The back of the book made a loud thud as it hit the floor, and for a moment, Xie Ling worried that he had broken its spine. Still, he knew destroying that book would not be the worst thing in the world because as of now he had had his fill of it. Why would anybody put up with this? Why would anybody even think these are believable or likeable characters?
"Stupid, stupid book! I could do so much better."
Xie Ling had always been an avid reader. He loved nothing more than getting lost in a story and feeling like he was a part of it. But this book, this particular story, had left him feeling empty and frustrated. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to read about characters who were so shallow and unlikeable. The characters were one-dimensional; the plot was predictable, and the writing was mediocre at best. He was not a professional writer, but Xie Ling knew that even he could do so much better. He could create characters that were complex and flawed, and a plot that was fascinating yet believable.
His sister had insisted that he would love this book as she gifted it to him four days ago and because her stamp of approval never disappointed, he had been so excited to devour this book. Only now, he knew he would never be able to fully trust anything she recommended again.
Xie Ling couldn't shake off the feeling of disappointment that lingered in the pit of his stomach. He had spent the last few days eagerly reading this book, but the more he turned the pages, the more he found himself becoming disillusioned with the story. He had lost count of the number of times he had rolled his eyes at the vapid dialogue or cringed at the awkward pacing
It was not that this was the worst book Xie Ling had ever read. No, that crown belonged to The Crazy Villain's Master Plan originally published online by WritesInADarkRoom89. That one was a different kind of torture. Xie Ling had heard good things about it and had decided to buy it once physical versions became available because he would rather read ink printed on dead trees than pixelated images displayed on a screen. He wished he could find the author and request his money back.
The Crazy Villain's Master Plan was one of those books that promised so much and gave nothing. Plot points built up to high heavens only to fall flat at a non-rewarding climax and plot holes so big, entire cities could fit in them. It foreshadowed so much and set up so many events only to abandon them or treat them with less levity than an attentive reader like Xie Ling would expect.
That book's undeniable ability to create expectation and tension was the reason Xie Ling read it to its disappointing end. The only good thing he got from that atrocious book was the ability to recognize a story written only to lead readers on and that is why he just could not bring himself to keep reading this one.
Xie Ling rubbed his temples, trying to dispel the headache that had formed behind his eyes. He stood up from his chair and stretched, his back protesting from being hunched over for hours. He needed a break from reading, and he needed it now.
He walked over to his balcony and leaned against the railing, taking in the city view. The sun had set, and the sky was a deep shade of blue. The city below was bathed in the warm glow of streetlights, and he could hear the distant sounds of car horns and people talking.
Xie Ling closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill his lungs. He felt a sense of peace wash over him and he allowed his mind to wander. If given the chance to rewrite this awkward story, what insights would he provide as a man of his taste and peculiarities? In what ways would he make the story better?
In a matter of minutes, Xie Ling's mind had thought up numerous possibilities and directions the story could have gone and nearly all of them were better than what the original writer could come up with. He knew though that there was not much he could do about a story that has already been written. So, Xie Ling rubbed his temple in an attempt to ease his growing headache and returned to his bed. Perhaps a nap would ease this headache.
In a matter of minutes, Xie Ling's entire body welcomed the warm embrace of his sheets and his systems began to shut down. Just as his eyes start to close and his brain grinds to a halt, Xie Ling's soul begins a new journey and it is here that our story begins.
Sleep for Xie Ling had always been a dark nothingness. While many people his age often spoke at length about terrible nightmares or beautiful dreams, he never had any true experiences of his own to narrate. He had taken this to mean that he was such a deep sleeper, his mind practically turned itself off completely whenever he went to sleep, which was why the first sign that something was amiss was the voice Xie Ling heard in his sleep, robotic and a little weird.
[System activated. Trigger: "Stupid, stupid book! I could do so much better."]
Xie Ling's eyes snapped open with a desperate urgency. If someone was in his room talking to him in his sleep, he needed to make sure he was safe. However, he did not find himself in the familiar comfort of his bed with a poster of the cover of his favorite wuxia novel staring back at him from the opposite wall, the ML and MC holding each other tight and longingly, a perfect representation of one book that did its beautiful characters and their stories justice. Instead, Xie Ling found himself in complete darkness.
He could not see a thing. Not even the faintest flicker of light. If he could not blink, he would have assumed that something was covering his eyes or that they were not open. He had no peripheral vision and absolutely no aerial perspective of just where he was floating in. He could not even see his own hands when he waved in front of his face.
As if not seeing anything was not bad enough, Xie Ling found that his voice box was also failing him. When he opened his mouth and attempted to talk, there was a bitter and metallic taste in his tongue that lingered even when he closed his mouth. The only sound around him was a deep, low humming as though a system was running through a process and waiting for output.
Was this a nightmare? This had to be a nightmare.
Suddenly, the same voice he had heard earlier broke through the relative silence, causing the panic swelling in Xie Ling's blood to reach dizzying new heights.
[You are officially welcome to the beautiful universe of Clawfully Yours. This story might be intolerable depending on how you choose to approach it. It is now up to you to turn this story of 'stupid, stupid' into something better with complex and flawed characters, and fascinating but believable plots. It is understandable if you are afraid. You would be foolish not to be. But don't worry, the system is here to guide you. Stay focused and don't forget to have fun.]
To say that Xie Ling was still utterly confused and worried would be an understatement. That weird, robotic voice had only made him even more afraid of whatever it was he was experiencing and he wished more than anything that he could talk so that he could ask any one of the billion questions rushing through his mind in quick succession. But as he tried his hardest to speak, he heard another voice.
Unlike the robotic voice, this one clearly belonged to a human. Besides that, it did not come suddenly. It started first as a distant scream of incomprehensible sounds, the direction of which Xie Ling could not identify. And gradually, as though the source was getting closer to him by the second, the volume of the voice began to increase and Xie Ling heard what the male voice was shouting.
"Xie Ling! Xie Ling!"
Never had light felt like such an onslaught on Xie Ling's eyes. The jarring brutality of going from velvet darkness to this level of brightness caused a searing headache to pierce through Xie Ling's skull, and it did not help that the voice screaming his name was now far too louder than comfort, seeming like its source was only inches away.
As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light and his other senses took in the surroundings, a picture began to come into view in front of Xie Ling.
Someone was holding him on either arm, shaking him, and screaming his name as though he was in a trance and they needed him to wake up urgently. Because of the stream of light coming from behind this person, creating something a little similar to a halo around their frame, Xie LIng could not properly make out their features, yet they felt a little familiar.
"Xie Ling! We need to go!"
"What? What is happening?" Xie Ling said, surprised that he had regained the ability to speak.
"We need to go, Xie Ling!" the person repeated with even more desperation. "I need you to get yourself together! We have woken this temple's daolaogui and it will break through that door at any moment."
At those words, Xie Ling's eyes immediately flew in the direction of the large bronze door. Surely, there was something on the other side of it banging ferociously with a clear aim to break it down. He felt a cold chill run down his spine and his vision became a little blurry.
"I don't understand what is going on," Xie Ling said, his voice shaky and his feet unsteady.
The person holding onto him let out an exasperated sigh. "There's no time to explain. We need to move now or we're both going to die."