As they walked, a man named Wang De, stepping out of his room, noticed Xu Xue’s figure and approached Sang Manman. “Were you brought in by Duan Chunshui too?”

“You were?” Sang Manman was surprised to see a man there. “You’re a love-struck brain too?”

Wang De: “……”

Wang De, still unconvinced about being assigned to the Love-struck Brain Department, recounted his story. “Do you think I’m a love-struck brain? Aren’t I a typical male protagonist?”

Intrigued by encountering a male-protagonist type from a male-centric novel, Sang Manman listened intently to his story. When he finished, she was speechless. “Of course, you are! You ignore your career to chase the campus belle. If that’s not love-struck brain behavior, what is?”

Sang Manman began doubting her own status as a love-struck brain. She shared her situation with Wang De and asked, “Do you think I’m a love-struck brain?”

Wang De, fascinated by the idea of a quick-transmigration operative passing through their world, listened carefully. After hearing her story, he bluntly replied, “Of course you are. Hurting yourself to make a man feel guilty and regretful? That’s dumb.”

The two, united in their disbelief of their own love-struck brain labels, fell into deep thought.

They exchanged stories of how they were captured and their observations, concluding one thing: Duan Chunshui is terrifying.

Novel Crisis Management Bureau, second floor.

As soon as Sang Manman was taken away, a man appeared beside Duan Chunshui, handing him a glass of red wine. His deep, pleasant voice said, “Chunshui, I recently learned how to make braised lion’s head meatballs. Would you like to try them?”

Duan Chunshui glanced at the man’s hand, he accepted the wine, and walked to the second-floor railing without answering.

“Huh?” The man let out a curious sound.

Xiao Xu, ever helpful, commented, “Captain Su, maybe next time take off that eight-figure watch and your jade ring before playing the ‘house-husband who loves cooking’ role. It might be more convincing.”

The Novel Crisis Management Bureau had three captains. Duan Chunshui, formerly the Team One Captain, was now leading Team Three. 

The man before him, Captain Su Lin, had long led Team Two. This team handled the most complex cases involving highly invasive novels where their worlds had merged with reality.

Coincidentally, the current Team One Captain also arrived. His voice boomed before he was even in sight.

“Did I hear correctly? Captain Duan brought back two Love-struck Brain protagonists?” His tone carried unmistakable mischief.

First came the sight of spiked white hair, followed by a rebellious and strikingly handsome face.

A tall man in a silver-gray tracksuit, hands in his pockets, walked up to the second floor. “I heard one of the cases is a stud-horse novel male protagonist? Handling this kind of character must really put Captain Duan in a good mood.”

This was Pang Wulin, the former Team Three Captain of the Novel Crisis Management Bureau, now Team One Captain.

Duan Chunshui turned to look at him and waved him over.

Pang Wulin, tall with a model-like figure, approached Duan Chunshui as if he were walking a runway. With a smirk, he teased, “Captain Duan, facing difficulties at work? Need some advice from me?”

Duan Chunshui: “Hand.”

Confused, Pang Wulin pulled his hand out of his pocket, only to have an empty wine glass shoved into it the next second.

By the time he realized what had happened, Duan Chunshui was already heading downstairs.

Pang Wulin glanced at the glass, then at Duan Chunshui’s retreating figure, gritting his teeth as he shouted, “Hey, Duan Chunshui! What do you take me for?”

Duan Chunshui, now in the first-floor registration hall, didn’t look back. He lazily waved a hand behind him, a dismissive gesture so casual it seemed more appropriate for shooing away a beggar. Except even beggars might get a coin or food—this came with nothing!

Pang Wulin raised the glass, ready to throw it, but Su Lin intercepted, grabbing his arm.

“Why provoke him?” Su Lin leaned against the railing, his gaze fixed on Duan Chunshui’s back as he disappeared into the elevator. “The day you need his help, you’ll be crying.”

Pang Wulin scoffed. “I’ll need his help? Hah.”

“Don’t think just because you’re an ability-enhanced protagonist, you’re invincible. What if a more powerful protagonist shows up? Ever think someone might take you down?”

Su Lin didn’t look at him, his eyes still on the elevator. His long lashes cast shadows over his expression. “But no protagonist can take him down, can they?”

Pang Wulin instinctively wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words. Frustrated, he glared at the wine glass in his hand. “This is an office! Who gave him wine during work hours?”

Su Lin turned with a natural smile. “I did. I had it air-shipped just for him.”

“Damn!” Pang Wulin cursed under his breath. “What a suck-up!”

---

That evening.

As expected, Team Three and Team One were at it again in the management bureau’s group chat. The argument was so heated it resembled elementary school kids bickering, with no trace of adult decorum.

Abruptly, the fight stopped.

Pang Wulin checked and realized why: Duan Chunshui had kicked several of Team One’s members out of the chat. Not just any chat—this was the official work chat monitored by the director. He’d kicked out formally employed members of the bureau!

Pang Wulin demanded, “How could you kick people out?”

Duan Chunshui replied matter-of-factly, “They were giving me a headache.”

“Why didn’t you kick your own team members? Don’t they give you a headache when they argue?”

“With them, it’s like listening to celestial music—it clears my mind.”

“… Fine, just you wait!”

Pang Wulin didn’t have to wait long.

That morning, Captain Duan, rarely an early riser, started his shift early because a novel invasion had occurred close to his home, sparing him a long ride.

With autumn settling in, the air was crisp. Duan Chunshui wore a black sweater that Ren Xi had gifted him, pulling the hood down to cover his face. The autumn wind ruffled his slightly long hair, brushing against his pale jawline.

Crunching fallen leaves under his boots, he boarded the car waiting outside his complex.

Jiang Nian was driving, while Sang Manman, bound by duty, diligently handed Duan Chunshui a hot breakfast. Xiao Xu briefed him on the latest novel invasion situation.

As they drove onto Wenfu Road, Xiao Xu pointed left. “Uptown University has been invaded by a ‘Palace Intrigue’ novel^[1]These kind of novels typically revolve around the complex and often hidden power struggles within a royal court or palace. These stories often involve political maneuvering, betrayal, deception, and … Continue reading. The students are engaged in court-style scheming. According to the latest reports, the student council president has been deposed, the external affairs minister is in the hospital after being poisoned, and the arts minister is currently being punished by kneeling.”

“……”

Xiao Xu then pointed right. “Uptown High School seems to have been invaded by a ‘Teen Hero saves the World’ novel. The students are busy saving the world. Details are unclear—it might be a Class-One novel, so we’ve passed the info to Team One.”

As he spoke, a flashy blue supercar appeared beside them.

The white-haired Team One Captain, wearing sunglasses, was clearly drawing attention. Removing his sunglasses to reveal his strikingly handsome face, he grinned. 

“What a coincidence, Captain Duan. Off to handle those university palace schemers? Haha—sorry, I can’t help it, hahaha!”

Whatever this was about, or perhaps the sheer absurdity of the palace intrigue plot, the passenger in the supercar was laughing so hard they nearly fell over. If not for their seatbelt, they might have flown out of the car.

Still groggy and radiating early-morning irritation, Captain Duan bit into his fried dough stick. The next moment, the supercar’s tire exploded.

Watching the car crash into a patch of greenery, Xiao Xu asked worriedly, “That’s a long way from the high school. Can they make it on foot in time? Level One novels can’t afford delays.”

Face dark as ink, Captain Duan ordered, “Right. Go to the high school. Help them out.”