The CEO is domineering, the devil Boss is addicted to pampering

Chapter 1425 Yunrui's Sincere Dedication: How Long Will This Burn?

The wind picked up, whipping up ashes that blinded him.

In the distance, another firefighter was carried off the fire, a white sheet covering him on a stretcher. Qi Ruixiang's heart clenched, and the live broadcast abruptly stopped.

The comments in the live stream gradually shifted – “He looked like he was crying?” “His eyes changed when the body was carried out.”

"Perhaps he wasn't trying to ride the wave of popularity, but rather he genuinely remembered something."

"No matter what, I still hope everyone can stay safe in the face of disaster."

Qi Ruixiang wiped away the tears and cigarette ash from his face and glanced at the temporary resettlement site not far away, where a crowd had gathered. Several volunteers were busy distributing bottled water and bread. Some elderly people were sitting on the ground sobbing because they couldn't find their families, and some children were crying loudly in fear.

He almost instinctively picked up the empty cardboard box that was placed to the side and walked over quickly.

“I’ll help you,” he said to a girl wearing a volunteer vest, his voice still a little hoarse.

The young woman paused for a moment, recognizing him as the reporter who had been live-streaming earlier, but didn't say much. She pointed to the supplies piled on the ground and said, "Please distribute these breads and water to the elderly and children, and remember to register their information so we can contact their families later."

Qi Ruixiang nodded, picked up a stack of registers and a pen, and began distributing supplies one by one.

His movements weren't very skilled, but he was exceptionally meticulous.

When handing water to the elderly, he would deliberately unscrew the bottle cap; when giving bread to children, he would squat down and ask in the gentlest tone, "Little friend, do you remember your parents' phone number? Uncle will help you find them."

A little boy was so frightened that he couldn't speak, clutching his clothes tightly. He picked up the child, hummed a tuneless nursery rhyme softly, and patted his back to comfort him.

“Uncle, don’t worry, I’ve written down your daughter’s phone number and have already asked someone to contact her. We’ll have news soon.” He helped an elderly man with a cane sit down and put a piece of bread in his hand. “Have something to eat first. You have diabetes, so this whole wheat bread is suitable for you.”

These meticulous considerations are habits he developed when he was covering social news; they are ingrained in his bones and he has never truly forgotten them.

The wind was still blowing, carrying the heat and acrid smell of the fire, making it hard to open one's eyes. Sweat mixed with soot streamed down his forehead, dripping onto the register and spreading a small ink stain.

He wiped his hand with his sleeve and continued registering information.

Some people recognized him and took out their phones to take pictures, but he raised his hand to stop them: "Don't take pictures, first help to calm down the people around you." His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable power, completely different from the deliberate performance during the live broadcast.

"Reporter Qi, why aren't you doing a live broadcast? Lots of people are waiting to watch," someone asked curiously.

Qi Ruixiang lowered his head to register the information, his tone calm: "Live streaming is not important, saving lives is the priority."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard hurried footsteps in the distance, accompanied by shouts from medical staff: "Make way! Make way!" He looked up and saw several medical staff in white coats carrying a stretcher, running quickly past him.

The person on the stretcher was covered with a white sheet, with only one hand covered in black ash showing, the fingers curled up as if making a final struggle.

As the stretcher passed by, a strong smell of smoke wafted over, mixed with a faint whiff of blood.

“That’s… Uncle Li from Building 3.” An elderly man next to him said, his voice trembling. “He was playing chess with me downstairs this morning, saying he was waiting for his son to come back from abroad so he could take him out for morning tea…” The old man choked up and couldn’t finish his sentence.

Qi Ruixiang suddenly squatted down, picked up the register from the ground, but his fingers trembled uncontrollably, and he could not even hold the pen steadily.

Suddenly, the sounds around him became both exceptionally clear and exceptionally indistinct. The whooshing sound of the high-pressure water cannon, the hoarse shouts of the firefighters, the cries of the crowd, the sirens of the ambulances, and the crackling sound of the fire in the distance all intertwined, like a dull knife repeatedly cutting into his nerves.

The burning sensation in front of me grew stronger and stronger. Even from a distance of tens of meters, I could feel the stinging pain on my skin as if I were about to be engulfed in that sea of ​​fire.

He saw a firefighter rush out of the inferno, his helmet charred black, his face covered in wounds, shouting, "There are still people inside! Get water!" As soon as he finished speaking, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, where his teammates rushed to carry him away.

But before long, even more firefighters rushed in. Their figures grew smaller and smaller in the flames, like sparks that could be extinguished at any moment.

“We’ve done everything we can… why are people still dying…” Qi Ruixiang heard the volunteer girl next to him sobbing softly. “We distributed supplies until our hands were sore, the medical staff were exhausted from the rescue efforts, and the firefighters rushed in and never came out again… but why can’t this fire be put out…”

These words acted like a fuse, instantly igniting all the emotions that Qi Ruixiang had been suppressing in his heart.

He jumped to his feet and roared towards the fire, "Enough! Stop burning! Stop it!" His voice was hoarse, like a broken gong, filled with desperate sobs, "So many people are waiting to go home! How long are you going to keep burning!"

Those around him were startled by his sudden outburst and turned to look at him. Qi Ruixiang, however, seemed oblivious. He staggered a few steps towards the fire before being stopped by the police. "Sir, danger!"

"Danger? Aren't they in danger?" Qi Ruixiang pointed at the firefighters in the inferno, tears streaming down his face. "They are also someone's sons, someone's husbands, someone's fathers! Why should they risk their lives?!"

He completely lost control of his emotions, squatted on the ground, held his head in his hands, and wailed like a lost child.

This wasn't a deliberately crafted emotional performance during his live stream, nor was it a display of resentment stemming from being talked about; rather, it was a quiet breakdown.

—After witnessing too many separations and deaths, after feeling the insignificance and helplessness of mankind in the face of nature, and after realizing the absurdity and selfishness of his past, all pretense and hardness were completely shattered, leaving only the most real pain and regret.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He choked up, repeating his apology over and over again. It was unclear whether he was apologizing to the deceased Uncle Li, to Yang Xiaotang and the child, or to the once spirited but now unrecognizable version of himself.

The wind swirled ash onto him, turning his denim jacket gray.

A child gently tugged at his sleeve and handed him an unopened chocolate: "Uncle, don't cry. Mom said crying won't solve anything. We should wait for Dad to come back together."

Qi Ruixiang looked up and saw the child's clear eyes. His tears flowed even more fiercely. He squatted down, but his vision was blurred by the tears. The child's sweet voice reminded him of his own Nian Nian.

The child's tender little hands caressed Qi Ruixiang's face, and he tightened his arms to pull the child into his embrace until the crying gradually subsided.

He took the chocolate, unwrapped it, fed it to the child, then stood up and picked up the register and pen from the floor again...