Over the past few days, Ren Yi had either been at the hospital or running around outside, handling his father’s affairs after his death. This was when he truly felt the disadvantage of having no family left by his side. He had to take care of everything himself: filling out those cold, impersonal forms, purchasing the things needed for the funeral, and listening to people discuss household registration cancellations and funeral arrangements without the slightest emotion. To him, this was his closest and most beloved family member; to them, it was merely another tedious task or business transaction repeated every day. Being forced to confirm his father’s death over and over in this manner was pure torture.
Qu Yangbo and Gao Ge had originally offered to help, but he had refused them both. This was something he truly needed to handle himself.
However, in the end, he had no choice but to accept their help because senior officials from headquarters had called him in for a discussion. They intended not only to posthumously award his father the First-Class Merit Medal for Martyrs, but also to designate him as a heroic role model for the Ministry of Emergency Management and give him extensive media coverage.
Ren Yi believed his father deserved every bit of that praise and every medal. He also understood the authorities’ good intentions. His only request was that he himself not appear on camera and that his name not be mentioned. He didn’t want the lingering accusations against him on the internet to cast even the slightest doubt on his father’s reputation. He wanted his father to leave this world with his name completely untarnished.
After a busy day, Ren Yi returned to the hospital that evening, eager to see Gong Yingxian as soon as possible.
Ever since the incident, he had practically been living at the hospital. He didn’t want to go home, where he would be all alone in the unbearable silence. Nor did he want to return to his fire station, where the concerned gazes and overly cautious attitudes of his colleagues made him feel suffocated.
Gong Yingxian had given him somewhere he wanted to return to, even if that place happened to be the hospital he hated most.
He knocked before gently pushing open the hospital room door.
When Uncle Sheng saw him, he looked as though he had just seen his savior. “Captain Ren, you’re finally back! I thought you wouldn’t be here until much later.”
A small table sat on the bed, holding six dishes, but it looked as though none of them had been touched.
“Having dinner?” Ren Yi walked over and stroked Gong Yingxian’s hair. “What’s wrong, Uncle Sheng? Has he finished eating?”
“He’s only eaten breakfast today. He refuses to eat until you come back.” Uncle Sheng sighed repeatedly.
Ren Yi froze. “He’s only had breakfast all day?”
“That’s right.”
Ren Yi had left early that morning. They had eaten together around seven or eight, and now twelve hours had passed. He lowered his head and looked at Gong Yingxian. “Were you waiting for me?”
Gong Yingxian looked at him without saying anything.
“Has he had his dressing changed, then?” Ren Yi glanced at Gong Yingxian’s left thigh. A piece of gauze lay loosely over it, and blood was visibly seeping from the burned area.
Uncle Sheng shook his head as well. “He’s afraid of the pain and won’t cooperate. The doctor said to wait until you came back before changing the dressing. It was the same yesterday. He only agreed to let them change it because you were here.”
Ren Yi’s heart ached at the thought. “Uncle Sheng, why didn’t you call me?”
Uncle Sheng replied awkwardly, “I knew you were busy handling the old captain’s affairs. How could I bother you?”
Ren Yi sighed softly. “I’ll feed him.”
Uncle Sheng handed him the bowl and spoon. “I can tell he’s been looking for you.”
Ren Yi felt a fresh wave of sadness, accompanied by a faint, inexplicable warmth.
After Uncle Sheng left, Ren Yi smiled at Gong Yingxian. “Were you looking for me?”
Gong Yingxian continued looking at him.
“I haven’t eaten either. Tell me, which dish looks good?”
Following Dr. Pompey’s advice, Ren Yi wanted to guide Gong Yingxian toward communicating with him.
After a long pause, Gong Yingxian picked up a piece of golden-brown fried tofu and put it into his mouth.
The tofu had a crispy, golden exterior and a soft, tender white interior. Initially, its temperature seemed perfectly comfortable. But once he bit into it, the warmth trapped inside the delicate tofu center spread through his mouth like jelly. An ordinary person might have found it only a little hot, but Gong Yingxian had avoided hot food for so long that his mouth had become extremely sensitive to high temperatures. For him, it was scalding.
He was burned by the heat and immediately opened his mouth, spitting the tofu out. The tofu, mixed with saliva, dribbled from the corner of his mouth, making a mess of the table and his shirt.
Under normal circumstances, Gong Yingxian was extremely particular about his appearance. Even when he had been shot, he had been more concerned about the bloodstains than the wound itself. He would never have allowed himself to become such a mess over a small piece of tofu. But now, he seemed completely unaware of how he looked. If it was hot, it was hot. If he needed to spit it out, he spat it out.
Ren Yi hurriedly wiped his mouth, soothing him as he did so. “It’s okay. We won’t eat this anymore. What a terrible thing. Even if it tastes good, I’m not eating it either.”
He handed Gong Yingxian some water. “Here, drink a little.”
After Gong Yingxian drank a few mouthfuls, Ren Yi pretended to blow gently on the corner of his mouth. “Does it still feel hot?”
Gong Yingxian still showed no reaction.
Ren Yi kissed the corner of his lips. “It’s not hot anymore. Not hot at all.”
This time, Gong Yingxian turned toward him and stared. Then his clear, limpid gaze drifted downward to Ren Yi’s lips.
“W-what is it?”
Gong Yingxian reached out and touched Ren Yi’s lips, pressing them gently.
Ren Yi obediently let him explore.
Gong Yingxian seemed unable to stop. After touching his lips, he moved on to his eyebrows, eyes, and nose. Finally, his fingers rubbed gently over the mole on the bridge of Ren Yi’s nose.
Ren Yi maintained his forward-leaning posture, presenting himself for Gong Yingxian’s inspection. Before long, his lower back began to ache. He tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but when he lowered his head, he was horrified.
A thin blanket covered Gong Yingxian, but its shape was decidedly unusual.
Ren Yi blinked, looking rather bewildered.
Gong Yingxian was far too concerned about his dignity. If Ren Yi had seen him like this under normal circumstances, he would probably have become embarrassed and angry rather than allowing Ren Yi to look at him so openly.
Something stirred in Ren Yi’s heart. He remembered what Dr. Pompey had said: communication, interaction, communication, interaction. The more they communicated and interacted, the more they could help Gong Yingxian break through the shell trapping him.
Without thinking further, he reached out.
Gong Yingxian froze for a moment, then suddenly called out softly, “Ren Yi.”
Ren Yi was overjoyed. “Y-you spoke? You spoke?!”
Gong Yingxian wrapped his arms around Ren Yi’s shoulders and rested his face against Ren Yi’s shoulder, leaning against him obediently.
“Ren Yi.”
Ren Yi’s movements became a little more impatient. Gong Yingxian closed his eyes and let out soft little hums, holding Ren Yi and repeatedly calling his name.
Each call was clear, sincere, yearning, and full of dependence. It reminded Ren Yi of the way Gong Yingxian used to whisper his name repeatedly in his ear when their passion ran deep. Gong Yingxian had always been like that. At such moments, he never said much. He simply loved calling Ren Yi’s name.
This set Ren Yi’s entire body ablaze with heat. But he only dared to go this far. With Gong Yingxian as innocent and vulnerable as a child, doing anything more would make him feel as though he were taking advantage of him.
Afterward, Gong Yingxian became even more obedient than usual. Feeding him went smoothly, and changing his dressing went smoothly as well.
However, whenever Ren Yi looked at the burns on Gong Yingxian’s leg, he felt his heart clench until he could barely breathe. The charred flesh mixed with the medication, looking muddy, raw, and utterly horrifying. This wasn’t the first time he had seen the injury, but every time he looked at it, the pain in his heart was suffocating.
He had spent his entire life dealing with burn injuries. First, he had seen the injuries on his father and his father’s fellow firefighters. After becoming a firefighter himself, he had seen the injuries of victims, as well as those of himself and his comrades. He had seven or eight burn scars on his own body, but none covered such a large area. He knew exactly what the searing pain of a burn felt like. Now, he also understood what it felt like to see the person you loved most suffering from such injuries. Gong Yingxian’s face was deathly pale, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, and Ren Yi wished he could take the pain in his place.
Ignoring the doctor’s presence, Ren Yi bent down and wrapped his arms around Gong Yingxian. He gently turned his head toward himself and soothed him in a soft voice. “Don’t look anymore. We won’t look anymore. It’ll be over soon.”
Gong Yingxian obediently stopped looking. He rested his head against Ren Yi’s chest and played with the drawstrings of Ren Yi’s hoodie, his body twitching occasionally from the pain, yet he made no sound.
Ren Yi secretly kissed Gong Yingxian on the forehead.
Gong Yingxian suddenly shuddered violently and raised his head to look at Ren Yi, startling the nurse as well.
“Don’t move! If you move, we’ll have to restrain you.”
“No, no, he won’t move.” Ren Yi looked at Gong Yingxian. “What’s wrong?”
Gong Yingxian’s eyes darted around as he looked at Ren Yi, then settled once more on his lips.
This was the second time. Ren Yi finally seemed to understand. Was Gong Yingxian hoping he would kiss him?
Ren Yi tentatively kissed his forehead again, taking care to avoid being seen by the nurse. Gong Yingxian’s eyes lit up. Although his face showed no obvious expression of happiness or displeasure, as though even his facial muscles had been sealed away, Ren Yi could still tell that he was happy.
Ren Yi couldn’t help feeling both amused and helpless. He thought about how, under normal circumstances, whenever he teased Gong Yingxian, the man would often blush and pretend to be proper and dignified. If Ren Yi pushed him too far, he would undergo a complete transformation, becoming shameless and insatiable, as though he were no longer human.
Now, in contrast, he was much more honest about what he wanted.
Ren Yi kissed him again, this time on the cheek, and then on the lips.
The two of them stole little kisses whenever the nurse wasn’t looking. They were just like mischievous children secretly doing something naughty behind their parents’ backs, and somehow, the whole thing brought them a little sweetness.
After the dressing change, Ren Yi sat by the head of the bed and peeled a mandarin orange. He separated the plump, crescent-shaped segments, feeding one to Gong Yingxian and eating one himself as he spoke.
“My dad’s funeral procession is tomorrow. We won’t be leaving from home. We’ll set off from the fire station. You know my dad used to belong to the Phoenix Fire Station, although it wasn’t called that back then. They made a major restructuring a few years ago.”
Gong Yingxian chewed his orange and listened attentively.
Ren Yi didn’t bother worrying about whether Gong Yingxian understood him. He continued speaking on his own. “It’s our tradition, I suppose. If the family lives locally, the procession leaves from the fire station. Although my dad retired a long time ago, his heart never left the station. This time, headquarters has posthumously awarded him the First-Class Merit Medal for Martyrs. They actually wanted to give it to him years ago, too. I told you about the Baosheng Chemical Plant explosion, right? My dad performed an extraordinary act of heroism back then. He led several firefighters and workers through the ruins and helped them survive for seven days and eight nights. They wanted to award him the First-Class Merit Medal then. Imagine receiving such a prestigious honor while still alive! But he refused. He said that although he and his comrades would receive the same medal, he was still alive while his comrades had died, and he didn’t deserve it. This time, at least, he finally…” 
His hand stopped as he peeled the orange, and his fingers began to tremble.
Gong Yingxian sensed Ren Yi’s sadness and gently stroked his head.
“Yes. Tomorrow, we’ll set off from the station. I heard there’ll be a lot of media coverage and many people coming to pay their respects to my dad.” Ren Yi looked at Gong Yingxian. “I really wish I could take you with me, but you can’t leave the hospital right now. We’re worried about the risk of infection. It’s okay. Once you’re better, I’ll take you to visit my dad.”
Gong Yingxian called softly, “Ren Yi.”
Ren Yi pinched his cheek. “Do you really want to go?”
Gong Yingxian froze and said nothing, making no movement.
“If you want to go, then… nod your head. Do you know how to nod?” Ren Yi demonstrated by nodding his own head. “Like this.”
Gong Yingxian remained frozen for a moment longer before nodding once.
Ren Yi was ecstatic. This was a response! It was the first clear, timely response he had received from Gong Yingxian in days! For the first time in days, Gong Yingxian had correctly understood and expressed something!
Ren Yi hugged him tightly and laughed. “That’s wonderful! You can nod your head now!”
He wished he could immediately tell Dr. Pompey the news. This had to be a huge step forward.
Gong Yingxian continued nodding.
Ren Yi spoke gently. “I really want to take you with me, too, but your wound is at a critical stage of healing. If it gets infected while you’re out, things will become troublesome. Once you’re better, you’ll be able to leave the hospital. It won’t be much longer.”
Uncle Sheng and Dr. Pompey had already prepared the necessary medical equipment at the Gong residence. They were simply waiting until the burns no longer posed a significant infection risk before discharging Gong Yingxian. After all, his psychological treatment might take a long time.
Whether Gong Yingxian understood everything or not, he continued nodding for a while. Eventually, he seemed to grow tired and took a segment of orange from Ren Yi’s hand to eat on his own.
Ren Yi took out his phone and called Dr. Pompey, describing what had just happened.
Dr. Pompey’s hotel was near the hospital, and he arrived in less than fifteen minutes. By coincidence, Qiu Yan had just finished work and had some free time, so he came over as well. The two arrived around the same time.
The three of them moved to the visitors’ lounge to discuss Gong Yingxian’s condition.
After hearing about the progress, both Dr. Pompey and Qiu Yan were delighted. Dr. Pompey was particularly confident as he said, “This is tremendous progress! All his responses are happening ahead of schedule. Both my medication and your companionship are having an effect.”
Ren Yi’s face brightened with happiness.
“Is there anything else? Anything unusual at all? Even the smallest detail must be reported to me. It’s very important.”
Dr. Pompey now required everyone who had interacted with Gong Yingxian, especially those close to him like Ren Yi and Uncle Sheng, to report every detail of their interactions as accurately as possible.
Ren Yi suddenly remembered what had happened during dinner and found it somewhat difficult to bring up.
Dr. Pompey was a towering figure in the field of psychology. He could detect something amiss from the slightest twitch of Ren Yi’s eyebrows.
“What haven’t you told me? And why?”
Ren Yi rubbed his nose and glanced at Qiu Yan. If Qiu Yan hadn’t been there, he might have found it easier to speak. With Qiu Yan present… He could certainly swallow his pride, especially since he had never been particularly shy, but he still felt that revealing this might not be very respectful to Gong Yingxian.
Qiu Yan raised an eyebrow, then sensibly stood up. “I’ll go buy some drinks.”
Only after Qiu Yan had left did Ren Yi tell Dr. Pompey about Gong Yingxian’s physical response.
Dr. Pompey was even more delighted. “You see? This is one of the reasons he’s easier to treat as an adult than he was as a child. This kind of response can stimulate him tremendously. I encourage you to do more of it. Try stimulating him further and see what happens.”
The muscles in Ren Yi’s face twitched. “Y-you’re encouraging me to do that?”
“Of course. Who else could do it?”
“No, Doctor. He’s… he’s a patient right now, and he’s like a child. I just feel…” Ren Yi found himself unable to go through with it.
“First, his bodily functions are perfectly normal. Second, he is not a child,” Dr. Pompey said. “Don’t you want to help him?”
“Of course I do, but…” Ren Yi couldn’t shake the feeling that taking advantage of Gong Yingxian while he was suffering from both physical and psychological trauma would be downright beastly.
Dr. Pompey patted him on the shoulder. “Trust me. Just kissing and touching him have already produced this kind of response. The more stimulation he receives, the more responses he’ll give you. If you want to help him, you don’t need to worry about these things.” He sounded somewhat excited. “I’ve never encountered a case quite like this before. It’s unusual, very unusual.”
Ren Yi looked thoroughly embarrassed.
At that moment, Qiu Yan returned, carrying bottles of mineral water for both of them.
The three discussed Gong Yingxian’s burns for a while before Qiu Yan changed the subject.
“Dr. Pompey, when can we begin the next stage of treatment?”
“After he returns home. It’s not convenient here. Deep hypnosis needs to take place in an environment where he feels safe.”
Ren Yi wasn’t surprised. To cure a psychological problem, they would naturally have to address the underlying cause. However, the thought of deep hypnosis still gave him some lingering apprehension.
“When can Yingxian be discharged, then?” he asked.
“Based on the progress of his leg injuries, I estimate about a week from now. As long as the risk of infection has decreased, he can return home for treatment.” Dr. Pompey looked at Qiu Yan. “Have you obtained Ms. Gong’s signature?”
Qiu Yan shook his head. “Not yet. I’m still chasing her for it.”
“What signature?” Ren Yi knew that the Ms. Gong they were referring to had to be Gong Yingxian’s aunt.
“Oh, it’s the medical liability waiver. Deep hypnosis carries certain risks, and I won’t perform it on anyone without such an agreement. Since Yingxian currently lacks the legal capacity to make decisions for himself, his aunt is his only adult relative.”
Ren Yi naturally understood what a medical liability waiver was. Gong Yingxian had once tricked him into signing one so that Dr. Pompey could perform deep hypnosis on his father.
He frowned slightly. From the corner of his eye, he could sense the uneasiness in Qiu Yan’s gaze. But then his expression returned to normal.
“I see. In that case, let’s get it done as soon as possible. We shouldn’t delay his treatment.”