Chapter 5

Shi Xia turned over, gazing at the bright moonlight outside the window, and only after a long while did she finally close her eyes and drift off to sleep.

Under the same moonlight.

In the dormitory of the Lingshui Fire Brigade in Zhenghua District, Beijing, Qin Lie lay on his bed, one arm tucked under his head, staring out at the moonlight. His expression was blank, but a deep crease furrowed between his brows.

When Tang Weiyi came in and saw him like that, he was surprised.
“We’ve been running missions non-stop since the day before yesterday, not even a minute to breathe. Aren’t you tired? Why aren’t you sleeping? Got something on your mind?”

Qin Lie said nothing.

Tang Weiyi turned off the lights and lay down, then suddenly remembered something.

“…Hey, I heard you spoke with Captain Wang yesterday? The announcement on their official account went up so fast—it’s because you told them we’d post it if they didn’t, right? What’s going on with you, huh? You’ve never been this proactive before!”

Qin Lie turned over. “Just facts. Better to report early to prevent panic. Sleep.”

Tang Weiyi: “…”

！

They’d known each other for years—Tang Weiyi could tell. This reaction meant he’d hit a nerve. Qin Lie didn’t want to talk.

Something was up. Definitely something was up.

•  

The next day, Saturday.

As the station chief, Qin Lie was entitled to rest days, and those whose families were in Beijing could go home.

But in all these years, Tang Weiyi had never seen him actually take a break. He always gave his turn to others, and even if he was forced to rest, he never went anywhere—he just stayed at the station to train more.

Yet today, miraculously, not only did Qin Lie take his rest day, but he even cleaned himself up nicely.

Tang Weiyi looked at him curiously. “You going on a date? Since when do you have a girlfriend?”

Qin Lie: “Going to see a patient.”

Tang Weiyi: “…”

See a patient? That’s it?

Why did that sound so suspicious?

Wait, which patient?

But before he could ask, Qin Lie had already walked briskly out the door.

On his way, he passed by a flower shop across from the hospital and bought a bouquet of vibrant lisianthus flowers—lush and beautiful, just like the delicate young lady he remembered.

But just as he was about to walk into the hospital with the flowers in hand, his phone rang urgently.

Tang Weiyi: “There’s been an explosion at Times Square. Casualties on site. Massive fire. The caller said it’s a gas leak. A four-year-old kid is trapped on an air-conditioning unit on the 16th floor at Lanting Manor. Where are you?”

Qin Lie immediately bent down, left the bouquet on a bench outside the hospital, and took off running. “I’m close to Lanting Manor. I’ll be there in ten minutes!”

Tang Weiyi: “Alright! Wang Shuai is already on the way with Squad One!”

Qin Lie: “Send the details to my phone!”

Meanwhile, Shi Xia was scheduled to be discharged today—but the doctors required a final check-up. After all, she’d suffered a mild concussion, and had stitches on her head. If there were any complications, they couldn’t afford to take chances.

Bored out of her mind, she messaged her best friend overseas:

“Zhi Zhi, say something!”

Her best friend, Xu Yunzhi—nickname: Zhi Zhi.

Xu Yunzhi replied, “You sound excited. Did you see Qin Lie?”

！！

A true best friend indeed!

Shi Xia furiously typed back:
“You should stop studying abroad and just come live in my stomach like a parasite—you clearly read my mind!”

Xu Yunzhi sent back a voice message, her tone urgent:
“Wait, seriously? You did run into him? What’s he doing now? Does he know about Xiao Yan?”

Shi Xia told her about the two encounters she’d had with Qin Lie.

Xu Yunzhi: “…Wow. Never expected someone like him—a provincial top scorer in science—to become a firefighter…”

Shi Xia: “Mm…”

She was surprised too. Very surprised.

With his college entrance exam scores, he could’ve gone to Tsinghua or Peking University, and by now, he’d either be a financial tycoon or a scientific genius.

In all those years without contact, with no news of him, Shi Xia had always assumed he was involved in some high-level national research project.

Because he was a genius—a top student, a rare talent.

She thought, next time I see him, he’ll probably be some heavyweight expert or professor.

But instead…

Another voice message from Xu Yunzhi came in:
“So… do you still like him? And what about Xiao Yan? Are you going to tell him?”

Shi Xia’s finger paused over the screen.

She lay on her hospital bed, one arm flung over her eyes, and let out a long sigh.

Her vision went dark, deliberately plunging herself into shadow.

Back then—it was just an accident. He didn’t like her. He might not even know what had happened that night.

So many years had passed. He probably had a girlfriend by now. Maybe he was even married.

Shi Xia took a deep breath and typed two words: “Not saying.”

She wasn’t going to tell him about Shi Yan.

She didn’t answer the earlier question either.

Did she still like Qin Lie?

Of course she did. She had liked him ever since that very first glance as a teenager—and she still liked him now.

Before Xu Yunzhi could reply, Shi Xia’s phone suddenly rang.

It was Tang Guo.

“Xia Xia! Something terrible happened! Shi Yan is stuck outside the 16th floor window on the air conditioner! We’ve already called 119, the firefighters are on the way!”

Shi Xia’s heart leapt to her throat. Without waiting for the doctor’s exam, she grabbed her bag and dashed out of the ward.

At the same time, downstairs, fire trucks screeched to a stop. The property management had already brought Qin Lie over: “This is the chief of the Lingshui Fire Station.”

Qin Lie rushed to the window. “What happened? How did the child end up outside?”

Tang Guo was shaking. “He—he sleepwalks. But it’s always been at night, and he’s never crawled out a window before…”

The property staff gasped.

A child sleepwalking out the window and not falling? That was divine intervention!

Qin Lie had already jumped up onto the window. He observed the child for two seconds, then turned to ask:
“Is he awake?”

Tang Guo was crying now. “No.”

She and Shi Xia had practically raised Shi Yan together, so she knew the boy well. Just one look and she could tell—he was still asleep.

Qin Lie’s brows furrowed tightly. He immediately called on his phone:
“Set up the safety air cushion below! The kid’s sleepwalking—he could fall at any moment!”

Wang Shuai had just gotten off the truck. After hearing that, he gave immediate orders:

“Team One! Deploy the air cushion! Move fast! Kid could fall any second!”

“Team Two, get upstairs to support the chief! He hasn’t even put on a safety harness yet!”

At the same time, Qin Lie tossed his phone aside, grabbed the window frame with his bare hands, and leapt out onto the ledge.

Everyone upstairs and downstairs held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

Qin Lie moved quietly, minimizing noise to avoid waking the child.

Thankfully, the boy was standing calmly, hands gripping the metal bars. He seemed emotionally stable.

Until Qin Lie moved past him and wrapped him securely in his arms—yet even then, the boy didn’t stir.

But the sight made everyone gasp.

Too dangerous!

In that position, if the child suddenly pushed or moved, Qin Lie could easily be sent falling.

But Qin Lie didn’t hesitate. He used the nearby structures to stabilize himself and glanced down at the child—and suddenly, he felt a strange sense of familiarity in his features.

Something deep inside him stirred.