My Partner Always Wants to Dig My Grave - Chapter 33

Since Si Wan had already agreed to Sheng Zhen’s request, she couldn’t bring herself to go back on her word. However, after staring at the price for a while and doing some quick calculations, she realized she was still a bit short on funds.

She glanced at Sheng Zhen beside her. The bloodstains on the other’s dress remained glaringly vivid, and the more indifferent Sheng Zhen seemed, the more guilt Si Wan felt in her heart.

Even though she didn’t know exactly what she owed Sheng Zhen, she couldn’t help but feel a soft spot for her. Unconsciously, she wanted to give Sheng Zhen the very best.

Noticing Si Wan’s gaze, Sheng Zhen, who was facing the light with her back to Si Wan, turned her head and caught Si Wan looking at her. Under Si Wan’s slight surprise, Sheng Zhen gave her a radiant smile but forgot to conceal the deep nostalgia for someone in her eyes.

Si Wan averted her gaze, ignoring the emotions in Sheng Zhen’s eyes, and curled her lips into a helpless smile. Then, she opened the chat window on her phone.

On the other end, Guan Yue had just woken up early in the morning. Hearing her phone vibrate, she opened it and saw a message from Si Wan. Instantly, her drowsiness vanished, and she became fully alert.

But after reading Si Wan’s concise and straightforward message, she fell into a long silence. Puzzled, she sent three question marks in reply, followed by:

[Are you short on money?]

Ever since Guan Yue had known Si Wan, she was aware that Si Wan had very low material desires, showing interest only in matters related to her field of expertise.

So, for Si Wan to approach her for a loan early in the morning felt off to Guan Yue no matter how she thought about it.

As Guan Yue was pondering, her phone vibrated again. Si Wan had sent another message.

[I’ve recently taken a liking to something.]

Guan Yue stared at the message, muttering to herself.

After sending the message, Si Wan glanced at the gold ingot that Sheng Zhen had casually placed nearby and frowned slightly.

She couldn’t possibly traffic cultural relics, so her only option was to borrow money from someone else.

She didn’t have many close acquaintances, and the only person she could think of at the moment was Guan Yue.

Thinking again about the price of the dress Sheng Zhen liked, Si Wan suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Just as she was about to raise her hand to rub her temples, her phone vibrated. She lowered her gaze to look at it.

On the other end, Guan Yue didn’t know how to express her shock. Afraid of annoying Si Wan with too many messages, she edited her response repeatedly until only one sentence remained, enough to convey her astonishment.

[What on earth costs over 100,000 yuan?!]

Naturally, Si Wan couldn’t outright say it was a gift for the tomb owner they were currently excavating. After a moment’s thought, she replied to Guan Yue:

[You don’t need to worry about that.]

Less than a minute after Si Wan sent the message, Guan Yue called.

Staring at the name displayed on the screen, Si Wan waited a while before answering the call.

As soon as the call connected, Guan Yue’s deliberately hushed voice came through.

“Si Wan, tell me the truth, are you being scammed?”

Guan Yue’s reaction was within Si Wan’s expectations, but she couldn’t help rubbing her temples and letting out an almost imperceptible sigh. Her gaze fixed on Sheng Zhen beside her, she slowly explained, “No, you’re overthinking it.”

Hearing the cool tone in Si Wan’s voice, Guan Yue knew Si Wan was in her right mind and breathed a sigh of relief. Still, she pressed on with her questions: “Then what exactly have you taken a liking to?”

Si Wan knew that if Guan Yue couldn’t get an answer today, she wouldn’t let it go. After a moment’s thought, she vaguely replied,

“Clothes.”

Hearing this, Guan Yue frowned deeply, once again suspecting that Si Wan had been scammed, and asked in surprise,

“Made of gold?”

Si Wan pursed her lips and then calmly spoke, hoping to dispel Guan Yue’s doubts.

“I really like it.”

Guan Yue: “…”

Guan Yue remained silent for a long while. It was the first time she had heard Si Wan express such strong affection for something, even going so far as to borrow money to buy it.

Seeing that Guan Yue hadn’t responded for so long, Si Wan thought she had made the other party feel uncomfortable and hesitantly spoke up.

“If it’s not possible, I’ll think of another way.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Guan Yue hurriedly replied,

“It’s fine.”

Si Wan’s expression shifted slightly, and she said,

“Thank you.”

After Si Wan hung up, Guan Yue stared at the few words on her phone, replaying Si Wan’s words in her mind as if she were doubting herself.

Sheng Zhen patiently waited for Si Wan to finish the call. Lying on the bed, she propped her chin on her hand, her slightly tilted head giving her a charming look. Her red eyes gazed at Si Wan as she asked curiously,

“You just said you liked it too, right?”

This had been an excuse to fool Guan Yue, but since Sheng Zhen asked, Si Wan naturally nodded, affirming Sheng Zhen’s taste, and said,

“It’s quite nice.”

Hearing this, Sheng Zhen rested her head on her arm, lost in thought. Then, her beautiful eyes lit up as she looked at Si Wan, who was searching for clothes, and smiled.

“Then we…”

Before Sheng Zhen could finish her sentence, Si Wan stopped what she was doing and quickly interrupted her.

“But I’d rather see you wear it.”

Si Wan knew that if she didn’t cut Sheng Zhen off in time, she would likely suggest buying two sets.

Sheng Zhen didn’t mind being interrupted and chuckled lightly, saying,

“Since when did you learn to flatter me?”

Si Wan, now wearing her coat, said to Sheng Zhen,

“It’s time to go out.”

Upon hearing this, Sheng Zhen quickly floated from the bed to Si Wan’s side, the chill she carried impossible to block even with a coat.

Today, Guan Yue didn’t try to persuade Si Wan to rest. Compared to that, she was more concerned about what kind of clothes Si Wan had taken a liking to. However, even as they reached the edge of the tomb, she hadn’t managed to get a clear answer.

Si Wan had been prepared for Guan Yue’s questions, and every response was flawless, yet deliberately vague enough to keep the other party from guessing the truth.

The group that had entered the tomb the previous day had been going back and forth, unable to find a path to other burial chambers. Yet they were well aware that since this underground palace had gone to such lengths to replicate a flower banquet, it couldn’t possibly consist of only one chamber.

Si Wan calmly watched the footage on the computer screen. Their team was still circling around the flower banquet chamber, hesitant to disturb the precious burial artifacts.

Suddenly, an inconspicuous corner of the flower banquet caught Si Wan’s attention, and she spoke up,

“Head to the table in the southwest corner, the very edge.”

Her voice deepened as she uttered the last few words, emphasizing the instruction.

That spot was extremely secluded, almost as if someone had intentionally placed more flowers to obscure it. If the flowers hadn’t long since withered, they might have assumed there was nothing there, as it seemed to blend seamlessly with the floral arrangement.

When the camera panned to the desk Si Wan had mentioned, everyone wore expressions of astonishment.

“This…”

They hesitated, collectively skeptical as they stared at the extra invitation lying on the desk.

“Was this here yesterday?” Guan Yue frowned as she spoke.

But no one could answer her question. Their work was meticulous, and even with the poor lighting in the tomb, it was impossible for them to have overlooked something so conspicuous.

If no one had any recollection of this item, and it had appeared out of thin air, the only explanation would be something supernatural.

They quickly realized this and were on the verge of panic when Si Wan’s calm voice soothed them.

“Don’t be afraid. You must have accidentally triggered some mechanism, which is why this paper appeared.”

Her tone was exceptionally composed, and it eased their tension.

She glanced at Sheng Zhen, the tomb’s owner, who was also staring at the inexplicably appearing paper. Her expression was unreadable, but there was no trace of surprise in her eyes.

As if recalling something, Sheng Zhen’s gaze drifted away from Si Wan, yet she spoke to her.

“Go take a look.”

A cold breeze swept past them. Sensing something, Guan Yue’s expression shifted briefly before she adopted a lighthearted tone.

“This actually proves that we’re on the right track.”

Her words lifted their spirits, and the lingering fear quickly dissipated as they anxiously asked what to do next.

Si Wan pondered Sheng Zhen’s earlier words, her eyes returning to the strangely familiar paper. She spoke calmly.

“Stay here for now. Professor Guan and I will go down first to investigate.”

At Si Wan’s decision, Guan Yue instinctively wanted to object, but before she could speak, Si Wan had already stood up and was heading toward the only entrance to the tomb.

Guan Yue hurried after her, trying to dissuade her.

“Si Wan, I can go down alone.”

Without pausing or looking at Guan Yue, Si Wan replied indifferently,

“This is my job.”

Before Guan Yue could react, Si Wan checked her ropes and, finding them secure, leaped decisively into the dark opening.

Resigned, Guan Yue silenced Nian Nian, who had come up to protest, and bent down to adjust her own ropes, muttering under her breath,

“It’s not like I was really stopping you. Why so eager, as if you’re rushing to be reborn?”

Yet, the more she fumbled with the ropes, the more flustered she became.

Just then, a hand stopped her movements and deftly secured the ropes for her.

“Please be careful, both of you professors.”

Guan Yue glanced at Nian Nian, thanked her briefly, and then hurriedly jumped into the dark opening. It was only then she realized she’d forgotten her flashlight, but it was too late.

As she wondered what to do, she noticed that the underground passage wasn’t as pitch-black as she’d expected. Instead, flickering candlelight illuminated the eerie depths, casting shadows around them.

Si Wan stood not far away, staring at the candles on the wall, lost in thought.

Though the candlelight provided some visibility, an inexplicably strong, cold draft swept through the tomb, making Guan Yue shiver involuntarily. She walked over to Si Wan and asked,

“What are you looking at?”

Then she muttered to herself, puzzled by the candles.

“Could it be that ancient times had self-igniting technology? That doesn’t seem scientifically possible…”

But no matter how you looked at them, they were just ordinary white candles.

Hearing Guan Yue’s words, Si Wan finally withdrew her gaze and spoke in a cool tone.

“The wisdom of the ancients is always beyond our expectations.”

Though she spoke earnestly, she knew better than anyone else that these phenomena were caused by the supernatural disturbances Sheng Zhen had brought to the place.

Yet she couldn’t voice this and cause panic, so she had no choice but to keep explaining it away under the guise of science.

…