Chapter Sixty-Eight: Searching for Lu Anmei

Qin Ruonan had no idea what An Changpu was up to, nor did she have the energy to probe or speculate. Her current mission was to find out where Lu Anmei was and why she had suddenly cut off contact with everyone else.

At the same time, the conversation she’d just had with An Changpu inexplicably lifted her spirits. Even though her worry over Lu Anmei’s situation hadn’t abated, she found herself in an unusually good mood, something she herself found hard to explain. How foolish, she thought, as she began her investigation into Lu Anmei’s whereabouts, unable to resist secretly laughing at herself. She’d been troubled by that matter for years, feeling as though her dignity had been trampled, and she’d harbored resentment, her attitude toward An Changpu always tinged with resistance. Yet just now, the fact that he admitted to feeling uneasy upon realizing he’d truly “offended” her brought a strange sweetness to her heart, leaving her unexpectedly buoyant.

After reaching out to all of Lu Anmei’s relatives whom she could contact, Qin Ruonan discovered that Lu Anmei seemed to have built a high wall between herself and her family, cutting off all ties. Save for a few relatives who hadn’t been in touch for a long time, the rest had only lost contact with her recently, or more accurately, after Lu Min’s incident.

As for other acquaintances, Qin Ruonan’s search didn’t extend too far, as she learned that Lu Anmei was indeed an introverted person with very few friends. Of the handful she occasionally kept in touch with, none knew much about her recent situation. On one hand, Lu Anmei had left home early to support herself, working hard every day just to make ends meet, leaving little leisure time. On the other, she was particularly sensitive about her father’s actions, afraid she’d feel ashamed if her friends ever asked about them.

Having ruled out family and friends as possible sources, Qin Ruonan found herself at an impasse. Lu Anmei had no contact with anyone from her former workplace, and now even her relatives and friends had no idea where she’d gone. Was this young woman in trouble, or was she simply trying to escape everyone’s attention?

Qin Ruonan herself couldn’t answer this, nor could she decide where to focus her investigation next.

As she racked her brain for the next step, suddenly, a name flashed through her mind—Xie Leming! Yes, that’s right, Xie Leming! He had previously mentioned that he’d gone to Lu Min’s house to investigate rumors that "Lu Bing was a man with breast implants pretending to be a woman, a real-life imposter," and discovered that Lu Min was indeed a man in disguise, deceiving him emotionally and financially. Enraged, he’d beaten Lu Min then and there. At that time, besides Ding Mulan, who was petrified with shock, Lu Anmei had also arrived midway and bravely stood in front of her father to shield him from Xie Leming.

Xie Leming said he’d gone there on his old tricycle and left the same way. But not long after, his tricycle was stolen overnight. Qin Ruonan and An Changpu had visited Xie Leming’s home. Although it had been renovated into a pretty two-story house, Xie Leming, even after moving to the city with his son, never got into the habit of locking the courtyard gate.

The tricycle, though practical, was old and battered, its paint chipped and faded. It wasn’t worth much, and despite having used it for years, it had never been stolen—except, coincidentally, right after he’d visited Lu Min’s home. The timing was suspicious, prompting Qin Ruonan to draw her own conclusions.

She called Xie Leming, but after dialing, she hung up, deciding instead to take Lu Anmei’s photo and visit him in person for confirmation.

Fortunately, Xie Leming now lived in his son’s apartment in C City, just a short drive away. Qin Ruonan arrived quickly.

When Xie Leming saw through the peephole that it was the policewoman who had previously questioned him, he looked extremely uneasy, opening the door with the expression of someone facing a calamity.

“What’s wrong, officer? Why are you looking for me again? Am I in more trouble?” he blurted out before Qin Ruonan could even speak, his gaze shifting nervously from her to the neighbor’s door across the hall. “Why don’t you come in? Talking in the hallway isn’t convenient.”

Qin Ruonan didn’t want to make things difficult for him. Although she hadn’t planned to stay long, she followed his suggestion, stepped inside, and stood on the mat at the entrance so he could close the door.

“The thing is, the old lady living across from my son’s apartment is terribly nosy. No matter what happens in our home, she’s always eavesdropping or peeking through the door. Your reason for visiting probably isn’t a very pleasant one, and if she overhears, I’ll never be able to hold my head up among the other old folks in this complex,” Xie Leming explained, grateful for Qin Ruonan’s understanding, and anxiously but warmly invited her to sit in the living room.

Qin Ruonan politely declined and stopped him from going to the kitchen to make tea. “Don’t trouble yourself. I’m here today because I need your help to identify someone.”

With that, she took out a photo of Lu Anmei and handed it to Xie Leming, pointing to Lu Anmei’s image. “Please take a look. Is this the young woman who intervened when you went to confront Lu Min?”

Relieved that he wasn’t being accused of anything, Xie Leming took the photo, squinting at it for a long time before sheepishly handing it back. “I need my reading glasses! I can’t see clearly without them at my age.”

He hurried upstairs. Two minutes later, he returned, now wearing a pair of lightweight spectacles, and studied the photo closely.

“Yes, this is the girl! I’m certain!” With his vision unobstructed, he quickly reached a conclusion.

“Have you seen her again since that incident?” Qin Ruonan asked eagerly, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Xie Leming shook his head, delivering the answer Qin Ruonan dreaded: “I only saw her that one time. I don’t think I’ve seen her since.”

“You don’t think? So you’re not entirely sure?”

“I’m not completely sure, but I have no recollection at all. Like I told you before, after my altercation with that Lu fellow, I was so upset and terrified that people would find out my girlfriend was actually a man, I barely left the house. My son had just invited me to live in the city, so I packed up and left with him. During that time, I hardly ever went out—I couldn’t have seen anyone, let alone remember them.”

With Xie Leming insisting he hadn’t seen Lu Anmei, Qin Ruonan was again left empty-handed. After leaving his apartment, she considered what he’d said and decided to head to his old home in T County for further investigation.

Just as Xie Leming had described, after his confrontation with Lu Min, he was completely beside himself. His claim of never having seen Lu Anmei again couldn’t be considered entirely reliable. It only meant Lu Anmei hadn’t entered his house or appeared directly before him, but it didn’t rule out her presence nearby.

All the more so, if, as Qin Ruonan suspected, the tricycle’s disappearance was related to Lu Anmei, she would have made sure not to let Xie Leming see her.

With this in mind, Qin Ruonan’s determination only grew stronger. She immediately drove to T County. Fortunately, it wasn’t far and she didn’t lose much time.

On an autumn afternoon, though the sunlight still carried the heat of summer, the wind was tinged with a refreshing coolness—the most pleasant temperature. When she arrived near Xie Leming’s old house, the elderly men playing chess in the shade of the big trees were still there, but except for the familiar fisherman’s hat, the others were unfamiliar faces. There were four or five people in all, intently watching the match.

The man in the fisherman’s hat was among the spectators. Hearing a car pull up, he looked up to see a tall young woman get out. He squinted, recognizing her vaguely.

“Weren’t you the young lady who came to ask around before?” he said, pleased with himself as Qin Ruonan nodded in acknowledgment. He took off his hat, running a hand over his graying hair with satisfaction. “I knew my memory wouldn’t fail me! Here you are again—what brings you back?”

“Sir, I’m here today to ask you about someone,” Qin Ruonan replied with a smile, explaining her purpose.

“Looking for someone again? Are you posting missing person ads or something? Why are you always searching for people?”

“It’s just a coincidence, and since you have such a good memory, I thought you’d be the best person to ask.”

Qin Ruonan was not someone prone to flattery, but today, buoyed by her good mood, she adopted An Changpu’s style of speaking.

The fisherman’s hat man was delighted by her words and nodded with pride. “That’s absolutely true! If you ask anyone else around here, you probably won’t get answers, but ask me and there’s no problem! I might not have a photographic memory, but I’m really good at remembering people!”

“Then please take a look at this photo and see if you remember this young woman coming around here lately,” Qin Ruonan said, quickly handing him Lu Anmei’s photo as soon as he agreed.

“This girl... I have seen her! Just recently, near Old Xie’s house!” The man glanced at the photo and immediately spoke with certainty.

[Thanks to Master Zhuo’er and to Wan Xiaobai for the pink tickets! And an early wish to everyone for a happy Spring Festival and family happiness!]