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

The Bund, a Michelin three-star restaurant.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows lies a dazzling view of the river, while inside, the elegant sound of a violin fills the air. The air is permeated with the aroma of black truffles and taro.

Lu Jingyan sat by the window, twirling the water glass in his hand with a hint of boredom.

Across from him sat a woman who was putting on "performance art".

This socialite, who calls herself "Jessica," was wearing a limited-edition Chanel suit, a Patek Philippe watch on her wrist, and a Hermès Himalayan Birkin bag next to her.

This outfit, when put together, could make a down payment on a house in downtown Jinghai.

But at this moment, this wealthy socialite was not dining. Instead, she was using her latest smartphone to take comprehensive, unobstructed photos of the 2988 yuan afternoon tea set for two on the table.

"Click, click, click."

The shutter sounds were more frequent than machine gun fire.

She would stand up to take photos from above, then squat down to take photos from below, moving the cake to the left and the caviar to the right. To find the right lighting, she even directed the waiter to open and close the curtains next to her, a process that took a full half hour.

Those delicate cakes were almost melted by the flash of the camera.

"Is it ready yet?"

Lu Jingyan glanced at his watch and finally couldn't help but speak up, "If we don't eat it now, the ice cream will melt into soup."

Jessica didn't even look up; she was still focused on editing the photos.

"What's the rush? Life needs a sense of ritual. You don't understand, this is our lifestyle abroad, recording beautiful moments."

As she spoke, she skillfully opened a photo editing app, made her face appear smaller, and made the Hermes bag even more noticeable.

Lu Jingyan leaned back in his chair and sighed almost imperceptibly.

Is this the "international trade heiress" that my mom was talking about?

[Ding! The skill "Commercial Crime Insight" has been automatically triggered.]

[Scanning for characteristics of the target person's belongings...]

A series of light blue data streams instantly appeared before Lu Jingyan's eyes, precisely covering Jessica's luxurious outfit.

[Item: Chanel skirt suit. Authentication result: High-quality replica. Fabric is polyester fiber, stitching is rough, made in Yiwu.]

[Item: Patek Philippe watch. Authentication result: Counterfeit. The movement is a domestically produced quartz movement, and the dial markings are inaccurate.]

[Item: Hermes Himalaya Birkin bag. Authentication result: High-quality replica. The crocodile skin texture is artificially pressed, and the hardware is severely oxidized.]

Lu Jingyan raised an eyebrow.

Good heavens, apart from that cell phone, nothing on his body is real.

Just then, Jessica's phone, which was on the table, suddenly lit up.

She was so engrossed in editing the photos that she didn't have time to lock the screen.

A WeChat pop-up just like that, brazenly barged into Lu Jingyan's field of vision.

Group Name: [Shanghai Top Socialites Group 3 (40 members)]

The news was even more explosive:

"@Jessica, sis, are you done filming afternoon tea? Hurry up! The other girls are waiting to come in! Also, remember to take off those used stockings and put them in the bag. The next girl who's joining the group order needs to wear them to meet her boyfriend at 5:30."

Stockings?

Group buying?

Lu Jingyan almost spat out the mouthful of lemonade he had just taken a sip of.

This isn't some overseas-returned socialite; this is clearly the legendary "group-buying socialite"!

A single afternoon tea set, shared by forty people—is it one person taking a sip or just one person smelling it? They even have to share stockings. If this isn't fraud, then what is?

"Mr. Lu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Jessica finally finished editing the photos and posted them on her WeChat Moments. She put down her phone, elegantly tossed her hair, and revealed a perfect smile that she had practiced countless times.

"The desserts here are actually just average. When I was in Paris, I always ate the ones made by Le Cordon Bleu chefs. But back home, they're just passable."

She picked up a silver spoon and gently poked at the collapsed mousse cake, her face full of disgust and pickiness.

"Why aren't you eating?" Lu Jingyan asked, looking at her.

"Oh, I'm on a diet. I usually only have a bite of these high-sugar foods."

Jessica said coquettishly, "By the way, Mr. Lu, I heard from your aunt that you're a policeman? It's a rather ordinary profession, but since you're quite good-looking, we can try to get to know each other. However, I have a few conditions: after marriage, I won't live with my in-laws, I need to travel to Europe four times a year, and also..."

"stop."

Lu Jingyan raised his hand, interrupting her spellcasting.

He looked at the woman in front of him, a woman who was full of lies and vain to the core, and his professional scrutinizing gaze made Jessica feel inexplicably uneasy.

"Mr. Lu, what's wrong? Is this too much? This is just standard practice in our industry." Jessica forced a strong presence.

"Basic configuration?"

Lu Jingyan pointed to the almost untouched afternoon tea set on the table, his tone as calm as if he were stating the facts of a case.

"This afternoon tea set costs 2988 yuan. If we follow the group order rules of 40 people in your group, and each person splits the cost, it will be about 74.7 yuan."

Jessica's expression changed instantly, and the silver spoon in her hand clattered into the plate.

"What...what did you say?"

"Wasn't I clear enough?"

Lu Jingyan leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp as knives, piercing through all her pretense. "And that Chanel you're wearing, how much does it cost to rent for a day? Fifty? One hundred? And what about that fake Hermes? You must have queued for ages to take these photos, right?"

"You...you're talking nonsense!"

Jessica jumped up, her face turning a deep purplish-red, her voice shrill like a chicken whose tail had been stepped on, "Who are you! What right do you have to slander me! These are all genuine products! I have the invoices!"

"An invoice? Was it issued by Pinduoduo?"

Lu Jingyan remained unmoved, even pointing to her legs, "Also, the group chat is urging you to return the stockings. If you don't leave soon, your next date with your girlfriends will be missed."

This sentence became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Jessica completely broke down.

Her proud mask was torn apart in public, and the shame instantly turned into rage.

"Lu Jingyan! You're just a poor loser! A stingy man! You deserve to be single!"

She grabbed the fake bag, pointed it at Lu Jingyan's nose, and started yelling, "It's just the cost of a meal! Is it necessary to humiliate me like this? You even investigated my background? This is an invasion of privacy! I'm going to expose you! I'm going to let the whole internet know what kind of slut you are!"

The surrounding diners cast strange glances and pointed at them.

Despite her tantrum, Lu Jingyan's expression remained completely unchanged.

He simply and slowly took out the black ID holder from his inner jacket pocket.

"Smack."

The police officer's ID was opened and held up in front of Jessica.

The silver police badge, under the restaurant's soft lighting, reflected a chilling aura of authority.

"Madam, please watch your words."

Lu Jingyan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable sense of pressure: "First of all, I'm not invading your privacy; I'm conducting real-time police situation analysis."

"Secondly, this is not just about the cost of a meal."

He stood up, his tall figure instantly looming over Jessica, making her feel as if she were facing an insurmountable mountain.

"They forge identities, fabricate facts, and use methods such as 'group buying' to package themselves, using romantic relationships as a pretext to lure others into making high-value purchases or directly extorting money."

Lu Jingyan's gaze swept over her fake designer clothes, finally settling on her terrified face.

"This is not just vanity; it involves organized fraud."

"Now, please open that so-called 'socialite group' so I can check it. Also, please come with us; we need your cooperation in some investigations."

Jessica was completely stunned.

She just wanted to freeload a meal and maybe snag a rich husband, so how did she end up... being suspected of fraud?

"I...I didn't..."

Her legs gave way, and she slumped into a chair, tears ruining her meticulously applied makeup. "I just wanted to marry a rich man... is that wrong?"

"Wanting to marry a rich man is not wrong."

Lu Jingyan put away his police ID and took out handcuffs. "But to treat this as a business, or even a scam, is wrong."

He glanced at the crowd of onlookers and raised his voice slightly:

"Everyone, whether you're male or female, keep your eyes open. There aren't that many runaway princesses or princes in distress in this world. Most of the time, you're just encountering a con artist trying to get you to pay their bills."

After saying that, he looked at Jessica, who was already stunned, and said in a cold tone:

"Let's go, socialite who shares an order. No need to share a police car, this trip will be chauffeured."