#and patting him on the back too... like he knows too that jia yi is talking about lin mo and that lin mo does a lot for mr tyger as leader

[shijiujun]

Hope everyone is partying (by yourself, spiritually, or with people, all are totally fine) well into the Christmas weekend! I am back with even more recs (I’ll prolly give it a rest at the 10th one sorry for the spam guys)! This one I just finished a few days ago, because CHINA BOOKSTORE PUBLISHED THIS ON CHRISTMAS WITH MANY GOODIES!! And I was like oh cute long-hair dude, let me read this.

Anyway this is a fengshui + supernatural + body-switching type of novel, with a heavy focus on fengshui! I don’t know if everyone knows what fengshui is (I will prolly do a list for Chinese New Year) and I am no expert, but it’s basically like Chinese geomancy where you can calculate a person’s fate, wealth, marriage suitability etc. with things in an individual’s environment. 

So a lot of Chinese people, for example businessmen when they have new offices or when couples renovate their homes, they may get a feng shui master to arrange furniture and add crystals or talismans or whatever to increase wealth/prosperity/happiness or harmonize bad energy etc., just an example. When you want to check the compatibility of yourself and your SO, some people do go to the fengshui master and calculate their 八字 (day, hour, time they were born + other things) to see when is an auspicious day to marry etc. 

My ex-editor really believes in feng shui masters because hers really predicted a year that her husband got into hugeee trouble like almost to the day itself apparently. And she always wear an accessory with a snake on it because the master said

Written by the same author (Xi Zi Xu) who wrote Kaleidoscope of Death!

- Part of Min’s ‘Why You Should Read’ Series -

Summary:

This book is set in the normal, regular, law-abiding modern city world where fengshui is heavily believed in, and skilled masters can see spirits, bad energies. Where dogs can be reincarnated as humans, and there are demonic pets that humans can keep, and paper dolls can come to life basically.

Zhou Jia Yu is a government office worker who dies in a car accident one day, and wakes up in the body of another Zhou Jia Yu - a handsome man whose name is the same as his. He’s brought back by this spirit bird in his head called Ji Ba (pun not intended), who says that Zhou Jia Yu is fated to save Lin Zhu Shui, the young, blind fengshui master who has caught him.

Unfortunately, this second Zhou Jia Yu is a con-artist who has cheated the money of several families via fraudulent fengshui schemes, and his scams have led to the death of several children in the process. Legendary fengshui master Lin Zhu Shui and his disciples have caught/imprisoned this Zhou Jia Yu, not knowing that original conman Zhou Jia Yu has died (and therefore his soul is gone), leaving good citizen Zhou Jia Yu in the body of a conman.

Lin Zhu Shui intends to kill conman Zhou Jia Yu (not really kill, kill but probably will do something to his soul, considering there are laws against murder you know) when good citizen Zhou Jia Yu wakes up in this body, but because he has come back from the dead, his body and soul is considered an extremely yin (cold) body, which allows him to attract more bad spirits and energy, giving him an extraordinary, gifted ability to excel in the fengshui line. Of course, being the master that he is, Lin Zhu Shui also realizes that this Zhou Jia Yu (and his soul, in particular) is not the one he caught, and as he has an extremely yang (hot) body, the both of them are compatible with each other. Lin Zhuo Shui realizes that he can train Zho Jia Yu and then takes him on as his disciple.

Cue Zhou Jia Yu being tossed into a dangerous fengshui competition as he figures out just what Ji Ba wants him to do about Lin Zhu Shui. In the meanwhile, he falls in love with amazingly handsome, cool and aloof Lin Zhu Shui (who threatens to murder him if he doesn’t come out first in the competition), who keeps him warm when he gets unbearably cold due to his body condition. They also have to deal with an evil person working behind the scenes, and how Zhou Jia Yu eventually returns back into his own body at the end.

Read:

Novel (Online) | Novel (Print) - Dec 2020 Print | Novel Translations 

Characters:

1. 周嘉鱼 Zhou Jia Yu (third from right) - A really cute government office worker whose soul was pulled into a conman’s body, who has the same name as he, when he got into a car accident. Has an extremely yin (cold) body which attracts spirits (good and bad), and allows him to see, smell or hear them more clearly than everyone else except for Lin Zhu Shui. He cooks extremely well too and is considered a treasure in the household by Lin Zhu Shui’s other disciples because none of them can cook for shit. They don’t initially know that this Zhou Jia Yu is not conman Zhou Jia Yu, although they suspect it, and once they fall in love with his cooking no one doubts him anymore HAHAHA.

He gets a feng shui tattoo personally done by Lin Zhu Shui who already knows that his soul was switched, a tattoo which is supposed to help him in feng shui matters. Gets a paper doll son halfway through the story, who he calls Xiao Zhi (little paper), which calls him Dad (and calls Lin Zhu Shui Big Dad - da baba) ;-; It’s the cutest shit ever.

There’s a mystical creature in the back of his head that speaks to him and helps him out on certain feng shui things, and helps him to explain what he’s seeing, but aside from telling Jia Yu that he’s supposed to save Lin Zhu Shui, the mystical bird thing is unable to tell him anything else. Within a few weeks of him waking up in this body, he’s sent by Lin Zhu Shui on an international feng shui competition without having any sort of basic knowledge, only innate talent, much to his panic XD As Lin Zhu Shui continues to protect him, teach him and tease/smile at him, Jia Yu, who is certified gay af, falls totally in love with the seemingly aloof and strict feng shui master.

They probably would have continued like this if not for Jia Yu’s body deteriorating because his body is technically not his and not compatible with his soul, and Lin Zhu Shui tries to find a way to save him, after seeing the future where Jia Yu’s body is rotting as he dies slowly over months and begging Lin Zhu Shui to kill him and let him die.

2. 林逐水 Lin Zhu Shui (third from left, right next to Jia Yu) - Long-haired, wears changshan perpetually and is blind, but can see more clearly than most people. He knows where everyone’s positions are exactly, and can see spirits etc. very well despite being blind. Considered a genius of the feng shui world and is the patriarch of one of the big feng shui families in the world - the Lin family. He’s a master at drawing talismans, carving crystals/gems and feng shui tattooing.

He’s so well-known that everyone wants to be his disciple, everyone wants to get a talisman/crystal/tattoo from him, everyone wants him to come and look at their houses, but he can’t be bothered with most people. He’s also super handsome? So a lot of girls (and guys) are always drooling over him.

He has an extremely yang (hot) body, which is supposed to naturally help to repel spirits and what not, but because of this he suffers a lot in the summer. His body condition is very rare and when he was younger, others said he would not live past 18 years old, and his parents gave up their lives to change his fate so he would survive. The feng shui master also predicted that Lin Zhu Shui would experience another calamity when he was 30 (thereabout), and that year, thankfully he has Jia Yu as his entire house caught on fire in the summer while he was in it (and cooling talismans and the house item placements meant to keep the house entirely cool in the summer were no longer working). Jia Yu helped him to cool down with his incredibly yin body.

Knows right off the bat that this is a different Jia Yu, and starts teaching him as one of his disciples. Can only eat the food hat Jia Yu cooks because his yin qualities transfer to the food he cooks as well, and Lin Zhu Shui usually cannot eat anything else that’s cooked outside. Gives Jia Yu a carved jade pendant he made himself that’s apparently worth thousands of dollars to keep him safe, and is a dumbass when it comes to confessing to Jia Yu hahahaha (although he’s successful at the end!)

3. 沈一穷 Shen Yi Qiong (second from right, dark skin tone) - Lin Zhu Shui’s youngest disciple and also Jia Yu’s best friend, technically. Brash but smart, and is always thirsting openly after his shifu Lin Zhu Shui, it’s hilarious! He’s a little jealous in the beginning because his shifu is showering Jia Yu with so much attention when he’s only been around for a week etc., but quickly gets used to it and supports Jia Yu. Jia Yu always makes fun of his tanned skin, then makes fun of his singlehood HAHA, while Shen Yi Qiong provides emotional support to Jia Yu, and by emotional support I mean when Jia Yu asks him what will happen to him if he loses the feng shui competition, Shen Yi Qiong pats him on the shoulder and asks him to choose a vase/pot pattern (like a ceramic pot where you put cremated ashes) = shifu will kill him if he loses the competition, so gets Jia Yu to choose a pot he likes so Shen Yi Qiong can help him put his ashes in HAHAHAHA. He is the last one to find a significant other, but the one he finds is like a legendary mystical creature who half deceives him into promising to marry him and then keeps chasing after Shen Yi Qiong so he can marry him XD

4. 林珏 Lin Jue (first from left) - Lin Zhu Shui’s cousin but technically his older sister because she brought him up after his parents died. Spends most of the novel being sad about her past lover who died because of an illness, and is wooed a few years later by a legendary golden dragon.

5. 小纸 Xiao Zhi (that little cute white thing on top of Jia Yu’s head) - A paper doll who’s given to Jia Yu after he helps out at the paper doll village/tribe, and grows up with Jia Yu and Lin Zhu Shui taking care of him. Is the cutest little shit ever, can speak, and calls Jia Yu ‘baba’ and Lin Zhu Shui ‘da baba’ i.e. dad and big dad. Very strong, and can protect Jia Yu very well.

Other Things I Like in the Novel:

Jia Yu basically goes to the feng shui competition and destroys everyone else because he’s just gifted in this aspect - When he wakes up, and in the days leading up to the competition, he doesn’t have a cellphone (Lin Zhu Shui and his disciples live in a remote part of town, a traditional-type house, one with nature) and after he wins the competition, other people want his phone number to contact him and he’s too embarrassed to say that he’s basically too poor to have a phone after rising from the dead, so he bluffs everyone and says “My shifu says that handphone signals and radiation will interfere with advanced feng shui readings so I don’t have one” and LITERALLY half of the feng shui training population gets rid of their phones on that day, gullible af

Everytime Jia Yu runs cold, he has to drink some of Lin Zhu Shui’s blood mixed with water/milk, and the man’s yang blood warms him up immediately

Jia Yu has to deal with four of Lin Zhu Shui’s disciples, all who are really suspicious of him because they think he’s the conman, and Jia Yu doesn’t realize they already know it’s not him until they defend him in front of other people, and he’s so touched

Shen Yi Qiong gets his marriage fortune told during one of the cases by accident. He asks when he’ll get married, and the thing replies “Seven Three” AND HE’S SO DEPRESSED BECAUSE he thinks that it means he’ll only get married when he’s 73. It’s a source of jokes between him, his other shixiongs and Jia Yu, but then towards the end he realizes what it means - His supposed match, a legendary mystical male weasel who’s 73 years old XD

Jia Yu keeps thirsting after Lin Zhu Shui, fully aware that he’s very gay himself, and he’s confessed to while he’s stuck in the haze of a high fever, so he thinks it’s a dream. Lin Zhu Shui doesn’t realize he forgot/thinks it’s a dream and is pissed that he’s rejected HAHAHA and then Lin Jue reminds him to not be a dumbass and confess properly, and so he does so again in an empty amusement park, after summoning evil spirits so they can fly in the air and make a heart shape just for Jia Yu while they’re on the ferris wheel XDDDD

[alpxcamin]

Spider Man

Requested?: Nope uwu

Words: 8.5k

Group: Qing Chun You Ni

Member(s): Jia Yi (feat. Next Door Tarzan Group A)

A/N: Okay so I’ve had this in my wips since episode 3 came out and I didn’t expect it to be this long or take this long to write oof...anyway, I can’t seem to find any qcyn fics?? someone pls tag me in anything you see ty :’)) Btw this isn’t really based off the comics or movies, I just borrowed the Spider Man character lol. Also, apologies if this seemed rushed at the end!! I didn't’ really know how to end it lmao...Also idk how to title so uh the title is boring...okay I’ll let you read now lol

“You really think Guan Yue is cuter?” your friend gasps.

“What’s wrong with Guan Yue? He’s super cute,” you scoff.

“Of course he is, but everyone thinks Wenhan and Jia Yi are the cuter ones,” your friend shrugs, closing her locker.

“They’re alright. Too overrated in my opinion,” you shut your locker, looking at your friend.

“Speaking of the devils,” your friend subtly points behind her.

You peek over her shoulders and casually roll your eyes. They are the most popular group of guys at school. Wherever they went, you can always find at least five girls hanging around. You didn’t really understand why they were so popular besides for their looks. However, you can’t say for sure because you didn’t know them personally.

You didn’t really like that group though because a lot of the girls that hang around them are rude and obsessive, which isn’t the boys’ fault, but they didn’t do anything to stop them. They also broke hearts like their lives depended on it...that’s what you heard at least. Also, there have been a few rumors that Jia Yi got into a lot of fights since he would show up to school with bruises or cuts sometimes.

You sigh, turning away as they pass by. You caught Jia Yi’s eyes on you and he offers a soft smile. You give him a tight-lipped smile, before rolling your eyes to show your friend your annoyance. You’ve noticed that they liked to flirt around a little too. Ever since you entered the school, you’ve vowed to never fall for any of their charms.

“I seriously still thinks Jia Yi has a crush on you,” your friend whispers as she watches the group of pretty boys breezes past the hallway.

“Pfft...nice joke,” you laugh, “He probably doesn't even know I exist.”

“He literally just smiled at you and he sits next to you in class,” your friend deadpans.

“Smiling at me doesn’t mean he has a crush on me. Also, he doesn’t have to know who I am just because we sit together,” you shake your head, chuckling.

“He stares at you in class all the time. I sit behind both of you so I should know,” your friend points out.

“Nope, he’s probably staring at Jolin Tsai. She’s pretty and popular. Even I lowkey have a crush on her,” you start walking towards your classroom.

“Okay yeah, true. But I seriously don’t think he’s looking at her,” your friend pouts, chasing after you.

“Really? She has a crush on him though. I bet those two are dating in secret,” you scrunch your brows together.

“Whatever, just peek at him some time in class. If he looks away, then I’m right,” your friend huffs, opening the classroom door.

“What? That doesn’t prove anything,” you step in, “He’s probably just daydreaming or something.”

“Just watch,” your friend whispers to you as the two of you make your way to your seats.

Unfortunately and fortunately, you sit right in between Jia Yi and Jolin. Pulling out your chair, you slide into your seat, greeting Jolin who waves back to you. You turn around after without giving a glance at the boys who are crowding around Jiayi’s desk.

“Remember to peek over some time,” your friend quietly reminds you.

“Fine, but you owe me lunch,” you roll your eyes, turning back around.

---

“Jia Yi, it’s that girl you like,” Wenhan wiggles his eyebrows, prodding his best friend in the ribs, pointing at you standing by your locker with your friend just a few feet away.

“Ow! Don’t say that out loud,” Jia Yi groans, but quickly turns to smile at one of the girls that passed by.

“You should really go talk to her,” Guan Yue encourages, placing a gentle hand on Jia Yi’s tense shoulders.

“No way! Do you guys want me to embarrass myself or something? Plus, you guys know she doesn’t like us...especially me,” Jia Yi pouts, looking down sadly.

“I don’t think she’s like that. She just doesn’t know us, that’s all,” Chunyang shyly suggests.

“You never know,” Hanyu shrugs, “Why do you like her so much anyway? You guys haven’t ever talked.”

“Yeah, but I see her around all the time. She’s so helpful and caring and kind. Plus, she’s super cute,” Jia Yi hums dreamily, “I can’t help it. She’s literally perfect.”

The group of boys immediately quiet down as they passed by you and your friend. Jia Yi swallows harshly and tries to look away, but he can’t. You make eye contact with him and he shivers a little, offering a shy smile. That sarcastic smile on your face makes his heart drop and when they finally reach the classroom, Jia Yi sighs deeply, allowing his smile to fall into a frown.

“By the way, you really need to stop staring at her in class. I’m sure her friend who sits behind her in class notices,” Wenhan snorts.

“I-I don’t stare at her!” Jia Yi squeaks, his cheeks darkening.

“I sit in front of you and I notice it too,” Hanyu rolls his eyes, chuckling.

“Ugh, I definitely don't. I’m just...uh...looking out the window!” Jia Yi’s flustered mind doesn’t aid him in coming up with an excuse.

“Sure…” Guan Yue gives a teasing smile.

“Oh, here they come,” Chunyang points at the door sliding open.

Jia Yi’s head whips up and he spots your friend, seemingly frustratedly chatting, open the door. Then, you walk in. He can’t help but melt a little when he notices the relaxed and teasing expression on your face. It’s like you are literally glowing.

Jia Yi quickly looks down again, staring at his hands, twiddling his thumbs. He tries to keep his breath even as you and your friend get closer and closer. He takes a daring glance and sees you waving cutely at Jolin before turning back to face your friend. He notices that your friend’s eyes quickly darted over at them before whispering something to you.

“Don’t be too obvious, okay?” Wenhan chuckles, patting Jia Yi on the back, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Literally shut up,” Jia Yi huffs, playfully nudging Wenhan, causing all of them to laugh.

---

Class couldn’t have been more boring. Sighing, you doodle mini Spider Mans all over your notes. He’s been your favorite hero, or “celebrity” crush, ever since he started his career. You admire everything about him. He never hesitates to save someone, doesn’t mind putting himself in danger, and you’ve heard that he’s quite the charmer. You wish you can meet Spider Man in person at least once in your lifetime.

Suddenly, you feel something small hit your back and you snap out of your daydream. Turning around, you give your friend a harsh look. She simply shakes her head, ever so slightly pointing in Jia Yi’s direction. You rolled your eyes before facing forward again and turn to look at the boy.

You make eye contact with him and you see his cheeks turn pink before he quickly fixes his gaze on the teacher, pretending to write something on his paper. You turn back to look at your friend who was smiling smugly.

---

“I told you! He was totally looking at you. Did you see him blush?” your friend violently shakes you back and forth.

“I saw, I saw,” you groan, peeling her hands off of you, “I’m still not convinced though. You know, if I was caught staring at someone, I’d be embarrassed too.”

“Are you serious?” your friend shrieks, “You know what, never mind. We can talk about that later.”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” you chuckle.

“Anyway, I can’t walk home with you today. My mom just signed me up for another tutoring class and I couldn’t argue my way out this time,” she sighs, clinging on to you, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. One day isn’t going to hurt,” you laugh, hugging your friend back.

“I know, but this might happen a few times a month,” your friend pouts, “Walking without you is going to be so boring.”

“I know. Hopefully, you won’t have to be in that class for too long,” you shrug, the piercing bell making you jump.

“Yeah. See you tomorrow then!” your friend sadly waves before the two of you split ways, heading to your own classes.

---

It is lonely the say the least as you stroll down the streets by yourself. Despite not having your friend with you, you still decide to stop by the bakery as the two of you usually do. Stepping in, a small smile makes its way onto your face. The sweet smell of beautifully decorated cakes and adorable pastries fill your nose. Shuffling up to the cashier, you order your usual and head towards your usual seat.

Pulling out your books, you decide to get a headstart on your homework before you went home. Usually, you and your friend would procrastinate until it got dark outside. Your food arrives quickly and you set to work.

Blindly, you reach for your cup, still intensely reading your book. Finally grabbing the cup, you carefully bring it to your mouth, but nothing came out of it. Blinking a couple of times, you bookmark your book and set it down. You peek at the clock and nearly fell over. It is already six and you have to get home soon. Quickly packing your things, you leave a tip on the table and left the bakery.

The dark sky and bright lights calm you down a little. It feels nice walking out at night, although you were a little scared to be alone. You decide to get home quickly since it was starting to get cold and your thin school sweater did nothing to help with blocking out the wind.

Suddenly, you feel someone place a tight grip on your arm. You try to pull away, but you are too weak and you are yanked into the dark alleyway. You scream until the person places a heavy hand over your mouth.

“Give me your money or I’ll shoot,” a low, grumbling voice mumbles from behind you.

Your throat tightens when the thief lets you go and pulls out his gun. You hear a click, and you see the metal weapon gleaming under the moonlight. You shakily pick up your bag from the ground and file through it to find your wallet. Closing your eyes, you hand the thief your wallet, but he doesn’t take it. However, you did hear a loud thud and you open your eyes.

There he is, clad in his classic red and blue suit, tying up the thief. Your mouth drops open just as Spider Man knocks out the tied up thief. He dusts his gloved hands off and makes his way over to you. He towers over you, standing at nearly six feet tall.

“Hey, you alright? He didn’t hurt you hopefully,” Spider Man carefully checks you over for any injuries.

You meekly shake your head, “I’m fine.”

“What are you doing out so late by yourself?” he asks gently.

“I lost track of time today and my friend isn’t here to walk back with me,” you whisper, a little scared to look away.

“I’ll take you home. Where do you live?” he wraps a strong arm around your waist and you pray that he can’t see the rising blush on your cheeks and feel your heartbeat quickening against his own chest.

“Uh, I live on the fourth floor of that small apartment across from the candy shop,” you shyly offer.

“Okay, got it. Just hold on tight!” Spider Man holds you tighter against him.

“W-Wait! Wait, is this safe?” you blubber in fear, but also because you wish for him to hold you just a little longer.

“Don’t worry, I’m here to keep you safe. Please trust me,” the suited hero reassures.

“Okay...I trust you,” you slowly wrap your arms around his broad shoulders.

As soon as you feel your feet lift off the ground, you close your eyes shut. You hear Spider Man’s soft giggle and you cling onto him tighter. The cool wind whips through your hair and you shiver a little.

“Hey, open your eyes. It’s really pretty at night,” Spider Man’s soothing voice brings you out of your anxious thoughts.

Slowly, you allow yourself to see again. Gasping, you enjoy the night breeze as you fly past the colorful lights and buzzing city. The dark evening sky above you is filled with glittering stars. The moon produces a soft light, bouncing off the cotton candy clouds. It is so calm and peaceful. Below you, however, is a city full of adrenaline and excitement. The multicolored lights, tall buildings, and bustling people brings the city to life.

You can’t help but let a small noise of surprise and pure joy slip out of your mouth. Before you knew it, Spider Man gently places you on your balcony as he balances on the railing.

“Is this your place?” he asks.

“Yup, thank you so much,” you smile softly.

“No problem. Stay safe, okay?” he salutes before leaping off the building.

You sigh dreamily as you watch your hero swing gracefully from building to building. You can’t wait to tell your friend about what happened. Begrudgingly, you unlock the double doors and slip into your room.

---

“Yeah right, there’s no way Spider Man has the time for that,” your friend crinkles her nose, “Doesn’t he have that other big project going on?”

“Why won’t you just believe me? He really did swing by and save me,” you pout, crossing your arms over your chest.

“I think you were dreaming,” your friend giggles at the sight of you pouting so hard.

Jia Yi silently listens in from the side, shifting slightly in his seat every so often. A soft blush appears on his well-defined cheeks. His brows furrowed as he strains to hear your soft voice complementing your favorite hero.

His eyes glazed over with wonder, leaning slightly closer to hear you. He really wishes you are complimenting him, but just the sound of you sounding so happy and charmed makes him happy. He can’t help but allow the smallest smile on his face.

---

A small knock on your balcony door brings you out of your trance. Saving your essay, you shuffle, a little scared, towards the glass door. Drawing back your curtains, you gasp. Spider Man’s strong back is facing you, his red and blue suit stretching comfortably over his muscles. He hangs from a thin strand of web and you are surprised that it is able to handle his weight. You quickly open the door and the sound makes Spider Man turn around. He drops from his upside down position and gracefully lands on the balcony floor. Though you can’t see his face, you know he’s giving you the most beautiful smile ever.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” you shyly ask, retreating back into your room, allowing the hero in.

“To check on you. You’re okay, right? You walked with your friend today?” concern laced his soothing voice.

“Yeah, she said she’d only be gone on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I’m okay, thanks for asking,” you smile, leaning back slightly on your desk.

You silently watched as he peeks around your room in awe. A smile dawns on your face and you giggle every time he lets out a small “woah” or “ooh”. He finishes touring your room and ends up in front and towering over you. You look up at him.

“Your room is cute,” he nods in approval.

“Glad you think so,” you laugh.

You stare up at his masked face and squint slightly to try and see if you could see at least his eyes. However, you find yourself mesmerized by just the shape of his face. You can tell his jawline is well-defined and his nose bridge makes a cute arch. He seems to be staring right back at you and you feel your cheeks heating up. Coughing slightly, you break out of your dream-like state and back away.

“Sorry, I’ll get going,” Spider Man sniffs awkwardly, “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Thanks, really,” you shake your head, looking away.

“Okay, I’m gonna leave now,” he slowly backs towards the door, not even turning back.

“Okay,” you giggle, following him.

It seems like he doesn’t want to leave and you certainly don’t want him to go. However, you still have a lot of work to do and he probably has many more people he needs to save. You step out into the cool night breeze, holding your arms a little closer to your body for warmth. Spider Man reaches an arm out, displaying his shiny web-shooter.

“Goodbye,” you give him a small wave.

“See ya later,” Spider Man nods before shooting a web and jumping right off your balcony.

You lean over to see him fall. Just as he is about to hit the ground, he swings back up in the air and you watch as he swings away through the city.

---

Winter break is nearing and you’re getting a little antsy. Finals are coming up and you’re a wreck. With eyebags hanging down to your cheeks, you stumble your way to your seat and collapse in the chair. Your backpack slides off your slumped shoulders as you drop your head to your desk, cradling it with your arms.

“Y/n...you okay? You’ve never been this late before,” you hear your friend whisper from behind.

You raise your head and turn around, staring at her blankly, “I know, I just have...a lot to do.”

“Aww, I’m sorry I can’t help because of my dumb classes,” your friend sympathetically frowns, gently brushing your hair with her fingers.

“It’s alright, it’s not your fault really,” you sigh, “I found some company on Wednesdays and Thursdays anyway.”

“What? Who?” your friend gasps, faking offense.

“You wouldn’t believe me,” you giggle.

“Tell me, tell me!” your friend eggs on.

“Fine,” you motion her to come closer, “Spider Man.”

“You need to stop obsessing over him,” your friend snorts, rolling her eyes.

“See, you didn’t believe me,” you pout.

“It’s kinda hard to believe,” your friend hums, challenging you.

“Fine, I’ll get a selfie with him today and send it to you,” you crinkle your nose before tiredly turning back to face the front.

You feel a pair of eyes watching you carefully and you slowly roll your head to face the boy sitting next to you. Jia Yi quickly looks away and you notice a light blush on his cheeks. You huff before turning back.

“Alright students, I know you guys are busy with finals,” your teacher strolls in, starting right away.

“I’m going to assign an easy partner project for your final so you guys won’t have to stress too much,” your teacher announces.

Everyone cheers unanimously until the teacher raises a hand and says, “But, I’m assigning your partners.” Then, there is a unanimous groan.

You take a quick peek back at your friend and the two of you share a disappointed look. The teacher quiets everyone before reaching for his glasses and a clipboard. He adjusts his glasses and takes a closer look at the clipboard before calling out names.

You are silently chanting that you would end up with your friend. You freeze as soon as you hear your name called.

“Y/n,” your teacher looks over at you and you stare right back, anticipating.

“Y/n, you’re with...Jia Yi,” the teacher nods at the two of you and you slide further down into your seat.

You look over at Jia Yi, mind blank. You just stare at the blond. It seems as if your brain had just malfunctioned. It’s not that you despise him, you just didn’t know him well and you know that with all the stress you have, you would end up just dumping it out on him. You didn’t want to do that to him.

Jia Yi bites down on his bottom lip when he hears his name called right after yours. He looks over at you and nearly fell off his chair. You’re staring at him so intensely, yet your eyes seem dead. His cheeks darken and he tries for a smile, but you just kept staring. His brows furrowed as he takes this chance to stare back at you.

He can practically see you fighting yourself through your eyes and he frowns. He overheard your conversation with your friend earlier and begins to worry about you. He quietly scoots closer to you before offering a hand.

“We got this,” he quietly whispers, trying his best to sound as confident as possible.

You weakly grab his hand and shake it. He nearly melts at the touch of your warm fingers and he glances towards Wenhan for a second before looking back at you. Your hand slips out of his and drops to the table and Jia Yi already misses the warmth.

“I’m sorry in advance,” you whisper.

“What do you mean?” Jia Yi’s eyes never left your face.

“It’s been pretty stressful for me recently so sorry if I ever take it out on you,” you shake yourself awake.

“Oh, it’s alright. I understand,” Jia Yi smiles brightly.

You offer a tight-lipped smile before turning away and resting your chin on one hand, not noticing Jia Yi’s smile dropping behind you.

---

“Hey, ready to go?” a familiar voice calls out to you.

“Spider Man! There you are,” you giggle, tightening your grip on your backpack.

“Yup, sorry I couldn’t wait at my usual spot. I, uh...lost track of time,” Spider Man explains, beginning to walk.

“It’s okay, we all have those days. I was late to class for once,” you groan, walking beside him.

“Aww, you must’ve been really tired, huh,” you can practically hear his frown as he loops a strong arm around your waist, “Hold on tight.”

You do as you’re told and the two of you whip into the afternoon sky. You have gotten used to the cool breeze as you fly across the city and you learned to enjoy the feeling of being so high up. You smile a little to yourself as you inhale the fresh air.

Finally, the two of you land back on your balcony. Spider Man would always leave right after he drops you off at home, then coming back later at night to check up on you.

Just as he is about to leap off the balcony, your hand darts for his wrist, preventing him from leaving. He turns to look back at you and cutely cocks his head to the side. You shyly retract your hand and look down.

“Sorry, I just remembered something,” you sniff.

“Oh, what is it?” he asks, leaning towards you.

“If it’s not too much trouble, would you take a selfie with me? I promised a friend since she wouldn’t believe that you take me home when she’s gone,” you laugh, a little embarrassed.

“Of course~” he laughs enthusiastically.

He slides behind you as you open the camera app and fix your hair that had been messed up by the wind. You fee; his arms snake around you, pulling you closer to him and you bite your lower lip, holding up your phone. You smile widely and you can tell he is too. Both of you hold up a peace sign and you snap a couple of pictures.

“Thank you so much,” you put your phone away.

Spider Man still had his arm around you, slowly pulling away from the semi-back hug. You are sure you are as red as a tomato, but you turn to face him anyway. He seems a little startled that you had turned around and drops his arm, to your disappointment.

“Gotta go,” he hums, seeming somewhat dazed, “Mr. Stark is calling.”

“Bye,” you softly tell him, waving slightly.

He takes one last look at you before diving into the busy city down below.

You sigh as you stare at the busy streets below you. The bright sun leaves a soft, golden glow on the buildings and people. Though it is cold, you want to enjoy the setting sun for just a little longer. A sudden ping brings you out of your daydream and you pull out your phone again.

It is Jia Yi. The two of you had exchanged phone numbers earlier so that you can contact each other for the project. You read the text and quickly change out of your uniform and into some cozier, warmer clothes before grabbing your backpack and heading for the library.

Luckily, you live quite close to the library so you only had to brave the cold for at most five minutes. You look around a little before spotting the tall boy. His bright blond hair seems so bright amongst the dull, gray environment of the quiet library.

“Hey, sorry. I almost forgot,” you apologize to Jia Yi as soon as you get to the table he was at.

He turned around, a little startled, “Oh, it’s okay. I just got here.”

“Should we start?” you pull out a chair and sit next to Jia Yi.

“Yeah…we should brainstorm some ideas first,” the blond nods in agreement.

After that, the two of you settle into awkward silence. You shift uncomfortably in your seat a few times, trying to think of ideas. However, you can’t seem to think of anything besides the tension looming over you and your partner. From the corner of your eye, you can also see that Jia Yi struggling.

“Why don’t we go somewhere else,” you speak up, “and get comfortable with each other before we start. I can tell neither of us is able to focus.”

“O-oh, good idea,” Jia Yi stands up. He begins walking out of the library after you got up as well.

“Do you want to go to that candy shop near your--” Jia Yi stutters, “Uh, near here?”

You give him a skeptical look before shrugging, “Sure, let’s go.”

The candy shop is only a few steps away and you are thankful since the sun had already been cut into half by the city landscape. The sky fades from a bright maroon to gorgeous deep indigo. You can see the tiny white stars beginning to appear.

The sweet smell of pure sugar gives you a jolt of energy and you peek around the pink shop. You’ve been in here quite a few times since you live right across, but the atmosphere always draws you back in. A smile makes its way onto your face and you head straight for your favorite candies.

Picking out a few, you turn back to pay and nearly crash into someone’s chest. You stumble back, apologizing. Your cheeks darken when you realize that you just nearly crashed into Jia Yi.

“I’m so sorry...should’ve looked,” you mumble, clutching your candies closer to you as if protecting them.

The tall blond simply chuckles, “It’s okay. Anything you recommend?”

“Oh, well I definitely recommend these,” you hold out your hands to reveal the three candies you had just picked out, “these are my favorite.”

“I’ll get some of those too,” Jia Yi gives you a warm smile before easily reaching over you to grab some candies as well.

You blush slightly at the close proximity and let go of the breath you didn’t know you were holding when he leans away. You can still smell a light waft of his fresh scent after he backed up. He gives you his classic cheesy smile and you return it with a small smile of your own.

Both of you awkwardly shuffle over to the front to pay for the candies. You cheerfully greet the employee by the cash register and place your candies on the counter. Jia Yi slides his candies next to yours and pulls out his wallet. The employee types a few things into the register and asks for four dollars. You stop him and pull out your own wallet.

“Hey, no need to pay for me,” you pout, pulling out a five dollar bill, “It’s your first time here, right? I’ll pay.”

“No way, I won’t let you pay. It’s only five dollars anyway,” Jia Yi copies the pout of your face, shoving the five dollar bill into the employee’s face without even looking.

The employee quickly snatches the money from Jia Yi’s finger, a nervous expression on his face as you and Jia Yi have a stare off. After returning the change, the employee dashes off and disappears behind the staff door. You begrudgingly stuff your wallet back into your backpack and take your candy, your eyes never leaving Jia Yi’s. You narrow your eyes a little as he stores his wallet and takes his candy off the counter as well. He gives you a smile and the two of you break eye contact before heading to one of the small tables the shop had.

You and Jia Yi sit across from each other. You unwrap one of the candies and pop it into your mouth, moving it from one cheek to another, savoring the flavor. Jia Yi watches you carefully before imitating you, his face brightening as soon as he put the candy in his mouth. You giggle at the sight.

“Wow, this one tastes so good,” Jia Yi looks at you with sparkling eyes.

“I know, right? That one is my favorite flavor,” you chuckle at his childlike amazement.

The two of you spend a few moments enjoying the candies before Jia Yi speaks up again. He plays with the crinkly wrappers as he speaks.

“So, what do you like to do?” he asks, blinking innocently at you.

“Hmm, not much,” you shrug, contemplating on the answer.

“Oh come on, I see you and your friend in the book club sometimes,” Jia Yi shyly admits, “I was just passing by.”

“Well, I do love reading,” you smile, “What about you? I heard you’re on the football team or something.”

“Me? On the football team? Now that’s a good joke,” Jia Yi snorts, giving you a look of disbelief.

“What? Really? I thought all popular guys play football or something,” you hum, a little embarrassed that you had just assumed something that isn’t true.

“Nope, it’s just a stereotype,” he chuckles at your dumbfounded expression, “Wenhan does like playing football though.”

“Huh...there must be a lot of things I have wrong about you guys then,” you ponder, resting your chin in a hooked finger.

“Maybe. I can tell you what’s wrong and what’s right if you list them out,” Jia Yi suggests, “We can get to know each other that way.”

“Okay, sounds good to me. Can I start? I have a lot,” you look up at him sheepishly.

“Go ahead,” he laughs.

Time flies past as the two of you exchange stories and share laughter. You have to admit that you misjudged them and so you apologized to Jia Yi, the guilt escaping you after. After calming down from your hundredth fit of laughter, you take a peek at the clock and then back at Jia Yi.

“Hey, I think we should head home now,” you sigh, shoving your phone into your pocket.

“Good idea. It’s getting late,” Jia Yi stands up, holding out a hand.

You take his hand and he pulls you up. He pulls a little too hard and you stumble right into his chest. Both of you are too afraid to move for a moment and so you stood in his embrace for a minute or two before awkwardly pulling away. Cheeks red, you apologize to Jia Yi as he does the same.

The two of you fall into a comfortable silence as you make your way home. Jia Yi had offered to walk you home even though you live right across. He had insisted and you would be lying if you said you didn’t feel a little weak when he pulled out his puppy dog face.

“Alright, this is me,” you shyly tell him, rocking back and forth, hands behind your back.

“Goodnight, y/n. See you tomorrow,” Jia Yi smiles.

You expect him to leave, but as you open the door to your apartment complex, the tall blond is still standing there, smiling. He notices you’re watching him and he waves. You wave back before quickly closing the door and heading upstairs. You let out a sigh of relief when you make it safely back into your room. Opening the glass doors, you step out into the balcony, enjoying the night breeze. You look down and nearly fall off when you see that Jia Yi is still down there. He notices you up there and gives you a thumbs up before running off.

You find yourself blushing at his gentlemanly actions, making sure you got back safe. You can’t help but smile a little. You had definitely misunderstood him before and you regret not getting to know him earlier. You hadn’t realized that he was so sweet and funny and he is an exemplary company.

Shaking your head, you get rid of the thought of Jia Yi. You remind yourself that you would never fall for his or his friends’ charms. Looking out at the brightly lit city, you wonder where Spider Man is. Perhaps he doesn’t have time to visit you today. You wait out a little longer before you head back in.

---

“Oh. My. Gosh,” your friend nearly knocks the both of you over as she rams into you.

“Ack! You’re gonna knock us both over,” you whine, trying to steady the both of you.

“Sorry, sorry,” she halfheartedly apologizes, “But that selfie with Spider Man though!”

“Shhhh! Keep it down, will you,” you hiss.

“This is so exciting! Are you sure you didn’t photoshop that?” your friend asks, suddenly a little skeptical.

“I promise I didn’t photoshop that,” you huff, jutting out your bottom lip.

“Okay, I believe you. You have to let me meet him one day though,” your friend winks.

Rolling your eyes, you chuckle at her teasing tone but agree to her request. The two of you make your way into the classroom and as usual, Jia Yi and his friends are already inside. Usually, you would ignore them, but you decided to wave to Jia Yi.

Jia Yi notices you and waves back enthusiastically, his smile widening. You giggle a little before settling down in your seat and greeting Jolin as well. Your friend sits down behind you and you turn so that you’re facing her. Her expression is priceless, jaw on the floor, eyes bulging.

“What?” you laugh.

“Did you just wave and smile at Jia Yi?” your friend gasps.

“Yeah, I did,” you shrug.

“Since when did you two become friends?” she asks, eyes darting between you and Jia Yi who is back to chatting animatedly with his friends.

“Yesterday. I really misjudged them,” you sigh sadly, “Jia Yi’s really nice actually.”

“Are you serious? You literally like hated him just two days ago,” your friend says.

“Okay, I never hated him...that’s a strong word. Plus, I said I misjudged him. Jia Yi’s really sweet,” you shake your head.

“Well spill the tea!” your friend shakes you violently.

“Ah, fine!” you groan, shoving her hands off, “I’ll tell you later though. Jia Yi and his friends are literally right there.”

“Oh~ Are you shy?” your friend teases, winking at you.

“I’m not, oh my gosh. It’s embarrassing though,” you facepalm.

“I think you have a crush~” your friend sings, making you groan.

“Fine, I won’t tell you then,” you huff, crossing your arms, slowly turning to face the front.

You feel her hand grip your shoulder and you turn back to face her, smirking, “What?”

“Sorry, tell me later,” she squints her eyes, “threatening” you. Giggling, you turn to face forward again.

Next to you, Jia Yi watches you carefully while chatting with his friends. Although your conversation was quiet, Jia Yi heard his name come up a couple of times and every time you said his name, he felt his heart skip a beat. The way you had said it so endearingly made him gush.

“Did she really just wave at you?” Wenhan’s gasps, poking at Jia Yi to catch his attention.

“Huh? Oh yeah,” Jia Yi nods, his eyes still on you.

“Since when did that happen?” Guan Yue tugs at Jia Yi’s arm, causing him to look away from you.

“Yesterday. We met up for the project, but it was too awkward so we went to the candy shop to talk instead,” Jia Yi sighs dreamily, recounting the memories of yesterday.

“Eyy, I told you she likes you,” Wenhan laughs, winking.

Jia Yi simply rolls his eyes, chuckling along, “She doesn’t.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Hanyu smirks, “She definitely likes you.”

“Don’t get my hopes up! We’re just friends...I just got on her good side yesterday,” Jia Yi pouts.

“You’ll see, you’ll see,” Wenhan chuckles before leading Chunyang away back to their seats just as the teacher walks in.

---

Over the next month, you and Jia Yi become close. You even begin talking to a few of his friends and getting to know them. You find yourself enjoying their company, especially Jia Yi’s. He even invited you over when he dyed his hair to a deep chocolate-brown color. You had anticipated seeing his other friends that day, but you did not. It was only you and Jia Yi and to say that you enjoyed those few hours with him would be an understatement. You didn’t want to, but you had to confess to yourself that you now have a huge crush on Jia Yi.

Finally, the school year comes to a quick end and you wave goodbye to your friend as she dashes off to the car waiting in front of the school so she can rush to the airport. Unfortunately, she will not be there for break and you begin to feel a little lonely as you wave goodbye to her.

Shivering, you begin to make your way back home, trudging along with your backpack weighing you down. You spot Spider Man in his bright red and blue suit at his usual spot and your face lights up. You quickly jog over to him.

“Hey, Spider Man,” you smile.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while,” Spider Man chuckles.

“That’s true...almost for a whole month,” you frown, “Busy saving people, huh?”

He hesitates a little, “Yeah...lots of people.”

“It’s alright, I’ve been pretty busy with studying too. Plus, there was that big final project I told you about and my partner and I have just been hanging out a lot after,” you paused, “To work on the project of course…”

“Oh, who is your partner?” Spider Man asks, suddenly seeming even more interested in the conversation.

“Uh, you probably don’t know him,” you shyly chuckle. You didn’t want to expose your crush on your schoolmate by sounding too dreamy when describing him. You didn’t even really want to admit that you have a crush on Jia Yi.

“Aww, tell me the name at least?” Spider Man begs and you can tell he’s giving you puppy dog eyes underneath his mask.

You hesitate, “J-Jia Yi…”

“Hmm...I’ve heard that name before,” Spider Man cheekily replies before scooping you into his strong arms and whisking the both of you away back to your apartment.

“Oh, you have?” you nervously ask as the two of you land on your balcony.

You unlock the doors and step in, inviting Spider Man in as well. He happily strolls in and takes a seat by your desk. You shuffle over to your bed and flop down, rolling onto your stomach. You use your arms to support your head so that you can face Spider Man.

“Yup,” Spider Man chuckles, “I know him pretty well actually.”

“That’s cool! He’s never told me that he knows you,” you hum.

“I guess he wants to keep it a secret,” there is an undetectable emotion in Spider Man’s voice. It almost sounds like he wants to tell you something, but chose not to.

“So...do you have Christmas off? Is Mr. Stark giving you a day off at least?” you ask, changing the subject.

“Well, it’s my duty to protect the city so Mr. Stark said he’d officially give me a week off but encourages that I try my best to help out that week,” he chuckles, “I don’t think Mr. Stark really wants me to do anything though since I cause him a lot of trouble.”

“Aww, I’m sure he doesn’t think you cause him trouble,” you hum, “You’re the best help there is.”

Spider Man chuckles shyly, “Thanks, but I really do cause him trouble sometimes. I appreciate the week off though.”

“You should come by to visit during your week off then!” you happily suggest, hoping he will accept the offer.

“I’ll definitely stop by,” you can see his attempt to wink through the mask, “But if you’re hoping I’d come without a suit, then you’re wrong. I can’t leak my identity.”

You let out a small, playful whine, “Aww, you know I wouldn’t tell anyone. I pinky promise.”

He giggles and lazily ruffles your hair a little, “Sorry, no can do. As much as I trust you, I can’t disobey such an important order from Mr. Stark.”

“Even as much as you trust me?” you slowly lean in closer, lowering the tone of your voice.

“Y-yeah…”Spider Man stutters, but he doesn’t lean away.

You stare up at him, eyes darting back and forth between each eye-hole of the mask. Your shaky hand steadily moves up to his face as you slowly move closer towards Spider Man. You gulp quietly as you find the edge of his mask and carefully begin tugging it upwards, revealing his sharp jaw and pouty lips.

You’re sure he can feel your breath down his neck, as he gives you a nervous smile. You recognize that smile...you could recognize it anywhere. You let out a small gasp and his smile falters before he takes a step back and harshly pulls his mask back down. You feel a blush growing on your cheeks. You think you know who it is and you’re pretty sure it’s him.

Spider Man frantically trips around until he makes it out, onto your balcony. He gracefully hops on the railing as you nervously shuffle towards him.

“A-ah...uh...I have to go now. Bye,” he waves before leaping off the railings and into the cityscape.

You sigh, leaning on the railings where Spiderman had just jumped off of. You watch carefully as your suited hero swings from building to building, his silhouette getting smaller and darker.

As the first week of break pass by and Spider Man has not visited. You’re worried that you had scared him off and now he won’t ever come back. But, as promised, Spider Man pays you a visit on Christmas day.

You glance at the clock and groan at the time. It’s already two in the morning. Your parents are out partying while you decided to stay home. Suddenly, a soft knock shakes you out of your thoughts and you bounce off your bed and rush to the double doors.

“Spider Man! You came-” you cut yourself off as he collapses into your arms.

“Ugh, I’m sorry. Wait, I need to sit,” he groans, trying to stand up.

You carefully help him to your chair and he slides out of your arms and drops heavily in the chair. You frantically look him over before rushing to the bathroom to get a first aid kit out. Luckily, there seems to not be any major injuries on his body. However, his whole mask is stained dark red by blood, whether it was his or someone else’s, you didn’t know.

“Hey, stay with me, okay?” you tell him softly, opening the kit, “Are there any injuries that are hiding under that suit?”

“N-no...it’s mainly my face,” he winces with each word.

“Okay, I need you to take off your mask,” you try to stop the shaking in your voice.

“I c-can’t,” he groans.

“This is serious! I can’t just let you bleed out here,” you cry out, “Why didn’t you just go back to Mr. Stark?”

“I wanted to s-see you…” he takes a deep breath, “In case anything happened.”

Your eyes soften, “Spider Man...you don’t have to worry about me. I should be the one worrying instead and I do worry a lot about you. Now take off that mask and let me help you.”

The two of you sit in silence for a moment before Spider Man cautiously pulls off his mask. The wait is painfully slow as he tries to avoid irritating the cuts and bruises as he peels the mask off. You patiently wait, damp, cold cloth in hand. Your eyes widen as the mask lifts above his nose. Your suspicions were right. It is him.

“J-Jia Yi…” his name tumbling out of your mouth.

He looks at you shyly, attempting a smile, “Hope you’re not disappointed.”

The sight of him all bloody and bruised makes you tear up. You shake your head, trying to contain your tears as you carefully begin to clean the dark blood off his face. He reaches for your free hand and you let him hold it. You wince every time he winces.

“I’m far from disappointed,” you mumble after a small period of comfortable silence, still carefully cleaning his face.

“Really?” you can see the hopefulness sparkle in his eyes.

You nod shyly, dropping the cloth. You reach up and gently brush his hair away so that you can get a full view of his face. You frown at all the cuts and bruises he has. His lips are a little swollen, a huge cut decorating it. His eyes are slightly puffy and teary and his nose is painted black and blue with bruises.

You finish patching him up and offer him a clean set of your father’s clothes. You let him take a shower and after he’s done, the two of you sit on the ground, leaning against your bed. You sit in comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. A sudden surge of confidence surges through you and you open your mouth to speak.

“Y-you know, I’m glad you’re Spider Man. I would’ve been disappointed if it were anyone else,” you confess.

“Really?” his head whips to face you. His eyes search yours and you look away shyly. Both of you shift so that you’re facing each other.

“I…” you contemplate for a second, “I really like you.”

You look down, flushing, afraid of Jia Yi’s reaction. You feel his fingers tickling your cheek as he softly tucks a strand of stray hair behind your ear. You look up at him through your lashes and feel your face get even warmer. He has the widest (well as wide as his cut would allow him to smile), most charming, most dazzling smile on his face.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear that,” he chuckles, pulling you closer.

Your eyes immediately flutter shut as he cradles your head and pulls you closer to him. Your lips collide with his and you can feel his shallow breath fanning your face. You lean into the kiss, but he pulls away, wincing. You gasp and frantically ghost your thumb over his lip.

“I’m so sorry! I forgot about your cut,” you rest your hand on his cheek, nearly crying.

He simply laughs, “It’s okay, I forgot too.”

“Are you okay?” you ask.

“More than okay,” he smiles, gently pulling your hand off his face and lacing his fingers between yours.

He leans forward and rests his forehead against yours. You stare into his soft eyes and he stares back. A small, shy smile makes its way onto your face.

---

“I can’t believe you’re dating Jia Yi now! You two are literally the most obvious, yet unexpected couple honestly,” your friend rants.

You simply chuckle but look past her. Your eyes settle onto your tall boyfriend who is animatedly chatting with his friends. He seems to notice a pair of eyes on him and looks up. He shoots you a wink, causing you to blush, before going back to chat with his group.

“So, any juicy secrets to spill?” your friend giggles, nudging you, bringing you out of your daydream.

“Secrets?” you give her a teasing smile, “Oh, a whole lot.”

You smile at her before making your way to the classroom, leaving your friend flustered and curious. She chases after you, asking question after question. You laugh to yourself. There are definitely times where you want to show off your boyfriend. He has saved so many lives and you’re proud of him. However, you couldn’t have wished for anything better, even if you have to keep your boyfriend’s superhero identity a secret.

AHHH I COULDN’T FIND ANY GIFS WITH HIM IN THE SPIDER MAN SUIT :((

~Admin Liz ♡

[neverstranger]

Sugar Rush 1

[A series of fan fictions dedicated to the ship of Dylan Wang and Shen Yue]

When Dylan Wang first saw Shen Yue, he thought she was rather plain. She was this thin sulky girl on the corner of the room. She looked like she didn’t want to be there and she poked and pressed on her phone like it was nobody’s business. It was so awkward because Dylan was supposed to work with this girl for four straight months at least.

“Hey, hey. Look at Shen Yue.” Xize called for their attention. They were all inside a waiting area, passing time before they had to be called for script reading prior to shooting.

There were a few people in the room. All their road managers were around the table, talking about something. The four of them, Chen Kuan Hong or Darren Chen, Liang Jing Kang or Connor Leong, Wu Xize or Caesar Wu, and him Wang He Di or Dylan Wang, were settled on the sofas near the door.

But Shen Yue was all alone in a leather armchair near the window.  

When they all got here, she was already on the chair, typing away on her phone. She nodded at them when they entered the room, but after that they were ignored.

“What’s up with her? Is she a snob or something?” Dylan couldn’t help but ask. He arched his eyebrows towards Shen Yue’s direction. If he’s going to have to work with this girl and she keeps this up, he assumed they will have problems.

“I guess she’s tired.” Kuan Hong said, looking her way. “Oh look!” He pointed silently.

They all turned to look at her. She was silently dozing off, her right hand propping her head up.

“She’s pretty cute, isn’t it?” Liang Jing Kang commented.

All three of them looked at him, puzzled.

“You like her?” Xize exclaimed, bewildered.

“What? No. I was just observing her.” Liang Jing Kang deadpanned. “Don’t you think she’s cute? She’s so little.”

“Yeah, she’s so small.” Kuan Hong laughed. “She’d look like a kid next to us, especially to you, man.” He pointed at Dylan.

“Yeah. You’d be doing lots of scenes with her.” Xize said to Dylan.

“I don’t know if that would suck or not.” Dylan sighed.

The four of them dropped the topic of Shen Yue at the same time. They talked about the most random things: basketball, Liang Jing Kang’s shoes, their road managers, and the script.

But Dylan’s eyes would occasionally dart from Shen Yue’s location to the other three. She really had to be tired, seeing as she was already knocked out on the chair. This time, she wasn’t pretending to be awake by propping her head up. Now, she was lying across the armchair, with her head on one arm rest and both her legs on the other, fast asleep.

Her arms were folded on top of her chest, and Dylan could see that she was slightly shivering. He hadn’t noticed before, but her face was also kind of pale.

Dylan was about to say something when Shen Yue’s road manager got up from the table, pulled a blanket from one of the bags, then wrapped Shen Yue in it. She was awaken by that motion from her road manager, but her road manager just whispered something to her then she fell back asleep.

Soon, all the road managers went to their place on the sofas.

“Hey guys, do you want to grab something to eat? They said script reading won’t start until two hours later.” Kuan Hong’s road manager said.

All at once, the other three started to speak, mentioning restaurants around the place and food they should order. But Dylan’s eyes immediately searched for Shen Yue. And true to his hunch, the noise was bugging her sleep. Her brows were scrunched, and she was clutching her blanket closer.

“Hey, hey guys. Could you speak more silently? Yueyue’s asleep.” It was Shen Yue’s manager who spoke.

“Is she sick?” Dylan couldn’t help but ask.

“She’s a little feverish. She hasn’t had enough sleep for three days and she’s eating little so…” The woman trailed off.

They all went silent for a while, most of them looking at Shen Yue who was now facing the backrest of the armchair.

“Are we gonna leave her here? I don’t think that will be a good idea.” Kuan Hong said.

“Should we just order takeaway?” asked Dylan. Then he ventured slightly. “She’s sick. She has to eat. Maybe we should order something she’d like so she’ll definitely eat?”

 ---

Shen Yue was awakened by her road manager when the ramen arrived.

They all crowded the table, but there wasn’t enough space so Dylan, Kuan Hong and Xize had to eat on the low coffee table by the couch. The three of them sat cross legged, blowing the steam to each other’s faces. They were all laughing when a Shen Yue wrapped in a blanket placed her bowl on the table, waddled a little then plonked beside Dylan. She smiled at them like she was getting a treat, then proceeded to eat.

This left the boys to stare at her. Kuan Hong was one of the braver kinds to initiate conversation.

“You’re gonna choke on that.” Kuan Hong commented, quite amused. Shen Yue was wolfing down noodles at a very fast rate.

“Nah.” She looked at him, waving her chopsticks.

“I’m pretty sure you’re gonna.” Xize said, watching her warily as he ate his ramen.

And just like what they thought, the girl started coughing after a few minutes. Dylan was very quick to give her water.

“Slow down, missy. No one’s taking that.” Dylan said as he helped her to some table napkins. Shen Yue managed to smile at them before taking a big breath.

“Thanks.” She smiled, biting on one of her fish cakes. “I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself, I’m Shen Yue by the way.” She extended her hand for them to shake.

After doing so, all of them fell silent, enjoying the meal. Xize would occasionally strike up a conversation, but all of them would go back to eating or scrolling on their phones.

Dylan took this as an opportunity to look at Shen Yue closely. She was sitting adjacent to him, eating away on her katsu. She would take occasional glances around the room and outside the window, but only when she was not so busy chewing her food. He took this as a good time to talk to her.

“You’re not sick anymore?” Dylan asked.

She looked at her with wide eyes, at first with shock, then with a look that said she was mulling over her answer. Then she shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I’m feeling a little dizzy though.” She pushed her plate of katsu away. “How did you know I was sick?”

“Your road manager told us.” he said, earning a nod from her. Then he promptly added. “You’re Chen Xiaoxi right?”

She looked bashful. Shen Yue gave a silent ‘yeah’ before returning to her food.

“Some of my friends watched it, they loved you there.” Xize commented from the other end of the table.

“Chen Xiaoxi? Is that a character for what drama?” Kuan Hong asked.

“A Love So Beautiful. She played the lead there, Chen Xiaoxi who was so in love with Jiang Chen.” Xize explained to Kuan.

Kuan nodded, then he turned to Shen Yue. “Can I watch it?”

“Oh you better not!” Shen Yue said. Then she added shyly. “It wasn’t my best, and it’d be really awkward.”

Kuan smiled. “It would not. I’m sure it was good.”

Shen Yue waved her chopsticks again, shaking her head with it. “No. Please don’t. It was bad enough I was in it.”

They all laughed after that. The other three went on to ask each other about previous shows they starred in. Kuan and Shen Yue even recalled their brief meeting in Taiwan months back. Shen Yue was laughing about Kuan’s hair, and Kuan was trying to find things he could tease Shen Yue about, but to no avail.

Dylan sat and laughed with them, looking back and forth to his co-workers. They all looked like doe-eyed people in naturally high spirits. Eventually, Liang Jing Kang joined them and they killed time by chattering about the most nonsensical things. They laughed at the littlest details of stories they would tell.

It was five minutes to three in the afternoon when someone from the production team of Meteor Garden knocked on the door to inform them that the script reading would be in five minutes. All of them stood up and started stretching, except for Shen Yue who was still wrapped in a blanket and waddling back to her leather armchair.

“You look like a burrito.” Dylan commented as Shen Yue started to untangle herself from the blanket. She arched an eyebrow at him before smiling.

“Do I?”

“Yeah.”

 ---

 Shortly after the script reading, Angie Chai invited all of them to dinner. They went to a hotpot place with almost all of the main cast and the whole team.

They almost occupied the whole restaurant. Dylan, Kuan Hong, Wu Xize, Liang Jing Kang, Shen Yue, Li Jia Qi, Sun Yi Han and other cast members sat on a separate table. It seemed to Dylan that they all clicked immediately. Everyone was talking merrily to each other like they had been friends for a long time, and they were starting to have inside jokes.

After eating, they even went to a KTV bar to have some “good time before hell starts” according to Angie Chai. They occupied a large room and soon enough, everybody was hooting and singing.

Dylan was having a good time himself. He had a few drinks and was singing along happily to Liang Jing Kang when someone from the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was Shen Yue, and she was sitting at a corner again with her legs folded up to her chest. She appeared to be embracing herself and shivery, but she would sometimes sing along to whatever song is up.

Shen Yue caught his eye, and she winked at him before looking at the screen again. Within a heartbeat, Dylan was sitting beside her.

“Hey, you coming down with that fever again?” He asked, bowing down a little to see her face. She was pale, and her eyes were puffy and teary. “You look sick.”

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll have two days off starting tomorrow, it’s gonna be fine.” she smiled, patting his arm. “How about you? Enjoying this?” she gestured in front of her.

Dylan looked at one of the associate producers belting a Chinese ballad. He sounds really awful, but they were all laughing and cheering for him. Then the guy tried to reach a high note.

“I’m having ear cancer.”

“Yeah me too. He shouldn’t be allowed to sing.”

They both sniggered. They continued to secretly badmouth a few of their co-workers including Kuan Hong when Dylan realized that Shen Yue was slowly dozing off again. She was trying to keep her eyes open, but her head was falling back to the couch’s backrest.

“Missy, I think you should go home.” Dylan slightly nudged her slightly, which made her bolt upright.

After Dylan was done laughing, Shen Yue replied, “Ugh, I’m so sleepy but I don’t want to leave yet. If I leave early, they’ll end the night early too.”

“How about you sleep for a while? Fifteen minutes is good for a powernap, and I’ll go cover you?” Dylan offered.

She seemed to be pondering over her choices, but after a minute or so, she raised her thumb at him then slightly leaned on the backrest. Dylan looked around, seeing if anyone can see her sleeping at this angle. It was pretty exposed, so Dylan had to sit closer to Shen Yue in order to hide her completely from view.

In the end, Shen Yue ended up sleeping for a whole thirty minutes, with her head leaning on his back. It was kind of painful for Dylan, for he had to lean forward in an awkward position to support her head and still hide her from view.

It was past midnight when they all decided to go home. It was also Dylan’s cue to wake Shen Yue up.

“Shen Yue…” he called gently, tapping her knees. “It’s time to wake up.”

After several taps, she finally took a sharp breath on Dylan’s back before stretching her limbs. Dylan straightened his back and listened as his bones snapped.

“That’s more than fifteen minutes, Wang He Di.” she said, rubbing her eyes with her clenched fists.

“You slept for thirty minutes. Am I not the best? Nobody saw you.” He jabbed his thumb towards the crowd.

This smug remark earned a ‘tch’ from her. The both of them stood up and stretched as their road managers called for them.

When they reached the parking lot, all of them said their ‘goodbyes’ and ‘see you soons’.

“Ya, thanks for the nap a while ago.” Shen Yue said, smiling up at him. She was really little.

“You should drink some medicine, missy.” He raised his hand for a wave good-bye. “Bye.”

“Bye Dao Ming Si.”

“Bye Shan Cai.”

They both smiled and winked at each other.

On the drive home, Dylan Wang could not stop thinking about the day and his co-workers. He thought he would be good friends with the rest of the new F4, plus Shen Yue was pretty nice.

And… alright, she was pretty cute too.

[class-wom]

Legion’s closing credits resurrect the musical cue that began the montage depicting the life of David Haller way back in the very first episode: “Happy Jack” by The Who, a song almost fairy-tale-like in its simplicity, about a man who responds to the cruelty and alienation of the larger world with a smile, who refuses to let it get to him and maintains his positivity regardless of what he may encounter. Back then, it seemed like an ironic choice, as we watched a boy become a man in a series of slow-motion tableaus depicting what a troubled, damaged mess his world had become. Now, much like the finale to which it serves as a coda, it almost feels too earnest and pat, a not wholly earned note of sincerity at which any possible challenge is barely hinted. Yes, Legion went out with a profound optimism and sense of hope for the future, ending even its most underserved storyline with a bit of deus ex patriarch that rescues our protagonists from darker fates and opens them up to a potential future in which anything is possible. We few, we happy few.

The sense of uplift and moral simplicity argued for by the ending is so genuine, it feels churlish to point out the ways in which it might be compromised. And yet the world created by Legion has been so murky and full of messy ambiguities, so touched by the very notion that nothing as simple as “a clear answer” could ever sufficiently account for any philosophical or existential question about what it means to live a good life, that to suddenly end on a note that tries to sweep the board clean and say “Let’s do it all over, but better” with hardly an implication of the too-broad generalities implied (and some conclusions not even related to David’s reset that similarly make everything okay) comes across as rushed, at best. After an entire season of David trying to undo his entire life—and restart everyone’s existence in the process—he succeeds. Rather than killing Farouk, he comes to terms with his nemesis, and with a smile and handshake, they initiate a do-over of the past few decades, while Switch looks on approvingly. It’s not quite the Wayne’s World “mega-happy ending,” but it’s not far off. No one dies. Everyone grows, or begins again, seemingly of their own choice. And yet.

This uneasy conclusion might be best embodied by the climactic performance of Pink Floyd’s “Mother” when it looks as though Then-Farouk has captured David on the astral plane and bound him in a straitjacket, the ancient mutant finally responding to David’s insistence that, “I’m a good person, I deserve love,” with a firm, “No. You don’t.” David screams, and suddenly we’re treated to the song, David singing to his long-distant Gabrielle, asking her all the worried questions about his life that had never been answered before. But the song allows her to reply, and suddenly (so we’re meant to understand) David is filled with love, with the feeling of safety and warmth that had been missing. She assures him that she’ll always be there—we even see Gabrielle singing this to baby David, as Syd stands freeze-frame beside her, fighting the Time Eaters—and it’s all the succor adult David needs to break free from his straitjacket and turn the tables on Then-Farouk, just before Xavier and Now-Farouk stop him and explain that, hey man, war isn’t the answer, it’s the problem.

Now, this might be a case where “Mother” fits effectively enough into what Noah Hawley and company wanted to convey. After all, it’s a song where a scared young man asks his mother for reassurance, and she’s there to say everything is going to be ok. That’s a tall order, and it works wonderfully in the show, as David’s (or Legion’s, really) other selves cut loose in an exuberant mosh pit of release, a sense of being freed. Because Farouk’s scornful reply to David’s cry for love is only an affirmation of what the troubled psychic secretly suspected this whole time—that he wasn’t worthy of love. Now, with his mother assuring him that his most fundamental need is met, he can break loose of internal and external bonds. But you’d have to be pretty naive to look past the meaning of the lyrics: This is a song about seeking reassurance in a world of uncertainty and danger, but the source of that reassurance and authority is also putting their own fears into him, and building a protective wall so high that it might prevent him from ever growing and connecting with others. It’s a dark double-edged sword, in other words, and leaving aside the Cold War metaphors, it could be read as saying that even with a mother’s love, the next iteration of David is going to end up troubled in a wholly different way. That would be a bleak reading.

Nothing in the rest of this episode really supports that read, however. It’s a happy ending if ever there was one, where even our most malevolent and violent characters realize the error of their ways and band together for a peaceful resolution. I couldn’t have imagined Legion capable of crafting an ending like this, especially during the turbulent times of the past two seasons, so there’s a cathartic sense of uplift here that even my criticisms of this hasty conclusion can’t drag down, which is nice. It’s like watching World War II end with soldiers from both Axis and Allied sides joining hands and singing “All You Need Is Love.” You know it can’t last, but it’s a hopeful thought embodying the best of humanity.

Yet it’s still too pat in places. This is especially apparent in Switch’s storyline. Lauren Tsai did her best with a seriously underwritten role, but the character was never really more than a small collection of tics standing in for a whole person. The premiere hinted we might get a fuller portrait of Jia-Yi—the monotony of her routine, her longing for adventure, the fear of her father’s roomful of robots that infected her sense of self—but aside from a nightmare sequence and a few lines here and there, Switch never developed into anything more than a plot device. It’s why she could be pushed and pulled by David and Division throughout the season, and nothing she did ever seemed out of character—because there wasn’t enough character there for her actions to go against. So when her father literally appears out of nowhere, and reveals that she’s a “four-dimensional being” who simply needed to shed her human skin (and her baby teeth) in order to ascend to a higher plane of existence, it’s an airless reveal, with no gravity to the outcome. I’m glad Switch didn’t just end up ripped apart by Time Eaters—that would have felt unnecessarily cruel, but it also would have felt of a piece with the show we were watching up until now—yet it doesn’t pack much emotional weight.

At least the conclusion of Kerry and Cary’s arc gives them a simple   ending that feels both earned and justified narratively. Cary’s last-second suspicion that the two of them joining together again (to create “twice the temporal identity”) would confuse the Time Eaters enough to fight them off was one of those abrupt “oh, okay” explanations you just have to roll with, but it was undeniably stirring. Similarly, watching Kerry age as she fought doesn’t necessarily make sense on a logical level, but it felt emotionally true—all her years of protecting the “old man” finally catch up to her during what she assumes will be her last stand. And when they embrace at the end, him no longer “old man” but “brother,” it’s poignant and profound.

Still, all of this means everything and nothing, right? Because here comes the do-over. Meaning, all of this gets erased (well, Switch presumably remains a higher entity), so the progress may or may not be in vain when the new iterations of all these characters develop. Not everyone, perhaps—the assumption here is that Then-Farouk won’t return to being a monster, the glasses of enlightenment passed to him by Now-Farouk remaining in his consciousness, just as Gabrielle and Xavier will presumably remember this strange sequence of events that led to them recommitting to a life together, caring for their child. (Also, hi: When did Now-Farouk become this mellow, enlightened chap? Wasn’t he psychically raping Lenny, over and over, as recently as last season? It speaks to the idea that season two of Legion didn’t think its next season would be the last.) Regardless, it still creates a tonally odd ending, in which ends somewhat negate means. To wit: If David had killed then-Farouk, would it have changed anything about the reset, other than one less powerful psychic in the world? He had already received the reassurance of affection and security from his mother, after all, implying she had now committed to loving her son. Even with a season that has been at least in part about the importance of doing right in the absence of any greater meaning (to cite my analysis from a previous episode, if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do), it’s hard to feel the same emotional stakes we would’ve, had this whole story not been building to a “once more, with feeling” reboot.

But Syd and David’s final scenes do convey some of the melancholy ambiguity of this otherwise very happy ending. “I bet you’re gonna turn out extraordinary without me around,” he tells her. “Yeah, I am,” she says, and in the space between that exchange lies everything that hurts about this goodbye. Because it entails Sydney losing her second childhood, the one that means so much; it means she loses all the pain that David caused her, but also a defining experience which, as she told her younger self, is the linchpin of life: “You fall in love. And that’s worth it”; it’s the disintegration of self that, just a few episodes back, she was worried would hurt. But as she makes clear, there’s a more innocent soul who deserves a better chance than any of them: Baby David. Syd  agrees to give up everything that has happened to create her, the strong and powerful woman she has become, because that’s a life lived. And someone else now needs the same opportunity to get the kind of better childhood that she received from Melanie and Oliver.

Legion is ultimately a show about the need to make simple, fundamental choices in the face of overwhelming confusion. (That opening crawl about how “what it means is not for us to know” is  a bit disingenuous—they’re writing this damn thing, after all—but certainly in keeping with the show’s themes.) We rarely know the best thing to do in any given situation, but we usually have an idea of what the right thing to do would be. Or one of the right things, anyway: There’s a universe of options out there, and despite our general helplessness when confronted with the forces of history, we have enough agency to choose safety and love. We can choose protecting others, rather than leaving them exposed to the vicissitudes of fate. And we can sure as shit not choose war. But we do all this against a backdrop of our lives that is never as orderly and coherent as time would make it seem. This is the firmament of Noah Hawley’s worldview. It’s one he arguably makes most clear in his novel, Before The Fall: “Because what if instead of a story told in consecutive order, life is a cacophony of moments we never leave?” The opportunity to tell a story like Legion must’ve seemed like a gift to someone who understands life in this way, a chance to really discuss our existence in the manner it’s experienced: disjointed, fragmented, curling back in on itself and returning to key moments over and over, in different ways, until we have enough to call it our story. Such a messy, expressive stab at meaning surely deserves a happy ending. Or at least the attempt at one. So David, and all other Davids out there (because you—we—are legion in number): Be a good boy.

Stray observations

The episode may have ultimately been about undercutting the battle, but that didn’t make it any less exhilarating when all the Davids came racing out of the doors to surround and overwhelm Then-Farouk, a visually and thematically resonant moment the show had been building to from the start.

A key theme of the series, elegantly stated: “Nothing of value is ever lost.”

In “Chapter 24,” I mentioned that David always turns to pop music to express his deepest emotions, because he’s incapable of articulating them himself. “Mother” was the capstone to this facet of his personality. Wes Anderson is probably looking on approvingly.

Another key theme, one that  becomes more or less challenging depending on which character—and which action of theirs—you’re attributing it to: “It’s hard to hate someone you understand.”

It’s always a welcome moment when Kerry Loudermilk gets to kick some ass. “I love my job.”

And Kerry thinks her new look makes her appear sophisticated. Syd: “I was gonna say wise.”

Thanks, everyone, for reading along. It’s been a trip (and I definitely mean trip) watching Legion with all of you, discussing and dissecting all the little elements of this fascinating show. And as the new parent of a little guy, hoo boy you better believe this affected me.

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SPOILER DISCUSSION

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Not quite sure what to think right now, tbh; there are two scenes in particular that I thought were pretty freaking awesome, the latter of which darn near brought me to tears.  I may have more in the morning, but what else is knew?  LOL!