Wednesday afternoon, Gong Yingxian came to the unit to pick up Ren Yizhuo, and the two of them drove to the hospital.
This private hospital was nearly twenty kilometers from the Phoenix Unit. Naturally, it could not compare with the convenience of being able to cross the street and get home like before, but it was not particularly far either.
On the way, Ren Yizhuo asked about their investigation into Liu Dayong.
“We found his son and one of his cousins. We’re investigating further. That cousin was the one who went with him to steal fuel back then. But when Liu Dayong was imprisoned that time, for some reason he wasn’t caught. He may have run away. We promised not to prosecute him for what happened back then before he admitted it. He also remembers that something like that happened.”
“How much does he remember?”
“It was eighteen years ago, after all, so there’s a limit to what he remembers. We’re trying to guide him through his memories. But he helped us determine which gas station it was. Unfortunately, that gas station has been gone for years.” Gong Yingxian kept his eyes on the road ahead. “We’re also going through vehicle records from back then, PetroChina employee records, and looking for every possible clue.”
“The bucket Liu Dayong mentioned—I seem to remember it was kept as evidence. At the very least, the photos should still be there. I didn’t pay attention to any measuring lines on it at the time. I’ll go back and look through them.”
“After New Year’s, we’ll gather all the clues we have so far and redo the fire investigation.”
“Okay.”
As they talked, they arrived at the hospital.
The atmosphere of a private hospital was completely different from that of a public hospital. There were no crowds bustling about, no anxious and hurried expressions, and not even the pervasive smell of disinfectant. If you covered up the hospital sign, this place looked more like a high-end research institute.
The people receiving Gong Yingxian were already waiting at the entrance—a doctor accompanied by two nurses.
“Doctor Gong, hello.” The doctor bowed respectfully. “It’s been a long time since you’ve come to the hospital.”
“Hello. This is Captain Ren. I already explained everything to you over the phone.” Gong Yingxian said to Ren Yizhuo, “Ren Yizhuo, this is Doctor Han. His mentor was your father’s attending physician. He’ll be responsible for your father’s treatment and rehabilitation under normal circumstances.”
Doctor Han smiled. “Captain Ren, hello. The mentor Doctor Gong mentioned is one of the leading authorities in neurology in China and is also very famous internationally. He holds positions at several hospitals and frequently travels for work, so he doesn’t come here often. But I’ll communicate all of your father’s condition to him promptly.”
Ren Yizhuo was somewhat stunned. He had thought his father was simply coming here to live out his retirement. He hadn’t expected Gong Yingxian to actually intend to have his father receive treatment—and he had even found such an impressive doctor.
He looked at Gong Yingxian doubtfully.
Gong Yingxian’s expression remained unchanged. “Come on. Let’s go inside and look at the facilities.”
Doctor Han took them on a general tour of the hospital. Ren Yizhuo had never been inside a private hospital before, and he was stunned by the luxury. All kinds of sophisticated, high-end equipment, often costing tens or even hundreds of millions of yuan, made him gasp repeatedly.
Finally, Doctor Han showed them the hospital room. The one arranged for his father was a luxurious eighty-square-meter room with every facility imaginable. It was even more upscale than a five-star hotel. The room was almost as large as his home.
Ren Yizhuo finally couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled Gong Yingxian out onto the balcony.
“This is way too much, isn’t it? This isn’t what we agreed on before.”
“What’s wrong with it?” Gong Yingxian said. “The environment here is very good, and someone will be assigned specifically to take care of your father.”
“No, this is way too luxurious. Is this hospitalization or a vacation? I really can’t accept this. Even if I could, my dad definitely wouldn’t stay here.”
Gong Yingxian looked completely innocent. “Why? I just want your father to receive good medical care and proper attention.”
Ren Yizhuo patiently explained, “Yingxian, I really am grateful to you. I really am. But somewhere like this would cost several thousand yuan a day under normal circumstances. I can’t accept this kind of generosity. My dad is a retired government cadre, and he’s an old-fashioned man. He definitely wouldn’t accept it either. If I let him stay here, he’d definitely scold me and ask whether I’d taken money from someone.”
Gong Yingxian frowned and fell silent.
Ren Yizhuo was also somewhat frustrated. “How about I still send my dad to a nursing home? I’ll definitely find a good one. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“But aren’t we friends?” Gong Yingxian said somewhat disappointedly.
Ren Yizhuo’s heart softened. He scratched his head, not knowing how to answer. On one hand, he was touched by Gong Yingxian’s kindness. On the other, he felt awkward about it.
Normally, eating a few meals off Gong Yingxian wasn’t a big deal. But accepting such a large gift for no reason was not a good thing, whether from the perspective of friendship or his profession. Yet looking at Gong Yingxian’s disappointed expression, he couldn’t bear to refuse him.
Gong Yingxian turned his head and quietly looked out the window. There was an unmistakable loneliness in his eyes.
“Ren Yizhuo, I have…a lot of money.”
Ren Yizhuo froze.
“But it doesn’t mean much to me.” Gong Yingxian lowered his eyes. The afternoon sunlight fell across his flawless profile, as though a ray of divine light had suddenly given life to a sculpture. The exquisitely carved lines of his face were extraordinary yet vivid. He slowly said, “If I can use it to do something for you, then money will have meaning.”
Ren Yizhuo’s nose suddenly stung, and he actually felt a little like crying. To hide it, he punched Gong Yingxian lightly, half joking and half serious.
“You’re awful. Why do you have to be so nice to me?”
Gong Yingxian was also amused by him. “How about this? I’ll have them change it to an ordinary hospital room.”
“I…”
“No more refusing.” Gong Yingxian gazed steadily at Ren Yizhuo. His eyes shimmered brilliantly, like fragments of sunlight had been infused into them.
Ren Yizhuo couldn’t refuse those eyes. He couldn’t refuse this person.
Unable to suppress the surging emotions in his heart, he suddenly reached out and hugged Gong Yingxian, wrapping both arms around his shoulders and gently patting him.
Gong Yingxian froze for a moment, but the instant he came back to himself, he also reached out and wrapped his arms around Ren Yizhuo’s waist.
With the difference in their heights, Ren Yizhuo could comfortably rest his chin on Gong Yingxian’s shoulder. He whispered, “Thank you.”
“…”
Gong Yingxian’s breathing grew heavier.
After thanking him, Ren Yizhuo’s overheated mind also regained some clarity. He suddenly felt a little embarrassed and wanted to withdraw without making it obvious, but the hand behind his back was still holding him in place. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, it kept him from moving.
Gong Yingxian’s hand trembled slightly. He knew he should let go, but he didn’t want to.
Why was it that whenever this person came close, he wanted to get even closer? He had so many impulses that even he himself did not know what they were.
He had never had a friend who was his own age. Was this what happened when people became friends?
Perhaps the “why” didn’t matter at all. If he didn’t want to let go, then he wouldn’t.
If he wanted to do something…what did he want to do?
Ren Yizhuo finally became certain that Gong Yingxian was deliberately stopping him from pulling away. He immediately didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, his heart pounding wildly.
What did this hug mean?
What did it mean?!
Ren Yizhuo opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
Just then, the sound of the door creaking open came from behind them.
The two of them immediately sprang apart like thieves caught red-handed while reaching into a crowded marketplace. They stood stiffly apart like two large wind-up toys, awkwardly looking everywhere except at each other, not even daring to meet one another’s eyes.
Doctor Han said enthusiastically, “Captain Ren, what do you think?”
“Oh, we were just discussing…”
Gong Yingxian cut in. “Change it to an ordinary private room.”
Doctor Han froze for a moment but didn’t ask any questions. “Okay.”
“Let’s go take a look.” Gong Yingxian felt his cheeks growing hotter and hurried away, afraid that everyone would notice something was wrong with him.
After touring the ordinary private room, Ren Yizhuo felt somewhat relieved. Although it was still much better than a public hospital, at least it looked normal.
A nurse came over holding a file folder and smiled sweetly at Ren Yizhuo. “Captain Ren, we’ve completed your father’s information. Your father is not only a retired government cadre, but also has several commendations and honors, so his medical insurance can cover most of the expenses. The remaining expenses will be covered under our charitable funding. Our charitable assistance program includes retired veterans. Please take a look. Is there anything else you have questions about?”
She handed the documents to Ren Yizhuo.
Ren Yizhuo was surprised. “I only provided basic information. How did you find out about the rest?”
“There’s a lot of information in his social security account.”
Doctor Han immediately came over and said with a smile, “Actually, to be honest with you, because Doctor Gong has specifically asked us to look after you, we conducted a little investigation so that we could better serve your father. We also obtained his previous medical records. We believe your father’s condition will show significant improvement under our new treatment methods.”
“Oh, I hope so too. Then I’ll trouble you.” Ren Yizhuo thought to himself, This guy really knows how to flatter people.
“You’re too polite.” Doctor Han looked at Gong Yingxian, his face full of excitement. “When we learned that Captain Ren’s father was the firefighter who saved you back then, we were all deeply moved. You’ve never forgotten him after all these years. Such genuine feelings are truly rare in this world. We’ll definitely take good care of Elder Ren.”
Gong Yingxian’s previously calm expression suddenly changed dramatically.
“What did you say?!”
Ren Yizhuo was also stunned. He had originally planned to tell Gong Yingxian whenever he found the time. He hadn’t expected the secret to be revealed so abruptly, leaving him at a loss as well.
Doctor Han was even more confused. He stammered for a long time, not knowing what he had said wrong.
Gong Yingxian mentally processed what Doctor Han had said, then looked at Ren Yizhuo in disbelief. His gaze was sharp and carried a trace of panic, as though he had suffered an enormous betrayal.
Ren Yizhuo thought Gong Yingxian’s expression was strange. Even if he was surprised, why did he seem to be…angry too?
He had imagined countless possible reactions, and absolutely none of them looked like this. For the moment, he could only attribute it to Gong Yingxian being too shocked.
So he grabbed Gong Yingxian by the wrist.
“Come on. Let’s find somewhere else to talk.”