I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

When Gu Wantang left Qingshan Cemetery, the sun had already set behind the mountain ridge.

The guard booth was still a little stuffy from the daytime heat.

The black invitation card on the table was put back into the sealed bag and placed next to the anti-flood bottle.

Uncle Zhao stared at it for a long time, his face growing increasingly sour.

"Are you really going?"

Lin Ye closed the notebook.

"Um."

Uncle Zhao cursed.

"You're trying to help? You're just offering yourself up as a gift."

Lin Ye looked down at his work clothes.

He also wore a security guard badge from Qingshan Cemetery pinned to his chest.

He suddenly smiled.

"People might not buy my kind of goods."

Uncle Zhao didn't laugh.

He placed the thermos on the table, and the bottom of the cup made a dull thud.

"Lin Ye, I'm not joking with you."

Lin Ye looked up.

Uncle Zhao stood by the window, the setting sun casting deep shadows on the lines on his face.

He's usually a chatterbox and can easily swear.

This is not like usual.

"All those things before, whether it was the monkey stamp, the snuff bottle, or the jade bracelet, were just the gossip of dead people. You heard them, so you picked up a bargain."

Uncle Zhao lowered his voice.

"Regarding the Gu family matter, Miss Gu took the lead. There were police at the old cold storage facility too. Tonight is different."

Lin Ye didn't reply.

Uncle Zhao looked at him.

"Everyone who goes into that place tonight knows what they want. You're the only one who talks about judging people, but once you're inside, it's hard to say who'll be judging whom."

That's an unlucky saying.

But accurate.

Lin Ye took off the security guard sign and put it in the drawer.

"That's why I don't wear my work uniform."

Uncle Zhao laughed in exasperation.

"Is the focus on the clothes?"

Lin Ye pushed the drawer back.

"The key point is that I don't touch anything."

"You'd better be."

Uncle Zhao wanted to curse again, but in the end he turned around and went into the duty room.

A moment later, he pulled an old cloth bag from the cabinet and tossed it to Lin Ye.

Lin Ye caught it.

He was wearing a dark coat underneath.

The material is so-so, it's faded a bit after washing, and the cuffs are a little fuzzy.

But it's better than work clothes.

"It's my son's," Uncle Zhao said. "He thinks it's unfashionable and has never worn it."

Lin Ye picked it up and looked at it.

"Uncle Zhao, your son is stronger than me."

"Shut up."

Lin Ye put on his coat.

The shoulders are a bit loose, and the sleeves are a bit too long.

Uncle Zhao looked him over and frowned in disgust.

"Like going on a blind date and being rejected."

Lin Ye lowered his head to adjust his cuffs.

"It's better than going to check up on me."

Uncle Zhao couldn't help but curse.

"Keep being sarcastic. You'd better keep being sarcastic tonight."

At 6:30, Tao Shuang's car arrived at the entrance of the cemetery.

Gu Wantang didn't come.

She has already gone to the vicinity of the flea market to make arrangements before entering.

Only Tao Shuang and the driver came.

Tao Shuang glanced at Lin Ye after getting out of the car.

"cell phone."

Lin Ye handed over the phone.

Tao Shuang didn't flip it over, she just put a black phone case on it.

The phone case is very thin, but the right side is a little thicker than the original.

"Location and emergency triggering are both inside. Press the right side three times, and a signal will be received outside."

Lin Ye took it back.

"What if you accidentally press it?"

"Then don't let your hands shake."

"..."

Tao Shuang then handed him a small collar clip.

Lin Ye looked down.

very common.

Like decorative clips that cost a dozen or so yuan each.

"recording?"

"Um."

"Can it be used as evidence?"

Don't think about that.

Tao Shuang said, "You're not going in to investigate. Your job is to protect yourself, gather clues, and keep an eye on people. The real evidence gathering is done by people on the outside."

Lin Ye nodded.

He understood what he was saying.

He can't see himself as an investigator.

He isn't either.

Tao Shuang continued, "Once inside, don't leave Miss Gu's sight alone. Don't drink any wine offered by others. Don't touch the display stand. Don't offer prices voluntarily. If anyone asks what you know, just say you came with an elder to broaden your horizons."

Lin Ye paused for a moment.

"elder?"

"Miss Gu."

Lin Ye thought about Gu Wantang's face.

"Will she hit me if she hears this?"

Tao Shuang said, "You can say 'boss'."

"This is more like a working-class person."

"You always were."

Lin Ye had no way to refute it.

Before I got on the bus, Ning Zhi called.

She could hear the wind blowing over there, and the sound of a spatula scraping against a pan at a pancake stand.

"Are you really going in?"

"Um."

"Are you dressed like a human being?"

Lin Ye looked down at Uncle Zhao's son's old coat.

"reluctantly."

Ning Zhi chuckled softly.

"That's fine then. Don't wear your security guard uniform, or people will think Guiyun Club just hired a new night shift worker."

Lin Ye said, "Reporter Ning, it's inappropriate to attack my profession at this time."

"I'm helping you get used to humiliation in advance."

"Thank you, I've gotten used to it."

There was a two-second silence on Ningzhi's end.

When he spoke again, his voice was lower.

"I'll be outside. After you go in, my colleagues and I will keep an eye on the side entrance, the back alley, and the parking spaces."

Lin Ye frowned.

"Stay away from me."

"Know."

She answered too quickly, and Lin Ye didn't believe her.

"Ningzhi".

There was a pause on the other end.

"what?"

Lin Ye said, "Don't try to be a hero today."

This time, Ning Zhi didn't immediately retaliate.

After a while, she said, "You remember that too."

The phone hangs up.

Lin Ye held his phone and paused for two seconds next to the car door.

Tao Shuang had already gotten into the passenger seat.

"Shall we go?"

Lin Ye glanced back at Qingshan Cemetery.

The setting sun cast its light on the tombstones, illuminating the rows of stone tablets with dark golden edges.

Over in the East District, Old Li was still talking.

"You're leaving already?"

Boss Wei said, "Doesn't Xiao Lin look like he's going to a trap today?"

Old Li said, "Even at the Feast at Hongmen, there's food to eat; this place might not have any."

Grandma Zhao sighed, "Say less."

Old Master Gu snorted coldly.

"What's there to be afraid of? Living people are more troublesome than dead people. Dead people don't bite."

Lin Ye paused in his tracks.

The nameless graves in the western district are silent.

After the box was retrieved from the artificial lake, it became much quieter.

Everything that needed to be said has been said; only one last thing remains for Lin Ye to see for himself.

Lin Ye said in a low voice, "I'll go take a look."

I don't know who I'm talking to.

It could also be something he's saying to himself.

It was already dark when the car drove out of Qingshan Cemetery.

The secondhand market is located in the south of the city.

During the day, the place was completely dilapidated.

Electrical wires hung haphazardly, signs were peeling, vendors sat at their doorways playing cards, and old cabinets and scrap metal were piled up across half the street.

But after 6 p.m., the first half is still a secondhand market, but the second half changes.

The car did not drive onto the main street.

The driver parked the car at an inconspicuous alleyway.

Tao Shuang looked back at the woods.

"Get off here."

Lin Ye looked out the window.

The walls on both sides of the narrow alley are old, with cardboard boxes and plastic baskets piled up at the base.

Further ahead, you can see a few dim yellow lights.

Someone is standing under the lamp.

It's not a street stall.

He stood very straight, and his gaze swept over people without any attempt to conceal it.

Lin Ye got off the car.

The evening breeze carried the smells of cooking oil, dampness, and the musty odor of old wood soaked in rain.

Ningzhi sent a message.

I see you.

Lin Ye looked up and scanned the surroundings.

I didn't see her.

All I saw was a woman wearing a hat standing in front of the pancake stall across the street, looking down with a paper bag in her hand, as if she was waiting for a pancake.

Lin Ye did not turn around.

Typing only:

Don't look at me.

Ningzhi replied:

Don't look for me either, my acting is terrible.

Lin Ye put his phone back in his pocket.

Tao Shuang didn't get too close.

She stood on the outside of the alley entrance, like someone passing by making a phone call.

Gu Wantang waited for him at the end of the alley.

She changed into a dark dress with a light jacket over it, her hair was tied up, and her face was expressionless.

It's different from being in a cemetery.

Now, it's as if she's stepped back into her identity as a member of the Gu family.

cold.

expensive.

They are also not easy to approach.

Lin Ye walked over.

Gu Wantang glanced at his coat.

"Did Uncle Zhao give it to you?"

Lin Ye was stunned.

"How did you figure that out?"

"You wouldn't pick out these clothes yourself."

Lin Ye looked down.

"Very bad?"

"It's very safe."

Lin Ye couldn't help but laugh.

I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult.

Gu Wantang handed him the invitation.

"Once inside, you'll be the person I temporarily bring along."

"What about your identity?"

"A distant relative of a collector from the secondhand market came here for the first time to broaden his horizons."

Lin Ye said, "It sounds unbelievable."

Gu Wantang said, "It's better to be a little evasive. If it's too concrete, it won't stand up to scrutiny."

That's true.

There is a wooden door at the end of the alley.

There was no sign on the door.

Two large celadon jars were placed at the entrance, empty of water, with only a few dried lotus leaves inserted inside.

When Lin Ye saw the two jars, he remembered the photos Ning Zhi had sent him.

So this is the place.

Two men were standing at the door.

One person is looking at the invitation, and the other is looking at the person.

Gu Wantang handed it over first.

After the man finished reading, he did not let them pass immediately.

He looked up at Lin Ye.

"this?"

Gu Wantang said calmly, "The people I brought."

The man smiled.

"Not on the list."

Gu Wantang looked at him.

"My invitation allows one person to come."

The man looked at the woods again.

His gaze swept over her from head to toe.

Lin Ye did not feign composure.

He was just an outsider who came along with his boss to broaden his horizons.

Being too calm looks fake.

So he naturally showed a little discomfort.

He put his hand in his pocket, then put it down again.

Seeing his reaction, the man stopped staring at him.

This kind of place is never short of people who pretend to know everything.

They are also the least afraid of beginners.

Novices are usually the easiest to scare.

The man returned the invitation to Gu Wantang.

"No photos allowed inside."

Gu Wantang hummed in agreement.

Lin Ye followed her inside.

As soon as I crossed the threshold, the smell of cooking oil outside faded.

Inside was a narrow, long corridor.

The walls were painted old, but the lights had been replaced.

The yellow light was suppressed very low.

Several old paintings hang on both sides of the corridor, none of them framed, just clipped together with wooden clips.

Lin Ye didn't dare to look any longer.

Lu Zhixia once said, "If you don't understand something, don't stare at it."

Staring too intently makes it easy for others to notice your guilty conscience.

When you reach the end, the view suddenly opens up.

The Guiyun Clubhouse is much larger inside than outside.

There is a courtyard in the middle.

A glass roof covers the courtyard, and the light falling down looks like a thin layer of water.

The surrounding area consists of two-story wooden buildings.

There are private rooms upstairs.

There are tea tables and low cabinets downstairs.

There weren't many people.

But everyone seems to come with their own price.

Some people were wearing Tang suits, some were wearing Western suits, and one bald man was wearing an exaggeratedly large string of agarwood beads.

No one spoke loudly.

He spoke in a restrained tone.

He suppressed his laughter.

When Lin Ye entered, his first reaction wasn't to look at anything.

Instead, he was a gatekeeper.

main entrance.

Side door.

stairs.

Backstage curtain.

There's also that half-hidden little corridor on the right.

Gu Wantang didn't turn around, but whispered, "Watch who you are."

Lin Ye withdrew his gaze.

"Um."

As soon as the two reached the tea table, someone came to greet them.

The man was in his forties, with a thin face, wearing a gray Chinese-style top, and smiling very politely.

"Miss Gu."

Gu Wantang glanced at him.

"Mr. Bai."

Bai Jingchuan.

Lin Ye remembered this name.

Bai Jingchuan's smile was thin.

But his eyes were always on the forest.

"This person looks unfamiliar."

Gu Wantang said, "A younger relative of a friend."

Bai Jingchuan responded with an "oh".

"To broaden the horizons of young people?"

"Um."

Bai Jingchuan's smile deepened.

"There's a lot of stuff tonight, and young people might get overwhelmed."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye lowered his head and smiled appropriately.

I won't answer.

It doesn't seem too clever.

Bai Jingchuan didn't ask any further questions, but just glanced at his cuffs.

Lin Ye made a mental note of it.

Bai Jingchuan looked at the cuffs, not the face.

This kind of person judges others by their price first.

Cuffs, watch, shoes, cell phone.

The most valuable thing Lin Ye had tonight was probably the phone case Gu Wantang gave him.

Bai Jingchuan quickly looked away.

"Miss Gu, someone on the second floor wants to see you."

Gu Wantang asked, "Who?"

Bai Jingchuan smiled.

"Mr. Pei."

Lin Ye's fingers twitched slightly.

Pei Jingluan.

This name is finally not just a word in photos and documents.

It was actually a living person upstairs.

Gu Wantang's face didn't change much.

"I'll sit down first."

Bai Jingchuan didn't urge him.

"certainly."

He turned and led them to their seats.

As Lin Ye sat down, he heard someone upstairs gently stir a teacup.

The sound was very soft.

But when he looked up, he saw a man sitting behind the second-floor railing.

In her thirties.

Black shirt.

Holding a teacup, her face was half-hidden in the lamplight.

He didn't look at Gu Wantang.

He was looking at the woods.

His gaze wasn't sharp.

It could even be described as peaceful.

But Lin Ye felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

The man put down his teacup.

A floor away, Chong Baijingchuan said:

"From Qingshan Cemetery?"

The voice was not loud.

The nearby tea tables fell silent for a moment.

Gu Wantang looked up.

Lin Ye did not speak immediately.

He first noticed that Bai Jingchuan's smile froze for a moment.

This is more useful than what the man upstairs said.

Bai Jingchuan didn't know.

At least, he didn't know that Pei Jingluan would publicly point out Qingshan Cemetery.

Lin Ye mentally noted this down.

Then, he looked up at the second floor.

"Night shift security guard at Qingshan Cemetery".

His tone was very flat.

"If Mr. Pei wants to inquire about a burial plot, he needs to register during the day."