Chapter Twenty-Three: Under the Same Banner

“It’s been over a year and you haven’t changed a bit!” An Changpu looked Tian Mi up and down with a broad smile.

Tian Mi didn’t hold back, lifting her arm to pat his shoulder, eyeing him in exaggerated fashion as she joked, “My goodness! You’re finally back. Any longer and I wouldn’t have recognized you! Is it trendy over there to be so dark-skinned? How did you get so tanned? Don’t tell me you really became a son-in-law for some tribal chief and brought back a beautiful ebony bride?”

“You!” An Changpu tapped her forehead, “Still the same as ever, always making fun of me!”

“Oh! Isn’t this my little sister? Tsk tsk, you really do play favorites. Back from a business trip for days and not even a word to me. I am your very real, bona fide brother, you know!” Tian Yang had just returned from running errands. Seeing Tian Mi chatting with An Changpu in the office—after not seeing his sister for so many days—he couldn’t help teasing her. “Where’s Xiangdong? Didn’t come with you?”

“No, he dropped me off at the door and went back to work. If you want to catch up, wait until you’ve spent a year on a peacekeeping mission too—I promise I’ll make time for you!” Tian Mi waved Tian Yang off like swatting a fly, showing him no courtesy as she went on chatting animatedly with An Changpu, the two of them deep in conversation.

“Is that your sister?” Qin Ruonan had never met Tian Mi before and was still unfamiliar with her, but from Tian Yang’s words, it wasn’t hard to guess the relationship. Sitting at her desk, she still clutched several sketches in her hand, but her gaze shifted from the papers to the lively pair in the corner. When Tian Yang approached, she asked quietly.

Tian Yang glanced over at Tian Mi and An Changpu, then nodded. “Yes, and just a hair’s breadth away, that would be my sister and my future brother-in-law standing there! Too bad the feeling’s not mutual—Tian Mi’s hopeless when it comes to romance, stubborn as a mule. No one but Lu Xiangdong stands a chance with her.”

He expected, based on women’s natural love of gossip, that Qin Ruonan would seize the chance to dig for more details before the others noticed. But when he turned, he saw she’d already refocused on the sketches in front of her, as if she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. Feeling a bit deflated, Tian Yang rubbed his nose and walked away.

After such a long time apart, Tian Mi and An Changpu had plenty to talk about. Whatever feelings An Changpu once had were long since put to rest, never mentioned again, and Tian Mi remained blissfully oblivious. With no awkwardness between them, they caught up like old friends, asking about the year gone by—especially about Tian Mi’s evolving relationship with Lu Xiangdong.

An Changpu was listening to Tian Mi recount some of her mishaps with Lu Xiangdong and their wedding plans when a loud, deliberate cough sounded behind him. He turned quickly to see Qin Ruonan standing there, expressionless, holding the sketches.

Tian Mi, unfamiliar with Qin Ruonan, assumed she was a colleague from another department. She stopped chatting at once and offered her a friendly smile.

“Oh, I almost forgot the introductions. Tian Mi, this is our newly transferred colleague in the Major Crimes Unit, Qin Ruonan. Qin Ruonan, this is Tian Mi.” An Changpu hurried to introduce the two women.

Hearing that she was a new colleague—and a fellow woman—Tian Mi was delighted. She extended her hand to Qin Ruonan. “It’s wonderful you’ve joined us! Now we’ll have company for each other!”

Qin Ruonan ignored Tian Mi’s smile and outstretched hand, thrusting the sketches into An Changpu’s arms. “Please send these portraits to the Jiangkou District Public Security Bureau as soon as possible and ask for their assistance in the investigation.”

“Didn’t we just agree—you’d send the sketches and check on their identities and whereabouts, while I went to find Lu Anmei?” An Changpu frowned.

“That was just you talking to yourself. Didn’t we just bet on who could get through to Lu Anmei first? There’s no telling who’ll manage it. Since that’s uncertain, there’s no reason to dump this task on me alone, is there?” Qin Ruonan’s tone was icy.

“Aren’t you usually eager to take on anything?” An Changpu felt her behavior was odd.

“For a task with zero technical challenge, enthusiasm would just be a waste of energy.” Without another word, Qin Ruonan turned and walked away.

“It’s not worth arguing with a woman,” An Changpu muttered under his breath. He glanced at Tian Mi, shrugged helplessly, and went off to fax the sketches to the Jiangkou District office.

Qin Ruonan returned to her desk, gathered her things, and headed for the door. At the threshold, she turned and said to Tian Yang, “Tian Yang, please let An Changpu know I’ll be waiting in the car downstairs.”

Before leaving, she shot Tian Mi a long, searching look, then left without another word.

“Brother, what’s with this Qin Ruonan? She’s An Changpu’s partner now?” Tian Mi, unnerved by that look, hurried over to her brother to ask about the situation. “Why does it seem like the two of them aren’t getting along at all?”

“More than that! I get the feeling there’s some serious bad blood between them. An Changpu swears up and down there’s nothing going on, but Qin Ruonan is only cold to him—she’s polite and even smiles at the rest of us! Isn’t that strange?” Tian Yang was just as baffled.

If he was confused, Tian Mi felt even more wronged. “But I just got back—I haven’t done anything to her! She ignored me when I greeted her, and before she left, she gave me that weird look that made my skin crawl. What did I ever do to deserve that?”

“I really can’t say. Anyway, those two have been at odds from the very start,” Tian Yang explained, recounting how Qin Ruonan had asked to be transferred on her first day back from a crime scene. “She’s the first girl I’ve seen who isn’t impressed by our Major Crimes Unit’s most dashing guy!”

Then, Tian Yang couldn’t help but laugh, glancing at Tian Mi. “Correction! She’s the second—you’re the first, you scatterbrain! Maybe the reason she was cold to you is that you came in and immediately started chatting away with An Changpu. She probably thinks you’re in the same camp as him.”