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

Gu Wantang looked at Gu Mingyuan.

"What you just said is recorded in the conference room."

Gu Mingyuan's face turned ashen.

"Gu Wantang, don't try to scare me with these word games."

"Whether it's a word game or not, you can explain it to the investigators."

Gu Wantang picked up her phone and glanced at the message Tao Shuang had just sent.

She didn't show her phone to Gu Mingyuan.

It simply flips the screen back onto the desktop.

"Gu Mingyuan, from this moment on, you are suspended from all positions at Gu's Cultural Tourism. All documents related to A17, Qinglan Consulting, and Hongyun Cold Chain in the company's legal, financial, and project departments are to be sealed up."

Gu Mingyuan slammed his hand on the table.

"What gives you the right?"

Attorney Shen raised his head, his tone very calm.

"Risk control. If you disagree, we can proceed with the board meeting later. But for now, you can no longer access the relevant documents."

Gu Mingyuan sneered.

"Shen Zhixing, don't forget, you are Gu's lawyer."

Attorney Shen took off his glasses and slowly wiped them.

"That's why I'm sitting here now."

Gu Mingyuan stared at him, his eyes looking as if he wanted to tear him off the chair.

Tao Shuang then pushed the door open and came in.

"Jiang Cheng has arrived."

The air in the conference room visibly paused for a moment.

Lin Ye looked up.

Gu Mingyuan's expression changed.

Gu Wantang put down the pen in her hand.

"What's he doing here?"

"He said he had a few contracts left in the legal department this afternoon and needed to come and pick them up," Tao Shuang said. "He also brought two assistants, but they were stopped by the security guards downstairs."

Attorney Shen smiled.

"Pick up the contract at 2 AM?"

Lin Ye couldn't help but chime in, "With Attorney Jiang's level of dedication, it would be a shame not to give him an Outstanding Individual Award."

Gu Wantang looked at Tao Shuang.

"Let him come up."

"it is good."

Tao Shuang turned and left.

Not long after, Jiang Cheng was led to the door of the conference room.

Jiang Cheng was in his forties, dressed in a sharp suit, his hair neatly combed.

It looks very professional.

After he entered the room, he first glanced at Gu Mingyuan.

Their eyes met briefly, then quickly looked away.

They have great chemistry.

Jiang Cheng placed his briefcase on the table.

"Ms. Gu, Attorney Shen, it must be tiring for you to be at the company so late."

Gu Wantang didn't try to reason with him.

"What did Attorney Jiang come to pick up?"

"The contract I reviewed this afternoon."

Jiang Cheng spoke in a very steady tone.

"The Ministry of Justice notified me that several documents still need to be checked for the use of official seals, so I came over to confirm."

Attorney Shen looked at him.

"Who notified you?"

Jiang Cheng paused for a moment.

"Xu from the Legal Department."

Attorney Shen looked at Tao Shuang.

Tao Shuang said in a low voice, "Xiao Xu leaves work at 10:30, and the access control record has been checked. He hasn't entered the company since 11:00."

Jiang Cheng's smile faded slightly.

But there was no panic.

"I might be mistaken. I spoke to him on the phone this afternoon."

Attorney Shen said, "The call records will also be verified."

Jiang Cheng nodded.

"certainly."

Lin Ye sat beside him, listening in a daze.

No wonder he's a lawyer.

They're so shameless; even when someone's face is pressed so close and the camera is so wide, they still don't flinch.

Gu Wantang pushed several photos of contracts on the table towards her.

"A17 Project Supplementary Explanation, Old Warehouse Outsourcing Agreement, Qinglan Consulting Cooperation Memorandum. Were these documents handled by you?"

Jiang Cheng glanced down at it.

They did not deny it immediately.

He said, "I did the formal review."

Attorney Shen asked, "Is it just a formality?"

"right."

Jiang Cheng said, "The client provides the basic information, and I am responsible for the contract format, compliance of the terms, and the seal application process. As for the actual use of the project and the actual flow of funds, that is not within my scope of review."

Lin Ye translated it in his mind.

It means:

I only care about the form and process, not the specific content.

Gu Mingyuan said coldly, "Jiang Cheng, you were the one who drafted these contracts. Now you want to absolve yourself of responsibility?"

Jiang Cheng looked at him.

"Mr. Gu, I'm just stating the facts."

"fact?"

Gu Mingyuan chuckled.

"The truth is, you've taken consulting fees from Gu's Group for so many years, and when things go wrong, you're the first to run away."

Jiang Cheng's expression darkened slightly.

"Mr. Gu, you must be responsible for your words."

"So you know you have to take responsibility, huh?"

Just as Gu Mingyuan was about to continue, Gu Wantang tapped the table.

The sound wasn't loud.

But that's enough.

"Are you done arguing?"

The meeting room fell silent.

Gu Wantang looked at Jiang Cheng.

"Attorney Jiang, you just said that you only conduct formal reviews."

"Yes."

"And what about these red circles?"

She pushed over several torn pages of contracts marked with red pen annotations.

Jiang Cheng looked down.

This time, his expression finally turned ugly.

Lin Ye saw it all and knew what was going on.

The red circle touched him.

Attorney Shen projected the photos that had just been sent from the file box in the back alley onto the conference room screen.

One after another.

These are all file pages.

Some pages have yellowed edges, and some have folded corners.

The common feature is that they all have red circles.

Some have circled project numbers.

Some payment methods are available.

Some of these are shell company names.

One of the photos has a very faint abbreviation next to the red circle.

GMY.

The atmosphere in the meeting room immediately became tense.

Gu Mingyuan stared at the screen, his face ashen as if he had been skinned alive in public.

Jiang Cheng lowered his head and touched his briefcase.

Attorney Shen immediately looked over.

"Attorney Jiang, don't touch the bag yet."

Jiang Cheng stopped moving.

He raised his head.

"Attorney Shen, what do you mean by this?"

"The relevant information is currently under investigation. We advise you not to do anything that could easily cause misunderstanding."

Gu Wantang turned to Jiang Cheng.

Let me explain the red circle.

Jiang Cheng remained silent for a few seconds.

These are not my annotations.

"Whose?"

"I have no idea."

Gu Mingyuan immediately sneered.

"Don't know? Jiang Cheng, that's not what you said on the phone just now."

Jiang Cheng looked at him.

"Mr. Gu, the reason I reminded you to process the documents on the phone is because these documents might be misinterpreted, not because I know who drew the red circles."

"Misinterpretation?"

Attorney Shen adjusted his glasses.

"Attorney Jiang, the document circles the shell company, the transshipment route, and the payment points. Do you think this is a misinterpretation?"

Jiang Cheng did not answer immediately.

He knew very well that if he misspoke even one word, it would be difficult to recover later.

Lin Ye suddenly remembered the words that Old Master Gu used to say to Jiang Cheng.

"That guy surnamed Jiang hides his documents better than his personal stash of money. The more you look for legitimate case files, the less likely you are to find them. He likes to stuff key attachments into unrelated old projects, making it a headache for anyone who tries to investigate."

When Grandpa Gu was cursing so fiercely, Lin Ye almost thought he was just venting.

In retrospect, while the old man was indeed swearing, he also conveyed a great deal of information.

Lin Ye looked at Attorney Shen.

"Attorney Shen."

"Um?"

"Are there any old case files that... seem completely unrelated, but were filed in the same batch as A17?"

Attorney Shen reacted quickly.

"Archived in the same batch?"

"For example, community renovation, park greening, and exhibition setup."

Lin Ye said, "The more common the name, the better. So common that people won't be interested in reading it."

Attorney Shen narrowed his eyes.

He turned to his assistant and said, "Check the archived list from three years ago, by archived date, person in charge, and batch number of stamps used."

Jiang Cheng tapped the table lightly with his fingers.

a bit.

It's very light.

But Lin Ye saw it.

He smiled.

"Attorney Jiang, you wouldn't have hidden crucial information in the 'Greenery Maintenance Agreement for a Certain Industrial Park,' would you?"

Jiang Cheng looked at him.

"Mr. Lin, you have a very rich imagination."

"good."

Lin Ye said, "The main reason is that the landscaping in the cemetery is quite complex, and I feel a sense of immersion in it."

Gu Wantang didn't laugh.

She looked at Jiang Cheng.

"You can still take the initiative to explain now."

Jiang Cheng finally stopped pretending to be relaxed.

He sat up a little straighter.

"Ms. Gu, let me repeat myself, I'm only responsible for the documents. Authorizations, contracts, and supplementary instructions are all issued according to the client's requirements. I don't handle the actual flow of goods, vehicles, or boxes at all."

Lin Ye clicked his tongue inwardly.

This statement matches the note on the back of the business card from before.

Jiang Cheng was only responsible for preparing documents.

Money and goods never pass through his hands.

However, "only making documents" does not mean that one was not involved.

There's a saying: "Better to fall on shit than on paper." Documents have a lot of power.

Add one more explanation, and the goods can be transferred.

With a stamp, counterfeit goods can enter the process.

Change a single word, and the story of stolen goods can be completely transformed.

Attorney Shen got the results quickly.

The assistant turned the computer over to me.

"Found it. Among the files from three years ago, there was a 'Qingcheng Old Street Lighting Maintenance Project'."

Lin Ye almost choked on the name.

"Lighting maintenance?"

This name is too safe.

It's as safe as hiding your secret stash of money in a "Five-Year College Entrance Examination and Three-Year Simulation" book.

Attorney Shen opened the folder.

It is indeed full of lighting maintenance materials.

Streetlights.

Landscape lighting.

Nighttime tours.

The first few were normal.

Until the last attachment.

The file name is:

Supplementary pages to the exhibition lighting safety assessment.

Attorney Shen clicked on it.

A scanned document popped up on the conference room screen.

The first page looks fine.

The second page is incorrect.

The terms "temporary exhibition support warehouse", "A17", "Qinglan Consulting" and "temporary transfer coordinator" appeared on it.

There is a line of small print on the third page.

Party B shall be responsible for coordinating the temporary storage, external transfer, and security coverage of the collections for the Qingdao Museum's temporary exhibition.

There is no signature from Gu Mingyuan below.

There is only one red circle.

It's focused on the words "safety coverage".

Next to it is the abbreviation GMY.

Attorney Shen's face darkened.

"This is not lighting maintenance."

Jiang Cheng finally spoke.

"That's a supplementary attachment."

Gu Mingyuan suddenly looked at him.

"Jiang Cheng!"

Jiang Cheng did not look at him.

"Mr. Gu, there's no point in pretending anymore."

The meeting room fell silent.

Jiang Cheng slowly pushed his briefcase to the center of the table.

"There's a catalog in the bag. It's not the original; it's just a version number record I kept."

Tao Shuang stepped forward.

She took a picture first, then opened her bag.

Take out a USB drive and a stack of print catalogs.

The USB drive was not plugged directly into the computer.

Attorney Shen took the printed catalog, flipped through two pages, and his expression grew even colder.

The directory lists a series of filenames.

A17 Project Supplementary Document.

Qinglan Consulting entrusted coordination agreement.

Hongyun Cold Chain Safe Transportation Instructions

Temporary instructions for use of the Qingdao Expo Temporary Exhibition Auxiliary Storage.

The bottom line is handwritten.

Memorandum on the handling of abnormal review data by Zheng Shouan.

Gu Wantang's fingers tightened slightly when she saw this line.

When Lin Ye saw this, he felt a pressure on his chest, as if something had pressed down on him.

Jiang Cheng said, "I didn't touch that bronze vessel, nor did I go to the back of the Guiyun Club. President Gu asked me to prepare the documents, which I did. How Pei Jingluan clarified the source and found a buyer is not my responsibility."

Gu Mingyuan sneered.

"You're really washing your hands of this now."

Jiang Cheng looked at him.

"Mr. Gu, if I really wanted to absolve myself of all responsibility, I wouldn't have come to pick up the materials tonight."

"You're here to destroy the materials."

"They're here to leave themselves a way to survive."

Jiang Cheng lowered his voice.

"You want me to shift all the blame onto Pei Jingluan, to portray A17 as a regular warehouse, Qinglan Consulting as a third-party service provider, and Liu Jiankun as someone who profited personally. Fine, I'll write it. But don't forget, there are always traces in the chain of documents."

Gu Mingyuan's face was gloomy.

"Are you threatening me?"

"It's not a threat."

Jiang Cheng said, "This is a reminder to you: don't try to use me as a disposable glove, and don't try to make me take the blame."

Lin Ye nodded in agreement.

Gu Wantang looked at Jiang Cheng.

"Who instructed you to handle Zheng Shou'an's information?"

Jiang Cheng paused for a moment.

"Mr. Gu."

"What should we do?"

"Make it into 'invalid old case data of warehouse abnormality' and do not include it in the formal project file."

"Where are the things?"

"I didn't get the original."

Jiang Cheng said, "I've only seen the catalog of the copies. The originals should be in the old archives of the Qingdao Museum, or in Zheng Shou'an's own possession. Later, when Pei Jingluan inquired about this, I learned that they hadn't found the complete set either."

No one spoke in the meeting room.

This sentence is very important.

Pei Jingluan didn't find them all either.

That's why he used the torn pages to test Lin Ye.

That's why the nameless tomb is still being repeatedly mentioned all these years.

Because the truly complete loop was only slowly pieced together tonight from the white box and the back alley archives.

Gu Wantang asked, "What else do you have?"

Jiang Cheng looked at her.

"The complete funding path is unknown. It's in the hands of President Gu and Qinglan Consulting."

Gu Mingyuan sneered.

Jiang Cheng ignored him.

"But I have a record of document version changes. Who requested modifications, who requested deletions, who requested changing 'collection' to 'exhibition materials,' and who requested changing 'temporary storage' to 'lighting safety coverage'—all have timestamps."

Attorney Shen looked at him.

Why did you keep these?

Jiang Cheng smiled.

"Lawyer's habits."

Lin Ye whispered, "To translate, it's because we're afraid the boss might betray us one day."

Jiang Cheng glanced at him.

This time, there was no rebuttal.

Gu Wantang said, "Hand it over."

Jiang Cheng did not agree immediately.

He looked at Attorney Shen.

"I can cooperate, but I want to submit it through the formal inquiry process, not privately here."

Attorney Shen nodded.

"Reasonable."

Gu Wantang didn't press the issue.

This relieved Jiang Cheng.

Gu Wantang picked up her phone.

"Tao Shuang, contact the investigation team. Attorney Jiang is willing to submit document version records and a table of contents, requesting that we proceed with the formal procedures."

Tao Shuang nodded.

Gu Mingyuan suddenly smiled.

"Good, very good."

He looked at everyone in the conference room.

Finally, his gaze fell on Lin Ye.

"They're all just waiting to see me fall."

Lin Ye looked up.

"Mr. Gu, what you said is not quite accurate."

Gu Mingyuan looked at him coldly.

Lin Ye said very seriously, "It's not mainly about waiting. It's that you poured it quite quickly yourself."

Gu Mingyuan suddenly stood up.

Tao Shuang took a step forward.

Gu Wantang looked at him.

"Gu Mingyuan, every word you say now could become the subject of a subsequent investigation."

Gu Mingyuan's chest heaved a few times.

In the end, he said nothing more.

He just gave Lin Ye a fierce look.

There was hatred, panic, and a hint of inexplicable fear in his eyes.

Lin Ye did not hide.

He suddenly remembered the nameless grave in the western section of Qingshan Cemetery.

Zheng Shou'an was probably seen by this kind of person before his death.

I was warned.

It was crushed.

At that time, he was not with Gu Wantang, Attorney Shen, Tao Shuang, or body camera.

Footsteps could be heard outside the meeting room.

Tao Shuang answered a phone call, and her expression quickly changed.

She looked at Gu Wantang.

"There's something happening at the Qingdao Museum."

Gu Wantang looked up.

"What's wrong?"

Tao Shuang said, "The cultural relics inspection team has notified Qingdao Museum that the relevant display cases have been temporarily closed. The museum's expert team is entering the museum overnight."

She paused for a moment.

"Lu Zhixia was also invited over."

Lin Ye's phone vibrated almost simultaneously.

He looked down.

It's Lu Zhixia.

Only one sentence.

"I'm going into the museum now. The item in the display case will be removed from the inspection list tonight."

Lin Ye held his phone and looked at it for a while.

The conference room was still lit by a glaring white light.

Contracts, torn pages, red circles, and a catalog were spread out on the table.

Gu Mingyuan sat there, his face gloomy.

Jiang Cheng lowered his eyes, as if he had finally unloaded half of the weight.

Gu Wantang stood beside the main seat without saying a word.

Lin Ye slowly folded the phone back into his palm.

The counterfeit goods in the display case are finally going to be taken down.