Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

Inside the restroom.

Shen Qinghan's breath caught in her throat, and her heart skipped a beat.

It felt like I had a wild rabbit thrashing around inside my chest.

She bit her lower lip hard, her teeth almost sinking into her tender flesh, and a strong, metallic taste of blood instantly spread across her tongue.

"I……"

She swallowed hard, her throat dry and tight, and her voice trembled slightly.

My mind is racing.

The encrypted signal of a blind-calling phone cannot be easily intercepted, so how could he know that he was reporting this fine?

"Click".

Another crisp sound of a lid being opened came from outside the door.

Su Ye's calm, even voice rang out again.

"come out."

Shen Qinghan took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed her wildly beating heart.

Reach out and turn the doorknob that was locked from the inside.

The door was just opened a crack, and the dim yellow light from outside shone on her pale face.

Su Ye was not standing outside the door.

He sat in the large boss's chair, his whole body shrouded in shadow.

The computer screen in front of him shone with a stark white light, making his gold-rimmed glasses appear cold and indistinct.

Several thick contracts for the merger of money shops were scattered on the table, along with a few unopened boxes of cold medicine.

Shen Qinghan was stunned.

She then noticed that Su Ye's current state was somewhat strange.

The white shirt that was usually impeccably tailored had two buttons undone at the collar.

My neck and forehead were covered in a thick layer of cold sweat.

Instead of drinking goji berry water from that iconic thermos, he put the cup aside.

His slender fingers pressed against his temples, his brows furrowed, and his breathing heavy and rapid, like a broken bellows.

"Chairman... what's wrong?"

Shen Qinghan walked quickly to the table, about to give a report, but was interrupted by Su Ye.

"contract."

Su Ye's voice was hoarse, revealing an undeniable weakness.

He didn't look up, but tapped a few keys on the keyboard.

"The last page of the acquisition contract for Hengtong Money Shop is missing a signature. Go get it for Chen Suan."

After he finished speaking, he coughed violently again.

Shen Qinghan then realized that the report he had mentioned outside the door was about the contract.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief; her back was already soaked with cold sweat.

"Okay, I'll go right away."

She picked up the contract on the table, preparing to turn and leave, when she noticed Su Ye's body suddenly sway.

With a loud thud, his forehead slammed heavily onto the keyboard.

"Chairman!"

Shen Qinghan's heart tightened, and she quickly dropped the contract and rushed over to support him.

It was scalding hot to the touch.

Su Ye's forehead was burning hot, like a furnace.

His eyes were tightly closed, his lips were pale, and cold sweat had soaked through the back of his shirt.

"Call him...call him Chen Suan..."

Su Ye murmured weakly before losing consciousness completely.

Shen Qinghan panicked. This was the first time in her three years undercover that she had seen this cold-blooded man, who was like a machine, show such a vulnerable side.

She quickly pressed the internal phone, "Lei Hu! Come to the CEO's office immediately! The boss has fainted!"

Ten minutes later, at the Sihai Group's internal medical room.

Lei Hu, shirtless and covered in sweat, paced back and forth in the corridor.

He was still clutching the riot fork that was emitting a blue light.

"Damn it! If anything happens to the boss, I'll skin those money shop owners alive!"

He roared at the top of his lungs, the centipede scar on his face twisting like an angry venomous snake.

Chen Suan slumped on the bench next to him, his left hand digging into his stomach.

"belch--"

A long burp, reeking of sour, rotten coffee, escaped his throat.

The transparent tape around the right side of his black-rimmed glasses curled up wildly as his trembling cheeks bulged.

"Brother Tiger... keep your voice down. The boss is exhausted. He hasn't slept a wink for the past three days trying to secure a legal acquisition of the bank."

Chen Suan's palms were covered in cold sweat, and he frantically rubbed them on his trousers.

The door to the infirmary opened.

A doctor in a white coat came out and took off his mask.

"President Su had a high fever of nearly 40 degrees Celsius, caused by a viral infection triggered by acute fatigue."

The doctor adjusted his glasses.

"The fever has already been reduced with an injection, but someone needs to stay with the patient at all times tonight and use physical methods to lower the temperature."

Lei Hu grabbed the doctor.

"I'll take over! I'm in great shape; I can stay up for three days and three nights without getting sleepy!"

Chen Suan quickly stopped him.

"Tiger, with your clumsy hands and feet, don't hurt the boss. Let me do it..."

As Chen Suan was speaking, his stomach spasmed again, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

"Alright, you can all go back and rest. I'll stay and take care of things tonight."

Shen Qinghan walked over at some point.

She looked at Su Ye, who was unconscious on the hospital bed, and spoke calmly.

"There's still a lot of handover work to do tomorrow; Director Chen and Director Lei can't afford to collapse."

Lei Hu and Chen Suan exchanged a glance. Although they hesitated for a moment, they nodded when they saw Shen Qinghan's determined eyes.

"Then... I'll have to trouble Secretary Shen."

Chen Suan clutched his stomach and staggered away.

Lei Hu, carrying his riot fork, walked away, turning back every few steps.

In the infirmary late at night.

Only the ticking of the instruments and Su Ye's heavy breathing could be heard.

Shen Qinghan carried a basin of warm water to the bedside.

She wrung out the towel and gently wiped the cold sweat from Su Ye's forehead and neck.

While Su Ye was in a deep sleep, the suffocating sense of oppression he used to have was gone.

The gold-rimmed glasses were taken off and placed on the bedside table.

His furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

In the dim light, that stern face appeared somewhat gentle.

Shen Qinghan looked at him.

Looking back on the past few months.

He used all sorts of outrageous but legal methods to force those gangsters to take electrician's exams and learn to use the Xinhua Dictionary.

With a single "purity protection order," he transformed the entire underworld of Jinghai City into a model of civility.

She even began to doubt whether he was really that ruthless underworld prince.

Or is he simply trying to change this dirty underground world in a way that ordinary people cannot understand?

"hot……"

Su Ye suddenly mumbled something indistinctly.

He unconsciously tugged at his shirt collar, trying to get more coolness.

Two buttons were ripped off his shirt, revealing a muscular chest and collarbone.

Seeing this, Shen Qinghan quickly reached out to help him unbutton his shirt.

"Don't move around, let me wipe your body to cool you down."

She spoke softly, her tone softening with a gentleness she herself didn't even realize.

When the shirt is completely unbuttoned.

Shen Qinghan's movements suddenly froze.

The towel fell into the basin with a "plop," splashing water everywhere.

Su Ye's chest and back were covered with crisscrossing, hideous scars.

He has knife wounds and gunshot wounds.

There were even several obvious burn marks.

These scars, like distorted faces, silently tell the story of the life-and-death battles he once endured.

Shen Qinghan's fingertips trembled.

These scars...

She knew it all too well.

In a criminal psychology class at the police academy, the professor once showed some medical examination reports of undercover police officers.

Those lone warriors who lurk in the shadows for a long time often bear defensive scars from this specific angle.

How could Su Ye, a son of a gangster, have these things on him?

Shen Qinghan's fingers involuntarily traced one of the deepest, long, narrow scars.

My fingertips touched the uneven scar tissue.

An indescribable feeling of sorrow instantly welled up in my heart.

Just then, Su Ye suddenly opened his eyes.

Eyes facing each other.

Under the dim and ambiguous lighting.

Their eyes met.

There was no warning whatsoever.

There was no probing.

Only one pure emotion collided and fermented in the air.

Su Ye's eyes were no longer like a stagnant pool.

The high fever caused cracks to appear in his usual cold and aloof facade.

He looked at Shen Qinghan, who was so close to him.

Looking at the barely concealed panic and heartache in her eyes.

He didn't speak.

He simply raised his hand slightly and grasped her hand, which was resting on his chest, with some difficulty.

Shen Qinghan trembled all over.

She wanted to pull her hand away.

But they discovered that although Su Ye's hands were burning hot, the strength was surprisingly great.

"you……"

Just as Shen Qinghan was about to speak, Su Ye closed his eyes, a weak smile curving his lips.

"Don't go."

His voice was hoarse, with a hint of pleading.

"I'm a little cold."

Shen Qinghan's heartbeat completely went off track.

She looked at this man who was a powerful figure outside, feared by countless gangsters.

At this moment, however, he looked like a helpless child, tightly gripping her hand.

Could it be that I really...

Did I fall in love with this lunatic disguised as a legal person?

Shen Qinghan asked herself this question over and over again.

She did not pull her hand away.

Instead, she grabbed his burning hot hand with her own.

"I'm not leaving."

She spoke softly, a hint of tenderness and determination flashing in her eyes that she herself didn't even realize.

"You need to give the Ministry of Justice an explanation for this medical expense tomorrow."