On Saturday afternoon, Ren Yi bought some of his father’s favorite foods, then went shopping for a gift for Gong Feilan. He had never bought anything for a little girl before, so he even asked the people around him what children liked these days. In the end, Li Sa came up with a suggestion: a sports action camera. Ren Yi remembered that Gong Feilan enjoyed outdoor activities.
Once everything was ready, he returned to the fire station to pick up Qu Yangbo, and the two of them set off for the nursing home. Arriving at this time would be perfect. They could all have dinner together. Ren Yi had already done his research and found a good mutton restaurant near the nursing home.
“Traffic is absolutely terrible.” Qu Yangbo complained as he played on his phone. “It’d be so embarrassing if we arrived later than Captain Chen and the others.”
“We should be fine.” Ren Yi glanced at the navigation screen, where several intersecting routes looked like red threads tangled together by the God of Marriage. “Things should clear up once we get past the Fourth Ring Road.”
Qu Yangbo yawned and continued typing.
“Chatting with Captain Qiu?” Ren Yi teased with a grin.
“I wish.” Qu Yangbo turned his phone screen toward Ren Yi. “I’m sharing some tips for preparing for the legal qualification exam with a classmate. She’s so busy, especially lately. I haven’t seen her in ages.”
Even though he was complaining, there was an unmistakable sweetness in his voice. Ren Yi couldn’t help feeling envious.
Dating as two mature adults must be so much easier, right?
“By the way, what did you buy for Feilan?”
“An action camera.”
“Make sure you take plenty of pictures for us while you’re there. We probably won’t get many chances to see that girl again.” Qu Yangbo sounded regretful. “She’s so young, and she’s been through so much. It’s heartbreaking.”
“Yeah.” Ren Yi’s response was somewhat distracted, because once again he couldn’t stop thinking about Gong Yingxian. Why had fate been so cruel to those two siblings?
At long last, they made it through the worst of the traffic. It was almost dark by then. Qu Yangbo checked his watch.
“What time did you book the private room for? Should we push it back?”
“Probably. I booked it for six, and now it’s likely…” Ren Yi had just picked up his phone when it rang. It was Gong Feilan calling. He answered while continuing to drive. “Hello, Feilan?”
But there was no voice on the other end of the line, only the faint rustle of clothing.
Ren Yi frowned. “Feilan? Hello?”
He waited a full three seconds, but there was still no response. This didn’t seem like a reception problem. He held the phone in front of his face to check the screen. Yes, the call was from Gong Feilan. So why wasn’t she saying anything?
A sudden, ominous feeling gripped him. After all, he had once received a call from Gong Feilan’s phone that brought terrible news.
Growing anxious, Ren Yi was about to ask again when the call abruptly ended.
Qu Yangbo sat up straight, alarmed. “What’s wrong?”
Ren Yi had no time to answer. He immediately called her back, but the call was rejected as soon as it connected. At the same time, a text message arrived. It contained just two short words.
Help me.
Ren Yi’s mind exploded with a deafening roar. He slammed on the brakes.
Traffic was already heavy here. The car behind them had no time to react and crashed straight into their rear bumper.
The collision wasn’t severe, but both men lurched forward before their seat belts yanked them back. Their heads struck the headrests hard, leaving them momentarily dazed.
Qu Yangbo clutched his head and shouted anxiously, “Ren Yi, what the hell is going on?”
The driver behind them had already gotten out of his car, but Ren Yi couldn’t care less about such a minor matter. He tossed his phone to Qu Yangbo.
“Call Gong Yingxian.”
Then he pressed the accelerator and swung the steering wheel, turning onto a side road without a second thought for traffic regulations.
Qu Yangbo read the message, and his face turned deathly pale.
“Not again?”
He hurriedly called Gong Yingxian, but no one answered. He then called Qiu Yan, but she didn’t answer either.
“What’s going on?”
Ren Yi snatched the phone back and sent Gong Yingxian a voice message.
“Something may have happened to Feilan. I’m heading to her place now. Call me back as soon as you see this!”
“Why is nobody answering their phones at a time like this? Aren’t they supposed to keep their phones on them twenty-four hours a day?” Qu Yangbo leaned forward tensely, his anxiety mounting.
“If neither of them is answering, they’re probably on an operation and have switched their phones to silent.” Ren Yi kept his eyes fixed on the road, his gaze dark and heavy. “The timing of that call must have been planned, too. We’re not far from Feilan’s place. Call the police first and get the nearest station to send someone over immediately.”
“Okay.”
Ren Yi was consumed by anxiety and dread. He knew this wasn’t over. He knew that as long as Purple Flame remained at large, no one was completely safe. But he had never imagined that Purple Flame would still refuse to leave a little girl alone!
Ren Yi gripped the steering wheel so tightly that both his hands were trembling.
Qu Yangbo grabbed his wrist. “Don’t panic. I’ve already called the police. They should get there before we do.”
Ren Yi gritted his teeth.
“This isn’t the first time. I thought that after Yue Xingu died, they wouldn’t go after Feilan again. After all, she was supposed to be a bargaining chip to threaten Yue Xingu, right? But…” His voice suddenly faded. “Feilan could also be used to threaten Gong Yingxian. Or me.”
“Those inhuman bastards!” Qu Yangbo suddenly remembered something. “Wait, what about our old company commander…?”
Only then did Ren Yi remember the actual destination they had been heading toward. He hurriedly called his father.
“Hello?” Ren Xiangrong sounded distinctly reproachful. “Where are you? Captain Chen arrived at four this afternoon. Why aren’t you here yet?”
“Old Ren, something really important has come up unexpectedly. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get there. You guys go ahead and eat. Don’t wait for us.”
“You…” Ren Xiangrong said displeasedly. “What could possibly be so important that it can’t wait? You invited your superior, and now you’re not even showing up yourself? What kind of behavior is that?”
Ren Yi was sweating profusely from anxiety. “I really do have something important to deal with. I’ll explain later. Please apologize to Captain Chen for me.”
“You—”
Ren Yi hung up and kept his foot on the accelerator, wishing the car could go faster, wishing he could fly straight to Gong Feilan’s home.
Fortunately, it wasn’t far. Just as he arrived, Gong Yingxian finally called him back.
“Hello? Where are you? What were you doing just now? Something may have happened to Feilan. I’ve just arrived downstairs at her building.” Ren Yi rattled off the words without even pausing for breath.
“What happened?” Gong Yingxian was breathing heavily, too. “We were just apprehending…” He cut himself off. “Tell me about Feilan first.”
“She sent me a text asking for help, but when I answered her call, no one spoke.” Ren Yi stopped the car. “It’s this building, Building Six.”
Gong Feilan lived in an upscale apartment complex. The development had a low plot ratio but covered a huge area. Ren Yi had already taken several turns just trying to find the correct building in the underground parking garage.
Gong Yingxian fell silent for a moment, then murmured, “Impossible… That’s impossible…”
“What’s impossible?” Ren Yi ran into the elevator lobby and reached for the button, but then remembered that Feilan lived on the eighth floor. It would be faster to take the stairs.
He exchanged a glance with Qu Yangbo, and the two of them rushed into the stairwell and began running upward.
Unfortunately, the signal in the stairwell was poor. Ren Yi could hear Gong Yingxian saying something, but interference tore the words into fragments, making them impossible to understand. Already gasping for breath from running, Ren Yi simply ended the call.
When the two of them reached the eighth floor, they found that the door to the apartment on the left of the high-end building’s two-apartments-per-floor layout was ajar. Voices drifted out from inside.
Ren Yi rushed over and flung the door open.
The sight that greeted him left him stunned. The people inside were equally startled by his sudden arrival.
The enormous living room of the spacious apartment was decorated with colorful balloons, ribbons, and flowers. Platters of cold food were arranged on the tables. It was clearly being prepared for a party.
And standing in the middle of the living room were Gong Feilan and several police officers.
Ren Yi was dumbfounded.
Gong Feilan was equally surprised to see him.
“Captain Ren? Why are you here so early?”
Coming back to his senses, Ren Yi strode over and grabbed her by the shoulders, frantically looking her up and down.
“You… You’re okay?”
“W-Why wouldn’t I be?” Gong Feilan looked at him in confusion and concern. “What’s going on? Several police officers suddenly showed up at my place, and then you came rushing in too. Look at your face… Don’t scare me like this! What happened?”
Qu Yangbo asked, “Where’s your phone?”
“I can’t find it. I don’t know where I put it.”
“You lost it?” Ren Yi immediately sensed that something was very wrong.
Of course, it was a relief that Gong Feilan was unharmed. But what about that call and text message? Everything about the situation suggested that someone had deliberately lured him here.
Why?
“I don’t think I lost it. I was using it just a few hours ago. I’ve been busy getting everything ready for the party this afternoon, and there’s stuff everywhere. Maybe I left it in some corner.” Gong Feilan looked from one man to the other. “What on earth is going on?”
Ren Yi’s phone rang again. It was Gong Yingxian calling.
He rubbed a hand over his face before answering. “Feilan is fine.”
Gong Yingxian seemed about to say something, but those words stopped him. Instead, he asked, “Is there anything unusual in her apartment?”
“She says she can’t find her phone. But she’s safe right now. There are police officers here, as well as a housekeeper, bodyguards, and the party-planning staff.”
Gong Yingxian paused, sounding bewildered.
“Why would he send you a message?”
“You mean Fei— No, you mean the person who stole her phone?” Ren Yi felt as though he had a dozen headaches at once. “I have no idea! What the hell is going on? Why would someone lure Yangbo and me here? I was supposed to…” Ren Yi suddenly remembered something.
His heart turned cold. Fear spread through his nerves like the creeping tendrils of a parasitic vine, growing wildly and choking him from within.
Gong Yingxian asked, very quietly, as though afraid of disturbing something, “Where were you supposed to go?”
“To see my dad.”
Ren Yi hung up and rushed out of the apartment like a gust of wind.