The three of them arrived outside the gallery, and Lin Xiwei gestured for Lin Yulan to use the key to unlock the door.
But Lin Yulan decided to put on a show. She crossed her arms, lifted her chin, flaring her nostrils at Lin Xiwei:
“Don’t think that just because Grandpa’s backing you, you can smoothly marry Brother Nan Cheng. I’m telling you, I’m the one who’s truly been in love with him for two years.”
Lin Xiwei couldn’t help but admire the early-stage Lin Yulan—her brain was clearly still underdeveloped. Compared to the scheming, manipulative “green tea” version she would become later, this version was almost laughably naïve.
“If I’m not mistaken, the person who helped you retrieve the letters each time should have been your good little brother, right?”
“That’s right, it was Haojie,” Lin Yulan said smugly, determined to outshine Lin Xiwei:
“Brother Nan Cheng was only being careful because of the elders. Next time he comes, I’ll produce those love letters as proof. Hmph! Let’s see how you compare then.”
Lin Xiwei understood immediately—Lin Yulan had been tricked by Lin Haojie.
This only confirmed Lin Xiwei’s suspicion that Lin Haojie must be a time traveler. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know so much information in advance or be able to manipulate Lin Yulan so easily.
Seeing Lin Yulan’s clueless, foolish expression, Lin Xiwei didn’t bother reasoning with her and simply urged:
“Open the door.”
Lin Yulan snorted but had no choice but to unlock it:
“Dad said I have to watch you, so you don’t take any valuable treasures from the gallery.”
Lin Xiwei couldn’t help but press her lips together and glanced at Wang Ma:
“Coincidentally, I was worried you’d lock me in and run off. Wang Ma, stay by the door and keep an eye on Lin Yulan.”
“Yes, Miss Xiwei,” Wang Ma nodded knowingly.
“You!” Lin Yulan stomped her foot in anger, but Wang Ma restrained her so she dared not act out:
“Fine, I’m not going in. I’ll just guard the door. Anyway, I’ll frisk you when you come out.”
Lin Xiwei didn’t bother responding and turned to enter the gallery.
This gallery was the least noteworthy of the Lin family’s assets, long neglected and usually closed.
At the end of last year, Lin Chengyou had returned to the city with his family, and one evening he suddenly said he wanted to go to the gallery.
Grandpa Lin Weixin didn’t oppose him and casually agreed.
Over the past six months, Lin Chengyou and Lin Haojie had been coming to the gallery every day, busy with… something. Nobody knew exactly what.
…
Lin Xiwei turned on the lights and entered. On the walls hung numerous Western oil paintings and watercolors, all contemporary works of little value by unknown artists.
The truly valuable antiques and cultural artifacts of the Lin family had been plundered in batches by all sorts of people.
The sculptures that couldn’t be moved had been smashed or burned on the spot, just to vent anger on them.
Lin Xiwei walked to the far end of the gallery, making sure Lin Yulan couldn’t see her from the door, before she began her work.
The scrolls leaning casually against the walls were authentic Chinese art—ink landscapes, meticulous flower-and-bird paintings, expressive works, and various calligraphy pieces.
These were the truly valuable treasures. Any one of them, if brought to a future auction house, would be worth an enormous sum.
Lin Xiwei opened her personal storage space and began storing the valuable paintings one by one:
“Soldiers, fall in! Whoever I point to comes with me~”
She cautiously watched the hallway, fearing Lin Yulan might suddenly barge in.
The gallery’s basement was a storage room. When Lin Xiwei reached the entrance, she discovered it was locked—two large black padlocks crossed over a chain.
“There must be treasures inside,” Lin Xiwei thought, carefully analyzing the situation:
“My scumbag father and Lin Haojie must be scheming something, hanging two large padlocks—probably one key each. Only if both are present can the basement be opened.”
Lin Xiwei tried storing both padlocks and the chain in her space—oh hey, it actually worked!
She was pleasantly surprised and quickly pulled open the basement door, tiptoeing inside.
Feeling her way along the dark staircase, she found a pull cord on the wall. She tugged it, and a dim yellow bulb flickered before stabilizing.
“Oh my goodness!!!” Lin Xiwei couldn’t help but whisper in astonishment:
“It’s all… all antiques and collectibles!”
Looking around, the floor was cluttered with rows of jars and bottles, and the shelves were packed with porcelain, jade, lacquerware, pottery figurines, and miniature statues—an absolute treasure trove.
There were also seven or eight large crates on the floor, haphazardly filled with countless pearls, jade, agate, amber, Hetian jade, Lantian jade, turquoise, lapis lazuli, sapphires, rubies, gold and silver jewelry, and more.
Lin Xiwei examined everything carefully and stored each item in her personal space!
…
At the Lin mansion, in the ancestral hall, Lin Chengyou paced nervously in front of the ancestral tablets and asked,
“Haojie, that place… she can’t get in, right?”
Father and son were playing a high-stakes guessing game—they didn’t want Fu Cuilian or Lin Juying to know about the gallery’s basement.
Fu Cuilian, along with Lin Juying, had also come to kneel in the ancestral hall to show the grandfather they could admit mistakes, hoping to leave a good impression and avoid being sent back to the countryside.
Lin Haojie carefully glanced at his mother and sister to ensure they showed no unusual behavior, then whispered to his convenient “father” in code:
“Yulan has the key. Wherever she opens, that’s where she goes.”
In other words, there was no need to worry about her opening the basement’s big black locks.
Lin Chengyou scratched his head and slumped dramatically on the floor:
“True, but that place… really needs both you and me present.”
The implication was that the basement’s black padlocks required both father and son to be there at the same time, using their respective keys to unlock the door.
Compared to Lin Haojie’s usual confidence, Lin Chengyou always seemed anxious:
“That may be true, but something still feels off… there’s a weird feeling in my gut.”
Lin Haojie ignored him, lying on the floor sideways and settling in for a nap.
Meanwhile, in the gallery basement, Lin Xiwei sped up her work, growing more and more excited, her eyes shining with excitement.
“So that’s it! For the past six months, Lin Haojie and my scumbag father have been busy here every day, going out early, returning late, completely obsessed with the gallery business. So this is where the secret lies!”
Judging by what she saw, Lin Haojie, the time traveler, had been taking advantage of the era’s information gap, price differences, and opportunities, dragging his scumbag father along to hunt for antiques and collectibles.
All the items they collected were stored in the gallery basement.
They didn’t trust each other at all—so they specifically used two padlocks, guarding against one another like thieves.
Ha, men!
There wasn’t even trust between father and son… no wonder in the Southern-style tomb-raiding tradition, there’s an unspoken rule: when father and son descend into a tomb together, the father must go first, followed closely by the son.
Wait—no, Lin Haojie wasn’t even Lin Chengyou’s real son. What trust could there be?
Lin Xiwei moved quickly and efficiently, and her haul easily amounted to at least 2.5 trillion!
“Done! This round, I’ve avenged my blood feud!”
It was clear these treasures were Lin Haojie’s accumulated capital for future wealth. With such priceless items, it would have been impossible for him not to rise.
But now, Lin Xiwei had stolen his treasures~ o(￣︶￣)o~
As she climbed the steps back out, Lin Yulan’s shouting rang from outside:
“Move! Let me in! You’ve been in there so long—who knows what she’s doing? What if she’s up to something, maybe even sets a fire? Get out of my way!”