Qu Yangbo said furiously, “The incidents with the reporter and the victim’s family happened when he had just joined the station! You know the real circumstances, and he was disciplined for them already. Now they’re digging up a fight he got into as a teenager. What’s next? Are they going to accuse him of wetting the bed as a child, too?”
Xu Jin barked, “What good does telling me that do? How can we get people who don’t even know him to believe in his character? First came the video from Anjia Residential Community, then the private hospital, and now they’re digging up his past. One wave after another! The image of him in the minds of netizens has already become fixed. The public relations department and the police are working together to deal with online public opinion, but this is a trending topic unfolding in real time. It’ll be difficult to suppress, and trying to do so might even backfire. We have to prepare evidence and refute the allegations one by one.”
“We’ll prepare the evidence.” Seeing that Ren Yi was still dazed, Qu Yangbo nudged him. “Ren Yi.”
Ren Yi barely came back to his senses and murmured, “Mm.”
While Xu Jin and Qu Yangbo discussed countermeasures, Ren Yi remained in a daze. Clouds of anxiety and fear hung over him. How would this situation develop? What would the outcome be? Had accepting a kind gift from someone close to him made him guilty of bribery? Even though there had been no exchange of favors whatsoever? Would he be punished? Suspended, demoted, or even…
This job was the faith he had devoted his entire life to. He had no idea how he would face the future if he were forced to leave it.
That afternoon, Ren Yi was questioned first by the investigation team from corps headquarters and then by the disciplinary inspectors. He truthfully explained the circumstances to both.
When he emerged from the conference room after the interviews, he saw Gong Yingxian waiting outside. He had no idea how long he had been there.
When Gong Yingxian saw Ren Yi, he pursed his lips. Guilt and frustration were evident in his eyes.
Ren Yi walked over. “What are you doing here?”
“I called you, but you didn’t answer.”
“I’d just put my phone on silent.” Ren Yi glanced toward the investigators, whom Qu Yangbo was escorting to the entrance. “I was being questioned all afternoon.”
Gong Yingxian stared straight at him. “Are you all right?”
Ren Yi hesitated, then gave a bitter smile. “It’s hard to say right now.”
“I…” Gong Yingxian gritted his teeth. “I’ve messed everything up again.”
“This isn’t your fault. I will never accept that this was bribery.” Ren Yi looked calmly at Gong Yingxian. “What about you? Are you in trouble, too?”
“I’ll handle my own affairs. You don’t need to worry. My hospital has provided charitable medical care and participated in research projects for people other than your father, especially veterans. I’ll produce sufficient evidence to prove that there was no exchange of favors between us.”
Gong Yingxian reached out, wanting to touch Ren Yi’s face. It looked so pale that his heart ached to see it. But then he remembered that people were constantly passing through the station’s lobby, so he stopped himself.
Ren Yi noticed what he had been about to do. “Come to my dorm room.”
Once they were inside, Ren Yi poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down, hoping it might ease the suffocating pressure in his chest.
Gong Yingxian sat wearily in a chair, his head lowered. “I never expected Purple Flame to come up with a tactic like this. The incident at Anjia Residential Community might have been an unexpected opportunity, but the investigations into you and the hospital definitely couldn’t have been completed overnight. He’s simply using the Anjia incident to fan the flames. We’re also conducting an internal investigation into the leak of information from our hospital.”
“I never imagined things would turn out like this either,” Ren Yi said gravely. “The internet… I use it every day, yet suddenly I feel like I don’t understand it at all.” He had no idea how to fight on a battlefield he knew nothing about.
“This is simply human nature playing out in its most basic form. It hasn’t changed in thousands of years. The internet is merely a new medium,” Gong Yingxian said. “Leave online public opinion to the professionals. The most important thing right now is to prove your innocence.”
Ren Yi ran a hand through his hair and fell silent.
Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number. Just as he was about to answer, Gong Yingxian stopped him.
“Don’t answer. Your personal information has just been exposed. You’ll soon start receiving harassment calls.”
But Ren Yi answered anyway. He wanted to hear what the caller had to say.
A man’s voice came through the phone, clear and composed. “Hello, Captain Ren. This is He Gu. Do you remember me?”
Ren Yi froze for a moment. “Ah, Engineer He! Of course I remember you.”
He Gu got straight to the point. “We know what’s been happening lately. We’ve personally witnessed your character and your abilities, and we want to help you.”
Ren Yi was deeply moved. “Thank you, Engineer He. To be honest, I don’t even know what I can do right now, but I sincerely appreciate your kindness.”
“There’s actually a lot we can do. Juhan’s company has plenty of experience handling online public opinion. They have their own public relations team and work with PR firms. If you provide the necessary materials, I’m sure they can turn things around.”
“Our own PR department and the police are already handling it. I think it’s better for me to follow my superiors’ arrangements for now. But I’m truly grateful to you all.”
He Gu said, “That makes sense. The official response is more important. If you need our help, you can call me anytime. Don’t hesitate. You saved us, after all. There’s no way I could ever repay that debt of gratitude too much.”
Ren Yi thanked him again.
Before ending the call, He Gu added, “Oh, and you should change your phone number. This one won’t be usable for much longer.”
After hanging up, Ren Yi looked at Gong Yingxian, who had been watching him the whole time.
“That was Engineer He from the Honglin Sports Stadium. Do you remember him?”
“My memory is excellent,” Gong Yingxian replied. “He wants to help? Good. We’ll be able to make use of his help. Give me his number.”
“But I don’t want to trouble them. I’m worried bringing in an outside firm might backfire. Besides, that kind of service isn’t cheap. I know he wouldn’t charge me, but wouldn’t that make it seem like…” Ren Yi trailed off.
“Don’t worry. I won’t use their PR firm. Our cybercrime officers can do everything they can do, and more. What I need is someone like Song Juhan, someone with public influence, who can speak up when the time comes.”
Ren Yi nodded and sent Gong Yingxian He Gu’s number.
Just then, a text message popped up. It contained only four short Chinese characters:
MURDERER.
Ren Yi felt as though an arrow had pierced straight through his heart. He was completely stunned.
“What’s wrong?” Gong Yingxian asked.
Ren Yi quickly pressed the silent button and set the phone aside. He rubbed his face. “You suspected that Purple Flame was funding the online trolls, right? Have you found anything?”
“During our investigation, we found a point of overlap with the money-laundering process we investigated before. It leads to an overseas consulting company. We’re investigating it further. If things go smoothly, we may be able to identify the intermediary who laundered money for Purple Flame. That would bring us one step closer to him.”
Ren Yi sighed. “That’s the only good news I’ve heard in the past two days.”
Gong Yingxian took Ren Yi’s hand and looked directly into his eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Ren Yi smiled faintly.
Gong Yingxian pulled him closer and wrapped both arms around his waist, resting his face against Ren Yi’s chest. In a quiet voice, he asked, “Do you think I’m useless?”
“Why would you say that?”
“I couldn’t eliminate the physical threat to your safety, and now I’ve let you fall victim to public opinion, too.”
Ren Yi gently ran his long fingers through Gong Yingxian’s thick black hair. “What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with you. Even if I’d never met you, I’d still have had to face these things. But with you here, I feel much more at ease.”
Gong Yingxian tightened his arms around him, holding him close. Ren Yi felt the strength and warmth of his embrace. His heart ached, yet he also felt comforted.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Gong Yingxian reluctantly released him. Ren Yi opened the door to find Qu Yangbo standing outside.
Ren Yi looked at him questioningly. Qu Yangbo had just seen Xu Jin and the investigators off. Ren Yi wondered whether they had said anything on the way out.
Qu Yangbo said, “Apart from dealing with online public opinion, the higher-ups also need to discuss your situation. Until a decision has been made, don’t frighten yourself by imagining the worst.”
“Mm.”
“The chief of staff said you shouldn’t respond to any more emergency calls for the time being. You can stay at the station or go home, whichever you prefer.”
Ren Yi froze. “Have I been suspended?”
“This doesn’t count as a suspension. You’re obviously not in a good emotional state right now, and you’re at the center of a public controversy. They’re worried it might not be safe for you to respond to emergencies. Just follow the chief of staff’s instructions.”
Ren Yi nodded helplessly.
Qu Yangbo glanced at Gong Yingxian. “Dr. Gong, what are the cybercrime officers planning to do?”
“Deleting posts one by one isn’t the best solution. For now, the main goal is to contain the situation, then use more evidence in our favor to turn public opinion around,” Gong Yingxian replied seriously. “We’ll make sure he gets the justice he deserves.”
Qu Yangbo let out a long sigh and patted Ren Yi on the shoulder. “Brother, we’ll get through this together.”
Ren Yi managed a weak smile. “All right.”
Qu Yangbo said, “Dr. Gong, I’ll give you everything we can provide.”
“Good. Let me see what you have.”
“You two carry on. I’m going to the bathroom.” Ren Yi picked up his phone and went into the bathroom.
He sat down on the closed toilet lid, took a deep breath, and unlocked his phone.
In the space of just ten minutes, he had already received several missed calls and text messages filled with mockery and abuse.
He stared blankly at them, imagining the even harsher, more vicious comments circulating online. He wanted to look. He wanted to know just how serious the situation had become. But he couldn’t find the courage to do so.
He had always thought he was someone who didn’t care what other people thought of him. Now he understood that was only because he had never faced enough negative judgment.
How could these people describe him as someone he himself didn’t even recognize, speaking as though they had personally witnessed everything he had supposedly done?
How could he describe what he was feeling?
Hurt, disappointment, and anger weren’t enough to capture it. What he felt most was helplessness and bewilderment. He had always believed himself to be a good person, an upright and courageous man. Yet in the mouths of thousands upon thousands of people, he had become someone contemptible.
When those voices grew loud enough and numerous enough, even he began to wonder whether he really was as despicable as they claimed.