Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

It was already six in the evening when the preview of "Unexpected Companions on a Rainy Night" ended. In the main exhibition hall of the Municipal Museum, the last group of experts and media reporters had just left, and the air still lingered with the faint aroma of coffee and the smell of ink on paper. Staff members busied themselves collecting materials and brochures from the booths. The sound of footsteps and conversation echoed in the empty hall. Compared to the bustle of the day, there was a sense of relaxation after exhaustion. Chen Yan stood in front of the bronze sword display case, checking the constant temperature and humidity system for the last time. The screen showed a stable temperature of 22°C and a humidity of 55%, all within the standard range. He raised his hand and gently tapped the display case glass, gazing at the bronze sword standing quietly inside. The green rust on the blade glowed matte under the soft light, and the 0.3mm repair gap was almost integrated into the sword body, unnoticeable without close inspection. Three months of painstaking work finally received the recognition of the experts today. That afternoon, a veteran professor who had been studying bronze artifacts for fifty years paused for a long moment before the display case, shook his hand, and said, "Young man, you've done a great job restoring the artifact while preserving its historical significance." Those words filled him with an indescribable sense of satisfaction. He put away his tool kit, where the tweezers, magnifying glass, light meter, and other tools were neatly arranged, without a trace of clutter. As he left the exhibition hall, he glanced at the wall clock. The hour had just passed six, yet the sky outside the window had already darkened completely. Thick, dark clouds, like a velvet soaked in ink, hung heavy over the city, making it suffocating. "Teacher Chen, you're not leaving yet?" The cleaning lady, pushing her cleaning cart, greeted him with a smile. "Hurry home! The weather forecast says it's going to rain tonight, and it's probably going to start soon." "Okay, thank you, Auntie," Chen Yan nodded, quickening his pace toward the museum gates. As he entered the lobby, large raindrops clattered against the glass door. Immediately, the sound of a torrential downpour, like a cascade of rain, instantly drowned out everything around him. The downpour came unexpectedly, and the strong wind, carrying the rain, lashed the museum's glass walls with a whirring sound. The glass was quickly covered with winding streaks of water, obscuring the street view outside. Chen Yan stood at the lobby entrance, his brow furrowed slightly. He had checked the weather forecast before leaving that morning, which predicted light rain, and hadn't brought an umbrella. He hadn't expected such a downpour. He pulled out his phone and checked the taxi app. "Current queue exceeds 50 people, estimated wait time 120 minutes." Clearly, hailing a taxi in such weather was a daunting task. Just as he was debating whether to return to his office and wait for the rain to subside, his eyes strayed to the eaves at the entrance, where a familiar figure came into view. Su Qingyuan stood in the corner of the eaves, tightly clutching a folding umbrella in her hand, but the umbrella was still folded. She was wearing an off-white knitted cardigan today, with a light blue dress underneath. The skirt was knee-length, but now it was mostly wet from the splashing rain, and the dark water stains were particularly conspicuous on the light-colored fabric. Her light brown high heels stepped on the wet ground, and there were many mud spots on the toes of her shoes. It was obvious that she had been waiting here for a long time. She lowered her head slightly, looking at the puddles on the ground, her long eyelashes drooping, casting a small shadow under her eyelids, and there was a trace of barely perceptible anxiety on her face. Occasionally, when the wind blew, she would subconsciously wrap the cardigan tightly around her body, and her shoulders shuddered slightly, obviously feeling a little cold from the coolness brought by the rain. Chen Yan hesitated for a moment, but still walked over. The rain fell on his hair, quickly wetting the loose hair on his forehead. The cold touch made him sober up a little. "Don't you have an umbrella?" He walked to Su Qingyuan, his voice a little gentler than usual. Su Qingyuan's head snapped up. Seeing Chen Yan, a flash of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure, her cheeks only slightly flushed. "Teacher Chen, you haven't left yet?" She waved the folding umbrella in her hand and smiled helplessly. "Actually, I brought an umbrella with me. Just now, when I wanted to go out, the wind was so strong that the ribs broke as soon as I opened them. I can't use them at all." Chen Yan followed her hand and looked at the folding umbrella. The ribs were indeed deformed, with several thin metal wires sticking out from the edge like broken wings, clearly no longer usable. He glanced at Su Qingyuan's wet skirt and muddy high heels, and a strange pity welled up in his heart. "My house is on the way. I'll take you home," Chen Yan said, pulling his car keys from his pocket and unlocking them. In the parking lot not far away, a silver-gray sedan lit up its lights and beeped softly. Su Qingyuan was stunned. She hadn't expected Chen Yan, who usually appeared aloof, to offer to take her home. She opened her mouth and wanted to say "No need to bother", but looking at the heavy rain in front of her and her own miserable appearance, she swallowed the words back. "Thank you... for bothering you." She whispered, with a barely perceptible gratitude in her voice. Chen Yan didn't say much, just raised his chin in the direction of the parking lot: "Let's go, the rain is too heavy, we will catch a cold if we wait any longer." He took the lead and walked into the rain, and Su Qingyuan hurried to follow. The rain quickly wet her hair, and the cold raindrops slid down the ends of her hair and dripped onto her cheeks, making her shiver. Chen Yan seemed to notice it and slowed down his pace. He walked on her left side intentionally or unintentionally, using his body to block some of the wind and rain for her. The two walked quickly across the parking lot. The rain accumulated shallow puddles on the ground, and every step would splash small drops of water. Su Qingyuan carefully avoided the puddles, but the heels of her high heels were too thin, and she accidentally stepped into a deep puddle. The cold rain soaked her socks in an instant, and she couldn't help but let out a hiss. Chen Yan heard the sound and looked back at her. Seeing that she was looking down at her wet shoes with annoyance on her face, he stopped and took out a clean towel from the trunk and handed it to her: "Wipe it first, don't catch a cold." The towel had a faint fragrance after being dried in the sun. Su Qingyuan took the towel and felt warm in her heart. She quickly wiped the rain off her face and hair, then bent down to wipe the mud spots on her shoes. Although her shoes were still wet, they were at least more comfortable. After getting into the passenger seat, Su Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief. The temperature inside the car was much higher than outside, and the air-conditioning vents blew warm air, dispelling the chill from her body.