Chapter Forty-Eight: A Silent Loss

“Who are you looking for?” The man who answered first sounded impatient, whether it was due to being abruptly disturbed or because he heard an unfamiliar name. Before An Changpu could reply, a short man sprang down from the bunk, slipped into his shoes—barely bothering to pull up the heels—and hurried over, silent, grabbing An Changpu and hustling him outside.

“Who sent you? Who told you I was here?” The short man pushed An Changpu along and questioned him in a low voice, his round eyes scrutinizing An Changpu’s reaction.

With that question, there was no longer any need for An Changpu to confirm the man’s identity; this had to be Liu Yuxiang himself.

The workshop was small to begin with. In the brief tussle and exchange, the two had already stepped outside. Qin Ruonan, who had only been waiting by the car, suddenly saw An Changpu being shoved out and hurried toward them, suspecting trouble.

An Changpu gestured for her not to worry, letting Liu Yuxiang’s momentum carry him out of the workshop.

“You’re Liu Yuxiang, right? We’d like to talk to you about Lu Min—or perhaps you know him better as Lu Bing?” An Changpu showed no irritation at being manhandled. Once outside, he turned to the short man and explained their purpose.

Liu Yuxiang, standing barely 170 centimeters, looked even more diminutive beside An Changpu’s towering height of over 180. His face was etched with deep wrinkles, the skin on his arms loose and furrowed. Once, perhaps, he’d been robust, but now he was strikingly gaunt. Age had taken its toll, and his skin had lost the resilience of youth.

At the mention of Lu Min—especially the name “Lu Bing”—Liu Yuxiang’s face shifted quickly from tense to uneasy. He looked at An Changpu, then at Qin Ruonan, who was clearly with him, and ventured uncertainly, “Are you here to collect a debt?”

An Changpu shook his head, pointed at Qin Ruonan, and asked with a smile, “Have you ever seen a debt collector bring a girl along?”

Liu Yuxiang blinked, but said nothing. Still, his body visibly relaxed.

“Don’t mention him to me! I don’t know lunatics like that! Go ask someone else! I don’t have time to waste!” Now that his nerves had calmed, Liu Yuxiang grew belligerent, glaring with a touch of rudeness.

“If you don’t know him, why call Lu Min a lunatic?” An Changpu caught the slip in his words.

“Why do you care what I say?” Liu Yuxiang’s expression darkened, and he shot An Changpu a fierce look. “If I want to call him a lunatic, so what? I don’t even know you! I could call you a lunatic too—what would you do about it?”

An Changpu was about to speak, but Qin Ruonan had lost her patience. She shouldered An Changpu aside, took out her police badge, and nearly jabbed it into Liu Yuxiang’s face.

“Official investigation! Lu Min is dead. We have evidence that you were in a romantic relationship with him. We’re here to question you.” Her expression was stern as she addressed Liu Yuxiang.

Liu Yuxiang had to step back to properly see the badge. He reached out, as if to take it, but stopped when he saw Qin Ruonan’s expression.

He read every word on her badge, slowly and carefully, and then seemed to shrivel before their eyes, like a deflated balloon.

“I have one request. Could we talk somewhere more private? If anyone overhears, I won’t be able to stay here anymore!” He no longer dared to act tough, his tone turning pleading. This time, he addressed Qin Ruonan directly. Though she’d only spoken once, Liu Yuxiang already realized she was the harder one to handle.

An Changpu nodded first, but Liu Yuxiang didn’t move. He kept his gaze on Qin Ruonan, only starting to shuffle awkwardly when she gave her assent. “Then I’ll just go back and fetch my jacket, all right?”

Qin Ruonan intended to follow him inside to keep watch, but An Changpu stopped her.

“Let him go. There are no other doors, and the windows are barred. He won’t get away. Besides, let’s give him some dignity in front of the others,” An Changpu advised.

Qin Ruonan shot him a reproachful look. “If I left things to you, we’d never get anywhere with that slippery, bullying character! Why can’t you show some authority when you’re working?”

“I’d like to! But haven’t you noticed, in those Western cop shows, they always play ‘good cop, bad cop’? When we’re partners, you use up all the tough-guy moments and I’m left playing the nice one. Next time, try showing a bit of gentleness, and I promise I’ll be the tough one!” An Changpu replied with a joking tone, not taking her words to heart.

Soon, Liu Yuxiang emerged from the workshop in a thin jacket, glancing hopefully at Qin Ruonan, waiting for her instructions.

“Get in the car,” Qin Ruonan said, pointing to where it was parked. Liu Yuxiang hurried over and climbed inside.

“How did things start between you and Lu Min? I heard he used to be your ‘girlfriend’?” Once in the car, An Changpu turned to question Liu Yuxiang, who sat in the back seat.

Liu Yuxiang’s face clouded again at the mention of Lu Min. Now, knowing who these two really were, and realizing they had some understanding of his relationship with Lu Min, there was no point in denying it. He nodded in reluctant acknowledgment.

“I must have been out of my mind to get involved with him!” Liu Yuxiang punched his own thigh in frustration. “Now I’m left with nothing but trouble, and people gossiping behind my back about me being with someone neither man nor woman! Even if I say I was the victim, nobody believes me!”

“How did you meet Lu Min? How far did your relationship go?” Qin Ruonan asked.

Liu Yuxiang replied awkwardly, “We just met by chance while I was out wandering. I thought he looked good, and I was looking for a companion at the time, so we got to know each other. I really didn’t know he was a man! If I’d known, would I have brought him home? Who wants to be laughed at like that?”

“You actually took him home, and you still didn’t know he was a man?” An Changpu found it hard to believe.

“He said he was old-fashioned, that I couldn’t touch him until we got close. How was I supposed to know he was hiding the truth?” Liu Yuxiang complained, spitting in disgust as he finished.