Chapter 23: Chapter 19: Turning Point
Just a few steps along the lawn, Lin Fei saw a middle-aged woman running toward him in a flustered manner, dressed flamboyantly and looking anxious, as though she had an urgent matter.
Lin Fei frowned slightly and quickly stepped aside as he saw the woman running directly towards him. The woman did not notice and just kept rushing forward.
Looking in the direction from which the woman had come, Lin Fei did not notice any sign.
Although he did not know what had prompted the woman's urgency, he did not wish to meddle in other people's affairs. Lately, there had been enough instances of good intentions being met with unjust accusations.
The woman kept charging forward and accidentally bumped into an old man wearing a black overcoat; however, since it was just a slight bump, neither of them said anything.
Lin Fei withdrew his gaze from the woman, holding his water bottle and continued walking toward the exit of the park and toward the nearby bus stop; he had not gone far.
Suddenly, the old man behind him exclaimed, "Where's my wallet?" It turned out that he usually kept it in his pants pocket. Now that he had put on an overcoat and adjusted his clothes, he felt as if he had lost something.
The girl beside him immediately tried to comfort him, "Grandpa, maybe you put it in another pocket?"
"It's not possible! I always keep it in my pants pocket." The old man fumbled through his pockets to no avail.
Having walked some distance, Lin Fei faintly heard the two discussing something. By then, he had reached the bus stop and placed his water bottle on the concrete bench, turning his head to look back. However, due to the distance, he could not tell what was happening.
The girl, seeing the old man looking anxious, suddenly seemed to have an idea. She lifted her face and looked intently toward Lin Fei.
"Grandpa, it must have been that guy, he definitely took it!!"
The old man hesitated, "Really, Xiao Xiao? That young man seemed quite honest; he doesn't appear to be that kind of person."
This girl, named Xiao Xiao, once convinced of something, neither family, classmates, nor friends could dissuade her. She had a stubborn mind. Once she fixated on an idea, she was instantly anxious.
"How can it not be possible? There are plenty of people these days who pretend to be one thing but are another behind your back. Wait here, grandpa! I'm going to bring him back!!" The more Xiao Xiao thought about it, the more convinced she became, especially recalling the young man's attire which did not seem to belong to a student from a well-off family. She was even more certain now.
Lin Fei was standing at the bus stop, waiting for the next bus, when suddenly he heard a sharp female voice rise.
"Catch the thief!!! Catch the thief!!"
He was standing with his back toward the park. Before he could figure out what was happening, suddenly a hand harshly pressed down on his shoulder from behind.
"Slap!" Lin Fei took a step forward and turned, smoothly dodging the hand behind him and, spinning around, slapped it away. At this moment, he also saw clearly the owner of the suddenly appearing hand—Xiao Xiao, the girl who had been with the old man just now.
"What are you doing?!" Lin Fei furrowed his brow.
Seeing his bold retort, Xiao Xiao grew even more infuriated.
"Catch the thief!!! He stole my grandpa's wallet!!"
She pointed at Lin Fei, shouting loudly.
Typically, people in Hua Nation enjoyed watching scenes unfold, and Xiao Xiao's shouting quickly drew the attention of most of the nearby people. The two standing at the bus stop were soon surrounded by a crowd of onlookers who had closed in around them.
Being accused of being a thief for no reason, Lin Fei was naturally extremely upset and his expression darkened significantly.
"Stop slandering people!"
Xiao Xiao was also furious; she had never before seen such a brazen thief who not only stole but also dared to argue boldly. Her face turned bright red with anger.
"If it wasn't you, who else could it be?? Grandpa was with you the whole morning!! You still dare to argue!! You're shameless!!!"
Suddenly, Lin Fei's expression darkened, just as he was about to speak.
At that moment, someone from the crowd pushed forward; it was the old man in the black overcoat. Seeing the old man join them, Lin Fei felt somewhat relieved; he had no desire to start a loud argument with the girl in public and draw attention. Especially since the people from Shueisha had promised to handle the aftermath of a murder for him, but deep down, he was still a bit uneasy. After all, murder is not a minor crime.
The old man, gasping for breath, squeezed through.
"Xiaoxiao, calm down!! It's not likely this student, as they come to this park every week."
Lin Fei nodded, "Old man, didn't a woman bump into you just now? Maybe it was her."
"Yes, I think so too. We've already sent someone to chase down the woman from before."
On the other hand, Fang Xiaoxiao hadn't expected the old man to trust Lin Fei so much, and for a moment, she didn't know what to do. In the end, she glared at Lin Fei.
"Please, young brother, stay and wait with us for a while," the old man said apologetically to Lin Fei.
Lin Fei nodded, "No problem."
The three of them waited for a while, and suddenly, two burly young men squeezed through the crowd, dragging a middle-aged woman with them—the same one who had bumped into the old man.
"Why are you dragging me?? I told you! I didn't steal anything!!" The woman was shrieking. "Do you know who I am?? I'm telling you!! If you don't clear this up today, don't expect to leave this park!!"
Fang Xiaoxiao, already seething with anger, walked over and slapped the woman upon hearing her arrogant voice.
With a crisp and loud slap,
The woman was stunned. She seemed not to expect someone would dare to hit her. Her shouting voice suddenly stopped like a tape recorder running out of tape.
"Xiaoxiao!!" The old man's face darkened, "What have I always told you!!"
Fang Xiaoxiao, with a frosty face, "Grandpa, she was too arrogant! If we don't teach her a lesson, she will think she owns Ping City!!"
"That's not for you to decide!!" The old man's face sank, pulling his granddaughter to his side.
At this, an onlooker suggested, "You better call the police!"
"With her being so arrogant, she might have some backing. Be careful, old man."
"These days, even thieves are this arrogant, huh."
The woman, still dazed from the slap, regained her senses upon hearing about calling the police, trembling with rage.
"Fine, fine, fine!!!" She pointed at the old man and Fang Xiaoxiao, her voice trembling. "Just you wait!! If you dare, kill me today!! Otherwise, wait for the Wang family to take action!!" Her last words seemed somewhat less confident, but it was evidently the most severe threat she felt she could make.
People around them hadn't heard of the Wang family before and began asking each other about it.
However, upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoxiao and the old man slightly changed their expressions.
"Could it be Vice Mayor Wang's family?" The old man's mental balance shifted sharply.
"Ma'am, I am Fang Dawei. Not sure if you've heard of me." He directly revealed his identity. If this woman was indeed related to Vice Mayor Wang, she would definitely know him. If not, she was clearly lying.
As expected, the woman's expression changed, seeming to recall something, and she looked at the two young men beside her and bit her lip.
"So it's Mr. Fang, but even if you are Mr. Fang, you can't just falsely accuse people. How much money was in your wallet?" The woman skillfully pulled out a handful of red bills from her purse, shook them, and threw them harshly on the ground.
"Is this more than what was in your wallet?"
The old man glanced at it and knew right away that the woman was not the thief. He sighed and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "We will make this right when we go back. Sorry for the trouble today."
The woman's cheek still burned from the slap. "Then we'll be waiting." With many people around, she couldn't say more. She angrily pushed through the crowd and strode away, leaving the bills on the ground.
"Xiaoxiao, pick up the money, and we'll return it to her later," the old man instructed Fang Xiaoxiao. She reluctantly walked over to pick up the money, by now realizing she had wrongly accused someone.
At this moment, Lin Fei felt something was off. The woman who was most likely to be the thief had been cleared, leaving only him as a suspect. But who would believe he was not a thief now?
"I guess anything I say now would be pointless," Lin Fei said helplessly.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone