Chapter One: High-Paying Jobs

“Writing novels, what future could that possibly have!”

Late at night, a lone lit room hung suspended above the residential block.

From outside the window, a woman stood with her hands on her hips, incessantly berating the man seated at the computer desk.

Le Dong was exhausted—exhausted from his nine-to-five job, from chaotic relationships, from suffocating loans, and, of course, from his wife’s furious tirade beside him...

Perhaps she had run out of words, for his wife suddenly began to sob, her cries subdued and helpless, as if afraid to wake the child who had just fallen asleep.

“Honey, please don’t cry. I’ll find a way to raise the money for Xiao Bao’s illness...”

“Mm...”

Clearly, Le Dong’s words had no effect. He seemed to know this, so he switched off the computer and rose, heading for the door. Before leaving, he glanced at his sleeping son on the bed, a look of resolve flickering in his eyes.

Bang—

Stepping outside, Le Dong leaned against the window of the fire escape, inhaling deeply on a cigarette, his gaze fixed on the contacts list of his phone, lost in thought.

Hiss—

It was only when the cigarette burned down to his middle finger that Le Dong was jolted back to reality by the pain.

Sigh—

With a deep sigh, he finally tapped the name his finger had hovered over—Cai Kun.

Beep... beep... beep...

Just as the ringtone was about to end, the call was answered.

“Dongzi, what time is it? Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Old Cai, I need to ask you something...”

“What is it?”

The rough voice interrupted the speech Le Dong had prepared.

“Old Cai, that job you mentioned last time—I want in!”

After he spoke, there was a brief silence on the other end.

“Really?”

Few words, but the delight in the tone was unmistakable.

“But let’s be clear. Tomorrow, I’ll pick you up!”

Beep... beep...

Listening to the busy tone, Le Dong exhaled heavily, then opened Cai Kun’s social feed, scrolling through the photos one by one...

Luxury cars, beautiful women, lavish mansions.

Looking at those images, so ostentatiously rich, Le Dong’s furrowed brow gradually relaxed.

Snap—

In the dim fire escape, a tiny ember flickered once more as Le Dong smoked, his thoughts drifting to Cai Kun.

They were both from the same hometown and colleagues as well. Their families were similar—not poor but certainly not wealthy. The only difference was that Cai Kun was addicted to gambling, while Le Dong was addicted to cigarettes.

---

Just a few days ago, after Cai Kun returned from leave, he was a changed man: thick gold chains, flashy watches, the very picture of a nouveau riche.

After some probing, he admitted he’d taken up a side job, earning over ten thousand in just two or three days.

But what kind of part-time job, besides vice or drugs, could make so much?

“Digging graves!”

When Cai Kun uttered those words, the circle of colleagues was stunned. Some even suspected he was tomb robbing.

“Don’t talk nonsense. You lot don’t know anything. I’m helping a big boss relocate his father’s grave. It’s perfectly legitimate business!”

“And listen, after a month, we’ll have to re-bury it. They’ll need more hands then. Anyone interested? Each trip earns at least tens of thousands—don’t say I’m getting rich and not taking you with me!”

“What? Where do you dig up a grave and leave it for over a month before burying it again? Wouldn’t it just rot?”

“Exactly—how long has the old man been dead?”

“Is it bad feng shui or was his father not clean? Maybe it’s haunted.”

“I tell you, these big bosses, messing with their ancestors’ bodies—something is definitely off! Otherwise, why pay so much? Even if there’s a good job, would it really fall to Fat Cai?”

“Hiss, it’s scary—”

Everyone voiced their suspicions, especially when the topic turned to ghosts. Cai Kun’s face grew visibly uneasy as he cursed:

“Enough with the nonsense! If it was haunted, would I still be alive? Go or don’t, it’s your choice!”

With Cai Kun’s rebuke, the group lost interest.

After all, corpses were always considered inauspicious, especially those surrounded by such odd circumstances. Coming from the mouth of a gambler like Cai Kun, few believed him.

“This guy never speaks a word of truth. Who knows what’s really going on.”

“Let’s go, let’s go—he can get rich on his own.”

The group dispersed in a hurry, Le Dong among them.

But now...

The exorbitant medical bills had pushed him to his limits. As long as it wasn’t illegal, he’d take the job—even if there were ghosts.

At dawn the next day, the buzzing of his phone roused Le Dong from sleep. Seeing Cai Kun’s name, he hurriedly answered.

“Come down. I’ve sorted your leave at work. The sooner we meet the boss, the sooner we’re done.”

Before Le Dong could reply, the call ended.

“So urgent?”

He muttered, a sudden feeling of being duped rising in his heart.

But the intermittent coughs of his son in the bedroom left him no time to think. He quickly got up, tidied himself, left a note, and shut the door behind him.

The early morning sun was dim, casting an uncertain light over the sky. Soon, rain began to pour, drumming loudly on the van parked at the intersection.

“Old Cai!”

Before he even got in, Le Dong could hear pounding DJ music from inside. As he opened the door, a burly man with a fat face and ears was howling along with the beat.

“Get in quick! This weather’s weird—such a downpour out of nowhere!”

Once the volume was turned down, Le Dong could barely make out Cai Kun’s muttering in the back.

---

“Old Cai, what does meeting the boss mean?”

As the car started rolling, Le Dong couldn’t resist asking.

“Nothing much. Normally, there’d be no need, but the boss hired some old Taoist priest. The guy’s been dithering for days, insisting everyone needs to be checked by him. Who knows why.”

After speaking, Cai Kun glanced at Le Dong and added:

“But don’t worry—the boss promised. Whoever you bring, whether needed or not, everyone gets five thousand for their trouble. That’s not a wasted trip. If he actually uses you, you’ll earn over a hundred thousand. Then you owe me a foot massage!”

“Eh, so what’s the Taoist priest checking for?”

“Those shamans talk in riddles—nobody understands a word. You’ll see when you get there.”

With that, Le Dong didn’t press further. He turned to look at the scenery outside, silently committing the route to memory.

Braving the wind and rain, the car parked halfway up the mountain. Cai Kun pointed to a building hidden deep in the woods.

“You know this place?”

“Yeah, it’s the villa district in our city.”

Le Dong looked enviously at the distant buildings, his earlier wariness fading.

“That’s right. Our car can’t enter here; we have to walk.”

Le Dong nodded in agreement, but before he could speak, Cai Kun dragged him by the arm into the woods.

Calling it a forest was a stretch—the outer trees were tall, but closer to the villas, most were saplings.

“Dongzi, hurry up!”

Seeing Le Dong glancing around, Cai Kun sounded anxious, then pressed a button on the black bronze gate ahead.

Beep... beep...

“Who is it?”

The raspy intercom was answered quickly, the voice angry and weary.

“Boss Hu, it’s Cai. I brought a friend for the job.”

“Understood.”

After that, the rain-soaked black bronze gate swung slowly open.

But what appeared made Le Dong bewildered.

The villa was white-bricked and elegant, nestled behind a meticulously groomed garden. The strange thing was, red lanterns and silk draped the gate and walls, and a giant character for “joy” was pasted on the doors and windows.

It was unmistakably decorated for a wedding.

But weren’t they here to bury a corpse?

Thunder rumbled overhead, twisted lightning streaking above the villa, making Le Dong shiver. Staring at the glaring red silk, unease crept into his heart...