Xiang Yu's eyes seriously scanned the characters, his fingers tracing the intricate patterns on the pages. The room was silent, save for the occasional rustle of paper and the noise from the market stalls outside. Just when the book was getting intriguing, he was interrupted by the man's laboured breathing. "Why don't you breathe quietly," he said in annoyance.
As though he had heard him the man fell silent but this silence didn't last long. His heavy breathing intensified with the interval between each breath shorter and shorter. Xiang Yu tried to focus, but the sound was like a persistent insect buzzing in his ear. He clenched his jaw, determined to ignore it. This wasn't his problem.
