Chapter Twenty-Seven: Playing the Hero

After hearing this, An Changpu smiled at Ironhead, stood up and left the room. He called in officers from Jiangkou District Sub-bureau to handle the follow-up, then hurriedly thanked his colleagues for their help and prepared to rush to Xin Street in Jiangkou.

Although he was currently at the Jiangkou District Public Security Sub-bureau, Xin Street, which Ironhead had mentioned, was quite a distance away. Jiangkou wasn’t particularly large, but on the map, it was a distinctly narrow and elongated district—short east to west, but stretching far north to south. The sub-bureau was closer to the city center, in the southern part of the district, while Xin Street was located toward the north.

Once in the car, the first thing An Changpu did was call Qin Ruonan to ask how things were going with Lu Anmei. He learned that Qin Ruonan had already resolved matters with Lu Anmei and had just left the supermarket.

Comparing their locations over the phone, they realized that even though Qin Ruonan was in the city, she was actually closer to Xin Street than An Changpu, who was at the southern edge of Jiangkou. With that in mind, they agreed to head separately toward their destination to save as much time as possible.

“If you get there first, wait for me and we’ll discuss what to do next. Don’t act on your own!” An Changpu, not quite reassured, felt compelled to remind her.

Ironhead was slippery as an eel, yet he was so wary of Yao Chang. That meant Yao Chang was no ordinary thug. He might not be someone of great renown, but he certainly wasn’t an easy mark. If anything happened to Qin Ruonan while they were on the job together, An Changpu would feel responsible, both professionally and personally.

On the other end, Qin Ruonan replied impatiently and hung up.

Her perfunctory attitude left An Changpu uneasy. He sped toward Xin Street as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, halfway there, he ran into a traffic accident. The road was blocked, vehicles lined up in a long queue, and his car was stuck in the middle. He had no choice but to get out to help the already overwhelmed traffic police control the scene and direct cars. After more than twenty minutes of effort, they finally cleared a path for the ambulance to reach the injured and transport them to the hospital. Only then, with the help of the traffic officers, did An Changpu manage to break free from the jam and head for Xin Street.

At last, he arrived and parked his car in this bustling sector of Jiangkou. As he was looking for the “Wangwang Restaurant” that Ironhead had mentioned, he noticed a noisy crowd gathered on a side street off the long stretch of Xin Street. Faces alight with excitement, people were craning to see something at the center of attention.

An Changpu took a few steps closer, his height giving him an advantage. Even before he reached the front, he could see through the crowd the signboard at the heart of it all, bearing the unmistakable name “Wangwang.”

“Damn!” The sight made An Changpu’s heart sink. The thing he’d feared most had still occurred. Anxious, he rushed forward and began squeezing through the throng.

As he broke through to the front, he saw Qin Ruonan, breathless, down on one knee. Underneath her was a man, still struggling to break free.

Perhaps the commotion An Changpu caused parting the crowd caught her attention. Sensitive to movement behind her, Qin Ruonan glanced back, saw An Changpu, and frowned, beckoning him over. “Why are you so slow? Get over here and help!”

An Changpu wasted no time. Even without being told, he could see from her labored breathing that she was nearly spent, resorting to pinning the man with her knee. He hurried over, hauled the man up, twisted his arms behind him to prevent resistance or escape, and only then turned to check on Qin Ruonan. She was still catching her breath, her forehead damp and hair plastered to her skin. Now that An Changpu had taken custody of the man, she massaged her wrist, shot the subdued man an annoyed glare, and said to An Changpu, “There’s no need to look at me like that. If anyone’s hurt, it’s him! Let’s take him back to the station. This is Yao Chang!”

An Changpu frowned as well. With so many people watching, he kept a lid on his temper and led Yao Chang to the car. As they squeezed through the crowd, onlookers murmured among themselves. One man remarked, “See that? Now that’s a heroine! Look at that guy—big and burly as he is, still ended up as her lackey!”

Such comments only deepened An Changpu’s scowl. He said nothing as he secured Yao Chang. Once An Changpu arrived, Yao Chang seemed to recognize that the police had gained reinforcements, making any struggle or escape even less likely. He became much more docile.

Qin Ruonan brushed the dust from her clothes and followed An Changpu to the car. As she climbed in, she winced and drew a sharp breath, glancing at both An Changpu and Yao Chang in the back seat before straightening her posture.

The ride back to the station was silent. Upon arrival, An Changpu strode back to the Major Crimes Unit, handed Yao Chang over to Mo Dou to secure in the interrogation room, then turned to Qin Ruonan, who had just entered behind him. “Come here. I need a word with you.”

With that, and under Tian Mi’s curious gaze, he stormed into the interview room, his face like thunder.

Qin Ruonan paused, pressed her lips together, and followed. There was something odd about her gait, her arm unconsciously shielding her waist.

Tian Mi, clueless about what had transpired, didn’t greet them. Instead, once Qin Ruonan was inside the interview room, Tian Mi fetched a hot water bottle from her locker and left the office.

Qin Ruonan entered unhurriedly, closed the door behind her, and finally met An Changpu’s angry gaze head-on.

“Say what you have to say. There’s still proper business to take care of,” she said coldly.

An Changpu’s temper flared. “What did we agree on over the phone? I told you clearly—even if you arrived first, don’t act on your own. Wait for me, then we’d make a plan together. Why did you go in alone? You’re a woman, unarmed, and you went to confront a thug we know nothing about. That’s reckless and dangerous—do you realize that? Did you consider the consequences? Did it occur to you that if he was prepared or had backup, you could’ve been seriously hurt?”

“What about being a woman? Does that mean I’m destined to lose to a man? If you don’t believe it, find a time, let’s go one-on-one! In close combat, I might not lose to you!” Qin Ruonan shot back, anger rising. “And who are you to order me around? You told me to wait! But you were late. If he’d gotten away while I waited, who would’ve taken responsibility? If you’re so devoted to your work, try being more efficient instead of lecturing those who actually get things done!”

“My being late was due to circumstances beyond my control, not a lack of commitment! Regardless, what you did was wrong! We may be equals, but when you take such risks and play the lone hero, I have every right to intervene and criticize! If you can’t accept that, go ask the chief to assign you someone else—I won’t stand in your way!” An Changpu spat out, then turned and left the interview room.

Qin Ruonan stood there, stunned. She lingered in silence for a moment, gently touched her waist, sighed softly, and walked out as well.