Chapter 15 The Library

Fatty looked up at the four-story, dark red building and suddenly felt as if he were facing a huge beast crouching on the ground.

The beast had already opened its mouth, waiting for him and the doctor to walk right in.

"Let's go," Jiang Cheng said, walking through the door first.

Probably due to the structure, the lighting on the first floor of the library was poor. Although there were lights on overhead, it still gave a dim and gloomy feeling.

Whether it was because the place was naturally cold or because the doctor said he saw a face behind him, Fatty felt uncomfortable as soon as he entered the library.

It was as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows.

The space inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside, and combined with the high ceilings, it should have felt quite spacious.

But whoever designed the place had used walls and large screens with warning messages everywhere, making it feel like a maze.

After leading Fatty through left and right turns, Jiang Cheng and Fatty finally found a map of the library, allowing them to locate the circulation desk.

Their goal was simple: to find the book corresponding to the code in the notebook.

"Doctor, it's so quiet here," Fatty suddenly whispered as they walked. They had only encountered one girl at the entrance.

"And… this library really looks old. Libraries aren't built like this anymore," Fatty said, tugging at his collar, "It's like a maze."

"Libraries weren't built like this before either," Jiang Cheng replied.

Fatty's expression changed as he asked, "What… what do you mean?"

"I think this wasn't a library before, and this building is clearly older than Jiangtan University."

Fatty understood what Jiang Cheng meant. When Jiangtan University was built, it must have incorporated this building, and then renovated it into the library it is today.

"Then what was it before?" Fatty's face immediately showed unease, clearly imagining terrifying scenarios like funeral parlors or mental hospitals.

"Don't ask me. Ask the person behind you," Jiang Cheng said.

Fatty made a face and immediately shut up, sticking close to the doctor, not wanting to be separated from him.

"We're here," Jiang Cheng said.

About 10 meters ahead, there was a semi-enclosed space separated by glass. Inside were several tables, one of which was piled high with books.

A plain-looking woman with a ponytail sat at the table, head down, occasionally picking up a book, recording something in a blue binder, and then quickly moving on to the next one.

The words "Circulation Desk" were written on the glass window.

Jiang Cheng had only seen similar scenes in old movies. Most libraries now had computer terminals for self-service, not this kind of setup.

"Hello, teacher," Jiang Cheng said, stepping forward and politely knocking on the glass window.

After a moment, the woman looked up. She looked to be in her early thirties, with heavy forehead wrinkles and dark circles under her eyes, likely from staying up late.

The woman adjusted her glasses and asked in a businesslike tone, "Borrowing or returning? Also," she paused, "just call me 'student.' I'm a junior."

"Hello, senior," Jiang Cheng immediately nodded, leaning on the window and blinking his eyes, saying in a cute voice, "I want to borrow a book."

"Title, category," the woman said expressionlessly.

"I don't know the title, but I know this," Jiang Cheng said, taking out the slip of paper and handing it over. "Please help me look up this book. I'd like to borrow it."

The woman took the paper, glanced at it, and handed it back. "Sorry, this number isn't from our library."

"It's not?" Jiang Cheng had considered many possibilities when coming here, such as the book being lost or something else, but he never thought the call number would be wrong.

"It's not," the woman repeated expressionlessly.

Jiang Cheng immediately put on an even brighter smile, leaned closer, and pleaded in a low voice, "Senior, could you please take another look? How could it not be? I'm a student here. Could it be that you…"

"I said it's not, it's not," the woman said, looking at him with a stern expression. "I need to remind you, this is a library, a very serious place. Don't be so flippant."

Fatty's expression became quite interesting at this sight.

Just as Jiang Cheng took a deep breath, preparing to unleash his ultimate move, the dark iron door behind the woman was pushed open, and a thin figure walked in.

It was an elderly man with gray hair, wearing simple clothes, with narrow metal-framed glasses, and a thick knitted scarf around his neck.

"Curator Zhou," the woman said, getting up to greet the elderly man.

"Wu Qing, you're still here? No classes today?" The elderly man, called Curator Zhou, nodded with a smile, then shifted his gaze to Jiang Cheng and Fatty.

"I heard you talking. Is there anything I can help you with?" the elderly man asked, taking off his scarf and placing it on the table with natural movements that made people feel comfortable.

"They're here to borrow a book, with a call number from who knows where," Wu Qing replied matter-of-factly.

"That's not true, Curator Zhou. We're also students at Jiangtan University," Jiang Cheng quickly explained through the glass.

Curator Zhou took the call number Wu Qing handed him, and after just one glance, Jiang Cheng noticed Curator Zhou's brow furrow slightly, and his expression turned strange. "Where did you get this number?" Curator Zhou asked, looking at Jiang Cheng.

Fearing he would reveal too much, Jiang Cheng dodged the question. "Curator Zhou, do you recognize this number?"

"Yes," Curator Zhou said, seemingly not thinking much of it, and looked down at the number again, reminiscing. "This is indeed a call number from our library."

"How could it be?" Wu Qing couldn't help but exclaim.

"But it's not a current one. It's from many years ago, when the university library was first established. It's normal that Wu Qing wouldn't know about it," Curator Zhou explained.

"Is the book still here now?" Jiang Cheng didn't care about history; he just wanted the book.

Curator Zhou shook his head, then handed the call number back, saying regretfully, "It's been too long. Many of the books from that time have been lost. Even if it's still here, it would be difficult to find."

Seeing that the clue they had finally found was cut off, Jiang Cheng and Fatty were unwilling to give up. Jiang Cheng prepared to make another effort. "Curator Zhou, please try to remember. This book is very important to me."