Blazing Armor

Ren Yi scratched his head, looking troubled. Facing Gong Yingxian, who genuinely seemed upset, he found himself unable to say the words that would let him hand over the recording and send him away quickly.IbNuAJYGFmEVEDvDqpxzPPTrJeSaJk

“Uh, let’s talk inside,” Ren Yi gestured toward the reception room nearby.HvDJtlVHpuYmtGYcgtnUtMJzpELCBK

Once inside, with the door closed, Ren Yi sighed, “What is this?”RDReKTPjtNcjpYooHFNBdodsHafxxy

Gong Yingxian pulled a gift box from a paper bag and opened it. Inside was a smashed… skeleton.vYxytJWkuFAiHdYryvcvAYEhiZiZiq

“……”rJJQWoYNplJifzDUCfQyvXdCzHWePW

“It was my first bearded dragon,” Gong Yingxian said gloomily. “Her name was Lily of the Valley. She passed away recently, so I turned her into a specimen to give to you.” The specimen had been of great sentimental value, but now it was shattered beyond recognition.KhRidMgWVERABBprzpzmFEFIOnvSOW

Ren Yi had expected that whatever Gong Yingxian brought would be out of the ordinary, but he hadn’t anticipated an animal skeleton. Still, the clean white bones hinted at its original appearance before the accident, clearly a labor of love. He asked, “Can it be fixed?”fWtoZBxIDvhUFrHTpgeOSQYbMAnPbP

“It can, but there will be visible damage,” Gong Yingxian replied, his face suddenly darkening with anger. “I should never have let Yan Jue go!”mfzsagTzoeKQOAdzhYfvQJLILnTUgO

Ren Yi frowned, “It’s true Yan Jue was wrong to kick it, but this situation started because of you.”vlpMMERKUDmXqfpoquLsfiVOHMhqNm

Gong Yingxian glared at him, “You’re defending him now?”TAUwHhQLqnsNrltQIkDTQYiyCDapGX

“This isn’t about taking sides. You were the one who spoke out of line first. Even if you dislike Yan Jue, he’s still the deputy captain of the Special Fire Brigade. You two should show mutual respect. Targeting him over and over again makes you look neither like a police officer nor an adult.”MFrdMmhMBTvUNQZidTjVpkZwrxsuZo

“And what about him targeting me? He’s constantly provoking me. The way he looks at you, the tone he uses when talking to you—everything about his presence around you is wrong.”kkXcOMuouPbUHihgcgWdlBBjjYHCiH

“What kind of nonsense is this?” Ren Yi reprimanded lightly.QmKYmyWaqoKwfLkHOizvikLgxEqPwN

“Yes, what I’m saying is nonsense,” Gong Yingxian gritted his teeth. “Just like your vice-captain said, I have a bad personality, I’m difficult to get along with, I’m horrible to everyone, and no one can stand me. Is that it?”QwtzjIPAgctkQuXkOsHyGIkRbdqTGJ

“That was just Gao Ge trying to mediate,” Ren Yi’s voice faltered. He accepted Gong Yingxian’s quirks out of affection, but he couldn’t deny that others might genuinely feel the way Gao Ge described, recalling his own moments of exasperation when they’d first met.AaYdWpUDUbaPJnJowGaqRdFfAilEIs

“It’s the truth, though, isn’t it?” Gong Yingxian’s lips trembled slightly. “That’s what the people around you think, and you think so too, don’t you?”UlTkMbOInIGGEOvMeknaxYRSCdZpOT

“I don’t think that way,” Ren Yi said without hesitation. “But that doesn’t mean I agree with everything you do—like what happened with my father or today.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll have to apologize to Yan Jue later.”jlgYupFVlhkIaktqRmsjpHifaIqsSh

“Why would you apologize to him?” Gong Yingxian snapped. “Does he like you?”TkMnxXYknSohhfuqtTCPrVFpcYsItM

“No.” Ren Yi denied it immediately, even before he decided how to answer. His instinctive lie left him feeling conflicted.plIcQIrXvpXOtnlGmGpckGcfuoxiGO

Gong Yingxian was clearly unconvinced. “You really don’t see it?”QsQBDiNOtsZWhWUwIZiDHSeTgWfrEy

“I said no, so no. You’re overreacting,” Ren Yi gritted his teeth and held firm. Admitting it would only complicate matters for all three of them. “Besides, what does it have to do with you?” He threw the recording at Gong Yingxian. “You should leave.”VPpZZrhSemDdrmlbsLljgPAzeckjpX

“What do you mean, ‘it has nothing to do with me’?” Gong Yingxian demanded, his voice rising.HkYRMRUfxwjEQKavZalGQMxXntLHEc

“It has nothing to do with you,” Ren Yi suppressed the anger and sorrow swelling inside him. “What are we, huh? We’re nothing more than fuck buddies. No promises, no feelings—this could end at any moment, and either of us could find someone else anytime.”homLvRGdXohFYYXsXqmYYqBXeqAMEI

“Don’t you dare!” Gong Yingxian was beyond furious. Hearing those words, he felt like his head was about to explode.jqzTCovjtiXXFxuqeGBFpogJVJJijI

“You dared to use me and my father—what wouldn’t I dare to do?!”KMZRtCKAgBtaSkutpdyvnbEMZRYosZ

Gong Yingxian shoved his hand against Ren Yi’s chest and pushed him back, pinning him against the wall. His nose was so close to Ren Yi’s it almost touched. Staring at him with bloodshot eyes, he ground out, “I won’t let us end. I won’t let you go to someone else!”XJkStQsOSdJQIyVLwOmMDrUydOvizP

Ren Yi tried to push Gong Yingxian away, but his hands were locked in a death grip. The two glared at each other, as if searching for something in each other’s eyes, yet neither knew what they were looking for.sSdEetzdMWpASeIhzOKbnaZmEJSqXo

“Let go,” Ren Yi said in a low voice.WdhZGKYmQObvToSdxtMMPbjwUENLEY

“No,” Gong Yingxian replied hoarsely. “Why are you so good to Yan Jue but so… so cold to me? He ruined the gift I gave you, and you’re still going to apologize to him.”MFGioWvICeFAocVrbzLyDLOLBwzUWf

“If you understood how to apologize when you’re wrong, I wouldn’t have to do it for you.”rWzLyMycCrzmcJQLOPDFzSdMZwLBSp

“How do I not understand?” Gong Yingxian shot back. “I’ve never bowed my head to anyone in my life, but no matter how I apologize to you, you’re still angry.”wZRPaLZsVZNICAEjiXlzLLdPKDtFWh

“That’s because you don’t even think you were wrong,” Ren Yi retorted, his voice rising. “Not with my father, not with Yan Jue—you don’t think you’ve done anything wrong.”HHjcXoAjtmKMmnWTafCUsSxnzvBLqs

Gong Yingxian bit his lip. “I know I was wrong about the old captain. I was wrong to conduct deep hypnosis on him without your permission. But I wasn’t wrong to suspect or investigate him—I can’t apologize for something I don’t believe was a mistake.”vwebgWQQrHjZBZkANxGyHDhYyiWRux

Ren Yi was too furious to speak. He understood that Gong Yingxian’s reasoning might hold up from a professional standpoint, but on a personal level, the whole situation felt like exploitation and betrayal.qJjFSivxDTqwyjPuorZfaDWqTTAqiE

Gong Yingxian gazed at him intently. “It’s the same with Yan Jue. He obviously has feelings for you. I don’t know if you can’t see it or if you’re just pretending not to.”IYecwOmGauBrNIRMcVKzRiHizqNDTK

Ren Yi sighed wearily. “Let me go. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”TKsJPetGybQhTEzOUMsUnBvtNbFTJF

With reddened eyes, Gong Yingxian said, “He broke my Lily of the Valley, and you still defend him. You won’t even talk to me. Do you hate me too? Does everyone really hate me?”AhoixhvSEytKTXJoskXwkdiyvIiFdN

Ren Yi realized he had a weakness for vulnerability. The moment Gong Yingxian looked pitiful, his resolve softened. He let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t hate you. You’re just… different from most people, and the people around you mostly understand that. This isn’t about that.”JgZJbojPzPQBHqaIaRyQWQnKqbDcqN

“Then how do I fix what’s wrong between us?”aSdACTODqZmrapetqPtRKHysrYyBue

“You…” Ren Yi felt like their communication existed on completely different wavelengths. After a moment of thought, he said, “Let me go first.”saPwGJRfCmcfdecETEFTCqedNxmSvf

Gong Yingxian’s gaze lingered on Ren Yi’s lips. His throat bobbed, but in the end, he reluctantly released him.wHADUVHcfuMKaaxedUqJHYknPUjXrz

Ren Yi glanced at the shattered little lizard skeleton and felt a twinge of sympathy. “I have glue upstairs. Let’s fix it for now.”igdejyJfbsKqapUrVbqmnVUzOoxPMX

Gong Yingxian’s eyes lit up. After a month of tension, with the earth finally thawing after the cold spring of the new year, Ren Yi was finally beginning to engage with him rather than treating him like a plague to be avoided.OunapizXomjQXRahQJtsnKfJytEium

The two returned to Ren Yi’s dormitory. Ren Yi dug out a tube of 502 glue and a few toothpicks, attempting to piece the specimen back together. However, it was so badly shattered that they couldn’t reassemble it quickly.OrbbFMvugUtBplUyqtfGJrMSEnqRFc

As they worked, Ren Yi said, “Let’s talk about Yan Jue first.”vDgdNdsEcgmezLByODmrVdGqmywzEF

“Okay,” Gong Yingxian replied reluctantly.adYltkZdARBTTqFRAWgOOMwIvgdxsH

“You need to promise me that if you see him again, you’ll treat him with respect. He’s not some suspect you can order around; he’s a fire brigade captain who deserves the same respect as me,” Ren Yi said quietly. “You’re not as indifferent to social interactions as you think. You care about how others see you, don’t you? If that’s the case, you need to change.”FYBdKjiuMAobgJZjDPzrCfLVEmWyOa

Gong Yingxian hesitated. What he cared about was how Ren Yi and the people around Ren Yi saw him. As for others, if he had cared in the past twenty-some years, he would have done so long ago. But he didn’t deny it, replying gloomily, “I understand.”hGfcxtwFAZwcvttoGYVdcWlKVdlJIk

“Now let’s talk about my father,” Ren Yi said, his hands slowing visibly. “The biggest issue between us is your lack of empathy. Since you can’t feel it, I’ll explain it to you. Yesterday, I spoke with my father on the phone. Do you know what he told me?”cxChxDkCfdsNuoJzUrBAWZkJSuxwLI

Gong Yingxian remained silent.xeWtAggHKSbMfyEAnPujtZaCniozcQ

“He said that recently, he’s been dreaming about and thinking of his comrades from back then. He feels like he might be about to join them.”nhpWRFwkNPjotwpzkRGucGCXbsVzsN

Gong Yingxian froze.BygcWZVJWTotzuupfuJYuHZnXfOFGd

“I’ve told you before that nineteen years ago is a year he has avoided revisiting. That’s a self-protection mechanism. But now, he’s repeatedly reliving memories from that year. He’s confused, sad, and distressed. He’s even started suspecting that he might be dying. This is all because of you. Do you understand?” Ren Yi’s voice began to tremble.XRfXhTljhajieziApbnBcLenApqrKY

Gong Yingxian said quietly, “I’m sorry.”jGHPhTslRdZnEnKtWGtIHlLieJOjHn

“He’s my father, the most important person in my life. What you did is something I can’t forgive, no matter how much history we have between us.”BWfMNpsxjzIUgTItBviSKHKJoEheWt

Gong Yingxian pressed his lips together, saying nothing.ASmKFZNrnfsCvpyBkSzCMRhxWqzOwh

Ren Yi looked at Gong Yingxian and spoke calmly. “Now I’m going to ask you a question. You need to answer honestly. No lying.”EaZbATHCwGdIHgujojNnfURkbtRkCB

“Ask.”EfpffuadxOtCuucSOUWebblYtwgdrU

“Did you only find out in the hospital that we’re father and son, or did you already know and deliberately approach me?”SCVynvwiHZGBIiIZabngpJrBOLxiwV

“I only found out in the hospital,” Gong Yingxian answered with absolute certainty.EfMzvTaRmQlmhYSpKtdrZyJaNPOVpV

Ren Yi stared into Gong Yingxian’s unwavering gaze and nodded. “Okay, I believe you on this. I don’t oppose your investigation. Like you, I want to uncover the truth—not just for your revenge or for justice, but now also for my father’s innocence. However, I absolutely disagree with your methods. If you’re so eager to know what happened, why don’t you ask my father directly?”ScNJVqaTZKTpHRQMxLYQZSOGMElIHd

Gong Yingxian looked at Ren Yi in astonishment.dTbxWXFDJWhigyFPWoZfAIOHTwURUQ

“I’ve thought about it for a long time. If I keep hiding this from my father, his recurring dreams and memories of that year might be a result of the hypnosis. He’ll keep overthinking, and that’s bad for his health. Instead, I might as well tell him. Maybe it will trigger more of his memories from that time. Then you can ask him questions openly and properly,” Ren Yi paused, “and apologize to him.”GudfLRtUsReCkGPYaxRlSeZyRbFVsq

“Okay,” Gong Yingxian replied solemnly.eRUDrNOgXsnwtVxAUSqrqwDydRBWJs