren Yi felt nothing but happiness. “What about that photograph? I had it tucked inside my clothes at the time.”
“It’s still in your clothes.” Gong Yingxian smiled. “Once you’re discharged, I’ll bring the actual specimen to your station. That way, you’ll be able to see it every day and remember what I wanted to tell you.”
Ren Yi suppressed a laugh. “Okay, okay. But I’m worried Miaomiao might damage it. She loves batting things around.”
“Oh. In that case, I’d better put it at your home instead. If it gets broken again, it won’t be easy to repair.”
Just then, Gong Yingxian’s phone chimed. He glanced down at it and said reluctantly, “I have to go.”
“Something about White Flame?”
“Mm. We know which hotel he’s staying at now, but we still don’t dare make an arrest.”
“Haven’t you found an opportunity yet?”
Gong Yingxian shook his head. “He never leaves the hotel. Only his attendants go out. We don’t dare alert him to our presence, so we’ve only been tailing his attendants, too.”
“There are only two of them. Is it really that difficult to arrest him?”
“We have evidence that White Flame recently purchased a large quantity of materials that could be used to make explosives.”
Ren Yi’s expression grew grave.
“He’s a ticking time bomb himself right now. He may have deliberately chosen to stay in a densely populated area. The moment he notices anything suspicious, he could have hundreds of hostages. With a dangerous criminal like this, we have to wait until the conditions are absolutely safe before making a move.”
“Is it really that easy to make explosives?”
“For someone with a background in chemistry, it’s very easy. That’s why we’re being so cautious.” Gong Yingxian narrowed his eyes. “Still, he’s already trapped. We hope to capture him alive. Meanwhile, we’re keeping him under observation. We might even uncover more accomplices this way, so we’re not necessarily in a hurry to catch him within the next few days.”
“Be careful.”
“Don’t worry.” Gong Yingxian kissed Ren Yi once more. “You need to take good care of yourself and get better soon.”
“I’m tough. I’ll be fine in a few days.” Ren Yi spoke seriously. “I meant what I said earlier about wanting to see Fang Zhixu. Let me interrogate him. He seems not to care about anything, but at least he still cares a little about me.”
Gong Yingxian hesitated for a moment. “I’ll arrange it once you’re well enough to leave the hospital.”
Ren Yi smiled. “Kiss me one more time.”
Gong Yingxian kissed him again.
“It’s never enough,” Ren Yi sighed. “I could never get tired of looking at you, either.”
Gong Yingxian kissed his cheek again and whispered in his ear, “You can look at me for the rest of your life.”
Ren Yi smiled, his heart full.