Blazing Armor

Regardless of whether it’s freezing cold, scorching hot, windy, or pouring rain, the squad must do morning exercises at 6 a.m. sharp every day. There’s only one exception: when there’s a call during the night.

Last night was one of those exceptions. A couple had a fight, and in a fit of anger, the man climbed out of the window onto a ledge. His legs gave out, and he got stuck on a 20-centimeter-wide exterior trim on the 7th floor, unable to move.

Ren Yi led his team over and used a ladder truck to rescue him. After they returned, he told his team to rest well, canceling the morning exercises.

Ren Yi had also planned to catch up on sleep, but his internal clock woke him up on time. Frustrated, he played on his phone in bed for a while before heading downstairs to eat.

Qu Yangbo sat across from him with a bowl in hand. “After breakfast, head over to the squad headquarters. Captain Chen wants to see you.”

Ren Yi’s face instantly soured. “Why does he want to see me? Is it about breaking the window?”

Qu Yangbo shrugged. “Not sure, but I’ve already handled that.”

“How’d you handle it?”

“Paid compensation. What, did you want to make a big deal out of it?”

Ren Yi took a big bite of food, feeling stifled inside.

“Just go after you finish eating.”

“BoBo, come with me.”

“What are you, a kid? Do I need to hold your hand to the bathroom too?” Qu Yangbo sneered. “Captain Chen isn’t going to do anything to you. He likes you the most.”

“That’s exactly why I’m scared. He’s always lecturing me.”

“There are plenty of people who would love to get personal advice from the captain.”

Ren Yi sighed.

After breakfast, Ren Yi headed to the headquarters.

Chen Xiaofei was the captain of the Hongwu District Fire Brigade. He was an old comrade and friend of Ren Yi’s father, a seasoned and highly respected firefighter.

When Ren Yi entered the office, Chen Xiaofei looked up from a pile of paperwork. Ren Yi smiled and greeted him, “Captain Chen.”

“Have a seat.” Chen Xiaofei set down his pen, stretched his shoulders, and leaned back in his chair. “You brat, if I don’t call you, you wouldn’t even think to come see me, would you?”

“Oh come on, if I came to see you all the time, people would talk! I need to avoid suspicion, you know.”

Chen Xiaofei snorted. “How’s Old Ren doing lately? I’ve been so busy; I only saw him once after the New Year.”

“My dad’s doing well.”

Everyone knew that with this kind of illness, things could only get worse. This kind of response was just a formality.

“How’s the squad? How’s the work going recently?”

“Everything’s going well.”

“Is that so? Didn’t you guys just have to compensate someone for a car window?”

Ren Yi thought to himself, *So it is about that.* He awkwardly replied, “It wasn’t my fault; he locked his kid in the car.”

“Even if it wasn’t your fault, as the squad leader, you need to learn how to handle relationships with the public, especially when there’s a conflict or dispute.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you need to control your temper.”

Ren Yi grinned, “I have a great temper! People love me.”

Chen Xiaofei shot him a glare. “Who was it that sprayed a journalist with a water cannon? And who almost got into a fight with the victim’s family?”

Ren Yi scratched his head, “I was young back then.”

“Ren Yi, I’ve told you many times, you’re a rare talent, destined to go far.” Chen Xiaofei looked at him seriously. “The position I’m in now should’ve been your father’s, but he was held back by two things.”

“Education and temper,” Ren Yi finished, having heard this speech countless times.

“Exactly. You’ve got the education; you’re a college graduate, which is great. But your temper is still just like your father’s—stubborn as a mule. You need to rein it in, control it.”

“I’m already pretty restrained, really. I didn’t argue with him.”

“Well, it’s not enough, or why did things escalate to the point where the police had to intervene?” Chen Xiaofei tapped the desk. “This matter was handled by Xiao Qu. He was worried it would affect your emotions during operations, so he apologized on your behalf, cleared the case, and paid the compensation. You’re outstanding during rescues, but maintaining the image of the fire department is just as important.”

Ren Yi nodded dejectedly.

“Ren Yi, you and Xiao Qu are both the future leaders we have high hopes for. I want this work to not only live up to your passion but also ensure you receive the achievements and recognition you deserve.”

Ren Yi replied, “Understood, Captain.”

Chen Xiaofei sighed. “Ren Yi, I’ve watched you grow up since you were a kid. You’re like a son to me. I have high expectations for you, and so does your father. Do your best, okay?”

Ren Yi nodded solemnly.

“Alright then, let’s put this matter behind us. Let’s talk about something else. The fire at that bar a while back, didn’t Old Xu ask you to help the police with the fire investigation?”

“Yes, the case has been closed.”

“I heard about that. I had dinner with Director Li the other day, and we discussed it.” Chen Xiaofei continued, “Since our reform, we’ve had quite a talent gap. Over in the fire investigation department, most of the staff are veterans retired from the front lines. It just so happened that this year, many are either retiring or on sick leave. They’re really short-staffed, and it’s hard to hire new people. Without time and experience, it’s tough to handle such critical work, so they had to ask you to fill in temporarily.”

“No problem, Captain Chen, I’m happy to help.” Ren Yi smiled. “When I’m on call, I often need to assist the police anyway, so it’s just a bit of extra work.”

“Hmm, that’s good for you too. You need to learn how to show off a bit. In the future, this will all count toward your political capital.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, by the way, next month is the annual skills competition. Have you started training?”

“We’ve been at it for a while now.” Ren Yi’s excitement was clear as soon as the topic came up. “I promise we’ll get good results again.”

Chen Xiaofei chuckled. “Alright, then. Get back to work. Come by for dinner sometime—your aunt’s been asking about you.”

“Yes, sir!”

—

Back at the squad, Ren Yi made a point to thank Qu Yangbo. Over the years, he knew that without Qu’s help, he wouldn’t have been able to manage the squad so well on his own.

Qu Yangbo teased him, “I’ve been worrying about you all these years, you better appreciate it.”

Ren Yi blinked playfully. “Don’t we seem like one of those old married couples? One handles the outside, the other the inside.”

“Get lost.” Qu Yangbo suddenly remembered something. “By the way, about that bar fire case, I heard it’s been closed?”

“Yeah.” Ren Yi’s expression darkened at the mention of it. “But both Dr. Gong and I think there’s still an accomplice involved.”

“Really?”

Ren Yi gave him a rough overview of the case.

Qu Yangbo sighed. “That woman is so suspicious. If she really is the accomplice, she’s ruthless.”

“Exactly. But we haven’t found any evidence yet.”

“Don’t let it get to you too much. Fire cases are notoriously hard to crack because the evidence gets so badly damaged. Catching the culprit in such a short time is already a big achievement.”

Ren Yi muttered, “But we still can’t accept it.”

“You guys are really planning to keep digging?”

“We have to, using our free time.”

Qu Yangbo smirked. “Not too long ago, you were complaining about Dr. Gong—how annoying and fussy he is. Now you two seem to be getting along just fine.”

Ren Yi thought of Gong Yingxian and smiled a little. “He’s got his quirks, sure, but he’s not a bad person.”

“Oh?” Qu Yangbo squinted his eyes mischievously. “You haven’t developed a crush on him, have you?”

Ren Yi was startled and quickly denied it. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Qu Yangbo raised a slender finger and drew circles in the air in front of Ren Yi’s face. “Your reaction seems a bit suspicious.”

Ren Yi slapped his hand away. “Stop with the nonsense. I’ve just learned to tolerate working with him. He’s not even my type.”

“Oh? What’s your type then? That teacher? That accountant? That DJ covered in tattoos? Or maybe that little actor?” Qu Yangbo clicked his tongue. “Seems like you’ve got quite a range, no specific type at all.”

Ren Yi shot him a sideways glance. “You’re keeping such close tabs on my love life—are you trying to hook up with me?”

“Pfft, not unless you change your orientation.” Qu Yangbo pushed his glasses up his nose, still teasing. “But seriously, Dr. Gong’s better looking than any of those people. Even I was stunned when I first saw him. Not even a spark of interest from you?”

“None.” Ren Yi snorted, “His personality? No human could stand it. I’d have to be insane to ask for that kind of trouble.”

Qu Yangbo shrugged. “With your temper, it’s honestly surprising you’ve put up with him this much. It’s really out of character for you.”

Ren Yi patted his chest. “A real man is magnanimous.” He hesitated about whether to tell Qu Yangbo about Gong Yingxian’s background. It was hard to keep it all bottled up, but since Gong never mentioned it, he likely didn’t want people to know. Ren Yi had stumbled upon the information by accident, so he decided to keep the secret.

He smoothly shifted the conversation to the upcoming competition, and the two started discussing which events to sign up for this year.

The competition was the fire department’s annual sports meet, a chance for each squad to showcase their abilities. Everyone took it seriously—no one wanted to lose, especially since their squad was a Special Operations Fire Team. Their results had to outshine the other squads.

As they discussed event sign-ups, Ren Yi sent a WeChat message to Gong Yingxian: *We’re having a sports meet next month. Wanna join?*

Not long after, Gong replied: *What’s the point? Not going.*

Ren Yi frowned at his phone: *Joining in group activities and making friends—what harm can that do?*

He always remembered Sheng Bo and Gong Feilan’s joy and hope that Gong would make friends. Since Ren Yi’s purpose in life seemed to be helping others, it was only natural to try and help Gong Yingxian too.

Gong replied: *Didn’t you say I couldn’t make friends?*

Ren Yi was momentarily speechless and cursed Gong in his heart.

“What are you doing?” Qu Yangbo asked. “Focus.”

“Ah, didn’t we already settle this? We always sign up for these events. Let’s sign up for more team ones this time.” Ren Yi replied absentmindedly, still thinking about how to respond to Gong.

Qu Yangbo suddenly leaned over, pretending to peek. “Who are you flirting with?”

Ren Yi immediately turned his phone away. “What are you talking about?”

Qu raised an eyebrow, his face full of mockery.

Ren Yi stood up. “Alright, you decide the rest. I’m going to go train the team.” He left the conference room and sent another message to Gong: *At least give it a shot. I’m sincerely inviting you. If you don’t come, that’s on you.*

Gong responded simply: *Not going.*

Ren Yi gave his screen the middle finger.