C2 Misunderstanding!

A misunderstanding had taken root, and from the looks of it, no amount of explaining from Lin Feng would do any good.

It was a classic case of being caught in the act!

Su Mei had caught Lin Feng in the act of 'caressing' her lingerie!

How could he possibly clear that up?

Forget it, if it's a misunderstanding, so be it! It's not like she's losing anything, and she was too tired to bother with explanations.

Dejectedly, Lin Feng retreated to his room. Once he had recalibrated his mindset, he poured all his energy into the Treasure Seeking System.

Filled with a mix of curiosity and anxiety, Lin Feng used his willpower to access the system's inventory, where two identical Bronze Treasure Chests lay in the first two slots.

How should he open the chests?

No sooner had the thought "open the treasure chest" crossed his mind than an electronic chime sounded in his ear.

"Ding! Would you like to open the Bronze Treasure Chest?"

"Yes!"

Lin Feng responded to the system without a second thought.

A flash of green light appeared, and the treasure chest in the inventory jostled briefly before swinging open on its own.

"Ding! Congratulations to Host Lin Feng for winning 10,000 yuan."

"Ding! Congratulations to Host Lin Feng for acquiring the card 'Silence is Gold.'"

Silence is Gold (Card): Upon using this card, you will be unable to speak for the next two hours. Once the time is up, you will receive 1 million RMB.

The Bronze Treasure Chest had vanished from the inventory, replaced by this intriguing card, and Lin Feng's personal funds had jumped from zero to 10,000 yuan!

Lin Feng was both shocked and elated. He gave his thigh a hard pinch.

Ouch!

That hurt!

He wasn't dreaming!

But how was he supposed to use this card?

As the word "use" flickered through Lin Feng's mind, the card that had been resting in his inventory transformed into a beam of golden light and vanished. Simultaneously, the system's voice chimed in his ear:

"Ding! Host Lin Feng has successfully activated the 'Silence is Gold' card. The countdown begins at 01:59:59!"

Crap!

What just happened?

How did the card activate so suddenly?

After a moment of stunned silence, Lin Feng realized he truly couldn't speak. It was as if someone had clamped his mouth shut; he could breathe normally but couldn't open his mouth no matter how hard he tried!

Silence enveloped the room, so profound it was as though a mute button had been pressed, casting an eerie stillness.

Lin Feng's mind whirred into action. After a cool-headed analysis, he concluded that the Treasure Seeking System seemed attuned to his inner voice. A mere thought was all it took to operate it with his mind.

To test his theory, Lin Feng focused on his personal information displayed on the electronic screen. What purpose did this money serve? Could he actually withdraw it for personal use?

No sooner had the thought 'withdraw money' crossed his mind than the system's prompt chimed in his ear.

"Ding! Does Host Lin Feng wish to withdraw money?"

Lin Feng's eyes sparkled as he silently affirmed, 'Yes.'

"Ding! How much would Host Lin Feng like to withdraw?"

He wanted the entire amount, of course!

"Ding! 10,000 yuan has been successfully transferred to Host Lin Feng's bank account. Please verify the transaction."

It was as he suspected; the Treasure Seeking System operated purely on thought!

His initial excitement gave way to skepticism. Had the 10,000 yuan really been deposited so swiftly? And straight into his bank account? Could the system be playing tricks on him?

Just then, Lin Feng's phone buzzed with a new message:

"Country Z Agricultural Bank: Account ending in 9527 has received a transfer of 10,000 RMB at 17:36. Current balance: 10,410.69."

Holy smokes! It was true! The Treasure Seeking System had actually transferred money to him!

Riding a wave of elation, Lin Feng's attention quickly turned to another Bronze Treasure Chest. What surprises might this one hold?

"Open the treasure chest!" he whispered.

With a "Swish!" a flash of green light signaled the chest's opening, and the system's voice filled Lin Feng's ears once more.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host Lin Feng, on acquiring 10,000 yuan."

"Ding! Congratulations, Host Lin Feng, on obtaining the 'Heavenly Eye' card."

As the second Bronze Treasure Chest opened, Lin Feng found himself richer by another 10,000 yuan and in possession of an enigmatic card.

But before Lin Feng could explore the card's abilities, a frantic knocking at the door snapped him back to reality.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Lin Feng, open this door right now!"

Su Mei's demanding voice echoed from outside, sending a shiver down Lin Feng's spine. His face paled; he hadn't anticipated Su Mei showing up to confront him like this!

He meant to respond with a quick 'coming,' but as his lips barely moved, Lin Feng realized with dismay that he was still struck dumb, unable to utter a single word.

What now? How could he possibly explain himself to Su Mei in this state? Maybe he should just pretend he wasn't home?

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Lin Feng, you jerk, open up! You think hiding will save you? You perverted panty thief..."

The knocks turned into forceful bangs, and to Lin Feng's horror, Su Mei was loudly accusing him of being a lingerie thief right outside his door!

This couldn't go on. He couldn't let her continue making a scene, or his reputation would be tarnished forever!

With a dark scowl, Lin Feng strode over and flung the door open.

"Oh, decided to face the music, have you? Why'd you stop hiding?" Su Mei sneered as soon as she saw Lin Feng.

Silence fell.

The air was charged with tension.

Lin Feng, mute, could only glare furiously at Su Mei, who met his gaze with an equally lethal stare.

They locked eyes, each trying to outdo the other with their intense gazes, a standoff that seemed... frankly, ridiculous.

"Out with it! Are you the underwear thief?" Su Mei broke the silence, her arms folded across her chest.

Lin Feng, still unable to speak, shook his head emphatically, denying he was the thief.

"If not you, then who? I saw you stealing my lingerie! Are my eyes deceiving me?" Su Mei accused, pointing right at Lin Feng's nose.

"To think, you look so innocent but could stoop to such disgraceful behavior!"

"And you call yourself a college student? You're a disgrace to the title!"

"What's with that glare? Ashamed and furious, are we?"

"Disgusting pervert! Stealing a woman's underwear? What kind of lowlife does that in Orchid Garden District? You're revolting!"

...

Lin Feng's fists tightened instinctively, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Su Mei. He hadn't expected such venomous words from someone who looked so gentle and frail.

The most baffling part was, how on earth did she think he'd stolen her underwear? It had clearly been blown over by the wind. Why was she pinning this on him?

The saying 'beauty without brains' really did have some truth to it!

"How many girls' underwear have you pilfered? Where have you stashed them all? You better come clean, or I'll have the police here with one phone call!" Su Mei waved her phone menacingly at Lin Feng.

As Su Mei's accusations grew more outrageous, Lin Feng's rage boiled over.

He thrust a finger towards Su Mei's nose, ready to unleash a torrent of curses, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate, as if it were locked shut no matter how hard he tried!

"Ah!" Su Mei shrieked, startled by Lin Feng's gesture, then screamed, "He's attacking me! Help! This man is trying to hit a woman!"

Lin Feng was utterly flabbergasted. He had merely raised his hand, yet the woman before him was acting as if she were in mortal peril. Was she really that sensitive, or was her earlier ferocity all for show?

The corridor quickly filled with the sound of doors flinging open as the alarmed neighbors gathered.

Lin Feng's apartment building was home to over ten families per floor. A shout in the hallway was enough to alert everyone.

"What's going on?"

"Who's hitting who?"

"What happened?!"

"Who was arguing just now?" inquired Wang Yao.

"Su Mei, who's bothering you?"

...

The crowd closed in, with a man in his thirties pushing his way to Su Mei's side, shielding her and glaring at Lin Feng with a fierce look.

"Lin Feng, what the hell are you doing?" the middle-aged man bellowed.

His name was Zhou Lei, living in Room 203 right next to Lin Feng. Rumor had it he'd been courting Su Mei's favor lately. Now presented with an opportunity to impress, he wasted no time in stepping forward.

Lin Feng gestured towards Su Mei and then Zhou Lei, struggling to find an outlet for the seething rage within him.

Damn! The inability to speak was excruciatingly frustrating!

"Su Mei, don't worry. I've got your back. This guy won't dare to touch you!" Zhou Lei reassured Su Mei, all the while shooting Lin Feng a challenging glare.

"What's going on here?"

"We're all neighbors. Can't we talk this out?"

"Exactly. Why resort to violence?"

"Su Mei, come on, tell us. Why did Lin Feng try to hit you?"

...

The neighbors began to buzz with conversation, and Lin Feng couldn't bear the commotion. He stepped back and slammed the door shut with a resounding thud.

As Lin Feng had anticipated, Su Mei spilled the beans to everyone about their argument.

Soon after, gasps of shock echoed from outside.

"What? Lin Feng's the underwear thief?"

"He took your underwear and you caught him red-handed?"

"Holy smokes! He seems so decent on the surface, but who would've thought he'd stoop to such sleazy acts behind closed doors!"

"He's nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

"This is unacceptable! We need to call the cops right now and get him arrested!"

"Absolutely! Call the police!"

...