Ren Yi had no choice but to brace himself and go downstairs with Gong Yingxian.
On a winter night in the north, the temperature was already close to freezing. Qi Xiao was wearing only a leather jacket and jeans, making him look painfully thin. His eyes were red, he reeked of alcohol, and his hair had fallen limply over his forehead.
When Liu Hui saw Ren Yi, he said, “Captain Ren, he said he was looking for you.”
“Yeah, he’s a friend of mine. You can go back to the dorm.”
Qi Xiao raised a hand and waved at Ren Yi, forcing a smile that looked even worse than crying.
“Hi.”
Ren Yi walked over to him and frowned. “What happened to you? What’s wrong?” Seeing Qi Xiao in this state genuinely worried him.
Gong Yingxian stood with both hands in his pockets, staring expressionlessly at Qi Xiao.
“I ran away from the set…” Qi Xiao laughed twice, then choked up. “Minor actors have no fucking rights.”
Ren Yi sighed softly. “Come inside and talk. It’s freezing out here.”
Qi Xiao took two steps forward, then suddenly stumbled.
He pitched forward, but Ren Yi caught him just in time.
Gong Yingxian pressed his lips together slightly. His expression did not change, but the veins on his forehead bulged.
Qi Xiao simply hung off Ren Yi and murmured in a spoiled tone, “Bro, can you carry me?”
Ren Yi secretly glanced at Gong Yingxian.
Even though Gong Yingxian had not said a word, Ren Yi could feel the displeasure radiating from him.
He lowered his voice. “Qi Xiao, this is where I work. It wouldn’t look good if someone saw you like this. Let me help you walk.”
Qi Xiao nodded.
It seemed only then that he noticed Gong Yingxian.
“Oh,” he said. “You’re that… that doctor.”
Gong Yingxian said nothing, his gaze extremely cold.
Qi Xiao had had too much to drink and apparently failed to notice Gong Yingxian’s attitude toward him. He mumbled, “Aren’t you… a cop?”
“I’m helping him with a case,” Ren Yi explained as he supported Qi Xiao inside.
Gong Yingxian followed behind them with a cold expression.
Qi Xiao continued babbling, “You’d definitely make it as an actor. Just… don’t sign with that fucking stupid company I’m with.”
“All right, stop talking. Go inside and rest for a while.”
Ren Yi did not take Qi Xiao to his own dorm. Instead, he brought him to the temporary quarters reserved for visiting family members.
Ren Yi helped Qi Xiao onto the bed.
“I’ll get you some water.”
“No.” Qi Xiao grabbed Ren Yi’s hand. “I don’t want water. I want alcohol.”
“You can’t drink anymore, especially not here at my station.”
Gong Yingxian stared at the hand Qi Xiao had wrapped around Ren Yi’s.
Anger immediately surged through him.
This man reeked of alcohol and was filthy. How could he touch something that belonged to him?
He said in a deep voice, “Ren Yi.”
“Hm?”
Ren Yi turned to look at him.
For a moment, Gong Yingxian did not know what to say. He simply wanted the two of them as far apart as possible.
He held it in for a long time before finally snapping,
“Are you still not going to get the water?”
“Oh.”
Ren Yi got up and poured Qi Xiao a glass of water.
“Drink some water and sober up.”
Qi Xiao did not take the glass.
Instead, his lips trembled, and tears began rolling down his face.
“Don’t cry.” Ren Yi hurriedly comforted him. “Tell me what happened. Did something happen on the set? Did they give you a hard time?”
He took out a tissue and wiped Qi Xiao’s tears.
Gong Yingxian kicked the stool.
The metal leg scraped loudly across the floor.
Ren Yi jumped and turned to look at him.
Gong Yingxian turned his face away in a huff, his fists quietly clenching.
Qi Xiao began rambling about how his scenes had been cut, how people were suppressing him, how his company did not care about him or help him, and how they refused to give him good opportunities.
The more he talked, the more aggrieved and miserable he became.
Ren Yi quietly comforted him.
When they had first met, Qi Xiao had not even turned twenty. Over the past few years, Ren Yi had watched him struggle and scrape his way through the entertainment industry. He really had suffered quite a bit.
Unfortunately, hard work did not always bring rewards.
After crying for a while, Qi Xiao was clearly getting sleepy. His voice grew softer, and his eyelids kept drooping.
Ren Yi stroked his hair and said gently, “Get some good sleep.”
Qi Xiao murmured, “Stay with me.”
His eyes were full of dependence as he looked at Ren Yi.
Ren Yi’s heart skipped a beat.
He did not know whether Gong Yingxian had heard.
He bent down and whispered, “Don’t start. This is my station.”
Although Qi Xiao had been drinking, he was not actually drunk, so he still knew where to draw the line.
He nodded in disappointment.
Gong Yingxian watched as Ren Yi lowered his head and spoke to Qi Xiao.
The two of them were so close that his eyes practically caught fire.
Ren Yi tucked the blanket around Qi Xiao.
“Get some sleep. Once you wake up, all your troubles will be yesterday’s troubles. Everything will be better tomorrow.”
Qi Xiao forced a smile.
Ren Yi stood up and walked out.
The moment the door closed, Gong Yingxian said, “Give me your hand.”
“Huh?”
Ren Yi was confused.
“Give it to me.”
Gong Yingxian glared at him, a thin layer of anger floating across his face.
Confused, Ren Yi held out his hand.
Gong Yingxian pulled a bottle of disinfectant from his pocket and angrily pressed down on the nozzle.
First, he used alcohol to clean Ren Yi’s hands.
Then he sprayed Ren Yi from head to toe.
Ren Yi closed his eyes, breathing in the pungent smell of alcohol, silently cursing Gong Yingxian in his head.
Even after disinfecting him, Gong Yingxian still seemed angry.
“Is the person in there mentally deficient? His work isn’t going well, so what use is it for him to come looking for you?”
Ren Yi sighed helplessly. “He just wanted someone to talk to and get things off his chest.”
“Why did he have to come to you?”
“We’re friends.”
Gong Yingxian’s face turned from green to white and back again.
Angrily, he said, “He’s… filthy and smelly. Why would you want to be friends with someone who’s filthy and smelly?”
Ren Yi frowned.
His mind conjured up Qi Xiao’s flushed, swollen face.
Qi Xiao was normally cheerful and was not the delicate or weak type. This was the first time he had ever cried in front of Ren Yi.
Unless a man was genuinely hurt and upset, who would willingly show someone else such a miserable side of himself?
Gong Yingxian’s words made Ren Yi uncomfortable.
He patiently explained, “He’s not usually like this. You’ve met him before too. Everyone goes through setbacks sometimes.”
Gong Yingxian had not expected Ren Yi to defend Qi Xiao.
He was immediately furious.
“Then go back and stay with him!”
He turned and walked away.
“Hey!”
Ren Yi hurried after him and grabbed Gong Yingxian’s arm.
“What’s wrong with you…?”
Gong Yingxian shook Ren Yi’s hand off.
“Don’t touch me.”
Ren Yi froze.
At first, Gong Yingxian had treated him this rudely too, but back then, Ren Yi had only found it infuriating and ridiculous.
Now, being rejected by Gong Yingxian again hurt him deeply.
He forced a smile and teased, “Oh? Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”
Those words only made Gong Yingxian even more embarrassed and angry.
“I just think he’s dirty.”
Ren Yi felt as though his heart had been squeezed.
He was angry and hurt.
He liked Gong Yingxian, but sometimes he simply could not stand Gong Yingxian’s willfulness and self-centeredness.
Even worse, he could not stop himself from imagining—
If Gong Yingxian knew what his real relationship with Qi Xiao was…
If Gong Yingxian knew what kind of feelings Ren Yi harbored in his heart…
Would he show an even more disgusted, contemptuous expression?
The moment Ren Yi thought of it, his breathing became tight.
He drew a deep breath and said heavily, “You should go back and get some rest.”
Gong Yingxian clenched both fists and turned away.
He left.
Back in the car, Gong Yingxian sat silently for a while.
Then a ferocious expression flashed across his face.
He slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
The car horn let out a piercing scream.
Why?
Why did Ren Yi have to have friends other than him?
If Ren Yi belonged only to him, no one else would be able to touch him or take up his time.
But reality was that Gong Yingxian did not even have a decent reason to make Ren Yi stay away from that man.
He wanted Ren Yi to belong only to him.
Only him.
Only him.
After Gong Yingxian left, Ren Yi returned to his dorm.
He looked at the takeout containers still sitting on the table, not yet cleared away, and let out a dejected sigh.
It had been such a nice evening.
Even if all they did was eat cold takeout together in his dorm, it would have felt like a date to him.
Unfortunately, it had all been ruined.
He did not blame Qi Xiao.
It was just that Qi Xiao really had reeked of alcohol when he arrived, and Ren Yi had needed to take care of him.
That was probably why Gong Yingxian had gotten so angry.
Ren Yi did not want to quarrel with Gong Yingxian at all.
He treasured the peaceful, happy days they were spending together, seeing each other every day.
It was just that Gong Yingxian had been so angry tonight.
He had no idea how long it would be before Gong Yingxian stopped ignoring him.
Ren Yi collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes wearily, but his mind was restless, and he tossed and turned throughout the night.
If only Gong Yingxian liked him the way he liked Gong Yingxian.
Then he would understand what Ren Yi was feeling right now.
=====
When Ren Yi woke up the next morning, he discovered that Qi Xiao was already gone.
Ren Yi had gotten up at six in the morning, which meant Qi Xiao must have left in the middle of the night.
Sure enough, there was a WeChat message sent shortly after four:
Bro, I went back to the set. Sorry for troubling you.
Ren Yi felt terrible.
For a moment, he did not know how to comfort Qi Xiao, so he could only reply:
Every difficulty will pass. You have to have faith in your future.
A moment later, Qi Xiao sent back a laughing emoji.
Ren Yi exited the chat and looked at Gong Yingxian’s name, which he had pinned to the top of his chats.
He secretly sighed.
As soon as morning training ended, Gao Ge brought his wife and daughter to the station.
He had been discharged from the hospital today, but he had taken a few extra days off so he could spend some quality time with his family.
Ren Yi smiled.
“You just got out of the hospital and you’re already running back to the station.”
“The kid insisted on seeing the fire trucks.”
Gao Ge rubbed his daughter’s head.
“We decided this could be the first attraction on our sightseeing tour.”
Cui Yisheng laughed.
“Deputy Captain, I think you came here to mooch lunch. You timed it perfectly.”
“You little brat, you actually figured that out.”
Gao Ge laughed and cursed playfully.
Qu Yangbo took his daughter from Gao Ge’s arms.
“Qingqing, want Uncle to take you see the big fire truck?”
The little girl asked seriously, “Can I drive the big fire truck?”
Qu Yangbo laughed.
“You can when you grow up.”
Qu Yangbo took Gao Ge’s wife and daughter to the garage to look at the vehicles.
Ren Yi patted Gao Ge on the shoulder.
“How’s your recovery?”
“I’m fine. I got out after just a few days. Though I still have to go back to the hospital to change my dressings.”
Gao Ge paused.
“I heard you got burned too?”
“Just a little on my neck.”
Ren Yi said, “You should relax and enjoy yourself. Take my car and drive your wife and niece around the area.”
“No need. I’ll just rent a car.”
“Stop arguing. After lunch, I’ll go get you the keys.”
Just then, Qu Yangbo suddenly returned from the garage and waved to Ren Yi.
Ren Yi walked over.
“What’s up?”
“This afternoon, go to the brigade headquarters and copy all the files you want. Then copy some other materials too—accidents from different decades and of different types. Say it’s for case-study training. I’ve already arranged everything. Just try not to let too many people see.”
Ren Yi immediately slung an arm around Qu Yangbo’s neck.
“Bobo, you’re the best. Thanks!”
Qu Yangbo said helplessly, “I must’ve owed you in my past life. I’m paying off the debt by serving you in this one.”
“Exactly. You must have been the heartless bastard who abandoned me in your past life.”
“Get lost.”