Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 106 Bookstore
Making the bed, washing the dishes, and arranging household items and seasonings didn't take much effort; it only took less than ten minutes to finish everything.

All I can say is that telekinesis is really effective.

With everything prepared, Ai Liang officially moved into this home.

After tidying up her house, Ai Liang planned to go out and browse the bookstores in the city.

During the day, the city of Chika is relatively harmonious in the sunny areas. It is only at night that groups of idlers wander the streets.

Ai Liang took a bus for more than half an hour to reach the city center.

In this completely unfamiliar city, Ai Liang could only follow the navigation to find the location of each bookstore.

In the age of big information, almost every shop, even a small grocery store, will have its location displayed on a map.

So, when Ai Liang entered "bookstore" into the navigation software... very few results popped up.

It's already 2030, and physical bookstores are decreasing almost every year.

Those small bookstores with only one storefront and a few rows of bookshelves inside, covered in dust and filled with obscure books that have been around for who knows how many years.

Most of them have already been phased out.

Those that are still alive now are mostly aesthetically pleasing and multifunctional cultural and creative cafes and bookstores.

On the one hand, the rise of the Internet and mobile devices has made resources easier to access and reading more convenient, so people no longer need to go to traditional bookstores to buy physical books.

On the other hand, there is competition within the industry, but this competition also revolves around the internet.

The cost of opening an online bookstore is much lower than that of a traditional bookstore, and it also offers more marketing options and home delivery services.

This further exacerbates the predicament of traditional bookstores.

Under the combined effect of external pressure and internal reforms, the business model of cultural and creative coffee bookstores has emerged.

For these types of bookstores, book sales account for only one-third or even less of their total profits.

Rather than saying these bookstores sell books, it's more accurate to say they sell coffee, souvenirs, cultural atmosphere, and services, all in order to satisfy the "style" that most people seek.

Therefore, coffee bookstores are more common in the top ten international cities of Asia-Pacific or popular tourist cities.

The reason is simple: high cost.

A coffee bookstore sells service; it needs not only bookshelves, sofas, and tables, but also a large space and exquisite decor.

Because it incorporates elements outside the bookstore, it also requires a dedicated barista.

Aside from the cost of investment, the monthly wages paid to the store staff are also a considerable sum.

Citizens of large cities often make reading a habit, so bookstores can have a variety of customers, including not only students and young people, but also adults and retired seniors.

Secondly, in popular tourist cities, such as Chika City, these exquisite coffee bookstores will become popular spots for tourists to take photos and check in on social media, which will bring more foot traffic to the bookstores.

This way, income is guaranteed.

The bookstore in front of Ai Liang is just like this.

The bookstore lobby is decorated in a khaki style, with brown tones for everything from the bookshelves to the attached tables and chairs, creating a pleasant atmosphere just by looking at it.

Ai Liang chose this store primarily because it has a separate reading room outside the bar.

That place is specially prepared for people who want to read quietly.

Like bookstores in Nevada, this one also operates on a membership system.

A regular member who pays 121 yuan can freely read books in the store's reading room.

Premium members (350+) enjoy a 10% discount on book purchases and can borrow books from other users.

Ai Liang considered it for a moment, then signed up for a 350 yuan membership and paid a 200 yuan deposit.

Reading is one of his few hobbies, and he's willing to spend that much money. The 200 yuan deposit is just to prevent customers from deliberately damaging the books, and the deposit will be refunded when the membership expires.

With a pleasant feeling, Ai Liang began to wander among the bookshelves, searching for novel categories.

Even with her psychic abilities, Ai Liang couldn't read the minds of the characters in the novel.

Almost every story brings him a sense of novelty, and the outpouring of genuine emotion is something that reality cannot provide.

After all, most of real society is gray, and only in the world of stories will truth, goodness and beauty be promoted for various reasons.

"So this book actually has two volumes, a middle volume and a lower volume?"

Ai Liang's gaze swept back and forth across the bookshelf, and suddenly he spotted the novel that Yang Xingyue had given him.

Yang Xingyue only gave him the first volume, but he never expected to see the whole set here.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ai Liang took the three books (upper, middle, and lower volumes) and sat down at the long table.

He first spent ten minutes reviewing the plot of the first volume, recalling the general content of the book, and then gradually immersed himself in the subsequent story with curiosity.

It's only a little past nine in the morning, and there are almost no people in the bookstore. Ai Liang has practically booked the whole place by herself.

Time ticked by, and the young man reading became a unique sight in the reading room.

Buzz, buzz.

What woke Ai Liang from the world of stories wasn't the buzzing of her phone, but the reminder from the girl diagonally opposite her.

Your phone is ringing.

The sudden sound disrupted Ai Liang's thoughts.

After noticing her phone buzzing, Ai Liang returned an apologetic smile.

The person calling at that moment was none other than Ma Yu, one of Ai Liang's few friends.

It wasn't convenient to talk in the reading room, so Ai Liang hung up the phone and checked her private chat.

Ma Yu would only call Ai Liang directly if she didn't reply to his private messages or if it was something urgent.

[Hello? Is Xiao Ai there?]

Have you found a place to stay yet?

[Let me know once you've rented the place, and tell me the address. I'd love to visit you sometime.]

Please reply to this message.

[I hope she wasn't kidnapped.]

Let me know if you see this message.

The news first came out last night.

Two of the times were when he was doing housework in the morning, and the most recent time was ten minutes ago.

There were many similar messages, all sent by Yue Qihua and Yang Xingyue.

Based on the chat time, Ai Liang realized that it was almost 11 o'clock.

I'm fine. I've already found a place to stay, on Huayuan Road near Qianhua Experimental Middle School. I was doing housework this morning and was reading when I didn't see the message.

Wow, you finally replied to my message! Why didn't you answer the phone?

The bookstore's reading room is inconvenient.

[Really? You haven't been kidnapped, have you? Send me a picture.]

【…】

If you had made that request yesterday, I really wouldn't have been able to explain it.

Ai Liang silently turned on the recording, turned around halfway, and then clicked send.

Wait a minute? You just arrived in Thousand Flower City and you've already hooked up with a new girl?

Picking up girls? Am I that kind of person?
Ai Liang looked up with some confusion, glanced around, and then noticed that the person sitting to his right was staring at him with a complicated expression.

Ai Liang had actually noticed that there was someone next to him a long time ago, but he didn't care. It was their freedom to sit wherever they wanted.

This wasn't the first time he'd encountered this situation; when he went to bookstores before, people would often come up and strike up a conversation with him.

Anyway, I can just focus on reading.

(End of this chapter)