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

The noise from the food stalls seemed to be isolated by an invisible barrier.

Lu Jingyan watched Su Xiaoxiao's retreating figure, then looked at his empty teacup, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"joke?"

He muttered to himself, and for the first time, a hint of "confusion" appeared in his eyes, which were usually able to see through people's hearts.

"Then why is she blushing?"

"puff--"

Zhao Tiezhu, who was standing next to him, spat out the beer he had just drunk, choking him until his face turned red and he coughed violently.

"Cough cough cough... Captain Lu, are you... are you really not aware of this, or are you pretending not to?"

Zhao Tiezhu wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and looked at Lu Jingyan, who was seriously studying the case, feeling that his intelligence had been insulted.

Can't you see that?

Xiaoxiao's thoughts are practically written all over her face!

"What do you know?"

Lu Jingyan turned her head, her eyes clear and innocent. "Logically speaking, her behavior just now did seem like a joke. But physiologically, her heart rate increased and her facial capillaries dilated, causing her to flush. These are typical signs of nervousness and shyness. There is a clear contradiction between the two."

Zhao Tiezhu: "..."

He opened his mouth, only to find that he didn't know how to respond.

There's no way to communicate with a straight man who treats "confessing your feelings" like a "case study."

"Hehe, Captain Lu, this...this is what girls are like."

Lei Ting, his face flushed from drinking, had his arm around Lu Jingyan's shoulder and slurred, "Don't try to guess what a girl is thinking, you'll never figure it out... hiccup..."

"Like my wife, one second she's praising me for being wise and capable, the next second she's kicking me out of the house because I didn't wash my socks... A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea!"

Lu Jingyan pushed away Lei Ting's big head that was leaning in, picked up his teacup, and concealed a helpless smile that he himself didn't even realize was on his lips.

He's not really ignorant.

With the blessing of "absolute rationality", he can see through any disguise in people's hearts, and naturally he can also see Su Xiaoxiao's little thoughts that she can't hide.

only……

He was used to constructing his world using law and logic.

In this black-and-white world, something called "emotion," which cannot be quantified by data and rules, suddenly intruded, making him instinctively feel a sense of... helplessness.

This is even more challenging than dealing with the most ruthless criminals.

"Alright, stop fooling around."

Lu Jingyan stood up, straightened his collar, and resumed his businesslike demeanor. "It's getting late, everyone should go home and get some rest. The meeting is at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow morning."

"Huh? Another meeting, Captain Lu?" Zhao Tiezhu groaned. "Weren't we supposed to have three days off?"

"Holiday canceled."

Lu Jingyan glanced at him indifferently. "During the press conference just now, the provincial department gave us a new task. We'll discuss the details at tomorrow's meeting."

Upon hearing about the new mission, Zhao Tiezhu instantly perked up, and his earlier drunkenness vanished.

"Okay! I promise I'll be there on time!"

……

The party is over.

Lu Jingyan did not go home, but drove alone, slowly making his way through the deserted streets.

The night breeze was cool, dispelling the smell of alcohol and also disrupting his thoughts.

His mind kept replaying Su Xiaoxiao's flushed face and the "report" that she had said, "You are the suspect."

"trouble."

Lu Jingyan rubbed his temples, feeling that his "absolute rationality" had, for the first time, shown a slight... crack.

He can face assassins without flinching and interrogate tycoons with clear logic.

But he didn't know how to face a girl's pure and passionate affection.

This question is more difficult to answer than any legal provision.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

It was a WeChat message from Su Xiaoxiao.

There were no words, only an emoji—a kitten peeking half its head out from behind a wall, with the words "[I'm okay now, goodnight.]" on its head.

It was followed by a small parenthetical sentence: 【(I was really just joking, Captain Lu, don't take it seriously!)】

Lu Jingyan stared at the explanation that only served to cover up the truth and remained silent for a long time.

In the end, he still did not reply.

He simply parked his car on the side of the road, looked up at the bright moon outside the window, and let out a long sigh.

……

The next morning, in the special investigation team's office.

The atmosphere was unusually serious.

All team members sat upright, notebooks in hand, waiting for new tasks to be assigned.

Su Xiaoxiao sat in the corner, her head almost buried in the table, her ears burning red. She had blacked out after going home last night, and when she woke up this morning to see all sorts of teasing screenshots in her colleagues' group chat, she was so embarrassed she almost died on the spot.

All she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and strangle the arrogant version of herself from last night.

Lu Jingyan pushed open the door and entered.

He changed into a crisp police uniform, his expression stern, showing no sign of anything amiss.

He walked to the whiteboard and pasted an official document on it.

To make a long story short...

His voice remained as steady as ever. "The provincial department has sent a notice for assistance in the investigation. Recently, there have been frequent problems in the entertainment industry, including drug-related offenses, money laundering, and tax evasion... The situation is very serious. The municipal bureau has decided that our special investigation team will take the lead in establishing a 'Special Action for Rectifying the Entertainment Industry' task force."

"From today onwards, our focus will shift entirely to this sector."

"Did you all understand?"

"clear!"

The team members responded in unison, their voices loud and clear.

"very good."

Lu Jingyan nodded, then his gaze drifted almost imperceptibly to Su Xiaoxiao in the corner.

"Finally, before we begin, I'd like to emphasize one last point: discipline."

Su Xiaoxiao's body stiffened instantly, and she lowered her head even further.

Here it comes, here it comes, the public execution is coming.

Lu Jingyan cleared his throat and said in an extremely serious and official tone:

"We are a disciplined force, not an entertainment company. During work hours, inappropriate jokes are prohibited, especially jokes involving personal emotional issues, as these can easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings and affect team unity."

He paused, looked at the little girl who was almost curled up in a ball, and delivered the final blow:

"Comrade Su Xiaoxiao."

"Your behavior in public last night was very inappropriate."

"This will not be repeated."

Su Xiaoxiao: "..."

She felt as if she had not just died, but had been ground to dust.

Meeting adjourned.

Lu Jingyan closed his notebook without saying anything more.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Su Xiaoxiao, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly stood up.

Her little face, flushed red, was now filled with the courage to go all out.

"Lu Jingyan!"

For the first time, she didn't call him "Captain Lu," but addressed him by his first name.

Everyone in the office was stunned; even Zhao Tiezhu forgot to put the steamed bun in his mouth.

Lu Jingyan was also stunned for a moment, stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at her.

Su Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and shouted loudly:

"Are you made of wood?!"

"I wasn't joking! Every word I said was serious!"