My eyes widened in shock as I stared at him, my mind struggling to catch up with what I was seeing.
He stepped closer.
"Your Highness, please spare my son!" The man and woman dropped to their knees, bowing deeply.
"Please forgive Shen," they pleaded. "He is a troublemaker—we know. We are sorry."
"Fear not."
His voice was calm, steady.
"I have not come to condemn Shen," he continued. "I have come to apologize."
The room fell silent.
Shen's parents slowly lifted their heads, disbelief written across their faces.
"Apologize?" they echoed.
He turned to them. "What happened was entirely my fault. I should have known better than to march an army through that road. It is this clan's main route of transport—an accident was bound to happen."
Then his gaze shifted to me.
"For that, I owe Shen an apology."
I didn't care about his apology.
What I cared about was why the main character of my favorite book was standing right in front of me.
What the hell was going on?
I screamed internally.
"Oh no, no—Your Highness." My parents hurriedly stood. "You needn't apologize."
"Yes, yes," my father added quickly. "It's not as though Shen is completely innocent either."
"It is alright," he said.
Then his gaze settled on me.
"It seems you were injured quite severely." He stepped closer. "How are your wounds?"
I said nothing.
I didn't know what to say. The entire situation felt unreal—like the world had just turned upside down. I could only stare at him, my mind blank, my heart racing.
He looked exactly like I remembered.
"A-ahaha…" Grandma Mei laughed nervously, stepping in. "Please forgive Shen, Your Highness. He is still in shock from his injuries."
"Yes, Your Highness," Shen's father echoed, moving closer. "Please, while he recovers, allow us to host you. At least rest and have something to eat."
"It is alright. I will take my leave soon," he said.
"Nonsense, Your Highness," Shen's parents replied at once. "How could we let you leave so abruptly? Please, follow us."
And just like that, they ushered him out of the room—leaving me behind in a state of absolute shock.
"Shen, what is wrong with you?" Grandma Mei came closer, her brows knitting together. "Why didn't you respond to His Highness?"
"It seems he's really sick," Meilin added, leaning in to inspect me with narrowed eyes.
Grandma Mei studied me for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh.
"Haa… Meilin, let's go. It seems Shen truly needs some rest."
"Tch, fine," Meilin muttered, rolling her eyes as she followed her out.
The room fell quiet.
"What the fuck—"
The words slipped out the moment the door shut.
My mind refused to process anything, spinning in frantic circles.
What the hell did I drink?
Lianfeng. Grandma Mei. Meilin. Shen.
These are book characters.
How did they–
No. No—this was stupid. I didn't have time to entertain crazy thoughts like this. I needed to get out of this place.
I slowly began to push myself off the bed.
"Ugh—" I hissed. Pain shot through my head, forcing me to steady myself.
Whatever this place was, I wasn't staying.
I took a step toward the door—then froze.
A mirror.
I glanced at it—and saw a stranger staring back.
My breath caught.
The man in the reflection had long, dark hair spilling over his shoulders, pale skin, and wore flowing traditional robes.
I thought inspecting the clothes
Then I looked back at the mirror
I stared.
He stared back.
No.
Slowly, I raised my arm.
The reflection mimicked me perfectly.
I turned. He turned.
I waved.
He waved.
"No," I whispered.
That couldn't be me. I didn't have long hair. And what was I wearing—some kind of ancient robe?
Was this a hanfu?(ancient Chinese traditional gown)
I thought as my mind raced.
The realization made my stomach drop.
Heart pounding, I staggered out of the room.
My steps faltered the moment I stepped outside.
Green fields stretched endlessly before me. Mountains rose in the distance, mist curling around their peaks. Flowers swayed gently in the wind. People worked the land, dressed in the same ancient clothes as I was.
No roads. No buildings. No city.
And in that moment, I knew—
I was no longer in Beijing.
This was insane.
I couldn't believe it. Maybe I was dreaming.
But the throbbing pain in my head told me otherwise—too sharp, too real.
Could I still be drunk?
If so, I must have had one hell of a drink to hallucinate all of this.
Yet no matter how hard I tried to deny it, only one explanation kept circling my mind.
The book.
I was inside a book.
Impossible. Completely ridiculous. How could something like that even happen?
And yet—the people, the clothes, the world around me…
The stranger in the mirror who moved exactly as I did—
All of it showed the same answer.
This wasn't a dream.
It seemed I was truly inside the book.