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

The armored car's engine was idling, emitting a low hum.

The car window rolled down a crack. The smell of frying dough sticks on the street, mixed with car exhaust, seeped in through the crack.

Zhao Tiezhu pressed his two thick arms on the steering wheel.

He stared intently at the busy figure by the curb, his eyes wide.

The young master Gu, who used to drive a limited-edition Ferrari and throw money around, is now wearing a white shirt with "Serve the People" printed on it and a towel draped around his neck.

"My God."

Zhao Tiezhu swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

He turned his head and looked at Lu Jingyan in the back seat.

"Chief, when we caught this bastard, he threw a whole suitcase full of cash at my face."

Zhao Tiezhu gestured with his hand to indicate the size of the box.

"What did he yell back then? 'Get out of here, you poor bastards! My dad's the chairman of the Gu Group. He could buy your whole police station!'"

Lu Jingyan didn't respond.

He rested his elbow on the edge of the car window. His dark eyes gazed silently out the window.

A faded red awning stood at the entrance of the small shop.

Rainwater from last night dripped from the corner of the awning. Drip, drip, it hit the cement steps, leaving a small water stain.

A wicker basket filled with red-shelled eggs was placed at the entrance.

Gu Shao was bent over. His vest was soaked with sweat, sticking to his back and revealing some of his extra weight.

He was wearing a pair of blue plastic slippers that cost ten yuan for three pairs. A large part of the sole was worn down, making them a bit slippery on the ground.

An older woman with curly hair and carrying a canvas bag was standing by the basket.

The woman held an egg up to the sunlight, then put it back. The shells clattered together.

"Little Gu, these eggs aren't the right size. Are they leftovers from yesterday?" The older woman pouted, her face full of criticism.

Young Master Gu quickly straightened up.

He pulled the towel off his neck and wiped the sweat off his face haphazardly.

"How could that be, Aunt Wang?" he said with a forced smile, a few wrinkles from his hard work showing at the corners of his eyes.

"These are eggs I just picked up from the farmers' market this morning at five o'clock. Look how red the shells are, they're genuine free-range eggs."

He casually picked out the biggest one from the basket and handed it to the old lady.

The older woman snorted.

"Okay, weigh out two pounds for me. Um, round it down for me, and could you put an extra bag over it, in case it hurts my hands?"

In the past, someone would have dared to haggle with Young Master Gu over a mere penny.

He could have had someone smash the whole basket of eggs in the old woman's face.

But now.

Young Master Gu didn't even stammer.

"Okay, okay, it's nothing, I'll do whatever you say."

He tore off a red thin plastic bag and rubbed the opening open with two fingers.

With her left hand supporting the bottom of the bag, she carefully picked the eggs out one by one with her right hand. Her movements were so gentle, as if she were handling some fragile work of art.

Once everything is assembled, place the electronic scale on top.

"Beep—Two jin and one liang, I'll charge you two jin."

The electronic scale emitted a mechanical announcement sound.

Gu Shao tore off another bag, put it over the outside, and handed it over with both hands.

"Aunt Wang, please take this carefully and walk slowly so you don't bump into anything."

Lu Jingyan watched this scene unfold.

He pushed open the car door. His black leather shoes stepped onto the scorching asphalt.

"Bang." The car door slammed shut.

He strode across the road and headed straight for the red awning.

The convenience store's freezer was placed near the door. The compressor whirred loudly, and the outside of the casing was covered with a layer of grease.

Lu Jingyan walked over and opened the glass door of the freezer.

A rush of cold white air hit us.

He reached in and took a two-yuan bottle of mineral water. The condensation on the bottle clung to his fingertips, feeling cold and slippery.

He closed the freezer door and walked to the glass counter for the cashier.

On the counter sat an old abacus and a crumpled accounting notebook.

Gu Shao was looking down, clutching a nearly empty ballpoint pen in his hand, muttering to himself.

"Three times eight is twenty-four, round up... I've exceeded my water bill again this month."

Lu Jingyan placed the still-steaming bottle of mineral water on the glass table, making a dull thud.

"Check out."

Two words. The tone was even and steady. There was no sense of pressure.

But the moment Gu Shao heard that voice...

His hand holding the pen suddenly trembled.

"Okay, two pieces—"

He looked up. His words caught in his throat.

That face, covered in sweat and dust, suddenly turned completely white, as if it had been covered in flour.

It only took one second.

Gu Shao seemed to have been electrocuted.

He sprang up abruptly from the broken wooden chair. He jumped so hard that his knee slammed against the glass counter with a dull thud.

But he didn't even dare to frown.

"Snapped!"

The ballpoint pen in my hand fell onto the counter and rolled into the crack between the bricks.

Gu Shao straightened his legs and slammed his heels together. Those blue plastic slippers somehow managed to exude the aura of military boots.

He straightened his back and raised his right hand to his temple, fingers together.

"Good morning, sir!"

The shout was deafening. It startled two passing vendors pushing tricycles.

Gu Shao was panting heavily, his eyes fixed on Lu Jingyan's faded police uniform.

His eyes were completely red, and his chest was heaving violently.

"Sir! Number 09527 has turned over a new leaf! He works legally from dawn till dusk every day and is determined never to harm society again!"

After shouting those words, beads of sweat dripped from his forehead down his nose, landing with a soft thud on the glass countertop.

Lu Jingyan remained silent.

He stood outside the counter, his deep black eyes sweeping over the white vest with the words "Serve the People" written on it worn by Young Master Gu.

Then I swept my gaze over his hands, which were covered in calluses and had black dirt under his fingernails.

His former arrogance and disdain for others were gradually worn away by the years of sewing and the mundane realities of life.

All that's left is the down-to-earth spirit of making a living in the stock market.

Lu Jingyan took out the old phone with a cracked edge on the screen.

I opened the QR code scanning app and scanned the QR code on the counter.

"WeChat payment, two yuan."

A crisp electronic notification sound rang out in the convenience store.

Lu Jingyan put away his phone. He picked up the bottle of mineral water and unscrewed the blue plastic cap.

He tilted his head back and took a sip. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

The cool water flowed down my esophagus, taking away some of the afternoon heat.

He tightened the bottle cap again.

Stepping over the glass counter, Lu Jingyan extended his large hand and placed it on Gu Shao's shoulder.

Gu Shao froze, barely daring to breathe. He was terrified that the hand would pull out silver handcuffs at any moment and drag him back to that dark, sunless prison area.

But there were no handcuffs. And no cold, hard legal pronouncements.

There were only two light slaps.

Lu Jingyan paid the bill, patted Gu Shao on the shoulder, and said, "Work hard." Then, the car drove towards a bustling construction site in the suburbs.