Night falls on the Bund in Shanghai, the Lujiazui Financial District on the other side of the Huangpu River flashes with neon lights, and the skyline of the modern city casts strange reflections on the river. However, few people know that deep underground in this concrete jungle lies a secret older than the skyscrapers.
At No. 18 On the Bund, a neoclassical building built in 1923 stands quietly on the riverside. Tonight, a special private auction is being held in the top-floor ballroom.
Lin Yanqiu stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a half glass of champagne in his hand, but his eyes were not on the night view outside the window. He is in his early thirties, wearing a custom-tailored dark blue suit. He has a slender figure and a gentle temperament. He wears a pair of rimless glasses on the bridge of his nose. His eyes behind the lenses are extremely sharp, which is in subtle contrast with his gentle appearance.
"Mr. Lin, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Lin Yanqiu turned around and saw a middle-aged woman wearing a dark red cheongsam walking towards her. She was Su Wenjin, a well-known antique dealer in Shanghai and one of the organizers of the auction.
"Ms. Su." Lin Yanqiu nodded slightly.
"I heard that you were conducting folklore surveys in Zhejiang recently?" Su Wenjin smiled, but with a probing look in his eyes, "Did you find anything interesting?"
