“The ‘Gong’ in palace.”
“I heard his family was in the chemical industry.”
“His cousin’s family died when he was very young.”
“I hate fire.”
As Ren Yi searched online for information about the Baosheng Chemical Plant explosion, these things he had heard in the past kept surfacing in his mind.
The internet had not been very developed back then, so there was not much information available, but there was already enough to show just how shocking and horrifying the accident had been.
Actually, Ren Yi did not need to search online. He had personally been at the scene back then, and later, when he was in college, he had also done a case analysis on it.
But now, he needed to understand an angle he had never paid attention to before.
After confirming some information, Ren Yi called Fu Kai and asked him to help check the household registration records.
Fu Kai’s reply confirmed Ren Yi’s suspicion.
Eighteen years ago, the chairman of the group that owned the Baosheng Chemical Plant, which exploded, was Gong Mingyu.
He was Gong Yingxian’s father.
In an instant, a voice echoed repeatedly in Ren Yi’s mind, saying those words over and over:
“I hate fire.”
It was Gong Yingxian’s cold yet elegant voice.
At the time, Ren Yi had thought Gong Yingxian was deliberately trying to provoke him.
He had never imagined that behind those four simple words was such a tragedy.
A child who was only six years old had lost his home and his family overnight, and in such a horrific way.
How many people could endure such a devastating change?
There was a reason for everything Gong Yingxian had become today.
Ren Yi felt terrible.
He had witnessed far too many fires and knew exactly what kind of cruel injuries fire could leave behind, both physically and psychologically.
Just like burn scars could never be completely reversed, the damage fire caused would remain with a person for the rest of their life.
What kind of feelings had Gong Yingxian carried when he became a police officer and began investigating fire cases?
When he entered those ruins, ravaged and torn apart by raging flames, what had he been thinking?
Had he… had he been forced to remember the past again and again?
Ren Yi did not dare continue thinking about it.
His chest felt tight, and his brows were deeply furrowed.
From the time his father had been trapped for eight days and seven nights during the chemical plant rescue, to the time his father had personally rescued Gong Yingxian from the fire, and then to the two of them meeting and working together…
Perhaps, somewhere beyond their understanding, there really had been a hand of fate pulling them together.
As someone who had wanted to become a firefighter since childhood, Ren Yi naturally carried a sense of mission to “save others.”
For Gong Yingxian, perhaps participating in fire investigations was a way of redeeming himself.
The convergence of their fates ought to have some meaning.
For example, the Fourth Perspective case.
That was its meaning.
Ren Yi took out his phone and silently looked at the message Gong Yingxian had sent him.
“Thank you.”
He called Gong Yingxian.
When the call connected, Ren Yi asked quietly, “Where are you?”
“At the precinct. What’s wrong?”
“There’s something I need to tell you in person.”
“I’m about to head home.”
“Wait for me. I’m coming over now. It’s close.”
Gong Yingxian hesitated for a moment.
“Meet me in the parking garage.”
Ren Yi said goodbye to his father, went downstairs, and drove toward Hongwu Precinct.
After entering the underground parking garage, Ren Yi quickly spotted the Wrangler.
The car door was open, and Gong Yingxian was sitting inside, reading some documents.
Ren Yi got out of his car.
Gong Yingxian looked up at him, put down the documents, and got out of the car as well.
“Is something wrong?”
Ren Yi took a deep breath.
“Dr. Gong, we still can’t give up.”
Gong Yingxian frowned, complicated emotions flickering in his eyes.
“The Fourth Perspective case. Unless we can prove that Cai Wan really wasn’t an accomplice, we can’t just give up like this. We can’t let go of a criminal who may have deliberately set a fire that killed so many people.”
Ren Yi’s chest rose and fell heavily.
“Isn’t that exactly why you became a police officer?”
Gong Yingxian narrowed his eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
“I asked you before why you became a police officer. You didn’t answer me. But isn’t being a police officer about eliminating evil and protecting the innocent?”
Ren Yi stared deeply at Gong Yingxian.
“Intuition and speculation can’t be used as law, but they can be the reason we continue investigating.”
Gong Yingxian pressed his lips together.
“Your work is already finished. You don’t need to worry about the rest.”
“You’re really giving up just like that? Even if the case has been closed, as long as we find new evidence, we can still prosecute her. You don’t want to let an arsonist get away either, do you?”
“It has nothing to do with you anymore. Go home.”
Gong Yingxian turned around and was about to get back into his car.
Ren Yi stepped forward and grabbed Gong Yingxian by the shoulder.
A sharp glint flashed through Gong Yingxian’s eyes.
He suddenly bent down, twisted his body, and seized Ren Yi’s wrist with one hand.
In the blink of an eye, he had moved behind Ren Yi and used a restraint technique to wrench Ren Yi’s arm behind his back, pinning him against the car door.
Ren Yi cried out in pain and struggled desperately.
But Gong Yingxian’s strength was frightening.
The hand restraining him did not move even slightly.
Ren Yi really could not understand how someone with Gong Yingxian’s refined and aristocratic appearance could possess such savage strength.
He cursed, “Fuck, let me go.”
Gong Yingxian said coldly beside Ren Yi’s ear, “I told you not to touch me casually.”
He released his grip, took a step back, and lowered his head to straighten his clothes.
Ren Yi shook his aching wrist.
He had just been about to lose his temper when he remembered Gong Yingxian’s background, and his heart softened again.
He gave a cold snort.
“I won’t hold it against you, considering… Anyway, are you still investigating or not?”
Gong Yingxian picked up the documents from the driver’s seat and handed them to Ren Yi.
Ren Yi casually flipped through them.
They were investigations Gong Yingxian had conducted into Cai Wan, her father, and the people connected to them.
There was even information dating back many years.
Ren Yi’s eyes lit up.
“I knew you wouldn’t give up.”
Gong Yingxian said, “You’re not a police officer. Your work is already finished. There’s no need for you to participate anymore.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. I’ve already been involved in so much. How am I supposed to just let it go?”
“I was the one who put out that fire. I was the one who rescued many of those people. I just want to give the victims and their families a complete explanation and make the people who did wrong pay the price they deserve.”
“Besides, now that the case has been closed, the precinct won’t provide you with police manpower anymore. Don’t you need an assistant?”
Gong Yingxian stared directly at Ren Yi.
“You’re really willing to help?”
“Otherwise, why would I come find you this late at night? I’m even willing to sacrifice my private time off to help you, and you still won’t appreciate it?”
Ren Yi shook his wrist.
“This counts as a work injury.”
Gong Yingxian was silent for a moment.
“Fine. I’ll contact you if I need anything.”
Ren Yi tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“What should you say now?”
“What?”
Ren Yi shook his phone.
“Those two words. Sending it by text isn’t sincere enough. It’s better to say it in person.”
Gong Yingxian gave a cold laugh.
“Move.”
“Not those two.”
Gong Yingxian walked straight into the car and shut the door.
Ren Yi immediately grabbed the rearview mirror and knocked on the window.
Gong Yingxian had no choice but to lower it and give him a sideways glance.
Ren Yi grinned.
“You’re welcome.”
Gong Yingxian froze slightly.
He stared without blinking at Ren Yi’s bright, star-like eyes, momentarily lost in thought.
“But you have to compensate me for the work injury. Buy me a meal.”
“Is your memory that bad? I don’t eat with other people.”
“What are you being so fussy about? You’ve already eaten with me twice. Once in your car and once at your house.”
Ren Yi continued, “You were too embarrassed to thank me to my face, so buying me a meal is perfectly normal social etiquette. I know you won’t eat. But you can at least sit there and watch me eat, right?”
Gong Yingxian glanced at the time and hesitated.
“Perfect. You can tell me what you’ve found in your investigation.”
Ren Yi smiled.
“There’s a crayfish place nearby. It’s really good, just pretty expensive. I usually can’t bring myself to eat there. If you’re paying, I can finally eat to my heart’s content.”
Gong Yingxian rolled up the window and left him with one sentence:
“Send me the name of the restaurant.”
——
Gong Yingxian arrived at the restaurant before Ren Yi.
He stood in front of the establishment, its tacky neon lights flashing above him.
His face was dark with displeasure, and his feet seemed rooted to the ground.
He did not move at all.
Ren Yi got out of his car and saw Gong Yingxian standing stiffly at the entrance.
“Why aren’t you going in? There’s air conditioning inside.”
“It’s filthy.”
Gong Yingxian glared at Ren Yi.
“Do you really have to eat somewhere like this?”
“It’s delicious.”
Ren Yi inhaled the waves of fragrant food drifting out from inside and could not help swallowing.
“Come on, Young Master. Get a little closer to the human world. Do you really never eat at restaurants?”
“I never eat at restaurants this filthy.”
“It’s fine. You’re not eating anyway. You just have to come inside and sit with me.”
Gong Yingxian gritted his teeth, seemingly having made a tremendous decision.
He turned and walked toward his car.
“You’re really leaving?”
Ren Yi pouted.
“You don’t have any sincerity when it comes to thanking people.”
But Gong Yingxian did not get into the car.
Instead, he opened the trunk and took out a tablecloth and disinfectant.
Ren Yi suppressed a laugh.
“You weren’t this particular when you were investigating the case.”
“That was unavoidable.”
Gong Yingxian glared at Ren Yi again, then took a deep breath and walked into the restaurant.
They had arrived at a very convenient time.
Dinner had just ended, while the late-night crowd had not yet started.
There were not many people inside.
During normal mealtimes, they would have had to wait in line.
Ren Yi asked for a private room.
Once they entered, before the server could even begin speaking, Gong Yingxian walked around the table once.
He chose a seat by the window, took out the disinfectant, and began spraying.
He sprayed until nearly half the bottle was gone.
The server stared in astonishment.
Ren Yi said, “Don’t mind him. I’ll order.”
After finishing with the disinfectant, Gong Yingxian spread disposable tablecloths over both the chair and the table.
Only then did he carefully sit down.
“Hey, you really aren’t eating? It’s actually really good.”
Gong Yingxian replied irritably, “I’m not eating.”
“Then let’s start with these.”
Ren Yi sat beside Gong Yingxian.
He watched Gong Yingxian sitting rigidly upright, constantly widening his eyes and examining his surroundings.
He looked both pitiful and amusing.
“Come on. Tell me about the case.”
Gong Yingxian shared the information he had uncovered so far with Ren Yi.
It mainly concerned the complicated social connections of Cai Wan and her father, as well as their recent activities.
There might be clues among them that could help the two of them find the money that might or might not exist, or perhaps uncover other evidence.
The two talked for a while.
Then the server began bringing out the food.
Four enormous plates of crayfish, each with a different flavor, were placed on the table.
Gong Yingxian frowned.
“Can you finish all that?”
“What is this supposed to be?”
Ren Yi licked his lips, put on his gloves, and began peeling crayfish.
As he peeled them, he exclaimed, “Wow, that’s hot.”
After peeling one particularly large and perfectly intact crayfish, Ren Yi held it up and waved it in front of Gong Yingxian.
“Really not eating?”
Gong Yingxian turned his face away.
“Take it away.”
Ren Yi put it into his own mouth and clicked his tongue appreciatively.
“So good.”
Gong Yingxian quietly watched Ren Yi.
How could he eat with such enjoyment?
“Dr. Gong, if you don’t eat food from outside and you don’t eat anything hot, doesn’t that leave you with very little you can eat?”
Ren Yi continued, “You definitely think eating this stuff is unhealthy. I actually think the way you eat is unhealthy. You eat cold meals all day.”
“I just don’t eat things that are too hot. I can eat warm food. My diet is nutritionally balanced.”
Gong Yingxian gave a cold snort.
“And it’s clean.”
Ren Yi smiled.
“Don’t you get tired of living like that?”
“Ease isn’t the greatest meaning of being alive.”
“Okay, okay.”
Ren Yi raised his drink.
“Come on, cheers? You drink water, right?”
He pointed toward the bottle of mineral water in front of Gong Yingxian.
Gong Yingxian hesitated for a moment, then unscrewed the cap and clinked bottles with Ren Yi.
“This one is to celebrate our successful cooperation, and to wish us success in advance.”
The two plastic bottles bumped together, producing a sound that was hardly loud at all.
Yet both of their hearts were touched in that moment.
Their “cooperation” concerned punishing evil and upholding justice.
They had to succeed.
One ate while the other watched.
This strange meal turned out to be unexpectedly harmonious.