Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

It was 3 p.m. and the sun was scorching.

The asphalt road surface was softened by the heat, and visible waves of heat rose in the air, emitting a faint smell of asphalt.

Shen Qinghan was holding two cups of black coffee with ice in her hand.

The condensation on the cup wall formed small droplets that dripped down between the fingers and evaporated instantly upon hitting the scorching hot floor tiles.

Her flat canvas shoes were sticking to the raised part of the tactile paving on the sidewalk.

The piercing horns of taxis that used to scramble for passengers were no longer in my ears.

The traffic light at the intersection turned red.

A Santana with a "Travel the World" sign was parked steadily in front of the zebra crossing. The paint was washed until it was shiny, and the rearview mirrors were wiped clean without a speck of dust.

The car door clicked open.

Brother Biao, wearing a tight white shirt, jumped down.

His top button was fastened tightly around his neck, making his thick neck turn red.

His face, full of fat, was squeezed together, yet he managed to force out a smile with eight teeth.

"Oh, ma'am! Slow down! The green light still has fifteen seconds left. Let me help you cross the street!"

Brother Biao's rough, large hands, clad in snow-white work gloves, carefully supported the elbow of an elderly woman with a full head of white hair.

He hunched over like a bear, taking small, hurried steps.

I was afraid that if I walked too fast, I would shake the old lady.

The old lady smiled broadly, her wrinkles smoothing out.

"This young man is so kind. These days, ride-hailing drivers are more filial than my own son. No need to help him up."

Brother Biao scratched his freshly shaved buzz cut, his rough voice filled with undisguised smugness.

"Hehe, ma'am, you don't know! Our Sihai Group pays for five social insurances and one housing fund, and the rules are pretty strict! If we don't help the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, my entire performance bonus this month will be deducted!"

As the green light flashed, Brother Biao safely escorted the old lady to the curb on the other side of the road.

He turned around and bowed deeply to the old lady at a ninety-degree angle.

Shen Qinghan stood under the shade of a tree at the street corner, and the icy water droplets on the instep of her feet made her shiver.

She bit her lower lip hard, her teeth scraping against her dry, chapped lips.

It felt like a swarm of wasps was buzzing around in my head.

Is this the same gangster boss who last month stormed the train station with a steel pipe, took over territory, and beat someone into the ICU?

She felt like her values ​​were being relentlessly rubbed against the asphalt road.

Shen Qinghan walked to a secluded corner behind the newsstand.

He placed the iced coffee on a stack of old newspapers and slipped his right hand into the pocket of his black pencil skirt.

My fingertips touched the buttons on the black encrypted phone.

Relying on muscle memory, my fingers flew across the keypad, typing blindly.

[Director Li. Traffic order in Longhai City has returned to normal. All drivers are dressed correctly. There are no cases of refusing passengers or unlicensed taxis.]

After typing these few lines, my thumb hovered above the send button, trembling slightly.

She took a deep breath of the hot air, feeling a tightness in her chest.

What kind of undercover intelligence is this?

This is practically a year-end commendation letter to the Sihai Group! If it's sent back to Captain Gu, he'll probably use this message to apply for a civilized city award!

Frustrated, Shen Qinghan pressed the delete key and cleared all the text.

Type the keyboard again.

Su Ye spent the entire day reviewing financial statements. He drank three glasses of warm water. He did not have contact with any individuals involved in organized crime.

His fingers paused.

She closed her eyes, and the back of her head hit the scorching brick wall with a dull thud.

one Year.

She served as a special undercover agent dispatched by the provincial department, lurking by Su Ye's side for a full year.

The heir to the largest underground force in the country doesn't get involved in prostitution, gambling, or drugs; he doesn't smuggle weapons; and he doesn't engage in violent clashes.

He forces hundreds of muscular men under his command to memorize "Economic Law" every day, study for the CPA exam, and go to the countryside to repair leaky roofs for elderly people living alone.

Did the police intelligence go wrong?

Or has Su Ye been possessed by some law-abiding alien being?

She touched the miniature voice recorder tucked in the hidden pocket of her underwear.

The cold metal casing felt rough against my skin.

Over the past year, apart from Su Ye reciting legal provisions, not a single word of slang that could lead to imprisonment was recorded.

Shen Qinghan rubbed his face, picked up the coffee that was no longer so cold, and walked back to the Sihai Group Building through the sweltering wind.

Push open the double glass doors to the chairman's office on the top floor.

The cold air from the central air conditioning hit her face, raising goosebumps under her white shirt.

Su Ye sat behind the large rosewood desk.

He took off his black coat and hung it on the hanger, revealing a perfectly wrinkle-free custom-made white shirt.

He held the perpetually chipped silver stainless steel thermos in his left hand.

He flipped through a thick stack of merger and acquisition asset liquidation statements with his right hand.

The rustling sound of turning pages echoed in the empty room, carrying a strange rhythm.

"Chairman, your iced Americano."

Shen Qinghan placed the plastic cup, its surface glistening with water droplets, on the corner of the table, trying to make the sound as natural and steady as possible.

Su Ye pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses.

My gaze shifted from the densely packed numbers to the dark brown liquid coffee.

His brow furrowed slightly.

"It's too cold. It'll upset my stomach."

He unscrewed the lid of the thermos, making a crisp "click" sound.

A sweet aroma of red dates mixed with plump goji berries immediately wafted out, dispelling the bitterness of the coffee.

"Only young people like Chen Suan, who eat magnesium aluminum carbonate tablets like they're eating rice, drink iced drinks. Next time, brew me some honeysuckle tea; the weather's been dry lately."

Su Ye blew on the water and took a sip of warm water.

The Adam's apple moves up and down smoothly.

Shen Qinghan's toes were digging into the soles of her shoes.

"Yes, Chairman. Um... Chu Zhongtian was arrested yesterday on suspicion of tax evasion."

She deliberately tested him, her eyes fixed on Su Ye's facial muscles.

"We only spent one dollar to take over Chung Tin Bus Company. Won't there be rumors going around saying we... were too ruthless?"

If he just says, "I'll chop anyone who dares to say a word," then we'll have irrefutable evidence from the recording!

Su Ye put the lid on the cup and gently tapped the inside of the cup with his fingers.

The metal clanged together, making a clattering sound.

"Rumors?"

He lifted his eyelids, revealing a pair of completely expressionless eyes behind his glasses.

"People can say whatever they want. We're doing legitimate business; our tax certificates and audit reports are right there on the wall in the lobby."

Su Ye picked up a black pen from the side and signed his name on the settlement sheet.

"Old rules of the underworld don't apply to modern corporate operations. You need to learn to look at things from a capital perspective, Secretary Shen."

Watertight.

It looks like a hedgehog covered in iron.

Shen Qinghan felt as if all the strength she had gathered had been wasted on a ball of cotton, making her so frustrated that her teeth itched.

No, we can't let ourselves be led astray like this.

She must take the initiative and find a weakness!

Taking advantage of the opportunity to organize discarded documents, Shen Qinghan quickly scanned the office with his eyes.

There were no ashtrays, no statue of Guan Yu, and no cleaver hidden under the drawer.

There were only a few potted green ivy plants growing very well, and a wall full of law books behind them.

wrong.

Her gaze passed over the sofa and landed on the inconspicuous mahogany door at the far end of the room.

That was Su Ye's private lounge and archives.

Normally, apart from himself, neither Lei Hu nor Chen Suan are allowed to get close.

The door lock is equipped with a dual recognition system of fingerprint and iris recognition.

There's definitely something inside.

Those untraceable ledgers, smuggling route maps, and money laundering lists from underground banks! Yes! They must be hidden there!

Su Ye suddenly stopped writing and looked up.

They caught Shen Qinghan staring intently at the mahogany door.

His glasses reflected a cold light, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Secretary Shen, what are you looking at?"

Shen Qinghan's heart clenched, and blood rushed to her cheeks instantly.

She quickly lowered her head and haphazardly stuffed the scrap paper in her hand into the shredder.

The machine roared as it devoured the paper.

"No, I wasn't looking at anything. I was just thinking... the tax bureau people are coming to visit tomorrow, should we clean the area inside that door too?"

She stammered for a moment, then forced herself to make up an excuse.

"No need. There's nothing inside that needs cleaning."

Su Ye glanced at the vintage clock on the wall. "Nothing much to do today, you should go home early. Your eyes are red, take care of yourself and get some rest."

His considerate attitude towards his employees made Shen Qinghan feel very uncomfortable.

"Thank you, Chairman. I'll go check tomorrow's schedule."

Shen Qinghan quickly left the office with the folder in her arms, and the moment the glass door closed, she let out a long sigh.

10 PM.

Outside the abandoned air-raid shelter at the municipal bureau's liaison point.

A black Jetta without license plates was parked in the shadows.

Shen Qinghan sat in the driver's seat. The car was dark, and the stuffy air made it hard to breathe.

She pulled a palm-sized miniature infrared decoder from the black travel bag in the passenger seat.

The cool metal casing pressed against my palm.

She dialed Li Jianguo's encrypted private line.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

The sound of a lighter lighting a cigarette came from the other end of the line, along with Captain Gu's suppressed cough.

"Qinghan, is there any new development?" Director Li's voice was low and filled with anxiety, his eyes bloodshot.

"Chief, I haven't found any overt irregularities."

Shen Qinghan swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly in the cramped carriage.

"He presents himself as more cleanly as a philanthropist."

"Nonsense! If he had hung his smuggling ledger in the lobby, I would have taken the SWAT team and flattened him already!"

A dull thud came from the other end of the phone as a teacup slammed heavily onto a wooden table.

Get to the point!

Shen Qinghan's fingers traced the edge of the decoder, his eyes sharpening.

She bit her lip, making up her mind.

"At the very back of his office is a separate archive room. It has an iris-sensor security door of the same quality as a bank vault."

Shen Qinghan sniffed; there was a faint smell of old leather in the car.

"At 11 p.m. tonight, he's going to inspect the anti-addiction system at the newly opened e-sports arena in the south of the city. Chen Suan and Lei Hu aren't at headquarters."

She stared at her pale face in the rearview mirror.

"Chief. I need to sneak in."

"I'm going to use the codebreaker to open his safe."