Ren Yi rushed into the hospital room in a panic. Gong Yingxian was sitting on the bed with his upper body bare while a doctor examined him.
Uncle Sheng stood to one side, secretly wiping away his tears.
Gong Yingxian had always been extremely averse to physical contact, especially when he wasn’t wearing clothes. Even when medical personnel touched him, he would show obvious resistance. But now, he simply sat there in silence, almost in a daze, letting others do whatever they wanted with him.
Ren Yi unconsciously slowed his steps. The sound of him opening the door had been so loud, yet Gong Yingxian seemed not to have heard it at all. He hadn’t even turned his head.
Qu Yangbo noticed something was wrong, too. He glanced at Ren Yi, only to find that Ren Yi’s eyes were already fixed on Gong Yingxian.
Ren Yi walked over and called softly, “Yingxian?”
Gong Yingxian didn’t react.
No, that wasn’t entirely true. If one looked closely, one could see the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, his eyelashes trembling uneasily, and the fingers of both hands hanging at his sides shaking with the tiniest movements.
He was clearly uncomfortable, yet he remained completely motionless.
Ren Yi finally realized that something was wrong with Gong Yingxian. If this had been anyone else, he might have asked whether they were joking, but he knew Gong Yingxian would never joke about something like this.
The doctor turned toward him and said gravely, “Captain Ren, we reviewed Dr. Gong’s previous medical records. The symptoms he’s displaying now are exactly the same as those he experienced when he was six years old. We’ve already contacted his attending physician. Dr. Pompey will be taking the earliest flight back to the country.”
Ren Yi’s mind was thrown into chaos. “What? What do you mean? What symptoms?”
“I’m not a specialist in this particular field, so Dr. Pompey will need to explain the details to you. To put it in terms that are easier to understand, it’s similar to autism. But in his case, it was triggered by severe emotional trauma when he was a child. It’s a psychological issue, not a pathological developmental disorder, so there’s a possibility of improvement and recovery. However, if the same trigger appears again and causes a stress response…” The doctor glanced at Gong Yingxian. “The symptoms will recur.”
Looking at Gong Yingxian, whose gaze was vacant, like a robot that had never been switched on, Ren Yi felt as though his heart were being torn to pieces. He stood there helplessly, clutching his hair, before slowly crouching down.
Qu Yangbo steadied Ren Yi and hurriedly asked, “Doctor, how are his other bodily functions? Can he recover?”
“The physical injuries can heal, but as for the psychological problem… We’ll have to wait for Dr. Pompey to arrive so we can work together on a treatment plan. When he was six, these symptoms lasted for half a year, and his subsequent rehabilitation took several more years. This time, it’s difficult to say. It might be much shorter, or it might…” 
The doctor trailed off.
With Qu Yangbo’s support, Ren Yi struggled to his feet. His voice trembled. “Can he… can he not hear us when we speak?”
“He can hear you, and he can still perceive your emotions. The symptoms of autism mean that a person can hear and perceive things but has difficulty processing them. They may want to express themselves but be unable to do so normally. It’s as if we’re living in two different worlds. He may not understand most of what you say, and you may not understand what he’s trying to express.”
Ren Yi said with difficulty, “So we can’t communicate.”
“It’s not that communication is completely impossible, but it’s very inefficient.” The doctor reassured him, “Captain Ren, you have to trust modern medicine and trust the doctors. Dr. Pompey was able to bring him back to the normal world when he was a child. He can certainly do it again. He’s much stronger now than he was at six.”
Qu Yangbo nodded along. “Exactly. When the body is injured, it needs time to heal. The mind is no different. He’ll get better. And he has you now.”
“He no longer has any family, so the people with whom he has emotional bonds need to spend more time with him and communicate with him. Even if he can’t understand what you’re saying, he knows when you’re treating him well.” The doctor had seen enough in his career to realize that the relationship between Ren Yi and Gong Yingxian was far from ordinary.
Ren Yi walked over and gently touched Gong Yingxian’s face, but received no response.
He took a deep breath, picked up the hospital gown, and carefully dressed Gong Yingxian.
Gong Yingxian was like a puppet at the mercy of others. He neither cooperated nor resisted. But at last, his gaze moved, settling on Ren Yi’s face.
Ren Yi forced a smile. “Yingxian, how are you feeling?”
Gong Yingxian stared steadily at Ren Yi without saying a word.
Qu Yangbo exchanged a look with the doctor and Uncle Sheng. The three of them left the room together, giving the two men some privacy.
Gong Yingxian sat on the edge of the bed, fastening his buttons one by one. Because both his hands were trembling, even such a simple action was extraordinarily difficult.
“Is anything bothering you? Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“You’re so particular about cleanliness, and you haven’t showered in three days. Doesn’t that feel uncomfortable?”
“This is the hospital you hate most. Do you really want to go home?”
Ren Yi kept talking, but not a single word of response came.
He finally broke down. Wrapping his arms around Gong Yingxian, he held him tightly and choked out, “Yingxian, please, just say something to me.”
Gong Yingxian’s brows drew together ever so slightly.
Ren Yi pleaded, “Please, say something to me. Wake up. I really…”
Suddenly, Ren Yi felt a hand settle on his back.
The hand was large and warm. It had pulled him out of danger countless times and given him countless burning, tender caresses. It was a hand he never wanted to let go of for the rest of his life.
Yingxian, can you feel me? Are you comforting me? Is that it? Even now, you still care about me. You still want to comfort me.
Holding Gong Yingxian in his arms, Ren Yi finally let himself cry without restraint.
How could there be any obstacle that the two of them couldn’t overcome together? This was a man who was willing to give everything for him, who would risk his own life for him without hesitation. No matter how many obstacles or hardships lay ahead, nothing could separate them.
Everyone waited anxiously outside the hospital room while Dr. Pompey and several other doctors conducted a consultation with Gong Yingxian.
After a full two hours, the door finally opened. Dr. Pompey came out and nodded at them, looking somewhat exhausted. The moment he received the news, he had rushed back as quickly as possible. He had gone straight from the airport to the hospital and had now been awake for more than twenty hours.
“Doctor, how is he?” Qiu Yan asked anxiously.
Dr. Pompey gave a bitter smile. “His symptoms are indeed the same as before. I honestly never imagined he would dare enter a burning building. For him, that would be both psychological and physical torture.”
Qiu Yan coughed lightly.
Dr. Pompey suddenly realized what he had said and glanced at Ren Yi with some embarrassment.
Ren Yi pressed his lips together, his face deathly pale.
“However, the good news is that his condition isn’t as severe as it was when he was six. First, the triggers are different. Although both situations are related to fire, the circumstances aren’t the same. Second, he’s an adult now. His ability to communicate and understand is much stronger, and so is his resilience. Back then, his condition was far more serious than it is now. He was extremely afraid of people and resisted all contact. He completely shut himself away and refused to open up to anyone. But now, he isn’t rejecting other people, nor is he deliberately trying to isolate himself. His self-protection mechanism has automatically erected a wall around him. He wants to come out. I can see that desire in him. He’s also fighting against himself.”
Qiu Yan asked delightedly, “Then does that mean he can recover?”
Dr. Pompey nodded. “I’m confident he can. Just give me some time, and give him some time, too.”
Ren Yi finally let out a long breath. With heartfelt gratitude, he said, “Thank you, Dr. Pompey. That’s the best news I’ve heard in days. What can I do to help?”
“Stay with him. Talk to him, interact with him. That will help his recovery more than anything else. He’ll gradually begin responding to you. Once he starts responding to you, he’ll be well on his way to recovery.”
Ren Yi’s eyes lit up. “He responded to me on the very first day he woke up.”
“Really? What kind of response?”
“That day, I held him and cried. He put his hand on my back. He was clearly trying to comfort me.” Ren Yi looked a little embarrassed as he explained.
Dr. Pompey smiled. “That’s wonderful! It took me six months of effort to get that kind of response from him back then. Perhaps his current condition is only temporary. Even he wants to tear down that wall. If we work together, I’m sure we can help him recover.”
The weight that had been hanging over Ren Yi’s heart finally began to lift. This was truly a blessing amid misfortune. He had already prepared himself for six months of recovery, or even longer. No matter how much time it took or how much effort was required, he would wait until Gong Yingxian recovered.
“Can I go in and see him now?” Ren Yi asked.
“Go ahead.”
“Oh, wait a moment.” Uncle Sheng handed Ren Yi an insulated food container. “Captain Ren, it’s mealtime already. Why don’t you eat with Young Master? Please help feed him, too.”
Ren Yi accepted the container and replied gently, “I’ll take good care of him.”
When he entered the room, Gong Yingxian was half-reclining against the pillows, gazing out the window. No one knew what he was thinking.
“Yingxian, it’s time to eat. You must be hungry.”
Ren Yi placed a small table on the bed and arranged the dishes one by one. Even after he had finished setting everything out, Gong Yingxian remained in exactly the same position.
Ren Yi adjusted his posture, propping him up higher, and gently turned his face toward himself. Gong Yingxian’s eyes moved slightly as he quietly looked at Ren Yi, his pupils gleaming like translucent gemstones.
Ren Yi bent down and smiled. “What did you talk about with Dr. Pompey just now?”
Gong Yingxian blinked. His expression was innocent and bewildered, so pitifully endearing that anyone who saw him would feel their heart soften.
Unable to resist, Ren Yi leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against Gong Yingxian’s. Then he drew back and watched him closely. A tiny ripple had unmistakably appeared in those eyes.
“Come on, let’s eat.”
Ren Yi sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his hands together. “These are all your favorite dishes. Let’s start with a piece of bamboo shoot.”
He picked up a tender green shoot with his chopsticks and brought it to Gong Yingxian’s lips.
“Ah…”
Gong Yingxian hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth and chewing carefully.
“The doctor said you can be discharged next week. A lot of the treatment can be done at home. Since you hate hospitals so much, you must be happy to hear that.”
Ren Yi scooped up a spoonful of soup and fed it to him.
“Do you know? Zhang Wen turned himself in. Judging by how cowardly he usually seems, maybe that really is just how he is, rather than an act. But Purple Flame and Blue Flame are still on the run. Captain Qiu says Blue Flame, who provided the funding, might actually be the mastermind behind everything.”
“Captain Chen is in this hospital, too.” When Ren Yi mentioned Chen Xiaofei, he sighed. “He’s in the ICU and still hasn’t made it out of danger. I visit him every day. I honestly can’t believe he’s a bad person. No matter what happens, I hope he survives. He’s always treated me well. He was once my dad’s closest friend.”
When he mentioned his father, Ren Yi’s gaze darkened again.
Suddenly, Gong Yingxian’s knee jerked upward and bumped against the small table. The table shook, spilling some of the soup.
Ren Yi hurriedly grabbed some tissues and wiped it up. “What’s wrong? Do you want to get out of bed?”
Gong Yingxian simply stared at Ren Yi without blinking.
His features were as flawless as a jade sculpture. With so little vitality in his expression, he possessed an ethereal, almost sacred beauty. Being gazed at by such a pure, unblemished pair of eyes shook Ren Yi to the core.
“Are you worried about me?” Ren Yi set down the bowl and chopsticks and took Gong Yingxian’s hand. “Are you… are you trying to say something to me but you can’t?”
He felt as though Gong Yingxian were trapped inside a shell, unable to control his own body.
Gong Yingxian remained silent for a long moment. Then, suddenly, he curled his fingers inward and gently grasped Ren Yi’s little finger.
Ren Yi froze for a moment before his nose began to sting. He lifted Gong Yingxian’s hand and pressed it against his own cheek.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. We’ll take it slowly. I’ll stay with you forever.”