Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

Next Monday.

Longhai City has unusually good weather.

The sky was so blue that there wasn't a single cloud in it, and the sunlight was so bright that it made the asphalt road reflect light.

Downstairs at Sihai Building.

The black plaque with gold lettering on a background that used to read "Sihai Chamber of Commerce" above the main gate, exuding a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry), was gone.

I don't know when it was taken down.

The pair of menacing stone lions in front of the gate were also removed by two forklifts and replaced with two minimalist modern water feature sculptures.

The plaza in front of the building was packed with people.

The red carpet stretched from the curb all the way to the top of the steps.

Both sides were filled with flower baskets that were half a person tall, exuding a mixed fragrance of lilies and roses.

Reporters with their long lenses and microphones crowded behind the police line, their flashes turning the area into daylight.

"Dear media friends! Please make way and be careful!"

Lei Hu was wearing a perfectly tailored dark blue haute couture suit.

His bald head reflected the light, and although the scars on his face were still there, the pair of non-prescription gold-rimmed glasses somehow suppressed his bandit-like air and gave him a more "scholarly general" feel.

He was holding a walkie-talkie, directing dozens of security personnel wearing white gloves to maintain order.

"Brother Tiger! Mayor Chen's car has arrived!"

Er Lengzi heard the report through his earpiece, quickly came over, and shouted in a low voice.

"Quick! Notify Brother Su!"

Lei Hu straightened his collar and strode forward to meet him.

A black Audi A6 was parked steadily at the end of the red carpet.

Mayor Chen, with a slightly protruding belly, wearing a gray jacket, and beaming, stepped out of the car.

He was followed by several leaders from the municipal party committee office.

"Oh, Mayor Chen! It's such an honor to have you here! I'm so sorry I didn't greet you properly!"

Su Ye strode out of the building.

Today he wore a pure black Italian handmade suit, without a tie, and the collar was slightly open.

He was holding that same silver thermos cup that he never used to carry.

His eyes behind the glasses were sharp yet gentle, and he exuded the composure of a business tycoon.

"President Su, congratulations!"

Mayor Chen took two steps forward, grabbed Su Ye's hand, and shook it forcefully twice.

"The city has taken note of Sihai Group's achievements over the past six months."

He pointed to the towering building, his tone full of admiration.

"From logistics to short videos, and now to shantytown renovation, you've not only boosted GDP but also solved the employment problem for so many people. This is a source of pride for the city!"

"The mayor is overpraising you; it's all thanks to the good policies."

Su Ye smiled neither humbly nor arrogantly, stepped aside, and gestured for them to proceed.

"Please come in. The unveiling ceremony will begin shortly."

It was exactly 10:00 AM.

In the lobby on the first floor of the building, which has a ten-meter-high ceiling.

A promotional video for Sihai Group was playing on a huge LED screen.

There were no sword fights, only images of refrigerated trucks speeding along the highways, lively scenes of farmers promoting their products in short videos, and clean scaffolding on the Sihai Construction site.

Su Ye stood on the podium.

Holding a microphone in his hand, he was surrounded by a sea of ​​flashing lights and celebrities from all walks of life.

"The past year has been very eventful for Sihai."

Su Ye's voice was steady, echoing in the empty lobby.

Some say we're a makeshift operation, others say we're not up to par.

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a proud smile curving his lips.

"But today, all the top executives from around the world are standing here."

He pointed to Lei Hu, Crow, Fatty Liu, and others sitting upright in the front row.

"What they're holding are nationally certified CPA single-subject qualification certificates, Registered Safety Engineer certificates, and Senior Logistics Manager certificates."

A gasp of surprise erupted from the audience.

The reporters stared at each other, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

These tough guys who look like they could pull out a machete at any moment are actually all highly certified professionals?

Is the Sihai Group a monster concentration camp?!

"Starting today."

Su Ye's voice suddenly rose, exuding an overwhelming and domineering aura.

"The former 'Sihai Chamber of Commerce' has officially become history."

He turned around and pressed the red remote control in his hand.

"boom--"

Above the main hall, a huge red silk curtain suddenly fell.

The new logo, crafted from titanium, is revealed on the back.

Four large, modern, simple yet grand characters gleamed under the lights:

[Sihai Holdings]

"Sihai Holdings Group is officially established."

Su Ye turned his head, looked at Mayor Chen below the stage, and then at Shen Qinghan, who was standing in the corner with a complicated expression.

He picked up the thermos and held it high.

"Our goal is Nasdaq."

"It's the stars and the sea."

Thunderous applause erupted instantly.

Lei Hu's eyes reddened with excitement. He took the lead in standing up and clapping, his hands making a deafening sound.

"Brother Su is awesome! Sihai is awesome!"

The underlings below joined in the shouts, the sound almost lifting the roof off.

This beast, which had once lurked in the darkness, has finally washed away the bloodstains, donned the most legitimate and strongest armor, and fully awakened.

……

Evening after the ceremony.

Longhai Municipal Public Security Bureau, Director's Office.

The lights were off inside, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows on the floor through the blinds.

Li Jianguo slumped into a swivel chair.

The old man had his back to his desk, looking out the window at the Sihai Building with its new logo.

The neon lights on the top floor of the building were already lit up, a bright red that stung the eyes.

On the desk.

There were three recently submitted resignation reports and three undercover summary files filled with writing.

They are Gao Qiang, Chen Suan, and Zhou Ming.

Even Zhang Tiezhu, who cleaned the toilets, was forcibly recalled to the bureau.

"Chief."

Captain Gu pushed the door open and came in.

The scar on his head had completely healed, but his complexion looked somewhat ashen.

He was holding a copy of today's newly published "Longhai Evening News".

"Sihai Holdings... has been officially listed."

Captain Gu placed the newspaper on the table, his voice filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.

The front page headline featured a huge color picture.

Su Ye and Mayor Chen stood side by side on the stage, with the glaring titanium logo behind them.

The title reads: "A New Engine for Longhai's Economy: The Path to Legal Transformation for Sihai Holdings Group".

Li Jianguo did not turn around.

He picked up the Red Plum cigarette case on the table, squeezed it, and found it empty.

Frustrated, I threw the empty box into the wastebasket.

Have you looked at the case file?

Li Jianguo's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper, revealing an undeniable weariness.

"I've seen it."

Captain Gu swallowed hard, making a gurgling sound in his throat.

"In Chen Suan's financial report... Sihai Group's accounts are as clean as the city bureau's canteen."

"Gao Qiang also said that the provincial quality inspection bureau went to Sihai Construction three times and couldn't find a single flaw in their project quality. The Luban Award is a done deal."

Captain Gu gave a wry smile and tapped his fingers on the table.

"Chief. We've been struggling with this for almost a year."

"We sent out undercover agents wave after wave, and even Qinghan almost got caught up in it."

"And the result?"

He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Not only did they not uncover any shady dealings, they also helped him eliminate all those old scoundrels."

Li Jianguo closed his eyes.

It felt like a huge boulder weighing a thousand pounds was pressing on my chest.

Over the past six months, he has deduced Su Ye's conspiracy countless times.

Money laundering, transnational drug trafficking, dark web transactions...

He attributed every imaginable heinous crime to Su Ye.

But reality slapped him hard in the face.

Su Ye did not do any of these things.

He even forced all the thugs under his command who wielded machetes to become certified citizens.

He transformed a company involved in organized crime into the top taxpayer in Longhai City!

"Could it be... that he really is a law-abiding entrepreneur?"

Li Jianguo muttered to himself, as if asking Captain Gu, or perhaps asking himself.

"So I've been waging a high-profile crackdown on organized crime this year..."

The old man suddenly let out a hysterical laugh.

The laughter sounded particularly desolate in the dimly lit office.

"I just swept away nothing!"

Captain Gu remained silent.

He felt a pang of sadness as he watched Li Jianguo's back hunch over in that instant.

"Chief, what about Shen Qinghan..."

Captain Gu tentatively asked, "She's still working as a secretary at Sihai, should we bring her back too?"

Li Jianguo opened his eyes.

A trace of unwilling obsession flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

He turned around abruptly and braced himself firmly on the desk with both hands.

"We will not withdraw."

Li Jianguo gritted his teeth, his cheeks twitching.

"This kid is too perfect. So perfect it's frightening."

He stared at Su Ye's smiling face with gold-rimmed glasses on the newspaper.

"Sihai Holdings has such a large footprint, its next step will definitely be to enter the capital market."

"As long as he dares to touch capital, there will definitely be a day when he is exposed."

The old man slammed his fist on the newspaper.

"Have Qinghan keep an eye on things. No matter how clean he tries to be, I'll expose his 'legal' facade!"

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Sihai Building.

Su Ye stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city he had trampled beneath his feet.

"bite."

The elevator doors opened.

Shen Qinghan walked in carrying an itinerary, her high heels making a dull thud on the carpet.

"President Su."

She pushed up her glasses. "The legal department has already prepared the materials for ringing the bell at Nasdaq."

"But... a few big players on Wall Street seem dissatisfied with our background. They want to sabotage our valuation before the IPO."

Su Ye picked up the thermos and slowly took a sip of water.

A chilling glint flashed behind the glasses.

"check?"

He sneered, a crazed smile curving his lips.

"Great. I'm tired of the places in China."

"Then let's go to Wall Street."

He lifted the hem of his coat and turned to walk toward his desk.

"Teach those foreigners, those suit-wearing thugs from the Sihai Group, how to play the game of capital."