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

When Lu Jingyan walked out of the provincial government building carrying the silver bracelet, the atmosphere in the courtyard was so tense it was almost suffocating. Dozens of bodyguards in black were on high alert, their hands secretly reaching for their lower backs, ready to fight the police for this underworld heiress. However, this tense and deadly atmosphere was completely shattered by Long Xiaoyun's infatuated exclamation.

"Wow, Lu Jingyan in real life is a hundred times more handsome than he appears in the surveillance video!"

Long Xiaoyun casually tossed aside the diamond-encrusted megaphone, her pink Lolita skirt fluttering in the wind like a butterfly. Far from showing any fear of the state's violent apparatus, she leaned closer, her eyes gleaming, completely ignoring the reflective police handcuffs in Lu Jingyan's hand, her gaze filled with a morbid fanaticism and possessiveness.

Lu Jingyan, with a cold face, had no intention of wasting words with this delusional young girl. He was about to read out her charges of involvement in organized crime and take coercive measures when Long Xiaoyun preemptively pointed to the upscale coffee shop across the street with her fingers clad in black lace gloves.

"Officer Lu, resorting to violence in the street is inelegant, and it doesn't suit your image as a stoic, aloof male god." Long Xiaoyun raised her delicate, baby-faced features, her tone carrying an unyielding domineering air. "Give me ten minutes. Let's go across the street for a coffee and discuss a big deal. If we can't reach an agreement, you can arrest me then. You don't want to cause a large-scale bloodbath at the provincial government building entrance and blow up this newly paved asphalt road, do you?"

This little girl has accurately hit his weak spot. Lu Jingyan glanced at the growing crowd of onlookers and the dozens of burly men in black who could pull out heavy firepower at any moment, and quickly weighed the potential loss of public property in his mind for three seconds.

He sneered, shoved the handcuffs back into his waistband, and strode across the police line toward the coffee shop across the street: "Fine, I'll give you ten minutes to explain your crimes and the source of your illegal wealth."

The café had long been violently cleared out by the Green Dragon Society, and even the waiters had been forced into the kitchen. Soft jazz music flowed quietly overhead, and the air was filled with the expensive floral and fruity aroma of Geisha coffee. The whole environment was as elegant as an afternoon tea party for celebrities.

Lu Jingyan sat casually on the velvet sofa, showing no intention of ordering. He simply crossed his arms on his knees, scrutinizing the "underworld princess" sitting opposite him with the icy gaze of someone examining a suspect, who was brazenly staring at him.

"Speak, how do you want to explain yourself?" Lu Jingyan's voice was flat and without any inflection.

Long Xiaoyun snapped her fingers, and the scarred bodyguard next to her immediately handed her a black leather cylinder with utmost respect. She deftly opened the cylinder and pulled out a huge 3D panoramic map of the provincial capital, which she then laid flat on the solid wood round table with a "thud."

"Officer Lu, I've never liked beating around the bush, let's get straight to the point." Long Xiaoyun pulled out a red marker and drew a huge red circle on the map with extremely wild and rough movements. This circle almost encompassed all of the most prosperous commercial districts, entertainment districts, and underground black markets in the provincial capital, and the red ink looked shocking on the paper.

She braced herself on the table with both hands, leaning forward, and a greed and domineering air appeared on her youthful face that was completely out of character for her age, like a local tyrant granting fiefdoms.

"If you just nod your head today and become my man, Long Xiaoyun's man, then half of this city within the red circle will be yours to control! Those underground casinos, upscale clubs, and bar street will all be your personal ATMs, Lu Jingyan!"

Long Xiaoyun proudly raised her chin, offering what she thought was an irresistible temptation, her eyes gleaming with a mad light: "From now on, in this provincial capital's underworld, I'll be the boss, and you'll be the brother-in-law. We'll join forces, ruling both the legal and illegal worlds. Who dares to challenge us?"

Lu Jingyan stared at the rough red line on the map, his brow twitching almost imperceptibly. He even found the scene so absurd it was almost laughable. Had this underworld heiress read too many domineering CEO novels, or had she been watching the wrong gangster movies? Did she really think that by drawing a circle on a tattered map, she could rule over territory in this law-abiding society covered by the law?

"Are you essentially providing the police with a map showing the distribution of the Green Dragon Society's illegal forces?" Lu Jingyan tapped lightly on the red circle on the map with his slender finger, his tone as calm as if he were picking out cabbages at a market. "If that's the case, then on behalf of the provincial department's anti-gang task force, I thank you for your generosity. It has saved us a lot of trouble in our investigation."

Long Xiaoyun was taken aback by this hard-hitting retort, but instead of getting angry, she found this kind of unyielding man incredibly charming. She wouldn't even glance at men who fawned over her; only someone like Lu Jingyan, a man of principle who dared to cross her bottom line to her face, was worthy of her desire to conquer.

She sat back down in her chair, picked up the exquisitely latte art, took a sip, and began to spout her gangster philosophy in a condescending tone.

"Lu Jingyan, you're a smart man, why are you pretending to be so high and mighty with me?" Long Xiaoyun curled her lip, her eyes full of disdain and mockery for those in the system. "What's so great about being a policeman? You get a meager, barely-living salary every month, are constantly bossed around by your superiors, and are bound by all those ridiculous rules and regulations. You're always writing self-criticisms and reports. Don't you find it tiring?"

She slammed her coffee cup onto the tray, her voice carrying a devilish allure: "It's different with me. We are the rules themselves! We get whatever we want, and we cripple whoever we don't like. We live a life of vengeance, crushing those who once looked down on us under our feet. Isn't that wonderful, living life as we please?"

Lu Jingyan listened quietly to this underworld declaration that could only be described as "brainwashing through pyramid schemes," his expression remaining unchanged throughout. He didn't immediately refute it, but instead slowly removed his gold-rimmed glasses from the bridge of his nose, took out a special glasses cloth from his pocket, and meticulously wiped the dust off the lenses.

He didn't put the lenses back on until they were spotless. Through the clear lenses, his deep eyes, with a half-smile, fell on the map circled in red. He extended a finger and slowly traced the edge of the red circle, his movement as gentle as if he were caressing a high-value piece of evidence about to be stored away.

Looking at his thoughtful expression, Long Xiaoyun's heart began to pound uncontrollably. She thought that this stubborn policeman had finally been moved by the grand plan she had described; after all, no one could resist such overwhelming power—to rise to the top in one step and control half the city.

However, when Lu Jingyan raised his head, the curve of his lips was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.

"Half a city?" He looked at Long Xiaoyun, chuckled, and said in a deep voice full of mocking laughter, "Too little."