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

"Seriously?"

Looking at the little girl in front of him, whose face was flushed and whose eyes were filled with tears, yet who stubbornly straightened her back, Lu Jingyan felt for the first time that his "absolute rationality" system had experienced a slight lag.

He had imagined countless possibilities.

Su Xiaoxiao might run away crying, she might complain to Zhao Tiezhu, or she might even submit her resignation.

But he never expected that she would publicly reiterate her "socially awkward" confession from the previous night in front of the entire team.

The conference room was so quiet you could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Zhao Tiezhu forgot to swallow the half-eaten bun in his mouth, Qin the forensic doctor's hand, which was wiping the scalpel, froze in mid-air, and even the cleaning lady passing by the door couldn't help but peek in, her face full of gossip.

"Lu Jingyan, I'm asking you a question!"

Seeing that he didn't speak, Su Xiaoxiao mustered up her courage and took another step forward.

"Every word I said was serious! You stole my heart! You are the suspect! I'm now requesting a life sentence for you! Do you understand?!"

These words were resounding and powerful.

If you ignore her face, which was already red to the roots of her neck, and her hands, which were trembling slightly with nervousness, her aura was even stronger than when Lu Jingyan interrogated prisoners.

Lu Jingyan remained silent.

He looked at Su Xiaoxiao, and for the first time, an extremely complex emotion surfaced in those usually calm and unwavering eyes.

There was surprise, helplessness, and even a hint of... panic that he himself didn't realize.

He can use legal provisions to silence domineering CEOs, use scientific evidence to expose the true nature of miracle doctors, and use the machinery of the state to make war gods bow down.

But he discovered that all the weapons he was so proud of were rendered useless in the face of this simple, crude, and unreasonable "I like you".

Because liking something doesn't break the law.

"Cough cough."

In the end, Lu Jingyan was the first to give in.

He cleared his throat, trying to regain control of the situation in the way he knew best.

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a movement that was a beat slower than usual.

"Comrade Su Xiaoxiao."

He spoke, his voice still trying to maintain a steady and businesslike tone, but if you listened carefully, you could hear a subtle... stiffness.

First of all, thank you for recognizing my personal charm.

"but."

He changed the subject, and that familiar "straight man" vibe returned.

"I must point out that there are several serious problems with your current behavior."

Su Xiaoxiao: "?"

Zhao Tiezhu: "?"

The entire office, filled with onlookers: "?"

"First."

Lu Jingyan held up one finger, his eyes extremely serious. "According to the Civil Servant Law of the People's Republic of China and the internal regulations of the police force, it is forbidden to discuss personal emotional issues unrelated to work in the workplace or during working hours. This will seriously affect work efficiency and undermine team discipline."

"second."

He raised his second finger. "We have a superior-subordinate relationship. As my direct subordinate, your expression to me with such strong emotional implications is likely to cause other colleagues to have unnecessary associations, and may even spread rumors that 'office romance affects the fairness of promotion,' which is not conducive to the stability and unity of the team."

"Third, and most importantly."

Lu Jingyan took a deep breath, looked at Su Xiaoxiao's face which had turned from red to pale, and said the words that were enough to give her a heart attack on the spot.

"Your analogies of 'stealing hearts,' 'suspects,' and 'life imprisonment' were creative, but they contained serious flaws in legal logic."

"The 'heart' does not fall under the definition of 'public or private property' in the Criminal Law, and therefore cannot constitute theft. The identification of a 'suspect' requires a formal investigation and cannot be based on subjective assumptions. As for 'life imprisonment,' that is one of the highest penalties for serious criminal offenses and cannot be used to describe personal emotions."

"Comrade Su Xiaoxiao."

Lu Jingyan looked at her and delivered his final concluding remarks, his tone somber, as if he were criticizing an intern whose professional skills were inadequate.

"As a tech-savvy police officer, your logical thinking skills still need improvement."

"I suggest you copy the 'Special Provisions of Criminal Law' and 'Introduction to Logic' a hundred times again, and deeply reflect on the professional mistakes you made today."

After he finished speaking, he closed his notebook and nodded to the others.

"Okay, that's enough of last night's jokes."

"Go to work, everyone."

Meeting adjourned.

The words fell.

The entire office was deathly silent.

Su Xiaoxiao stood there, like a stone statue that had been weathered for thousands of years.

Her mouth was agape, her eyes wide open, and those once bright eyes were now filled with disbelief and... utter despair.

She felt that her girlish heart had been repeatedly trampled on by Lu Jingyan in those few minutes using legal provisions, departmental regulations, and an introduction to logic, and was finally thrown on the ground, crushed into powder, and blown away by the wind.

"puff--"

Zhao Tiezhu couldn't hold it in any longer. He spat out a mouthful of steamed bun, then clutched his stomach and laughed like a 300-pound child, pounding the table and sobbing.

"Hahahaha... I can't take it anymore... Captain Lu... you... you're a real talent!"

"Turning a confession of love into a legal education session, and then assigning homework to the person? Are you a monster?!"

The others couldn't hold back either; their shoulders were shaking wildly, they wanted to laugh but dared not, their expressions extremely distorted.

Right here in this ocean of joy (which was sorrow for Su Xiaoxiao).

Lu Jingyan strode out of the conference room with his long legs and eyes straight ahead.

His face remained calm and composed, but if you looked closely, you would notice that his walking posture was a fraction of a second faster than usual.

There was even a hint of... a hasty retreat.

【Ding! 】

An inopportune prompt from the system rang in my mind.

[The system has successfully nipped an budding office romance in the bud, effectively preventing the risk of decreased team efficiency due to emotional entanglements.]

[Reward: 100 points of proficiency in the "Steel Straight Man" title.]

Lu Jingyan: "..."

He felt that something was off about the system.

Just as he reached the door of his office, ready to go in and enjoy a moment of peace.

"Lu Jingyan!"

A furious roar, tinged with tears, came from behind.

Lu Jingyan paused, then turned around helplessly.

Su Xiaoxiao, like an enraged little lioness, rushed over with red eyes and blocked his way.

She wasn't holding any documents or a tablet; she was just clenching her fists tightly, her baby face filled with a resolute determination to go all out.

"Stop right there!"