[HAHAHAHAHAHA SAVE ME!!! Big Pecs finally revealed his most humiliating experience!!!]
[Forced into the women's restroom?! Holy shit, hahahaha! Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu, are you demons?!]
[Lei Gang: The video is fake! I've never been in the women's restroom! Zhang Hong & Feng Chiyu: Well, you have now.]
[I'm laughing so hard I'm pounding the floor! This is absolutely the year's most tragic scapegoat! Poor Minister Lei, he really got screwed over!]
["The Humiliating History of a Straight Man Mistaken for a Crossdressing Boss and Forced into the Women's Restroom" - by Big Pecs]
[Pursuit Team's achievements today: Successfully captured and detained friendly Comrade Lei Gang, and forced him to use the women's restroom once! Major achievement unlocked! (Smirking emoji)]
[Pity Big Pecs for three seconds... then back to laughing! HAHAHA!]
[The Cat God works in mysterious ways! From the moment Lei Gang offended the Cat God, this divine retribution was his destiny. (Dog head emoji)]
-
On screen, Lei Gang's furious roars still echoed.
Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu wished they could crawl into a hole and disappear, especially Zhang Hong, whose dark face had flushed a deep, purplish-red.
Zhang opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but ultimately forced out a dry apology that mercilessly dug into Lei Gang's wounds:
"Uh... Minister Lei, I... I'm truly sorry! About the women's restroom incident... we were just... just handling it meticulously!"
"You..."
"Enough!"
Just as Lei Gang was about to erupt again, Liu Shanhe finally spoke, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority that instantly silenced the chaos in the room.
The forced smile had vanished from his face, replaced by solemnity and genuine remorse.
He stepped forward to stand before Lei Gang, bowed slightly, and spoke with sincere earnestness:
"Minister Lei, no matter what went wrong, it was the fault of the Pursuit Team! For causing you such humiliation and inconvenience, I, Liu Shanhe, on behalf of the entire Pursuit Team, offer you our deepest and most sincere apology!"
Seeing Liu Shanhe's solemn demeanor, the fury in Lei Gang's chest subsided slightly, but the humiliation and frustration remained thick on his face, like an unmelting ice. He let out a heavy hmph that served as a grudging acceptance of the apology, but it was clear he wasn't going to let go of his anger so easily.
Liu Shanhe straightened up, his gaze sweeping across the members of the Pursuit Team, carrying a hint of reprimand but, more importantly, emphasizing the gravity of the situation:
"This incident is primarily our responsibility. As your senior, I bear the greatest burden of blame.
"We were all deceived by Contestant Cifera's masterful misdirection, leading us to make grave misjudgments that unfairly implicated Minister Lei in this unwarranted ordeal. This starkly exposes our inadequacy and recklessness when confronting such a master Deceiver!"
He turned back to Lei Gang, his voice tinged with a hint of admiration:
"But Minister Lei, please believe me, we never intended to cause you trouble. On the contrary, this was all part of Contestant Cifera's divide-and-conquer strategy!
"It was precisely because of your unparalleled authority in security, precisely because you personally constructed this impregnable Security System, that Contestant Cifera saw you as her greatest obstacle!
"Everything she did beforehand—deceiving us, sowing discord among us—was likely aimed at replacing you at a critical moment, allowing her to steal the Starry Light without resistance!"
Liu Shanhe's impassioned and sincere performance left the Expert Team members, including Zhang Hong, completely dumbfounded.
Is this the standard rhetoric of a veteran criminal investigator? His acting skills rival Cifera's!
To the others, Liu Shanhe's words initially sounded logical, but upon closer examination, they fell apart. After all, anyone could see that Cifera had utterly breached Starry Headquarters' security system, moving through it as easily as if it were her own home.
And they call that "impregnable"?
However, one point resonated: Cifera might genuinely aim to supplant Lei Gang and steal the Starry Light.
Lei Gang clearly ate up Liu Shanhe's performance, his expression softening slightly.
For a security expert, hearing that a thief considered him the greatest obstacle was music to his ears.
Whether I can actually stop her or not, I'm still the biggest hurdle between her and the Starry Light—that's all that matters!
Sensing Lei Gang's shift, Liu Shanhe pressed his advantage, rapidly completing his "Yan State Map" strategy:
"Minister Lei Gang, do you realize how critical you are? You're the key to winning this Starry Light defense battle!"
"You hold the key to unlocking the Starry Light safe! Contestant Cifera will undoubtedly try to get close to you again and replace you!
"We absolutely cannot allow her any opportunity to do so!
"Fortunately, we're now absolutely certain that you are the real Minister Lei!
"Therefore!
"To ensure the absolute security of Starry Light and to prevent any further 'misunderstandings' about you, we must implement the most stringent protective measures for you!
"Zhang Hong! Feng Chiyu!"
"Sir!"
Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu straightened their postures, their expressions solemn, but barely suppressed laughter danced in their eyes.
They had finally grasped what Liu Shanhe was up to.
"From this moment forward, your mission is to protect Minister Lei, never leaving his side!
"Remember: never leave his side! Wherever Minister Lei goes—work, rest, meals, and, of course... hmm... personal matters—"
Liu Shanhe paused, his gaze sweeping over Lei Gang's face, which was darkening again. He continued with grave seriousness, "Both of you must accompany him simultaneously! Your eyes must never leave him!"
Zhang Hong couldn't resist whispering, "Does that... include going to the restroom?"
Liu Shanhe glared at him. "Nonsense! Of course it does! And remember this: Minister Lei is a true iron-blooded man—he uses the women's restroom... Ah, excuse me, I meant the men's restroom!"
Feng Chiyu immediately raised his hand to ask, "What if one of us needs to use the restroom? What about Minister Lei?"
"Minister Lei and the other one of you will accompany him at all times!" Liu Shanhe declared with unwavering seriousness.
"This isn't a joke! Contestant Cifera is extremely cunning. If she sees you guarding Minister Lei so closely, she might exploit the moment when one of you goes to the restroom alone to launch a surprise attack and take control! Then she'll disguise the controlled operative to approach Minister Lei! This must never happen! That's why you two must stay with Minister Lei at all times! Never separate! Understood?!"
"Understood!" Zhang Hong and Feng Chiyu shouted in unison.
Hearing this, Lei Gang's simmering anger flared up again. "Isn't this pretty much the same as before?!"
"No, this is even worse! You're suggesting that whenever one of us needs to use the restroom, the other two have to accompany them?
"If you didn't explain, people would think we're elementary school kids going to the bathroom in a group during recess!
"I understand your good intentions—I have no problem with you assigning someone to protect me. But this is overkill!"
Lei Gang fired his soul-searching questions, but Liu Shanhe's face remained impassive, as if he had anticipated Lei Gang's reaction.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Liu Shanhe leaned slightly forward, his gaze piercing like a torch as he fixed it on Lei Gang. His voice, low and commanding, carried the weight of an undeniable truth:
"Minister Lei, this isn't the time to worry about 'face'! Have you forgotten Contestant Cifera's unfathomable methods earlier?"
"She vanished in broad daylight, deceiving us all with her sleight of hand! She effortlessly controlled two experts from our Pursuit Team—especially Police Officer Nie Bing, a current elite Criminal Investigator!"
"Do you really think replacing a Security Chief would be any more difficult for her?"
"I know you were once a special forces soldier, but injuries and years of retirement have dulled your edge. Do you truly believe your skills can still match those of Police Officer Nie Bing?"
Liu Shanhe stepped forward, his intangible pressure forcing Lei Gang to instinctively retreat half a step.
He couldn't help but glance at Nie Bing, who was studying the Cifera coin nearby. He had to admit, the female Criminal Investigator possessed extraordinary vitality and a perfectly honed physique, her combat skills undoubtedly formidable.
Liu Shanhe continued to exert pressure, his voice sharp and resolute:
"You protect the Starry Light! It's priceless! It holds the hearts of countless people! It's the centerpiece of tonight's charity auction!
"Its security trumps everything, including your personal convenience or habits.
"You find the buddy system for bathroom breaks absurd? Then how about Contestant Cifera vanishing before everyone's eyes, transforming into a Security Guard right under your nose, outsmarting you at every turn, and even getting you mistaken for...
"What's the term? Ah, yes! A man in women's clothing! A cross-dressing pervert, you don't find that absurd?!"
"Wait, shouldn't it be... a woman in men's clothing?" Zhang Hong whispered to Feng Chiyu beside him.
Feng Chiyu quickly hissed back, "Brother Zhang, you're the genius now, huh?! Just focus on the intimidation factor! Shut up! Watch Old Liu work his magic!"