#things luo wenzhou did and does for him

[mejomonster]

Im remembering how delicious it was that justice in the dark somehow kept fei du flirting with tao ran and trying to compete with luo wenzhou for him

[acequinz]

Post book 1 thoughts but spoiler free only for the mystery plot.

So at first I was like- ohhh in cop politics it's about to get dirty.

And it did.

But like always priest is so good at managing the slow build up of emotional connection through the story events.

Because while there's an obvious history between them, the gradual decline of the Frost seems fast at first but at the same time the pacing is so good.

The hints dropped around the plot where we see the clear dislike ZhouDu have for each other but there's also a very obvious line of trust.

And the trust isn't- you wouldn't hurt me/you are a good person but explicitly in skills.

At first I thought it was gonna be a whole oh those two fall in love while fighting over Tao Ran(totally considered going the ot3 shipper route for them) but eventually it just became clear that Tao Ran is a bridge. While both of them seem to very obviously care for and respect Tao Ran, there's a trust they have in each other that does not extend to Tao Ran.

Fei Du is always seeking out Tao Ran because he's kinder, softer, gentler and does let him stick around because he cares but when it comes to details about the case he never opens up properly.

The moment he gets a real clue on possibilities he reaches out directly to Luo Wenzhou instead of Tao Ran.

Similarly when Tao Ran brings up case detail clue Luo Wenzhou is sceptical but open until he hears that it was Fei Du who figured it out and then he's not only open to listen but believes it immediately and jumps into action.

Of course they still have ways to go but the foundation is already there. They don't like each other but there's a respect in capabilities.

It made me wonder in the end when Luo Wenzhou talked to Fei Du about how he did investigate Fei Du's father after Fei Du kept insisting his mother did not kill herself and if Fei Du already knew.

Because Luo Wenzhou clearly caught the PI Fei Du had hired to trail his father, so Fei Du has to know and pick up on it right???

And if he did, it would bring a lot more thoughts to me...

It's very interesting their dynamic.

Now intended fanboying- okay Luo Wenzhou I can't believe you just straight up starting peeling the shrimps for him!!!

Luo Wenzhou would clearly pass the orange test.

And the scent thing??? "He no longer found the scent stimulating" bullshit!!! I heard you say the next line- "what a waste." Sirrrr waste??? You wanna kiss Fei Du so bad it makes you look stupid!!!!

[rigelmejo]

I have listened to the first 5 默读 audiobook chapters!

1. Im so hype! That was 1 hour and 15 minutes I just managed to follow the main idea of!

2. I understood the main idea of every scene I heard! Which is a big accomplishment for me. Even reading the chapters ahead of time like I have, in the past it would take me like 5 re-listens to understand what scenes I'm listening to. I did relisten to chapter 1-2 maybe 3 times, then the rest I just listened to once.

3. I understood more details as I listened more. I think partly this is due to my rusty memory (from 6 months not studying) getting jogged so I am now remembering words I knew before, and partly words I knew/know how to read already. I don't think I learned many new words, if any, but listening to the audiobook does gradually seem to be dragging my listening skills up closer to my reading skills. Which is the goal anyway. I want to be able to LISTEN to the audiobooks of things I can read, so I can listen to audiobooks instead when that's what I feel like doing. And there are some pretty awesome chinese audiobooks! Like modu's? They have music, sound effects, crowd noises, atmospheric noises, different voices for characters (all read by one narrator but I quite like the narrator's main voice and range of voice choices: luo wenzhou and fei du in particular i like a lot, but tao ran also sounds level headed, and ma xiaowei sounded so distinct it fit him well, or the slurring messy zhang donglai voice!)

4. I'm seriously so excited. I could tell most of the details when Tao Ran got flowers, and when Luo Wenzhou told him what Fei Du wants isnt friendship, and Tao Ran saying he knows but if... and luo wenzhou telling him to shut up. And the scene where Fei Du tries to pick Tao Ran up and Luo Wenzhou shuts it down and Lang Qiao smells something going on. Also surprisingly I think the part where Luo Wenzhou yells at the citizens (for taking statements) was easier to follow in audio, because you can tell when he's making the call, and you can guess which words are proof/apprehend/previous crime record a bit easier based on how its being talked about. The Ma Xiaowei part also was almost easier to follow in audio, because the voice emotions and sound effects helped convey the descriptions going on. This is, hands down, the best I've understood a chinese audiobook. There were still many unclear details/sentence phrases I did not understand. Dialogue was still the easiest to understand most details in, followed by actions (slammed walked etc) and descriptives using actions (hit the table, paused a moment, glanced at the other, glared and cut in). But in the bigger picture, being able to generally follow which scene I was listening to and the plot was huge. To me.

5. It makes me excited to listen to more. Also it makes me want to listen to the Modu audio drama, since I think I can grasp enough now to follow that too - whereas in some times Ive tried before I couldnt follow dialogue enough to place all the scenes. It also makes me want to listen to the Zhenhun audiobook again - since i tried like a year ago and used to have to relisten a LOT to grasp most scene main ideas of chapters Id already read (and not even all scene main ideas). I bet I could grasp nearly all scene main ideas now, and maybe more details (not all, but more).

6. Advice for my future self: listening more does work, as far as bringing listening skills up closer to reading skills. Since I've started my "listening study" kick about a month ago, I've probably only listened to 15 hours of chinese or less. Like 2 hours mdzs (multiple relistens of chapter 1-3), 4 hours sci, 1.5 hours on modu audiobook (counting the initial chapter relistens), 4 hours chinese spoonfed audio, 3 ish hours listening to modu chapters with TTS as i read (which has text to help me), 1 hour qi hun cdrama. Yeah so like 15.5 hours. And in that short a time I've already remembered a lot of words I knew before, and started recognizing more and more words I know from reading. If that's only 15 hours then how big a difference might 100 hours make? And that's just listening. No special effort. Nothing particularly hard. Maybe relistening, if I feel like it, which I suppose could be slightly hard if I don't love the repetition lol. But sometimes I'm fine with it. Only chinese spoonfed ausio was hard cause i felt bored and couldnt motivate lol. In the big picture its quite fun study and fun to see progress just by having fun. It would be cool to see it pay off too, and make other audio books and audio dramas easier to listen to in the future.

7. Just kind of interesting to me. It kind of feels like being 7-8 and having my dad read stories to me, in that I follow the story but dont know all the words. Or like being a child watching a movie, like at age 4-5. A lot of kids watch their favorite movies like a hundred times, or for years straight, i did. Maybe the first times we watch movies as kids we dont understand all the words. Maybe we just get the gist, and love the story so much we keep watching it again and it gets clearer and thats probably exciting - to understand even more of our favorite movies as kids. Thats kind of what listening to an audiobook feels like now - hearing a story where i get the main idea gist, already know i love it, and so each time i understand a bit more its fun to realize im understanding more.

[neuxue]

Just got to Fei Du's totally normal response to Luo Wenzhou asking why he didn't keep the cat all those years ago:

他抬起头，一侧的眉梢轻轻地动了一下：“没准是我还有虐杀小动物的爱好呢？控制不了自己，又怕跟陶然没法控交代，只有敬而远之，骆队，你觉得这个说法合理吗？” // He looked up and lightly raised one eyebrow. "Also maybe I enjoy torturing and killing small animals. I couldn't control myself and I'd have no way to explain it to Tao Ran, so I could only keep a safe distance — does that sound like a reasonable explanation to you, Captain Luo?" (ch41)

And that reminds me of the various other joking-but-also-maybe-not-entirely-joking things Fei Du says: “比如现在，你和我待在一起就很不安全，如果我是坏人呢？”// "Like right now, it's not safe for you to be with me; what if I were a bad person?" or “你放心，我肯定不会动刀捅人，买凶才是我们的风格。” // "Don't worry, I definitely won't stab anyone; my sort tend to hire assassins" or listing off the advantages he'd gain if he killed his father, to name just a few.

And then there are things like how he describes strangling someone to death as akin to sipping tea (a way to savour the act), or his How To Physically and Psychologically Break A Person Into Full Dependence On You And You Alone In 3 Easy Steps speech back in ch21, and I can't help but wonder, how did you learn this, exactly? And if it was learned firsthand... on which side of the equation?

And Fei Du saying “知道害怕是好事，因为美好的东西就像瓷器一样 [...] ��它们来说，最危险的往往不是在房间里乱跑的猫。[...] 是瓷器自己没有意识到自己易碎” // "It's good to know fear, because beautiful things are like porcelain [...] To them, the greatest danger isn't a cat running wild in the room. [...] It's that porcelain itself doesn't realise how easily it can be shattered" and how that lesson could be learned either as the shattered porcelain or as the one standing empty-handed amidst the shards.

I think about Luo Wenzhou wondering, once, how Fei Du can understand 'these people' so well, and it's not entirely clear whether he means the criminals or the victims.

I think about the way other characters note how perceptive he is, how well he reads others' expressions and emotions and the thoughts behind them. How exquisitely, alarmingly in control he is of his own. I think about the kinds of environment that can engender such a combination — and about his dream-flashback in which the threshold of his own home always filled him with dread, and in which his mother's corpse reaches out to him and asks, “你为什么不救我？” // "Why didn't you save me?"

I think about Luo Wenzhou's description of Fei Du's expression the first time he saw him, 好像压抑着许多未曾宣之于口的求救和期冀 // As if suppressing unspoken hopes and cries for help, and how now, all these years later, no trace of that remains. And I wonder what exactly that naked pleading vulnerability was buried beneath... and what the plea was for: to be saved? to be stopped? to be seen?

Because I think about how easy it would be, for the understanding he displays of monstrous deeds and the patterns of thought that underlie them — however exactly that understanding was gained — to become the conviction that I can think like a monster, therefore I too am monstrous.

I think about “我要是挨个碾死他们，会算防卫过当吗？” // "If I ran them down one by one, would it be considered excessive self-defence?"

And I wonder if the question this is leading to is: what has it cost you, Fei Du, to save yourself?

[nemainofthewater]

Sorry for the late update, i've been travelling!

2 and a half days left, and currently Zhao Yunlan is winning with 14.7%, marrowly beating out Luo Wenzhou (who had previously been winning for most of the poll) with 14.3%, and then Tang Fan in third with 13.9%. Things are very tight currently and anyone could win!

(Also on the strength of the write in candidates, i have started to watch Detective L)

Tag propaganda under the cut

Zhao Yunlan

#all the best detectives work with coworkers who meow#so I gotta give it to zyl by @bitterfrosts

#there's no way I wouldn't vote for Zhao Yunlan#you can give me any poll and I'll vote for Zhao Yunlan tbh#I'm a simple person by @face--the--strange

Luo Wenzhou

#luo wenzhou!!!#i still have to finish Mo Du but I loved him#silent reading#luo wenzhou by @rose-tinted-vision

#yes the right one is winning#luo wenzhou#correct#best detective#mo du#priest novels#silent reading by @lunarriviera

#I'm picking luo wenzhou#he's competent and level headed#he won't be TOO distracted#second place for xiaobao and company#then zhang ping and his league#I'd rather tang fan didn’t tbh 😂#his cases tend to be so messy and dangerous and politically fraught#even if he's very smart#idk the others by @fire-burning-brighter

Zhang Ping

#gotta go for Zhang Ping#I love him and his funky harem#a league of nobleman by @jianghushenanigans

Chu Chu

#chu chu!#runner up xyl by @anndramarama

#chu chu is the absolute best character *and* detective ever#most unapologetically autistic baby#incredibly very very good at her job because she never realized the things she does are impossible to do#so she just does them by @endrega23

Tang Fan

#voted for tang fan#genius twink with no self preservation instincts to speak of#but also a write in for Luo Fei from Detective L!#he's Republican era Shanghai Sherlock Holmes#with all the messiness and brilliance that comes with the archetype#played brilliantly by Bai Yu#absolute disaster#terrified of feelings#extremely ADHD#love him by @gavilansblog

#cdrama poll#propaganda#having finally read most of the book#i have to go back to it#its surprisingly informative about the fine period!#tang fan for the win#he is really focused on his cases and his love interest comes in and supports in effective ways#these two are really professional when you get down to it#and tang fan is tactful and political#i trust him to get it done#*time period ugh by @pinkbalrog

Lu Yao

#Lu Yao#as much as I find him insufferable he is very very smart#and comes with a side of Qiao Chusheng by @lasenbyphoenix

Fang Duobing

#for pure ‘I haven’t seen enough of the others’#as well as he does get pretty damn good at it#it’s gotta be Fang Doubing#he holds a special place in my heart#uncharted waters by @swimming-with-a-raincoat

Su Wenli

#i am gonna be in a minority#cz for me it's su wenli by @aletheablanchett

Other

#zyl and wenzhou i love you both#but this one i have to give to luo fei#luo fei#detective l by @merinnan

#listen i love very many of these guys#but my vote goes to su wuming (strange tales of tang dynasty)#least likely to get distracted by his personal life or hunger in the process of solving the crime by @unfortunatelycake

#luo fei#detective l by @auntiedebtravels

#zyl and wenzhou i love you both#luo fei#detective l by @1ebilcat

#luo fei#detective l#sorry zyl but of the two disaster bai yu detectives it's luo fei by @psychic-waffles

#I'd like to write in Fei Du#he did a better job than his gay ass nepo boyfriend by @dripping-moonlight

#yeah it's luo fei#polls#q by @rainvillage-trio

These characters are the ones who you'd want to solve your murder. Methodical, dedicated, and with a healthy dose of luck, these sleuths are the best of the best.

Let's just hope they manage to get you justice before their messy personal lives catch up with them...

Write-ins, propaganda, and images are welcome!

[sixteenthshen]

my rant on episodes 31/32

I feel so conflicted about them.

On the one hand, I wanted to watch the shared horse scene so much. On the other,  there were so many inconsistencies and WTF moments. I can't bring myself to touch those episodes again to make more gifs, which is such a pity because WKX falling down the cliff? SO PRETTY. 

Spoilers behind the cut. If you do follow the drama with Chinese fans, you’ll probably have heard the same things like a million times. To save yourself more angst/stress, skip my post. 

The upside is that the director took the fans complaints to heart. They were making edits until 2am last night. I heard it’s already live, but I’m still trying to prepare myself. There’re some things that can’t be fixed >< 

*hopes for the best on Tuesday* 

In episode 11, WKX wanted to tear the Scorpion assassins into ten thousand little itty bits because ZZS had some blood on his lip, which made me mentally scream so much from joy. In episode 31, he  LETS Duan Pengju, that evil dickface(TM) go, just like that? Where's the rage? Where's the anger? Do you see the colour of ZZS's face? Can you see what he's wearing? Do you know what dickface did? 

Although it's a very touching moment when WKX decides to acknowledge the shixiong/shidi relationship, it's super weird that the ghosts are behind. I mean, I suppose it can make sense if we focus on the fact that he's planning to "retire" from being the big bad CEO of Ghost Valley. But it seems careless to expose a weakness in case someone tries to take advantage of it since they have to kill you to get to be the new CEO. 

There's no follow up on the injuries sustained from being tortured by the evil dickface(TM). How could they make WKX seem so callous? Maybe a scene where ZZS asked Wu Xi to hide his injuries from WKX, but WKX's right outside. He overheard ZZS telling Wu Xi to hide it from him, so he pretends not to know. *cue angsty scene for WKX here* 

The only thing related to injuries was when Wu Xi said ZZS could be saved from his self-inflicted nailing. Okaaaay. What about the piercing of the scapula? (穿琵琶骨 (piercing pipa bones) - it's supposed to cripple your martial arts ability until you heal ok) 

WKX suddenly decides to go off and be a career man, which is perfectly fine. But he suddenly has Gu Xiang watch over ZZS like a hawk, not letting him drink. (Seriously, I forgot if this belongs in TYK or if this is yet another thing stolen from Sha Po Lang) Where is WKX showing any concern over ZZS's total loss of 2 out of 5 senses? I ASK YOU MS. SCRIPTWRITER. What have you done to WKX's character??? Poor WKX, poor ZZS. 

And did everyone laugh off the fact that ZZS can't taste, so why should he drink wine? Ok, I can make myself accept this if I remind myself that ZZS would not like people making a fuss and pitying him anyway... (but shouldn't someone, anyone care???) 

We get many hints that WKX has a sneaky scheme, but he doesn't tell Gu Xiang, his closest friend since childhood. He doesn't talk to his soulmate about this either. 

WKX and ZZS's dialogue just before he falls down the cliff... Seriously reminiscent of Silent Reading, when Fei Du makes the same self-flagellating confession & Luo Wenzhou stops him. 

ZZS draws his sword and stands beside WKX. What is going on?! How does he still have his martial arts ability? Did months pass since WKX saved him from evil dickface (TM)? Nothing makes any sense!  

ZCL's hidden weapon is what forces WKX over the cliff. If ZCL did not know about the sneaky scheme, then WTF is this kind of scriptwriting? ZCL's character turned from a good, young child to a prop-causing drama and angst. Even if he felt betrayed, was he not there to see how depleted WKX made himself trying to save Han Ying? Did he not see how WKX tried to keep his shifu safe? Or taught him how to fight? Did ZCL become stupid all of a sudden just to create angst? 

 It only makes sense if ZCL knew about the scheme because of all the info he was privy to, such as Zhao Jing as the villain behind it all (when he heard WKX and ZZS talking). How would he go from knowing that to thinking ZJ should be the new head of the alliance? As a matter of fact, how could Shen Shen?  

Ye Baiyi has to be in on it unless WKX suddenly gained so much martial arts ability in the short time since they last fought. I mean, it only makes sense that WKX got so much stronger because he got injured by YBY, then depleted his strength saving Han Ying. 

So ZCL, YBY, Scorpion King and his buddies, fellow ghosts, possibly Shen Shen... WKX only kept it from the two people closest to him? The two most likely to do something stupid when they find out? *flails at this logic* 

The scene where ZZS's nails magicked their way out of his body... It's so awkward!!! I mean, we're supposed to feel emotional, but the special effects are just awful. I tried not to skip through it, I failed. 

So now what? ZZS essentially sacrificed himself to help WKX complete his goal. He gave up on his chance to be saved to fulfil WKX's pursuit of revenge (and take revenge for WKX's death). And it's all because of a misunderstanding. 

Between ZZS's nails and the ZCL-issue, I'm drowning in dog blood. What happened to WKX and ZCL's characters/personalities???? 

Also episode 32 is VERY choppy, it seems like we’re jumping to scenes randomly, the flow isn’t there. 

I can only say that the "Priest" spirit is gone; it's not a bad drama by any means. I'm still watching & I'm still going to buy the new episodes on Tuesday. But the random angst and abusive scenes inserted without no reason nor much logic are very un-Priest-like. 

I feel a little cheated about the scriptwriter being a fan of Priest. Priest's novels always feature couples who communicate. The supporting characters can come off flat in a drama sometimes because they're so normal. They don't have ridiculous backstories that make them tragic villains, and they behave logically. 

The angst "created" in Priest's novels makes sense. Characters don't suddenly change their personalities so that we can watch something exciting. The "dog blood angst/drama" is the big failing of so many Asian dramas. *CRIES* 

Now, the GOOD & HAPPY STUFF. 

WKX SAVING A-XU. *heart eyes* 

NGL, no matter how short it was, I liked the horseback scene 

There was a cute moment between Qi Ye and Wu Xi, scriptwriter knows how to ship!! & knows how to make it clear who’s gong/shou lol. 

THE HAIRPIN SCENE. IT’S EVERYTHING.

Even though I’m 90% sure the no-alcohol thing is copied from Sha Po Lang... I have so much love for Gu Yun and ZZS that it made me happy. My drunkards <3 

Did I mention WKX looks extremely pretty when he falls down the cliff? How do you fall so prettily? Plz teach me. 

WKX also looks pretty fake-dead. ZZS looks pretty when he’s heartbroken

I ship xiangcao so hard even though I know what’s gonna happen. (Cao Weining & Gu Xiang) They’re too cute.

I love the Poisonous Bodhisattva, I thought the Tragicomic ghost would be my favourite because of how gorgeous she is, but she’s too tragic & not enough comic. Poisonous Bodhisattva is my new goddess.

[akatsuki-shin]

Review: 默读 Mò Dú (Silent Reading)

Notes:

(Very) long post ahead

Contains spoiler

This is my personal review and does not represent the entire audience, you are free to agree or not agree with what I’ve written here

Feel free to reply/send me a message if there are things you want to discuss

Using the Donghua poster because it fits the overall story more than the Audio Drama cover. :'))

Summary:

Yan City is a bright, bustling metropolis filled with all sorts of wonders, all sorts of people. From the richest occupying the city's most prestigious residential areas to the poorest huddling together in rundown slums, from the most fortunate blessed with a life of comfort to the wretched deemed to struggle until their last breath, from the virtuous walking in the path of light to the wicked lurking under the cover of darkness.

There is as much good as there is evil, and days gone by, people coming and going along with the passage of time.

Since their first meeting during a certain case seven years ago, Captain of the City Bureau's Crime Investigation Unit Luo Wenzhou thought he would never see eye to eye with Fei Du, son of a well-known conglomerate who inherited his father's position and wealth after the latter fell into comatose due to a near-fatal accident three years ago.

Words as sharp as knives dyed their bitter exchanges, even their personality was like the heaven and earth; the bold, blunt, and straightforward Luo Wenzhou - and the astute, secretive Fei Du, with his beautiful peach blossom eyes and a smile that is not quite a smile seducing countless people, his very presence seems as if it was covered under layers and layers of deceit.

Every single time they meet, they would always part on bad terms. Yet Luo Wenzhou would never have thought that a seemingly ordinary murder case of an ordinary deliveryman would lead him into the mystery of multiple long forgotten unsolved cases, turning over the Yan City and the City Bureau itself upside down, making him question his faith to those he respected and trust - and along with it, opening a door to the truth of Fei Du's past never once known to others.

STORY: 9/10

At first glance, the overall plot of Silent Reading seems neither extravagant nor exceptional. It's just one of those police drama where the main leads had to wrestle in a battle of wits with the villains looming around them, struggling to outsmart each other and eventually, bringing justice to those who deserve it.

But that is exactly what is so good about it. Silent reading could take all of those cliche and packed them into one nerve-wrecking, enticing journey from start to finish, complete with both intense and amusing interactions, and just the right amount of romance that does not disturb the flow of the main story.

And it actually does have its own uniqueness.

In most police dramas I've ever seen, the enemy is usually either a corrupt high-ranking official committing some hideous criminal acts by abusing their authority, or an individual/group with some very extreme values or obsession. Silent Reading, however, have both of those two most general types of villains in the story and what's more? It pits them against each other, pulling around and forcing the main leads to wreck their brains, slowly unravel the tangled mess until the truth finally comes to light.

The action and suspense, the atmosphere, the analysis, everything was almost impeccable to the point of perfection.

I have to especially give my kudos to how the author (Priest) structured the mystery in such a way, connecting one dots to the other from beginning to end. During the first few cases, I thought the resolution of the case didn't feel very solid, as if there are still some details that have yet to be properly elaborated. Yet halfway through, I realize that there is actually a bigger plot that encompass everything, tying all loose ends together.

And here, I would also like to highlight my two most favorite scene.

The first one is in Chapter 114-115 when Luo Wenzhou finally peeled of Fei Du's defense and for the first time exposed his true feelings, making Fei Du faced and spoke what he truly felt for Luo Wenzhou - that he really, actually did care for him. Their entire interactions and development up to this scene fits so well with these two main characters. There was no nonsense, no sappy crying and needless drama. Luo Wenzhou was as blunt as he was desperate and Fei Du, for once, admitted to the truth straight out with his own mouth.

The second one is in Chapter 157. In this case, one of Fei Du's most trusted men and an extremely important witness (that would later become their ally) were being chased and surrounded by thugs hired by their enemy. At this point of the story, the City Bureau was already in turmoil. Luo Wenzhou was suspended, nobody knows who they could or could not trust. Yet still, his subordinates all set out swiftly under his command and followed him to save the two witnesses, appearing at the most critical time.

It was actually a typical scene that exist in many police action drama, but given the development of the story, the well-built character relationship and interactions, I think it is Luo Wenzhou's coolest scene in the entire story and it makes me admire him a lot as the main lead and a leader figure.

One thing that does not quite sit well with me is Fan Siyuan's obsessiveness towards the late Gu Zhao. His motive for the crime was clear and I understand that he was using Gu Zhao's case as an example of injustice. But his extreme emotions whenever Gu Zhao was mentioned seems strange, even baseless. It makes me think whether he considers Gu Zhao as his own family or he was maybe madly in love with Gu Zhao, whereas in the entire story, unless I'm missing something, I have only ever known that Gu Zhao was Fan Siyuan's student - nothing more, nothing less.

CHARACTERS: 9/10

Silent Reading has a balanced, yet still very much appealing casts, from the major characters to the minor ones. Even the suspects and witnesses each had their own distinguishing features that didn't make them look like they were just there as canon fodders.

The composition of Luo Wenzhou's team itself is ideal; they've got the dependable leader, the smart advisor, the best friend and trustworthy right-hand man, the genius nerd, and the dependable aide.

I especially like Tao Ran (and I think most readers would agree with me). While he looks like the typical good guy type, he really, truly is a very good person. It's hard not to find him lovable. His relationship with Chang Ning was as cliche as it could get, but hey, as long as he's happy. Dude deserve it after everything he's done.

As for the two main leads, they are probably one of the most interesting couple I've found in the past few years.

Individually, Luo Wenzhou is the type of character I always like. He is confident to the point of having a narcissistic streak, but all of those are based on real talents and experiences. He speaks bluntly, but he cares for others through his action. He does not sugarcoat things and speaks the truth for what it is. Everything about him simply screams "reliable" as a leader (and a significant other to a certain someone). He deserves all of the respect and loyalty his subordinates gave to him.

Fei Du at first looks like a complex character whose real self is hidden beneath countless coats of pretense, but at the core, he is just a pitiful young man who does not know how to value himself, does not know how to love and be loved due to the abuse he suffered during childhood in the hands of his sadistic father. Despite his composure, his intelligence, his capability, he is almost like a lost little child, wandering in the darkness, going wherever the flow would take him until Luo Wenzhou pulled him out of that abyss. It is nothing less than commendable that he could restrain himself from succumbing into his father's manipulation, even if he has to correct himself through such extreme means for a long time.

And I'm glad that now he has someone who gives him the love he has long since been bereft of.

With Luo Wenzhou, Fei Du finally has a color in his life, someone to make happy memories with, and someone who genuinely love him for who he is. Likewise, with Fei Du, not only Luo Wenzhou got someone he could genuinely care for, he also finally has a place where he could relax, taking off the strong front he'd been putting before others all day long.

It was just so fulfilling to see two characters growing from "cat and dog" into inseparable lovers. They weren't sickeningly sweet, but just two people who are content with each other and would be each other's strength. I was especially happy when I saw how Fei Du changed his phone's ring tone into the one Luo Wenzhou in the extra chapter.

Now that I've finished reading this story, these two straight up went to the top of my all-time most favorite pairing list. But of course, this is just a personal opinion. Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du simply hits all of my favorite tropes, that's why. 😂

If I really have to point out one mini flaw, I suppose it's that the main villains aren't as appealing as the rest of the casts. They were practically overshadowed, even by some minor characters that only appeared for a short while.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: 9/10

Just some very minor complaints:

1). When the story first introduced Fei Du in the beginning, it felt kind of abrupt. The narration had only been addressing him with his physical appearance, but suddenly they changed it into "Fei Du" with barely any proper start.

2). The international conference in Yan City (Chapter 2) was supposed to be a background information of the general setting of the first case, yet it was not properly mentioned at the start - rather, one sort paragraph about said conference was simply being slipped in the middle just for the sake to be there.

3). The switching of scenes between characters in the 3rd person POV are sometimes too quick with no signs of incoming transitions beforehand like taking shortcuts.

And by that, I mean that other than those three issues above, everything else was nothing less than perfect.

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10

A realistic story with perfectly balanced action, mystery, suspense, and romance - with a dash of comedy sprinkled at the right time and place.

Reading the novel from start to finish was nothing less than enjoyable. Whenever there needed to be a flashback or explanation, it didn't feel like info dump being thrown in all of a sudden.

I would like to point out a bit about the Zhou Conglomerate Case in Book 3.

Personally speaking, I think this is the most realistic case out of the others, and by that, I don't mean the crazy rich family drama.

The other cases in the books are something that to me feels "faraway"; murders, child trafficking, psychopath, organized criminal gangs. Yet in Book 3, due to the nature of the case, it was posted publicly for all to see, and damn if it didn't bring out the most annoying thing I actually hate in real life.

Clout-chasing media, meddlesome netizens commenting without thinking on the Internet, spreading personal information of the involved individuals without consent, handing down judgment based on rumors and personal opinions even if they have nothing to do with it (and know nothing about it), crashing the website due to mere curiosity, further hindering the police working on the case from doing their job.

They weren't thinking about those actually involved in the case, especially the victim. They don't care, or maybe don't even think that their meddlesome acts could cost a human's life because they see everything as mere passing entertainment. And if something were to happen because of their meddling, the most they would say is, of course, as quoted from Chapter 72:

"I didn't do it on purpose"

"I wasn't doing it to you"

"I didn't expect this to be the outcome"

"From a certain point of view, I'm a victim, too"

Even if I was just reading a fiction, at that moment I truly wished I could shut down the Internet for a bit. 😂

Anyway, amazing story. I might re-read everything from the start again when I have some free time.

[thegreymoon]

Word of Honor

LMAO, he’s so offended at the suggestion that this boy is suited for his precious daughter 😂😂

***

LMAO, call him out, cutie!

Define that relationship status! 😂😂

***

Aww, look at these two puppies!! 🤗

***

OH MY GOD 😂😂

Dorks, both of them 😂😂 They are so cute and smitten with each other!

***

Oh 😶

Didn’t see her coming, even though they told me, like, minutes before. 

***

Oh, hi, Sword Immortal! 😍

How did you know I love pretty, grumpy, white-clad immortals who live on a mountain? 😋😋

***

My heart is a puddle 😭

***

Wait, what?? 

I went back to that scene when WKX sees his father in the illusion and tried to compare with the footage of Rong Xuan and sometimes, I’m so fucking faceblind I can’t even cope 😭 I seriously can’t tell 😭😭

***

ALSO, HOW DOES ZZS KNOW WHO WKX IS??

I mean, it makes sense, considering how invested he is in the whole armour mess and how badly he wants everyone dead.

*** 

WTF??

Who are these people they killed again?? I took a break for a couple of days with this show and now I have no idea what’s going on 😶 

***

Oh no. Oh no no no no no 😢

Please have plan! OMG, please let this be a part of a plan!! 😭😭

***

LMAO, I love this hungry gremlin 😂

Somebody please introduce him to Gu Xiang and her little boyfriend! They will get along so well! 😂😂

***

LMAO, you swear? 

That might mean something if you had not already proven yourself to be faithless in every way that counts. 

Anyway, Wenzhou is cute and all, but the women on this show are topping my list of favourite characters. Gu Xiang is first, Tragicomic Ghost is second, and Beauty Ghost comes in third. 

***

He’s talking about the two of them frying in a cauldron of boiling oil in hell for a hundred years and ending up being twisted together into a delicious breadstick 😂😂

I can’t with all this romance 😂😂

***

Eh... it is sad that none of this actually precludes him being his father 😕

***

LMAO, that’s right, if anyone is going to undress him, it’s going to be Lao Wen! 😂

Back off, Grandmaster! 

***

LMAO, look at this pot calling the kettle black! 😂😂

You’re both very pretty, boys, there is no need to fight! 😋

***

LMAO, not this troll rubbing it in that they haven’t fucked yet 😂😂

***

I love them 😂😂

The way they get on each other’s nerves, OMG! This show just keeps on giving! 

***

Poor baby 😂😂

Just do us all a favour and strip 😋

***

Well, this was no fun.

I understand Wen Kexing perfectly, though. You can never have the things you want when you want them. And later, when you can have them, you are changed and they are meaningless. Living an entire lifetime of fruitless longing. 

***

“Torturing a person is like roasting a chicken. It tastes best when it’s roasted long enough.”

LMAO, what is this wisdom? 

***

Oh, Aunt Luo, no 😢

***

Oh? 👀👀

I’m possibly way off base here, but when it comes to the Five Lakes Alliance, I think Gao Chong is the most honourable one, while this asshole is the one I trust the least. I admit that I am basing this mostly on the fact that Gao Chong keeps memorial tablets of the people he supposedly wronged and is obviously grieving for them. Shen Shen is an obvious douchebag, I have no dilemma there, but I’m not yet sure what the problem with this one is. He just feels so slimy and shady and the moustache does not help. 

*** 

I love these big location shots!

***

Mmmm... all that thunder and lightning. It does not bode well. 

***

LOL, yikes 😬

***

OMG QIAN QIAO DON’T DO IT 

RUN. PLEASE RUN. DON’T TRUST HIM!!

***

LMAO, obviously, I have no great love for the Alliance, but this is common sense 👇👇

Why is everyone so stupid 😤

[mejomonster]

I am contemplating again a Zhoudu vampire au and how I might write it ToT

Fei Du is a vampire. But is his dad? Is his dad "dead" or in a permanent slumber? Who turned Fei Du? How long has Fei Du been a vampire?

If its Dracula esque and Tao Ran visits the Castle Fei Du lives in, that part is easy enough, Fei Du wants to seduce and possess this lovely little visitor. Maybe Tao Ran is a real estate agent like Johnathan Harker. Or maybe Fei Du's dad purchased land and moved to where Tao Ran lives, then mysteriously "disappeared" (dead? Staked? Fei Du did something to him, or someone else did), so Tao Ran is investigating by contacting the only known relative Fei Du to ask what he knows - and let him know he's inherited the property. Fei Du moves to the property, Luo Wenzhou is of course a detective (as he is in canon) and the disappearance of Fei Du's dad may be connected to the string of murders he's been dealing with. So he asks Tao Ran what Fei Du is like, the Young Master who moved here to take over the estate, and considers him relevant to the investigation.

Now the decision: does vampire Fei Du kill, or not? There will continue to be more murders of course, and Luo Wenzhou will suspect Fei Du (to some degree - instinct saying both that Fei Du is suspicious and yet thinking it can't actually be him because Luo Wenzhou thinks Fei Du is not actually the most implicated). Fei Du, of course, is romantically pursuing Tao Ran - and perhaps wants to eat him.

So who is Lucy in this scenario? Who is the person Fei Du feeds off of but is not killing (at least not right away)? Its not Lang Qiao, maybe Tao Ran does work best as the Lucy equivalent? Because that would antagonize Luo Wenzhou, and possibly motivate him to corner Fei Du and demand WHAT hes doing to Luo Wenzhou's best friend, maybe try to negotiate Fei Du to do it to him instead of Tao Ran.

Perhaps Fei Du feeds on Doctor Bai the therapist, or Doctor Bai is working with victims Fei Du fed on that are now claiming strange things happened to them (imagine Zhang Donglai freaking out about being bitten lol).

(Ultimately I need to decide how dark it goes - is Fei Du more like his canon self, and not killing anyone. Or is vampire Fei Du leaving a trail of bodies? I also have a modern vampire au idea where the city is the same its just a lot of the rich and fuerdai are vampires - and again the hardest decision is if Fei Du actually kills people or not).

[thegreymoon]

LMAO 🤣🤣

Absolutely a cult, smh.

***

Heh.

***

Is he serious???

Are there no mirrors in China for him to look into one?

***

Adorable.

I hope they catch them alive so that they have time to reflect on their hypocrisy.

***

So, who exactly was Gu Zhao to Fan Siyuan? Lover, maybe? Because I could maybe see Fei Du losing his mind like this if it was Luo Wenzhou who was betrayed and killed.

***

Yes, you repulsive asshole, please tell us.

I am so sick of him and his self-righteous bullshit.

***

I hate to agree with a deranged paedophile on anything, but dire times call for dire means 😤😤

PLEASE END IT ALREADY.

***

OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

Some characters can just die and I would not feel sad for a second. In fact, it would be cathartic. This goddamn idiot is one of them and I'm still reeling than an authority issued his impulsive, incompetent ass A GUN.

***

Anyway, Zhang Chunling >> Fan Siyuan. I can't believe I'm sitting here rooting for a fucking paedophile but here we are 🤬

***

LMAO, it ended on a cliffhanger. THE BOOK ENDED ON A GODDAMN CLIFFHANGER.

Could I possibly be more pissed off? PROBABLY NOT.

WHO DOES THIS???

***

So, I move on to the extras and they open with Xiao Haiyang's idiotic POV, of all things. Of course. Because why not. It's not like there is a BOMB about to go off and Fei Du is CHOKING to death and Luo Wenzhuo is RIGHT THERE.

I'm so mad.

***

He finally does something I approve of 😤

Suffer, you deranged piece of shit!

Also, where is Zhang Chunling? Did he escape? Was he killed? Arrested?? What??

***

Ah. Arrested. Anyway, it's good to see his son is still an idiot.

***

Well. This is horrific in hindsight, knowing everything we now know 😬

Yikes.

Proof that I am asexual af 👇

The very idea of feeding your freshly cooked dinner to the cat without eating any yourself after a hungry day just so that you can go have marathon sex is... very unrelatable, to say the least 😬

I feel like Gollum with potatoes here, all my thoughts are, "Give us the food and keep your nasssssty sex!" 🤣🤣

***

Oh, Wang Xiao has decided to talk after all? Good for her! Let's hope they really will make her rapists and abusers pay.

***

How convenient 🙄🙄

There is zero chance this isn't the guy they are looking for and the brother is lying dead in a ditch.

***

LMAO, luckily????

***

OK, but what about the tree?

Did the ancient tree survive?

***

I feel like that lowly police officer was sacrificed so that Tao Ran could live. All of them were so relieved that he was the one who died 😕 Not that I want Tao Ran to die, obviously, but it feels so callous. Like his life was worth less.

***

Ah, yes. The ancient tree survived. I hate it when the really old trees are destroyed. It feels so evil.

***

I mean, my stupid reason for not believing it's Director Lu is simply the fact that the book keeps hinting that it's him and it's not at all subtle.

***

So, the suspicion is back on Director Zhang. Eh... 😕 Personally, the one I find the most suspicious is teacher Pan. He's always slinking around in the background, not doing anything in particular. I've distrusted him since the moment I met him. He's married to Fei Du's psychiatrist, ffs, it's suspect af.

***

Oh 😶

***

IDK, I still believe him.

LWZ is right, all this is too neat and convenient and I'm only 1/3 into the book.

***

Eh.

Anyway, I'm just here waiting to see what atrocity his older brother is involved in and I'm still bitter Zhang Donglai's idiot sister turned out to not be a murderer.