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

When Lin Ye stood in front of the old sea burial monument in Haicheng, it was raining in Qingcheng.

The rain wasn't heavy.

Fine, dense raindrops fell on the glass window of a gray building in the old town, and streaks of water slid down its surface.

A sign hangs on the small building.

Qingcheng Cultural Relics Restoration Center of the Sizang Foundation.

The sign was inconspicuous, gray with black lettering, and the edges were damp with rain. Passersby would at most glance at it and probably assume it was some obscure organization that relied on subsidies to survive.

The air conditioning in the conference room on the third floor was set low.

Several exquisite teacups were placed on the long table, but the tea had gone cold and no one dared to touch them.

The projection screen took up half of the wall.

It was covered with names and lines.

The projected image is a relationship diagram.

At first, the diagram was a mess.

Gu's Cultural Tourism.

A17.

Qingdao Museum Temporary Exhibition.

Zheng Shouan.

A banquet amidst mountains and sea.

Guiyun Clubhouse.

Lu Zhixia.

Ningzhi.

Gu Wantang.

Pei Jingluan.

Bai Jingchuan.

Jiang Cheng.

Liu Jiankun.

Secondhand market.

pawn shop.

Jiahe Auction.

Qingshan Cemetery.

A line extends from next to each name.

There is a flow of funds.

There are call records.

There are surveillance screenshots.

There were forwarded emails.

The money has arrived in my bank account.

There are vehicle tracks.

There is an auction registration.

There are also a few photos of the forest.

The first picture shows Lin Ye at the entrance of the Nanqiao Secondhand Market, carrying a black plastic bag.

The second picture shows him coming out of the pawnshop, looking down at his phone.

The third picture is of Lu Zhixia standing next to him at the entrance of Jiahe Auction House.

The fourth picture is of Gu's Cultural Tourism Hall, where he is sitting in a corner, looking like a temporary worker who has mistakenly wandered into a high-end place.

The fifth picture shows the security booth at Qingshan Cemetery. Lin Ye is wearing a security guard uniform and holding a flashlight.

The photo is unclear.

But enough to see his face.

Young, ordinary, and even a bit unlucky.

A young man stood next to the projection screen and reported in a low voice: "Old Wen, what we can confirm at the moment is that Lin Ye is a 23-year-old male, a local of Qingcheng, a graduate of an ordinary university, who was briefly unemployed after graduation, and started working as a night shift security guard at Qingshan Cemetery three months ago."

As he spoke, he turned to the next page.

"Before joining the company, my personal assets were basically zero. After joining the company, I experienced several unusual gains."

A list of records popped up on the screen.

Stamp album.

snuff bottle.

Jadeite bracelet.

Proceeds from small auctions.

Gu's security assistance fee.

There are also a few cash flow transactions that were not fully investigated.

The young man continued, "He's not an antiques major, has no degree in cultural relics or museums, and has no background in the collecting world. He had no record of having any contact with antiques before joining Qingshan Cemetery."

Someone in the meeting room whispered, "Could someone be coaching him behind his back?"

No one responded.

Wenren Heng slowly turned the sandalwood beads in his hand.

The beads made a very soft sound when they touched each other.

Who taught you?

His tone was very gentle.

The man immediately shut up.

Wenren Heng looked up at the projected screen.

"Lu Zhixia?"

The young man shook his head: "The timing doesn't match. Lin Ye's first lucky break was before he met Lu Zhixia."

"Gu Wantang?"

"That doesn't add up either. Gu Wantang's formal contact with Lin Ye occurred after the Gu family's line of events."

Wenren Heng nodded.

He didn't get angry.

They didn't even raise their voices.

But the air pressure in the conference room was noticeably lower.

He picked up the teacup.

"continue."

The young man turned the page.

This is the night shift schedule for Qingshan Cemetery.

Lin Ye's name was circled in red.

"The night shift security guards at Qingshan Cemetery were originally Zhao Jianguo and another temporary worker on rotation. After Lin Ye joined the company, he was mainly responsible for patrolling the area where the west and east sections meet at night."

He paused here.

"Zheng Shou'an's unmarked grave is also on the edge of the western district."

Zheng Shouan's file popped up on the projected screen.

Former warehouse manager of Qingcheng Museum.

He died three years ago.

No immediate family members have claimed the body.

Unnamed graves in Qingshan Cemetery.

The name will be restored later.

Wenren Heng looked at the file, and paused for a moment while holding the beads in his hand.

Who handled Zheng Shou'an's case?

A middle-aged woman next to her whispered, "Qingbo originally suppressed it. Gu's side was only responsible for the project handover; it shouldn't have been brought up again."

Wenren Heng looked at her.

"But it came out."

The middle-aged woman bowed her head.

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

The young man reduced the size of the relationship diagram.

All the lines began to converge again.

Gu's Cultural Tourism extends into the forests and fields.

The fake exhibits at the Qingdao Museum lead to the woods and fields.

Zheng Shou'an returned to his name, and his journey continued into the woods and fields.

A banquet by the mountains and sea stretches into the forests and fields.

Lu Zhixia walked towards the forest.

Ningzhi, stretching towards the forest and fields.

Gu Wantang, heading towards the woods.

Secondhand markets, pawnshops, auction houses, and even the woods stretch out to the countryside.

At the end of the screen, only one name remained, wrapped in a string in the very center.

Forest.

No one spoke in the meeting room.

Wenren Heng stared at that picture for a long time.

So long that the people around him thought he was angry.

But he just smiled.

"interesting."

His voice remained slow.

"A security guard who had just graduated made a fortune in three months, then entered the antique circle, then got involved with the Gu family, then met the Qingbo Museum, and then stumbled upon the Mountain and Sea Banquet."

He put down his teacup.

Do you think this is luck?

No one dared to answer.

Wenren Heng then asked, "Was it Gu Wantang who broke Qingcheng's strategy?"

The middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment: "Judging from the results, Gu Wantang did indeed benefit the most."

"She's the one who took over, not the one who started it."

Wenren Heng tapped the table with his finger.

The sound wasn't loud.

a bit.

Two times.

Everyone in the meeting room tensed up.

He said slowly, "In this game in Qingcheng, the real variable is Lin Ye."

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone in the conference room understood.

This name can no longer be considered ordinary.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Wen, should we just bring it back?"

Wenren Heng glanced at him.

That glance was very peaceful.

The person asking the question immediately shut their mouth.

"What are you going to do with it?"

Wenren Heng said, "Let him sit here and ask him why he became rich? Ask him if someone tipped him off? Ask him how a cemetery security guard could always hit the mark?"

He paused for a moment.

"If I ask, will he tell me?"

No one answered.

Wenren Heng picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The tea has gone completely cold.

He frowned and put the cup aside.

"Don't scare him."

"People like that are scared away and hard to find."

The young man bowed his head and took notes.

"Check first."

"Within 24 hours, I need everything I can find about Lin Ye, from his birth to the present."

"Family, school, work, bank statements, online shopping records, call records, travel records, social relationships, hospital records."

"We need to know where he went, where he stayed, who he met, and which places he visited."

The young man nodded immediately: "Yes."

Wenren Heng looked at the corner of the screen again.

There was a schedule for Qingshan Cemetery.

Zhao Jianguo's name was listed above Lin Ye.

Note: This employee works the night shift.

Wenren Heng asked, "Has this old security guard surnamed Zhao been investigated?"

The young man turned the page: "Zhao Jianguo, 59 years old, a long-time employee of Qingshan Cemetery. He mainly worked the night shift before, and everyone called him Uncle Zhao. After Lin Ye joined the company, the two of them had the most frequent handover."

"Bring it over to ask."

The assistant nodded: "Tonight?"

"tonight."

"clear."

Wenren Heng spoke in a nonchalant tone, as if he were simply suggesting changing the teapot.

"Don't kill him."

The young man was taken aback.

Wenren Heng looked at him, his tone still gentle and mild.

"What I'm saying is, don't kill him, and don't maim him. Old people can be frightened a little, that's enough. I want him to talk, not shut up."

The young man had some sweat on his back.

"clear."

Wenren Heng then looked at the middle-aged woman.

"What's the situation with Pei Jingluan?"

The middle-aged woman immediately replied, "They're still in the detention process."

"That good-for-nothing bastard, let's get him out of here for his father's sake."

The middle-aged woman looked up: "Now?"

"Now."

Wenren Heng's voice was not hurried.

"Go through the process cleanly, leaving no hard traces. After you come out, you are not allowed to return to the Pei family; take you directly for questioning."

"Yes."

"Where is Gu Mingyuan?"

"He has been suspended from his post, and the Gu family is still conducting an internal audit. He is trying to shift the blame onto Jiang Cheng and Liu Jiankun."

After listening, Wenren Heng slowly picked up a sandalwood bead from his hand.

"For someone like him, not being able to answer his calls is worse than death."

No one laughed in the meeting room.

Wenren Heng said, "Let him carry it himself."

"Cut off any connections related to him. Let him know that even powerful backers aren't family, and that even those backers need to cut their losses."

The middle-aged woman nodded.

"Where are Jiang Cheng and Bai Jingchuan?"

"Jiang Cheng submitted the document version records. Bai Jingchuan insisted that he was only receiving guests."

Wenren Heng said, "Keep Jiang Cheng around, don't push him too hard. A cornered dog will bite."

"Throw Bai Jingchuan out. He's best suited to hold off for a while."

He spoke one sentence at a time.

His tone was neither cold nor harsh.

But the people at the table became quieter and quieter as they took notes.

Wenren Heng continued, "Ningzhi."

The young man retrieved the data.

"Reporter: I wrote an initial draft about the 'Mountain and Sea Night Banquet' event, but the full content has not yet been officially released."

"Shut her up."

Wenren Heng spoke very casually.

"Don't use force. This kind of person is like a leech; the more you hit them, the more they stick to you."

"Contact the platforms, media outlets, and studios one by one. Make sure she wakes up tomorrow with her job gone, and that everyone politely rejects her resume."

The young man nodded: "Understood."

"Lu Zhixia".

The screen was projected with a photo of Lu Zhixia.

Wearing a white shirt and black trousers, he stood outside the Qingdao Expo exhibition hall with a blank expression on his face.

Wenren Heng looked at her for a while.

"Someone from the Lu family?"

"Yes. The Lu family in the capital has connections in the cultural relics system. Her coming to Qingcheng was partly due to a project transfer, but more importantly... it was to make arrangements from home."

Wenren Heng chuckled.

"Then let her family call her back."

"The reasons don't need to be complicated."

"Qingcheng is not safe. It's not appropriate for a young woman like her to stay here."

That sounds like something an elder would say out of concern.

No one in the meeting room felt warm.

Where is Gu Wantang?

The middle-aged woman took out the financial statement of Gu's Cultural Tourism.

"Gu's Cultural Tourism is currently being temporarily managed by Gu Wantang. She is investigating the accounts left behind by Gu Mingyuan."

Wenren Heng looked at the form.

"Keep her busy."

"One bank credit card, the partner drags their feet, and a few shareholders knock on the door."

"Don't kill him all at once."

"Let her feel like she can still manage, then slowly discover that each step will come at a higher cost."

The middle-aged woman paused for a moment after writing this down.

Wenren Heng looked at her.

"Did you understand?"

She nodded quickly: "I understand."

"Let the Gu family propose a marriage alliance in exchange for resources."

Wenren Heng spoke in a very soft tone.

"She will refuse."

"If she refuses, it will create another problem."

"Let her devote all her energy to the Gu family."

No one spoke in the meeting room.

It's still raining.

The watermarks on the glass were blown askew by the wind.

Wenren Heng finally looked away from the projection screen.

He looked at a man sitting in the far corner.

The man was probably around fifty years old, wearing old cloth shoes, with deep-set eyes, and holding a thermos cup in his hand, with a little steam rising from the rim.

He remained silent.

It's like they're there to listen in.

Wenren Heng spoke up: "Mr. Lai."

The man looked up.

"Um."

Wenren Heng pointed to the Qingshan Cemetery projected onto the screen.

What do you think of this place?

Mr. Lai squinted and looked for a while.

The screen only showed a satellite image of Qingshan Cemetery.

The East Zone, West Zone, Back Hill, Main Road, and Security Post are clearly marked.

Mr. Lai placed the thermos on the table and pointed with his finger at the location where the West District and the back mountain meet.

"here."

The young man immediately zoomed in.

Mr. Lai frowned.

"It's not clear from the picture."

"I need to go to the scene."

Wenren Heng asked, "You feel there's something there?"

Mr. Lai did not answer immediately.

He stared at the picture for a long time before saying, "It's hard to say."

"Perhaps the location is wrong."

"It could also be the wrong person."

"Perhaps..."

He paused for a moment.

"It's the lower part that's wrong."

After he said that, the air conditioning in the conference room seemed to quiet down a bit.

Wenren Heng smiled.

"That would be even more interesting."

He stood up.

The others followed suit and stood up.

Wenren Heng walked to the projection screen and raised his hand to enlarge the photo of Lin Ye's security booth.

In the photo, Lin Ye is wearing a security guard uniform, holding a flashlight, and has a somewhat lazy expression, as if he had just been woken up from bed to go to work.

Wenren Heng looked at the photo, his tone very soft.

"A lowly security guard."

"It can turn this game around for Qingcheng."

He turned around.

Don't underestimate him.

"Don't scare him away."

"First, subdue the people around him one by one."

The young man asked in a low voice, "And what about Lin Ye himself?"

Wenren Heng twirled the sandalwood beads in his hand again.

"Didn't he go on vacation?"

"Let him have fun, watch from a distance, and don't touch him."

He smiled.

"People are most likely to reveal their true colors when they are relaxed."

The meeting ended at 1 a.m.

The orders were issued one by one.

Twenty minutes later, the editor-in-chief of Ningzhi's platform received a call.

Forty minutes later, one of Gu's Cultural Tourism's partners withdrew the email overnight.

An hour later, someone in Lu Zhixia's house was woken up.

At 3 a.m., Pei Jingluan's bail application was submitted for processing.

As dawn approached, an inconspicuous black minivan was parked on the small road outside Qingshan Cemetery.

The car lights were off.

The windshield wipers swayed slightly.

The people in the car were looking in the direction of the security booth.

Uncle Zhao is still not awake.

Only a small light was on in the window of the security booth.

The anti-floating bottle, which cost 18,000 yuan, sat quietly in the corner on the table.

The notebook was still under the bottle.

Inside the black van, someone asked in a low voice, "Shall we make our move now?"

The person in the passenger seat glanced at the time.

"Wait for him to come out."

"Don't move around in the cemetery."

Someone in the back seat chuckled.

"What, afraid the dead in the cemetery will find out?"

The passenger in the front seat didn't laugh.

He looked at the dark gate of Qingshan Cemetery and lowered his voice.

"It's hard to say. You arrived late and haven't witnessed Master Lai's methods."

Raindrops fell outside the window.

Qingshan Cemetery was so quiet it was as if no one knew anything.