Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

The air conditioning was on full blast, and the edges of the spider plant leaves in the director's office had turned yellow.

The blinds were half open.

The light that streamed in cut stark white lines into the terrazzo floor.

Li Jianguo was slumped in that peeling swivel chair.

He pinched his brow tightly with his thumb and forefinger, rubbing it vigorously until his knuckles turned bluish-white.

On the desk, the red light on the old-fashioned landline phone was flashing.

No one answered.

Several documents lay slumped in front of him.

The top document, with its crisp paper and glaring red lettering, reads: "List of Outstanding Taxpaying Enterprises in Longhai City for This Year".

The first line contains four bold black characters.

"Sihai Holdings".

The string of tax amounts following behind him was filled with zeros, like rows of gaping black holes mocking him.

"hiss--"

Li Jianguo gasped, his teeth aching.

He grabbed the thermos cup next to him, which was dented in several places, and his hand was shaking as he twisted the lid.

The tea inside had long since gone cold, and the bitter tea leaves slid down his esophagus, causing his stomach to churn violently.

"Old Gu!"

He yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping against glass.

There was no movement outside the door.

Li Jianguo then remembered that Captain Gu had gone to a meeting at the Municipal Party Committee.

They said they were going to report on the results of this year's crackdown on organized crime, and incidentally... to cut the ribbon and support the shabby signboard of Sihai Holdings.

Li Jianguo grabbed the Red Plum cigarette box on the table, squeezed it, and found it empty.

Frustrated, he threw the empty box into the trash can.

The cardboard box hit the edge of the plastic bucket, bounced to the ground, and rolled twice.

"What kind of nonsense is this!"

He slammed his hand on the table, causing the stack of files to fall to the ground with a clatter.

Scattered all over the ground were top-secret reports sent back by undercover agents sent out over the past six months.

Shen Qinghan's copy had neat handwriting.

The target individual maintains a regular work-rest schedule and no evidence of involvement in organized crime has been found. They supervise employees daily as they memorize legal provisions and are actively involved in charitable donations. No unusual outflows of funds have been observed from their accounts.

Gao Qiang's copy still had a stain of machine oil on it.

[All projects undertaken by Sihai Construction meet national standards. There have been no forced demolitions or unpaid wages. The food standards at the construction site canteens exceed those of the provincial special police force. I'm applying for an extension of my undercover work period; I'm about to receive stock options, and withdrawing would result in too much loss.]

Chen's document was filled with technical jargon.

[Sihai Holdings' financial report is perfect. Through the clever use of tax incentives, they have legally avoided a huge amount of taxes. All accounts can withstand the most rigorous audits. Su Ye's financial thinking far surpasses that of ordinary people; it is recommended that the police academy adopt his management philosophy.]

Li Jianguo stared at the reports on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, with spiderwebs running through the whites of his eyes.

"Perfect……"

He muttered to himself, his Adam's apple bobbing twice as it hit his neck.

"It's fucking perfect!"

The old man suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the ground with a piercing scream.

He gripped the edge of the desk tightly with both hands.

The fingernails dug into the cracks of the solid wood, almost breaking it.

one Year.

A whole year.

He laid a trap, deploying the most elite police force.

I stay up late every night, eat instant noodles for every meal, and have used up three large bottles of anti-hair loss shampoo.

All for the sake of uprooting Sihai Group, the biggest cancer in Longhai City!

The results of it?

They didn't lose a single hair.

And they've washed themselves whiter than a white lotus flower!

Top taxpayer, philanthropist, and outstanding young entrepreneur.

Even his thugs and hooligans were forced to pass the CPA exam and become white-collar elites in suits!

"Could it be... that I really misjudged him?"

Li Jianguo dejectedly released his grip.

He slumped back into his chair, staring blankly at the incandescent light bulb on the ceiling.

The bright light stung his eyes, causing a few physiological tears to well up.

"Is Su Ye really a law-abiding and conscientious entrepreneur?"

He grabbed his already thinning hair, scratching red marks all over his scalp.

"So all that high-profile crackdown on organized crime this year... turned out to be nothing!"

This feeling.

It's like throwing a punch with all your might, intending to kill a hungry wolf.

The result was that it hit a soft, fluffy ball of cotton.

Not only did they fail to harm their opponent, they were also knocked unconscious by the gold bars wrapped in cotton.

Internal strife.

Deep-seated internal conflict gnawed at Li Jianguo's nerves like a venomous snake.

He even began to doubt whether his 30-year veteran detective instincts were malfunctioning.

Do I have paranoia?

Shouldn't I write a self-criticism and voluntarily step down to the sidelines to make room for these "legitimate new-era gangsters"?

……

at the same time.

Chairman's office, top floor of Sihai Building.

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

Su Ye stood tall and straight, one hand in the pocket of his custom-made suit.

In his other hand, he held the silver thermos he never parted with.

He quietly looked down at the bustling city below.

Traffic flowed like ants, and neon lights flickered.

This is his chessboard.

The door was pushed open without knocking.

Lei Hu strode in, his gleaming black leather shoes clicking on the floor.

For the first time ever, he wore a dark red tie today, and his bald head was sprayed with hair gel, making it look shiny and smooth.

He was holding a freshly printed document in English.

"Brother Su!"

Lei Hu shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

He walked a few steps to his desk and slammed the documents onto it.

"The Ministry of Justice has taken care of everything. All the materials for ringing the bell at Nasdaq have been translated and filed."

He scratched his head, a strange smile appearing on his scarred face.

"Well... Linda said that those foreign devils on Wall Street seem a little unhappy looking at our financial statements."

Su Ye didn't turn around.

He unscrewed the lid, blew on the goji berries on the surface of the water, and took a small sip.

Adam's apple bobbed.

"You're not willing?"

Su Ye turned around and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses.

The lens reflected the sunset outside the window, casting a sharp, cold glint.

Lei Hu pulled up a chair and sat down, casually spreading his legs.

"That's right. That kid Chen said that those investment bank crocodiles think our Sihai's scale isn't 'international' enough. They want to collude to short our valuation and acquire us at a lower price before we go public."

He spat and rubbed his lower back.

The large pliers that were usually kept there had long been replaced by a Montblanc pen. He reached for nothing and sheepishly withdrew his hand.

"These foreign devils deserve a beating. Do they think our domestic companies are easy to bully?"

Lei Hu stared with his bull-like eyes, his nostrils flaring as he puffed out steam.

"Brother Su, how about I take a few brothers who've passed the CPA exam, buy a plane ticket, fly over, and give those high-ranking officials a proper lesson on the 'Great Qing Code'?"

Su Ye walked to the table and put down the thermos.

The metal bottom of the cup touched the glass surface, making a crisp "ding" sound.

A slow smile crept onto his lips.

That was the cruel smile unique to a hunter when he saw his plump prey.

"Wall Street."

He murmured those three words.

"These people who play with capital are dirtier than gangsters at heart."

Su Ye picked up the all-English document on the table and casually flipped through a couple of pages.

"They thought that business warfare was just about sitting in an air-conditioned room, typing on a keyboard, and playing number games."

He raised his eyelids, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Tiger Boy".

"Here! Brother Su!" Lei Hu stood up abruptly, his back ramrod straight.

"Go and inform all the hall masters."

Su Ye's coat hem drew a sharp arc in the air.

"The pools in China are too small and the water too shallow. We brothers have been holding back for so long, it's time to get out and get some fresh air."

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and placed his long, slender fingers on the cold glass.

"Since they want to play the short-selling game."

"Then let's go to Wall Street and teach those foreigners a lesson."

Su Ye's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an air of arrogant dominance.

"In this world, besides the offline promotions by suit-wearing thugs..."

"What else is this, a transnational, dimensional-reducing attack that disregards martial ethics?"

The sun completely sank below the horizon.

The office was dimly lit.

Only Su Ye's eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses shone with a chilling brilliance.

Volume One, Complete.