Chapter Twenty-six: Midnight at the Scene of the Fire

When Xin Gan went to sleep, she didn’t change her clothes, only unfastened the buttons of her undergarments. Hearing the knock at the door, she immediately rebuttoned them upon waking before opening up.

Xiao Shi, looking anxious, called out, “There’s a fire downstairs, we have to get out quickly.”

A fire?

“Where’s Cheng Jiu? What about A Songli?”

“Ninth Brother is calling for the others. I got separated from A Songli and can’t find him for now, so I came to get you first.”

As expected, Xin Gan caught a sharp whiff of smoke. She swiftly grabbed her phone and hurried downstairs with Xiao Shi.

The cause of the fire was yet unclear, but the second floor was filling slowly with thick smoke. Many people, panicked, were running about and shouting for help. Xiao Shi moved decisively, clearing a path ahead. Even in such a dangerous situation, he remained calm, knowing exactly what to do.

Once outside, Xin Gan saw that it was the neighboring house that had caught fire. The small inn was only separated from it by a single wall, so naturally, it was the first to be affected. The commotion had woken everyone nearby, and people were working together to fight the flames.

This was the second time Xin Gan had witnessed such chaos. The first had been the explosion at the station, where many were injured, and the hospital was filled with those wounded by the blast. Even abroad, where life was more unfettered, such disasters were rare. Unaccustomed to it, she was terrified.

But A Songli was missing. Xiao Shi wanted to go back to search and told Xin Gan to stay in a safe place and not wander off.

Frozen in place, Xin Gan stood amid a scene of roaring flames and thick, choking smoke. It was night. If no one had woken her, she would have been consumed by the fire like the inn itself.

She realized her own helplessness. She was not as brave as Xiao Shi, who had just rushed into the burning building without a second thought. He was only in his early twenties, perhaps even a year or two younger than her, and yet all she could do was stand by and watch events unfold.

Cheng Jiu had gone to rescue people, calmly directing others out of the inn, while Xiao Shi soon found A Songli and brought him out. A Songli was sobbing uncontrollably, finally overcome by emotion.

Xiao Shi immediately handed A Songli to Xin Gan. “Miss Xin, please take care of A Songli for now. I’ll go see if Ninth Brother needs help.”

Cheng Jiu had no time for Xin Gan, and Xiao Shi, his capable subordinate, had stood by his side through many emergencies over the years.

The ambulance arrived quickly, and it took over ten minutes to extinguish the fire. Yet Xiao Shi, who had gone back in to find A Songli, didn’t reappear for a long time. Only then did Xin Gan come to her senses and want to go back inside to look, but the police had already set up a line, preventing anyone from getting close.

The chaos lasted into the early hours. Many were sent to the hospital, including A Songli, with Xin Gan accompanying him.

Cheng Jiu and Xiao Shi remained out of contact. At the hospital, Xin Gan tried calling Xiao Shi, but there was no answer. Biting her lip, she dialed Cheng Jiu’s number.

The first call didn’t go through.

On the second attempt, someone answered.

It was Xiao Shi’s voice. “Miss Xin? What’s wrong?”

Xin Gan’s heart pounded. “A Songli and I are at the hospital. Where are you?”

“As long as you two are safe. I’m with Ninth Brother. There’s something we need to handle here, so he can’t answer the phone right now. We’ll come to the hospital to find you later.”

After hanging up, Xiao Shi looked worried and said, “Ninth Brother, you should get that wound checked at the hospital. Miss Xin and A Songli have already been sent there.”

Cheng Jiu replied indifferently, “I know.”