The day after Shen Pei left, the restrictions keeping Ren Yi under house arrest were lifted. Apparently, Chen Xiaofei had gone to complain to the city leaders.
Ren Yi’s phone was returned to him. Holding it in his hand, he knew there was little hope, but he still called Gong Yingxian and sent him messages.
Naturally, they all disappeared into the void without a response.
He had been forbidden from contacting police officers involved in the case, including Qiu Yan and Tan Haochun. He could only find a way to get in touch with Qiu Yan through Qu Yangbo, hoping to understand what was happening.
When Qu Yangbo returned, he sat down beside Ren Yi with a dejected expression.
“Prepare yourself mentally. This time, things are really serious.”
“How serious?”
“The Ministry of Public Security has issued an internal wanted notice.”
“…A wanted notice…for Gong Yingxian?”
Qu Yangbo nodded gravely. “They were afraid it would damage the police’s image, so they haven’t made it public. But right now, the entire city is looking for them.”
Ren Yi growled, “Why?! What did Captain Qiu say?”
“Captain Qiu isn’t doing well either. She’s been suspended pending investigation. It took me a lot of effort to contact her secretly. She didn’t dare say much over the phone, but she said that Dr. Gong must have been framed.”
“What evidence do they actually have? They must have some solid evidence before they’d dare suspect a police officer, right?”
“Apparently, they found a crucial piece of evidence at Zhang Wen’s residence.”
“Any news about Zhang Wen?”
Qu Yangbo shook his head. “Can you believe it? That person wasn’t Zhang Wen at all. The real Zhang Wen has disappeared. The impostor assumed his identity and joined the Fire Investigation Division.”
Ren Yi was stunned.
“Fu Kai told me. Zhang Wen’s household registration records are kept at his police station, and they assisted with the investigation. The fake Zhang Wen looked somewhat like the real one. Both were fair-skinned and delicate-looking, short and very thin. With the disguise provided by his hairstyle, makeup, and glasses, it was difficult to tell them apart. Joining the department wasn’t like going through airport security. Who would carefully check every facial feature? Anyway, he managed to fool everyone and worked in the Fire Investigation Division for over a year.”
Ren Yi felt a chill run through his entire body.
So Zhang Wen’s perpetually awkward, half-grown fringe, oversized black-rimmed glasses, and slightly hunched, shrinking posture had all been part of his disguise?
With acting skills like that, why the hell didn’t he become an actor instead of getting involved in some cult?
“Then… is there really no news about Gong Yingxian at all?”
Ren Yi’s face was ashen. Worry over Gong Yingxian’s safety tormented him every second of every day. He couldn’t eat or sleep properly, and his fear was growing by the day, almost threatening to drown him completely.
Qu Yangbo tried to comfort him, though he sounded rather helpless. “Wherever he is, I believe he has the ability to keep himself safe.”
Ren Yi murmured, “Whatever he does, he must have a reason. He was definitely framed. Since Purple Flame failed to frame me, they went after him instead.”
“Si Huo, worrying yourself sick won’t accomplish anything. You need to recover quickly so you can help. And you should visit your father soon. If you keep putting it off, the old captain will start getting suspicious.”
Ren Yi nodded. “I should go see my dad.”
Qu Yangbo patted his shoulder.
“How’s the squad been lately?” Ren Yi wiped his face. “Because of me, everyone in the squad has been on edge.”
“This isn’t your fault. Everyone’s worried about you, so they’ve been working even harder to do their jobs properly. They don’t want you to worry about them.”
Ren Yi gave a bitter laugh. “It isn’t my fault? I’ve heard that comforting line too many times. The truth is, a lot of things are my fault. At the very least, I can’t shirk responsibility for what happened at the private hospital.”
Qu Yangbo suddenly became agitated. “You people always insist on taking all the blame upon yourselves! Nobody is a saint. How can anyone get everything right all the time? Can you stop being so hard on yourself?”
“That isn’t being hard on myself. It’s self-reflection. If we can’t even—‘we’?”
Ren Yi looked at Qu Yangbo in confusion.
Qu Yangbo realized he had let something slip, and his expression became awkward. “Anyway, stop overthinking everything.”
“What do you mean by ‘we’?” Ren Yi asked nervously. “Did Captain Chen get dragged into this because of me?”
The trouble Ren Yi had encountered earlier had already given Chen Xiaofei a massive headache. Now Ren Yi had become entangled in Gong Yingxian’s case as well. As the head of the detachment, Chen Xiaofei was under unimaginable pressure with the captain of the only special operations squad under his command caught up in so many incidents. The fact that Chen had merely been suspended rather than removed from his post was already the result of considerable effort by various people.
Ren Yi felt deeply guilty toward this senior and leader who had watched him grow up.
Qu Yangbo hurriedly explained, “It isn’t Captain Chen. He’s certainly got a lot on his plate, but he believes you, just as we all do. He’ll withstand the pressure.”
“Then who is it?”
Qu Yangbo’s expression changed slightly, as though he found it difficult to speak.
“What happened?” Ren Yi had a bad feeling. “Did something happen to the squad?”
Ever since his suspension, the warehouse arson case had broken out, he had been hospitalized, and then the hotel incident had followed. He hadn’t returned to the squad for over a week and had no idea what had been happening there. Since joining the squad ten years ago, he had never been away for this long.
Qu Yangbo lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. Only then did he slowly raise it again. Weariness and vulnerability showed in his eyes, as though a dam struggling to hold back a flood had finally developed a tiny crack.
He said heavily, “Some things happened. But in your current condition, telling you would only add to your burden.”
“So you’re going to carry it all alone?!” Ren Yi snapped angrily. “What did we always say to each other? We face everything together! You can help me shoulder my burdens, so why can’t I help you with yours? What exactly happened?”
Qu Yangbo took a deep breath. “Don’t get too worked up when you hear this. Things are under control now.”
“Just tell me.”
“Cui Yisheng, a few days ago…” Qu Yangbo pressed his lips together, his carefully maintained composure already crumbling as his eyes reddened.
Ren Yi’s heart leaped into his throat.
“A few days ago, he attempted suicide.”
Ren Yi went rigid.
“It was a failure on my part. I didn’t notice how much his mental state had changed over the past few years.” Qu Yangbo sniffed. “Maybe it started last year, when that teenage boy on a motorcycle died right in front of him… No, perhaps that was only one turning point. Over his more than four years in the squad, one incident after another had piled up, leaving him under enormous psychological pressure. But he was never much of a talker. He kept everything bottled up because he was too embarrassed to speak about it. Then there was what happened with Sun Dingyi, which had already pushed him to the brink of collapse. And with the Anjia residential complex case this time, he just…”
Ren Yi’s voice trembled. “He thinks he dragged me down with him.”
Qu Yangbo said with difficulty, “He thinks his on-site command was poor, and that he failed to rescue the female homeowner in time. He believes that led to the conflict between you and the family, which then caused such a huge uproar online and triggered a whole series of negative consequences.”
Ren Yi lowered his head, and tears fell immediately.
Firefighters faced countless accidents, casualties, and human tragedies every day. Watching vibrant lives become broken or disappear right before their eyes could leave a profound psychological impact. Through repeated exposure, most people gradually became stronger, sometimes even numb. That was the mind’s way of protecting itself.
But some people became trapped in pain and self-doubt, sinking deeper and deeper until they were swallowed by a whirlpool of despair so completely that they could no longer save themselves.
They underwent regular psychological counseling and intervention, but these measures could only alleviate their suffering, not cure it entirely. Everyone had to find their own way of coping with the psychological burden.
Qu Yangbo choked up as he spoke. “We discovered it in time, so he’s out of immediate danger. He plans to resign and return to his hometown.”
Ren Yi roughly wiped away his tears. “Does Captain Chen know?”
The chief of staff knew. Captain Chen… hadn’t dared to tell him. Too many things had happened to their detachment over the past year, so they had handled it quietly.
“…I need to go see him.”
“Don’t. He said he’s too ashamed to face you. He said that once he’s recovered enough to look you in the eye, he’ll come find you himself.”
Ren Yi sniffed. “That idiot. The Anjia residential complex incident wasn’t his responsibility at all. When Sun Dingyi left, I should have noticed that something was wrong with him. But I was a complete mess myself back then, so…”
“Same here. Everyone was grieving, and I didn’t notice that his condition was deteriorating either. I shouldn’t have let him lead the team. He clearly wasn’t ready yet.”
Ren Yi looked at Qu Yangbo. “Yangbo, you’ve done everything you could. You’ve been the one holding everything together all this time.”
“Don’t say that. Whatever happens, we’ll get through this difficult period. We absolutely cannot let the bad guys get what they want.”
Ren Yi nodded firmly.
Three days later, Ren Yi was discharged from the hospital. Although his doctors still didn’t want him to leave, he simply couldn’t stand lying in bed doing nothing any longer.
Gong Yingxian had been missing for four days without a trace.
For four whole days, Ren Yi had no idea whether the person he loved most was alive or dead, or where he was. The torment was the worst he had ever experienced in his life, a hundred times more painful than being injured or threatened with death.
He planned to secretly seek out Qiu Yan to find out what was happening. But before that, he had to visit the nursing home. He had gone so long without seeing his father that the old man must be worried.
He washed his hair and shaved, trying to make himself look less haggard. But the visibly thinner, listless face in the mirror could not conceal the despair radiating from within.
When he arrived at the nursing home, Ren Xiangrong immediately noticed how worn-out he looked. Ren Yi had already prepared an excuse, saying he had suffered a fever recently and lost several pounds as a result.
Whether his father believed him or not, he asked no further questions. Between two men, there was an understanding of that stubborn pride that made a person willing to bear everything alone.
The two went about their usual routine: taking a walk, chatting, and watching television dramas.
Only after having dinner with his father did Ren Yi prepare to leave.
It was already past nine. Most of the elderly residents had gone to bed early, and the nursing home was exceptionally quiet. Even the dim yellow lights in the corridors seemed to be drifting off to sleep.
As Ren Yi passed a room, its door suddenly swung open. Before he could react, a strong hand grabbed him and pulled him inside, while another clamped over his mouth to stifle his startled cry.
Ren Yi was just about to fight back when a familiar scent reached his nose: dry, clean, with a faint fragrance of grass and wood.
The solid chest holding him tightly was just as familiar.
Ren Yi’s eyes instantly grew hot, and he nearly burst into tears.
A hand slipped into Ren Yi’s trouser pocket and took his phone. Then, right beside his ear, a quiet voice whispered, “It’s me. Don’t make a sound.”
Ren Yi nodded, trembling.
Gong Yingxian released him. Ren Yi immediately turned and threw his arms around him. He had to bite his lip to stop himself from making a sound.
Gong Yingxian, however, lifted his chin and crashed their lips together in a fierce kiss, kissing him with such overwhelming hunger that it was as though he wanted to devour him whole.
They kissed roughly for a long time in the pitch-black room, until both were nearly out of breath. Only then did they finally separate, panting softly.
In the darkness, Ren Yi stared intently into Gong Yingxian’s bright eyes.
Gong Yingxian gently shushed him. Then he held up Ren Yi’s phone and shook it slightly, silently mouthing two words:
Bugged.
Ren Yi’s expression changed.
Gong Yingxian took a towel from the medicine cabinet, wrapped the phone in it, and placed it inside a metal medical sterilization box. Finally, he put the box into a metal cabinet.
Gong Yingxian let out a long breath and gazed deeply at Ren Yi.
“Have your injuries healed?”