The 70s Novel: The Supporting Character Just Wants to Lie Down-Chapter 27: So It Was You, Wasn’t It?

Wang Pandi glanced around the office, taking it all in. The other person entered without closing the door, which gave her a sense of relief, and she sat down by the side.

Yang Zhigang entered and headed straight for the cabinet, bending down to pull out a first aid kit from the very bottom.

"Found it..." He smiled. Although there was no conversation on the way back, he couldn’t help but keep observing her, and soon noticed her hand seemed unnatural. It was only after looking closely did he realize she was injured.

The young girl didn’t cry or complain; she didn’t say a word the whole way, showing remarkable resilience.

Yang Zhigang couldn’t help but feel a bit of affection toward her. Without knowing why, almost as if possessed, he brought her to the office.

It was only when he held the first aid kit, intending to help her apply medicine and bandage the wound, that he realized something was amiss. This... alone together...

"Can you manage...?" Of course, she couldn’t...

Yang Zhigang pondered for a moment and hesitated, saying, "I’ll find an aunt to help you apply the medicine. Wait a bit..."

After speaking, he put down the medicine kit and walked out.

Wang Pandi spread her hands, covered in tiny cuts, and sat silently.

Before long, footsteps echoed from the corridor. Wang Pandi collected her thoughts and stood up.

"Aunt Li, sorry to trouble you..." Yang Zhigang led Aunt Li in, seeing the young girl stand there awkwardly, and quickly gestured for her to sit down.

Wang Pandi nodded slightly towards Aunt Li, thanking her, "Thank you..."

Aunt Li was employed here for cleaning. Her nephew was the Minister of the Armed Forces, got her in through connections, yet she turned out to be quite earnest and diligent, earning everyone’s respect.

"It’s no trouble." Aunt Li was plump, yet clean and efficient, "Oh, the hands are quite injured. Once home, little girl, avoid getting the wounds wet, make sure to nurture them for a few days."

Aunt Li worked swiftly, but when alcohol touched the wounds, it surely still hurt. Wang Pandi pursed her lips and frowned, silent, sweat breaking out again.

Yang Zhigang watched from the side, his face stern, showing no expression throughout, lost in thought...

Once the wounds were tended to, Wang Pandi thanked Aunt Li again.

When Yang Zhigang brought Wang Pandi to the interrogation room, Liu Qiang had already revealed the criminal’s entire ancestry, his efficiency commendable. Only a few data points remained to be filled in, such as the amount in the wallet; then it could be signed off and stamped.

Yang Zhigang and Wang Pandi sat facing each other. He handed a small knife to Liu Qiang, pointed at the documentation, saying, "The instrument of crime, keep it. Also add a charge for assaulting a police officer..."

"Oh, you’ve got guts, daring to tangle with our Captain Yang, you’re asking for it." Liu Qiang slapped the criminal on the head, "Even concealed it earlier, Captain Yang, I reckon this guy is deceitful, and we can interrogate him further..."

"Hmm, fill in the amount, fifty in cash." Meanwhile, he had already opened the delicate little purse and examined it before closing it again. Handing the purse he instructed, "Take him next door and interrogate further; don’t miss anything suspicious."

Liu Qiang looked at Yang Zhigang with understanding and immediately complied, "Got it, Captain Yang, mission will be accomplished."

After speaking, he carried the interrogation documents out, nudging the thief ahead, accidentally pulling the door closed behind them.

Yang Zhigang looked at the door, feeling slightly exposed, as if his intentions were seen through. But with his training, when he wished to not show his emotions, no one would detect anything out of the ordinary.

Liu Qiang simply thought the thief had offended Captain Yang, that Captain Yang wanted to give him a hard time. Fifty bucks, neither too much nor too little, just the amount for prosecution; he wasn’t convinced the wallet really contained fifty.

Yang Zhigang did it deliberately, the little purse didn’t actually contain fifty. The message to Liu Qiang was to properly interrogate the thief. If more charges could be found to ensure a harsher sentence, all the better, given his reckless treatment of the young girl’s hand...

"Ahem..." He felt a bit embarrassed being watched by her.

Wang Pandi looked at Yang Zhigang in surprise; her wallet didn’t have fifty bucks!

"Take it." Yang Zhigang returned the little purse to her, offering an unusual explanation, "Theft under fifty yuan isn’t punishable for long, will be released soon after... He’s a repeat offender, very familiar with the alleys. Have them interrogate carefully, maybe uncover a gang, only by removing all societal parasites can the people live better..."

"Oh..." Wang Pandi understood, trying to suppress the mixed emotions, she murmured thanks, "Thank you..."

"Alright, let’s follow the procedure." Frustrated, Yang Zhigang picked up the materials beside him and started filling them out, "Name, age, address, then explain what happened..."

Wang Pandi responded to each, recounting the events, "Wang Pandi, seventeen... number 56, Yellow Village, Red Star Town. I came to town’s supply and marketing co-op to buy things, was queuing at the meat stall when the thief stole my wallet. When I noticed, he shoved me, I lost my balance and fell. He ran, I chased, I don’t know how long it lasted. Just as I was about to give up... then you appeared..."

Upon hearing seventeen, Yang Zhigang’s ears twitched slightly, thinking: She really is seventeen, looks younger... Yellow Village isn’t far from Yangliu Village, the place where I recently went for the matchmaking, wasn’t the girl’s surname also Wang? Wonder if there’s any relation...

That day, Zhou Fengjuan brought him there, so he didn’t know the specific address of the Wang family...

The events were simple; Yang Zhigang signed and dated it, then passed it over to her, "Check for errors, sign if correct..."

Wang Pandi looked at the document, initially stunned by his bold and vigorous handwriting, then instinctively her gaze fell on the signature line, and she couldn’t help but exclaim, "Are you Yang Zhigang?"

Yang Zhigang raised his eyebrows, studying her face, "You know me?"

Wang Pandi’s hands involuntarily clutched the paper tighter, feeling excited, incredulous, and a bit overwhelmed.

These days she’s often thought about him, hesitating whether she should see him, unexpectedly running into him in such a dramatic way...

No, Wang Pandi suddenly realized something, dejectedly saying, "I don’t know you. Just find the name familiar." How could it be him? His leg was clearly lame, while this person, she saw no trace of lameness...

Alas... Wang Pandi didn’t even know if she felt disappointed or relieved now...

"Oh?" Yang Zhigang studied the ever-changing expressions on her little face, feeling rather amused, curiously asked, "There must be many people with the same name, but in one town it should be few, who’s the one you know? Doing what? If given a chance, I’d like to meet him, after all, it might be fate..."