My Partner Always Wants to Dig My Grave - Chapter 26

Leaning against Si Wan’s shoulder, Sheng Zhen glanced at the screen of her phone, a faint, involuntary smile curling at the corners of her lips, as if her mood had lightened somewhat.

Noticing Si Wan’s sidelong gaze resting on her, Sheng Zhen, perhaps feeling a twinge of guilt, straightened up and moved away from Si Wan’s shoulder. She assumed a poised posture and an expression of dignified innocence, as if she knew nothing at all.

Si Wan let out an almost imperceptible sigh, then shifted her gaze away from Sheng Zhen and back to the phone screen, listening to Song Yan’s report.

“Professor Guan must have told you, after you left, a stone door appeared in the tomb. We’ve tried every method we could think of, but we still haven’t found the mechanism to open it.”

Staring at the familiar handwriting on the screen, Si Wan fell into thought for a moment before speaking.

“What about the writing on it?”

At this, Song Yan furrowed her brow and replied gravely, “We’ve examined it. The handwriting matches that on the two tombstones, and the script used is the Sheng Kingdom’s writing from a thousand years ago.”

Si Wan’s brow tightened slightly as she murmured the words written there, almost to herself:

“If she does not come, the door will not open. Those who force it open shall be sentenced to death.”

Each word carried a hint of willfulness.

Si Wan could almost picture the person who wrote it, chin held high, looking down on others as they spoke.

As her voice trailed off, Sheng Zhen, who was sitting nearby, chuckled softly, drawing Si Wan’s gaze. In the depths of her eyes, there was nothing but a trace of helpless resignation.

Hearing Si Wan read the words aloud, Song Yan seemed to recall something else, her expression shifting as she forced herself to speak calmly. “Professor Si, the real issue isn’t the words themselves, it’s the ink. It looks as though someone wrote it recently. The underground is damp, and the ink hasn’t even dried yet.”

Hearing this, Si Wan’s expression remained largely unchanged as she replied coolly, “I see.”

Just as Song Yan was marveling at Si Wan’s composure, a sudden, inexplicable chill swept through the room, making her shiver.

Puzzled, Song Yan glanced over and noticed the window wasn’t fully closed. Relieved, she let out a breath.

But she didn’t see the female ghost in red robes floating beside her, arms crossed, sneering as she spoke: “Without my permission, I wouldn’t hesitate to destroy the entire tomb.”

“No.” Si Wan instinctively objected.

There were still so many unknown artifacts in the tomb. The moment Si Wan heard Sheng Zhen’s threat to destroy the mausoleum, she grew anxious and turned to look at her.

However, Song Yan, thinking Si Wan was addressing her, flinched at the stern expression and cautiously asked, “Professor Si, what’s not allowed?”

Si Wan averted her gaze, noticing that Sheng Zhen had returned to her side. Without answering Song Yan’s question, she asked instead, “Are you planning to force your way in?”

If that were truly the case, she felt she needed to call Guan Yue immediately to stop them.

Song Yan shook her head and explained, “Originally, on Professor Guan’s suggestion, we planned to light some incense in front of the tomb.”

Knowing that Si Wan didn’t believe in such things, Song Yan glanced at her a few times as she spoke. Seeing no reaction, she relaxed slightly.

At this, Si Wan raised an eyebrow and asked, “Incense?”

Song Yan hummed in affirmation, then her expression turned troubled as she continued.

“But no matter what method we tried, we couldn’t light the incense. There was clearly no wind, yet whether using a lighter or matches, they would extinguish on their own the moment they got close to the incense.”

Sheng Zhen smiled, looking completely unconcerned, and said:

“This is the wind’s doing, Si Wan. If you keep suspecting me like this, I’ll snuff out your lamp tonight.”

Hearing Sheng Zhen’s threatening words, Si Wan silently shifted her gaze elsewhere, furrowing her brows in thought as she asked:

“So, you came to me now hoping I can resolve these matters?”

Song Yan’s expression grew even more troubled as she spoke:

“Because of those words that suddenly appeared on the tomb gate, Professor Guan is also hesitating. We thought that since you’ve spent the most time in the tomb, you might know something. That’s why Professor Guan sent me to ask you, do you know who the ‘she’ written on the tomb gate refers to?”

After speaking, seeing that Si Wan’s expression remained unchanged, Song Yan felt as if a weight had been lifted, then quietly waited for Si Wan’s response.

After Song Yan finished asking, Sheng Zhen muttered under her breath:

“What a bunch of fools, they can’t even figure this out.”

She snorted coldly, her cool fingertips playing with Si Wan’s hair, then leaned close to Si Wan’s ear and said with a light laugh:

“It’s you.”

The deliberately drawn-out words, the cool breath against her skin, yet the intimacy made her cheeks flush slightly.

It was her…

If she didn’t come, the door couldn’t be opened.

Si Wan pressed her lips together, trying to ignore the feeling of Sheng Zhen almost completely leaning against her, but Sheng Zhen stared at her reddened earlobe for a long while, her gaze so intense it was hard to bear.

Under Song Yan’s expectant gaze, Si Wan shook her head slightly and spoke in an extremely controlled, calm voice:

“I’m not very clear about it either.”

Song Yan didn’t notice Si Wan’s unusual state, nor did she realize Si Wan was being haunted by a ghost. Hearing Si Wan’s words, she felt somewhat disappointed but quickly recovered, saying to Si Wan:

“Well then, Professor Si, I won’t disturb your rest any longer.”

After speaking, she took the phone Si Wan handed her and prepared to leave.

But as she took the phone, she heard Si Wan’s faint voice:

“Wait.”

Song Yan seemed to realize something, turned around with furrowed brows, and then saw Si Wan in her hospital gown lifting the blanket and bending down to put on her shoes.

Seeing this, Song Yan frowned deeply, remembering Professor Guan Yue’s instructions and warnings when she came. Now seeing Si Wan already wearing her shoes, she felt a headache coming on.

Si Wan glanced at Song Yan and spoke before she could, with an undeniable tone:

“Help me check out of the hospital now. I’ll go see what’s happening.”

Si Wan’s expression was indifferent, the unintentional coldness between her brows making it impossible to refuse. But after thinking for a long time, Song Yan still wanted to resist and quietly said:

“But Professor Si, Professor Guan said…”

Before Song Yan could finish, Si Wan directly interrupted her, the glance she cast over so imperious it made one want to submit, leaving no room for further refusal.

“I’ll explain it to Guan Yue personally.”

In the end, unable to persuade Si Wan, Song Yan could only resign herself to handling Si Wan’s discharge procedures. But before returning, she didn’t dare mention to Guan Yue that Si Wan had already left the hospital.

As they arrived outside the cordoned-off area, Nian Nian was still frowning intently while listening to the report from her subordinate officers.

The sudden appearance of fresh, un-dried writing on the stone door at the tomb’s base had put her, as the officer in charge of guarding the site, under pressure to quickly identify the culprit. She needed to prevent the situation from veering into supernatural speculation and control the spread of rumors among the villagers.

“Officer Nian.” Si Wan nodded politely as she passed by Nian Nian, offering a courteous greeting.

Hearing Si Wan’s voice, Nian Nian finally noticed her arrival and responded with a polite smile. “Professor Si, weren’t you supposed to be resting? What brings you here now?”

After speaking, she took a moment to observe Si Wan’s appearance.

The weather was still sweltering, and most people would prefer to wear as little as possible. Yet Si Wan had on a trench coat over her clothes. Nian Nian didn’t comment on Si Wan’s attire, but as she drew closer, she distinctly felt a chill emanating from her, which made her recall the online rumors about Si Wan’s icy demeanor.

In response to Nian Nian’s question, Si Wan’s gaze subtly drifted toward the group of serious-faced individuals gathered around the only entrance to the tomb. She replied, “My health isn’t the priority right now. The most important thing is to go down and check whether the burial artifacts have been damaged.”

Nian Nian felt a surge of admiration for Si Wan’s professionalism. However, after glancing at Guan Yue, who stood among the crowd with a furrowed brow and no clear solution in sight, she smiled at Si Wan and said, “Please, go ahead.”

Just as Si Wan lifted her foot to enter, Sheng Zhen, who had overheard Si Wan’s remark, shot her a glare. With cold fingers, she pinched Si Wan’s ear and gave it a slight tug, whispering discontentedly near her ear, “What nonsense are you spouting again?! If your health isn’t important, then what is?”

Though Sheng Zhen’s tone was accusatory, Si Wan detected a hint of concern in it.

A flicker of something obscure passed through Si Wan’s eyes, difficult for anyone to decipher. She opened her mouth as if to speak but ultimately chose not to respond. Instead, she did her best to ignore the sting in her ear and walked forward as if nothing had happened.

Just as Si Wan was about to greet Guan Yue, someone emerged from the tomb entrance, exclaiming excitedly, “Professor Guan, the door is open!”

This news brought immediate joy to the group, who had tried countless methods without success. The earlier tension and heaviness vanished in an instant.

But after the initial excitement, Guan Yue was the first to regain her composure. Her brow furrowed once more as she stared at the tomb entrance, murmuring to herself, “How could this be? Has the person mentioned on the tomb door arrived?”

In the midst of her confusion, she heard a familiar voice call her name.

Guan Yue turned and saw Si Wan approaching, followed by Song Yan.

At the sight of Si Wan, Guan Yue’s face lit up briefly before darkening again as if remembering something. “Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to rest for a couple more days?” she asked, casting a questioning look toward Song Yan.

Song Yan hurriedly waved her hands in defense. “Professor Si insisted on leaving the hospital after hearing that you couldn’t open the tomb door. I couldn’t stop her.”

Si Wan stepped in to ease the tension for Song Yan. “I came because I heard you still hadn’t managed to open the tomb door and wanted to see for myself.”

Guan Yue was well aware of the intimidating pressure Si Wan could exude with her cold demeanor, so she didn’t press the issue with Song Yan any further.

But after hearing Si Wan’s words, Guan Yue cast a suspicious glance back and forth between the nearby cave entrance and Si Wan’s expression before speaking.

“How come the tomb door opened as soon as you arrived? Does the tomb owner really like you that much?”

Her tone was unusually serious, devoid of the usual teasing. After all, when Guan Yue had brought Si Wan out of the tomb earlier, she had genuinely feared Si Wan might have died inside. If the tomb owner truly had a fondness for Si Wan, she was afraid Si Wan might be forcibly kept in the tomb.

“Indeed, I do like her.”

Sheng Zhen’s hand rested on Si Wan’s shoulder, her tone brimming with delight. As she tilted her head to look at Si Wan, her expression carried a hint of tenderness.

Si Wan didn’t look at Sheng Zhen but seemed to avoid Guan Yue’s gaze as if feeling guilty, answering dismissively.

“It must be a coincidence. I wonder if the tomb owner has found the person she was waiting for?”

Sheng Zhen chuckled softly, her gaze at Si Wan complex, like ripples stirring across a lake’s surface.

“She has. She has already found her.”

…