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

The old streets of Jinghai are the most vibrant and lively part of the city.

There are no glass curtain walls like in the CBD, nor the imposing barriers of luxury residential areas. All you have are greasy folding tables, creaking plastic stools, and the sizzling sound of cumin lamb grilling over charcoal.

For the special investigation team, who had just gone through a series of intense mental and physical tasks, this place was simply paradise.

"Boss! Fifty more skewers of lamb, and two cases of ice-cold beer! The kind that's freezing cold!"

Lei Ting roared at the top of his lungs, his demeanor even more imposing than when he was directing the arrest operation. He took off his police jacket, leaving only a gray vest soaked in sweat, revealing his muscular physique, looking exactly like a dockworker who had just finished work.

"Okay! Coming right away!"

The boss responded and fanned himself vigorously with his palm-leaf fan, sparks flying everywhere.

Zhao Tiezhu sat in the corner, a mountain of skewers already piled up in front of him. This man didn't bother with eating slowly or chewing carefully; he ate skewers like he was lifting weights, one after another, his cheeks bulging like a hamster, his face beaming with a simple and satisfied silly smile.

Lu Jingyan sat opposite him, holding a disposable plastic cup filled with pale yellow beer.

Today he wore a simple white T-shirt with a casual jacket over it. Even though it was a roadside stall filled with the smell of cooking oil, he sat there with his back straight and his demeanor cool and aloof, making the cheap plastic stool look like the front row of a haute couture fashion show.

"Captain Lu, I'll toast you too!"

Su Xiaoxiao brought over her wine glass.

This girl was clearly overjoyed today. Usually at the bureau, she's a tech geek who spends all day in front of a computer screen, speaking softly. But today, after a few drinks, her baby face was flushed, her eyes were surprisingly bright, and she'd become quite bold.

"This week has been fantastic!"

Su Xiaoxiao hiccuped, her eyes glazed over. "Before, when we investigated cases, we were always held back because of this background and that connection. Following you, I realized... this is what it's really like to be a police officer!"

After saying that, she tilted her head back and downed the wine in her glass in one gulp.

Lu Jingyan smiled, raised his glass, and took a sip.

"This is nothing. There's a long road ahead like this."

"Yes! It's still growing!"

Su Xiaoxiao chuckled and poured herself another glass.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

The atmosphere gradually reached its peak. Lei Ting was playing a drinking game with the guy at the next table, while Zhao Tiezhu was trying to get his 100th skewer of mutton.

Suddenly, a screeching sound rang out.

Su Xiaoxiao suddenly stood up, the movement so large that she almost overturned the table.

She clutched an empty beer bottle tightly in her hand, her other foot wobbling on a plastic stool, pointing down at Lu Jingyan and shouting:

"Lu Jingyan!"

This shout stunned the guests at the surrounding tables. Everyone stopped eating and looked over in surprise.

Lu Jingyan's hand trembled, and half of the wine spilled.

He looked up at the girl who was standing on the stool, swaying precariously, and frowned slightly: "Xiaoxiao, you've had too much to drink, get down."

"I'm not drunk!"

Su Xiaoxiao waved the wine bottle in her hand vigorously, using it as a microphone. Her face was flushed, but her eyes were fixed on Lu Jingyan, burning with a flame ignited by alcohol.

"I have something to say! No, I have a song to sing!"

Before Lu Jingyan could react, she took a deep breath, focused her energy in her dantian, and roared with all her might:

"Just like that, I'm conquered by you—!!!"

The voice cracked.

But this did not prevent the soaring singing from penetrating the noisy crowd and striking the soul of everyone present.

"All escape routes have been cut off—!!!"

As Su Xiaoxiao sang, she staggered and waved her arms, her eyes glazed over with fervor, as if she were holding a personal concert tour.

"My resolve is unwavering—!!!"

"My decision was foolish—!!!"

The entire room fell silent.

Even the guy at the next table who was playing rock-paper-scissors froze in his punching stance, the words "Five champions" stuck in his throat.

The meat skewers in Zhao Tiezhu's hand fell onto the table.

Lei Ting's mouth dropped open as he looked at Su Xiaoxiao, then at Lu Jingyan, his expression a fascinating mix of emotions.

These lyrics...

This artistic conception...

This explicitly named "conquest"...

Anyone who isn't deaf can tell that this girl is using alcohol as an excuse to confess her feelings!

Lu Jingyan sat there, still holding the plastic cup in his hand. His usually composed face, which remained unmoved even in the face of a collapsing mountain, finally showed a crack of embarrassment.

He had considered the possibility of assassination, the possibility of being reported, and even the possibility of his family cutting off his financial support.

But he never imagined that his own subordinates would stand on plastic stools at a food stall and sing "Conquer" in front of dozens of people.

This is even more daunting than facing 100,000 soldiers.

"Xiaoxiao, stop singing..."

Lu Jingyan stood up, wanting to pull this girl, who had completely let herself go, back down.

"I'm going to sing!"

Su Xiaoxiao dodged his hand and sang even more heart-wrenchingly, tears even welling up in her eyes, "Just like that, I'm conquered by you—I drank the poison you hid—"

The last word "poison" was drawn out with a long, drawn-out sound, until she had completely run out of breath.

"good!"

Someone shouted out, and the diners around, who were eager to see a good show, immediately erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

"Good job, girl! You dare to love and hate!"

"Hey handsome! She's already sung 'Conquer,' what are you waiting for? Just go for it!"

Amidst the uproar, Su Xiaoxiao seemed to have exhausted all her strength.

Her legs buckled, and she fell straight off the stool like a kite with a broken string.

"Be careful!"

Lu Jingyan reacted quickly, stepping forward and catching her with open arms.

A soft, warm body crashed into my arms, carrying a strong smell of alcohol and the unique scent of a young girl's shampoo.

Su Xiaoxiao took the opportunity to hug Lu Jingyan's waist tightly, as if she had grabbed a lifeline, and refused to let go.

Her face was buried in Lu Jingyan's chest, her hot breath spraying onto his skin through his thin T-shirt.

"Team Leader Lu..."

She murmured, her voice as soft and sweet as a lost kitten, "I...I want to..."

Lu Jingyan's body stiffened, his hands hanging in mid-air, unsure whether to put them down or hug them.

Feeling the warmth of the person in his arms and listening to the suppressed laughter of his colleagues around him, his mind raced, trying to analyze the current situation with "absolute rationality."

Pushing him away? That would be too hurtful.

Holding him? That's against the rules.

In those fractions of a second of his hesitation, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly looked up.

Her large, hazy eyes, filled with intoxication, reflected Lu Jingyan's sharply defined face. She tiptoed closer to his ear and whispered in a suggestive voice, audible only to the two of them:

"I feel like...vomiting..."

Lu Jingyan: "..."

"vomit--!!!"