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

The room fell silent.

The water on the stove was still boiling, and the kettle lid was bouncing up and down.

Lin Ye looked at Pei Jingluan; his palms were slightly damp.

This statement was practically tantamount to handing a knife to his face.

It's impossible to admit it.

Never in this lifetime.

Even if Pei Jingluan only suspected it, and even if he dug up the nameless tomb overnight, carried it to the table, and asked, "Is this it?", Lin Ye would still insist on his innocence:

do not know.

Have not heard.

I'm just an unlucky security guard.

A person can be poor, but they should never be soft-spoken.

Especially now.

Lin Ye glanced down at the teacup on the table, then looked at Pei Jingluan.

"Mr. Pei, that's a bit too much of an honor for me."

He smiled.

"If I truly understood the dead, the first thing I would do right now wouldn't be sitting here drinking tea."

Pei Jingluan remained silent.

Bai Jingchuan stood by the door, his hand still on the doorknob, his expression already quite unpleasant.

Gu Wantang sat beside her, her fingertips gently pressing the cup lid.

Lin Ye continued, "I should recommend a set meal to Mr. Bai first."

Bai Jingchuan: "..."

Lin Ye was very sincere.

"Grave plot, wreaths, urn, all in one package. Order now and we can still book before Qingming Festival."

Bai Jingchuan's face turned green.

Gu Wantang glanced at Lin Ye.

That glance was very short.

But Lin Ye inexplicably understood.

It roughly means: You're really not afraid of death.

Pei Jingluan chuckled.

"Mr. Lin is very good at changing the subject."

"no way."

Lin Ye said, "It's a basic skill for working people. When the boss asks about performance, I change the subject; when relatives ask about salary, I change the subject; when Mr. Pei asks about dead people, I have to change the subject even more. Otherwise, it's too unlucky."

He finished speaking and sighed.

"We also have rules in our cemetery. We avoid talking about the dead in front of the living, as it can negatively impact the customer experience."

Bai Jingchuan said coldly, "You think you're funny?"

Lin Ye looked at him.

"Mr. Bai, if I weren't humorous, I'd be crying right now."

After those words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment.

This time, even Bai Jingchuan didn't answer immediately.

Pei Jingluan looked at Lin Ye.

His gaze wasn't as cold as before, but it didn't relax either.

It felt like something had finally been confirmed.

This cemetery security guard might not be that capable.

But it's really hard to scare them in the conventional way.

If you hold a knife to his neck, his first reaction won't be to beg for mercy, but to ask if the knife has been sharpened.

bother.

It's really annoying.

Pei Jingluan put the beads back on the table.

"Mr. Lin, I don't like beating around the bush."

"What a coincidence."

Lin Ye said, "I like it. Going in circles is safer, and I'm less likely to bump into a wall."

Gu Wantang put down her teacup.

"Mr. Pei, it must be quite lively downstairs."

Pei Jingluan didn't look at her.

"What's the rush, Miss Gu?"

"I'm afraid the tea will get cold."

"The tea can be brewed again if it gets cold."

Lin Ye added, "It's hard to say what will happen if the snacks get cold."

Bai Jingchuan's eyelids twitched.

Lin Ye seemed not to see it, and pushed the oiled paper in front of Gu Wantang towards the center of the table.

"Especially mung bean cakes that are processed via cold chain, they tend to melt if left out for too long."

Bai Jingchuan's face darkened completely.

Pei Jingluan also glanced at the oiled paper.

The aroma of tea in the room suddenly seemed to be suppressed.

Everyone knows that this wasn't referring to desserts.

He was referring to the tea room.

It's a hidden door behind the cabinet.

It was that white refrigerated box.

Pei Jingluan slowly leaned back in her chair.

"You acted faster than I expected."

Gu Wantang said calmly, "Mr. Pei is also quite efficient."

Bai Jingchuan's phone vibrated again.

This time it wasn't just once.

hum.

hum.

hum.

It's like a death knell.

He glanced down, and his face visibly darkened.

Lin Ye thought to himself, "Whoa!"

If this guy were any darker-skinned, he could easily play Bao Zheng (a famous judge in Chinese history).

Pei Jingluan asked, "What's wrong?"

Bai Jingchuan didn't speak immediately.

Pei Jingluan looked at him.

Bai Jingchuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he lowered his voice: "Someone has come in downstairs."

"Who?"

"There are also police officers involved in the cultural relics inspection."

Lin Ye's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally felt a little relieved.

Just a little bit.

It cannot all fall.

If a place like Shanhai Night Banquet could be easily subdued with just a simple "inspection team is coming," then that would be a gross underestimation of their years of illegal competition.

Pei Jingluan's expression remained unchanged.

He simply raised his hand and turned down the fire.

The lid of the kettle has stopped popping open.

The room fell silent.

But then there was some commotion downstairs.

First, someone spoke.

The voice was not loud.

Then came the sound of a chair being moved.

Then someone asked, "What do you mean? An inspection? An inspection of what?"

I couldn't hear what was being said through the floorboards.

But the sense of panic was already palpable.

Like a pot of porridge, it eventually burned at the bottom.

Bai Jingchuan turned to open the door.

Gu Wantang suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Bai."

Bai Jingchuan turned around.

Gu Wantang said, "It's not appropriate for you to go out now."

Bai Jingchuan sneered: "I'm in my own territory, can't I even go out?"

"able."

Gu Wantang said, "But when you go out, they might ask you first why you were moving the old cabinets and file boxes out the back door."

Bai Jingchuan's fingers stiffened.

Gu Wantang continued, "If you can answer the question, of course you can leave."

Lin Ye, who was listening nearby, almost wanted to applaud.

Miss Gu's mouth is usually silent, but when it does open, it's a precise headshot.

Bai Jingchuan didn't move.

Footsteps came from the stairs outside the door.

Take it one step at a time, no rush.

Soon, someone knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

Bai Jingchuan didn't open it.

Tao Shuang's voice came from outside the door.

"Miss Gu, the cultural relics inspectors have arrived."

Gu Wantang looked at Pei Jingluan.

"Mr. Pei, shall we go downstairs together?"

Pei Jingluan picked up her teacup and took a sip.

"Miss Gu, please."

This person is really steady.

Lin Ye looked at him and couldn't help but curse inwardly.

This level of composure is comparable to that of a director in a typical company who can present a PowerPoint presentation until 3 a.m. without batting an eye.

They've already investigated my face, and I can still drink tea.

It's too curly.

The door opened.

Tao Shuang stood outside the door, with short hair, wearing a black coat, and her face expressionless.

She only glanced at Lin Ye.

very short.

Lin Ye, however, understood.

The back alley blocked the way.

The item is there.

The person is also there.

But the white box has not yet been confirmed.

His heart jumped again.

Indeed, we shouldn't be too happy too soon.

As they went downstairs, Lin Ye followed behind Gu Wantang.

Pei Jingluan walked beside her.

Bai Jingchuan lagged behind by half a step.

The atmosphere downstairs is no longer the same as it was before, a "refined gathering".

To put it bluntly, everyone was just pretending to be cultured.

Now everyone pretends to be an ordinary passerby.

The bald man who was staring at the bronze artifacts with gleaming eyes just moments ago is now drinking tea with an innocent expression, as if he's attending a calligraphy class at a senior citizens' university.

The old man in the Tang suit is even more outrageous.

He tucked the small magnifying glass into his sleeve slowly, as if it weren't a magnifying glass but a family heirloom rheumatism plaster.

The young man in the light-colored suit sat ramrod straight, his face etched with apprehension.

I just came with a friend.

I know nothing.

I don't even know the word "bronze".

Lin Ye wanted to laugh.

If Ning Zhi were here, she could have come up with a headline for this scene.

Shocking! The grand banquet at the mountain and sea turned into a tea party in an instant, with everyone pretending to be blind.

Several people were standing in the middle of the courtyard.

Two police officers in uniform.

Three cultural relics inspection staff members.

The leader was a man in his forties, wearing glasses, and holding identification and a document in his hand.

He didn't shout loudly, nor did he bang on the table.

His tone was very steady.

"We have received a tip that there may be illegal cultural relics trading activities at Guiyun Guild Hall tonight. Vehicles in the back alley have been temporarily controlled in accordance with the law. Please cooperate with the investigation if you are on site."

Bai Jingchuan walked down the last step and greeted him with a smile.

"Misunderstand."

He spoke very fluently.

They're so skilled at it that they've already bought an annual pass for those two words.

"Tonight is just a private tea party, where everyone is exchanging old items; there's no trading involved."

The leader looked at him.

"Bai Jingchuan?"

Bai Jingchuan's smile remained unchanged.

"it's me."

"Are you in charge of receiving guests at Guiyun Club tonight?"

Bai Jingchuan paused for a moment.

"I guess so."

Please cooperate.

Before Bai Jingchuan could say anything more, Pei Jingluan had already come down the stairs.

As soon as he appeared, the people downstairs clearly quieted down.

Interesting.

When the cultural relics inspectors arrived, they panicked.

When Pei Jingluan came down, they panicked even more.

Lin Ye saw this and became even more certain.

Pei Jingluan is not the only one in this situation.

But he's the one who can shut these people up tonight.

Pei Jingluan walked to the edge of the courtyard, her tone very calm.

"Everyone has worked hard. Please cooperate when necessary, and don't give the impression that we in the secondhand market don't know the rules."

That's a well-said statement.

With a simple "we should cooperate," he absolved himself of all responsibility.

The phrase "People in the secondhand market know the rules" helped to calm the crowd.

If Lin Ye hadn't known there was a white box in the backstage area, he almost would have presented him with a banner.

Master of crowd control of the year.

The lead cultural relics inspector looked at Pei Jingluan.

"Pei Jingluan?"

"Yes."

Who is the actual controller of Qinglan Consulting?

Pei Jingluan smiled.

"Business information isn't exactly a secret."

"Are the old cabinets and filing boxes found in the back alley related to you?"

"I haven't seen it yet, so it's hard to say."

This answer is very much like Pei Jingluan's.

deny.

I don't deny it.

Slippery as an eel in a hot pot restaurant, trying to maintain her figure even when facing certain death.

Gu Wantang then spoke up: "In the file box found in the back alley, there are old collection transfer materials from the Qingdao Museum, numbered QBM-17-0429."

A very slight commotion arose downstairs.

The bald man nearly knocked the teacup off the edge of the table.

The old man in the traditional Chinese suit finally stopped pretending to be a senior citizen and his face turned very pale.

Pei Jingluan looked at Gu Wantang.

"Miss Gu, you're quick with your news."

Gu Wantang said, "He can't compare to Mr. Pei; he even took photos of Qingshan Cemetery."

The lead cultural relics inspector looked at Gu Wantang.

"Ms. Gu, we will need your cooperation in explaining the relevant materials later."

"Can."

Gu Wantang said, "But there's still one box that hasn't been found yet."

Bai Jingchuan immediately asked, "What box?"

Lin Ye almost burst out laughing when he heard this.

Mr. Bai's acting skills, well, let's just say they're...

It has a kind of clear feeling, like "Why is there ice in my refrigerator?"

Gu Wantang did not answer.

She looked at Lin Ye.

In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on them.

Lin Ye: "..."

No.

Why is it my turn again?

He's just a security guard.

Security guard, understand?

My job is to be a gatekeeper.

It's not about playing Werewolf at a crime scene involving cultural relics.

Pei Jingluan also looked at him.

His eyes held a hint of coldness.

Lin Ye sighed inwardly.

have to.

With just a glance from the boss, work resumed.

He raised his hand and touched the tip of his nose.

"I just feel that..."

Bai Jingchuan looked at him coldly.

Lin Ye didn't look at Bai Jingchuan.

He looked at the cultural relics inspectors who were leading the team.

"The air conditioning is quite strong over there in the break room."

Bai Jingchuan immediately said, "Is it strange that there are chilled snacks in the tea room?"

"Not surprising."

Lin Ye nodded.

"I asked the same question just now, and Mr. Bai even showed me an ice pack. The service was really attentive; it almost moved me to tears."

Someone nearby let out a suppressed laugh.

He quickly swallowed it back.

Lin Ye continued, "It's just that the snack box didn't have wheels, and there are wheel tracks on the ground."

Bai Jingchuan's expression changed.

"Are you in the break room for snacks or to investigate a case?"

"Have some snacks."

Lin Ye was very calm.

"But I'm poor, so I'm used to checking the environment before eating out. If it's too expensive, I can leave beforehand."

The bald man finally couldn't help but let his lips twitch.

Gu Wantang glanced at Lin Ye.

There was a hint of speechlessness in his eyes.

The head of the cultural relics inspection team understood.

"Where is the tea room?"

Bai Jingchuan still wanted to stop him.

Pei Jingluan suddenly said, "Let them see."

Bai Jingchuan suddenly looked at him.

"Mr. Pei."

Pei Jingluan said in a calm tone, "Since they're just snacks, what's wrong with looking at them?"

Bai Jingchuan's lips moved.

He didn't say anything more.

Lin Ye was not at ease.

Pei Jingluan's willingness to let people see indicates that he judged the box to be no longer there.

Or at least, he believed that a routine examination would only reveal tea leaves and snacks.

This person did not make a mistake.

He was betting that the hidden compartment was deep enough.

The cultural relics inspectors, police officers, Gu Wantang, and Tao Shuang walked together into the small corridor on the right.

Lin Ye followed.

This time, Bai Jingchuan didn't stop him.

He just followed behind, his face as gloomy as if his year-end bonus had just been stolen.

The door to the tea room was pushed open.

The inside is still the same as before.

tea tray.

Kettle.

Snack box.

Clean and tidy, as ordinary as can be.

If I were to shoot a short video and post it online, the title would probably be:

The boss calls this the back office, but it's actually just a haven for employees to slack off.

The cultural relics inspectors looked around.

Where are the chilled snacks?

Bai Jingchuan walked over, opened the low cabinet, and took out the small silver box.

"here."

The box is opened.

Ice packs, snacks, and fruit.

Everything is available.

That makes perfect sense.

It's so reasonable it's almost annoying.

The cultural relics inspectors didn't rush to speak.

Lin Ye stood at the door and did not go inside.

He was afraid that once he went in, Bai Jingchuan would say, "He was at the scene," and pin the blame on him.

He can't take the blame for this.

It's mainly ugly.

Gu Wantang didn't move either.

Tao Shuang squatted down and looked at the ground.

She didn't touch it with her hands.

I only took out my phone and took one picture.

"There are watermarks here."

Bai Jingchuan said, "It's normal for the ice pack to have watermarks after it melts."

Tao Shuang said, "The watermarks are coming from under the cabinet."

Bai Jingchuan paused for a moment.

Lin Ye added quietly from the side, "The ice pack can even move around; it's pretty smart."

Gu Wantang: "..."

Tao Shuang: "..."

Bai Jingchuan seemed eager to tell him to shut up.

The cultural relics inspectors walked to the innermost tall cabinet.

The cabinet door is a slightly newer color than the ones next to it.

Lin Ye only dared to glance at it just now.

Now we can finally watch it openly and honestly.

Cool.

There's a certain satisfaction in finishing a paper after staying up all night and finally clicking submit.

Cultural relics inspectors reached out and pulled open the cabinet door.

It didn't move.

Locked.

He turned to look at Bai Jingchuan.

"key."

Bai Jingchuan said, "This is a private locker, and it's full of tea."

"key."

Bai Jingchuan did not move.

The police officer stepped forward.

The tone was not harsh.

Please cooperate.

The air suddenly tightened.

The people downstairs stopped chatting and all perked up their ears.

Lin Ye even suspected that the old man in the Tang suit was now more concerned about the cabinet door than he was.

Pei Jingluan stood outside the tea room and did not come in.

He looked at the tall cabinet, his face expressionless.

Bai Jingchuan finally pulled a key out of his sleeve.

The movements are very slow.

It was as slow as if he were mourning his own career.

Insert the key.

Click.

The cabinet door opened.

Inside were several rows of tea canisters.

Purple clay pots, tin pots, wooden boxes.

They were arranged neatly.

There is no cold chain box.

Bai Jingchuan visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"As you can see, it's all tea."

Lin Ye saw it too.

They are all tea.

However, the bottom panel of the cabinet is a lighter color than the sides.

Although the tea canisters were arranged neatly, there was a gap about one finger's width left at the bottom.

Cold air was seeping out through that crack.

It's very light.

Like an air conditioner enthusiast who refuses to admit it.

Tao Shuang saw it too.

She stood up and looked at the cultural relics inspectors.

"Base plate".

Bai Jingchuan's expression changed.

"Don't go too far."

Gu Wantang's tone turned cold.

"Bai Jingchuan, it's a bit too late for you to say that now."

Bai Jingchuan looked at Pei Jingluan.

Pei Jingluan did not look at him.

He only looked at Lin Ye.

His gaze was indifferent.

But Lin Ye inexplicably felt a chill down his back again.

The cultural relics inspectors put on gloves and reached out to tap the bottom of the cabinet.

thump.

thump.

The third time, the sound was hollow.

thump.

No one spoke in the break room.

But a very inappropriate thought popped into Lin Ye's mind.

It’s over.

The CPU in this cabinet got overheated.

The cultural relics inspectors felt the hidden clasp on the right side of the bottom of the cabinet.

Just a gentle press.

The base plate sank in a little.

Then it popped open a crack.

A burst of cold air came out.

It's much heavier than before.

A young inspector next to him shone a flashlight inside.

The light fell, illuminating a section of the white box.

A tattered red seal was affixed to the side of the box.

Three letters are visible above.

QBM.

The room was completely quiet.

Bai Jingchuan's face turned pale.

Gu Wantang remained silent.

Pei Jingluan finally withdrew her gaze from Lin Ye and smiled to herself.

The laugh was very soft.

It was impossible to tell whether he was annoyed or found it absurd.

Lin Ye stood at the door and slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately.

The snacks weren't a waste.

Mung bean cakes can be considered a small contribution to the cause of cultural relic protection.

The cultural relics inspectors turned around, their voices becoming serious.

"The site is under lockdown."

The police officers immediately stepped forward.

Bai Jingchuan wanted to retreat, but Tao Shuang blocked him.

Tao Shuang's voice was cold.

"Mr. Bai, don't move."

Bai Jingchuan looked at the white box in the cabinet, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"This is not mine."

Lin Ye couldn't help but whisper a reply:

"Yes, he hid the snacks himself."

Gu Wantang finally turned her head and glanced at him.

"Shut up."

Lin Ye immediately shut up.

Row.

The boss spoke.

The main characteristic of working people is that they listen to advice.

But the next second, a commotion suddenly broke out downstairs.

Someone shouted, "Stop!"

Immediately following was the sound of a chair falling over.

Everyone in the break room looked up.

Bai Jingchuan suddenly looked outside.

Pei Jingluan stood at the door, her expression still calm.

But Lin Ye noticed that one of the beads on his finger was broken.

The beads fell onto the old wooden floor.

It rolled and rolled to the foot of the forest.

stopped.