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

As night falls, the lights are on.

The atmosphere in the special investigation team's office was tense. Zhao Tiezhu was inserting spare magazines into his tactical vest, making a crisp clicking sound. Su Xiaoxiao, meanwhile, typed rapidly on the keyboard, pulling up all the surveillance footage around the Saint Fino Noble Academy.

"Captain Lu, we've found out."

Su Xiaoxiao projected a large screenshot onto the main screen: "The emergency call was made from a public phone booth near the school gate. The surveillance footage captured a figure wearing a baseball cap, but the face is unclear. And..."

She pointed to the bottom right corner of the screen, "I just contacted the school, and they said there was absolutely no food poisoning incident today, and the cafeteria is perfectly fine."

"Fake police?" Zhao Tiezhu frowned, shoving his pistol into its holster. "Damn it, who's so bold as to mess with us?"

Lu Jingyan stood before the massive surveillance wall, staring at the blurry figure, his eyes completely unmoved. He had long anticipated this outcome.

From the moment he received the call, his "crime radar" didn't register anything. This indicated that there was no real malice behind the call; it was more like a clumsy prank, or rather... a trap.

A trap to lure him out of the police station.

"It seems someone really wants to see me."

Lu Jingyan turned around, picked up his police uniform jacket from the back of the chair, and said calmly, "Since the other party is so enthusiastic, we can't be too rude. Let's go and meet this 'caller'."

Just as the entire special investigation team was setting off to investigate the school, the office's automatic door slid open with a "beep".

A rich aroma of chicken soup, mixed with a cloyingly sweet perfume scent, wafted in forcefully.

Standing at the doorway was a girl who could hold the gaze of any man.

Liu Ruyan.

She had clearly dressed up carefully today. A boldly tailored pure white dress perfectly accentuated her youthful yet alluring curves. The night breeze was slightly cool, and she seemed a little cold, clutching an exquisite thermos to her arms. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, and her large, watery eyes were filled with innocence and expectation, making her look incredibly pitiful.

[Ding! Target detected. The 'Romance Strategy System' has been activated!]

[Current scene: Late-night visit to the set.]

[System suggestion: Win him over with a homemade chicken soup, and evoke his protective instincts with your gentle demeanor. Affection +10, mission success rate increased to 30%!]

As Liu Ruyan listened to the notification in her mind, a confident smile appeared on her lips.

She took small, quick steps, like a butterfly fluttering in the air, and floated directly toward Lu Jingyan.

"Officer Lu, are you still busy so late?"

Her voice was sickeningly sweet, like it was coated in honey. "I heard you've been working really hard lately, so... so I made you some chicken soup myself, hoping it would help you recover. You won't mind if I bother you while you're working, will you?"

As she spoke, she reached out to grab Lu Jingyan's hand, intending to shove the thermos into his arms.

This combo would be irresistible to any normal man, even if he wasn't tempted.

However, Lu Jingyan's reaction once again shattered the worldview of the entire special investigation team.

As if he had oil on his feet, he nimbly slid back half a step just a second before that soft, boneless little hand was about to touch his cuff, perfectly dodging it.

"Don't move!"

Lu Jingyan's voice suddenly turned cold, his eyes devoid of any tenderness, only displaying the vigilance and scrutiny one would show when faced with suspicious evidence. "What are you holding in your hand?"

Liu Ruyan was so startled by his stern shout that she almost dropped the thermos.

"It's...it's chicken soup." She blinked pitifully, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. "I spent the whole afternoon making it..."

"chicken soup?"

Lu Jingyan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the insulated container from head to toe as if it were a ticking time bomb. He didn't reach for it, but instead turned to Zhao Tiezhu behind him and ordered:

"Tiezhu, go to the car and get the 'Suspicious Liquid Detection Kit'."

"Huh?" Zhao Tiezhu was stunned, scratching his head. "Captain Lu, isn't that for testing drugs? This...this is just a bowl of chicken soup, isn't it?"

"Any unidentified liquid poses a safety hazard until its composition is confirmed."

Lu Jingyan said in a serious tone, then took out a pair of white gloves and a pair of goggles from the evidence cabinet next to him and put them on slowly.

This professional process left Liu Ruyan speechless, and the strategy system in her mind was completely garbled.

[Warning! Warning! Target behavior pattern deviates from the database! Unable to parse! Host, please proceed with caution!]

Soon, Zhao Tiezhu ran back carrying a silver metal briefcase.

Lu Jingyan opened the box, inside which were neatly arranged various test tubes, droppers, and rapid test strips of different colors.

"Put it on the table." Lu Jingyan pointed to the interrogation table in the middle.

Liu Ruyan mechanically did as instructed.

Next, she saw a scene she would never forget for the rest of her life.

Lu Jingyan used tweezers to carefully wipe the outside of the thermos with a sterilized cotton ball before cautiously unscrewing the lid.

An even richer aroma wafted out.

He wasn't swayed by the fragrance; instead, he first used a long probe to measure the temperature and then recorded it in his notebook.

Next, he took out a sterile dropper, drew a small amount of liquid from the soup, and dripped it onto three test strips of different colors.

The pH test strip did not change color.

The cyanide test paper did not change color.

……

Finally, he took out the test strip specifically designed to detect common hallucinogens and psychotropic drugs.

The pale yellow liquid in the dropper had just touched the test strip—

"Sizzle."

The tip of the test strip instantly turned a strange dark purple.

The air in the entire office seemed to freeze.

Su Xiaoxiao gasped and covered her mouth. Zhao Tiezhu's eyes sharpened instantly, and his hand instinctively went to the holster at his waist.

"What is this?" Lu Jingyan held the discolored test paper, his eyes as cold as ice. "Liu Ruyan, you've added quite a bit of stuff to your heartwarming chicken soup."

"I...I don't know!" Liu Ruyan panicked completely, her face ashen. "I just followed the recipe! I didn't put anything in!"

The system in her brain was also frantically issuing warnings:

[Serious Warning! "Hallucinogenic Lover's Tears" detected in the soup! This substance causes intense emotional dependence and hallucinations in the target and has been listed as a new type of drug in many countries! The host's actions have violated criminal law!]

This item was redeemed from the system shop. At the time, it was only described as a "love aid item," not that it was illegal!

"It changes color on its own even though nothing was put on it?"

Lu Jingyan placed the test strip into the evidence bag and approached step by step. The powerful sense of oppression made it almost impossible for Liu Ruyan to breathe.

"I'll ask you one more time, what exactly did you put in the soup? You're not going to tell me, huh? Fine."

Lu Jingyan turned to Su Xiaoxiao and said, "Notify the hospital that we have apprehended a suspect in a poisoning case. Tell her to get ready, we're coming over for a blood test."

"No! Don't!"

Upon hearing that she needed to have her blood drawn, Liu Ruyan's mental defenses completely crumbled. Her body went limp, her eyes closed, and she collapsed straight towards Lu Jingyan.

[System Emergency Plan: Activated! Use the "Delicate and Innocent" mode to feign fainting and gain sympathy!]

She had calculated the distance perfectly; if she fell at this angle, Lu Jingyan would instinctively reach out and catch her. Then, she could lean into his arms, tearfully plead her case, and smooth things over.

However, she once again underestimated Lu Jingyan's "straight man" nature.

Just as that soft body was about to crash into his arms, Lu Jingyan not only didn't reach out, but instead took another step back, while calling out to Zhao Tiezhu beside him:

"Iron Pillar, catch!"

Zhao Tiezhu was still in shock when he heard the order and instinctively stretched out his hands, which were as big as earthenware pots.

And so, Liu Ruyan crashed headfirst into Zhao Tiezhu's chest muscles, which were harder than a city wall.

"Bang!"

That sound was painful to hear.

"Ouch..." Liu Ruyan felt like she had bumped into a wall, not a person, and almost fainted on the spot. She struggled to open one eye, weakly stretched out her hand, and pointed tremblingly at Lu Jingyan, her voice barely a whisper:

"Officer Lu... I... I'm so cold..."