Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

It was 15 minutes to 9 a.m. the next day.

A black Maybach without any special license plates came to a steady stop in front of the Nanshan Retirement Home, its surface covered with fallen, withered leaves.

The tires made a dull "thump" as they rolled over the speed bump.

The car door was pulled open from the outside.

A gust of cold wind carrying frost rushed in, causing Lei Hu, who was in the passenger seat, to sneeze violently.

"Achoo!" Lei Hu quickly covered his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes.

Xu Dajiang was wearing an old-fashioned Zhongshan suit that had been washed until it was faded.

With withered hands gripping the car door frame, his face, covered in age spots, was expressionless as he bent down and sat in the back seat.

The old man carried a cool, fresh scent of mothballs mixed with morning dew.

Su Ye shifted his position to the side, making room for most of the leather seat.

He reached out and handed over the stainless steel thermos cup from the shelf next to him.

"Mr. Xu, it's windy outside. Please have some hot tea to warm your throat."

The old man glanced at him sideways but didn't take it.

He let out a heavy snort, his face, as stiff as withered tree bark, taut with tension.

"No thanks. I have a sensitive stomach and can't stand the water you gangsters serve. I'm afraid it might be laced with human blood."

The old man tucked his hands into his sleeves and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

Su Ye's hand, which was raised in mid-air, froze for two seconds.

He coughed lightly to cover up the embarrassment at the corner of his mouth, silently tightened the screws on the thermos, and put it back in its place.

Lei Hu stared wide-eyed through the rearview mirror, inwardly cursing the old man's stubbornness.

If this were in the old days, anyone who dared to slap their boss like that would have been sacked and thrown into a ditch long ago.

The Maybach drove smoothly into the city.

Half an hour later.

The large bidding hall on the first floor of the Longhai International Conference Center was bustling with activity.

The place was spacious enough to fit a thousand or so people, and the huge crystal chandelier on the ceiling was so bright it made people dizzy.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of cheap perfumes.

There were also dozens of big bosses gathered together, puffing out clouds of smoke that created the acrid smell of Cuban cigars, making people's throats dry.

On the middle red velvet armchair in the first row.

Zhao Hongyuan of Hongyuan Group lay sprawled inside like a rotten piece of meat, his large belly pushing his suit and shirt into a rounded arc.

He had a cigar, about the thickness of a thumb, dangling from his mouth, the embers flickering.

"Old Wang..."

Zhao Hongyuan exhaled a large puff of white smoke, which blurred his small, beady eyes.

"Director Li, have you taken care of everything at the Construction Committee? Let's make sure nothing goes wrong."

Wang Qiang, the owner of Dingsheng Building Materials, was sitting next to me with his legs crossed.

The trousers rolled up, revealing a section of eye-catching red floral socks, and the toes were twitching.

"Don't worry at all!"

Wang Qiang reached out and patted his bulging briefcase, making a crisp "slap slap" sound.

He leaned closer, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth in a wide smile, his breath reeking of garlic.

"I delivered two cases of good tea last night. Today, during the qualification review, all the judges listened to us."

Wang Qiang pointed in the direction of the gate with his chubby finger.

"If that crumbling subsidiary of Sihai, which has never even touched a trowel, manages to get a number today, I, Wang Qiang, will change my mind!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongyuan's stomach trembled violently, and he burst into laughter.

He didn't even bother to wipe the cigar ash off the expensive carpet.

"Alright. Once we kick that little bastard out of the game, we'll split this lucrative shantytown business 30/70 between us."

He was feeling quite pleased with himself.

The two heavy, copper-clad doors of the bidding hall were pushed open from the outside.

The door hinges creaked.

Su Ye walked at the very front.

He was wearing a dark gray cashmere coat today, his hands in his pockets, walking at a leisurely pace.

Lin Dai, dressed in a burgundy suit and wearing ten-centimeter stilettos, followed on the left.

On the right is Lei Hu, whose suit is so tight it looks like it's about to break his arms. He has to tug at his tie every few steps, his face turning red from holding it in.

As soon as the three of them appeared, all the bosses who were bragging in the hall stopped talking.

Hundreds of eyes turned to stare at them.

Zhao Hongyuan paused, his hand holding the cigar still.

He nudged Wang Qiang next to him with his elbow, a sinister smirk creeping onto his lips.

"Hey! Look who's here."

Zhao Hongyuan gripped the armrests of the chair and struggled to stand up.

The leather shoes made a dull thud as they stepped on the floor.

He opened his mouth wide, his voice so loud that the whole hall could hear him, as if afraid no one would notice.

"Look everyone! Isn't this the heir of the famous Sihai Chamber of Commerce in Longhai City?"

A suppressed chuckle suddenly filled the hall.

Wang Qiang also stood up and tucked his hands into his waistband.

"Mr. Su! You've come to the wrong place. This is a municipal engineering bidding meeting, not an underground boxing ring!"

He deliberately dragged out the words, his tone full of mockery.

"Do your brothers with machetes even know the difference between cement and sand? What if the building collapses and kills someone?!"

The dozen or so construction bosses around them, who were in cahoots with them, immediately started making a fuss.

"Exactly! He's never even seen a cement mixer before, what kind of contractor are you pretending to be!"

"These days, even protection rackets want to build skyscrapers. It's fucking hilarious!"

The laughter came like waves.

Lei Hu couldn't stand this insult, and the veins on his forehead bulged instantly.

"Fuck your grandma..."

He gritted his teeth and reached for his belt, intending to pull it out and whip someone.

Su Ye reacted quickly, pulling his right hand out of his coat pocket.

He pressed down on Lei Hu's tense arm and squeezed it hard with his fingertips.

"Old Lei, put your belt back in. It's embarrassing if your pants fall down."

Su Ye's voice was extremely low, without a trace of anger.

He released his grip, his gaze passing over the group of clown-like bosses.

He looked directly at the expert judges sitting on the stage.

The judge in the middle, sporting a receding hairline, was wiping sweat with a white towel.

His eyes darted around, and he didn't dare to meet Su Ye's gaze at all.

When Zhao Hongyuan saw that Su Ye didn't respond, he assumed that Su Ye had backed down.

Their arrogance grew even stronger.

He walked up to the judges' table with a cigar between his fingers and his large belly, and tapped the table with his knuckles.

"Director Li, esteemed judges."

Zhao Hongyuan raised his chin with a forced smile.

"There should be rules to bidding, right? Sihai Construction is a shell company that was just registered last month, and it doesn't even have any past project cases."

He turned his head and stared at Su Ye with a sinister look.

"Not to mention, their background...who doesn't know they used to do dirty work?"

Zhao Hongyuan suddenly raised his voice.

"If these shady companies with ties to organized crime get involved in the government's affordable housing project, wouldn't that just tarnish the reputation of Longhai City?"

Several of the boss's henchmen immediately chimed in.

"Disqualify them! Throw them out!"

The Mediterranean judge swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down twice.

He glanced at Zhao Hongyuan out of the corner of his eye, then touched the bank card in his pocket.

He gritted his teeth and grabbed the microphone in front of him.

The microphone wasn't held properly, and it emitted a sharp, piercing "sizzle" sound that hurt people's ears.

"Um... cough cough."

The Mediterranean judge stammered twice and opened the roster in his hand.

"Following preliminary discussions by the review committee..."

He pushed up his reading glasses, which had slipped down to the bridge of his nose, and beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.

"Sihai Construction... its qualifications are indeed questionable. And its corporate background... well, it has a negative impact on the industry."

He gritted his teeth and quickened his pace.

"In the spirit of being responsible to the citizens, we have decided... to disqualify Sihai Construction from bidding!"

After saying this, he slumped into the chair as if he had collapsed from exhaustion.

Lin Dai's eyes turned cold, and she took a step forward in her high heels.

She was just about to reach into her bag for a voice recorder and legal documents.

This group is clearly operating behind closed doors, using fabricated charges to block people.

Su Ye reached out and stopped her.

Warm fingers touched Lin Dai's sleeve.

"Director Lin, save your breath. You can't explain the law to a dog."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongyuan's chubby face instantly turned a deep liver color.

"Who are you calling a dog!"

He smashed the half-smoked cigar on the ground and crushed it with the tip of his leather shoe.

"Security! Where's security! Didn't you hear the judges? Throw these troublemakers out!"

The doors on both sides of the hall opened.

Seven or eight security guards in uniforms, carrying rubber batons, swarmed around them.

They all had unfriendly expressions, but seeing Lei Hu's towering physique, they didn't dare to get too close.

They only dared to point their batons at them from two meters away.

"Sir... please leave. Don't force us to take action." The head of security said in a trembling voice.

All the traditional business owners in the room had their arms crossed, with smirks of anticipation on their faces.

They were just waiting to see Su Ye get kicked out of the gate like a stray dog.

Su Ye didn't get angry, and his breathing didn't even falter.

He slowly and deliberately unbuttoned his cashmere coat.

He raised his hand, took off the gold-rimmed glasses, and used a checkered handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the dust off the lenses.

"Boss Zhao is right."

Su Ye put his glasses back on, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips.

"Building a building is a matter of conscience; a shell company simply can't do it. We need to find a knowledgeable expert to oversee the process."

He turned around.

The heel of the leather shoe rolled half a circle on the carpet.

Instead of heading out the door, they took a half-step back, clearing the wide passageway behind them.

Everyone was stunned.

I wonder what's wrong with this gangster's son this time.

Su Ye bent down, the hem of his coat hanging down to his knees.

He made an extremely standard and respectful "please" gesture towards the two open, brass-clad doors.

Outside in the corridor, the draft made the thick curtains in the lobby rustle loudly.

Su Ye raised his head, looked out at the empty door, and shouted from his diaphragm.

"Old Xu! These bricklayers who sell fake cement say we lack martial ethics."

His voice carried an undisguised mockery, and his eyes gleamed with the light of someone looking at a dead man.

"Please come in and teach them what the hell architectural rules are!"