Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

The two heavy, brass-clad doors of the hall were pushed open.

The old brass hinges made a long, sharp "creak" that made one's teeth ache.

A sudden gust of cold wind, carrying the scent of late autumn frost, rushed in, dispersing much of the lingering cigar smell in the room.

Su Ye sniffed in the cold wind and casually turned up the collar of his coat.

Xu Dajiang stepped over the high threshold with his hands behind his back.

He was still wearing that faded gray Zhongshan suit, the cuffs of which were already frayed.

The old man walked with a brisk pace, his black cloth shoes making no sound as they trod on the sound-absorbing carpet.

Zhao Hongyuan slumped in the soft chair, his mouth half-open.

The Cuban cigar, as thick as a thumb, fell straight down from his lips.

The cigarette butt, still glowing, hit him squarely in the crotch.

"Aww—"

Zhao Hongyuan suddenly jumped up, his obese body knocking over the coffee table in front of him.

Red wine was spilled all over the floor, and glass shards flew everywhere.

He disregarded his image, frantically slapping the white smoke billowing from his crotch with both hands, his eyes twitching in pain.

Wang Qiang, who was standing next to him, also froze.

His crossed legs dangled in mid-air, and his conspicuous red sock trembled like a leaf.

Director Li, a judge with a Mediterranean disposition, sits on the podium.

He was holding a pen, intending to cross out the name of Sihai Construction.

When he looked up and saw the person, his wrist trembled, and the pen rolled off the table.

"Mr. Xu... Mr. Xu? What brings you here?"

Director Li suddenly pushed his chair back and stood up straight, his stomach hitting the edge of the table with a dull thud.

His oily face instantly lost its color, and he stammered as if he had bitten his tongue.

The judges, who had been so arrogant just moments before, all stood up abruptly, bowed their heads, and called out "Teacher!"

Xu Dajiang ignored them.

Withered fingers pulled a pair of reading glasses from his pocket and slowly placed them on the bridge of his nose.

His murky gaze swept over the big bosses in the first row.

"I'm not coming? If I don't come, the affordable housing project in Longhai City will be ruined by a bunch of scoundrels!"

The old man's voice wasn't loud, but it was hoarse yet possessed a penetrating quality honed over many years on construction sites.

He walked up to the judges' table and pulled out a neat stack of A4 papers from his pocket.

With a flick of his wrist, he slammed his hand down on the table in front of Director Li.

The paper still carried the warm scent of freshly printed ink.

"I'm putting my words here today, old man."

Xu Dajiang pointed at the stack of papers, his knuckles protruding.

"Sihai Construction, I, Xu Dajiang, will serve as the chief engineer. We've submitted our bid."

Zhao Hongyuan had just extinguished the sparks on his crotch, where a black hole the size of a coin had been burned.

Upon hearing this, he disregarded the pain and shouted out with his beady eyes.

"Old Xu! Are you getting senile?! They're gangsters! You're ruining your reputation in your later years..."

"Shut your filthy mouth!"

Xu Dajiang suddenly turned his head and pointed at Zhao Hongyuan's nose.

"You think I don't know what kind of garbage steel bars are stuffed into the load-bearing walls of that Nancheng residential complex you built?"

The old man was so angry that his beard stood on end and his chest heaved violently.

"I'd rather train a bunch of amateurs to learn plastering from scratch than sit on the same bench as you heartless bastards!"

Zhao Hongyuan shrank back as he was scolded, his face turning a deep purplish-red, and he didn't dare utter a single word for a long time.

Su Ye stood a few steps away and rubbed the tip of his nose.

He pulled a mint from his pocket, unwrapped it, threw it into his mouth, and crunched it to pieces.

A refreshing sweetness melts on the tip of the tongue.

This old man's fighting power is even more formidable than that of the Ministry of Justice.

Director Li wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and opened the tender document with trembling hands.

"T-Teacher...this price from all over the world..."

He swallowed hard, his fingers nearly tearing the paper as he turned the pages.

"Only three percent profit margin? That's not even enough to cover labor costs. And this guarantee against forced demolition..."

"If it's not enough, we'll add the rest ourselves!"

Xu Dajiang tapped his fingers on the table.

"Earthquake resistance level eight, all cement grade used is the highest grade on the market. If there's a safety accident, use my old bones to fill the foundation!"

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Those construction bosses who were just swaggering around a moment ago are now all wilted like frostbitten eggplants.

Xu Dajiang is a leading figure in the provincial construction system.

He'd risk his life for this project; which judge would dare say "no"? If they really rejected it, the provincial discipline inspection commission would be investigating their financial records tomorrow.

Director Li and several judges huddled together, whispering a few words to each other.

A tense, sweaty smell permeated the podium.

Su Ye could hear their rapid breathing.

He put his hands in his coat pockets, his fingertips rubbing the cool casing of his phone, and waited patiently.

Less than three minutes later.

Director Li picked up the microphone again, his voice dry and hoarse.

"After...the expert panel reconsidered."

He stole a glance at Xu Dajiang's face, then looked at Su Ye, and sighed resignedly.

"Section 3, shantytown renovation and resettlement housing construction project... won by Sihai Construction."

The voice just fell.

Zhao Hongyuan was so angry that he kicked the leg of the chair in front of him.

A piece of leather was scraped off the toe of his shoe, and he clutched his chest, panting heavily.

Wang Qiang, his face dark, picked up his briefcase and walked out without looking back, knocking over a metal trash can in the aisle.

Half an hour later.

Su Ye took the winning bid notification stamped with a red seal from the clerk.

The edges of the paper are a bit rough.

He glanced down at it; it was a thin sheet of paper, yet its weight made his shoulders feel heavy.

This is not just a project; it's about completely whitewashing the reputation of thousands of people.

Outside the lobby, the sunlight was somewhat dazzling.

Xu Dajiang stood on the steps with his hands behind his back, watching the traffic on the road.

"Kid, we've got the bid. Let me warn you beforehand."

The old man didn't turn his head; his voice was carried away by the wind.

"I'll be entering the market tomorrow. If your men dare to cheat or slack off, I'll ruin your reputation."

"Don't worry, Mr. Xu."

Su Ye took a step forward, his leather shoes making a crisp sound as they stepped on the fallen leaves.

"The team I've chosen for you is absolutely the most obedient and hardworking in the entire company."

He hailed a taxi, opened the door for the old man, and watched the car merge into the traffic.

Su Ye pulled out his Nokia phone, which had been vibrating several times, from his pocket.

I just pressed the answer button.

Lei Hu's booming voice burst from the receiver, making my ears ache.

"President Su! I heard from Director Lin that the bid was won?!"

Lei Hu was panting heavily on the other end of the line, with the background noise consisting of the sounds of loading and unloading goods.

"The brothers are going crazy with joy! How about I set up two tables tonight and drink some Erguotou to celebrate?"

"Screw you. What happened to the important business I asked you to do?"

Su Ye moved his phone further away and held the bid-winning notification in his other hand.

A cold wind blew down his neck, and he instinctively hunched his shoulders.

"It's all done!"

Lei Hu smacked his lips twice on the other end of the phone, as if he were gnawing on something.

"I went to the logistics park to pick some as you instructed. They were all idiots who used to hang out with gangs, brainless but with a lot of brute force."

"Has the leader been decided?" Su Ye asked in a low voice as he walked towards the Maybach.

He opened the car door and sat in the back seat. The warmth of the car enveloped him, and his frozen fingertips finally regained some feeling.

"It's settled."

Lei Hu chewed something, his voice muffled and interspersed with a few coughs.

"There's this kid named Gao Qiang. He's usually so quiet you could barely utter a sound, but he's a hard worker. The other day he smashed his toe while carrying goods, and he didn't utter a single word."

Lei Hu paused for a moment, his tone slightly puzzled.

"But this kid is weird. He likes to hide in a corner and draw whenever he has nothing to do. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"President Su, are you really going to hand over these hundreds of men to him?"

Su Ye leaned back on the leather headrest.

A meaningful smile curved at the corner of his lips, and a glint of light flashed behind his glasses.

"He's the one."

Su Ye lowered the car window halfway and flicked the candy wrapper out of his hand.

"Tell Gao Qiang to bring people to the construction site to collect safety helmets at six o'clock tomorrow morning."

He spoke into the receiver in a very low voice, conveying an unquestionable sense of command.

"Anyone who dares to cause trouble on the construction site will have to bring his head to me."