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

The iron door to the interrogation room slammed open with a dull thud.

Lu Jingyan was holding the heavy thermos in his hand. Before he even sat down, he felt two burning gazes scanning him like X-rays.

Su Man sat in the interrogation chair, her wrists handcuffed to a metal ring on the table.

Logically speaking, a wanted criminal who has just surrendered billions of dollars in assets and is facing serious criminal charges should be terrified, desperate, or hysterical at this moment.

But Suman was not.

She moved with the elegance of someone attending afternoon tea, her beautiful face showing no remorse, but rather a strange shyness and anticipation. When she saw Lu Jingyan enter, her eyes lit up instantly, like two searchlights.

"You've arrived."

Her voice was sweet and affectionate, with a hint of coquetry, "I knew you couldn't bear not seeing me. What, are you so moved by my sincerity that you can't sleep?"

The clerk next to him was a young man. Upon hearing this, he almost pierced the record paper with his pen and got goosebumps all over.

Lu Jingyan pulled out a chair and sat down expressionlessly, then slammed his thermos on the table with a loud "thud".

"Su Man, stop with your self-pity act."

He opened the folder filled with evidence, his gaze icy. "We're conducting an interrogation, not filming a romantic drama. Names."

"You know that, right?" Su Man blinked. "Does it have to be this formal? Okay, Su Man, your... suitor."

"Snapped!"

Lu Jingyan slammed the pen in his hand heavily on the table.

"Be serious! Name, age, place of origin!"

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore." Su Man seemed to enjoy being "disciplined" by him, obediently giving her basic information, then leaning forward, the handcuffs rattling.

"Jingyan, have you seen all those things? That's all I have. For you, I betrayed the organization and cut off all my escape routes. The enemies who want me dead probably line up all the way to France by now."

She looked at Lu Jingyan, her eyes full of self-satisfaction, "How about it? Is this pledge of allegiance enough? Can I get a smile in return?"

Lu Jingyan looked at her and took a deep breath.

He'd seen madmen and desperados, but he'd never seen anyone so completely oblivious to the nature of a love-struck individual.

"Su Man, do you think that by turning yourself in, or even by doing good deeds, you can escape the death penalty?"

"Can't we?"

Su Man retorted matter-of-factly, "This is a major meritorious service! According to what they show on TV, shouldn't I get a reduced sentence, or even probation, and then we can..."

"In the movies?"

Lu Jingyan laughed in exasperation.

He opened the thick book of criminal law, held it up, and blocked Su Man's face, which was a headache to look at.

"Come on, let me give you a little legal advice."

"According to the ledgers you provided, you are suspected of laundering as much as 300 billion. This is not just 'exceptionally large,' it's an astronomical figure."

"According to the list you provided, you planned, participated in, or instigated more than fifty cases of kidnapping, extortion, and arms smuggling, resulting in casualties... Have you counted them yourself?"

Lu Jingyan put down his book, his eyes flashing with the pity one might show to someone with intellectual disabilities.

"Under my country's criminal law, although surrendering oneself to the authorities and making meritorious contributions can lead to a lighter or reduced sentence, for a principal offender like you whose crimes are extremely serious and pose a great threat to society, even with significant meritorious service, the maximum punishment would be..."

He paused, then held up one finger.

"Take what must be a death sentence and turn it into a suspended death sentence. Or, turn what must be an immediate execution and leave the body intact."

Su Man's smile froze on her face. She looked at Lu Jingyan in disbelief: "Wh...what do you mean? You mean I'm going to jail? Or even...die?"

"Otherwise what?"

Lu Jingyan leaned back in his chair, his tone full of sarcasm.

"Do you think the law is a marketplace where you can haggle? Do you think your so-called 'love' can atone for the sins you've committed, causing families to be torn apart?"

"Su Man, you're not just blinded by love."

He pointed to Suman's head.

"You're not only ignorant of the law, but also mentally challenged."

"For a man who has never even given you a kind word, you've sold out your entire vested interest group and thousands of your men. Do you know what that means?"

Lu Jingyan stood up, walked to the interrogation table, placed his hands on the table, and looked down at her.

"This means that you will not only face legal judgment, but also be hunted down by the entire underworld."

"If your subordinates and partners knew that you sent them in for such a ridiculous reason, they'd probably be turning in their graves and would crawl out of their graves to strangle you."

"You call this love? This is digging your own grave."

His words were like a bucket of ice water poured over my head.

Su Man stared blankly at Lu Jingyan.

The emotion, pity, and even the slightest touch of emotion she had anticipated did not appear. In this man's eyes, her proud sacrifice was nothing more than an utterly foolish farce.

"so……"

Su Man's voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes, "You...you're not even a little bit moved? Even after I've done so much for you?"

"move?"

Lu Jingyan straightened his police uniform, put his police hat back on, and turned to walk towards the door.

"I just feel like the arrest operation has never been so easy. Thank you for your stupidity, which has saved the country a lot of police manpower and money."

"Zhao Tiezhu, take him away."

He opened the door, leaving without turning around, and said:

"Keep a close watch on her, don't let her die. This kind of 'sacrifice family for the greater good' should be kept as a negative example for other criminals."

Two policewomen stepped forward and helped up Su Man, who was limp as a rag doll.

However, just as she was being dragged out of the interrogation room, Su Man suddenly looked up.

A strange, almost morbid smile reappeared on that pale face. She stared intently at Lu Jingyan's back, her eyes devoid of hatred, only filled with a more intense, chilling obsession.

"The way you scolded me... was really cool."

She muttered to herself, as if she were under a spell.

"You're so angry because it means you care about me. You're being so fierce on purpose to protect me, right? You want me to give up so I don't have to face those pursuers, right?"

Zhao Tiezhu, who was standing next to him, felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but rub the goosebumps on his arms.

"She's gone mad, this woman has completely gone mad."

Looking at the woman who was being dragged away, still grinning foolishly, he couldn't help but say to Lu Jingyan, "Captain Lu, shouldn't this Su Man... be transferred to a mental hospital? Her brain circuits are beyond the comprehension of normal people."

Lu Jingyan stopped and looked back at the end of the corridor.

There, Su Man kept turning back to look at herself, her eyes lingering on her chest, as if she were going to a wedding hall instead of a prison.

"Need not."

Lu Jingyan pushed up his glasses, his tone indifferent.

"Prison is a good place. It has high walls, electric fences, and regular schedules and work."

"Whether you're love-struck or completely ignorant of the law, once you're in jail, you can always be cured."

"Let's go, Volume Two is finally finished. I should go home... and catch up on some sleep."