Li Xiangdong’s speech immediately caused an uproar. Teachers and students under the stage had all sorts of reactions; some were deeply moved, others scoffed, and many, while whispering to each other, shifted the focus of their conversation to the neighborhoods visited by the notorious ‘perverted panty thief.’ Some troublemakers even brought out several pieces of women’s underwear from somewhere and threw them onto the stage. Fortunately, Lin Feng was quick on his feet, dodging with a swift step, but Li Xiangdong behind him was not so lucky; he was hit by these colorful items, and an oversized floral panty even miraculously landed on his head. It was obvious to anyone that these people were from Cao Nan’s Thirteen Eagles. Seeing their idol insulted, the girls, led by the chubby admirer, rushed forward in a frenzy, attacking these troublemakers without mercy.
The scene under the stage became chaotic. Li Xiangdong, in anger, shouted for silence and tried to drag the troublemakers onto the stage. But the boys, crawling up from the ground with faces full of grievance, kept arguing that they were conducting an experiment to see if Lin Feng was truly the panty thief, insisting there was no need to escalate the situation.
Just as the assembly seemed on the verge of collapse, the stern-faced dean stepped onto the stage. With the infamous ‘Black-faced God’ in action, the minor disturbance was quickly quelled…
The vindication assembly continued with fervor. Numerous representatives, supposedly from various sectors of society and of unknown identities, came forward to speak. Lin Feng, as the one being represented, was overwhelmed by the attention. The representatives almost praised him to the skies, as if the world would stop turning without him, describing him as an unparalleled, super charming flower. Their words grew increasingly absurd, to the point where Lin Feng himself felt embarrassed, ashamed, and alarmed. According to the representatives, Lin Feng was practically a saint reborn; he would never look below the neck of a woman, let alone steal underwear.
The emotions of the teachers and students were continuously swayed by these bizarre claims, gradually accepting Lin Feng’s new title of ‘Saint.’ Some even claimed to see a halo of auspicious light above his head. The assembly reached its climax when Huang Tao and Cao Nan, as the culprits of the rumors, took the stage, pushing the event to a new peak. They read their letters of apology with deep emotion and tearful voices. At the end, when they bowed deeply to the wronged ‘Saint Lin Feng,’ they were nearly crying. Their exaggerated remorse and desire to atone seemed almost too sincere, as if they wished to die to prove their sincerity. Naturally, their ‘overzealous’ actions were timely stopped by the equally tearful Li Xiangdong, who stepped forward to intercept them.
Li Xiangdong then took the microphone and, with the skill of a professional and emotional host, gave an impromptu speech, thinking the assembly would end on a high note. However, at that moment, Cao and Huang, who had been ‘crying’ on stage, made another startling move; they knelt before Lin Feng and started banging their heads on the ground in apology. The crowd was stunned, wondering if miracles were happening, or if the prodigal sons had truly repented. Huang Tao might be understandable, but Cao Nan, known for his arrogance, to kowtow in front of so many people was indeed a rare sight.
Little did they know, this was all because Lin Feng, also on stage, had whispered something to them when no one was looking. Lin Feng’s words were: “Your pants are here! Next time, remember to wear a belt.” Earlier that day, Cao Nan and Huang Tao had mysteriously lost their pants in the bathroom, already feeling haunted and fearful, thinking their misdeeds had angered both gods and men, and now hearing Lin Feng’s words, they were genuinely terrified of him. Cao Nan believed Lin Feng practiced dark arts, initially doubted by Huang Tao, but now they both believed it. Thus, they knelt and bowed before the entire school. However, Lin Feng, not wanting to appear overly arrogant or proud, would not give others a reason to speak ill of him behind his back. He did not go to help the two up; instead, seeing them kowtowing, he immediately feigned a look of panic and scurried behind Li Xiangdong, shouting, “Help! Teacher Li, help!” As he ducked behind Li Xiangdong, he simultaneously slipped a button-shaped listening device into Li Xiangdong’s pocket. This listening device, which Lin Feng had just dropped, was the same one that the mysterious woman he had encountered by chance had placed in his pocket. Little did he know that this unintentional act would later trigger a series of significant events.
Captain Cao Lei of the Criminal Police Brigade, originally sitting calmly on the main stage, had only come as a formality. Seeing his two younger brothers overly engaged in their performance, he felt his face lose all color. Cao Lei’s face stretched longer than a donkey’s, and without a word, he strode forward, kicking both of them down with two heavy thuds. Cao Nan and Huang Tao’s cries stopped abruptly as they looked up in fear, only to see their older brother approaching. Their faces lit up with joy, about to cry out their grievances, but Cao Lei’s fierce glare silenced them. Cao Lei whispered harshly, “Get lost!” The two seemed to snap out of a daze and quickly scrambled off the stage, disappearing into the crowd.
Cao Lei shot Lin Feng a displeased look, evidently loathing him. Lin Feng stood by with an indifferent ‘blank’ expression, even smiling foolishly at Cao Lei when he looked his way… “Damn it, keep pretending!” Cao Lei cursed silently. Unfortunately, his nemesis Lin Feng showed no sign of realization, still grinning stupidly at him.
Was 84 kidnapped? Cao Lei clenched his steel teeth, resisting the urge to strike, then grabbed the microphone from Li Xiangdong in frustration, delivering the customary platitudes about ‘police and citizens being one family’ and ‘harmonious society depends on everyone,’ glossing over his own earlier embarrassment. This grand event was an unprecedented innovation in Yushan City to restore Lin Feng’s reputation. If Lin Feng were still the same muddled fool, he would have been content and satisfied with the face-saving. However, at that moment, he was preoccupied and couldn’t enjoy the glory.
As the meeting was drawing to a close, everyone who was supposed to speak had already done so. Yet, Lin Feng was still searching the crowd for his mother’s figure. Cao Lei and Li Xiangdong on stage showed no signs of unusual behavior. Despite his inner turmoil, Lin Feng had to pretend nothing was amiss, which was a torment no ordinary person could endure.
Finally, the meeting ended. Cao Lei and Sun Dasheng shook hands warmly in farewell, with Li Xiangdong introducing everyone. The two whispered to each other, while Lin Feng, adjusting his receiver repeatedly, picked up no sound, cursing the unscrupulous merchants at the electronics market. Meanwhile, in a regular van not far away, a spirited and beautiful woman was intently recording her latest findings.
The venue emptied, but Lin Feng didn’t receive any private invitation from either Li Xiangdong or Cao Lei, nor did he notice any odd behavior. This led him to doubt his judgment. Wang Xiaoyun’s sudden arrival snapped him out of his reverie. Lin Feng scored his brief career as a spy with a negative number; he felt he didn’t even deserve a zero. He lacked vigilance, foresight, and plans for unexpected situations. For example, today, despite his preparations, he panicked when he realized the fish weren’t biting. If Wang Xiaoyun had been an assassin set up in advance, Lin Feng, as an amateur spy, would have died without knowing how.
