Blazing Armor

It had been exactly 24 hours since the explosion yesterday evening, and the police have already gathered so many clues. It’s only a matter of time before they catch Red Flame.

Ren Yi scoffed, “Clever, aren’t you? You want to find him through Zhou Chuan, but that’s going to take a lot of effort. Now, look, he exposed himself.”

“He’s like a cornered dog,” Gong Yingxian analyzed. “Before they caught Chen Pei, he still had some hope. Once Chen Pei was arrested, he knew Zhou Chuan would betray him, so he took a desperate risk. In fact, if you carefully look at this explosion, it wasn’t done carefully or thoroughly enough. A lot of loose ends were left behind. Even if time was tight, if it were me, I could’ve done it cleaner. People with a background in chemistry are usually meticulous, because even the smallest mistake in an experiment can lead to failure or even fatal danger. So I suspect that the person who provided the bomb-making method isn’t the same as the one who carried out the explosion.”

Ren Yi was surprised. “You’re saying Red Flame isn’t the one with the chemistry background?”

At that moment, the hospital room door opened as the nurse came in to remove their IVs.

After the nurse left, the two continued their conversation.

“No, thinking Red Flame is the one behind the explosion is just a preconceived notion. We won’t know who Red Flame really is or what role he played in this incident until we catch the perpetrator.” As Gong Yingxian spoke, his fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard. “I’ve also got Xiao Tan cross-referencing people with a chemistry background in the big data system with unemployment records, criminal records, and any online discussions related to arson or explosions. Maybe we’ll find a clue.”

Ren Yi watched as Gong Yingxian’s long, pale fingers danced elegantly on the keyboard. The screen’s backlight reflected off his face, making his skin look flawlessly pale, and his eyes exceptionally bright. Ren Yi found himself momentarily captivated.

Suddenly, Gong Yingxian’s right hand paused, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Ren Yi immediately tensed up and sat up straight. “Did you hurt your wound?”

Gong Yingxian didn’t speak, but his hand clenched into a loose fist, and his typing slowed significantly.

“I’ve told you to rest properly. If you keep going like this, it’ll slow down your recovery and cause even more trouble later.”

“I’ll finish this email.” Gong Yingxian replied, “Almost done.”

“Just this one email? If you don’t rest after this, I’m telling Captain Qiu.”

Gong Yingxian pressed the send button. “Done.”

Ren Yi, excited, said, “So, how about we watch a movie?”

“Alright. It is a bit early to sleep now.”

Both of them still had lingering headaches, but they had slept for quite a while, and with so much on their minds, neither could fall asleep anyway.

Ren Yi picked up a projector from the bedside table. “Gao Ge just used this a few days ago.” Suddenly, his vision blurred, and the projector slipped from his hand, crashing to the ground with a loud thud. “Ah…” He quickly got out of bed, but as soon as his feet touched the floor, his dizziness worsened, and he had to grab the bed for support.

“Are you okay?” Gong Yingxian asked anxiously. “Feeling dizzy?” He was about to get out of bed.

“Don’t move. I’ll be fine after a moment.” Their blood oxygen levels were low, which made them prone to dizziness, especially when moving too much. Ren Yi leaned against the bed, crouched down, and rested for a bit. “Alright, I’m okay now.” He tried to turn on the projector, but no matter how many times he pressed the button, nothing happened. “Damn it, did it break from the fall?”

“Let me take a look.” Gong Yingxian took the projector and fiddled with it for a moment. “Looks like it’s broken.”

“Great, now Yang Bo is definitely going to chew me out,” Ren Yi said dejectedly. “He’s always saying I don’t know how expensive things are because I’m not the one managing them.”

Gong Yingxian raised an eyebrow slightly. “That saying is usually for wives and mothers.”

“Haha, yeah, Yang Bo is like my wife. I’m the squad leader, mostly in charge of training and rescue, while he’s the instructor in charge of finance, personnel, logistics, and all that. I handle things outside, and he handles things inside. Isn’t that just like a wife?”

Gong Yingxian’s expression immediately darkened, and he tossed the projector back to Ren Yi.

Ren Yi continued tinkering with it. “What now? Can it be fixed? Looks like we won’t be able to watch the movie…”

“We can use my laptop,” Gong Yingxian said, his tone slightly annoyed.

“But the screen is kind of small, though my eyesight is good.”

Gong Yingxian patted the spot next to him on the bed. “Come over here and watch.”

Ren Yi froze on the spot.

Hospital beds are generally about 1.2 meters wide. It’s already cramped for two women to lie down, let alone two men—there wouldn’t be any room to move.

Gong Yingxian gave him a sideways glance. “Are you going to watch or not?”

“Yes,” Ren Yi responded quickly. How could he resist such an invitation? He immediately stood up and walked over to Gong Yingxian’s bed.

Gong Yingxian lowered the side rails to make the bed a bit wider, then pulled back the covers and stared at Ren Yi without blinking.

Ren Yi’s heart pounded like a deer caught in headlights. He was afraid his excitement would show, so he pretended to be nonchalant as he climbed into the warm bed beside Gong Yingxian.

The bed was indeed small, just like the confined space they had been trapped in under the rubble yesterday. Their bodies were pressed tightly against each other, as close as they had been during their life-and-death ordeal.

Both of them had thoughts swirling in their heads, but the one thing they had in common was recalling the events of the previous day. The awkwardness that had subsided started to rise again.

Ren Yi hurried to break the tension. “So, what should we watch?”

“What do you want to watch?” Gong Yingxian asked, snapping back to the moment.

“I’m fine with anything,” Ren Yi replied, trying to sound relaxed as he lay back on Gong Yingxian’s pillow. “Your blanket smells so good.” It had a faint, dry scent with a hint of herbs. Taking a deep breath of it felt like his lungs were being purified.

“You’re sleeping under my blanket right now.”

Both of their bedding had been brought over by Sheng Bo.

“Oh, right. But why doesn’t it smell as strong?” Ren Yi suddenly realized, “It’s your scent.”

Gong Yingxian lifted his arm and sniffed his sleeve. “Is it? I can’t smell anything.”

“It’s there.” Ren Yi subtly shifted closer to Gong Yingxian, breathing in his unique scent. Strangely, his headache seemed to ease. Despite the hospital’s overwhelming sterile smell, it was like he could only detect Gong Yingxian’s presence.

Suddenly, Gong Yingxian leaned in, his face so close that his nose nearly touched Ren Yi’s neck.

Ren Yi froze, not daring to move a muscle.

Gong Yingxian inhaled softly but didn’t seem satisfied. “Smells like hydrogen peroxide.”

At that moment, if Ren Yi just turned his head, their lips would touch. He could feel the heat radiating from Gong Yingxian’s body, especially where their thighs were pressed together. He was so nervous he hardly dared to breathe, torn between wanting to do something but lacking the courage, while secretly thrilled by this intimate proximity. It was like scratching an itch through a boot—frustrating yet tantalizing.

“Let’s watch this.” Gong Yingxian pointed to the screen. “Yan-jie recommended it.”

Ren Yi glanced at the title, “Zombie,” and the eerie, fittingly creepy cover. He shuddered. “Why this?”

“Yan-jie said it’s good.” Gong Yingxian’s lips curled slightly, though Ren Yi didn’t notice. “Didn’t you say anything is fine? Are you scared?”

“Scared? Not exactly. It’s just, we’re in a hospital. Wouldn’t something funny be better? Why watch some superstitious horror flick?” Ren Yi thought to himself, *This guy is definitely trying to freak me out on purpose. He’s so wicked.*

“Good, as long as you’re not scared.” Without another word, Gong Yingxian pressed play.

The screen opened with a gloomy, grayish-blue tone, creating a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

Ren Yi was already feeling tense. He discreetly picked up his phone, and the moment the creepy music started, he pretended to look at it.

But Gong Yingxian quickly snatched his phone away. “You’re the one who wanted to watch a movie.”

Ren Yi was on the verge of tears. He had been scared of these things since childhood, though admitting it out loud would be embarrassing. So, he rarely told anyone.

Suddenly, an unexpected jump scare burst onto the screen. Ren Yi was so startled he almost fell off the bed.

Gong Yingxian quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulders, steadying him, and then reached over to cover his eyes.

That large hand, dry and warm, gently covered Ren Yi’s eyes, and the unease in his heart was soothed. He relaxed and, little by little, leaned towards Gong Yingxian. Since they were already sitting so close, even when he eventually pressed against him, it didn’t feel out of place.

The movie was indeed terrifying, but every time a scary scene appeared, Gong Yingxian would cover Ren Yi’s eyes. Ren Yi thought, *Gong Yingxian must be trying to make up for the times I embarrassed myself in front of him by being afraid of fire. How childish.*

Later in the movie, a long fight scene unfolded—violent and bloody. Gong Yingxian kept his hand over Ren Yi’s eyes throughout.

Ren Yi simply closed his eyes, resting his head on Gong Yingxian’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of his hand over his eyes, and breathing in Gong Yingxian’s unique scent with every breath.

It was as if his whole world was wrapped in Gong Yingxian. In that sense of security, Ren Yi drifted into sleep.

When Gong Yingxian removed his hand, he realized Ren Yi had already fallen asleep. His face was peaceful, his breathing steady, and he looked like he was resting very well.

Gong Yingxian quietly gazed at Ren Yi, not daring to breathe too loudly. That broad, smooth forehead, those long, curled eyelashes, the high, prominent nose with a small mole on it, and those soft lips.

Everyone has lips, but it was only then that Gong Yingxian realized just how soft lips can be when they meet another pair. When he had given Ren Yi CPR, all he could think about at the time was how to save him and the fear of losing him. But afterward, in his memories, all he could recall was how soft those lips were, how extraordinary that sensation was.

It was an unfamiliar and yet very special feeling, one that made him… want to try it again.

Kipzi – SOMETHING HAD BETTER HAPPEN SOON DAMMIT