The digital clock beside Liu Mei's bed glowed 2:13 AM when she finally gave up on sleep entirely. The restless energy that had been building in her chest for the past hour made it impossible to find the peaceful oblivion she desperately needed. Something felt wrong—not obviously dangerous, but subtly off in a way that her mind couldn't categorize or dismiss.
She pushed herself upright in the narrow bed, running her fingers through her dark hair with frustrated resignation. The room was illuminated by the soft, flickering glow of a candle she'd placed on the shelf beside her bed, its warm light casting dancing shadows across the walls that had become familiar over months of similar sleepless nights.
