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

When Lin Ye exited Qingcheng Station, he first looked down at his suitcase.

The lame suitcase continued to clatter rhythmically.

A child nearby stared at it for a long time, then tugged at his mother's hand.

"Mom, is his box sick?"

Lin Ye paused in his steps.

The child's mother awkwardly pulled the child closer to her.

Lin Ye looked down at the box.

Row.

Children speak without restraint, but their words are often accurate.

He dragged his suitcase out, but Su Tinglan's face kept popping into his mind again.

Light beige knitted cardigan.

She speaks slowly and deliberately, and has a beautiful smile.

And that line—

See you later.

Lin Ye touched the tip of his nose.

That's a bit pathetic.

Taking the high-speed train has somehow given me the illusion of bumping into the female lead.

However, we can't entirely blame him.

The main thing is that she is really beautiful.

She's quite good at chatting.

This is very dangerous.

Just as I reached the exit, my phone rang.

It was Gu Wantang who called.

"arrive?"

"Just got off the train."

"Shall we go back to the cemetery first?"

"Okay." Lin Ye glanced at the suitcase in his hand. "Let's settle this patient in first, then I'll come find you."

There was a moment of silence on Gu Wantang's end.

"I'll be waiting for you at the Gu family's."

Lin Ye sensed something was wrong.

"Something happened?"

"We'll talk about it when we get here."

The phone hangs up.

As Lin Ye looked at the screen, the slight sense of relief he had brought from the high-speed train journey vanished almost entirely.

Without delay, he took a taxi back to Qingshan Cemetery.

It was almost dark when the car arrived at the cemetery entrance.

The gate of Qingshan Cemetery remains unchanged.

The light at the entrance was bright white, and the leaves rustled in the wind.

Lin Ye dragged the suitcase inside, feeling inexplicably more at ease.

No matter how big the sea is in Haicheng, it's not his territory.

This is the place.

It's a bit like the underworld.

The lights were on in the guard booth.

Uncle Zhao sat at the table, drinking tea from an enamel cup.

The anti-floating bottle on the table was still there, steadily pressing down on Lin Ye's notebook.

Lin Ye pushed open the door and went in.

"Uncle Zhao, I'm back."

Uncle Zhao looked up at him.

First impressions: face.

The second thing to look at are the arms and legs.

Take a third look at the box.

"Are there any missing parts?"

Lin Ye put the box aside.

"I'm not missing anything, it's missing a wheel."

Uncle Zhao looked down at the box.

"This thing is tougher than your life."

Are you praising me or insulting me?

"You decide for yourself."

Uncle Zhao got up, took a plastic bag from the cabinet, and threw it on the table.

Lin Ye opened it and took a look.

Two tea eggs and one rice ball.

His eyes lit up.

"For me?"

"I bought too much from roadside vendors."

"Uncle Zhao, you bought just the right amount."

Uncle Zhao glared at him.

"Eat it or don't, it's up to you."

"eat."

Lin Ye sat down and began peeling tea eggs.

The egg was still a little warm.

He took a bite and felt a bit better.

"The tea eggs from Qingcheng are still the best. The food in Haicheng is also good, but the grilled squid is too spicy. I asked the owner to make it mild, but he almost gave me a work-related injury from the spiciness."

Uncle Zhao, holding his cup, didn't respond to the question.

"Where did you go?"

"The seaside, the old pier, the pier, the museum," Lin Ye thought for a moment, "and we also visited a few cemeteries."

Uncle Zhao paused for a moment while blowing on the tea.

very short.

Lin Ye was peeling the second egg with his head down, not paying attention.

"You went on a trip to visit cemeteries?"

Uncle Zhao's tone was unreadable.

"It's an occupational hazard," Lin Ye said, taking a bite of his egg. "But the ordinary cemeteries over there aren't very interesting; they're all quiet. The wind is quite strong by the sea, though."

Uncle Zhao glanced at him.

"While others go out to see beautiful women and scenery, you go to look at tombstones. Your mental state is indeed quite suited to visiting cemeteries."

Lin Ye found his words amusing.

"The beautiful woman also looked at it."

Uncle Zhao looked up.

"Um?"

"I met one on the high-speed train," Lin Ye casually remarked. "She was quite pretty and a good conversationalist. She was going to Qingcheng to stay with her cousin, who runs an antique shop."

Uncle Zhao paused again as he held up the teacup.

This time it took longer than before.

"Antique shop?"

"Yes, the area over South Bridge is called Mancang Oldware."

Uncle Zhao lowered his head and took a sip of tea.

"Never heard of it."

"I've never heard of her either." Lin Ye tossed the eggshell into the trash can. "I'll go check her out when I have time. She's a pretty interesting person."

Uncle Zhao didn't scold him.

This is a bit abnormal.

Given Uncle Zhao's usual style, if he heard that he was going to an antique shop, he would at least say something like, "Are you trying to pay tuition again?"

Not today.

Lin Ye looked up at him.

Uncle Zhao had already lowered his head to flip through the newspaper, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Lin Ye didn't think much of it.

Gu Wantang's phone call was still weighing on his mind.

He stuffed two mouthfuls of rice ball into his mouth and mumbled, "I'm going to the Gu family first."

"You just got back and you're already going?"

"She's looking for me."

Uncle Zhao put down his newspaper.

"That girl from the Gu family?"

"Um."

Uncle Zhao looked at him for a long time before saying, "Don't rush headlong into everything."

Lin Ye was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Uncle Zhao, the way you say that makes me sound like Duo Yong. I usually try to avoid things if I can."

Uncle Zhao asked, "Can you hide?"

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

The rice ball in Lin Ye's hand stopped in mid-air.

He looked up, intending to respond to a joke.

Uncle Zhao had already picked up the newspaper again.

"Get lost," Uncle Zhao said. "If you're not coming back tonight, let me know in advance. Don't make me work overtime for nothing."

Lin Ye looked at him for two seconds.

"You're really thinking about having your salary docked?"

"nonsense."

Lin Ye dragged his suitcase outside.

As he reached the door, he glanced back.

Uncle Zhao sat under the lamp, his back seemed a little more hunched than before.

The anti-floating bottle pressed down on the laptop, its shadow falling on the table, motionless.

Lin Ye originally wanted to ask, "Why are you acting so strange today?"

My phone vibrated again.

Gu Wantang sent two words.

"Where are we?"

Lin Ye had no choice but to swallow his words.

"You're gone."

Uncle Zhao didn't look up.

"Um."

After Lin Ye left, the security booth became quiet.

Uncle Zhao put down his newspaper and looked towards the door.

After a while, he reached out and touched the anti-floating bottle on the table.

He muttered a curse under his breath.

"Give me back the beautiful woman."

"You're being watched and you don't even know it."

Lin Ye, of course, didn't hear it.

When he arrived at the Gu's Cultural Tourism Building by taxi, it was already completely dark.

The Gu family building was much quieter than before he left.

The lobby lights were still on, but there were fewer people at the front desk.

Half of the project display boards that were originally hanging on the first-floor wall have been removed, leaving several blank areas that look a bit out of place.

As soon as Lin Ye entered the room, Tao Shuang came out of the elevator.

When she saw him, she said directly, "Miss Gu is upstairs."

Lin Ye observed her expression.

"Is it serious?"

Tao Shuang pressed the elevator button.

"It's more tanned than you."

Lin Ye touched his face.

"Is it that obvious?"

Tao Shuang glanced at him.

I was referring to the Gu family.

Lin Ye: "..."

Row.

This woman can be quite sharp-tongued.

The door to Gu Wantang's office was not closed.

When Lin Ye went in, she was on the phone.

She was wearing a black shirt, her hair was tied back, and there were several documents spread out on the table, with a half-cup of coffee next to her that had gone cold.

"Send me the list of parties withdrawing from the contract and the terms before 10 a.m. tomorrow."

After saying that, she hung up the phone.

Lin Ye parked the box by the door.

"Miss Gu, it's been a few days. Why is your office colder than my cemetery?"

Gu Wantang didn't respond to his pleading.

She picked up a document from the table and handed it to him.

"A lot has happened since you left Qingcheng."

The forest remains untouched.

"you say."

Gu Wantang sat down.

"Lu Zhixia has been transferred back to the capital by her family."

Lin Ye was stunned.

"So sudden?"

"It's nominally a project adjustment, but in reality, it's the Lu family that's behind it."

Lin Ye frowned.

She didn't tell me.

"She doesn't want you to ask any more questions."

Gu Wantang's tone was indifferent.

"They might not want you to get involved."

Lin Ye didn't say anything.

Gu Wantang continued, "Ning Zhi has been expelled."

Lin Ye looked up.

"What?"

"The personnel process was completed the day before yesterday morning, and the compensation was paid."

"What's the reason?"

"Violation of internal regulations."

Lin Ye smiled, but there was no real joy in it.

"That's a really versatile reason."

Gu Wantang pushed another document over.

"She started sending out resumes these past couple of days, and several media outlets and studios have rejected her. They were very polite in their rejections, and their reasons were pretty much the same."

Lin Ye gripped the edge of the document.

He pressed the paper until it creased slightly.

Where is Pei Jingluan?

Gu Wantang glanced at him.

"They were fished out."

Lin Ye paused.

"Who has the power to get involved in something this big?"

"have no idea."

Gu Wantang said, "The process was very clean, and the materials were all there, but it was too fast."

"Where are the others?"

"Missing."

The office was silent for a few seconds.

The traffic outside the window stretched far into the distance, the lights sliding past in streaks.

Lin Ye suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

It felt like being targeted by some enormous creature.

Gu Wantang added, "It's the same on the Gu family's side."

Lin Ye looked at her.

"Several key partners have simultaneously suspended cooperation." Gu Wantang opened the documents. "Two projects had already signed supplementary agreements, but today they suddenly requested a reassessment of the risks."

"What about the bank?"

"The credit line is stuck."

"Gu Mingyuan's side has also been completely cut off."

"Gu Mingyuan originally thought someone would protect him, but now all the connections related to him are being pushed onto him," Gu Wantang said. "Jiang Cheng's side has also been controlled; he's submitted the materials he could, but he can't get involved in anything he shouldn't. Bai Jingchuan, on the other hand, has been pushed out to shield him from some of the issues."

Lin Ye leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time.

Lu Zhixia returned to the capital.

Ningzhi lost her job.

Pei Jingluan was rescued.

Gu's financing is stuck.

Gu Mingyuan was thrown out to take the blame.

Jiang Cheng was separated.

Bai Jingchuan was pushed forward to take the blow.

Everything proceeded according to normal procedures.

But it all seems too coincidental.

It was so coincidental it made my scalp tingle.

Lin Ye flipped through two pages of the document.

Several words appear repeatedly above.

time out.

withdraw.

Re-evaluate.

risk.

Process.

It's incredibly clean.

It's incredibly annoying.

"So," Lin Ye looked up, "this is the force behind Pei Jingluan?"

Gu Wantang leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose.

This action is rarely seen on her.

"Linye."

"Um."

"This time, we may have run into a powerful force we shouldn't have."

Lin Ye didn't respond immediately.

He thought of Su Tinglan on the high-speed train.

I remembered her saying that she was going to Qingcheng to stay with her cousin.

I remembered the name of that shop.

The warehouse is full of old artifacts.

South Bridge.

Antique shop.

These things can't be pieced together yet.

But now he finds it hard to believe in the word "coincidence."

Gu Wantang looked at him.

"Have you encountered anything unusual while you were in Haicheng these past few days?"

Lin Ye paused, his fingertips pausing.

The office was quiet.

The light from outside the window shone in and fell on the edge of the document.

He thought for a moment and didn't mention Su Tinglan first.

"The grilled squid was too spicy."

Gu Wantang's eyes darkened.

"Let's get down to business!"

Lin Ye paused for a moment.

"I met a woman on the high-speed train."

Gu Wantang looked up.

Lin Ye touched the tip of his nose.

"Don't look at me like that. I haven't even said she has a problem."

"What's her name?"

Lin Ye was silent for a moment.

"Su Tinglan".

Gu Wantang noted down the name, but didn't immediately call her Tao Shuang.

"What does she do?"

"They said they were going to Qingcheng to stay with their cousin. Their cousin runs an antique shop in Nanqiao called Mancang Oldwares."

Gu Wantang stopped writing.

She looked up at Lin Ye.

"You think it's a coincidence?"

Lin Ye smiled.

"I now realize that the biggest delusion I ever had was believing in coincidence."

Gu Wantang did not laugh.

She closed the file.

"Don't go to that store yet."

Lin Ye looked at her.

Gu Wantang said, "At least don't go alone."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ye's phone lit up.

A new message popped up on the screen.

From a contact I just added.

Su Tinglan.

"I've arrived at my cousin's house."

"Lin Ye, come visit Mancang Antique Warehouse sometime. My cousin said he can give you a friendly price."

Lin Ye stared at the message, remaining motionless for a long time.

Gu Wantang saw it too.

The office was so quiet that only the sound of the air conditioner could be heard.