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

Three days later, at the Jinghai City No. 1 Detention Center, in the serious offender ward.

Unlike the relatively "harmonious" atmosphere of ordinary prison wards, this place houses the most vicious and serious criminals, and the air is filled with an inescapable atmosphere of violence.

Gu Yanchen, the former business tycoon of Jinghai City, was now wearing a faded prison uniform, squatting in the corner, holding a well-worn copy of the "Manual of Conduct for Detainees," and muttering to himself.

"First rule: Obey management and follow orders..."

"Secondly, maintain regular working hours and keep your living quarters tidy..."

He memorized with utmost seriousness, not even letting go of the punctuation marks. He was even more focused than when he was preparing for the college entrance examination.

"Report to the government!"

The sound of prison guards' footsteps came from outside the iron door of the cell. Gu Yanchen sprang up from the ground almost reflexively, put his legs together, pressed his hands tightly against the seams of his pants, and bowed ninety degrees towards the door, his voice so loud it seemed to pierce the ceiling.

The prison guards were startled by his sudden action and it took them a while to react.

"0721, someone is visiting."

"yes!"

Gu Yanchen responded loudly again, then marched in perfect step, following the prison guard into the visiting room.

After three days and three nights of this "baptism," his brain, which had been poisoned by domineering CEO novels, was finally formatted by the cold reality.

Prison break? Assaulting a police officer? Adding to that all those other miscellaneous charges, with multiple offenses combined, the prosecutor's office's initial sentence is at least ten years.

His large legal team came in several groups, but every time they saw the pile of irrefutable evidence that Lu Jingyan produced, especially that highlight recording of "I want to buy your police station," everyone could only shake their heads and sigh, advising him to reform himself and try to get a reduced sentence.

Gu Yanchen was utterly desperate. He finally understood that in front of this man named Lu Jingyan, his financial power, his connections, and his proud CEO aura were all a joke.

In the visiting room, through the thick bulletproof glass, Gu Yanchen saw a familiar figure.

Lu Mingze.

The man who had also "experienced" life there for five days was now wearing a well-tailored Armani suit, his hair slicked back, holding a cup of coffee, and looking at him with a sympathetic expression.

"Old Gu, you look haggard."

Lu Mingze picked up the phone and clicked his tongue twice. "Look at your dark circles, they're practically hanging down to your chin. How's it going, are you getting used to the food? I heard lunch today is cabbage stew with glass noodles, is it alright?"

Gu Yanchen was so angry at his gloating expression that he gritted his teeth, but when he thought about his current status, he could only force out a smile that was uglier than a grimace.

"TOEFL, not bad. It's just... it's just that memorizing prison regulations every day is a bit mentally taxing."

"Reciting prison rules?"

Lu Mingze seemed to have found a kindred spirit, leaning forward and lowering his voice, "Let me tell you, there's a trick to that! You have to memorize it chapter by chapter, especially the 'Daily Life System,' that's on the test the most! Before I came out, I got a perfect score on the dictation!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yanchen's eyes lit up, and he joined in. The two of them, separated by the glass, began to have a lively discussion about the techniques for memorizing the "Code of Conduct," just like two elementary school students exchanging learning experiences.

"Really? I always get Chapter 3 mixed up! I always get the order of 'maintain personal hygiene' and 'follow visitor rules' wrong!"

"Hey! That's easy! Just remember 'wash your face before you go out,' and that makes sense, right?"

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Old Lu, your words are more valuable than ten years of study!"

Gu Yanchen looked at Lu Mingze with admiration, as if he had found a mentor in life.

Lu Mingze felt a little smug under his gaze. He cleared his throat and began to earnestly lecture his former business rival, speaking from the perspective of someone who had been through it all.

"Old Gu, listen to my advice."

He patted the thick glass, his face showing signs of weariness. "The old ways don't work anymore. This is a society governed by law, and it's all about rules. Look at me, just because I punctured a few tires, my own brother sent me in here to reflect on my actions for five days without saying a word."

"I've thought a lot these past five days."

Lu Mingze's expression turned incredibly serious. "I understand. All business warfare and tactics are meaningless in the face of the law. From now on, we need to be respectable business people, pay our taxes on time, and care for our employees, understand?"

Gu Yanchen nodded repeatedly, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Old Lu, you...you're truly my guiding light! How come I never realized you were so insightful before?"

"There's nothing I can do about it; I have such a wonderful younger brother."

Lu Mingze sighed, a complex expression of pride and helplessness on his face. "Although he arrested me, he also taught me the principles of being a person. Old Gu, when you get out, don't think about playing with fire anymore. Being an honest person is better than anything else."

"I understand! I completely understand!"

Gu Yanchen nodded heavily, picked up the phone, as if making a vow:

"The first thing I'll do when I get out of here is to ensure all employees have their social insurance and housing fund contributions paid out! Then I'll set up a charitable foundation! I want to be a good person!"

Looking at the completely transformed CEO across the glass, Lu Mingze smiled with satisfaction.

He felt that his ruthless younger brother, who didn't recognize any of his relatives, although his methods were a bit cruel, didn't seem to be such a bad thing after all.

Just then, Lu Jingyan finished processing the last document in Gu Yanchen's prison break case. He stretched, feeling some of the fatigue from working non-stop these past few days finally dissipate.

The red telephone on the table rang at an inopportune moment.

It's Director Chen's private line.

Lu Jingyan answered the phone, but before he could even speak, Director Chen's unusually solemn voice came from the other end.

"Xiao Lu, come to my office right now."

Lu Jingyan frowned slightly; he could hear the pressure in Director Chen's voice.

"What's wrong, Chief?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone was organizing their thoughts.

"Someone has arrived from the capital."

Lu Jingyan hung up the phone, his eyes instantly turning sharp.

He knew that the real storm was coming.

He straightened his police uniform and strode towards the elevator. As he walked down the corridor, he ran into Lu Mingze, who had just finished his visit.

"Hey, second brother, all done with work?"

When Lu Mingze saw him, a very complicated smile appeared on his face. He wanted to go up and pat him on the shoulder, but he didn't dare to.

"Brother, you're out?" Lu Jingyan nodded.

"He's out." Lu Mingze sighed, then, as if remembering something, leaned closer with a gossipy look on his face. "Hey, I just went to see Old Gu. That kid's really behaving himself now; he's even answering prison rules questions before everyone else. By the way, I heard... your sister-in-law came over a few days ago?"

He glanced at Lu Jingyan's expression and asked cautiously:

"You...didn't arrest her too, did you?"