Blazing Armor

Ren Yi had no choice but to brace himself and follow Gong Yingxian downstairs.

In the northern winter night, the temperature was already approaching freezing. Qi Xiao, wearing only a leather jacket and jeans, looked thin and fragile. His eyes were red, he reeked of alcohol, and his hair was disheveled, drooping lifelessly.

When Liu Hui saw Ren Yi, he said, “Captain Ren, he says he’s looking for you.”

“Yes, he’s my friend. You can head back to the dorm.”

Qi Xiao raised his hand, waved weakly at Ren Yi, and gave a pitiful smile that looked worse than crying. “Hey.”

Ren Yi walked over to him, frowning. “What’s wrong? What happened?” Seeing Qi Xiao in this state, he was genuinely worried.

Gong Yingxian stood there with his hands in his pockets, staring at Qi Xiao expressionlessly.

“I ran away from the set…” Qi Xiao forced out a couple of chuckles, his voice choking. “Being a minor actor is fucking miserable.”

Ren Yi sighed softly. “Come inside. It’s too cold out here.”

Qi Xiao took two steps forward, then suddenly stumbled and lurched forward. Ren Yi, quick on his feet, caught him.

Gong Yingxian pressed his lips together slightly. Though his expression didn’t change, the veins on his forehead bulged slightly.

Qi Xiao simply hung onto Ren Yi, whining softly, “Bro, will you carry me?”

Ren Yi glanced at Gong Yingxian out of the corner of his eye. Even though Gong Yingxian hadn’t said a word, Ren Yi could feel the displeasure radiating from him. He whispered, “Qi Xiao, this is my workplace. If anyone sees us, it won’t look good. Let me help you walk.”

Qi Xiao nodded. He seemed to have just noticed Gong Yingxian and let out a surprised “Ah.” “You’re that, that doctor.”

Gong Yingxian remained silent, his gaze ice-cold.

Qi Xiao, too drunk to notice Gong Yingxian’s attitude, mumbled, “Aren’t you… a cop?”

As Ren Yi helped Qi Xiao walk inside, he explained, “I’m assisting him with a case.”

Gong Yingxian followed behind, his face still cold.

Qi Xiao kept rambling, “You’d definitely make it big as an actor, just… don’t sign with my shitty company.”

“Alright, enough talking for now. Let’s get you inside to rest.” Ren Yi didn’t take Qi Xiao to his own dorm but instead brought him to a temporary guest room for visiting family.

Ren Yi laid Qi Xiao on the bed. “I’ll get you some water.”

“No need.” Qi Xiao grabbed Ren Yi’s hand. “I don’t want water. I want more alcohol.”

“You can’t drink anymore, especially not in my unit.”

Gong Yingxian’s eyes locked onto Qi Xiao’s hand clutching Ren Yi’s, and a surge of anger flared up within him. This filthy, drunken mess—how dare he touch something Gong Yingxian intended to claim! He spoke in a low voice, “Ren Yi.”

“Hm?” Ren Yi turned to look at him.

For a moment, Gong Yingxian didn’t know what to say; he just wanted the two of them to be as far apart as possible. After holding it in for a while, he finally shouted, “Aren’t you going to get the water?!”

“Oh.” Ren Yi quickly stood up and poured a glass of water for Qi Xiao. “Here, drink some water to sober up.”

But Qi Xiao didn’t take the water. Instead, his lips quivered, and tears began to roll down his face.

“Don’t cry.” Ren Yi hurriedly tried to comfort him. “Whatever’s bothering you, just tell me. Are you having a hard time at the set?” He took out a tissue to wipe Qi Xiao’s tears.

Gong Yingxian suddenly kicked a nearby chair.

The loud screech of the metal legs scraping against the floor startled Ren Yi, who turned around to look at Gong Yingxian. Gong Yingxian, sulking, averted his gaze, fists clenched tightly.

Qi Xiao started to ramble about how his scenes had been cut, how he was being suppressed, and how his company didn’t care about him or offer him any good opportunities. The more he talked, the more wronged and upset he felt.

Ren Yi comforted him softly. When they first met, Qi Xiao hadn’t even turned 20 yet. Over the years, Ren Yi had watched him struggle in the entertainment industry, going through a lot of hardship. Unfortunately, effort didn’t always bring the rewards one hoped for.

After crying for a while, Qi Xiao was clearly getting tired. His voice grew softer, and his eyelids began to droop. Ren Yi patted his head gently and whispered, “Get some sleep.”

Qi Xiao murmured, “Stay with me.” His gaze toward Ren Yi was filled with dependence.

Ren Yi’s heart raced with anxiety, not sure if Gong Yingxian had heard him. He bent down and whispered, “Don’t make a fuss. This is my squadron.”

Though Qi Xiao had been drinking, he wasn’t completely out of it. He still had some sense of propriety, so he nodded in disappointment.

Watching Ren Yi lean close to whisper to Qi Xiao, Gong Yingxian was practically seething with jealousy. His eyes blazed with anger.

Ren Yi tucked the blanket over Qi Xiao. “Get some rest. Once you wake up, all the bad stuff will be in the past. Tomorrow, everything will be better.”

Qi Xiao forced a faint smile.

Ren Yi got up and quietly left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Gong Yingxian snapped, “Put your hand out.” His tone was sharp and full of irritation.

“Huh?” Ren Yi looked at him, confused.

“Put it out,” Gong Yingxian demanded, glaring at Ren Yi with a thin veil of anger on his face.

Still confused, Ren Yi extended his hand.

Gong Yingxian pulled a bottle of disinfectant from his pocket, angrily pressing down on the nozzle. He doused Ren Yi’s hands with alcohol and then proceeded to spray his entire body.

Ren Yi closed his eyes, silently cursing Gong Yingxian in his mind as the sharp smell of alcohol filled the air.

After thoroughly disinfecting him, Gong Yingxian still hadn’t cooled down. “Is that guy inside brainless? His career’s a mess, and he thinks running to you will help?”

Ren Yi sighed helplessly, “He just wanted someone to talk to, to vent a bit.”

“Why does it have to be you?”

“We’re friends.”

Gong Yingxian’s face turned from pale to flushed with anger. “He’s filthy and stinks, why would you want to be friends with someone like that?”

Ren Yi frowned. The image of Qi Xiao’s swollen, flushed face came to mind. Qi Xiao was usually cheerful and far from fragile, never one to shed tears easily. For him to break down in front of Ren Yi—this was a first. No man would willingly show such a defeated side unless they were truly in pain. Gong Yingxian’s words made Ren Yi uncomfortable. He held back his frustration and explained patiently, “He’s not like that normally. You’ve met him before. Everyone has rough patches.”

Gong Yingxian hadn’t expected Ren Yi to defend Qi Xiao and was livid. “Then go be with him!” he spat, turning to leave.

“Hey!” Ren Yi quickly chased after him, grabbing Gong Yingxian’s arm. “Why are you—”

Gong Yingxian yanked his arm away. “Don’t touch me.”

Ren Yi froze. At first, Gong Yingxian had treated him with this same coldness, which he found both annoying and amusing. But now, being rejected like this again stung deeply. He forced a smile, teasing, “Hey, you’re not jealous, are you?”

This only made Gong Yingxian even more embarrassed and furious. “I just feel disgusted.”

The words stabbed at Ren Yi’s heart. He was both angry and hurt. He liked Gong Yingxian, but there were times he couldn’t stand Gong Yingxian’s selfishness and stubbornness. He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering, wondering what Gong Yingxian would think if he knew the truth about his relationship with Qi Xiao. If he knew what was really in Ren Yi’s heart, would his face twist in even more disgust and contempt?

The thought made Ren Yi’s chest tighten, and he took a deep breath, his voice low. “You should go home and get some rest.”

Gong Yingxian clenched his fists and walked away.

Back in the car, he sat in silence for a while. Suddenly, a flash of rage crossed his face, and he slammed the steering wheel hard. The car horn blared, piercing the stillness.

Why? Why did Ren Yi have to have friends other than him? If Ren Yi were his and his alone, no one else could touch him, occupy his time. But the reality was that he didn’t even have a good reason to demand Ren Yi stay away from that person.

He wanted Ren Yi to belong to him. Only him. Only him!

After Gong Yingxian left, Ren Yi returned to his dorm. He looked at the leftover meal boxes on the table, untouched and messy, and let out a sigh of frustration.

It had been a good night, or at least it could have been. Even just sitting in his dorm eating cold takeout together would have felt like a perfect date to him.

But now it was all ruined.

He didn’t blame Qi Xiao, though. When Qi Xiao came over, he really did reek of alcohol, and Ren Yi had to take care of him. That was probably why Gong Yingxian was so mad.

He didn’t want to fight with Gong Yingxian at all. He treasured these peaceful, everyday moments they spent together. But now Gong Yingxian was so upset, who knew how long it would be before he talked to him again.

Ren Yi threw himself onto the bed, closing his eyes in exhaustion, but his mind was restless, and he couldn’t sleep.

If only Gong Yingxian liked him the way he liked Gong Yingxian, then he might understand how Ren Yi was feeling right now.

=====

The next day, when Ren Yi woke up, Qi Xiao was already gone. Ren Yi had woken up at six, so Qi Xiao must have left in the middle of the night. Sure enough, there was a WeChat message from around 4 a.m.: “Bro, I rushed back to the set. Sorry for troubling you.”

Ren Yi felt a little uneasy. He didn’t know how to comfort Qi Xiao, so he replied, “Everything will pass. Have faith in your future.”

A moment later, Qi Xiao responded with a laughing emoji.

Ren Yi closed the chat and stared at Gong Yingxian’s name, which he had pinned to the top of his messages. He sighed to himself.

Later that morning, after training, Gao Ge brought his wife and kids to the squad. He had been discharged from the hospital today, but he took a few extra days off to spend time with his family.

Ren Yi chuckled, “Why are you heading straight to the squad right after getting discharged?”

“The kid insisted on seeing the fire trucks,” Gao Ge said, patting his daughter’s head. “So, this is our first stop on the tour.”

Cui Yisheng joked, “Vice Captain, I think you’re just here to mooch lunch—you’ve timed it perfectly.”

“You figured it out, huh?” Gao Ge laughed, cursing jokingly.

Qu Yangbo took Gao Ge’s daughter from his arms. “Qingqing, how about Uncle takes you to see the big fire truck?”

The little girl asked seriously, “Can I drive the big fire truck?”

Qu Yangbo smiled, “When you grow up, you’ll be able to.”

He then took Gao Ge’s wife and child to the garage for a tour.

Ren Yi patted Gao Ge on the shoulder. “How’s the recovery going?”

“I’m fine. Just a few days and I’m already out. Still gotta go back to the hospital to change the bandages though,” Gao Ge replied. “I heard you got burned too?”

“Just a bit on my neck,” Ren Yi said. “You should relax. Take my car, and drive your wife and daughter around to see the sights.”

“No need, I’ll rent a car.”

“Stop it, after lunch I’ll get you the keys.”

At that moment, Qu Yangbo came back from the garage and waved Ren Yi over.

Ren Yi walked up. “What’s up?”

“This afternoon, head over to the squad and make a copy of all the files you wanted. While you’re at it, grab some extra ones—spread across different eras and types of incidents. Say it’s for case study teaching. I’ve arranged everything, just try not to let too many people notice.”

Ren Yi threw his arm around Qu Yangbo’s neck. “Bo, you’re the best! Thanks, man.”

Qu Yangbo sighed. “I must’ve owed you in a past life. Now I’m stuck paying it off by serving you in this one.”

“No doubt, you were definitely a heartless bastard who abandoned me in your last life.”

“Get lost.”