Blazing Armor

Ren Yi was about to head to the front passenger seat when Gong Yingxian suddenly tossed the keys at him. Instinctively, he caught them. “Huh?”

“You drive.”

“Why?”

“I’m not feeling well,” Gong Yingxian said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Ren Yi sighed in resignation, circled around to the driver’s seat, opened the door, and got in.

Gong Yingxian made himself comfortable in the back seat on the left side.

Ren Yi shot him a glare. “You treating me like a damn chauffeur or what?”

Gong Yingxian blinked, opened his briefcase, and pulled out a pair of white gloves. “If I were treating you like a chauffeur, I’d make you wear these.”

Ren Yi gritted his teeth and started the car.

“Besides, with your level of skill, you wouldn’t qualify as my chauffeur. But if you really want to wear them…”

“I don’t.”

Ren Yi noticed a faint herbal scent filling the car. It wasn’t unpleasant—actually, it had a dry, clean quality to it. The longer he breathed it in, the more soothing it felt, as if each breath was cleansing his lungs.

He glanced around the car. He’d always liked the Jeep Wrangler—spacious, rugged, a real man’s vehicle. It just didn’t seem to match Gong Yingxian’s meticulously polished look from head to toe.

Ren Yi imagined what kind of car the guy behind him should be driving. No, wait—Gong Yingxian didn’t seem like he should drive at all. He should have a chauffeur in white gloves, opening the suicide doors of a Rolls-Royce for his suit-clad self.

Damn it, this asshole really does think I’m his driver.

Ren Yi cursed Gong Yingxian in his head but kept driving, heading toward Hongwu Hospital.

The entire ride, Gong Yingxian kept his head down, flipping through documents in the back seat. The more Ren Yi drove, the more he felt like a chauffeur, and it pissed him off. To ease the awkwardness, he finally spoke up. “How’s Feilan doing lately?”

“Her mother’s back in the country and watching over her,” Gong Yingxian paused, then added, “Why, are you really that concerned about her?”

“Is it a crime to care a little?”

“She’s fine. Just focus on driving,” Gong Yingxian said.

Ren Yi kept sneaking glances in the rearview mirror, noticing that Gong Yingxian hadn’t looked up once. He took a deep breath and silently repeated to himself, *Don’t get angry, don’t get angry, anger only harms you*.

—

Hongwu Hospital was a chaotic mess, overwhelmed with patients injured in the previous night’s incident at Fourth Perspective.

The two men arrived at a private room, guarded by a uniformed officer. The officer stood up and looked at Ren Yi with a questioning gaze.

Gong Yingxian nodded to the officer. “This is the captain of Phoenix Squad, here to assist me in questioning the suspect.”

The officer opened the door for them.

Inside the room, a young woman lay in bed with an IV in one arm, looking at her phone with the other. A man, presumably her father, sat beside her.

Seeing them enter, she sat up, looking a little nervous.

Gong Yingxian spoke first. “Miss Cai, are you feeling better after the lung wash?”

Cai Wan replied quietly, “It’s still uncomfortable, but it’s a bit better.”

“We have some new information to discuss with you.” Gong Yingxian turned to her father. “Could you please step out for a moment?”

The man hesitated but eventually left the room.

“This is Captain Ren from Phoenix Fire Squad,” Gong Yingxian introduced as he switched on a voice recorder. “Captain Ren is a fire expert. He led the firefighting operation at the bar fire, and he’s in charge of the investigation that followed. Do you know what a fire investigation entails?”

Cai Wan glanced at Ren Yi, her gaze flickering with uncertainty.

Gong Yingxian gestured for Ren Yi to speak.

“A fire investigation,” Ren Yi explained, “is about using the traces left at the scene to determine things like the time, point of origin, cause of the fire, and the path it spread. What might look like ruins to others, we can examine using science and experience to uncover many clues related to the fire.”

Cai Wan lowered her head, saying nothing.

Ren Yi spoke softly. “Miss Cai, I’m certain that the fire at Fourth Perspective started from the sofa in the private room you were in, not the curtain as you claimed. I hope you can give us an explanation.”

Cai Wan slowly lifted her head, her face pale. “Maybe… I remembered wrong. It was probably the sofa. The sofa and the curtain were close to each other.”

“Please recount what happened that night again,” Gong Yingxian said.

Cai Wan hesitated for a moment. “There were a few of us, celebrating a friend’s birthday. Everyone was drunk. Someone, I don’t know who, was smoking and threw the cigarette on the curtain… I mean, maybe it was the sofa. I don’t remember exactly. But the fire started.”

“The fire started? What kind of fire was it? Was it big?”

“Yes, it started. We tried to put it out, but we couldn’t. The smoke kept getting worse, so I ran,” Cai Wan’s eyes reddened, and her voice trembled slightly. “I thought they got out too, but… they were too drunk. Only I made it out.”

“Who was smoking?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Who noticed the fire first?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Did you notice the smoke or the fire first?”

“I… I don’t know how to answer. I saw the fire and felt the smoke. We tried to put it out at first, we really did.”

“Miss Cai.” Gong Yingxian’s gaze was icy, his tone harsh. “There were only four people in your room. You don’t remember who was smoking, you don’t remember who noticed the fire first, you don’t even know whether the curtains or the sofa caught fire first. You can’t even tell if there was smoke before the fire. This major incident resulted in twenty-nine deaths and over a hundred injuries. You are the only survivor from the room where the fire started and the prime suspect. Yet your statements are all over the place. Do you understand your situation?”

Cai Wan shuddered, her eyes brimming with fear. “It wasn’t me… I wasn’t the one smoking.”

Ren Yi gave Gong Yingxian a look, then spoke in a softer tone, “Miss Cai, I know this is painful and terrifying for you, but you must stay strong. For yourself, and for your friends who died. If you can’t prove how much responsibility you bear for this incident, you’re in serious trouble.”

Cai Wan sobbed, “I don’t know, I don’t know what to do.”

“Miss Cai, based on our assessment of the scene, there are at least three contradictions in your account. First, the fire started on the sofa, not the curtains. Second, without an accelerant, a cigarette butt can’t ignite a sofa instantly. The most likely scenario is that it smoldered for a while, or there was a ‘smoldering combustion.’ That means a fire without visible flames. Third, during smoldering, there is only smoke at first, which makes you feel suffocated. By the time you saw flames, the smoldering would’ve turned into an open fire. At this point, the symptoms you felt weren’t just suffocation, but carbon monoxide poisoning. Anyone still able to move wouldn’t have stayed at the scene.”

Cai Wan stared blankly at Ren Yi, her body trembling slightly.

Gong Yingxian stepped closer, his sharp gaze pressing her further. His tall frame added to the invisible pressure in the room. “What really happened that night?”

Cai Wan sobbed, “I told you, it wasn’t me smoking, it wasn’t me… The fire just started. I don’t know, I can’t remember. I’m sorry, I didn’t… I don’t know…” She stammered, then broke into loud, uncontrollable sobs.

Gong Yingxian paused, then leaned even closer, removing his mask and bending over, his arms resting on the bed, staring at her silently.

The door to the hospital room swung open. A man rushed in, pushing the two of them aside, his face red with anger. “What are you doing? My daughter is only twenty! She’s a good girl! She doesn’t smoke! This has nothing to do with her!”

Gong Yingxian and Ren Yi exchanged glances.

Gong Yingxian put his mask back on. “Miss Cai, we’ll come back when you’ve recovered a bit more.”

As they left the hospital room, Gong murmured something to his colleague in a low voice.

The two walked out of the hospital, and Gong took off his mask, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air. Then he pulled out some disinfectant spray and gave both himself and Ren Yi a thorough spritz.

Ren Yi waved his hand. “Alright, alright, no need to be so delicate.”

Gong frowned. “Things just got more complicated.”

“Did you notice something?”

“I noticed her tongue was very dry, and there was a faint metallic smell in her breath, like she’d used amphetamines or ketamine. I asked a colleague to contact her doctor and run a urine test.”

Ren Yi was surprised. “You think she’s using…?”

“She doesn’t look like a long-term user. I didn’t notice at first either. But when she was trying to shift the blame, she used the word ‘smoking’ very carefully. From a behavioral psychology perspective, if you’re innocent and determined to clear yourself, you’d use firm, clear language like ‘the fire wasn’t caused by my smoking.’ But she kept dodging and shifting focus. Subconsciously, what she might be trying to escape from isn’t just the responsibility for the fire. I suspect she’s used at least some form of highly sensitizing drugs.”

Ren Yi raised an eyebrow. “Huh, didn’t know you had a sharp eye for that.”

Gong ignored his sarcasm. “Get me the test results from the fire scene samples as soon as they’re ready.” With that, he started to walk off.

“Wait, where are you going?” Ren Yi called out.

“Back to the precinct. I need to interrogate the other suspects.”

“It’s the middle of the day, aren’t you hungry?”

“I don’t have an appetite.” Gong’s stomach churned as he recalled everything that had happened that morning.

“Well, I’m starving. Let’s grab something to eat.”

“I don’t eat with others.” Gong’s response was blunt and unapologetic.

“Oh, right,” Ren Yi muttered awkwardly. “But the traffic is bad right now. If you head back to the precinct now or in half an hour, you’ll still get there at the same time. Why don’t I eat while you sit there?”

Gong squinted at him. “Are you incapable of eating alone? I don’t have time for trivial social activities.”

Ren Yi clenched his fist, silently cursing him. “You know how hard it is to catch a cab outside this hospital? It takes an average of forty minutes to queue up. I want to eat first, then catch a ride back to the unit.”

“That’s your problem.” Gong turned on his heel and walked away.

“Asshole,” Ren Yi muttered under his breath. “Gong, I’ve put up with you for long enough. If we weren’t forced to work together, I wouldn’t waste a single word on you. Didn’t your parents teach you any manners? To show some respect for other people?!”

Gong Yingxian’s steps faltered for a moment, and his posture noticeably stiffened. Without turning around, he replied in a calm voice, “No,” then walked straight towards the parking lot.

Ren Yi was furious, wanting to punch Gong Yingxian. Left with no choice, he opened a ride-hailing app and queued up, debating whether to wait there or find a nearby restaurant for some food.

But it was too hot outside, and he didn’t feel like walking anywhere. He also didn’t want to go back into the hospital, so he loitered by the entrance, enjoying the air conditioning.

Suddenly, the sound of a car horn startled him. Looking up, he saw the black Jeep Wrangler parked at a distance. The window was rolled down, revealing Gong Yingxian’s pale face.

Ren Yi scoffed, turning away without acknowledging him.

The car persistently honked again, in an annoyingly rhythmic pattern, as if driven by compulsion.

Annoyed, Ren Yi finally gave in and walked over. “What do you want?”

“Get in.”

“You said my problems weren’t your concern.”

“I thought about it, and you’re right. We still have to work together. Social interactions aren’t entirely unnecessary.” Gong Yingxian lifted his chin, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Get in.”

Ren Yi glanced up at the blazing sun, hesitated for a moment, but then opened the door and got in.

Gong reached into the back seat with his long arm and pulled a white plastic cooler onto Ren Yi’s lap.

It was heavy.

“What’s this?” Ren Yi asked, puzzled.

“Cooler. Open it.”

Ren Yi opened the lid to find two lunch boxes inside, with ice packs underneath. He pulled one out, glaring at Gong. “Is this what I think it is?”

Gong kept his eyes on the road. “There’s a napkin in there. Put it on your lap. Don’t dirty my car.”

“You seriously call this inviting someone to eat?”

“Yes.” Gong responded plainly.

Ren Yi sighed in defeat, opening one of the lunch boxes. Inside was a salad—half greens, half meat, with a boiled egg. It looked balanced enough. Still grumpy, he muttered, “It’s cold. After a whole morning of work, I wanted something hot.”

“None available.”

“Don’t tell me you eat this kind of stuff for lunch?”

“Mm.”

“Are you dieting?” Ren Yi sized up Gong Yingxian. His figure was already in perfect shape.

“Are you going to eat or not?”

Ren Yi sighed deeply, pulling out the napkin and laying it on his lap. As he began eating, he grumbled, “Ugh, it’s so cold. How do you normally eat this? Microwave it? Though heated salad probably wouldn’t taste good either.”

“I eat it as is.”

“Just like this? So cold?”

“I only eat cold meals,” Gong replied, still focused on the road ahead.

“…Why?”

“Why do you ask so many questions?” Gong sounded a bit irritated.

“…Well, it’s a good thing I’m patient. Someone with a shorter temper would’ve punched you by now.”

Gong sneered.

Ren Yi stopped talking, focusing on his food, shoveling it into his mouth without further complaint.