My Partner Always Wants to Dig My Grave - Chapter 41

The oppressive heat carried by the breeze outside was no match for the chilling aura emanating from Sheng Zhen, transforming it into gusts of cool wind.

Sheng Zhen slightly furrowed her brows, perplexedly repeating the last few words of Guan Yue’s statement.

“Mental hospital? What is that?”

After a moment of contemplation, she turned to Si Wan.

“Are you ill?”

As she spoke, Sheng Zhen leaned closer to Si Wan, placing a hand on her forehead. Only after confirming Si Wan wasn’t running a fever did she relax, then shot an annoyed glance at Guan Yue.

“Why is this person cursing you?”

Si Wan had no time to address Sheng Zhen’s questions. She took a slight step back, creating some distance between them.

But regarding Guan Yue’s sudden, cryptic remark, she pondered for a long while before understanding its meaning under the other’s concerned gaze.

At this realization, Si Wan’s eyes subtly flickered toward Sheng Zhen, this “culprit” was still worried about whether she was sick.

Helpless, Si Wan let out a soft sigh, her expression returning to its usual composure as she explained,

“Guan Yue, I think you’ve misunderstood something. Though I’m not sure how to explain it, I still hope you’ll trust in science.”

Hearing Si Wan’s words, the concern on Guan Yue’s face didn’t lessen in the slightest. She countered,

“Si Wan, can you still believe those words yourself? If you could, given your personality, how would you not know how to explain it?”

At Guan Yue’s retort, Si Wan’s slightly lowered eyelashes trembled faintly. Her hand was held by the ghost behind her, their fingers interlaced in an intimate gesture. Though the touch was icy cold, she found it peculiarly scorching at that moment.

Sheng Zhen seemed to find Guan Yue’s words amusing. Raising a hand to cover her lips, she let out a muffled chuckle, sounding utterly delighted.

“Si Wan, do you believe it?”

Si Wan remained silent. Sheng Zhen’s appearance had long shattered the beliefs she’d held for over twenty years. Faced with Guan Yue’s pointed question, she naturally wanted to shake her head in denial.

Yet, if she admitted it, everything would become inexplicable and hard to justify, including Sheng Zhen’s inexplicable presence by her side.

The more she thought about it, the more her head began to ache faintly. Rubbing her temples, she deliberated for a long time but still couldn’t conjure a response that would convince Guan Yue.

Finally, Si Wan lifted her gaze to meet Guan Yue’s and confessed bluntly,

“I don’t believe it.”

Si Wan knew all too well that Guan Yue’s knowledge was on par with her own. To completely deceive her would require a flawless lie.

Upon hearing this, Guan Yue’s expression shifted abruptly, only to be followed by Si Wan’s calm continuation.

“She appeared on the very first day we arrived here.”

Guan Yue frowned, carefully recollecting before speaking.

“At that time, the tomb’s location hadn’t been confirmed yet.”

“But this consort had already been disturbed. With such a commotion, even if I am a ghost, do you think I’d be deaf?” Sheng Zhen pursed her lips, a trace of irritation in her voice as if recalling the people who had woken her.

Around them, an eerie wind picked up, the rustling of leaves sounding particularly sinister in the unnerving silence.

Noticing the strengthening chill, Guan Yue cautiously asked Si Wan, “Is it here right now?”

After a moment’s thought, Si Wan finally nodded.

Guan Yue pressed her lips together. It wasn’t ghosts she feared, it was the possibility of Si Wan getting hurt because of them.

But Guan Yue scanned the room and found nothing unusual, until she noticed Si Wan’s loosely clenched hand, as if holding something. Only then did it dawn on her.

Though she usually enjoyed teasing Si Wan, she had no such inclination now. Forcing her gaze away, she asked, “So… who is it from the tomb?”

However, Guan Yue hadn’t expected Si Wan’s next answer, delivered with newfound openness, to make her heart skip a beat.

“It’s the tomb’s owner.”

At the words “tomb’s owner”, Guan Yue froze, recalling the recent tomb excavation. Wasn’t that practically dancing right in front of its occupant?

The thought sent a chill down her spine, and she regretted not having lit three incense sticks at the tomb entrance earlier.

“Then… is it a vengeful spirit from a thousand years ago?”

As she spoke, Guan Yue remembered the words of the half-mad fortune-teller Ma Banxian, who had spoken to her like a lunatic before she returned.

No sooner had Guan Yue finished speaking than the wind outside the window began to howl like ghostly wails, as if the unseen spirit were playing a joke on her.

Seeing this, Si Wan stopped Sheng Zhen, worried that Guan Yue might jump to further conclusions, and explained, “She is a ghost from a thousand years ago, but she won’t harm anyone.”

The last sentence sounded deliberately emphasized, carrying a bias even Si Wan herself hadn’t realized.

Though Si Wan spoke with certainty, Guan Yue remained uneasy. “I heard from little Yaoyao that her second uncle went mad. Could it be related to this tomb’s owner?”

Si Wan recalled the man she had seen foaming at the mouth and instinctively soothed Sheng Zhen beside her before calmly replying, “He took something that belonged to her.”

Hearing this, Guan Yue breathed a sigh of relief. “Then he probably got what he deserved.”

As if struck by another thought, she added, “So… was the tomb door opened by it… by the tomb’s owner herself?”

Sheng Zhen let out a light scoff. “If not for my benevolence, all of you would have died before even stepping inside the tomb.”

Hearing Sheng Zhen’s deliberately harsh words, a faint smile touched Si Wan’s lips. Noticing Guan Yue’s gaze, she coughed lightly and suppressed the inadvertent smile, though her grip tightened slightly. She said to Guan Yue, “Just be careful from now on. Don’t damage her belongings, and she won’t get angry.”

Taking Si Wan’s words at face value, Guan Yue assumed the ghost was generous and kind-hearted, temporarily setting aside her worries about the spirit harming Si Wan.

Relieved, Guan Yue relaxed her tense posture and patted her chest. “I almost thought you were being haunted by a vengeful ghost. I even drew a talisman on some yellow paper for you, just in case.”

Si Wan frowned, raising a hand to her forehead. “That really isn’t necessary.”

Guan Yue glanced at the time on her phone. “It’s getting late. You two should rest soon.”

Without waiting for Si Wan’s response, she closed the door.

Guan Yue had always been like this, so Si Wan paid it no mind. Just as she was about to turn away, the door opened again, and Guan Yue poked her head in. “Oh, and the talisman is in the glasses case. It’s a bit crudely drawn and probably useless, but you can let the tomb’s owner play with it. It’s the least we can do, considering we’ve taken so much from her tomb.”

Si Wan acknowledged with a sound, then returned to her computer, where a paused video remained on the screen.

Her finger was about to tap “continue,” but when she caught sight of another figure faintly appearing before the one she had noticed earlier, her movement abruptly paused. Only then did she tap the video, which played for just a few seconds before Si Wan hit pause again.

The screen froze at just the right moment, making the two figures clear and distinct.

Unconsciously, Si Wan placed herself in Sheng Zhen’s perspective from that time.

An unfamiliar environment, the hem of her clothes torn and tattered. Her gaze shifted to the sword she held tightly in her hand. On its sharp blade, she saw the reflection of her own lips pressed together, feigning a fierce expression, yet she overlooked the cold sweat on her forehead from nervousness.

Suddenly, the door burst open, dispelling the darkness. A tall, slender shadow fell before her.

She looked up. The newcomer carried the dust of the journey on him, his figure silhouetted against the light, making it impossible for her to discern his features clearly. Before she could identify him, she heard his voice, steady, cold, and detached.

“Chen apologizes for arriving late to protect you. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Every word seemed tinged with a hint of remorse.

Hearing the familiar voice, her tense nerves finally relaxed. She stood up but forgot her legs had gone numb, stumbling slightly. The person in front of her swiftly reached out to steady her.

Leaning into his support, she pursed her lips and said, “I thought you weren’t coming.”

“Your Highness jests,” he replied, already releasing her, his demeanor respectful yet distant.

Just then, Sheng Zhen’s voice pulled Si Wan out of her thoughts.

Sheng Zhen held the yellow talisman that Guan Yue had supposedly prepared to deal with her. The messy, hastily drawn red characters on it resembled the talismans from horror movies at a glance, nothing more than a psychological comfort.

The thin paper was translucent against the light, making it seem even more like something Guan Yue had hastily concocted in a moment of panic.

Sheng Zhen let out a derisive laugh and said, “Your colleague knows full well they’ve been taking things from my tomb, yet they offer me this scribble as a token? They couldn’t even bother to present some pastries or food as tribute. How utterly thoughtless.”

Snapping back to reality, Si Wan turned to look at the other person, her expression suddenly shadowed. Then Sheng Zhen leaned in, her face so close it was almost touching Si Wan’s.

Sheng Zhen chuckled, pushing the gold-rimmed glasses with her index finger and helping Si Wan put them on. She then studied Si Wan’s appearance, seemingly very pleased, and cupped Si Wan’s face, examining her up and down with a smile.

“I’ve only just realized how well these suit you. They hide that intimidating aura of yours quite nicely.”

The face before her was clear and vivid, even more radiant and captivating than in her dreams.

Behind the non-prescription lenses, Si Wan’s eyes slightly avoided the other’s gaze. As if to better conceal her discomfort, she leaned back in her chair and adjusted her glasses.

Si Wan’s gaze was indifferent, as though nothing held the slightest interest for her, like a thorny, unapproachable flower. Yet, it was precisely this side of Si Wan that Sheng Zhen missed the most.

A smile played on Sheng Zhen’s lips. For every inch Si Wan retreated, Sheng Zhen advanced an inch, until Si Wan had nowhere left to go. Only then did Sheng Zhen speak.

“Back then, this is how you looked at me.”

Her breath brushed against the other’s skin, carrying an ambiguous warmth that made one blush.

Si Wan turned her face away, biting her lower lip lightly. An unreadable emotion flickered in her eyes before she spoke.

“Your Highness, you’re too close.”

Listening to Si Wan’s distant words, Sheng Zhen seemed already accustomed to it. From an angle Si Wan couldn’t see, Sheng Zhen rolled her eyes at her, shedding her dignified demeanor in favor of a playful, teasing expression tinged with a hint of grievance.

“Every time I hold your hand, I’ve never seen you refuse.”

Si Wan was about to retort that it was Sheng Zhen who forced it, but then she recalled there were a few times when she had taken the initiative herself. Feeling somewhat at a loss, she thought for a moment and changed the subject.

“You mentioned earlier that you wanted to eat something. Are you hungry?”

Ghosts naturally don’t get hungry, nor do they need to eat, but Si Wan had never raised a ghost before and always felt that Sheng Zhen was different from others.

Sheng Zhen was indeed distracted by the change of topic. She neither moved closer nor farther away from Si Wan, still managing to make the person before her blush slightly at the ears.

Si Wan watched as Sheng Zhen thought seriously for a moment before speaking.

“Then, Si Wan, make it and burn it for me.”

The voice, filled with laughter, felt like a gentle spring breeze, making it hard to refuse. Moreover, it was Si Wan who had brought it up, even though she had never explicitly said she would make it herself.

…