After speaking, Wen Wan immediately regretted it. Although in this era people were careful with food due to scarcity, what she said sounded like she was offering others her leftovers.
“Just eat the whole one, forget it,” she quickly added, “I broke it apart before eating, didn’t bite it directly, so it’s clean.”
Xu Chengan didn’t comment further; he picked up the bun and finished it in a few bites.
He had already eaten in the cafeteria, so one bun was nothing.
Wasting food was not allowed.
After finishing, Xu Chengan tidied up the lunchboxes and folded the bedding. As he lifted the quilt, a faint feminine scent wafted up.
His ears flushed, and for some reason he recalled her icy skin and delicate figure when she had opened the door earlier.
“Officer Xu, can I ask you for a favor?” Wen Wan suddenly moved closer.
Xu Chengan looked down but instinctively stepped back, his voice low and hoarse: “Go ahead.”
Wen Wan pouted. “Why are you keeping so much distance from me, Officer Xu?”
Xu Chengan’s Adam’s apple moved. “Men and women comrades should maintain at least a one-meter distance.”
“Is that a rule?” Wen Wan muttered.
“Just say what you need to say,” he urged, noticing that the whole room seemed filled with her scent.
“Alright, alright. I want you to help me find someone.”
Wen Wan felt what she was about to say was important and instinctively stepped forward.
Xu Chengan saw her approach and stepped back again, serious: “Stand properly and speak clearly.”
The little girl spoke in a soft, delicate voice. She couldn’t sit or stand properly, practically boneless. He wondered how her parents had raised her.
Wen Wan rolled her eyes in irritation but couldn’t help adding a slight coquettish tone, just to please him.
He truly had sharp eyes and showed no leniency.
Wen Wan said the name of the person she was looking for, prepared to be interrogated, but Xu Chengan surprisingly left in a hurry.
Wen Wan: …
Are you sure you’re not going to ask?
Her gaze fell on the quilt he had folded—perfectly square, even more precise than the ones they made during university military training.
The corners were sharp, just like him.
He even folded her sleepwear neatly; she couldn’t bear to touch it.
Wen Wan opened her suitcase, still a mess from being rummaged through last night, and didn’t have time to tidy it.
She shoved the sleepwear into a storage bag, deciding to organize it later after handling everything else.
Wen Wan dragged her suitcase out of the room. Naturally, Xu Chengan reached out and effortlessly took it, carrying it for her.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs—he must be at least 1.85 meters tall. Even in the plain uniform, he looked exceptionally attractive.
Carrying such a heavy suitcase with ease, moving swiftly, his core strength was obvious. She wondered if his abs could open a bottle cap.
Wen Wan realized her expression was probably rather lecherous. She pinched the corner of her mouth and jogged to catch up.
“Officer Xu, wait for me!”
Wen Wan had two large suitcases and couldn’t ride a bicycle, so Xu Chengan had specially arranged for the station’s jeep.
He first placed the luggage in the back seat, then opened the passenger door. “Get in.”
Xu Chengan deliberately drove slower than usual. Wen Wan looked at the unfamiliar streets outside, still struggling to accept that she had entered a book world.
As someone used to the conveniences of a high-tech era, she really couldn’t adapt.
Seeing the little girl sighing and sulking, Xu Chengan wondered if he had been too stern.
“Why so quiet?”
“I’m afraid I’ll annoy you,” Wen Wan tilted her head at him, acting very obedient.
Xu Chengan was clearly the type who didn’t talk much. Talking too much might irritate him, and if he ignored her later, what would she do?
Xu Chengan actually let out a small laugh.
His white shirt was clean and tidy, and his smile was like a refreshing breeze, comforting to anyone.
Although usually serious, he wasn’t cruel. Overall, he appeared clean and upright.
Unlike men in later times, who, noticing a bit of beauty, would act pretentious, even more affected than women.
Xu Chengan was good in that regard—he didn’t care about looks at all.
“Officer Xu, now that we know each other, can we be friends? Could you come see me often? I’m afraid no one would help me if I’m bullied.”
Although the Chairman said women could hold up half the sky, a lone girl like her was still somewhat vulnerable.
She needed someone to rely on.
Xu Chengan had both the appearance and status to be intimidating.
“Running away from home alone, you’re quite capable,” he said, his expression relaxed as he turned at the intersection. Not far ahead was the steel factory’s family housing.
“Then I wouldn’t be left with no options. If your family forced you to marry an older, unhygienic, ugly, fat, stupid woman who hits and bites, would you agree?”
Xu Chengan’s smile was subtle. Of course, he wouldn’t agree.
Fortunately, no one in his family would ever force him.
Seeing him smile, Wen Wan knew immediately. She huffed lightly. “Now you understand why I want to split from my family. Living with them, I wouldn’t last three days.”
Xu Chengan’s smile softened. “I’ll instruct the officers patrolling the textile factory to pay extra attention to you.”
“Really? Officer Xu, you’re so kind,” Wen Wan almost spoke too sincerely, but her gaze was full of trust.
Meeting her eyes, Xu Chengan slightly curved his lips. “What are your plans for the future?”
Looking at her records, she would graduate high school in July. These past two months, she had been idle at home.
Without a job, she would be assigned to the countryside in November.
“First, I need to find a job. I’m too poor.”
After being wealthy for twenty years, she was suddenly poor and didn’t know how to live, but she had to support herself first.
“What kind of work do you want?”
She had local household registration and connections to the textile factory. If she wasn’t too picky, finding work wouldn’t be difficult.
“Something easy. I don’t want to work on an assembly line or do exhausting labor. Office work, drinking tea and reading the paper would be best.”
Xu Chengan wanted to laugh. She had a small bourgeois attitude, a face that looked like she couldn’t do anything, like a delicate flower raised in a greenhouse—not someone from a family like the Wens.
Considering her mother’s background, it wasn’t surprising.
Drinking tea and reading the paper—such a job really wouldn’t be easy to find.
The janitor at the police station, Grandpa Wu, had the easiest work, but even he had to stand and call out occasionally.
By the time they arrived at the family housing, Xu Chengan was carrying the suitcase in front, Wen Wan following behind.
Wen Wan knew her family lived here but didn’t remember the exact house; the book didn’t mention it.
Seeing the aunties chatting at the alley entrance, Wen Wan immediately had an idea. Her eyes glistened as she prepared her expression; her eyes instantly became teary.
Her tearful act immediately drew the attention of the neighbors.
Wen Wan thought, she had to admit, “green tea” tactics really worked.
Men and women, old and young—everyone could be influenced.
“Why is the Wen family girl crying like this? So pitiful!”
“I heard she ran away from a marriage and was caught by the police and brought back.”
“Could it be that the Wu family didn’t comply?”
…
The news of Wen Wan running away from her marriage had already spread throughout the steel factory’s family housing, though no one knew about the station incident yesterday.
Wen Wan wiped her tears and sobbed, “Auntie, my dad was going to sell me off. I reported it, and the police brought me back to handle the case.”
“Your dad is terrible! How could he sell his own daughter?”
The aunt deliberately lowered her voice, but Wen Wan still heard clearly: “With a stepmother comes a stepfather. Wen Qingfeng is a fool.”
“Exactly. He neglects his own daughter but cares for other people’s children.”
Wen Wan lowered her head, a faint curve at her lips. When she raised her head, her misty eyes made people feel sorry for her.
“My mom died early. A child without a mother is like a blade of grass.”
The aunt shook her head. This child was truly pitiful.
Such a beautiful girl forced to marry a fool—what a tragedy.
Walking along, listening to the aunties gossip, Wen Wan unknowingly ended up in front of Xu Chengan.
“Wen Wan!”
Xu Chengan suddenly spoke.