Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

The early autumn morning was chilly.

A thin layer of white frost hung outside the glass revolving doors of the lobby on the first floor of the Sihai Building.

Su Ye was sitting on a leather sofa in the lobby lounge area.

He was holding half a fried dough stick in his hand.

On the marble coffee table in front of me, there was a bowl of steaming tofu pudding.

Chopped cilantro and chili oil are mixed on top, creating a striking red and green contrast and emitting an enticing savory aroma.

"President Su."

Two figures blocked the morning light from shining in.

The person who arrived was wearing a jacket, had a buzz cut, and his leather shoes were speckled with mud.

The plainclothes detective on the left pulled out a black leather badge from his pocket and flashed it in front of Su Ye.

"From the Municipal Bureau. Director Li invites you over for some morning tea."

Su Ye didn't even lift his eyelids.

I threw the remaining half of the fried dough stick into the tofu pudding and stirred it a couple of times with a porcelain spoon.

"Want some tea?"

He slurped up a big mouthful of tofu pudding, smacking his lips because it was so hot.

"I have a sensitive stomach, so I like to have some salty, hot soup in the morning. Does Director Li have any fried dough sticks to go with it?"

The plainclothes detective's lips twitched twice.

Before we arrived, the team leader had warned us that the new leader of the Sihai Group was very strange.

Seeing him today, I can confirm he really is sick.

Whose gang leader, after being invited for tea by the police, is still thinking about fried dough sticks?

"Mr. Su, the car is waiting outside."

The detective on the right was patient and spoke in a relatively polite tone.

"You are a respectable person, don't make things difficult for us."

"OK."

Su Ye put down the porcelain spoon, tore off a tissue, and slowly wiped his mouth.

"Secretary Shen!"

He shouted towards the front desk.

Shen Qinghan jogged over in her high heels, carrying a stainless steel thermos in her hand.

"Fill my cup."

Su Ye shoved the thermos into her hand.

"Add a couple more goji berries. I don't like the tea at the director's place; it hurts my throat."

He stood up and straightened the collar of his dark gray cashmere coat.

He strode out the door with two plainclothes officers.

Municipal Bureau, Director's Office.

The air conditioning wasn't on, and the air inside was stuffy, like a sauna.

The tarry smell of cheap tobacco mixed with the musty smell of documents wafted straight into people's nostrils.

"Squeak—"

The heavy wooden door was pushed open.

Li Jianguo was dressed in a crisp police uniform, and the policewoman on his shoulder gleamed coldly in the dim light.

He stood with his back to the door in front of the window.

He held a Hongmei cigarette between his fingers, the ash burning almost to his fingertips, but he didn't flick it off.

"Chief, the person has been brought here," an undercover detective called out from outside the door.

"You all go out first. Close the door behind you."

Li Jianguo didn't turn around; his voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against rusty iron.

"Bang."

The door closed.

Only the two of them remained in the office, along with the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Su Ye didn't stand on ceremony at all.

He pulled out the chair opposite his desk and sat down with an air of authority.

He took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair, then casually placed his thermos on the table with a "clatter".

Li Jianguo turned around.

He stubbed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray, which was full of cigarette butts, and rubbed it hard twice.

The sparks went out instantly.

He walked over to the water dispenser.

Take out a white porcelain jar with the words "Serve the People" printed on it from the cabinet.

With a "splash," half a cup of boiling water was poured in, and a small pinch of tea leaves was added.

"Su Ye".

Li Jianguo walked over carrying a teacup.

It was placed in front of Su Ye with a "bang," splashing two drops of scalding tea onto the yellowed tablecloth.

"Have some tea."

He pulled out a chair and sat down, his bloodshot eagle eyes fixed on the young man opposite him.

It was as if they wanted to carve a hole in Su Ye's face.

Su Ye didn't touch the porcelain jar.

He unscrewed his thermos and blew on the steam rising from the water.

"Director Li personally poured the water for me. That's some treatment. I can brag about it for a year."

He took a small sip of the goji berry water and smacked his lips.

"However, your tea is of very poor quality. Next time, I'll have someone send over two catties of top-quality pre-Qingming Longjing tea. Consider it a token of support for the military and their families."

Li Jianguo's eye twitched violently twice.

This kid's bones are too slippery, so slippery that it's impossible to find a point of leverage.

He opened the drawer and pulled out a thick brown paper bag.

It slammed onto the table with a "thud".

The paper bag was not sealed, and several color-printed photos and a few pages of documents stamped with an official seal slipped out.

Do you recognize the person in this photo?

Li Jianguo pointed to the top one.

That's a screenshot of Crow in the live stream, wearing sunglasses and yelling, "Not buying means you're disrespecting me."

Below that are exaggerated sales figures from the backend.

"Yes, I know him."

Su Ye picked up the photo and flicked it with his finger.

"Our company's newly signed top livestream salesman is called Crow. He used to be a debt collector; he was bad at talking and not very good-looking."

He sighed, looking utterly disappointed.

"I was just thinking of enrolling him in a broadcasting and hosting class. His Mandarin mixed with dialect is really damaging to our company's image."

"Bang!"

Li Jianguo slammed his hand on the table.

The jar shook violently, and a few drops of tea spilled out.

"Corporate image?"

The director pulled a transcript from the paper bag.

It was shoved right in front of Su Ye's face.

The edge of the paper scraped against Su Ye's glasses, making a slight rubbing sound.

"This is your security director, Lei Hu, who cornered Mr. Wang from Starlight Media in the meeting room and forced him to listen to a transcript of the Analects of Confucius!"

Li Jianguo was so angry that his chest heaved violently and his breathing became heavy.

"Su Ye, don't treat me like a fool! The underworld using the Analects to negotiate business?"

He pointed at the paper, "This is called soft violence intimidation! It's worse than holding a knife to your throat!"

Su Ye's expression remained calm.

He put down his thermos and leaned back in his chair.

Interlace your fingers and place them on your lower abdomen.

"Director Li, you're wronging an innocent person."

Su Ye pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes full of innocence.

"Starlight Media came with money to poach our talent. We didn't fight back, we didn't yell at them, we didn't even lay a finger on them."

He spread his hands.

"We just want to exchange ideas about traditional Chinese culture with our competitors and explore the profoundness of Confucianism."

Su Ye's lips curled into a slightly aggrieved smile.

"How does this constitute soft violence? Does the police now have to regulate even ordinary people reading ancient books?"

"you--"

Li Jianguo choked, unable to swallow or breathe properly.

His face turned red from holding it in.

This kid is absolutely meticulous.

Everything is pushing the boundaries of the law, but it just won't cross the line!

The bureau chief took two deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

He stared intently at Su Ye's eyes, which appeared somewhat indifferent behind his glasses.

They tried to find a flaw in the pretense from the steady breathing and relaxed body language.

"Su Ye, I know you're quick-witted."

Li Jianguo lowered his voice, his tone tinged with coldness.

"You've turned the mess your father left behind into a clean slate. You've turned all those henchmen with knives into deliverymen and livestreamers."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"You've fooled all those ordinary people. They call the bureau every day to praise your Sihai Group."

Li Jianguo sneered.

"But I, Li Jianguo, have worked in criminal investigation for thirty years. I know you guys too well. A wolf can travel a thousand miles to eat meat, but a dog can't change its nature of eating shit."

Su Ye didn't say anything.

He picked up his thermos and took another sip of water.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"You've set up so many legal fronts and expanded your operations so much."

Li Jianguo extended his index finger, the tip almost poking Su Ye's nose.

"What exactly are you covering up? Transnational money laundering? Or drug smuggling?"

A deathly silence fell over the office.

Only the wall clock continued its tireless ticking.

Su Ye lowered his eyes.

Looking at the few goji berries in the thermos that had turned white from soaking.

There was a full ten seconds of silence.

Sudden.

He slammed the thermos cup heavily onto the table.

The metal base struck the table with a loud "clang".

This startled Li Jianguo.

Su Ye suddenly raised his head.

His previously calm face was instantly filled with grievance, helplessness, and even a hint of anger at being wronged.

His eyes were slightly red.

His breathing became rapid, and his chest heaved violently.

"Director Li!"

Su Ye's voice rose, tinged with a slight tremor.

"What did I, Su Ye, do wrong?!"

He ripped open his coat and pointed to his chest.

"When I took over the Sihai Chamber of Commerce, you knew better than I what kind of mess it was!"

Su Ye's eyes reddened even more.

"Several thousand brothers, uneducated, unskilled. Besides fighting and collecting protection money, what else can they do!"

He slammed his hands on the edge of the table.

"If I don't find them a legal way to make a living, believe me, tomorrow the streets of Longhai City will be filled with thousands more robbers and murderers!"

Li Jianguo was stunned.

He had imagined that Su Ye would try to argue, remain silent, or even arrogantly provoke him.

But to his utter surprise, this young man who had turned both the legitimate and criminal worlds upside down actually put on a melodramatic act in front of him.

"I turned the casino into an e-sports arena, and I sent the debt collection department to sell potatoes."

Su Ye became more and more excited as he spoke, spittle flying everywhere.

"I pay my taxes to the government on time, and I provide my subordinates with social insurance and housing fund benefits!"

He reached out his hand, which trembled as he pointed at Li Jianguo.

"I just want to teach them to be upright human beings! Is that wrong?"

The bureau chief was a little stunned by his sudden outburst.

He opened his mouth, about to refute.

Su Ye didn't give him a chance to speak at all.

"Are you accusing me of transnational money laundering and drug smuggling?"

Su Ye sneered repeatedly, his eyes full of mockery.

"Go ahead and check! The Industry and Commerce Bureau, the Tax Bureau, the Economic Crime Investigation Bureau—check whatever you want!"

He grabbed the white porcelain jar from the table and smashed it hard on the ground.

"Crack!"

The sound of porcelain shattering was jarring.

Tea spilled all over the floor, and a few tea leaves stuck to Li Jianguo's leather shoes.

"If there's even a single penny of illicit funds in my name, Su Ye."

Su Ye braced his hands on the table, staring intently into Li Jianguo's eyes.

"You don't need to lift a finger, I'll jump out of the director's office window myself!"

Li Jianguo's temples throbbed.

The nerve called reason finally snapped completely amidst Su Ye's flawless roar.

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"Su Ye! Stop putting on an act for me!"

Li Jianguo roared in his hoarse voice.

Spit sprayed all over Su Ye's face.

He pointed at the pile of scattered photos, his eyes wide like saucers, veins bulging on his face.

"Tell me! A mob boss forces his henchmen to memorize criminal laws and labor laws every day!"

Li Jianguo was panting heavily.

"You turned a criminal organization into one of the top ten taxpayers in the country!"

He slapped his bald head with a sharp crack.

"What the hell are you planning?!"