The library was almost empty.
Qiao yi like it that way.
Rows of tall bookshelves stretched endlessly, their shadows long and quiet under the dim ceiling lights.
The faint smell of paper and dust filled the air,comforting in a way only book lovers would understand.
He wondered between aisles absentmindedly, fingers brushing lightly across book spines. Romance, mystery, fantacy...he had read almost everything this place had offer.
" Nothing new..." he muttered softly.
He sighed, about to turn back - when something caught his eyes.
A shelf in the far corner.
One he didn't remember seeing before.
It was darker there.
The light above flickered faintly, is if struggling to stay on. Qiao yi hesitated for a moment, then walked toward it anyway.
Strange ...was this always here?
The books on the shelf looked older than the rest. Their covers were worn, some titles faded beyond recognition.
It felt - out of place.
And then-
He saw it
A single book, placed neatly in the center.
Like it had been waiting all along ...for someone to read it.
"Kiss of the shadow. "
The title was writen in silver letter that seemed to shimmer even in the weak light. The cover was black smooth,almost too perfect compared to the dusty books around it.
Qiao yi reached out, his fingers brushing against it.
Cold.
The surface felt strangely cold,sending a faint shiver up his arm.
"weird," he murmured, but he didn't pull away.
Instead, he picked it up.
The moment he did, the flickering lifht above him steadied.
The silence in the. Library deepened.
He opened the book
The first page drew him in instantly
The writing was smooth, vivid - almost alive. The story began with a dark mansion, a cold and distant male lead, and a heroin caught in a dangerous, twisted romance.
Qiao yi leaned against the shelf, reading without realizing how much time had passed.
Page after page -
He couldn't stop.
•
•
•
"Excuse me," a voice suddenly interrupted.
Qiao yi jumped slightly, snupping the book shut. A librarian stead nearby, watching him with a polite but puzzled expression
"...we're about to close,"
"Oh - sorry! " Qiao yi laughed awkwardly, glancing at the time. He hadn't noticed the sky out side had darkened.
His grip tightened on the book.
"...can i borrow this? "
The librarian looked at the cover. For a brief moment, her expression flickered __ something unreadable passing through her eyes.
Then she smiled. "Of course."
•
•
•
On his way home, everything felt...different.
To quiet. To still.
Qiao yi wasn't sure why.
The streets were the same, the air cool and familiar...but he couldn't shake the strange feeling lingering in his chest.
His fingers tightened slightly around the book he carried.
"Kiss of the shadow ..."
Even the title felt...heavy.
•
•
•
Back in his room, Qiao yi tossed his bag aside and dropped onto his bed.
The book was already in his hands again before he even realize it.
"Just one more chapter," he muttered.
That was what he always said.
Hours passed.
He didn't notice.
Didn't fell hunger. Didn't check his ohone.
The world outside faded, replaced entirely by the story.
The male lead - Lin yichen.
Cold. Dangerous. Untouchable.
The heroine, drawn into his world despite the danger.
The mansion. The shadows. The tension that felt like it could snap at any moment.
Qiao yi's heart raced as he read.
"why is this so intense ..." he whispered.
It wasn't just good.
It felt real.
At some point, the wind outside picked up.
The window rattled softly.
The light flickered once.
Then again.
Qiao yi didn't look up.
He was too focused on the page.
Too absorbed in the moment where the male lead step closer to heroin, shadows twisting behind him like something alive.
His breath caught.
"...this part again..."
He had the strange feeling he had read this scene before.
But that was impossible.
This was his first time reading the book.
The air in his room grew colder.
Slowly.
unnaturally.
The shadows on the wall stretched.
Just slightly.
The words on the page shimmered.
Qiao yi blinked.
"...huh?"
He leand closer.
The ink ...was moving.
Not like normal words __
But like something alive, shifting beneath the surface of the page.
A whisper brushed against his ear.
Soft.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
"your story begins now."
Qiao yi froze.
His heart skipped a beat.
"...did i just __"
The light went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
The back in his hands burning softly in the dark.
The air twisted.
The world tilted.
And in this silence __
Something shifted.
Qiao yi didn't have time to scream.