Could something really be that coincidental? It was hard to believe.
“Was it murder disguised as an accident?”
“All the evidence at the scene and the autopsy indicate that it was an accident. He’d also gotten himself into a lot of trouble recently because of an extramarital affair, and he had a history of alcoholism and a motive. But the timing is just too much of a coincidence.” Gong Yingxian spoke through clenched teeth. “I don’t believe it was an accident. Ziyan has simply gotten ahead of us again.”
“Ziyan knows we’re investigating the case from back then, so he might try to silence everyone involved. This also proves that Ziyan has a deep connection to the case. He’s trying to stop us from investigating.”
“Maybe Ziyan has been misleading us from the very beginning. We thought he was doing it to spread his X religion and satisfy his pyromania. Perhaps that was true in the past, but his series of provocations and attacks against us may have had one primary purpose: to stop us from reopening the case.”
“That’s very possible. In that case, his relationship with the people involved must be unusual. Can we check whether any of the people involved back then had children around the right age?”
“I’ll keep an eye on that. I’ll continue investigating the Wang Minde lead, too.” Gong Yingxian clenched his fists without realizing it. “Dr. Pompeii discovered the psychological suggestion he implanted in my mind, but it can no longer be undone. I may never remember what that gas mask looked like for the rest of my life. However, it must have been somewhat similar to the one Ziyan wears. Otherwise, the suggestion wouldn’t have been reinforced. This also indirectly proves that the design of the mask is important. It might even be the key to finding the culprit.”
Ren Yi frowned. “But can we still trace gas masks from nineteen years ago?”
“Yes. Back then, domestic industry wasn’t capable of producing gas masks that met the required standards, so all of them were imported. We’re looking for the customs declarations from that period. But if the mask wasn’t purchased domestically and was instead brought into the country privately, we’ll have to broaden the search considerably.”
Ren Yi sighed. “That’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“Anything someone has done will leave traces. If we follow those traces, we’ll find something.” Gong Yingxian looked into Ren Yi’s eyes and, with a hint of probing, said, “I’ll start by investigating the fire service.”
Ren Yi nodded. “I hope…” He hoped the culprit had absolutely no connection to the fire service, but even he had begun to harbor suspicions. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.
“I hope so, too.” Gong Yingxian knew what Ren Yi wanted to say. “But I won’t overlook any possibility.”
Ren Yi said miserably, “…You shouldn’t have had to go through any of this.”
Why had such a young child been forced to endure that kind of tragedy? He had lost the people closest to him, while a group of adults schemed against him behind his back, deceiving and exploiting him. If he hadn’t made it through, if he hadn’t spent nineteen years doggedly pursuing the truth, would his father have remained falsely accused and died with his name forever tarnished? Would his family never have received justice?
Gong Yingxian gazed quietly at Ren Yi. People loved to proclaim that suffering had meaning and value. He despised that way of thinking. But if all the suffering he had endured from childhood onward had brought him any benefit at all, it would only be that it had led him to meet Ren Yi.
Ren Yi wiped a hand over his face. “Come on. Let’s go look at the scene together.”
“Now? Are you sure?” Not much time had passed since the incident, and Gong Yingxian was worried that returning to the scene so soon might be too much for Ren Yi.
But Ren Yi nodded firmly. “Yes. We have to go. If we wait any longer, they’ll finish clearing everything away, and there won’t be any evidence left. We might still find something now.”
Gong Yingxian checked his watch. “Let’s have lunch first.”
Ren Yi smiled faintly. “A boxed lunch in your car?”
Gong Yingxian hesitated, then spoke as though he had made up his mind. “I can take you to eat somewhere you like.”
“No need. Actually, I kind of miss eating boxed lunches in your car.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Ren Yi’s expression softened. “What we eat doesn’t matter. What matters most is eating with you.”
The corners of Gong Yingxian’s mouth lifted slightly. “Let’s go.”
For a long time, Gong Yingxian had kept a boxed lunch for Ren Yi in his car every day, just so that whenever Ren Yi was with him, he could have something he liked to eat.
The two returned to Gong Yingxian’s car and, as they had done so many times before, spread napkins over their laps and settled down to eat their boxed lunches.
“You seem to have lost some weight lately,” Ren Yi said. “You must have been working yourself to the bone.”
“There’s too much to do, and we don’t have enough personnel. The New Year is coming soon, too, and crime rates are surging. Everyone’s exhausted.”
“That’s true. The New Year always keeps us busy enough. Hey, how are you planning to spend it?”
“At home,” Gong Yingxian replied. “Come spend the New Year with me.”
Ren Yi smiled. “I have to spend it with my dad. Besides, this year we’ve arranged to celebrate together at the fire station. A lot of the firefighters’ families will be coming. Hey, why don’t you come celebrate with me instead?”
Gong Yingxian hesitated. “I’ll come find you after midnight. I have to see my relatives for the New Year.” He pursed his lips. “Another pointless custom.”
“What other relatives do you have?”
“Not many. The Feilan family is the only one we see regularly. The others are either people I’m not close to or relatives living abroad.” Gong Yingxian spoke with a trace of sadness. “After what happened back then, my grandfather was the only person close to me who was left. But he passed away a few years ago, too. So whether I celebrate the New Year or not doesn’t really matter to me.”
Ren Yi comforted him. “Once Feilan grows up, the two of you can rely on each other as siblings. Don’t underestimate her.”
Gong Yingxian nodded.
“By the way, has Bai Yan shown up yet?” Ren Yi remembered the extremely dangerous criminal.
Gong Yingxian shook his head. “The entire city is looking for him. He probably won’t dare to make a move for the time being. We’ve already tapped the phones of all his relatives and friends. He can’t hide forever.”
“The Wenhui Mall fire probably wasn’t Bai Yan’s doing. If it had been him, he wouldn’t have used something as crude as gasoline for an accelerant, would he?”
“Mm. For a pyromaniac, every fire is a work of art. They want to show off their individuality and leave behind their own signature. Bai Yan has the ability to manufacture chemical weapons. He wouldn’t stoop to using gasoline.”
“But gasoline is also the easiest to obtain, and it works extremely well. I think Ziyan did his research before choosing Wenhui Mall.” Thinking about how Ziyan had deliberately planned everything, Ren Yi felt so furious that his heart trembled.
“That’s right. The mall contains a large amount of combustible material, enough to fuel a massive fire. It’s also close to you, so when the fire station mobilized, Phoenix Fire Station was bound to be dispatched. There may not have been another location as suitable for arson.”
“There must have been at least twenty liters of accelerant. No one could carry a container that big inside without being noticed. They used the same kind of trick at the Honglin Stadium concert before, disguising themselves as staff to bring explosives inside. Do you think they might have used the same method this time?”
“We can’t rule it out, so we’re also investigating the mall’s employees.”
Gong Yingxian suddenly reached out and brushed the corner of Ren Yi’s mouth with his finger. “You’ve got food on your face.”
Ren Yi’s face instantly grew hot.
Gong Yingxian was someone who struggled with ordinary social interactions, let alone romantic experience. Flirting and teasing were completely beyond him. Even when they were being intimate, he tended to say very little and simply concentrate on what he was doing, sometimes getting embarrassed and annoyed when he couldn’t keep up with Ren Yi’s teasing.
But precisely because of that, his uncalculated, naturally expressed affection and intimacy were all the more intoxicating.
Seeing Ren Yi suddenly blush, Gong Yingxian became embarrassed himself. He lowered his head to look for a tissue and handed it to Ren Yi.
“Don’t get it on my car.”
“Give me a kiss, will you?” Ren Yi asked softly.
Gong Yingxian looked up at him, his bright eyes trembling slightly.
“I just realized we haven’t kissed in a long time.”
Gong Yingxian leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Ren Yi’s lips.
Ren Yi smiled. “You taste better than the food.”
Gong Yingxian said sheepishly, “You can’t live on that, though. Hurry up and eat more. You barely ate anything while you were in the hospital.”
After lunch, the two drove to Wenhui Mall.
From a distance, Ren Yi could see the seven-story building, burned down until only its framework remained, and his heart was already tightening. The closer they got, the harder it became to breathe. Scenes from that day replayed over and over in his mind: the hellish blaze, the unbearable heat, the collapse of the connecting corridor, and Sun Dingyi’s…
Gong Yingxian kept glancing at Ren Yi. When he saw how pale Ren Yi had become and the sweat gathering on his forehead, he immediately grabbed his hand and asked anxiously, “Are you sure you want to go?”
Ren Yi forced a strained smile. “Yes. I have to.”
He could finally understand how Gong Yingxian felt. When Gong Yingxian approached a fire, did he suffer the same unbearable sensation, as though he were about to pass out? These physical reactions triggered by the mind were not something willpower alone could control.
Gong Yingxian opened the glove compartment and took out a bottle of medication.
“Take two. They’ll help reduce the strain on your heart.”
Ren Yi hurriedly swallowed two pills without water, then leaned back against the seat and slowly regulated his breathing.
When they arrived at Wenhui Mall, Gong Yingxian led Ren Yi through the police cordon. Both Wenhui Mall and Wenhui Tower had been shut down. Even the third-phase building, which had still been under construction, had ceased work. A bulldozer was clearing the site, but Building A was a crime scene, so it had been left largely untouched for the time being.
The two walked up to Building A. Ren Yi slowly raised his head and looked at the connecting corridor high above them. His eyesight was excellent; even from here, he could clearly make out every stone on the seventh floor. The horrifying scene that had nearly shattered him flashed through his mind once again.
Gong Yingxian suddenly stepped in front of Ren Yi and said quietly, “Don’t look anymore. Let’s go inside.”
Ren Yi shifted his gaze to Gong Yingxian. Looking at this man, the one he loved so much that he hardly knew what to do with himself, he finally found a firm strength deep within his heart.
Together, they entered Building A and headed straight for the point where the fire had started.