Ren Yi had already gone to check on Gong Yingxian several times that morning.
Ren Yi was someone with a very regular routine. Unless he was working late, Gong Yingxian was also accustomed to getting up early to exercise. And although they had actually been quite restrained the previous night—at least compared with how things used to be, they had barely gotten started—Gong Yingxian had slept until after ten without waking up.
Ren Yi was a little worried, so he called Dr. Pompey.
Dr. Pompey thought for a moment. “Deep hypnosis does take quite a bit of mental energy and can leave someone feeling tired. But given Yingxian’s physical condition, I wouldn’t expect him to be so exhausted that he slept this long without waking.”
“Could it have something to do with the muscle relaxant?”
“That shouldn’t be it either. That medication only makes him weak. I was worried he might get excited during hypnosis and accidentally injure himself.”
Ren Yi felt as though he had caught on to something important. “It only makes him weak? How long does the effect last?”
“About four or five hours.”
“…”
“What is it?” Dr. Pompey asked. “Was he unusually inactive yesterday? A little sluggish? I only gave him a small dose. It doesn’t make him completely unable to move, just makes it more difficult.”
Ren Yi could practically feel sweat breaking out across his forehead. Sluggish? Where was he sluggish? He certainly wasn’t sluggish anywhere! “Well… then it should be fine. He’ll probably wake up soon. Thank you, Doctor.”
After hanging up, Ren Yi opened the bedroom door a crack and sneaked another look at Gong Yingxian. The man was lying in bed in a perfectly proper, obedient sleeping position, with only his handsome, jade-like face exposed. His slightly furrowed brows lent him an air of fragile beauty.
It was truly a deceptive face.
Who could have imagined that this man had managed to perform at his usual level last night, even though the muscle relaxant hadn’t worn off?
They had chosen to do it the previous night for the same reason Dr. Pompey had recommended the medication: they were afraid Gong Yingxian might move too much and hurt himself. Who would have thought he would turn the tables on Ren Yi instead?
So something that normally took only half his strength had required twice as much effort last night. No wonder he was completely exhausted now.
Serves him right!
Still, their communication had definitely become more effective, and they hadn’t touched his wound. So, all things considered, could it be called a success?
Ren Yi wiped his forehead and decided to let Gong Yingxian sleep a little longer. He would simply wake him for lunch.
Shortly before noon, Gong Yingxian woke up on his own. He had even managed to transfer himself into his wheelchair—using only one leg. But just as he was about to wheel himself out of the bedroom, Ren Yi caught him.
“Didn’t I tell you not to move around carelessly?”
Ren Yi rushed over in a few strides and crouched down to examine his injured leg.
After checking it over, Ren Yi had just breathed a sigh of relief when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gong Yingxian reaching toward him. Two long, slender, fair fingers gently caught his chin and lifted his face.
Ren Yi tilted his head up, meeting Gong Yingxian’s gaze.
His heart trembled.
Gong Yingxian’s eyes were like a lake scattered with the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars, shimmering and beautiful. They seemed to hold countless unspoken words. When their gazes met, sparks flew between them like striking flint and steel.
“You…”
Gong Yingxian bent down and looked directly into Ren Yi’s eyes. His voice was hoarse with fatigue.
“When will I be able to move?”
Ren Yi’s eyes widened. It took him a long moment to react.
“Y-you’re awake?”
This was the longest stretch of speech Gong Yingxian had managed since the accident. Not only that, his sentences had complete subject-verb-object structures. He wasn’t talking nonsense or merely parroting words. There was absolutely no difference between this and the way he spoke normally.
“I… I don’t know. I can see you, and I can hear you, but…” Gong Yingxian seemed to be developing another headache.
Ren Yi was so overjoyed that he nearly burst into tears.
“It’s all right, it’s all right. You’re already so much better. It’s only been eight days. Just eight days! Do you know that the last time you were like this, it lasted for half a year?”
Gong Yingxian stared at him blankly. “Half a year?”
Ren Yi pulled out his phone. His fingers trembled as he pressed the buttons and called Dr. Pompey back.
“Doctor! He’s awake! He can talk to me normally now! Come over quickly!”
After hanging up, Ren Yi forced a bittersweet smile.
“Are you really awake?”
Gong Yingxian cupped Ren Yi’s face in both hands and gazed at him for a long time. Suddenly, his eyes reddened.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t save the old captain.”
Hearing those words, Ren Yi nearly burst into tears again. He buried his face between Gong Yingxian’s legs and spoke hoarsely.
“You bastard. Why did you go in there? You were so afraid of fire. So afraid of it.”
Gong Yingxian bent down too, kissing the exposed stretch of Ren Yi’s slender neck above his collar.
“I was more afraid of seeing you suffer.”
Ren Yi’s eyes grew wet, and he unconsciously clenched Gong Yingxian’s clothes.
Gong Yingxian stroked his spine twice, then said helplessly, “Don’t cry.”
Ren Yi raised his head and forced the corners of his mouth into a smile.
“I’m not crying. I’ve cried enough. Right now, I’m too happy to do anything but smile.”
Gong Yingxian still seemed to have a little difficulty speaking clearly. He stroked Ren Yi again and again.
“Don’t cry. I’m not afraid. Not afraid.”
Ren Yi straightened up and looked at him for a while before breaking into a smile through his tears.
“What made you wake up? Was it the hypnosis treatment, or was it because of what we did together?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Gong Yingxian.
Gong Yingxian began rubbing Ren Yi’s earlobe instead.
“Actually, after I woke up from the hypnosis yesterday, I already felt much better. Then you came and…” He cleared his throat twice. “Stimulated me.”
“If I’d known that kind of ‘stimulation’ worked, I would’ve tried it sooner.” Ren Yi pinched Gong Yingxian’s cheek. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
Gong Yingxian’s eyelashes fluttered. He asked quietly, “Are you… still angry with me?”
His tone was still uncertain.
Ren Yi sighed softly. “Are you going to lie to me again?”
Gong Yingxian shook his head firmly. “Never again. If there’s something I can’t tell you, I’ll tell you that I can’t tell you.”
Ren Yi nodded.
“During this whole time, I’ve kept thinking about it. Even though I’m angry with you, what would I do if I really lost you one day? And what would you do if you lost me?”
“I can’t live without you.” Gong Yingxian held Ren Yi tightly. “Absolutely cannot live without you.”
“Then I thought about how you didn’t lie to me out of malice. You just didn’t understand how deeply it would hurt someone. I can explain it to you slowly. I can treat you the way Dr. Pompey does. I can help you become better and better at understanding other people’s feelings. If I don’t do that, who else will?”
Gong Yingxian’s nose tingled. “That’s right. Only you.”
“So, to answer your earlier question…” Ren Yi smiled. “I’m still angry with you, but I love you.”
Gong Yingxian’s arms trembled slightly as he held Ren Yi. Those hands looked elegant, yet possessed astonishing strength. But now, they seemed barely able to keep even Ren Yi’s shoulders gathered in their embrace.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Ren Yi quickly stood up and composed his expression.
It was Uncle Sheng, coming to hurry them along for lunch.
After lunch, Dr. Pompey arrived as well. He was astonished by the extent of Gong Yingxian’s recovery and praised him repeatedly. He had originally estimated that, compared with what had happened when Gong Yingxian was six, this episode would take at least one or two months to resolve. He had never expected that after only eight days—just eight days—Gong Yingxian would already have emerged from his withdrawn state.
Although his thinking and speech were still a little slower than usual, those symptoms would disappear soon.
It was truly wonderful news.
Dr. Pompey would remain for a while longer to observe him, but the relaxed smile on his face reassured Ren Yi and everyone else.
Once Gong Yingxian had recovered, he didn’t waste a moment. First, he spent more than an hour on the phone with Qiu Yan. Then he shut himself away in his room all afternoon with his laptop. He said that this experience had reminded him of certain details from the past, and he wanted to catch up on all the work and developments he had missed over the previous eight days.
Ren Yi understood him. Right now, nothing mattered more than this case, which had harmed so many innocent people. They were at a critical juncture, with the truth almost within reach.
It was late at night when Ren Yi brought a bowl of Tianqi herbal chicken soup, freshly prepared by Uncle Sheng, to the study.
Gong Yingxian had one hand supporting his forehead and the other holding a pen, making vague notes and sketches on a sheet of paper.
“How’s it going? Have some soup before bed. It’s very nourishing.”
Gong Yingxian lifted his face. The corners of his eyes were faintly red.
“I remembered… I remembered the old captain coming to save me.”
Ren Yi was taken aback. “You don’t have to force yourself to remember the fire.”
“I’m not forcing myself. The memories are coming back on their own. I haven’t remembered everything, but there are many more details now.” Gong Yingxian looked intently at Ren Yi and said softly, “He came to save me. He picked me up, took off his own mask and put it on me, then held me tightly against his chest. His face was covered in patches of soot, all smeared by sweat. I couldn’t make out what he looked like, but I saw the mole on the bridge of his nose. So I remembered the person who saved me as someone with a mole on his nose.”
He gazed intently at the mole on Ren Yi’s nose, so similar to the one Ren Xiangrong had.
Ren Yi touched his own nose. He remembered Gong Yingxian, half-conscious from the smoke, pleading with him, “Uncle, save me.” His heart ached.
“If I had remembered this sooner…” Gong Yingxian said regretfully. “I knew the old captain was the person who saved me, but knowing that fact was nothing compared with the impact of remembering the actual scene. If I had remembered earlier, I would have understood how dangerous it had been. He had snatched me from the hands of death. There was no way he could possibly have had time to do anything else. Then I wouldn’t have…” Gong Yingxian’s voice grew heavy with remorse. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suspected him.”
Ren Yi spoke gently. “You’re a police officer. It’s your duty. The truth always emerges through repeated questioning and suspicion.”
Gong Yingxian adjusted his breathing.
“Have you seen the surveillance footage from the nursing home? The man suspected of being Purple Flame?”
“I have. Is there any new evidence?”
“There is. And it’s very strong evidence. The timing fits the crime perfectly, and so do the physical characteristics.”
“That’s good, then. All we need to do now is find him.”
“That’s exactly why I find it even more suspicious. Given how devious Purple Flame is, why would he leave behind such obvious evidence?”
“Do you think that man in black is still one of Purple Flame’s underlings?”
Gong Yingxian fell into thought.
“I have another theory.”
“What theory?”
“Take me to the district bureau first thing tomorrow morning. I need to verify a few things.”
“Okay.”