Chapter Forty-Two: Questions

While waiting for An Changpu to return from the meeting, Qin Ruonan received word that Yao Chang had finally confessed the truth. He could not possibly have been the one who killed Lu Min, as he had a solid alibi for the time surrounding Lu Min’s death. The reason he had remained tight-lipped until now, choosing to be suspected rather than reveal anything, was because his alibi was tied to another murder case.

Yao Chang had been making money through loan sharking in City C, operating with a clear underworld background and a group of thugs and lackeys either hired or self-recruited. However, in another city several hours away from City C, his “business” was far from simple usury. He was the leader of a small gang, organizing illegal prostitution and extracting so-called “management fees” from the women involved.

During the time Lu Min’s accident happened, Yao Chang was dealing with a dispute involving one of the prostitutes. The woman refused to continue working for them and would not allow them to keep extorting money from her. In the process of “teaching her a lesson,” Yao Chang accidentally killed her. He then hastily disposed of and buried the body before fleeing back to City C.

The woman’s hometown was remote and impoverished, and given the illicit nature of her work, it was only because Lu Min’s case implicated Yao Chang that the investigation into his background uncovered this crime. Otherwise, her murder might have gone undiscovered to this day.

Thus, Yao Chang, this loan shark and habitual skirt-chaser of the law and police, finally crossed the line and fell into the net of justice. Now he faced trial and punishment—repaying his “debts” at last. There was a sense of satisfaction in this outcome. Yet, at the same time, Lu Min’s case was left without one of its main suspects.

Qin Ruonan sifted through the case files related to Lu Min, her mind filled with countless questions. These doubts so consumed her that she didn’t even notice An Changpu’s return from the commendation ceremony.

“What are you thinking about, so lost in thought?”

Qin Ruonan was startled by An Changpu’s voice and looked up to see him standing by her desk. She hurriedly straightened up.

Because he had to attend the commendation ceremony, An Changpu was impeccably dressed. Normally, when out investigating, he wore simple, comfortable clothes. Since graduation, Qin Ruonan had never seen him in such a neatly pressed uniform from head to toe.

She had to admit the power of a uniform. An Changpu’s height seemed even more imposing in his police dress, and his usually handsome, gentle features gained an added air of authority.

Her admiration, of course, was entirely hidden from An Changpu, and he was far from narcissistic enough to notice. As he spoke to her, he was already removing his hat, loosening his tie, and undoing the top two buttons of his shirt.

“The weather was so cool just a couple of days ago, and now this lingering summer heat is back with a vengeance!” he grumbled casually, using his hat to fan himself. When he noticed Qin Ruonan staring at him silently, he thought she found his behavior inappropriate and quickly headed toward the duty room. “I’d better change my clothes first! If the chief catches me like this, I’ll get a lecture for not maintaining proper police decorum!”

He soon returned in his usual casual attire. Qin Ruonan let out a quiet sigh, reluctantly admitting that seeing An Changpu so well-dressed had instantly transported her back to a few years earlier.

She forced herself to set aside these distractions and briefed An Changpu on Yao Chang’s situation. After listening, An Changpu asked, “So, what do you think now?”

“I don’t have any answers, just a lot of questions,” Qin Ruonan replied, handing over the list she had compiled.

An Changpu read her notes and agreed with her points. “We still don’t know where Lu Min’s head is, but from the search so far, the killer didn’t discard it with the body; it was deliberately hidden.” He traced the first question on the list with his finger. “At first, when the victim’s identity was unclear, I thought the murderer wanted to conceal it by hiding the head. But now that Lu Min’s identity has been confirmed for quite some time and the head is still missing, I see two possibilities: either the murderer is unaware of our progress, or the murderer is within our line of sight and doesn’t dare risk disposing of the head.”

“There are two other things I can’t understand. Lu Min was found to have toxins in his body, but poisoning wasn’t the cause of death. Why did the murderer fail to poison him? The fatal wound appears to be on the head. Was the failed poisoning an accident or intentional? We have no idea. Also, the forensic report notes some injuries on Lu Min, which, judging by the healing, occurred before he was killed but aren’t particularly old. Who inflicted these wounds?”

“There’s another thing I’ve been thinking about. I did some research online. Very few people undergo gender reassignment surgery, and most who do are intersex individuals correcting a physical condition, not people making the choice solely for personal reasons. Among those who do it for personal reasons, most have psychological or sexual orientation issues.” An Changpu paused, waiting for Qin Ruonan to catch on.

She was startled for a moment, then understood. “You mean what Lu Jun’s wife said—that before his death, Lu Min’s relationship with Ding Mulan hadn’t worsened, but they’d actually resumed marital relations?”

“Exactly. Gender reassignment isn’t like getting double eyelid surgery or dental veneers—it’s expensive, painful, and has a huge impact on life. Given Lu Min’s family situation, the way he scraped together the money, and his attitude toward Ding Mulan after surgery, I really can’t figure out his motive for undergoing the operation.”

“So you mean...?”

“We can set aside Liu Yuxiang for now. The victim’s identity is clear, so we should talk to Lu Min’s attending physician again.”