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

In the VIP lounge on the top floor of Huayi Media, the air was filled with the scent of expensive cologne, mixed with the smell of anxious sweat.

"Snapped!"

A limited-edition crystal ashtray was slammed onto the carpet. It didn't break, but it made a dull thud.

Xiao Huohuo paced back and forth in the room, his signature white hair was torn into a mess, and his once-delicate eyeliner was smudged by cold sweat, making him look like a neurotic villain who had just escaped from a horror movie.

"They've gone mad! They've all gone mad!"

He pointed to the news on his tablet that the entire film crew had been arrested, his voice shrill and distorted, "Director Zhang is in jail, and that production assistant who supplied the goods is in jail too! Old Wang just called me and said the economic crime investigators have already started checking the company's accounts! Sis, am I next?"

The agent, Sister Wang, sitting on the sofa, also looked unwell, but having been in the industry for many years, she managed to maintain her composure.

She handed Xiao Huohuo a glass of ice water. "What's the panic? We haven't found out about you yet. As long as that stagehand keeps quiet, and as long as your urine test comes back negative, we still have a chance to turn things around."

"A urine test?"

Xiao Huohuo's hand trembled, spilling half the water. "Although I haven't touched it these past few days, at the party the day before yesterday..."

"Shut up!"

Sister Wang suddenly stood up, her sharp eyes scanning the room. After confirming there were no recording devices, she lowered her voice and roared, "Keep those words to yourself! Do you want to die already?"

She took a deep breath, pulled a document from her bag, and slammed it heavily on the table.

"The only way now is to take the initiative. You have to go on that variety show on the provincial TV station called 'Following the Police on Patrol'."

"Go to that one?"

Xiao Huohuo bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "That guy surnamed Lu is inside! He's a living devil! He even sent Chu Tianjiao in. Am I supposed to just walk right in and get caught?"

"It's precisely because he's there that you should go!"

Sister Wang poked his forehead in exasperation, "That's called 'the darkest place is under the lamp,' don't you understand? The most dangerous place is the safest place!"

"Think about it, if you dared to swagger onto a police reality show and become sworn brothers with those officers, what would the outside world think? They would think you're upright and have nothing to hide! They would think you're a law-abiding citizen!"

"and……"

Sister Wang narrowed her eyes, her tone turning venomous. "This is a live variety show. You have 60 million followers; that's your shield. Under the camera, if that Lu Jingyan dares to lay a finger on you, or even if he gives you the slightest cold shoulder, your fans will drown him in their spittle!"

"We need to establish a persona of 'police and people being one family,' and a persona of 'positive energy and tough guys'! As long as this whitewashing is successful, the previous rumors will naturally fall apart."

Xiao Huohuo was stunned.

Although he's not very bright, he's been in this industry for a long time and he understands the basics of weighing pros and cons.

"You mean...use him?"

"That's right." Sister Wang sneered, "He wants to use you to clean up the entertainment industry? Then we'll use his halo to gild our own image. In the end, you'll be a positive role model recognized by the police, while he'll just be a supporting character for you."

Xiao Huohuo's eyes gradually brightened.

The fear subsided, replaced by a morbid excitement and arrogance. Yes, he was a top influencer, a darling of capital. Did a mere police squad leader dare to arrest him in front of the entire online audience?

"Okay, I'll go."

Xiao Huohuo grabbed a mirror from the table, fixed his hair, and a wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "It's just acting, right? I'm good at that. I'll let that Lu Jingyan know who the main character is in front of the camera."

……

Two days later, in the backstage conference room of Studio One at the provincial television station.

The first all-staff preparatory meeting for "Following the Police on Patrol" is about to begin.

Lu Jingyan, dressed in casual clothes, sat on a chair in the corner, holding a deployment map of the operation in his hand, his expression focused. Su Xiaoxiao sat next to him, nervously adjusting her miniature headset, while Zhao Tiezhu stood guard at the door like a gatekeeper.

"Captain Lu, why hasn't Xiao Huohuo arrived yet? He's already twenty minutes late." Su Xiaoxiao glanced at her watch, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Top celebrities always need some background music when they make their appearance."

Lu Jingyan didn't even look up. He drew a circle on a node of the control map and said, "Let him place it. The higher he places it, the more it will shatter when it crashes."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion erupted in the corridor.

"Make way! Get out of the way! Can't you see Teacher Xiao is coming?"

"Hey you, smooth out the carpet! Don't let Huo Huo trip over it!"

Immediately afterwards, the conference room door was pushed open abruptly.

The first to rush in were not the celebrities, but eight burly bodyguards dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses.

They quickly lined up in two rows at the door, making a grand entrance as if they were heads of state on a state visit. Then, several assistants, carrying large and small bags, bustled around spraying air freshener and wiping chairs.

Finally, after all this build-up, Xiao Huohuo made his appearance.

He was wearing huge sunglasses that covered half his face, and an extravagant mink coat (even though the studio was heated). He was chewing gum and strode in with an air of nonchalance.

Producer Liu Bo quickly greeted him with a fawning expression: "Oh, Teacher Xiao is here! You've worked so hard! Please have a seat!"

Xiao Huohuo ignored him and didn't even take off his sunglasses.

He glanced around the conference room, his gaze finally settling on Lu Jingyan in the corner.

The man was too quiet, as quiet as a sword sheathed. Even sitting in the corner, his aloofness, emanating from his very bones, made him seem more like the protagonist than anyone else present.

This feeling made Xiao Huohuo very unhappy.

He's the real star, the center of attention. What makes this junior policeman so arrogant?

"Hey, you there."

Xiao Huohuo took off his sunglasses and casually tossed them to his assistant next to him. Then, pointing at Lu Jingyan with his chin held high, he said, "I'm talking to you, the one in the black jacket."

Lu Jingyan slowly closed the document, raised his head, and looked at him calmly.

"What's up?"

"We need to have a meeting. There are too many random people in this room, and the air quality is bad."

Xiao Huohuo took a limited-edition Louis Vuitton travel bag from his assistant; it was his "outfit" for later.

He walked up to Lu Jingyan and kicked the heavy bag right at Lu Jingyan's feet.

"Are you a rookie police officer hired by the film crew? Don't you have any common sense?"

Xiao Huohuo looked down at Lu Jingyan, her tone full of self-righteous arrogance, "Help me carry this bag to the dressing room. It contains my performance costume; if you wrinkle it, you couldn't afford to pay for it even if you sold yourself."

The entire room fell silent.

Liu Bo was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He was about to rush forward to explain when he felt two murderous gazes lock onto him—it was Zhao Tiezhu.

Zhao Tiezhu's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. If Lu Jingyan hadn't kept quiet, he would have planted this sissy in the ground right now to be a radish.

Lu Jingyan looked at the expensive leather bag at his feet, then at Xiao Huohuo, who had an arrogant expression.

He smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it instantly lowered the temperature of the surrounding air to freezing point.

"Mr. Xiao, I think you've misunderstood something."

Lu Jingyan did not get up, but simply tapped the bag back at Xiao Huohuo's feet with the tip of his toe.

"I'm here to participate in the show, not to be your babysitter."

"You!" Xiao Huohuo's expression changed, and he was about to lash out.

Lu Jingyan had already stood up.

He was more than half a head taller than Xiao Huohuo, and as he looked down at him slightly, the oppressive aura he had accumulated from long-term frontline law enforcement instantly enveloped this so-called top influencer.

"Also, don't make me carry your bag unnecessarily."

Lu Jingyan straightened his collar, leaned close to Xiao Huohuo's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"I'm used to carrying a bag of evidence in my hand."

"The kind that's transparent, sealed, and contains white powder or a murder weapon."

"Mr. Xiao, are you sure... you want me to help you carry it?"