Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

The black doors of the bulletproof Maybach slammed shut, keeping out the chilling atmosphere of the police station compound.

Su Ye leaned back in the leather seat, closed his eyes, and rubbed his throbbing temples.

"President Su."

Shen Qinghan sat in the passenger seat, her upper body turned around.

She held a transparent plastic file folder in her hand, its hard edges scraping against the back of the chair with a soft "rustling" sound.

"The official document just posted on the Municipal Construction Commission's website states that the coastal new area's 10 billion yuan-level old city renovation project will be officially put out to tender at the International Conference Center at 10:00 AM tomorrow."

Su Ye suddenly opened his eyes, and the pitiful pretense he had put on in front of Li Jianguo just now completely vanished.

He snatched the document and ran his fingertips across the paper.

"In the tens of billions?"

Su Ye licked his dry lips, and the ambition in his eyes burned like a fire.

"This isn't old city renovation; it's a whitewashing and gilding pool custom-made for our Sihai Group."

He tapped his finger twice heavily on the line that read "Section 3: Demolition of shantytowns and construction of resettlement housing".

"Secretary Shen, inform Lin Dai to prepare Sihai Construction's qualifications for me."

Su Ye tossed the document aside.

"I'm going to eat this biggest piece of meat."

Shen Qinghan paused for a moment, her fingers twisting the hem of her white shirt.

"But Mr. Su, our Sihai Construction is just a shell company with a Class II qualification that we acquired last month. The bidding process is very strict."

She swallowed.

"Moreover, I've heard that the city's established construction giants, such as Hongyuan Group and Dingsheng Building Materials, have secretly formed a construction alliance. They have the best construction teams under their control, and they even have connections with expert judges."

"A civil engineering alliance?"

Su Ye sneered, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"A bunch of old fogies who only know how to build shoddy projects and acquire land through violent demolitions, do they even deserve to call themselves an alliance?"

At this moment, in the penthouse suite of the Peninsula Hotel, the most luxurious hotel in Longhai City.

The cigar smoke was so thick it looked like burning stubble, making my eyes sting.

Zhao Hongyuan, chairman of Hongyuan Group, was slumped on the sofa with a belly as big as if he were ten months pregnant.

He held a wine glass in his hand, the Lafite inside swirling with crimson ripples.

"Have you heard? That brat from the Su family, who's barely out of his teens, wants to get involved in the new district's demolition bidding?"

Sitting opposite him was Wang Qiang, the owner of Dingsheng Building Materials, with his legs crossed, revealing red floral socks underneath.

He stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray, sending sparks flying.

"Him? A country bumpkin who collects protection money in the underworld?"

Wang Qiang chuckled, revealing two large, gold-plated front teeth.

"Does he know the difference between cement and concrete? Does he know how many steel bars should be inserted into a load-bearing wall?"

Zhao Hongyuan took a sip of wine, the astringent taste spreading on the tip of his tongue.

"Old Wang, you can't say that. This kid has been acting really strange lately, getting involved in logistics and e-sports arenas, and he's actually recruited all the unemployed laborers in the market."

He stroked the tuft of fat on his chin, a sinister glint flashing in his beady eyes.

"In the demolition business, it's all about who has the most ruthless demolition team. If those thousands of reckless henchmen of his were really let loose..."

"Screw him!"

Wang Qiang slapped his thigh, making a crisp "smack" sound.

"Our construction alliance employs professional demolition teams. When have we ever failed to subdue holdouts? Cut off their water and electricity in the middle of the night, throw in a few snakes, and even the toughest bone will have to move!"

He leaned closer to Zhao Hongyuan, lowered his voice, and spoke with a calculating tone.

"Mr. Zhao, I've already taken care of things with the Construction Committee."

Wang Qiang patted his chest, making the fat inside jiggle.

"The qualification review is tomorrow. If we join forces, we can shut him down on his qualifications and past project cases. His shell company won't even get through the bidding hall!"

The Maybach drove smoothly on the city's elevated highway.

The carriage was unusually quiet, with only the "clunk" of tires rolling over the seams.

Shen Qinghan looked at Su Ye in the rearview mirror and bit her lower lip.

"Mr. Su, those traditional developers are very shady. If they really rig the qualification approval process, even if our bid is very low, we will be kicked out of the game."

Su Ye leaned back on the leather headrest, his fingers casually stroking his chin.

"Dirty methods? Then let's find a powerful figure who can keep them in check and keep order."

He suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp.

"Xiao Wang, exit the overpass at the intersection ahead and make a U-turn."

Su Ye's voice was deep and authoritative.

"I'm not going to the company anymore, I'm going to the Nanshan Retirement Home in the suburbs."

Shen Qinghan and the driver, Xiao Wang, were both taken aback.

"A retirement home for veterans?"

Shen Qinghan turned her head, her face full of astonishment.

"President Su, what are you doing there? That's where retired cadres from the city live."

Su Ye took a mint out of his coat pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.

Crunching it open, the spicy coolness dispelled the stuffiness in the car.

"Go and invite a god."

He looked out the car window at the rushing street scene, a triumphant smile playing on his lips.

"A true god who can silence those construction giants without them daring to utter a single word."

Half an hour later, the Maybach stopped outside the iron gate of the Nanshan Retirement Home.

The armed police officers standing guard at the gate stood as straight as pine trees, their bayonets gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The place was so quiet you could hear birds chirping, and the air smelled of disinfectant mixed with fallen leaves.

Su Ye got out of the car and told Shen Qinghan and Xiao Wang to wait inside.

He straightened his coat, walked alone to the gate, and told the gatekeeper his name.

A few minutes later.

An old man with a full head of silver hair, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, slowly walked out of the tree-lined path with his hands behind his back.

Although the old man was thin, his back was ramrod straight and he walked with a brisk pace.

Those eyes, hidden behind the reading glasses, revealed a wisdom and sternness born of experience.

This man's name is Xu Dajiang.

He was the former chief engineer of the provincial construction group, and he led the construction of most of the landmark buildings in Longhai City.

A true infrastructure whiz, with students all over the world, his prestige in the civil engineering circle is so great that even the mayor has to respectfully address him as "Old Xu".

However, this old man was very stubborn and couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing. He couldn't stand those developers who cut corners in construction and retired long ago to grow flowers and plants.

"Old Xu."

Su Ye went to greet him, bowed slightly through the iron gate, and was extremely humble.

"I apologize for disturbing your meditation."

Xu Dajiang looked Su Ye up and down through the iron bars.

His gray eyebrows furrowed together, and a cold snort escaped from his nose.

"You're Su Ye from the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce?"

His tone was harsh, revealing undisguised disgust.

"I may be retired, but I'm not deaf. What are you, a gangster, doing here with an old man nearing his coffin? Trying to get me to vouch for your money laundering?"

The old man spoke without any mercy, his spittle almost landing on the iron railing.

Su Ye wasn't annoyed.

He took a folded business plan out of his pocket and slipped it through the crack in the iron gate.

"Mr. Xu, the Sihai Chamber of Commerce is a thing of the past. Now it's the Sihai Group."

Su Ye straightened up, meeting the old man's gaze without flinching.

"I know you despise developers who resort to violent demolitions and shoddy construction. I'm here today to invite you to serve as the chief consultant for Sihai Construction."

"You want me to be a consultant for the underworld?"

Xu Dajiang was so angry that he laughed, crumpled the proposal into a ball, and threw it at Su Ye's chest.

The crumpled paper fell to the ground with a soft thud.

"You're dreaming! Every house I, Xu Dajiang, have built in my life is spotless! I'd rather starve to death than take a single penny of your dirty money!"

The old man was so angry that his chest heaved, and he turned to leave.

"Mr. Xu, even if you don't want to give me face, you should at least give the housing project for the people of Longhai City a chance, right?"

Su Ye's voice rose, echoing outside the empty gate.

Xu Dajiang paused, but did not turn around.

Su Ye squatted down, picked up the crumpled paper, and slowly flattened it.

"Take a look at page three of the proposal."

He held up the paper and read it aloud through the crack in the door.

"Urban renewal and demolition plan: no forced demolition, and no interruption of water and electricity. Sihai Express will deploy heavy trucks to move all affected households free of charge."

Su Ye took a deep breath.

"Furthermore, we promise that the construction standards for the resettlement houses will all use high-grade cement and special steel that are earthquake-resistant to level eight, and we will only keep a profit of three percent."

Xu Dajiang suddenly turned around.

He strode to the iron gate and stared intently at Su Ye through the bars.

A flicker of shock crossed his cloudy eyes, but it was quickly replaced by doubt.

"Free moving? Earthquake resistance up to magnitude 8? 3% profit margin?"

The old man was so angry that his beard trembled, and his withered fingers poked Su Ye's nose.

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old? Would your gang do something like this, losing money just to gain publicity? You're playing with the quality of this project!"

"We don't lack money, Mr. Xu."

Su Ye looked directly at him, her eyes revealing a resolute sincerity.

"I have several thousand brothers under my command. They are strong, work like their lives depend on it, and have a stronger execution ability than any regular army. But I lack a knowledgeable person to manage them."

He took a step forward, almost touching the iron gate.

"What I need isn't money, but the ability for them to hold their heads high in Longhai City. I need your authority to oversee the project's quality and deter those unscrupulous businessmen who might try to sabotage it!"

Xu Dajiang was stunned.

He looked at the young man in front of him, and the light in his eyes didn't seem fake.

Just then, a black Audi A6 stopped behind the Maybach.

The car door opened, and several men in suits stepped out carrying large and small gift boxes.

Leading the group was the vice president of Hongyuan Group, who had a big smile on his face.

"Oh, Mr. Xu! Are you taking a stroll at the door?"

The vice president, carrying two boxes of premium bird's nest, approached with a bow and scrape.

"Chairman Zhao asked me to bring you some health supplements. We're counting on you to be a special judge at the new district's bidding conference tomorrow and say a few good words for our Hongyuan Group."

He then noticed Su Ye standing beside him, and his face instantly darkened.

"Hey, isn't this that gangster boss from Sihai? What, trying to curry favor with Old Master Xu too?"

The vice president sneered, his face full of disdain.

"Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? How could someone like you, a mere scumbag, possibly aspire to the esteemed Elder Xu?"

Su Ye ignored him and just quietly looked at Xu Dajiang.

Xu Dajiang glanced at the expensive gift box in the vice president's hand.

She glanced again at the crumpled proposal in Su Ye's hand.

The old man suddenly snorted coldly.

He snatched the proposal from Su Ye's hand through the iron gate.

"Take this back and tell Zhao Hongyuan!"

Xu Dajiang pointed at the vice president's nose, his voice booming loudly.

"The buildings he built have walls that crumble at the slightest touch; how dare he ask me to endorse them?"

The old man flicked his sleeve.

"I find this gift disgusting! Get out!"

The vice president was scolded until his face turned pale and then red. He picked up the gift box and slunk back to his car.

Xu Dajiang turned his head and looked at Su Ye.

The look in his eyes behind his reading glasses became extremely complex.

He waved the proposal in his hand, "It's useless if it's written beautifully on paper."

The old man gritted his teeth. "Come pick me up at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. I want to see if your gang of brothers with machetes can handle this delicate work of troweling!"