Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

"This…"

Yi Zhonghai was speechless for a moment after being rebuked by Zhou Feng's words, his face turning red and white in turns.

Strictly speaking, Zhou Feng's words are definitely reasonable. You, Sha Zhu, attacked first, but you didn't hit anyone and even injured yourself. You can't blame Zhou Feng for that.

But Sha Zhu is still groaning on the ground. As an old man in the courtyard who usually gets along so well with Sha Zhu, he can't just stand by and do nothing!

Zhou Feng didn't give him much time to think. He changed his tone and remained calm.

"And sir, aren't you getting a little off track by focusing on how Sha Zhu got hurt?"

"He stole my and my third uncle's bicycle wheels. How do we handle this? This is no joke; to put it seriously, it could even be a criminal offense!"

Yi Zhonghai's face instantly turned ugly.

How could he not know how big a mess Sha Zhu had made this time?

Bicycle wheels are legitimate industrial products, but Zhou Feng wasn't in the yard at the time, so he was happy to play dumb and just fixed Yan Bugui's bicycle wheel without any intention of standing up for Zhou Feng.

Who would have thought that Zhou Feng would catch Sha Zhu red-handed as soon as he got back, and even bring it up directly!

Seeing Zhou Feng's unyielding attitude and looking at the hopeless Sha Zhu on the ground, Yi Zhonghai sighed helplessly.

"Xiao Zhou... this is indeed a misunderstanding. A stolen wheel is a serious matter, but we're all from the same compound. How about we hold a compound-wide meeting, lay it all out in the open, and let everyone discuss it together?"

For Yi Zhonghai to say such a thing was already a rare instance of him yielding to Zhou Feng, and his attitude was undeniably humble.

However, Zhou Feng just stared at him expressionlessly, without saying a word or making any move.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai in this state, Sha Zhu, who was lying on the ground wincing in pain, instantly turned his eyes red and stared intently at Zhou Feng.

"Zhou Feng! You bastard, if you've got the guts... then take me to the police station! I took the wheel! It has nothing to do with this old man! Why are you yelling at him? You fucking... if you've got the guts, come at me!"

Looking at the scene before him, Zhou Feng saw a fool like Zhu, sprawled on the ground writhing in pain but still stubbornly putting on a show, and Yi Zhonghai, standing before him, aggrievedly lowering his stance and begging for peace…

He's the one who lost his things, so why does it seem like he's the one pressing the issue, like a villain bullying innocent people?

Bai Ling stood quietly to the side watching Zhou Feng's performance, without expressing any opinion.

Back when they were in the Special Operations Division, they had held meetings to discuss Zhou Feng's behavioral logic more than once.

The final conclusion was that Zhou Feng seemed to harbor an unusual malice towards the residents of this courtyard house.

But this malice wasn't the kind that was meant to hurt them intentionally; rather, it was like a prank, deliberately causing them to have an emotional breakdown. Every time Zhou Feng encountered this situation, he would be especially happy!

Especially when facing people like He Yuzhu, Yi Zhonghai, and Qin Huairu, his attitude becomes noticeably different from usual, even bordering on wicked!

Therefore, the decision above is that as long as Zhou Feng does not cause significant property damage or personal injury to others, we should cooperate with his actions as much as possible.

Therefore, Bai Ling was not in a hurry to intervene, but was watching to see what Zhou Feng was going to do next.

"So, you're admitting now that you stole my and Uncle San's bicycle wheels, right?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone else in the courtyard instantly changed.

"Pillar!"

Yi Zhonghai was greatly shocked. He shouted angrily, directly interrupting Sha Zhu, who was about to say something.

Qin Huairu also realized what was happening and immediately covered Sha Zhu's mouth: "Zhu Zi! Are you delirious from pain! What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Comrade Zhou Feng! As the old saying goes, you have to catch a thief red-handed. You can't just conclude that Zhu Zi is a thief based on a couple of sentences you and Uncle San said, plus a few angry words Zhu Zi uttered in a fit of anger! In our new society, everything must be based on evidence!"

Yi Zhonghai's mind raced, and as if grasping at a straw, he looked at Zhou Feng with a cold smile.

Zhou Feng was also taken aback for a moment, but before he could speak, Bai Ling stepped forward, looking down at Sha Zhu expressionlessly: "Comrade He Yuzhu, confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be punished severely!"

"If you can proactively admit your mistake and clearly explain what happened, you might still have a chance to negotiate a settlement. If you insist on denying it..."

Bai Ling didn't continue speaking, but everyone present understood her meaning perfectly.

"Comrade Bai Ling, what are you saying? Zhu Zi isn't that kind of person. There must be some misunderstanding here!"

Qin Huairu wanted to say something, but Bai Ling waved her hand to stop her, and just stared at Sha Zhu.

Bai Ling knew that this guy was angry, after all, the people who protected Zhou Feng had really messed things up for him and Xu Damao.

So now, as long as he admits that he just wanted to vent his anger, she can pretend that there's a reason for this and plead for him.

Sha Zhu was enlightened by Yi Zhonghai's reminder, and upon hearing the words "catching the thief red-handed," a sliver of hope suddenly arose in his heart.

Yup!

Two or three days had passed, and Zhou Feng wasn't in the yard at the time, so there was no way he could know where he sold the wheels.

Even if Teacher Ran said something wrong just now and Uncle San caught him red-handed, as long as he insists on denying it, there's no stolen goods here, and he wasn't caught in the act, so what grounds are there to convict him? At worst, it'll just be a dispute!

Thinking this, Sha Zhu felt even more confident and stiffened his neck to look at Bai Ling: "I didn't take it! What do I have to admit? Comrade Bai Ling, I know you and Zhou Feng are close, but you can't wrong an innocent person for no reason just because of that!"

"Let me tell you, I, He Yuzhu, am upright and honest!"

Seeing his unrepentant attitude and even his attempt to shift the blame, Bai Ling was almost amused by his anger, and the last bit of pity in her heart was completely exhausted.

Indeed, there's always a reason why someone is pitiful!

Shaking her head helplessly, Bai Ling's clear voice rang out: "At the repair shop on Dongzhimen Street, someone delivered two bicycle wheels, one new and one old, early this morning."

"The sale was rushed, and the price was low, so the boss remembers that person very well. Would you like me to bring him over to confront you?"

Although Zhou Feng wasn't there when he stole the car, the officers who were on surveillance were watching.

Sha Zhu's supposedly secretive actions were all observed and even relayed back to the Special Operations Division.

From the moment he removed the bicycle wheel until he sold it at a repair shop in Dongzhimen, someone followed him.

What Sha Zhu didn't know was that right now, the owner of the bicycle stall outside Dongzhimen was still cursing him in his heart!

I don't know where this scoundrel came from, stealing things without even checking if he's being followed!

No sooner had I taken away this guy's wheels than Uncle Hat showed up at my door.

First came a lecture and criticism, then a demand for cooperation.

If Uncle Hat hadn't ordered him to wait here, he would have closed the shop and hidden away for a while!