Chapter 22 Chapter 22: The Underwear Thief
“Su Yuan, why aren’t you saying anything? Nothing’s missing on your side, right?”
“Oh… no, nothing’s missing.” Su Yuan answered nervously, suddenly feeling like crying without tears. Not only was nothing missing—her wardrobe had somehow gained several bundles of women’s intimate clothing.
She wasn’t mistaken. It was the kind of “gear” that would make any man blush and speechless.
Now she was certain: the person who had bumped into her earlier was definitely suspicious. They hadn’t stolen anything, but stuffing several packs of women’s underwear into her closet—what kind of prank was that?
Just then, noise erupted outside. A crowd seemed to be arguing, voices rising in commotion.
“What’s going on?”
“Did you hear? Our Binhe Polytechnic has an underwear thief!”
“What! An underwear thief?” A male student’s voice shot up.
“Yeah, last night the girls’ dorm was broken into. Apparently, some thief sneaked in and stole underwear left to dry on the balcony. The girls only noticed in the morning and immediately reported it to the dorm supervisor!”
“No way, that thief’s guts are enormous…”
“Exactly. The logistics and security departments are furious! This kind of incident is a slap in the face—how can they hold their heads up now?”
“Damn! What are the security staff even doing?” another hot-tempered student cursed, then added, “Luckily it was only underwear. If the thief had worse intentions, who could bear that responsibility?”
“Right. If an entire dorm of girls had been harmed, our school would be infamous.”
…
“Actually, it’s not that simple,” said a guy who seemed to know more.
“What, you mean it wasn’t just underwear stolen? Did someone get assaulted?”
“No, no!” Seeing everyone’s attention, he leaned in eagerly. “Listen, this thief isn’t a first-timer. He’s a repeat offender! Word is, last semester there was also a case of stolen underwear in the girls’ dorm. It caused a stir, but the school hushed it up.”
“Whoa!” Gasps spread through the crowd.
Hearing this, Gao Jun grew interested. He gave Su Yuan and Ji Yehao a sly grin. “I’ll go dig up more news and report back.” With that, he dashed off.
The discussion outside continued…
“As the saying goes, walk by the river often enough, and your shoes will get wet. This thief got too bold—not only striking last night, but even trying to sneak in during the day! Think about it: with the girls in class, stealing a few sets of underwear would be easy.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“But this time he failed! Supposedly, one girl had taken leave because of her period and was in the restroom. The thief thought the room was empty, but ran right into her!”
“Ah!!” The crowd shouted, hooked by the suspense. “Go on, don’t stop there…”
The storyteller chuckled. “Patience. The girl alone couldn’t stop him, of course. He ran, but the commotion drew more girls, and soon a chase broke out. Someone even saw him run into our building!”
“No way—does that mean the thief is one of us?”
He shrugged. “Who knows? But now a bunch of girls and the dorm supervisor have blocked the exits. The school’s logistics, security, and even the leadership are taking this seriously. They’re preparing to search room by room.”
“Seriously?! That makes us all suspects!”
“What choice do we have? If we refuse, we’ll look guilty. Better to let them search and clear our names. Besides, if they don’t catch him, even I’ll be upset. Imagine if he targeted your girlfriend—would you feel okay?”
“True, true.”
“But I’m worried. My drawer has… you know, some things I’d rather not show.”
“You mean those things?”
“Exactly. Premium stuff!”
“Hah, simple. I live on the second floor. After they search my room, I’ll help stash your things downstairs. But you’ve got to let me borrow them for a week.”
“No problem… though the quantity might be a bit much.”
“Ha! Brother, you’re a true gentleman!”
“Likewise…”
…
By now, Su Yuan’s heart was pounding. If the rumors were true, then those bundles in her closet were incriminating evidence. Even if she wasn’t guilty, she’d look guilty.
What to do? What to do?
The search was moving dorm by dorm. When it reached hers, everything would be exposed!
“Su Yuan, what’s wrong? You look pale and sweaty. Are you sick?” Ji Yehao asked with concern.
“Yehao, come here. I need to tell you something.” After hesitating, Su Yuan decided she needed help.
He came over, and she opened her wardrobe.
Inside lay bundles of women’s underwear—bras, panties, all styles and colors. Enough to outfit an entire class of girls.
Lowering his voice, Ji Yehao asked, “Su Yuan… these…”
“I don’t know how they got here! It must have been that thief!” she said, distressed.
He nodded, recalling how the dorm door hadn’t been fully locked earlier.
“Hey, what are you two whispering about?” Gao Jun returned from scouting. “Quick, tidy up! They’ll search soon. To prove our innocence and catch the thief, every dorm will be checked. If you’ve got anything sensitive, hide it fast!”
The two exchanged looks. Ji Yehao beckoned him over and revealed the wardrobe.
“Whoa!” Gao Jun sucked in a breath. “How did these end up here?”
“Probably planted by the thief,” Ji Yehao said.
Gao Jun gave Su Yuan a strange look.
“Gao Jun, I’m not the thief!” Su Yuan snapped.
“I know. I’m just saying—you’re really unlucky. You might end up carrying the blame for this!” He flipped through the pile, muttering, “Tsk tsk, look at this tiny piece—barely anything there. And this one’s huge, like it’s made for a cow!”
Su Yuan glared at him. “Stop joking! Think of a solution!”
“How about tossing them off the balcony?” Gao Jun suggested.
“Right!” Su Yuan’s eyes lit up. She grabbed a bundle and rushed to the balcony—but just as she was about to throw it, she froze.
“Wait! We can’t!” She pulled back quickly.
Below, a girl was standing guard.
“This won’t work,” she said, defeated. Gao Jun frowned too. “Then think of another way. I’ll check how far the search has reached.” He left again.
Inside Dorm 330, Su Yuan and Ji Yehao were frantic.
“They’re already at Room 322,” Gao Jun reported grimly when he returned.
Su Yuan: “…”
“Only seven rooms left. Not much time.” Ji Yehao frowned, thinking hard. Then he noticed a dark bedding bundle stored on top of Su Yuan’s wardrobe.
“Quick, stuff the underwear into that bedding bag! Cover it with Gao Jun’s equipment!”
“Yes!” Su Yuan reacted instantly. She climbed up, pulled down the bedding bag, and together they stuffed the incriminating bundles inside, layering blankets and instruments on top.
Finally, she heaved the bag back onto the wardrobe.
“Now we can only hope. If they don’t check carefully, we might just get away with it,” Ji Yehao said.
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