My Partner Always Wants to Dig My Grave - Chapter 8

The soft brush swept away the soil from the tombstone. Despite the mottled traces left by the passage of many years, the elegantly carved characters remained discernible, as if one could still sense the presence of someone who had once held a carving tool, meticulously engraving the stone with each deliberate stroke.

Other professors who could decipher the ancient script on the tombstone approached Si Wan, their eyes shifting between her and the tombstone. One of them spoke up with a hint of teasing in their tone.

“Si Wan, who do you think carved this tombstone for the person buried here?”

Si Wan didn’t answer the question, recognizing the playful intent behind it. She merely glanced at the speaker, as if warning them not to disturb her further.

But her warning clearly had no effect. Seeing that Si Wan remained silent, Guan Yue raised a hand to her lips, feigning deep thought. Then, with a sidelong glance at Si Wan, she spoke as if struck by sudden insight.

“Look at how detailed this is, it’s as if the carver knew her as intimately as a spouse. It must have been her husband, don’t you think?”

Guan Yue had been Si Wan’s senior during their university days. In such a rigid and demanding environment, she was one of the few lively personalities, yet her professional skills were on par with Si Wan’s. After graduation, they had continued working together, gradually growing closer.

Compared to others, Guan Yue was the only one who dared to tease Si Wan so casually.

At Guan Yue’s words, Si Wan paused for a moment. Just as Guan Yue thought she had angered her, Si Wan’s reaction took an unexpected turn.

Her elegant, aloof face showed no trace of irritation. Her expression remained calm and detached, as if she hadn’t heard a word they’d said.

The phrase “as intimately as a spouse” flashed through Si Wan’s mind, causing her heart to skip a beat. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation; rather, the thought brought her a sense of inexplicable joy.

For some reason, Si Wan instinctively glanced to her left, as if someone should have been standing there, watching over her.

Noticing Si Wan’s odd behavior, Guan Yue grew puzzled and was about to ask when Si Wan lowered her gaze. After a long pause, she suddenly spoke with a tone of certainty and conviction.

“No, she didn’t have a husband.”

Her voice was cold, yet resolute and unwavering.

For archaeologists, it was rare to speak with such certainty about anything, as further discoveries could easily overturn all previous assumptions. Si Wan had never been so definitive about something that hadn’t been thoroughly researched, leaving even Guan Yue, who knew her well, momentarily stunned.

Regaining her composure, Guan Yue watched as Si Wan drifted into thought again, her eyes filling with concern.

“Si Wan? Professor Si?”

She called out several times, but Si Wan remained lost in thought, reminding Guan Yue of the rumors about Si Wan being struck by lightning and making her suspect that Si Wan might be having another episode.

Just as Guan Yue was about to call for help, Si Wan snapped back to reality, recalling what she had just said and furrowing her brow.

Relieved to see Si Wan responsive again, Guan Yue resumed her lighthearted tone.

“How can you be so sure when we haven’t even finished studying it?”

Si Wan remained silent for a moment before shaking her head.

“It’s nothing. You should go attend to your work.”

Seeing that Si Wan was unwilling to elaborate, Guan Yue decided not to press further.

When the surroundings finally quieted down, Si Wan’s gaze fell upon the name carved on the tombstone, identical to her own. For some reason, the handwriting felt strangely familiar, and a fragment of memory abruptly surfaced in her mind.

A slender, pale hand held a brush with impeccable posture, every movement exuding an air of nobility as it gracefully penned a marriage certificate.

A marriage certificate?

Noticing this, Si Wan furrowed her brows. But when she tried to examine the memory more closely, it slipped away, as if everything had merely been an illusion.

Si Wan let out an almost imperceptible sigh. Just then, a hand suddenly appeared before her, blocking her line of sight.

Under the sunlight, the hand appeared unusually pale, causing Si Wan’s body to stiffen involuntarily.

“Professor Si?”

Song Yan’s voice reached her ears, no longer carrying that eerie chill. Only when Si Wan confirmed it was a living person did she finally relax.

Steadying her composure, Si Wan regained her usual demeanor and looked up at Song Yan, her tone calm. “What is it?”

Song Yan was momentarily stunned by Si Wan’s gaze. Si Wan usually wore gold-rimmed glasses, which often obscured the sharpness unintentionally revealed in her eyes. It was puzzling, how could someone who appeared so refined carry a hint of killing intent?

Si Wan’s glasses had been broken that morning, and she hadn’t found a replacement yet. Without them, the coldness in her expression was unmistakable. Only Guan Yue dared to face Si Wan in this state, but it was difficult for those like Song Yan, who had only ever known Si Wan with glasses.

It wasn’t that Si Wan looked particularly fierce; rather, her detached expression made others feel as if they were being looked down upon like insignificant ants, evoking an involuntary urge to submit.

Seeing Song Yan staring blankly at her, Si Wan habitually raised her hand to adjust her glasses, only to find nothing there. She then remembered she wasn’t wearing them today, no wonder everyone had been avoiding her.

A flicker of irritation passed deep in her eyes. Suddenly, a chilly breeze swept past her, and a figure materialized beside her.

Ignoring Si Wan’s terrified stiffness, the figure leaned slightly forward, turning to look at her. A faint smile graced its bloodless face.

“This isn’t fierceness, it’s the glory you rightfully possess.”

Si Wan’s peripheral vision unexpectedly met those crimson eyes. The warmth hidden within them seemed to have a soothing effect, and she found herself relaxing slightly, though she still dared not look directly at the other.

The female ghost didn’t seem to mind. Her gaze shifted to the tombstone, settling on the characters carved beside the name “Si Wan,” in a corner.

【Beloved Wife Sheng Zhen】

For some reason, the red-clad female ghost remained silent for a long time, as if lost in distant thoughts.

The ghost’s stillness and silence were a relief to Si Wan. She reached into her pocket, feeling the warm, smooth object inside, then glanced at the ghost again.

Withdrawing her hand from her pocket, Si Wan pursed her lips and began to wonder if the jade Buddha amulet was a fake, or if her faith simply wasn’t strong enough.

But according to legends, ghosts feared sunlight, a rule that clearly didn’t apply to the one beside her, given how many times it had already followed her out into the daylight.

Si Wan furrowed her brow slightly. At that moment, Song Yan finally snapped back to reality and coughed a few times to ease the awkwardness, no longer daring to meet Si Wan’s gaze directly. Her eyes shifted, glancing at the tombstone, sweeping over the two characters “Si Wan”, before she spoke hesitantly.

“Professor Si, our team has surveyed the area, but this tomb seems different from the usual ones. Not only are we unable to pinpoint the exact location of the main burial chamber, but we haven’t even found any side chambers.”

It was as if, aside from the tombstone and a few burial objects scattered haphazardly around, there was nothing else there.

Upon hearing this, Si Wan scanned the surroundings, her sharp gaze softening slightly as she spoke calmly to reassure her.

“To prevent tomb raiders, ancient people often took measures to conceal the location of the tomb. It’s normal that we haven’t found it right away.”

Song Yan only frowned more deeply at this, hesitating before speaking.

“But this one… it really seems different.”

At her words, Si Wan’s expression froze momentarily, not because of what Song Yan had said, but because the female ghost had regained her composure. After overhearing the conversation between Si Wan and Song Yan, she drifted back to Si Wan’s side.

Deep in the ghost’s eyes was a trace of grievance, and she accused in an eerie, chilling tone:

“Si Wan, how heartless you are.”

Her words and tone made it sound as though she were a pitiful soul abandoned by the unfaithful Si Wan.

But Si Wan had no mind to dwell on such matters. Her instinctive fear of this mysterious ghost made her shudder involuntarily.

Though she heard the ghost’s words, Si Wan had no intention of responding. Gritting her teeth, she turned away, determined to ignore the ghost’s presence once again.

Song Yan, who had been waiting in front of Si Wan for a response: “…”

Completely unaware of the torment Si Wan was enduring, Song Yan only saw her suddenly frown and turn away, leaving her with nothing but a view of Si Wan’s back.

Having never seen Si Wan angry before, Song Yan began to wonder if she had done something wrong to provoke her.

“Professor Si, I’ll send people to survey the area again right away.”

Afraid of being scolded, Song Yan hastily spoke and hurried off.

Once again, only the female ghost remained by Si Wan’s side, leaving her in a dilemma, unsure whether to continue or halt her actions.

Seeing Si Wan turning her back as if to shut her out, Sheng Zhen raised a hand to her lips and let out a soft laugh.

Sheng Zhen drifted over to the tombstone lying flat on the ground. Her earlier expression shifted to one of indignation as she pursed her lips and spoke.

“Si Wan, you truly are ruthless. I have never seen someone who doesn’t even spare their own grave.”

As she spoke, she cast a disappointed glance at Si Wan, as if pitying her.

Hearing this, Si Wan did pause for a moment but quickly resumed her composure. From the corner of her eye, she caught the ghost’s expression. Though puzzled, she dared not ask, fearing that the ghost might, in a fit of emotion, drag her down to the underworld.

She didn’t believe in nonsense about past lives and reincarnation. Even though the ghost’s appearance had shattered her atheistic beliefs, she was determined to hold onto her principles.

By then, the sun was high in the sky, nearing noon.

When Liu Yaoyao came to deliver lunch to Song Yan, Song Yan took the opportunity to ask:

“How is your second uncle doing?”

Liu Yaoyao hesitated for a moment before frowning and replying.

“He deserved it. He was out in the cold wind all night, and now no one even knows what illness he’s come down with. Second Aunt’s husband is going to perform an exorcism on him.”

Not wanting to be left alone with the female ghost, Si Wan, for once, moved closer to the others.

Hearing Liu Yaoyao’s words, and trying to divert her own attention from the ghost beside her, Si Wan chimed in.

“Why do people here still believe in such things?”

Liu Yaoyao was clearly taken aback by Si Wan’s question. Song Yan, having witnessed Si Wan’s earlier behavior, immediately tugged at Liu Yaoyao’s sleeve. Only then did Liu Yaoyao snap back to reality and hurriedly explain.

“Ah, there’s no helping it. Folks in the village just cling to these beliefs. Even if I tried to talk them out of it, they wouldn’t listen.”

Not only would they refuse to listen, but they’d also accuse her of angering the spirits.

Back when she had just started middle school, she had tried to expose a local mystic’s scam. But the villagers, egged on by that fraud, nearly tied her up and burned her as a sacrificial offering. If Granny Liu hadn’t stepped in to protect her, Liu Yaoyao might not have lived to see this day.

At the memory, Liu Yaoyao’s expression darkened. Noticing the shift in her mood, Song Yan patted her head and offered a few comforting words.

Si Wan said nothing more, but her view was once again blocked by a figure, and a voice clamored in her ear.

“Si Wan, my hairpin has been stolen. You have to help me find it.”

Si Wan, who had been eating in silence, continued to pretend she hadn’t heard, her eyes fixed on the food in her hands, though in truth, she wasn’t paying attention to whether it was too salty or too bland.

“If you don’t help me, I’ll climb into your bed tonight.” Sheng Zhen threatened.

Sleep paralysis…

Si Wan’s composure finally cracked, and her hand gripping the chopsticks tightened.

…