Chapter Fifty: The Blind Date

Compared to the deceased Lu Min, Liu Yuxiang’s physique was indeed somewhat frail. Though Lu Min himself was a thin man, he was still slightly taller than Liu Yuxiang. If it came down to a contest of strength, it was difficult to say who might have the advantage.

Moreover, from the examination and investigation of Lu Min, it was found that after undergoing breast augmentation and other cosmetic surgeries, he frequently used female hormones so as to appear more “beautiful.” This habit had caused atrophy and deterioration of his muscles and physical strength.

After confirming with Liu Yuxiang about his daily routine before and after Lu Min’s murder, the answer was that during that period, he had already started working at the factory as the night watchman. His schedule was essentially resting during the day, playing cards and drinking with other workers, and working alone in the duty room at night.

Before leaving, An Changpu and Qin Ruonan went to the factory to verify his statements. The conclusion was that Liu Yuxiang was indeed employed there during that time. Unfortunately, while his presence during the day could be corroborated, at night only one person was on duty in the factory, so there was no way to confirm whether Liu Yuxiang had left.

Thus, Liu Yuxiang had an alibi that could neither be proved nor disproved.

On the way back to the police bureau, Qin Ruonan made a phone call to Lu Anmei to check on her situation. It had been obvious when they went to the supermarket to find her earlier that Lu Anmei was not having an easy time working there.

Lu Anmei seemed reluctant to accept Qin Ruonan’s concern. Her response was cold and perfunctory, and with a brief excuse about her shift, she hung up.

After ending the call, Qin Ruonan sighed softly.

“You seem particularly concerned about Lu Anmei,” An Changpu observed, noting something.

“What do you mean?” Qin Ruonan looked warily at An Changpu.

An Changpu, focused on the road ahead and unaware of the complicated expression beside him, answered half-jokingly, “I just think, you’re so tough and assertive—hardly the gentle, sensitive, and sympathetic type.”

“Why don’t you just call me a cold-blooded tomboy?” Qin Ruonan turned to look out the window, a faint, bitter smile at the corner of her lips.

“That’s not what I meant! Don’t be so sensitive all the time,” An Changpu protested, feeling unjustly accused. “I just feel like you and Lu Anmei share a certain mutual understanding.”

“You’re overthinking,” Qin Ruonan replied firmly.

Her response left An Changpu unsure how to continue, so he fell silent, and before long, they arrived back at the bureau.

As soon as they stepped into the Major Crimes Unit, Tian Yang called them over—the rat poison An Changpu had sent for analysis the previous day was ready.

“Well?” An Changpu asked Tian Yang anxiously.

“The components match what was found in Lu Min’s system,” Tian Yang summarized succinctly before adding a twist. “But Forensic Doctor Zhao says that type of rat poison is common on the market. While it proves Lu Min ingested rat poison with those ingredients, it doesn’t guarantee it’s the exact batch you brought back.”

“What about fingerprints?”

“There are Lu Jun’s, plus another person’s—not anyone with a record in our system. It may be another family member.”

“Could it be Lu Jun’s wife?” An Changpu glanced at Qin Ruonan.

“Possible, but it’s odd. If the only fingerprints are from Lu Jun and his wife, then does this half-used pack of rat poison have little to do with Lu Min?” Qin Ruonan mused, uncertain. “Given the estranged relationship between Lu Jun’s family and Lu Min, after so long without contact, why suddenly invite him for a meal—and would he even go? And if Lu Jun’s family prepared it for Lu Min’s household, why didn’t Ding Mulan mention it? Even if the dose wasn’t fatal, it should have caused some adverse reactions at least!”

“That’s true. I forgot to mention—Doctor Zhao said this rat poison couldn’t kill anyone, but ingesting it would still make you quite ill,” Tian Yang added.

With that, the three fell silent. The rat poison’s ingredients were so common, and not everyone knew it couldn’t be fatal; aside from confirming that Lu Min did ingest that type of rat poison before his death, it was impossible to determine who had poisoned him.

“Maybe he took it himself. The old tricks of crying, making trouble, and threatening suicide—who knows if he’d learned them,” An Changpu speculated casually.

Qin Ruonan’s brows furrowed slightly. “Are you implying that because he underwent gender transition and became a woman, he picked up ‘women’s bad habits’?”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about—you’re sometimes just too sensitive!” An Changpu spread his hands, feeling aggrieved.

Tian Yang chuckled. “Ruonan, we’ve never had many women in the Major Crimes Unit. Whether it’s ‘temp worker’ Jia Yi or my stubborn sister, they’re all competitive and unwilling to lose to men. But you, with your strong gender awareness and guarded attitude, are unique. We don’t have gender bias here, so don’t worry.”

Tian Yang’s words left Qin Ruonan a bit embarrassed. She adjusted her mood and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll work on that.”

With that, she made an excuse and walked away.

“You have to admit, Ruonan’s got a great quality—straightforward and decisive. Right is right, wrong is wrong; she’ll never argue or justify herself out of pride or ego,” Tian Yang said to An Changpu. The praise was sincere—for police work, having a colleague like Qin Ruonan was a real advantage. In the rush of investigations, no one had time to endlessly soothe a fragile ego.

An Changpu’s thoughts went deeper than Tian Yang’s. Since Qin Ruonan transferred in, he’d spent the most time working with her. He believed every personality had its reasons for forming. Her sensitivity about gender far exceeded mere competitiveness; there must be some unknown experience behind it.

For instance, her concern for Lu Anmei was a clue.

“Oh, by the way, didn’t you say your family arranged a blind date for you? How did that go?” Tian Yang suddenly remembered hearing about this from An Changpu some time ago, though he hadn’t heard any outcome.

“Haven’t met her yet! Was supposed to see her these days, but then got caught up in Lu Min’s case. My family set it up before I got back from peacekeeping—I don’t really have a choice,” An Changpu replied, a bit shyly.