My Partner Always Wants to Dig My Grave - Chapter 19.1

In the following days, Si Wan and Guan Yue worked through the night to outline the approximate scale of the tomb. It took them five consecutive days with their team to finally clear the cornfield, leaving only the task of further investigation.

Two more days passed. Since the ancient tomb had been completely sealed off by a mudslide years ago, and the true entrance to the burial chamber remained unknown, Si Wan and Guan Yue ultimately decided on a plan: to dig downward in one location and create a new entry point to access the tomb interior.

That day, the sun blazed as fiercely as ever, and the air was thick with stifling heat. Yet, nothing could dampen the villagers’ enthusiasm for spectating. Had Nian Nian and her team not cordoned off the area with caution tape, the onlookers would likely have surged in to watch the work, seemingly forgetting that they themselves had once brandished weapons in aggression.

The surrounding clamor did not disturb the team. Si Wan and Guan Yue were still discussing where to begin the excavation, while Song Yan stood nearby, notebook in hand, recording their conversation.

“Where do you think we should start?” Guan Yue asked Si Wan, her gaze sweeping over the cleared land as she struggled to form a plan.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, Si Wan stamped her foot three times on the spot where she stood and replied, “Right here.”

Guan Yue glanced at the location but didn’t question it. “I’ll have the team prepare to start digging,” she said.

No sooner had she spoken than a low rumble of thunder echoed from the bright sky, startling everyone. Si Wan was the first to regain her composure, lifting her eyes to the horizon. But as she did, a sudden rain began to fall, splashing against her face without warning.

Dark clouds had yet to gather in the distance, and the sky remained bright. If one looked up, the sun still hung undisturbed, making the rain feel oppressive and damp.

“How did this happen so suddenly? The weather forecast didn’t mention anything,” Guan Yue complained, hastily using her hands to shield herself from the rain, though it was futile. She eventually hurried off to fetch an umbrella.

Si Wan knew better than to trust weather forecasts completely, but this rain was truly bizarre. The moment she had looked up, she thought she glimpsed a strange flash of light, a streak of red, identical to the one she had seen on Sheng Zhen.

But there was no one to provide answers now, so she dismissed the thought, attributing it to a trick of the eye.

The sudden downpour forced them to halt their work temporarily.

Holding her umbrella, Si Wan watched as the equipment was moved to a safe location before preparing to leave.

Just then, the sound of a guqin, mingling with the pattering rain, drifted into her ears. It felt both real and illusory, its source unclear, as if the music traversed countless mountains and rivers to reach her.

Si Wan’s steps faltered abruptly. She scanned her surroundings, trying to locate the origin of the music, but the melody seemed to emanate from all directions, enveloping her alone.

“Why did you stop?” Guan Yue asked, puzzled by Si Wan’s sudden halt.

Si Wan’s brow furrowed slightly, her grip on the umbrella handle tightening. The guqin’s notes grew clearer in her ears. “Do you hear that?” she asked Guan Yue.

“Hear what?”

Guan Yue looked at her as if she were a fool, her eyes sweeping the area once more before she answered earnestly.

“The rain is so heavy, I can barely hear you. What other sound could there be?”

“The sound of the qin,” Si Wan replied.

Guan Yue didn’t catch Si Wan’s murmured words, only noticing her lips move, which deepened her confusion.

“What did you say?”

Si Wan snapped out of her reverie slightly but shook her head at Guan Yue.

“Nothing.”

She thought she must be hallucinating.

Yet this hallucination was so vivid that she couldn’t help doubting herself again.

The melancholic melody of the qin still enveloped her. Si Wan could sense the player’s low spirits, as if they were merely leaning over the instrument, casually plucking the strings, yet the skill was unmistakably exquisite.

Si Wan paused, lowering her gaze as she listened intently. The disconnected notes seemed to convey another meaning to her.

In her ears, the qin’s melody transformed into a kind of inquiry, as if someone were leaning close to her shoulder, whispering intimately into her ear.

Unconsciously, the index finger of her other hand, hanging by her side, twitched slightly and tapped three times against her thigh.

The action was involuntary; Si Wan herself wasn’t even aware of what she had just done.

However, just as her finger tapped for the third time, the qin’s melody paused for a moment.

Si Wan thought the music had ceased and wouldn’t resume. The instant she turned to leave, the sound emerged once more from the depths below, as if the player had plucked a string again, producing a single note.

She agreed…

This phrase suddenly surfaced in Si Wan’s mind, though she had no idea why such a nonsensical thought had occurred to her.

Guan Yue waved her hand in front of Si Wan’s face, frowning.

“Lately, you’ve been really off. Even though you deny being in a relationship, and I know that’s your business, we’re all adults, and I certainly won’t interfere, but right now, it’s work hours. Don’t let romance distract you from your duties, okay?”

Si Wan snapped back to reality, glanced at Guan Yue, and replied calmly, “I’m not in a relationship.”

But by then, Guan Yue was already convinced. No matter how Si Wan explained, she wouldn’t believe it. Staring at Si Wan for a long moment, just as she was about to say more, the wind-driven rain splashed directly into her face, effectively silencing her.

The rain around them grew heavier, and even their umbrellas couldn’t save them from getting drenched.

Seeing that Si Wan still showed no intention of leaving, Guan Yue urged, “Let’s go quickly. If the rain gets any worse, we might not make it back at all.”

Nian Nian approached with an umbrella and said, “Professors, why are you still standing here? Let me take you back to the guesthouse first.”

The sudden downpour had continued for two days, blocking the mountain paths and forcing them to stay in the village.

Later, a fallen tree brought down the power lines, cutting off electricity in the village. With the relentless rain, repair crews struggled to fix the lines promptly.

It was already early morning, yet the storm showed no signs of letting up. The sky remained shrouded in a gloomy gray, carrying an unsettling sense of oppression.

The figure sitting by the doorway covered a yawn with her hand, her cool eyes betraying fatigue and drowsiness. It seemed she hadn’t slept well and had been sitting there since early, though it was unclear what she was watching.

The cool rain dripped from the old eaves, falling onto the moss-covered ground like countless fleeting night-blooming cereus.

A curtain of rain veiled the world in mist, obscuring the distant view. The far-off mountains were completely hidden, as if only this small corner of existence remained.

Just then, a chilly breeze brushed through her hair. Si Wan, drowsy as she was, slowly narrowed her eyes. In her daze, it seemed as though a soft, light laugh whispered by her ear.

Joyful, pure…

But that laughter, with its familiar tone, jolted Si Wan to her feet. Her weariness vanished instantly as she frantically searched for the source of the sound.

She parted her lips and called out the name she had been deliberately avoiding these past few days.

“Sheng Zhen.”

But as the words left her mouth, she froze in astonishment.

The mist gradually dissipated, and there, against the wall, flowers had bloomed as if out of nowhere, crowding around the figure on a swing.

The swing moved with a gentle arc, yet it did nothing to diminish the figure’s evident delight.

The woman was dressed in luxurious silk robes, hairpins adorned with pearls chiming softly with her movements. Yet, no matter how exquisite her attire and accessories, they served only to accentuate her beauty. Her skin was like polished jade, her eyes bright and captivating, her teeth gleaming white. A vivid red floral design adorned her forehead, enhancing her radiant and striking charm, impossible to ignore.

However, Si Wan recognized that face, it was Sheng Zhen.