Villain? No, I'll catch up with the protagonist after passing the civil service exam.

The interrogation room was soundproofed so well that even Lu Mingze's rapid breathing could be heard clearly.

The Lu Group president, who usually commands respect in the business world, was now shifting uncomfortably. The specially made interrogation chair was clearly not as comfortable as the ergonomic chair in his office, and the cold handcuffs constantly reminded him that this was not his territory, but his younger brother's.

When Lu Jingyan pushed open the door, he was carrying a cup of freshly brewed goji berry tea. The rising steam blurred his face, which wore gold-rimmed glasses and looked overly ascetic.

With a "snap".

The heavy case file was thrown on the table. Lu Jingyan pulled out a chair, sat down, unscrewed the cap of his pen, and didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Name."

Lu Mingze's lips twitched twice as he forced a fawning smile, leaning forward and making the handcuffs rattle.

"Second brother, stop fooling around. I'm your brother, your own brother! Mom was just telling you to come home for soup yesterday, and you're pretending you don't know me?"

Lu Jingyan paused on the paper with the tip of his pen, then looked up. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, only displaying a cold, businesslike indifference.

"Name."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

Lu Mingze felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze, like when his dad caught him secretly watching TV as a child. He shrank back, his imposing manner instantly diminishing, and muttered under his breath:

"Lu Mingze".

"age."

"28".

"Profession."

"The president of the Lu Group..."

When he said the word "President," Lu Mingze seemed to regain some confidence and puffed out his chest. However, the next second, Lu Jingyan's cold words brought him back to reality.

"Why would you bring four burly men, armed with controlled knives (awls), to sneak into your competitor's residential area in the middle of the night?"

As Lu Jingyan took notes, he glanced at him indifferently. "President Lu, don't tell me you went to offer some comfort to that President Wang. I had the forensic department examine those two awls. Although there was no blood on them, they didn't look like mascots either."

"That was...that was a business strategy!"

Lu Mingze panicked, his face flushing red. "That guy surnamed Wang tried to seize my land in the south of the city, his methods are incredibly dirty! What's wrong with me puncturing a few of his tires? That's called an eye for an eye! Besides, I didn't even manage to puncture them, did I? Attempt! Do you understand what an attempt is?"

"You knew it was an attempt too?"

Lu Jingyan put down his pen, leaned back slightly, and placed his hands on the table as if looking at a specimen of someone who was ignorant of the law. "According to Article 49 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, intentionally damaging public or private property, even if unsuccessful, is premeditated, organized, and involves carrying tools, demonstrating clear malicious intent. Not only will you be fined, but you will also be detained."

"detention?!"

Lu Mingze's voice instantly rose eight octaves, almost cracking, "No! Absolutely not! I have a multinational video conference tomorrow! If I'm not there, that multi-million dollar project will fall through!"

Seeing that force wasn't working, Lu Mingze's eyes darted around, and he immediately switched tactics. He took a deep breath, and his face revealed that kind of shameless yet aggrieved expression that he only showed when facing his family.

"Second brother...could you please show some mercy, considering we grew up together?"

Lu Mingze sniffed and began to play the emotional card, "You forgot? When you were five, you wet the bed and drew a map on Dad's favorite antique calligraphy and painting. Who took the blame for you? It was me! Dad chased me for three blocks with a feather duster, and my bottom was swollen for half a month. Did I complain once?"

Lu Jingyan suddenly flicked his pen, leaving a long ink mark on the paper.

Even with "absolute rationality" in place, his temples still twitched twice upon hearing this embarrassing history.

"And when you were seven, you secretly drank the Moutai that Grandpa had hidden away, and got so drunk that you were doing a striptease in the yard. Who covered for you then, saying it was the dog that drank it?"

Lu Mingze got more and more excited as he spoke, feeling like he had grasped a lifeline. "Brother, you can't forget your roots! I've shed blood for you, I've been injured for you, and now you're going to send me to jail just because of a few broken tires? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

Lu Jingyan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to seal the guy's mouth shut. He raised his head, his eyes even sharper than before, a dangerous fake smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"First, you urinated on that painting and calligraphy. To frame me, you even got me wet too."

"Secondly, you were the one drinking Moutai, and you were also the one doing the striptease. Moreover, the person you were holding at the time wasn't a dog, it was Uncle Fu."

Lu Jingyan accurately retrieved the truth from his memory bank, ruthlessly shattering Lu Mingze's illusions. "Brother, if you want to add a clause to the statement saying 'providing false testimony to the police,' you can keep making things up."

Lu Mingze froze.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time. Only then did he realize that his younger brother had truly changed; not only had he become a legal machine, but his memory had also become ridiculously good!

"Alright, that concludes our reminiscing."

Lu Jingyan closed the record book, stood up, and said, "Given your good attitude in admitting your mistake (which was forced upon you), and the fact that it was an attempted crime with relatively minor circumstances, I have decided to impose an administrative detention of five days and a fine of five hundred yuan on you."

"Five...five days?"

Lu Mingze slumped in his chair, his eyes vacant. "It's all over. My glorious image, my domineering CEO persona... Tomorrow's headlines will definitely be all 'Lu's CEO Arrested for Night Raid on Residential Complex.' How am I supposed to survive in Jinghai now? What will those socialites think of me? What will my competitors laugh at me?"

Seeing his elder brother's utterly hopeless expression, Lu Jingyan sighed, ultimately unable to bring himself to be too ruthless.

"Don't worry, the police will protect the suspect's privacy and will not release your full name; we will only refer to you as 'Lu Mou'."

"Even Lu won't do!"

Lu Mingze suddenly lunged to the table, gripping the edge with both hands, looking at Lu Jingyan with teary eyes, and let out a cry from the depths of his soul:

"Bro! I'm begging you! Can you leave me with nothing? At least don't let anyone know I was arrested by you! Give me some face!"

Lu Jingyan couldn't help but laugh when she saw him like this.

"Too late. By the time you waved at the camera from the doorway, your underwear had already flown off."

……

Ten minutes later, in the detention center corridor.

Lu Mingze, dejected, followed behind the correctional officer, clutching his bedding and toiletries. He had changed into a striking orange vest with the words "Jinghai Detention Center" printed on the back, making him look utterly ridiculous.

"Go in, number 09."

The police opened an iron gate.

Lu Mingze moved in like a wronged wife, and as soon as he looked up, he met a pair of bloodshot eyes that looked equally lifeless.

The man was sitting on the hard bed, wearing the same vest, holding half a steamed bun in his hand, lost in thought.

The two locked eyes, and the air seemed to freeze.

"Old Gu?" Lu Mingze called out tentatively.

Gu Yanchen slowly turned his head and saw Lu Mingze's face. His originally lifeless eyes suddenly flashed with a strange light.

"Old Lu? You're in too?"

This feeling is like the person who is last in the class suddenly finding out that the person who is second to last also failed the exam; suddenly, it doesn't feel so bad anymore.

Lu Mingze threw the bedding onto the bed, plopped down next to Gu Yanchen, and sighed familiarly, "Don't even mention it. My own son betrayed me. And you? Did you really burn down the green belt for a woman, like they say online?"

"That's called emotional release!" Gu Yanchen argued through gritted teeth, then glanced at Lu Mingze's wrist. "What did you do wrong? Was it also because of a woman?"

"Pshaw, what are women anyway?"

Lu Mingze curled his lip in disdain, instantly switching into bragging mode, trying to regain some ground, "I did it for the business war! For the benefit of the group, I personally went deep behind enemy lines to carry out sabotage, but I was careless for a moment... That's called a glorious defeat!"

Gu Yanchen was stunned, and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up: "It has to be you, President Lu. You personally take the lead in business battles. I admire you."

Two domineering CEOs who usually engage in fierce competition in the business world found themselves squatting on hard beds in a detention center, and surprisingly, they developed a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect.

Meanwhile, in the office outside.

Lu Jingyan had just finished typing the case report and was rubbing his sore shoulders. Lei Ting swaggered in carrying a large tea mug, his face crinkled with smiles:

"Little Lu, you're really something. When I saw your brother being taken away just now, the way he kept turning back to look at me, anyone who didn't know better would have thought you were sending him to the execution ground."

"It's good to let him go in and sober up for a few days, so he won't be thinking about all sorts of nonsense all the time."

Lu Jingyan picked up his water glass and took a sip, his expression calm. "By the way, Captain Lei, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now. I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Wait a minute, don't leave yet."

Lei Ting suddenly winked mysteriously and pointed towards the reception room. "Someone's looking for you. They say they're your sister-in-law, carrying a huge box of tea. Looks like they're here to plead for their husband."

Sister-in-law? Lin Wan'er?

Lu Jingyan frowned slightly.

In the original owner's memories, this sister-in-law came from a scholarly family, was gentle and virtuous, and would never even raise her voice. Why is she acting like this?

"Sent to the police station through back channels?" Lu Jingyan put down his water glass, straightened his collar, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Fine, then I'll go and meet this sister-in-law who tries to corrupt officials with tea."

"Hey, watch your tone!" Lei Ting shouted from behind, "That's your sister-in-law, don't treat her like a suspect!"

"rest assured."

Lu Jingyan waved his hand without turning his head, pushed open the door to the reception room, and said, "As long as the tea is fine, the person is fine."