Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

Midnight, top-floor office of Sihai Group.

The radiator pipe in the corner was a bit loose, and warm water dripped into the red plastic basin below.

The room was filled with a strong smell of goji berries.

The red landline on the desk vibrated incessantly, like a death knell.

Su Ye leaned back in the black leather boss's chair, his fingertips tracing the chipped edge of the stainless steel thermos.

The temples of his gold-rimmed glasses pressed against his temples, and he rubbed his aching brow.

"Hey, Director Sun. Still up so late?"

Su Ye held the receiver between his ear and shoulder, freeing his hand to unscrew the cup lid.

"Oh... The Zhao family of the capital asked you to put in a good word for them? They said they're young and impetuous, and asked me to be lenient?"

The receiver carried Director Sun's bureaucratic, tentative questioning tone.

Su Ye chuckled softly, tapping his fingers on the table with a muffled sound.

"Director Sun, it's not that I'm not giving you face."

"They drove a bulldozer into my construction site in broad daylight and smashed my Maybach into a metal box."

"My more than 30 employees were squatting in the mud, covering their heads, and being kicked."

He paused, his tone turning cold.

"Now you're bringing up youthful impetuosity with me? Am I supposed to buy some fruit and visit him in jail to comfort him?"

The person on the other end of the phone was speechless.

Before the other party could respond, Su Ye slammed the receiver onto the landline and unplugged the phone line.

The world is quiet now.

Lei Hu stood by the door like a black iron tower.

He was wearing a cropped gray sweater today, and his thick fingers were idly picking at the splinters on the door frame.

"Brother Su, how many is this? Our old landline is practically smoking."

Lei Hu curled his lip, looking impatient.

"If you ask me, let that little bastard surnamed Zhao spend his whole life picking up soap in there!"

Just then, there was a light knock on the solid wood double door of the office from the outside.

Shen Qinghan pushed open the door and came in. Her high heels stomped on the wool carpet without making a sound.

A man who was as fat as a ball was following behind her.

It's Zhao Hongyuan.

The fat man was wearing a wrinkled black woolen overcoat. As soon as he entered the room, a strong smell of cheap cigars, carried by the cold wind, hit him.

Su Ye frowned slightly and pushed the thermos forward.

"Mr. Su..."

Zhao Hongyuan's legs were cramping, and he gripped the hem of his coat tightly with both hands.

His forehead was covered in glistening sweat, which trickled down his cheeks and splattered onto his collar.

"What brings you here in the middle of the night, Boss Zhao?"

Su Ye leaned back, crossed his legs, and raised his chin slightly.

Zhao Hongyuan swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with difficulty.

"Um... Young Master Zhao's godfather asked me to pass on a message to you."

He took half a step forward, his voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum.

"The Zhao family is willing to pay double the amount to settle this out of court! Twenty-six million! In cash! It will be transferred to Sihai's account first thing tomorrow morning."

As Zhao Hongyuan spoke, he glanced at Su Ye's expression out of the corner of his eye.

"Old Master Zhao said that if this matter escalates to the point of mutual destruction, it will end up looking bad for everyone."

"You...you should know when to quit while you're ahead. In Longhai City, having more friends means having more options."

These words were laced with a sharp, blatant barb.

Upon hearing this, Lei Hu's eyes widened, and he slammed his large palm directly onto the filing cabinet next to him.

The metal cabinet crashed with a loud bang.

"Who the hell are you trying to scare!"

Lei Hu strode over, grabbed Zhao Hongyuan by the collar of his coat, and lifted him up like a chick.

"Trying to act like a big shot on our turf? Believe me or not, I'll throw you out the window and feed you to the dogs right now!"

Zhao Hongyuan was so frightened that his face turned ashen, and his short legs kicked wildly in mid-air, with a faint smell of urine wafting out.

"Tiger, put it down. Are you going to wash the carpet if you get it dirty?"

Su Ye didn't even lift his eyelids, picked up the cup and blew on the steam rising from the water.

Lei Hu snorted coldly and loosened his grip.

Zhao Hongyuan fell to the ground with a thud, his fat body jiggling, and he gasped for breath.

Su Ye took a sip of hot tea, the sweetness of the goji berries sliding down his esophagus into his stomach, making him feel warm and cozy.

"Twenty-six million? The Zhao family is quite generous."

A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips as he coldly stared at Zhao Hongyuan's face.

"Go back and tell that old man."

"Sihai Group is a law-abiding and legitimate company. We do not engage in underhanded tactics like private settlements or double-crossing."

"You want my legal department to drop the case? Fine."

Su Ye raised a finger, the tip reflecting a cold light under the lamp.

"First, the assessed loss of 13 million will be transferred to the company's corporate account in accordance with legal procedures, without missing a single penny."

He then raised his second finger.

"Second, make sure the Zhao family is featured on the front page of three mainstream media outlets: the National Economic Morning Post, the People's Legal Daily, and others."

"Published in the newspaper for three consecutive days."

"I hereby issue this public apology, using my real name, to my Sihai Group and to the 36 employees on the construction site!"

The room fell into a deathly silence after those words were spoken.

Lei Hu's mouth was open, and he forgot to close it.

Shen Qinghan stood to the side, her nails digging into her palms as she suppressed the shock in her heart.

Should the Zhao family of Beijing issue an apology on the front page of national newspapers?

This is tantamount to tearing off the face of someone's ancestors for eighteen generations, throwing it on the ground and stomping on it!

Zhao Hongyuan collapsed to the ground, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets, and his tongue was tied in knots.

"Su... Su Ye... You're insane! The Zhao family could never agree to such conditions!"

"Are you trying to tear a hole in the sky?!"

"You won't agree?"

Su Ye chuckled softly, stood up, and walked to the French windows.

A cold wind seeped in through the cracks in the window, causing the hem of his coat to sway slightly.

"Then let Young Master Zhao rot in jail."

He turned around, revealing an undisguised sharpness behind his glasses.

"see a visitor out."

……

Two o'clock in the morning, Beijing, the Zhao family's old residence.

The study was filled with the smoke of expensive sandalwood incense.

On the rosewood armchair, Old Master Zhao was wearing a dark red silk jacket.

He was holding a smooth, rounded purple clay teapot in his hand.

As he listened to the reply from Longhai City, the old man's breathing became increasingly heavy.

His chest heaved violently like a bellows, and a wheezing sound came from his throat.

"Publicate in the newspaper? And on the front page for three consecutive days?!"

The old man suddenly raised his voice, shattering all the composure he had maintained in his Beijing accent.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged out like gnarled tree roots.

"Bang!"

He smashed the Ming Dynasty purple clay teapot, worth the price of a courtyard house, onto the blue brick floor.

Broken porcelain shards flew everywhere, and scalding tea splashed onto the back of his foot, causing his muscles to twitch.

The secretary standing in front of the desk was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe, her back hunched over, her shirt soaked with cold sweat.

"Sir, please calm down... take care of your health."

"I'm not going to calm down, my foot!"

Old Master Zhao clutched his aching chest and slumped back into his armchair.

He was panting heavily, his trembling fingers pulling open a drawer and pulling out a small white plastic medicine bottle.

He poured out a few quick-acting heart pills, didn't even look at them, and stuffed them directly into his mouth, swallowing them without even drinking water.

The bitter taste of the medicine spread in my mouth, barely suppressing my palpitations.

"A local tyrant from a small place, after a few days of trying to whitewash his image, really thinks he's something special!"

He bit his yellowed dentures, a sinister glint in his eyes.

The secretary mustered her courage and moved forward a little.

"Sir, should we... still try to rescue the young master? The evidence from Longhai City is irrefutable; several high-definition cameras were filming it."

The secretary lowered her voice and swallowed.

"The higher-ups are about to reshuffle leadership and investigate misconduct. If Su Ye really blows this up and it attracts the attention of the disciplinary committee..."

"Your career is likely to be affected."

Upon hearing the words "official career".

Old Master Zhao froze, the anger in his eyes completely extinguished by a bucket of ice water.

He closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent for a full five minutes.

The only sound in the study was the ticking of the Western clock on the wall.

When he opened his eyes again, the madness in the old man's eyes was gone, leaving only a deathly gray.

"go."

His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against glass.

"Go to the finance department and allocate thirteen million."

The old man's withered fingers gripped the armrests of the armchair so tightly that his nails were almost broken.

"Contact those newspapers. Place an ad as he instructed!"

The secretary was stunned, her face filled with disbelief, and her lips trembled slightly.

"Sir! The reputation of our Zhao family..."

"Do as I say!" Old Master Zhao suddenly roared, and before he could catch his breath, he coughed violently.

He coughed until his face was red, tears welled in his eyes, and he stared intently in the direction of Longhai City.

"Keep your head down for now. Wait until things calm down..."

The old man wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, a ferocious smile spreading across his face.

"Prepare the coffin and head to Longhai City to collect that Su guy's body!"