The health clinic was just a dormitory building where all the doctors and nurses lived together, so conducting a search was a simple matter.
Over thirty people from the clinic bustled to the entrance of the dormitory, yet the expected search did not commence because Chief Zhou Peng and several officers were blocked from entering the building.
At the entrance, Liu Jinzhi sat on a rattan chair, legs crossed in a manly fashion, leisurely embroidering a cross-stitch!
"Oh my, Chief Zhou, you've even come to search our health clinic now? What's the matter? Have all our doctors and nurses become suspects of theft?" Liu Jinzhi glanced askance at Zhou Peng and his few subordinates. She was blocking the doorway, and anyone who wished to enter the dorm would have to "rub up against her", so to speak, and Zhou Peng and his men certainly did not have the guts for that.
"Hehe, sister-in-law, it's not me who wants to search the clinic dorms. It's one of your own people who filed the report! When someone files a report, we naturally have to fulfill our duty. Don't you agree?" Zhou Peng smiled obsequiously, his eyes twirling all over Liu Jinzhi's body, as if they were about to pop out, yet he didn't dare get too close.
Everyone in Wugai Town knew the formidable power of Director Jin's jealousy; no man with the courage of a leopard would dare to mess with Liu Jinzhi.
"Who filed the report? Who did it? Hey, which one of you reported to the station?" Liu Jinzhi stood up and shouted at the clinic's doctors and nurses, displaying a fierce tenacity.
Wen Xuebing hurriedly came forward and whispered something to Liu Jinzhi.
"What? This happened? Well, we must investigate this. We must get to the bottom of it!" Liu Jinzhi exclaimed loudly. Her gaze swept over everyone's faces, pausing deliberately on Pang Feng a few times before addressing Chief Zhou:
"Chief Zhou, you can conduct your search, but let me be clear first: today's matter involves our Dr. Pang, and the case is so serious—you must be careful. If you can't produce evidence, you can't just close the case arbitrarily!" Liu Jinzhi said.
She waved at Pang Feng, "Pang, come over here. Cooperate with Chief Zhou and his men in their investigation. Don't be afraid—if you are truly innocent, no one can muddle the facts. You are a doctor in the clinic, and the clinic's got your back!"
Upon hearing Liu Jinzhi's words, Pang Feng couldn't help but feel grateful. He had rushed over in a panic precisely because he was worried that Zhou Peng and his bunch would conduct a search in his absence. If that were to happen, Wen Xuebing, that sly old fox, would surely have made arrangements. If Zhou Peng fished out some women's underwear, Pang Feng wouldn't be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
Liu Jinzhi had held Zhou Peng at bay, depriving him of the chance to play his underhanded tricks, effectively giving Pang Feng a chance to catch his breath and the opportunity to turn the tables.
Pang Feng walked over, and Zhou Peng sidled up, simpering, "Dr. Pang, please cooperate with us for a bit, shall we? Let us take a look in your room?"
Pang Feng narrowed his eyes at Zhou Peng, then scanned the officers behind him. Wugai Town's police station had only four people. A female officer who handled household registrations had not arrived; Zhou Peng was the chief; there were two officers, He Jun and He the Fatty, essentially one person; and the other was a recent graduate from the Police Academy. His name was Su Dong, but the townsfolk usually called him Su Donggua, as he was short—short like a winter melon.
Pang Feng asked, "Chief Zhou, are all of you going to my room?"
"Yeah, we're all going!" Zhou Peng replied.
Clapping his hands, Pang Feng said, "Well, then I'm confused. Officer He, you're going to my room to search for women's undergarments, but why are you carrying so many women's clothes on you?"
As soon as Pang Feng said this, the faces of Zhou Peng and his men changed. He the Fatty stepped forward, grabbed Pang Feng, and said, "Pang Feng, what nonsense are you spouting? Have you lost your mind? Look carefully, what's on me, huh?"
Clearly infuriated, He the Fatty, as a seasoned scoundrel, was quite devious. His stance seemed to prove his innocence, when in reality, he was using his strength to twist Pang Feng's hand at an odd angle—a maneuver capable of breaking bones. He had used this shady technique before; to him, Pang Feng, a young student who had not yet come of age, was not even worth considering.
Pang Feng chuckled coldly to himself, confident that he had the situation under control. If this had been before yesterday, he might have actually been duped.
But now, Pang Feng possessed a skill that others did not, seeing through what was happening to He Jun as clearly as if it were burning fire.
It was also He Jun's fault for underestimating his opponent; he still counted on his old calculations thinking he had Pang Feng cornered. Right when He Jun was ready to exert his force, Pang Feng glared with fury and said, "He Jun, are you trying to screw me over?"
No sooner had he spoken than Pang Feng exerted strength in his hand and, in turn, twisted He Jun's hand backward. The next moment, Pang Feng grabbed He Jun's police uniform and tore it forcefully.
"Sss~"
He Jun's shirt was ripped in half.
"Oh my, the police are beating people, the police are beating people!" Pang Feng quickly retreated, feigning victimhood while shouting about the injustice of it all. He was trying to accuse someone else before being accused. To the bystanders, it seemed as if He Jun was the initial aggressor, while Pang Feng simply grabbed onto his clothes to dodge a dirty trick, ripping the shirt and exposing what was underneath, which was quite the spectacle.
The crowd was in an uproar. More and more people were gathering, not just the doctors and nurses from the Health Clinic but also patients and their families who came in the morning as well as a group of men and women from town who loved to watch the excitement. In such a small place, there must have been a hundred people gathered.
Seeing so many women's panties and stockings fly off He Jun, the embarrassment was enormous. Initially, most people regarded Pang Feng as a pervert, ready to watch his disgrace, but now, the crowd's perception shifted involuntarily.
"Hey, He Jun really enjoys this, doesn't he? You can't tell that normally, tsk tsk, what an eye-opener today!" Liu Jinzhi laughed heartily, with one hand on her hip and the other covering her mouth, her laughter tinged with suggestiveness.
Her laughter set everyone off, especially the old women who came to join the fun, each of them laughing the loudest.
He Jun was utterly dumbfounded, never in his wildest dreams expecting to capsize in the gutter; those items were intended to frame Pang Feng. Now exposed, what should he do? At this critical moment, he cast a pleading look at Zhou Peng.
"What's all this noise about, quiet, quiet! Everyone be quiet and serious!" Zhou Peng said with a stern face, "What you have seen here today are the evidence samples provided by Doctor Ou of the Health Clinic when she reported a theft. Our search today was for these sample items. If we find anyone's room with the same women's underwear, that person is the thief!"
"He Jun, Su Dong, what are you standing around for? Follow me, let's search!"
Zhou Peng took the lead, stomping upstairs, with He Jun and Su Dong snapping out of it and following close behind. Pang Feng, key in hand, trailed behind, ready to unlock the doors.
The four entered Pang Feng's room, where Pang Feng let out a chuckle and said, "Chief Zhou, better search thoroughly, you have to find something today!"
Zhou Peng gave Pang Feng a deep look, caught in a difficult position, he had no choice but to let He Jun and Su Dong search around the room haphazardly.
But their plan had been foiled by Pang Feng; what could they possibly find now?
After a while of going through the motions, Zhou Peng and his companions came out of Pang Feng's room. The crowd downstairs had grown impatient, each of them asking eagerly, "Did you find anything, Chief Zhou, did you find anything?"
Zhou Peng cleared his throat uncomfortably, about to speak, when Pang Feng preempted him, speaking loudly, "They didn't find anything in my room, but Chief Zhou said Doctor Zou saw the thief with her own eyes yesterday, so we have to search everyone's rooms. Please be patient, everyone, don't be anxious... one at a time, no rush..."