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

The nights at the Jinghai City No. 1 Detention Center are much quieter than outside.

High walls and electric fences cut off the city's hustle and bustle, leaving only the stark white beams of searchlights mechanically sweeping across the concrete playground.

"Exercise time, last ten minutes!"

The prison guards waved their batons and impatiently urged them on.

In a corner of the playground, several figures wearing orange vests were squatting in a circle with remarkable coordination. Any one of these people could be a big shot who could make Jinghai City tremble.

But now, they share a common name: prisoners.

"Tianjiao? Is that you, Tianjiao?"

Holding half a half-eaten steamed bun in his hands, Ye Fan stared wide-eyed at the tall figure who had just been brought in, his voice trembling.

Chu Tianjiao raised his head, and his face, which was once full of decisiveness and ruthlessness, was now filled with deep exhaustion and bewilderment.

"Dragon King? How come you've gotten so thin?"

Two large hands clasped tightly together.

This was the legendary meeting of the century between the "God of War" and the "Dragon King." There was no red wine, no flowers, no cheers from 100,000 soldiers, only two ill-fitting prison uniforms and the faint smell of feet all around.

"Don't even mention it."

Ye Fan sighed, plopped down on the ground with a practiced ease that was almost heartbreaking. "You've probably heard how I got in, right?"

"I've heard about it." Chu Tianjiao gave a wry smile and squatted down beside him. "Running a red light, assaulting a police officer. Brother, you've been caught... a bit unjustly."

"Injustice? I'm not injustice."

A cold snort suddenly came from the side.

Gu Yanchen, hands tucked into his sleeves, squatted against the wall like an old farmer basking in the sun, his eyes weary. "Compared to me, you're all better off. I did it all for love! To stand up for a woman! And what happened? That woman betrayed me and called me a devil."

As he spoke, he glanced at Ye Fan and Chu Tianjiao, his tone carrying a strange sense of superiority.

"You were arrested by the police, I was arrested by my ex-girlfriend who cooperated with the police. In terms of misery, I'm the one who suffered the most."

"Pshaw, what's that?"

Lu Mingze, who had been squatting to the side drawing circles, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He was going to be released from prison tomorrow, but he wasn't happy at all right now.

He looked up, pushed up his glasses (which had been confiscated) that weren't actually on his nose, and looked indignant.

"You were arrested by outsiders, but I was arrested by my own brother! My own brother! I only punctured two tires, and he just handcuffed me with silver bracelets, and he said it was for my own good!"

Lu Mingze became more and more excited as he spoke, slapping his thigh, "Do you know what that feels like? Sitting on the back of a police motorcycle driven by your own brother, being paraded through the streets live online! I can still hear the sound of camera shutters in my dreams!"

Four people, four pairs of eyes, collided at this moment.

The air suddenly became quiet.

A poignant atmosphere of "we are all fellow sufferers" permeated this small corner.

"So..." Chu Tianjiao swallowed hard, and asked tentatively, "Was it the same person who brought us in?"

"Lu Jingyan".

These three words, like some kind of forbidden incantation, were squeezed out from between the teeth of the four people at the same time.

Ye Fan took a big bite of his steamed bun: "That kid is really weird. My War God aura has absolutely no effect on him. I glared at him, and he immediately started reciting torture laws to me."

"Who can argue with that?" Chu Tianjiao wholeheartedly agreed. "I brought a hundred fully armed brothers to the airport, and he just sent in armored police vehicles. That's a classic case of 'dimensional reduction attack,' showing no regard for martial ethics."

"You guys went head-to-head." Gu Yanchen shook his head, looking like someone who'd been there before. "I tried to bribe him. I even threw a black card in his face, but he added bribery charges against me, doubling my sentence."

"I was trying to appeal to his emotions," Lu Mingze sighed. "I even brought up the time when I took the blame for him when we were kids, but instead of being moved, he exposed the fact that I had secretly drunk Moutai and framed a dog back then."

The four exchanged a glance and fell silent once more.

It's too awful.

It's really miserable.

One is a powerful CEO who controls the global economy, another is a dragon king who rules the northern border, one is a war god who is famous overseas, and the third is the eldest son of the richest man in Jinghai.

According to the script, they should be the protagonists of this world, gods standing at the top of the pyramid looking down on all living beings.

But now, even the gods are locked in cages, discussing whether tonight's steamed buns should be hard or soft.

"I've seen through it all."

Ye Fan swallowed the last bite of steamed bun, patted the crumbs off his hands, and said, "In front of this guy surnamed Lu, all talk of protagonist halo and cheat codes is nonsense. The 'Criminal Law' in his hand is the strongest cheat code."

"Yes," Chu Tianjiao nodded in agreement, "My Asura Blade, which can cut through iron like mud, is just a 'controlled knife' in his eyes. I don't know how to explain it to my old subordinate."

"Accept your fate."

Gu Yanchen shifted his squatting position, looking more comfortable. "I'll reform myself well and try to get a reduced sentence. Last night I memorized up to chapter three of the prison regulations, and I felt like my soul was elevated. When I get out, I'm going to be a law-abiding citizen and never act arrogant again."

"Me too." Lu Mingze looked longingly at him. "Once I get out of here tomorrow, I'm going to do business honestly and never get involved in any more business warfare. Puncture tires is too low-level, and it's easy to get arrested."

Just as several former bigwigs were squatting in the corner, building a deep revolutionary friendship by "comparing misery"...

The public television set hanging outside the wire fence of the playground suddenly turned on.

It was right around evening news time.

Good evening, viewers. We are now bringing you a local news report.

The host's sweet voice came through, attracting the attention of the four people.

"The annual Lu Group family meeting will be held tomorrow at the Jinghai Hotel. According to sources, Officer Lu Jingyan, a rising star in the police force who has recently garnered attention for his outstanding performance in crime fighting, will attend the meeting for the first time in a dual capacity as both a police representative and the second young master of the Lu family..."

The scene shifts to a profile photo of Lu Jingyan, dressed in a police uniform, exuding a striking and heroic air.

"puff--"

Lu Mingze just shoveled a mouthful of water, which he then sprayed directly onto Ye Fan's face.

He stared intently at the television screen, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, and his entire face turned a ghastly green at a visible speed.

"Wh...what?!"

Lu Mingze's voice trembled, like a rooster being strangled, "He...he's going to attend the annual meeting? As a police representative?!"

"It's over...it's all over..."

He clutched his head, collapsed to the ground, and let out a desperate wail.

"I'm getting out of jail tomorrow, just in time for the company's year-end party! I was hoping to take advantage of his absence to play the victim in front of the old man and smooth things over! Now that he's standing there in his police uniform, what's the point of playing the victim anymore!"

"He's not going to the annual meeting; he's going there to use it as a platform for legal education!"

Gu Yanchen, Ye Fan, and Chu Tianjiao, who were standing nearby, looked at Lu Mingze, who was on the verge of collapse, and their eyes simultaneously revealed deep sympathy.

It's too awful.

Having just escaped one wolf's den, they entered another tiger's mouth.

This must be what they call... a life sentence (mental version), right?

"Um... Lao Lu."

Gu Yanchen patted Lu Mingze on the shoulder and carefully comforted him, "Don't be too desperate. Look on the bright side, at least you can go home and have a good meal. We're still stuck here eating steamed buns."

Lu Mingze raised his head, his eyes vacant:

"You don't understand. Going home to face Lu Jingyan is a million times worse than eating steamed buns here."

"Assemble! Back to your cells!"

The prison guard's whistle rang out.

The four men exchanged a final glance, sighed, and then, in a long line, walked heavily toward their respective cells.

The setting sun cast their shadows long, very long.

Those were four figures abandoned by the times (and Lu Jingyan).

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city...

Lu Jingyan was standing in front of the mirror, adjusting the dress she would wear tomorrow.

That was a brand-new police uniform that the special investigation team had specially applied for for him, complete with sash and medals.

"Captain Lu, are you really going to wear this?" Su Xiaoxiao asked with some concern as she helped iron the shirt. "It's a family gathering, isn't it too formal?"

"serious?"

Lu Jingyan turned around, looked at his upright self in the mirror, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"How can we not be serious?"

"Tomorrow's annual meeting is going to be a big show. How can I keep those monsters in check without wearing this outfit?"

He picked up the police cap from the table and gently put it on.

"My second uncle has been preparing for so long, wouldn't it be a shame if I didn't give him a 'big gift'?"