Chapter Twenty-Nine The Schoolbag

Chapter 29: The Schoolbag

An Changpu hastily nodded to Qin Ruonan. In truth, even if he hadn't answered that question at all, it wouldn't have mattered—the knocking at the door was already the best answer.

He walked to the door and opened it, then froze for a moment, somewhat surprised: "Whoa! How did you end up like this?"

Qin Ruonan, curious at the sound of his voice, looked toward the door and saw Tao Yinyin walking in from outside.

This was the second time she had seen this girl. Unlike her previous appearance, when she had shown up looking beautiful and put together, Tao Yinyin now looked utterly disheveled—indescribably worse for wear. Her hair was plastered wetly against her cheeks, her light-colored thin coat was nearly soaked through, and her face was deathly pale. Her hands were clenched into fists, and she looked almost frozen stiff.

Despite her bedraggled state, because of her delicate, pretty features, Tao Yinyin still resembled that lost princess appearing at the castle gates on a rainy night from the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea."

"Who would've thought it would start raining all of a sudden today—and with hail mixed in, no less! I was halfway here, and going back wasn't an option, but pushing forward wasn't much better either. Lucky thing I realized I was near the police station, and I saw your office light on. Otherwise, I really would've been at my wit's end!" Tao Yinyin said, shivering violently as she spoke, her voice trembling.

"Come in!" Seeing how cold she was, An Changpu quickly pulled her into the office and turned to ask Qin Ruonan, "Ruonan, do you have any spare clothes to change into here?"

Because their working hours were irregular and they would often be called in for overtime with no chance to go home, everyone usually kept a few spare changes of clothes in their lockers for emergencies. Tao Yinyin was drenched through, and Tian Mi wasn't around, so Qin Ruonan was naturally the best candidate to borrow clothes from.

Qin Ruonan nodded, rose, and gestured for Tao Yinyin to follow her, leading her into the back duty room to get some clothes to change into. But Tao Yinyin looked troubled, glancing at Qin Ruonan, then at An Changpu, without moving a step.

"What's wrong?" Seeing her not budge, An Changpu asked.

"Better not, I suppose. I'm not really comfortable wearing a stranger's clothes." Tao Yinyin looked embarrassed, squeezed out an apologetic smile at Qin Ruonan, thought for a moment, then tentatively asked An Changpu, "Or... how about I borrow from you instead?"

An Changpu froze for a moment, a little flustered, but soon agreed. Everyone had their own little quirks and habits, after all. Since Tao Yinyin didn't know Qin Ruonan and wasn't willing to borrow clothes from her, that couldn't be forced. And right now, besides himself, there really was no other "acquaintance" who could offer her dry clothes.

In this season, wearing soaked clothes would all but guarantee getting sick.

"Come with me, then."

An Changpu led Tao Yinyin into the duty room. Two minutes later, he came out alone first, grabbed a paper cup, and walked over to the water dispenser to get a cup of hot water—only to discover the water jug was completely empty. He had no choice but to go fetch a fresh barrel.

Before long, Tao Yinyin emerged from the duty room in her changed clothes. Though An Changpu wasn't exactly burly or massive, he was still a solidly built big fellow. His long-sleeved pullover hoodie hung on Tao Yinyin like a child who had stolen an adult's clothes—the hem nearly covered her entire thighs, and the sleeves were so long she had rolled them up high to her elbows, revealing two fair, tender, slender forearms. Though clearly ill-fitting, it somehow made her look even more petite and delicate.

Tao Yinyin noticed Qin Ruonan looking at her, shrank her neck slightly, and gave an embarrassed, self-deprecating smile: "Good thing my coat was thick enough—otherwise, if my pants had gotten soaked too, that would've been truly awkward!"

Qin Ruonan smiled back at her, her gaze sweeping over Tao Yinyin's clothes, her smile a little bitter.

"Have a seat and wait a moment. He'll be back soon." She tried hard to ignore that suffocating, stifling feeling in her chest, wanting to be a bit warmer in her demeanor, but found it truly too difficult. All she could do was try not to come across as icy cold.

Tao Yinyin wasn't the least bit timid in unfamiliar surroundings. She sat down generously in An Changpu's seat, looked around the office, and showed no sign of intending to chat with Qin Ruonan.

The two sat quietly for a while, and then the door to the Major Cases Unit opened. But the person who walked in wasn't An Changpu, who had gone to fetch water—it was a man about the same height as An Changpu, with a pair of narrow, black-rimmed glasses perched on his face, which carried a calm, expressionless look.

There was hardly anyone else who would appear in the Major Cases Unit office like that, other than Lu Xiangdong, Tian Mi's fiancé. Lu Xiangdong entered without saying a word, swept his gaze over the two people in the office, ignored the completely unfamiliar Tao Yinyin, and gave only a slight nod to Qin Ruonan, whom he had met a few times, as a greeting. Qin Ruonan and Lu Xiangdong weren't well acquainted, but she had heard plenty about his temperament from chatting with Tian Mi and others in the past, so his attitude didn't bother her. She nodded back to him and continued flipping through the case file in front of her, half-heartedly.

"Officer Qin, where did An Changpu go?" Lu Xiangdong sat down at Tian Mi's desk and asked.

"He went to swap out the water jug. He should be back any minute now." Qin Ruonan replied. She had heard that unless Lu Xiangdong brought something up himself, it was nearly impossible to pry anything out of him. Besides, she wasn't the type to dig into other people's business anyway. Whatever Lu Xiangdong's purpose was in coming to see An Changpu at this hour—since he wasn't saying, it was better not to ask.

Sure enough, at her words, Lu Xiangdong nodded and fell silent, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against the chair, lost in his own thoughts.

Tao Yinyin's gaze had been fixed on Lu Xiangdong curiously ever since he walked in, as if she were privately trying to figure out who this man was. Lu Xiangdong, for his part, had only glanced at her "outlandish outfit" when he entered and never looked her way again. And so the three of them sat there in the office, none of them disturbing the others, until An Changpu returned.

An Changpu came back carrying a barrel of water on his shoulder. The moment he stepped in and saw Lu Xiangdong, this rare visitor, he was a bit surprised and greeted him warmly. As he installed the barrel onto the dispenser, he asked, "How did you know I hadn't clocked out yet?"

"I didn't, originally. But then I saw she was still here, so I figured you must be too." Lu Xiangdong pointed at Qin Ruonan.

An Changpu laughed, then quickly turned serious: "So, did you need something?"

It was long past quitting time, and it was raining with a mix of snow outside. For Lu Xiangdong to come all the way out in this weather to find him, it definitely wasn't out of idle boredom.

Lu Xiangdong pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to An Changpu: "The time and place for the suit fitting are on there. Make sure to show up. If you really can't make it due to being too busy, let me know in advance."

An Changpu took it, gave it a look, folded it up, and tucked it into his pocket, then immediately slapped his chest in assurance: "Don't worry. I'll be there right on time! Being best man is a serious responsibility! I've got to do a good job!"

"Changpu, why aren't you introducing me to your colleagues?"

Tao Yinyin, who had been left out in the cold for quite a while, gently tugged at An Changpu's sleeve and playfully protested in a soft voice with a smile.

"Oh, look at me—I got so caught up talking that I forgot. Let me introduce you. This is Dr. Lu Xiangdong, the famous genius professor of criminal psychology at J College," An Changpu said, finally realizing he'd neglected Tao Yinyin. After introducing Lu Xiangdong, he pointed to Qin Ruonan. "And this is my partner, Qin Ruonan."

"Hello, both of you! So nice to meet you! I'm Tao Yinyin, An Changpu's 'good' friend!" After listening, Tao Yinyin didn't wait for An Changpu to introduce her. She generously spoke up to the two of them herself, a sweet smile on her face, glancing at Qin Ruonan a couple of times as she spoke. When she mentioned her relationship with An Changpu, she deliberately emphasized the word "good" heavily.

It was then that Lu Xiangdong finally turned his attention to Tao Yinyin for the first time. He studied her for a moment, then suddenly asked, "This 'good friend'—just how good is it?"

"Asking only me to answer that isn't quite fair. People relate to each other mutually—how 'good' it is isn't something I get to decide alone!" Tao Yinyin said, playfully winking at An Changpu.

She didn't show any unusual reaction, but An Changpu felt a bit awkward. Discussing this kind of topic in front of Qin Ruonan and Lu Xiangdong was somewhat strange. Especially Tao Yinyin's answer—taken at face value, it sounded perfectly innocent, but if you let your mind wander, it seemed to carry an ambiguous undertone. What's more, after she said it, Lu Xiangdong's gaze stayed fixed on him with a thoughtful, probing look, which sent a chill through his heart. He couldn't figure out why Lu Xiangdong, who was never one for gossip, would suddenly ask such a question, and why he'd react that way.

Lu Xiangdong noticed An Changpu's unease, smiled at him, and pointed at the pocket where he'd tucked the slip of paper. "Don't forget what you promised."

With that, he gave Qin Ruonan a slight nod and left the office alone.

"That man has such an intense presence. Is his girlfriend especially fierce? Otherwise, how could she possibly tame a man like that?" Only after Lu Xiangdong had walked out of the office did Tao Yinyin shrink her neck, stick out her tongue, and quietly ask An Changpu.

"His girlfriend isn't fierce. She's a bit of a scatterbrain sometimes, actually. You'll get to meet her if there's a chance later." An Changpu looked out the window. The rain seemed to have stopped. He checked the time—Fang Da's sketch over at the other place would probably be done soon. "Go rest in the duty room for a while. Once I'm done here, I'll drop you off on my way home."

Before Tao Yinyin could answer, the door to the Major Cases Unit opened again. An Changpu assumed it was Lu Xiangdong coming back because he'd forgotten something, but instead, a colleague from another department walked in, followed by an elderly man in his sixties.

"Officer An, Officer Qin—perfect, you're both here! This old gentleman has come to report that he found Fang Wan's schoolbag!" the police officer who had brought the elderly man in said to An Changpu and Qin Ruonan.

At the request of reader dz1977118, this chapter lets Lu Xiangdong make a cameo appearance. For those who like him, don't worry—there'll be more guest appearances from him later!