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

The world's will's clear, bell-like laughter faded away completely into the depths of the sunset, carried by the cool sea breeze.

Beneath the communication tower at Wanghai Peak, in that narrow gray shadow, Su Xiaoxiao tightly covered her mouth.

She even deliberately kept her breathing as soft as possible, afraid of accidentally making a sound.

At that moment, she felt as if her heart was an overloaded miniature server, pounding wildly against her ribs inside her chest.

The loud "plop plop" sounds made it almost impossible for her to hear the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks.

What did that man, who is known as the "Living Yama" across the internet, just say?

He rejected the perfect partner bestowed upon him by fate, saying he would use his legal knowledge to pursue the woman he liked.

Su Xiaoxiao was still tightly clutching the blue case file folder in her arms, her slender fingertips turning a faint pinkish-white from the excessive force.

She tried desperately to suppress the secret joy that welled up from the deepest part of her heart, but her facial nerves were completely out of her control.

Those two thin lips, which were originally tightly pressed together, seemed to have gained independent self-awareness and uncontrollably turned up wildly.

The sweet smile on her lips grew wider and wider, impossible to suppress.

Finally, even those bright eyes, hidden by black-rimmed glasses, curved into two crescent moons, brimming with the gentle light of autumn water.

This man, who is usually as cold as a block of ice and wouldn't even waste time looking at a suspect, actually said such a thing.

Even the worst domineering CEO script in the world couldn't write such a hardcore and heart-pounding confession.

"Boss, what were you talking about with thin air? What arranged marriage? Who's going to send you a wife?"

Standing a dozen steps away, Zhao Tiezhu scratched his shiny bald head, his face full of clear-eyed stupidity.

His rough voice echoed across the empty mountaintop, abruptly shattering the delicate tranquility.

Lu Jingyan did not turn around immediately. He remained with one hand in his pocket, his deep gaze fixed on the horizon.

The last rays of the setting sun shone on his tall shoulders, casting a dark golden halo over his black special forces uniform.

He turned his head slightly, and out of the corner of his eye, he had already spotted the large hospital gown peeking out from behind the communications tower, past the rusty iron bars.

As a law enforcement officer of the Three Realms with rule-level perception, not even a single leaf falling from this mountain could escape his notice.

Moreover, it's a living person whose heart rate has already soared to 140 miles per hour.

Lu Jingyan's Adam's apple bobbed, and a faint, gentle smile flickered across his sharply defined profile.

He didn't answer Zhao Tiezhu's foolish question, but waited patiently.

Su Xiaoxiao, now in the shadows, finally calmed her heart, which had been pounding like a drum.

She took a deep breath of the fresh, grassy air and patted her burning cheeks hard with her free left hand.

"Calm down, Su Xiaoxiao. You are the core of the Super Management Bureau's technology team. You can't act like a naive, infatuated girl who's never seen the world."

She silently cheered herself up, trying to suppress the upward curve of her lips and adopt the serious demeanor she usually displayed when reporting on her work.

Then, clutching the folder, she stepped out of the hidden shadows.

The military tactical boots made a slight "crunching" sound as they stepped on the gravel.

The faint footsteps immediately caught Zhao Tiezhu's attention.

"Oh my! Xiaoxiao? What happened to you? Didn't the forensic doctor Qin say you needed to stay in bed for three days of observation?"

Zhao Tiezhu was startled and quickly ran over with the Gatling gun in his hand, gesturing with his thick arm in mid-air, wanting to help but not daring to touch it.

"I'm fine, just a few scratches. The bureau's firewall code still needs me to come back and rewrite it."

Su Xiaoxiao waved dismissively at Zhao Tiezhu, but her gaze went straight past his broad back and landed on Lu Jingyan.

The man had turned completely around and was quietly watching her.

Without the oppressive aura of the Heavenly Dao that overwhelmed all living beings, Lu Jingyan was now just an exhausted policeman who had just finished a fierce battle.

His bangs were slightly disheveled by the sea breeze, and a faint layer of bluish stubble had even appeared on his chin.

But those dark eyes that were gazing at her were deeper and brighter than ever before.

Meeting that gaze, Su Xiaoxiao walked step by step to Lu Jingyan.

With each step she took, she could feel her reason screaming to escape, yet her legs resolutely marched toward this dangerous yet alluring vortex.

She stopped a meter away from Lu Jingyan, standing ramrod straight.

She deliberately straightened her pretty face, which still bore a few fine scratches, cleared her throat, and tried to break the ambiguity with the most businesslike tone.

"Director Lu, the Skynet data has been completely reset to zero, and the cleanup work by various departments is basically finished."

Su Xiaoxiao handed the folder forward, her gaze meeting the unfathomable depths of the black well without flinching.

"According to the 'Regulations on the Management of Working Hours of State Public Officials,' your current statutory working hours have ended."

She paused, and the coldness she had been trying to maintain finally crumbled, a hint of mischievousness and cleverness flashing in her eyes.

"So, it's time to go home, Director Lu."

Lu Jingyan quietly looked at the girl in front of him wearing his ill-fitting trench coat.

The wide hem of her trench coat almost reached her ankles, making her appear even more petite.

Yet this rather frail body, just hours ago, stood without hesitation in front of a deadly physical bomb.

Lu Jingyan's gaze swept over the blood-soaked gauze on her forehead, his eyes darkening slightly.

He didn't take the folder, but instead put his hands back into the pockets of his tactical pants.

"Yes, I'm off work."

Lu Jingyan's voice was low, with a hoarse quality that came from finally relaxing after a long period of tension, but it was surprisingly pleasant to listen to.

Su Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip, suddenly becoming bolder, and leaned forward slightly.

Her eyes, behind her glasses, sparkled as she stared intently at the enforcer of the Three Realms.

"Now that we're off work, should we still eat that 'poisonous' porridge tonight?"

Su Xiaoxiao deliberately emphasized the word "poisonous," her tone full of teasing and probing.

She remembered the comical sight of this man in the hospital ward, who could trigger a high-pressure relief valve even while cooking rice, holding a bowl of black rice porridge bubbling with green foam.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tiezhu, who had been eavesdropping nearby, gasped sharply.

He looked at Su Xiaoxiao in horror, thinking to himself that this girl was really courting death, daring to make fun of the boss's cooking skills.

Just when Zhao Tiezhu thought Lu Jingyan had used the cold law to shut Su Xiaoxiao down.

Lu Jingyan's perpetually cold face suddenly showed a lively change.

His brow bone lifted slightly, and the gloom that had been building up deep in his eyes for so long vanished instantly.

Instead, a cunning glint, brimming with human warmth, appeared on his face—a glint no one had ever seen before.

This expression, appearing on the face of a law-abiding fanatic known for his absolute rationality, creates a fatal contrast.

"eat."

Lu Jingyan uttered a single word directly, his tone leaving no room for doubt, yet it did not sound harsh.

He took a half step forward, and his tall figure instantly closed the physical distance between the two.

The hormones of an adult male, mixed with the scent of tobacco and sea breeze, instantly enveloped Su Xiaoxiao completely.

Su Xiaoxiao's breath hitched, and she subconsciously wanted to back away, but his deep gaze held her firmly in place.

"But this time I want you to cook."

Lu Jingyan lowered his head slightly, his voice extremely low, as if he were speaking only to her.

"You slipped out of the ward without any approval procedures, which is a serious violation of the doctor's orders."

He reached out his tactical gloved hand and gently tucked a stray strand of hair that had been ruffled by the wind behind her ear.

Even through the rough fabric, the heat of his fingertips was still burning hot and imprinted on her skin.

"Consider this meal compensation for your violation."

Su Xiaoxiao froze completely.

Such seemingly harsh but actually indulgent words are more terrifying than any higher-dimensional mind control.

She felt her ears burning at a visible speed, the redness spreading all the way down to her neck.

She lowered her head in a panic, nodded haphazardly a couple of times, and mumbled something in a stammering voice.

"I'll cook it... I'll cook it then, just don't complain about how bad it tastes."

Looking at her shy expression, burying herself like an ostrich, Lu Jingyan finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The laughter resonated in his chest, deep and magnetic, and sounded particularly charming in the evening breeze.

He turned around naturally and took the lead in starting his descent down the mountain.

"Let's go back."

Su Xiaoxiao paused for a second, then quickly followed after him like a little tail, clutching the folder.

"Boss, Xiaoxiao, wait for me! I want to have porridge tonight too!"

Zhao Tiezhu, that clueless third wheel, chased after them, carrying a Gatling gun and making a lot of noise.

"Shut up, you only deserve to eat the cafeteria's plain steamed buns today." Lu Jingyan said without turning his head.

On the winding mountain road along the coast, the three of them walked with light and rhythmic footsteps.

The western sky was completely dyed a brilliant golden-red by the setting sun, like a huge oil painting with an overturned palette.

Lu Jingyan walked on the outside, while Su Xiaoxiao walked side by side on the inside.

The two were neither too close nor too far apart, but just close enough to hear each other's steady breathing.

There were no more countdowns urging us on with system tasks, and no more supernatural crises that could tear space apart at any moment.

Every step on the solid cement road exudes a down-to-earth, everyday charm.

A gentle evening breeze rustled the leaves of the trees along the roadside.

In the distance, the city of Jinghai was already lit up, with colorful neon lights reflecting off the sunset.

This city, which has just experienced a battle of the gods and the passage of powerful beings, is recovering its original prosperity and vitality at an astonishing speed.

Those domineering CEOs and powerful figures hiding in detention centers are probably diligently memorizing legal provisions in order to secure their sentence reduction quotas for tomorrow.

Those monsters and demons who have been recruited are probably struggling with how to calculate their personal income tax for next month.

All the chaotic cause and effect were forcibly pulled into this huge framework called law.

Lu Jingyan turned his head slightly and glanced at the girl in the black trench coat beside him.

The soft, orange sunlight shone on her profile, casting a warm glow on the edge of the gauze.

She was looking down, lost in thought, a faint, barely suppressed smile playing on her lips.

Lu Jingyan withdrew his gaze, his steps becoming more composed.

He knew that the road ahead was still long.

The construction of the rule of law is a never-ending process, and greed and desire in this world will always breed new evils.

But as long as he is still wearing these clothes, as long as he still holds that law book in his hand.

As long as there are still people around who you can trust with your back.

He can maintain peace in this world.

The orange glow of the setting sun cast a warm light on the road.