During the few days of the New Year holiday, Ren Yi didn’t sleep well a single night. He kept going over everything that had happened between him and Gong Yingxian, from beginning to end. Those beautiful memories now felt as though they had been mixed with knives, cutting him to the heart. Often, by the time he came back to his senses, dawn had already broken.
Even so, once daylight came, he still had to pretend everything was normal, report for duty, and celebrate the Lunar New Year with the firefighters and their families.
The company paid to hire a coach bus and took the families from out of town to popular tourist attractions over the holiday. Ren Yi and Qu Yangbo took turns staying on duty at the station. Fortunately, there were no major emergencies, giving Ren Yi more time to spend with his father and quietly look into a new nursing home.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Ren Xiangrong said, “It’s inconvenient for me to keep staying at your station. I’m interfering with your work. You should probably take me back to the hospital soon.”
Ren Yi still didn’t know how to tell his father that they would be moving somewhere else.
He could see how comfortable his father had been at the hospital run by Gong Yingxian. He received the best, most professional care around the clock, and the environment was excellent. Naturally, it was far better than having a caregiver look after him at home. The hospital’s medical facilities were also beyond what even the best nursing home could offer.
But Ren Yi would rather return to the days when he had to take his father to the hospital regularly than allow anyone to hurt his father again without his knowledge.
Ren Yi had already contacted a high-end nursing home. While his father was asleep, he had gone to inspect it himself, and everything seemed quite good. Although the fees were considerably higher than he had budgeted for, he accepted them anyway. After all, he ate, lived, and slept at the station, and he barely had anything to spend his salary on.
Once everything was arranged, Ren Yi told his father the excuse he had prepared.
“Dad, I haven’t mentioned this to you over the past few days, but the hospital changed its policies after the New Year. The charitable places are no longer available.”
The troubled expression on his face wasn’t an act. He really was struggling, even if money wasn’t the reason.
Disappointment immediately appeared in Ren Xiangrong’s eyes. “So if I want to stay there, I’ll have to pay for it myself?”
Ren Yi nodded with difficulty. “The fees are very high.”
“…How high?” After a moment of silence, Ren Xiangrong couldn’t help asking.
Ren Yi lowered his voice. “Pretty high.”
He felt terribly guilty. He should never have accepted such generous arrangements from Gong Yingxian in the first place. He had trusted Gong Yingxian all along, without the slightest suspicion. Who could have known that there were ulterior motives hidden behind it all?
“Oh.” Ren Xiangrong responded as though it were nothing. “Then we’ll find somewhere else. You should’ve told me earlier. I could have said goodbye to the doctors and nurses. They’ve all treated me very well.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Ren Yi said miserably.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Ren Xiangrong patted him. “It’s fine. I can live anywhere. What place could be harder than the army? There are still some of my things at the hospital. When you have time, go and get them. And thank everyone there on my behalf while you’re at it.”
“Okay.”
“So where will I go after that…?”
“I’ve already found a place for you.” Ren Yi took out a brochure and handed it to Ren Xiangrong. “The facilities here are very good, too. Don’t worry. You won’t have to stay there for long. Once the police catch those arsonists, I’ll bring you home.”
“Mm, it’s fine.” Ren Xiangrong gazed at Ren Yi. “I heard about what happened to your comrade.”
Ren Yi froze for a moment, then lowered his head. “I didn’t want to tell you. I was afraid you’d worry.”
“You should have told me. I’ve been through the same kind of hardship you’re facing, and I’m your father, too.”
Ren Yi gave a bitter smile. “That’s precisely why I was even more afraid to tell you.”
“So many years have passed. My heart has long since settled down. One day, yours will settle down, too. Right now, this is certainly the hardest part to endure. But you need to understand something: continuing to live your life with determination, doing everything you can to keep the other firefighters safe, and saving more people—that’s the best way to honor him. Not by drowning yourself in guilt and grief.”
“Mm.”
“You have it much better nowadays. The public has become more conscious of fire safety, and fire alarms and other warning systems are much more standardized. The equipment you use is also far more advanced. The casualty rate among firefighters is much lower than it was in our day. But this is still the most dangerous battlefield in peacetime, and casualties are unavoidable. As a company commander, you need not only the courage to enter a burning building, but also the courage to face tragedy.”
“That’s true. The casualty rate has dropped quite a bit.” Ren Yi sighed. “It must have been even harder for you back then.”
Ren Xiangrong stared straight ahead, but his eyes were empty.
“I’m old now. I don’t experience such intense emotions anymore. Besides, in a few years, I’ll be reunited with them anyway.”
Ren Yi’s heart ached terribly as he listened.
His father was the hero he had admired all his life. From childhood onward, Ren Yi had always wanted to become someone like him. That was precisely why he found Gong Yingxian’s actions even more impossible to accept.
During those days, there was no contact whatsoever between Ren Yi and Gong Yingxian.
Perhaps that was for the best. Ren Yi didn’t even know what he could possibly say to Gong Yingxian anymore. He had originally hoped Gong Yingxian would come up with a reasonable excuse, but he hadn’t. Gong Yingxian had admitted everything.
And although he had concealed these things from Ren Yi, they were hardly secret. It would have been easy for Ren Yi to uncover the truth. Yet Gong Yingxian had still gone ahead with it, as though he didn’t care whether Ren Yi found out—or whether Ren Yi would be angry and heartbroken if he did.
Gong Yingxian had stabbed a hole straight through his heart, and it was still bleeding every moment.
While his father was asleep, Ren Yi drove to the hospital, intending to pack up his father’s belongings and bring them home.
Dr. Peng, who usually attended to him, was on annual leave. When the head nurse on duty saw Ren Yi, she greeted him warmly.
“Captain Ren, are you bringing the old captain back today?”
Ren Yi replied, “I’m here to complete his discharge procedures.”
The head nurse was surprised. “Discharge? Why? What happened?”
“Please discuss the details with your superiors. I’m only here to handle the paperwork and take my father’s belongings.” Ren Yi paused, then added, “Thank you very much for taking care of him during this time.”
The head nurse looked troubled. “Well… could I call my supervisor first? The old captain is one of the most important patients in our hospital. I can’t make this decision myself.”
“I can make the decision.” Ren Yi’s tone was calm. “A hospital isn’t a shelter. If we want to leave, we can leave.”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant, Captain Ren. Could you please sit and wait for a little while? I’ll make a call. Even if you’re discharging him, there are procedures we need to complete. There’s no need to rush.”
Ren Yi nodded. “I’ll go pack his things first. You make your call.”
Ren Yi went to his father’s room and looked around. He realized that traces of his father’s daily life had gradually accumulated in the room. It had become almost like a home.
It really had been a place where he could feel at ease, just like home.
He took a deep breath and began packing.
After all, his father had lived there for several months, so there were quite a few belongings. Ren Yi couldn’t carry everything in one trip. He had to go back and forth, loading the items into his car.
On his third trip, he saw the head nurse approaching with a deeply troubled expression.
“Captain Ren, the old captain’s treatment has reached a very critical stage. He’s been responding very well lately. If we stop now, all the progress will be wasted. It would be such a shame.”
Anger flared in Ren Yi’s heart, but he didn’t take it out on an innocent head nurse. Instead, he patiently asked, “Didn’t your supervisor tell you why I’m discharging him?”
The head nurse shook her head. “Dr. Peng said he’ll fly back tomorrow and hopes to speak with you first. Please don’t rush into…”
“There’s no need. I want to complete the discharge immediately,” Ren Yi said firmly. “Prepare the paperwork. Whatever needs to be signed, have it ready. I’ll sign everything once I’ve finished moving his belongings.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
“Captain Ren…”
After several trips, Ren Yi finally managed to fit all the belongings into his car. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up at the luxurious building, which hardly resembled a hospital at all. Exhaling, he walked toward the lobby to complete the discharge procedures.
The head nurse hadn’t given him any documents, but she also stopped trying to persuade him as she had earlier.
“Captain Ren, could you wait here for a little while? We’re preparing the old captain’s medical records and the relevant documents from his stay. It will take some time. Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you. I’ll wait in my father’s room and check whether anything has been left behind. Let me know when everything is ready.”
“All right.”
Ren Yi returned to the room and sat in the chair where his father usually sat, looking out at the scenery his father had gazed upon every day.
The courtyard was planted with numerous plane trees and elegant flower beds. In spring and summer, birds sang among the blossoms, making the scenery delightful. In winter, only bare branches and withered leaves remained, yet they possessed a desolate beauty of their own.
Still, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, seeing it day after day would inevitably become tiresome.
His father had once possessed extraordinary agility, able to vault over eaves and walls and climb sheer surfaces with his bare hands. Even when he wasn’t on duty, he had never been able to sit still for long.
And yet a man like that had ended up with impaired mobility, forced to rely on a cane and a wheelchair. How cruel was that?
The cause of all this had been the horrific explosion at the Baosheng Chemical Plant.
Ren Yi didn’t know whether he, too, would end up covered in injuries and illnesses when he grew old. Given how often he was injured and hospitalized these days, it seemed almost inevitable.
But he had no regrets. As long as someone was convinced they were doing the right thing, they could move forward without hesitation.
Everyone who knew father and son said they were alike. Very, very alike.
So when Gong Yingxian questioned his father, it felt to Ren Yi as though Gong Yingxian were questioning Ren Yi himself.
Ren Yi shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He had done everything he could to keep himself occupied. Why, then, did he still keep returning to thoughts of Gong Yingxian—to thoughts of a man who had used him and his father?
Ren Yi checked the time and decided to go hurry the head nurse along.
He had just reached the doorway when the hospital room door was suddenly yanked open from the outside. His hand was still on the handle, and the momentum pulled him forward. He nearly collided with the person opening the door.
Ren Yi looked up, and his heart almost stopped for a beat.
Gong Yingxian.
Gong Yingxian looked terrible. His face was even paler than usual, and he was panting heavily, as though he had rushed over in a desperate hurry. He stared at Ren Yi as if he wanted to see straight through him.
Ren Yi took two steps backward and opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say. All he could feel was the uncontrollable pain in his heart.
Gong Yingxian entered the room and closed the door behind him. In a low voice, he asked, “You’re discharging the old captain.”
Ren Yi replied sarcastically, “Are you surprised?”
“He’s receiving the best treatment and care in the entire world here, and the results…”
“Shut up!” Ren Yi snapped. “How dare you still say something like that?”
“Ren Yi, I never wanted to hurt your father. The hypnosis was carried out with his safety ensured, and I won’t do it again. I’ve apologized, too. You…”
Gong Yingxian struggled to get the words out. In all his life, he had never humbled himself before anyone. Whenever the two of them had quarreled in the past, Ren Yi had always been the one to approach him first.
But this time, five whole days had passed. Every moment, he had kept checking his phone, hoping Ren Yi would reach out to him first and say something. Even a single word would have been enough.
But nothing came. Absolutely nothing.
He had waited from day to night, then through the night until dawn, without receiving a single word from Ren Yi—not even a reproach.
Ren Yi was no longer speaking to him.
That realization filled him with a fear unlike anything he had ever experienced.
“You apologized.” Ren Yi nodded, looking at Gong Yingxian with an expressionless face. But his eyes were gradually turning bloodshot. “I don’t accept it. You suspected my father of being an arsonist. That was an insult to him. You performed deep hypnosis on him without my permission, endangering his health. You concealed everything from me and even used my trust in you to trick me into signing a liability waiver. That was exploitation and betrayal.”
Ren Yi stared at him.
“Gong Yingxian, I don’t accept your apology.”
Gong Yingxian was struck as if by a thunderbolt. A sharp pain suddenly tore through his chest.
Was the person standing before him really Ren Yi?
No. No, it couldn’t be.
The Ren Yi who had always been so gentle and indulgent toward him couldn’t possibly treat him this way!