No matter whether it was bitterly cold or scorching hot, windy or rainy, the company had to do morning drills at exactly six every day.
There was only one exception: when they had responded to an emergency in the middle of the night.
That was what had happened last night.
A husband and wife had gotten into an argument, and the man, angry, had climbed out through the window and walked along the narrow ledge outside.
Then his legs went weak, and he became trapped on a ledge only twenty centimeters wide outside the seventh floor, too afraid to move.
Ren Yi had led the team over and used the aerial ladder truck to bring the man down.
After they returned, he told the firefighters to get some proper rest, and morning drills were canceled.
Ren Yi had originally planned to catch up on some sleep as well, but when the time came, his biological clock woke him right on schedule.
He lay in bed resentfully playing with his phone for a while before finally going downstairs to eat.
Qu Yangbo sat down across from him with his bowl.
“After you finish eating, go to the brigade. Captain Chen wants to see you.”
The moment Ren Yi heard that, his face fell.
“Why does he want to see me? Is it about the broken window?”
Qu Yangbo shrugged.
“I don’t know. But I’ve already taken care of that.”
“How did you handle it?”
“Paid for it. Did you really want to make a big deal out of it?”
Ren Yi angrily shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, feeling extremely frustrated.
“Go after you finish eating.”
“Bobo, come with me.”
“Are you in elementary school? Do you need me to go to the bathroom with you?”
Qu Yangbo snorted.
“Captain Chen isn’t going to do anything to you. He takes the best care of you.”
“That’s exactly why I’m scared. He’s always lecturing me.”
“How many people would love to receive a personal lecture from the brigade commander?”
Ren Yi sighed.
After finishing his meal, Ren Yi went to the brigade.
Chen Xiaofei was the captain of the Hongwu District Fire and Rescue Brigade. He was his father’s longtime comrade and friend, as well as a veteran firefighter who had seen countless battles and was exceptionally capable.
When Ren Yi entered the office, Chen Xiaofei looked up from a pile of documents.
Ren Yi smiled.
“Captain Chen.”
“Sit down.”
Chen Xiaofei put down his pen, stretched his shoulders, and leaned back into his chair.
“You brat. If I don’t come looking for you, you don’t know to come visit me, do you?”
“Oh, come on. If I came to see you every day, what would people say about me? We have to avoid suspicion.”
Chen Xiaofei gave a soft snort.
“How’s Old Ren been lately? I’ve been so busy. I’ve only seen him once since the New Year.”
“My dad’s doing pretty well.”
Everyone knew that with this kind of illness, things could only get worse and worse.
That kind of answer was simply a habitual response.
“What about the company? How’s the work been lately?”
“Everything’s been pretty good.”
“Really? Didn’t you guys just have to pay for someone’s car window?”
Ren Yi thought, Sure enough, it really is about that.
He said awkwardly, “It wasn’t my fault. He locked his kid inside the car.”
“Even if it wasn’t your fault, as the company commander, you have to learn how to maintain a good relationship with the public, especially when there are conflicts and disputes.”
“Yes.”
“And you need to control your temper.”
Ren Yi grinned.
“My temper is pretty good. Everybody likes me.”
Chen Xiaofei glared at him.
“Who was it that sprayed a reporter with a water hose back then? And who almost got into a fight with a victim’s family member?”
Ren Yi scratched his hair.
“I was young back then.”
“Ren Yi, I’ve told you many times. You’re a rare talent, and you’re meant to go further.”
Chen Xiaofei looked at him.
“The position I’m sitting in now should have belonged to your father. He was held back by two things.”
“Education and temper.”
Ren Yi had heard this countless times.
“That’s right. You’re a college-educated cadre, so your education is already excellent. But your temper is still just like your father’s. You’re stubborn as hell. You have to rein it in and learn to control yourself.”
“I’ve been pretty restrained, really. I didn’t even argue with him.”
“Then it still wasn’t enough. Otherwise, how did it end up with someone calling the police?”
Chen Xiaofei tapped the desk.
“Xiao Qu handled this matter for you. He was worried it would affect your mood when responding to emergencies, so he went to apologize, withdraw the complaint, and pay the compensation on your behalf.”
“You’ve always performed exceptionally during rescues, but maintaining the fire department’s image is important too.”
Ren Yi nodded dejectedly.
“Ren Yi, you and Xiao Qu are both people we have very high hopes for. You’re the ones we see as future successors.”
“I hope this work can preserve your passion while also allowing you to earn the achievements and commendations you deserve.”
Ren Yi said, “Yes, Captain Chen.”
Chen Xiaofei sighed emotionally.
“Ren Yi, I’ve watched you grow up since you were little. You’re just like my own son. I have very high expectations for you, and so does your father.”
“Work hard. Understand?”
Ren Yi nodded solemnly.
“All right. Let’s put this matter behind us and talk about something else.”
“That bar fire from a while back—Old Xu had you help the police with the fire investigation, didn’t he?”
“Yes. The case has already been closed.”
“I heard about it. I even talked about it with Director Li over dinner a few days ago.”
Chen Xiaofei continued, “After the restructuring, we’ve had a lot of personnel shortages. Most of the people in the fire investigation division are veteran comrades who have come down from frontline positions.”
“This year, by coincidence, some have retired and others are on medical leave. We’re seriously short-handed.”
“Recruiting isn’t easy either. Without enough time and experience, it’s difficult to do such important work properly. So we’re having you temporarily fill in.”
“No problem, Captain Chen. I’m happy to help.”
Ren Yi smiled.
“Back when I was responding to emergencies, I often had to assist the police anyway. It’s just a little extra work.”
“Mm. It’s good for you too. You also need to learn how to show what you can do. All of this will become political capital for you in the future.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, the annual competition is next month. Have you started training?”
“We started a long time ago.”
The moment the competition was mentioned, Ren Yi became a little excited.
“I guarantee we’ll get another good result.”
Chen Xiaofei laughed.
“All right, go back to work. Come over for dinner when you have time. Your aunt keeps asking about you.”
“Yes, sir!”
——
After returning to the company, Ren Yi made a point of thanking Qu Yangbo.
If Qu Yangbo had not helped him all these years, Ren Yi could never have managed the company so well on his own.
Qu Yangbo teased him.
“I’ve practically worried myself sick over you all these years. Good thing you finally know it.”
Ren Yi blinked.
“Do we kind of look like an old married couple? One of us handles things outside, and the other handles everything at home.”
“Get lost.”
Qu Yangbo suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right. That bar case. I heard it’s closed?”
“Yeah.”
The moment Ren Yi thought about the case, his brows furrowed.
“But Dr. Gong and I both think this person has an accomplice.”
“Seriously?”
Ren Yi gave him a general explanation of the case.
Qu Yangbo could not help sighing.
“That woman is way too suspicious. If she really was an accomplice, she’s seriously ruthless.”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, we still haven’t found any evidence.”
“Don’t let it get you down. Fire cases are particularly difficult to investigate in the first place because the evidence is so heavily destroyed.”
“To catch the culprit in such a short period of time is already extremely difficult.”
Ren Yi said gloomily, “But neither of us can really accept it.”
“You two really plan to keep investigating?”
“We have to. We’ll do it in our spare time.”
Qu Yangbo smiled.
“Not long ago, you were still complaining about Dr. Gong—how fussy he was, how annoying he was. Now the two of you seem to get along pretty well.”
Ren Yi thought of Gong Yingxian and smiled slightly.
“He does have a lot of quirks, but he’s actually not a bad person.”
“Oh?”
Qu Yangbo narrowed his eyes.
“You didn’t fall for him, did you?”
Ren Yi froze, then immediately protested.
“What are you talking about?”
Qu Yangbo raised one long finger and drew a circle in front of Ren Yi’s face.
“That reaction looks pretty guilty.”
Ren Yi pushed his hand away.
“Stop messing around. I’ve just barely reached the point where I can tolerate working with him. He’s completely not my type.”
“Oh? What is your type?”
“That teacher? That accountant? That DJ covered in tattoos? Or that young actor?”
Qu Yangbo clicked his tongue twice.
“I think your ‘range’ is pretty broad. You don’t seem to have a particular type at all.”
Ren Yi shot him a sideways glance.
“You’re pretty interested in my love life. Are you trying to hit on me?”
“Pfft. Only if you became a woman.”
Qu Yangbo pushed up his glasses and teased him.
“But this Dr. Gong is better-looking than any of them. Even I was stunned the first time I saw him. You really don’t feel even the slightest spark?”
“No.”
Ren Yi gave a dismissive snort through his nose.
“With that personality of his, no normal human being could stand him. Am I sick or something? Why would I deliberately make myself suffer?”
Qu Yangbo shrugged.
“With your temper, the fact that you’ve been able to put up with him this much is seriously unusual.”
Ren Yi patted his chest.
“A man should be broad-minded.”
He had hesitated over whether to tell Qu Yangbo about Gong Yingxian’s past.
After all, keeping it bottled up without anyone to talk to was difficult.
But then he thought about how Gong Yingxian had never mentioned it himself.
He obviously did not want anyone to know.
Ren Yi had only discovered it by accident, so he should keep the secret.
Ren Yi appropriately steered the conversation toward the annual competition, and the two began discussing which events to enter this year.
The annual competition was the fire department’s yearly sports meet.
It was a chance for each company to showcase themselves, and everyone took it very seriously.
After all, no one wanted to lose.
Especially since they were a special operations fire and rescue team, their results had to be better than those of the other companies.
As the two discussed the events they would register for, Ren Yi sent Gong Yingxian a WeChat message:
We’re holding our sports meet next month. Want to come have some fun?
A short while later, Gong Yingxian replied:
What’s there to do? I’m not going.
Ren Yi curled his lips.
What’s wrong with participating in some group activities and making a few more friends?
He always remembered how happy and hopeful Sheng Bo and Gong Feilan had been about the two of them making friends.
Since Ren Yi was apparently destined from birth to help other people, then perhaps he should help Gong Yingxian too.
Gong Yingxian replied again:
Weren’t you the one who said I couldn’t make friends?
Ren Yi was momentarily speechless.
He silently cursed Gong Yingxian several times.
“What are you doing?” Qu Yangbo asked.
“Focus.”
“Oh, nothing.”
Ren Yi said distractedly, “Wasn’t it basically decided already? We always enter these few events every year. Let’s enter more team events this time.”
As he spoke, he was thinking about how to reply to Gong Yingxian.
Qu Yangbo suddenly leaned over and pretended to look.
“Who are you flirting with?”
Ren Yi immediately turned his phone face-down.
“What?”
Qu Yangbo raised an eyebrow, looking utterly mocking.
Ren Yi stood up.
“All right. You decide the rest. I’m going to go train them.”
He walked out of the meeting room and replied to Gong Yingxian:
“You should at least give it a try. I invited you sincerely. If you don’t want to come, then forget it.”
Gong Yingxian replied:
I’m not going.
Ren Yi raised his middle finger at the screen.