A loud, obnoxious cough reverberated in Yi Ming's head, rattling his senses as if the sound came from every corner of the room. It was relentless, bouncing off unseen walls, growing louder and more insistent until it felt like it was vibrating through his skull. The oppressive silence that followed made the darkness around him feel even more suffocated. The room was pitch black, swallowing all sense of direction, until—without warning—a flickering neon screen buzzed to life, casting erratic flashes of light across the walls. Yi Ming winced, the sudden brightness searing his eyes as he groggily rubbed them, struggling to focus on the screen's blinding glow.
WELCOME USER TO "Bound by Darkness, Yet Drawn by Love: The Demon's Eternal Curse and the Mortal's Unbreakable Heart in a World That Shouldn't Let Them Be Together but Somehow, Against All Odds, They Copulate"
Yi Ming rubbed both his eyes vigorously, trying to convince himself he wasn't hallucinating, before letting out a bewildered, "What the actual fuck?" Just moments ago, he had been teasing his older sister about the smutty boys' love novels she read for leisure. He'd even flipped to a particularly explicit scene of two men entangled in bed, smirking as he bolted down the stairs to tattle on her to their mother. But in his haste, he missed a step, tumbling down the staircase-and somehow, inexplicably, he found himself transmigrated into the very novel he had been mocking.
The coughing hadn't ceased, its grating sound now shifting from mere hacking to a grotesque, wet gurgle, as if someone were choking on phlegm, desperately trying to clear their throat. Yi Ming cringed in disgust, instinctively covering his mouth with his sleeve, but it wasn't the familiar fabric of his t-shirt he felt. His eyes widened as he looked down. Instead of his jeans and casual clothes, he was now dressed in an all- white robe—an outfit far removed from anything he had worn just moments ago. His stomach dropped as the reality of his situation began to sink in.
"No, this can't be," Yi Ming muttered, his voice trembling as he hesitated, suspended in a void of nothingness. His heart raced, and he felt weightless, like he was floating in an infinite abyss, the edges of reality blurring around him. There was no ground beneath him, no walls to steady himself against—just endless black, suffocating and disorienting.
The obnoxious coughing, which had been assaulting his ears moments ago, finally subsided. Silence lingered for a beat, thick and unsettling, before the sound of someone clearing their throat broke through the stillness. The noise was followed by a few sharp sniffling breaths, as though the person—or whatever it was—was trying to compose itself. Then, in the distance, echoing from somewhere within the void, a raspy voice cut through the dark, harsh and strained, as if it hadn't been used in years.
"Welcome user to Bound by Darkness, Yet Drawn by Love: The Demon's Eternal Curse and the Mortal's Unbreakable Heart in a World That Shouldn't Let Them Be Together but Somehow, Against All Odds, They Copulate"
"I must be in a coma," Yi Ming exclaimed, slamming his fist into his palm in a desperate attempt to make sense of the impossible. He sat cross-legged, floating aimlessly in the endless void, his mind spinning as he tried to rationalize the bizarre situation. The vast nothingness around him seemed to stretch on forever, a disorienting sea of black that offered no answers.
Suddenly, the raspy voice erupted into another fit of violent coughs, the sound harsh and grating, as though it came from a throat long parched. After a few strained breaths, the voice finally steadied itself and continued, its tone low and sinister.
"User," it rasped, "your mission as the narrator of this novel is to ensure that the Shou MC and Gong MC achieve their happily ever after. Failure to do so will result in... imminent death."
Yi Ming's eyes widened in shock. His heart pounded in his chest, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. "What...?" he whispered, the weight of the words slowly sinking in. Death? For failing to make two fictional characters fall in love? This had to be some kind of twisted dream.
The screen flickered off, plunging into darkness. When Yi Ming opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the familiar surroundings of his home. Instead, he found himself seated on the cool stone floor of a cave, the air damp and earthy. A soft breeze brushed against his skin, carrying with it the delicate scent of wildflowers and fresh greenery.
He stood and moved cautiously toward the mouth of the cave, which opened onto a breathtaking mountain range. Towering peaks loomed in the distance, their rugged forms softened by a vibrant, green landscape that stretched as far as his eyes could see. The slopes were carpeted with thick, lush vegetation—tall grasses swayed gently in the breeze, while ferns and shrubs crowded at the base of ancient trees, their trunks thick and gnarled with age.
Clusters of jade-colored bamboo stood tall, their slender stalks rustling softly, while ivy draped itself like a natural tapestry over rocky outcrops. The sound of trickling water echoed from somewhere nearby, a hidden stream or perhaps a waterfall nestled within the mountains.
Peach blossoms were in full bloom, their pale pink petals a striking contrast against the rich green surroundings. The trees, with their delicate branches, formed a natural canopy, dotting the landscape with bursts of color. The petals occasionally danced in the wind, falling like soft rain onto the vibrant undergrowth below. Moss clung to the rocks, softening their hard surfaces with deep emerald tones, while wild vines curled along the ground and scaled the mountain walls, adding to the lushness of the scene.
The entire area felt untouched, serene—a paradise hidden within the mountains. Birds chirped from the treetops, and in the distance, the sky above was a clear, perfect blue, framing the peaks with a warm, golden light as the sun began to rise. It was as if Yi Ming had stepped into a dream, a place too perfect to be real.