Chapter 54: Lu Xiangdong's Assessment

Chapter 54: Lu Xiangdong's Assessment

Zhong Han’s suggestion carried weight with An Changpu. He immediately called his supervisor, Cheng Feng, who was away on a business trip, to request authorization for cross-jurisdictional assistance. Upon hearing the details and the reasoning behind the conclusion, Cheng Feng found the argument well-founded and practical. He approved the request immediately and even offered to personally contact the heads of several police departments in other regions to seek their cooperation.

Qin Ruonan’s aversion to Zhong Han was written all over her face, especially after he had suggested that An Changpu should keep his girlfriend further away from him. However, surprisingly, she showed no disdain or scorn toward this particular proposal, nor did she make any sarcastic remarks, which caught An Changpu off guard.

"You also think Zhong Han’s suggestion makes sense?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. In fact, I’ve been hesitant about this possibility for the past few days. I had my suspicions, but I was afraid my assessment wasn't accurate enough. I worried that choosing the wrong direction would negatively impact our efficiency, so I kept it to myself. I didn't expect Zhong Han to bring it up, and that your superiors would agree after your report. I’m just going with the flow to verify my own judgment," Qin Ruonan nodded, answering earnestly.

At that moment, they were on their way to J College. Both Qin Ruonan and An Changpu had already made separate calls to notify the police departments in the surrounding cities and counties regarding the collaborative investigation. Now, they wanted to hear the opinion of the expert, Lu Xiangdong. After contacting him, they learned he was at the university with a bit of free time, but not enough to travel to the police station. Lu Xiangdong had been overwhelmed lately, balancing his work with the preparations for his wedding to Tian Mi.

Given the circumstances, adhering to the principle of "if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain," the two decided to take advantage of his spare time and visit him to talk.

"I didn't expect you to be so good at separating public and private matters! But how did you manage to associate this with previous similar precedents?" An Changpu had never heard Qin Ruonan mention this line of reasoning before.

With Zhong Han’s suggestion now adopted, Qin Ruonan felt more confident in her own perspective. Since An Changpu had asked, she no longer felt the need to hold back. She replied, "When I first discovered that both Fang Wanhe and You Xiaoyang were fans of online games, a question arose in my mind—why was it such a coincidence? Both disappearance cases involved families with no potential enemies, no extortion, and no family conflicts severe enough to drive a child to run away. Both missing children were boys aged between eleven and fifteen who were known to be secretly obsessed with online games. And there’s another detail I’m not sure if I’m overthinking: among their peers, both boys were on the shorter, frailer side. Why choose this specific type of boy out of so many? It wasn't to extort money from their parents, and they aren't the typical age for child trafficking. I suspect the mastermind behind these cases has some form of obsession with this type of boy."

An Changpu listened intently, nodding from time to time. When she finished, he asked, "What you’re saying makes perfect sense, so why did you keep it to yourself instead of speaking up earlier?"

"I just told you—I was afraid my reasoning wouldn't hold up and that I would end up delaying the investigation."

"You’re such a person... clearly full of drive and highly capable, so why are you so lacking in self-confidence? I think you should be more confident; you have every reason to be!" An Changpu encouraged her.

"You really think so? You really think I have reason to be confident?" Qin Ruonan was slightly flattered by his words, her expression showing a hint of surprise.

An Changpu nodded firmly. "Of course! If you don’t have reason to be confident, then most other girls would have to live in inferiority."

Qin Ruonan pursed her lips and smiled, remaining silent. When she caught a glimpse of the faint, bashful expression on her own face in the rearview mirror, her heart skipped a beat.

She had lived with this face for over twenty years—it was as familiar as could be—yet this expression was entirely foreign. For the first time, Qin Ruonan realized she, too, could subconsciously display the delicate, feminine shyness she had always thought was impossible for her.

Feeling a bit guilty, she snuck a glance at the person who had triggered this reaction. Seeing that An Changpu was still focused on the road ahead and hadn't noticed her, she let out a quiet sigh of relief, while simultaneously feeling a twinge of disappointment.

She had once harbored a fantasy that if An Changpu had discovered her feelings for him through their early, joking promises—especially with them spending so much time together now—perhaps something else might have blossomed between them. But as things stood now, especially after seeing An Changpu and Tao Yinyin together several times, she no longer wanted him to know her heart. What would it change if he did? When you place a delicate cream cake next to a coarse piece of cornmeal bread, anyone with eyes knows which is the wiser choice. Why invite humiliation? Besides, if he discovered her feelings in these circumstances, it might make working together as partners awkward.

Even if they weren't fated to be lovers, remaining colleagues and friends was better than becoming strangers. For some time, Qin Ruonan had used this logic to soothe the feelings that had just reawakened in her heart.

The flowers and plants in J College were withering in the early winter. If it weren't for the energetic young students, the atmosphere would have felt quite bleak. That somber mood actually matched the restless state of mind An Changpu and Qin Ruonan were in.

Lu Xiangdong was an expert in criminology who had personally assisted the Serious Crimes Unit in solving many cold and complex cases. His theoretical knowledge and practical experience were impeccable. They didn't dare say that his analysis would be definitive, but the chances of it being overturned were slim.

When they found him, he was sitting alone in his office reading a book. Because of his upcoming wedding leave, he hadn't been assigned many teaching tasks for this semester, serving only as a teacher for a few elective courses.

An Changpu knocked on the door, and after receiving permission, he walked in with Qin Ruonan. He first looked toward a desk on the other side, finding it empty, and asked, "Where is sister Jiayi?"

"She went to teach a class. Are you here to see her or me today?" Lu Xiangdong maintained his usual cool expression, his tone devoid of any emotion. He gestured toward some chairs with his hand, signaling for them to sit.

Qin Ruonan remained silent. She didn't know Lu Xiangdong well; she had only met him a few times and heard about his "legendary deeds" from others in the unit, including the story of his romance with Tian Mi. But no amount of hearsay could bridge the sense of unfamiliarity, so she didn't know how to respond to his question.

An Changpu was much more familiar with him and knew this was his way of being "jovial." He laughed and replied, "We’re here for both of you, but we’re here to see you for serious business, while seeing sister Jiayi is just for a chat."

"Thank you for the indirect compliment," Lu Xiangdong nodded with satisfaction.

"What compliment?" An Changpu was stunned.

"What you just implied was an indirect confirmation that my professional qualifications are better than Liu Jiayi’s. I believe Cheng Feng will be very happy to hear you praising his wife like that. I’ve also heard that the guy has now become a proper 'wife-slave,'" Lu Xiangdong said with a faint hint of amusement.

"Dr. Lu, don't be so quick to mock Brother Feng. Your own wedding with Tian Mi is coming up—let’s see how you perform after the marriage!" An Changpu winked at him.

Lu Xiangdong raised an eyebrow and looked at An Changpu for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh. "I really should replace you as my best man."

An Changpu laughed heartily, then regained his composure. "No more jokes. We’re here to ask for your help in analyzing some aspects of the current case."

Lu Xiangdong became serious as well, nodding and waiting for them to present the details. An Changpu signaled to Qin Ruonan, who then laid out the main characteristics of the case and the theory she and Zhong Han had reached. She was thorough and articulate. Lu Xiangdong didn't interrupt, listening silently and intently. When she finished, she paused, waiting for his perspective. Lu Xiangdong didn't rush to speak; instead, he furrowed his brows slightly, deep in thought.

"Although you have only just begun to collect information from other police departments in City C and beyond, based on the details you’ve provided, I suspect it won’t be long before you receive news of similar, unsolved cases that have occurred over the past few years," Lu Xiangdong said after a long silence, his words making the hearts of An Changpu and Qin Ruonan sink.

"How did you reach that conclusion?" An Changpu asked quickly.

Lu Xiangdong said calmly, "Not to mention the boy Fang Wanhe, who has been missing for so long, even in the case of You Xiaoyang, the duration of his disappearance suggests that the probability of him being alive is less than fifty percent. In other words, there is little hope for their survival. Yet, under normal circumstances, even if they were murdered, the bodies should have been discovered. Although the temperature is dropping, if the bodies were dumped outdoors, they would still decompose. Therefore, the culprit must have an effective way of concealing the bodies to ensure they are not found."

Hearing this, Qin Ruonan was inspired, a look of sudden realization dawning on her face. Then, encouraged by Lu Xiangdong’s gaze, she tentatively asked, "You mean that if it is the same culprit who kidnapped Fang Wanhe and You Xiaoyang, it is highly likely that this person had committed similar acts once or multiple times before, and it was only through that accumulated experience that they were able to find such a clever way to hide the bodies?"