#wang yi: okay what are we actually talking about now

[nicawlette]

With one tug, Wang Yi pulls them to a stop, removing her ability to hide by walking ahead. She knows she must seem ridiculous and out-of-character, behaving so evasive and insecure. It doesn't make sense to her either, but matters of the heart rarely do ( even less so, when it comes to the two of them ).

Regardless, she wants him to take this seriously. She won't have to courage to ask him what she wants to, otherwise.

His attempt at seeming lighthearted elicits a petulant huff as her response. Her face grows hot with shame, but Nicolette can tell he's trying to answer sincerely, even if he doesn't understand. She can't help but smile, clearly charmed.

Her hand grips his own tighter, a sign that he's getting it right, in his own unique way.

❝ Being a librarian sounds miserable, ❞ she replies, trying to follow his lead, ❝ but you'd be my favorite patron, even if you were using another man's library card. ❞ Her worries seem so silly, when he puts it that way. Wang Yi would never lie to her, but she knows it's unlikely to be that simple. Their relationship must be too complicated to truly put into words

The same could be said for them, couldn't it?

Still, that doesn't seem so terrible, when he speaks of it so mildly. It rather sounds like she has no competition at all, actually. ❝ Do you... like being at the library? What if you could stay all the time, with the librarian? Would you? ❞ God, now he's got her brain all messed up with stupid metaphors!

Wang Yi falls into step behind Nicolette, content to follow her where she takes him. The sights and sounds of the festival fade behind them as the maze closes around them. His eyes are distracted, glancing between the turns and twists of the labyrinth as they walk, but stay mainly on Nicolette. The occasional glimpses he catches of her irises tell him nothing.

When she finally speaks, he perks up to pay attention, but blinks at her question.

"Who—you mean Qin Xian?"

"...you just made me imagine some really weird scenarios, Nini."

His hand squeezes hers before he pulls her up short. Standing before her, green eyes gaze earnestly into purple ones as Wang Yi organizes his thoughts.

"It's true that he's helped me a lot, and there's stuff about him I still can't figure out because he gets so damned vague...but just because a guy's mysterious doesn't mean I'll fall head over heels for him. That stuff just passes by me all the time."

He crinkles his brows, trying to parse his thoughts.

"It's like...I checked out library books on his card but didn't return them by the due date, so I gotta help him pay back the fines, sorta? Maybe he likes me, but he's never told me, and as for me—"

Wang Yi blinks, then laughs.

"Well, I ran into the librarian first. Don't you think I should pay my dues to her before anyone else?"

[nobully]

16 or 17 for the kiss meme... 👀

KISSING  MEME | 16. a kiss to gain control and 17. a  kiss  to  give  up  control.

In hindsight, she gets him with the lamest pretext ever.

"But what do you taste like?" Nicolette half-asks, half-whines one evening at his condo. It's not a special day by any means—not even Game Night with Zhilan, just an ordinary weekday in an unordinary town with Wang Yi testing a recipe for sweets because he now knows two guys obsessed with them in the city.

Wang Yi stops licking his spoon to look at her blankly. ' The hell you talking about. '

"Our kiss, Yiyi!"

Wang Yi's face flushes as red as the raspberries as he fumbles setting his spoon aside. ' Why are you thinking of that now?! '

"Who told you to stick out your tongue just to taste-test some cream?"

' What, am I supposed to stick the whole spoon down my throat or something?! '

After a few rounds of retorts treading well-worn paths, Wang Yi decisively cuts them off. ' This is a stupid argument. '

"My points still stands," Nicolette insists.

' What do you mean your point still stands, you bit my lip the first time, ' Wang Yi sputters back. ' You've tried my blood, I've tried yours; we're even. '

"The first time we did it," Nicolette corrects him, "it was after you drank my wine. Plus my abilities deal with blood all the time. That's no different from—from me tasting myself!"

As Wang Yi tries to work through that (slightly faulty) logic, Nicolette takes the initiative and pushes him where it'll hurt.

"...I just don't think it's very fair," she murmurs in a softer voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him freeze minutely and has to suppress a laugh, keeping up the pitiful air. "You got what you wanted but I've just been told to play along, both times..."

' Wait but, ' Wang Yi's flagging rationality chooses to wake up at this moment. ' You offered the last time and, and returned it, the kiss I mean— '

"That's because I'm a person, Yiyi, not some fancy free-to-drink fountain? Besides, it would've just been awkward if I didn't kiss back. Think about the chemistry of these things and how they work! Physically!"

' I guess you would know... ' Wang Yi trails off and while that sounds like an insult, this time Nicolette knows he doesn't mean it that way, he's just deferring to her superior experience in making out. Not like she'd take offense now, when she was so close to getting what she wanted.

Hiding another laugh, she prods him with her elbow. "So? Are you going to pay me back?"

He almost yelps. ' Now? '

"Well, no one's home, right?" God that sounded like lines out of some teenage movie. "Or if you're still shy...we could move to your room? I've already slept there a couple times, anyways."

Wang Yi hesitates and Nicolette privately thinks she's going to give up if he's still so damned stubborn, because it's hurting her pride to put so much on the line and still have him reject her without a second thought every time. Actually, maybe she should retract her offer first, since that'd be at least slightly less humiliating than hearing him say no.

With a huff, she turns away from him on her chair. "Fine then, if you want to be selfish—"

' No, uh— ' A hand grabs her sleeve at the same time Wang Yi speaks. ' I was just...let me clean up this stuff on the counter first, okay? I don't want to leave a mess for my roommates. '

That's better! Nicolette instantly brightens and turns to him with a smile. "Oh, let me help."

***

When they're finally sitting on his bed (in his room, with the door locked and windows drawn because apparently Wang Yi's paranoia goes harder when he's stressed), Nicolette almost regrets not kissing him right then and there in the kitchen because he's so freaking nervous.

' So, uh, ' Wang Yi's fidgeting, so much that when his knees accidentally brushes against Nicolette's beside him he almost jumps. ' Should we do this on the count of three or...? '

"Yiyi, we're not running a marathon."

' I know, but like, how else do we know when to start? '

Nicolette just stares at him. They hadn't had this problem the last two times, but in retrospect there were other things going on at the same time. In the first he'd been dead drunk, and in the second she'd been bleeding out. Now with nothing but a kiss between them, Wang Yi's mind is working overdrive to fill in all the empty space.

It annoys her more than it should because—hey, there's a pretty girl sitting right next to you, isn't that enough? If he'd just focus on her instead of his, she doesn't know, performance anxiety or whatever she's sure things will be fine! He's a natural, after all!

"Wang Yi," she lowers her voice, only half-joking. "Have you ever kissed a girl? You know, besides me."

He doesn't even need to think before shaking his head. ' Uhh, no? You're my first. Is that bad or something... '

She has to quell the smug feeling of satisfaction even as she demands, "Why would that be bad?!"

' Because I don't have experience? '

"Oh, believe me," Nicolette narrows her eyes with a giggle that's positively girlish, "You have ways to make up for it."

' Glad one of us is confident, I guess... '

"Why don't you," Nicolette tries, "just leave it to me?"

' Like how? You say people aren't fountains— '

"Stop thinking so damned much!" she cuts him off. "Look, it's easy. I'll start us off and you just...relax and react, okay? Just learn what feels good and...go with that, it's fine."

' Those were the vaguest fucking directions I ever heard. '

Oh, but fucking's a whole different rodeo, she thinks privately before snapping at him. "I told you to stop thinking! In fact, start right now and close your eyes!"

In the end, orders seem to work best. Wang Yi shuts his eyes and simply sits there, waiting for her next move. He's oddly blank this way, and Nicolette finds herself missing the dozen or so things he tries to hide behind those bright green irises even though his creased eyebrows reveal his nerves. She raises a hand to casually brush his cheek; he trembles slightly but doesn't open his eyes.

' What is it? ' His question comes out as a hiss.

"Nothing, just checking that you're still awake."

' What the h—mhnn! '

She catches his open lips on "hell" and smiles around them as she urges, "Remember, don't think."

' Nngh...okay... '

Wang Yi's remarkably pliant when he doesn't fight back. Even though his muscles are still tense and his fingers curled like death around the sheets, he keeps his lips relaxed as he's been told, accepting everything that Nicolette gives him. It's as if he's suddenly stripped away his walls to leave the vulnerable center exposed, leaving her exulting in her private triumph. She's not sure if this counts as trust, but it certainly tastes just as sweet.

"Kiss me back—you can, mmnh, be rougher, ah," she murmurs as she languidly sucks on his lips, a slow teasing motion that stimulates them both.

He obeys—working partially on memory as he deepens their connection—and she almost wants to laugh, with how earnestly he tries, how easy this is.

Since when had anything been easy when it came to Wang Yi?

He tastes like candy today, she thinks, and it's probably the fruit cream to blame, but that adds another layer of unreality to this whole thing. Sugar and spice and everything nice—it's pleasant, but it feels like a dream—or maybe this is Wang Yi too, except the part she doesn't get to see? She glimpses it often enough, when he's talking to Lanlan or Sun or anyone similarly gentle, but it's never been her turn until now.

The slightest trace of bitterness creeps into her thoughts before she hears a whimper—she looks down and realizes she's overpowering him, pushing Wang Yi so far backwards that he's almost falling on the bed. He doesn't though, bracing himself against the bed frame as he bears her assault, though the involuntary cry is enough to show that he's close to giving out.

She breaks contact then, leaving his mouth open and confused and wanting, before grabbing him by the shirt and throwing him against the mattress. His eyes fly open in surprise but she covers them with one hand as she leans in to take in the sound of him panting for breath.

' N-Nicolette, I— ' He stutters and she can feel his eyes darting back and forth beneath her palm, the lashes brushing against her skin like the wings of a trapped butterfly.

"Shh... I told you to relax," she coaxes him and waits until his eyelashes stop tickling her to dive in again, because she hungers and thirsts and it's so, so rare to find Wang Yi in a moment where he actually lets her take.

As promised, she guides him the entire way, until he's lost enough to sink, to fall, and to take back control. She lets him flip their positions so that he's on top and revels in all the sensations: tongue upon tongue, fingers against skin, even the sound of their breathless gasps mixing with rustling sheets and quiet moans in some sort of New Age symphony.

At some point his hand finds the spot on her waist where she was wounded last time and gives it a squeeze—in fondness or memory, she doesn't know. Her hands aren't idle either—she's never been shy when it's time to indulge—slipping beneath his shirt with soft caresses that turns the pace of Wang Yi's kisses almost desperate at times.

They might've kept going—they could've, if it wasn't for the sound of the oven timer going off. He stops in the middle of sucking the skin along her neck, eyes still hazy with arousal, and mutters in confusion, ' The fruit tarts are done. '

The next second he looks down—realizes Nicolette's shirt's pushed halfway up her torso and his hand’s fondling somewhere it shouldn't be—and sputters out, ' Weren't we supposed to be just kissing? '

His eyes dart to her face accusingly but Nicolette just smiles like the cat with the cream and licks her lips, pink tongue teasing him with the tiniest glimpse. "Congratulations, Yiyi. You graduated with honors."

[randomingoftherandomness]

What I am hoping for from Winner is King ( 烽火流金)

Okay, so at this point, let’s just be reals here, Word of Honor has kinda set the bar for me in terms of standards to expect from the slew of danmei adaptations this year. Granted, I know that there are some who think the way it was adapted was not up to their standards and that it could have been done better, please don’t bring it on this post because this is not the post for it.

In this post, I’m going to talk about  Winner is King (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑

Now, Sha Po Lang, the original novel, is for me one of the best things that I have read in a very long while. As such, I can be rather precious about what I am hoping to see come alive on the show and what I am hoping will be present in the portrayals I see. I know there are some concerns regarding the script and behind the scenes stuff - and they are very valid concerns that I feel too! - and with the recent announcement that instead of 45 episodes, we are only getting 40, I can foresee that there could be some rushed handlings of the very plotty nature of the source material and perhaps a sense that style can trump substance.

But as the actual show isn’t beaming right into our eyeballs just yet, here are some things I am looking forward to seeing in Winner is King and some things that I am crossing my fingers will make the final cut! 

Warning for some novel spoilers ahead. I’ll keep it under the read more.

Tagging @zhongwans because I said I would haha...

Things I am looking forward to:

The Changgu dynamic. I think it goes without saying that if the chemistry between your leads is a dud, the show doesn’t need to even pass Go, it can just shuffle itself off the board because it will be dead in the water. The Changgu dynamic has to be nailed; I need to see that self-doubt, that caring for the other but coming at it from the wrong way, that awkwardness that comes with trying to hold back the burden of your love and care because you don’t want to overwhelm the other... 

I need Gu Yun to be shamelessly sweet with his words and his coaxing of his Yan Wang from a sulk. I need Changgu saying “I hate you to death, Gu Yun” (pining)

Hu Ge Er. Let me just be clear here, I will cheer when she dies, but I hope that how they handle her characterisation will do her justice. There is no excusing the level of horrible that she is, but I hope that she isn’t written as a single dimension abusive piece of shit. Nuance, is what I am looking for. I need her to be the villain and the reason for Chang Geng.

I. NEED. THE. WOLF. ATTACK. SCENE. OUTSIDE. OF. YANHUI. TOWN. aka The First Time They Meet

There is legit no excuse for them to fuck this up, but the Steampunk elements. I would not know what else to say if they fuck this one thing up that is so integral and basic to the love of this IP. They cannot fuck this up. I am very sure I will join people in rioting if they do.

I need to see my Red Kites, my Heavy and Light Armours, my Dragons... I need to see the steam powered lamps, the iron puppets... I need them to get the Wind Slashers right. I need them to get this world-building right ok? I need to be dropped into this show and just swoon over just how accurate to imagination everything looks. Tencent does have the blessed ability to make very good looking productions, so on this note, I am assured. 

I need them to get the human element right; I need to understand why Gu Yun is the way he is, I need to know why the members of the Lin Yuan Pavillion will back Chang Geng and why they won’t. I need to know why Liao Chi would betray the Emperor. I need them to make me feel; I want them to make my heart hurt when Chang Geng’s heart is hurting, I want them to make me cry when Gu Yun is at his lowest and feels like he can’t go on. I want them to make me laugh, I want to feel for Shen Yi and Miss Chen’s awkward courting. 

On that note, I hope they get the Shen Yi and Gu Yun dynamic right too! These two are bros ok? Life and death, ride or die, best bros forever and I need, need them to nail just how integral these are to each other and how much they chose each other as family. I need the bickering, I need the protectiveness, I need the banter. 

I also need Chang Geng conspiring to marry Shen Yi off quickly so that he can have Gu Yun all to himself lol but lbr here if we can get an ending for this show from Tencent that even breathes the same atmosphere of air as satisfactory I will praise the heavens

The Bone of Impurity. I don’t know to what extent they will cover this or if they would do it the way the book does it, but this being an element that is integral to Chang Geng, I would be surprised if they dropped it entirely. So yeah, I am looking forward to seeing Chang Geng fretting and worrying and getting Bone of Impurity attacks.

Just the way that Gu Yun allows himself to be cared for my Chang Geng and how Chang Geng lets Gu Yun care for him

I want one acupuncture hedgehog scene please and thank you

I do want to see how they handle Chang Geng and his elder half-brother; how that dynamic unfolds will be something to pay some attention to, I think

Oh! That moment when Chang Geng kneels down in front of his brother and tells him to please bury any talk of his marriage and revealing to his brother the scars that he carries from his time living under Hu Ge Er’s roof (this is one brand of Whump that I promise you will hurt you very badly and it will be very good)

The argument at Jiangnan is something I really think will also make the final cut. It wouldn’t make sense to drop it seeing as this is a pivotal shift in their relationship where Chang Geng is finally holding his ground and not bending over backwards and believing everything his Yi Fu says. And this was the catalyst for their four year separation so yeah. I hope they do this justice.

I am not a betting person, but I high key bet that the scene between Gu Yun and the previous Emperor where he tells the man, “If you go, then I won’t have anyone left” and this being the moment that softens the dying fucker’s heart enough to give him a bracelet of beads that will be a major plot point towards the end

THE. BATTLE. SCENES.

Things I am hoping will happen:

At this point, speculation is that the point that tripped Winner Is King up for a recheck was the politics. This year is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party in China and rumour has it that shit be sieving thick and so a lot of shows are erring on the side of caution. 

Politics is the highest likelihood of a recheck but I am hoping that it won’t be dumbed down or watered down too much because the politics and the way things played out in the book was absolutely divine and I really want to see that court intrigue and scheming and interplay unfold.

I’ve mentioned in my most recent podcast episode that I am banking on this show to scratch my itch for a Nirvana in Fire level of plottiness and infinite craftiness of the characters and I am crossing all fingers and toes for that to happen because All! The! Characters! Hold! Their! Own! And I need to see that play out please I am not asking for much...

The final sea battle with the Pope. I wouldn’t even know where they would even begin to shoot that scene but this is something I would love to see happen.

The Bone of Impurity attack after Gu Yun sneakily left the capital. That was the scene that caught me and hooked, lined and sinkered me for Chang Geng as a character. Listening to this scene be brought to life in the audio drama has really hammered it home that if they make this bit into the show, I will watch and weep if it is done right. 

Cao Niangzi being Cao Niangzi. I am thinking it might not happen the way I want, but I just need them to get them right.

Ge Chen peeing on the enemy’s face. Please. I laughed so hard. I need this. It will be a balm to my soul.

Please, I need Gu Yun’s soul crushing flute playing like I need Gong Jun to always be absolutely horrible at singing because baby this is your niche and this is your charm own it work it

I also need Gu Yun stealing a bamboo flute from a 10 year old because he got jealous please and thank you

Any flashback of Chang Geng and Hu Ge Er before Yanhui Town

I want to see that moment that Gu Yun hears first hand from someone who had knowledge of what Hu Ge Er would do to a baby Chang Geng and the horrible abuse she inflicted on him, because up to that point, he only knew that something went on, but never to the extent that revelation wrought unto him

Any of the Bone of Impurity moments; any mention of it, any visual representation of it... Gosh, just the idea of having the Bone of Impurity made visual is just... Ugh. Yes. Please. The suffering.

[bonus] Things I wish will happen but will probably not:

The hot spring scene or a version of it

An implication that baby cannibalism was involved in the making of a Bone of Impurity

The scene where they get to the goddess doll (the description of it in the book was so bone chilling and if they do this I will have nightmares, I’m just warning you)

I really, really want a scene where, after being crowned Emperor, Chang Geng goes to the frontlines to reclaim the South and upon hearing that he was there, Gu Yun immediately panicked like he was about to be caught with his pants down doing something illegal when all he did was ordered his subordinates to keep news of his injuries from being reported back to the capital

Any flashback of Chang Geng and Hu Ge Er before Yanhui Town; especially when they were with the Barbarians

I want to see some version of Hu Ge Er realising what she has done to her own child and to Chang Geng

Okay this got super long but what are you guys looking forward to seeing when Winner is King hits our screens? I’m looking forward to creating content for this fandom when it hits ೕ(˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ๑) In the meantime, sound off on what you’re expecting and what you’re maybe wary about!

[franniebanana]

CQL Rewatch - Episode 7

Their first vow together. So nice! I actually do like the parallels here between Lan Yi and Wei Wuxian, and Baoshan Sanren and Lan Wangji: you have one set being reckless and untamed (I said it) and the other set trying to restore order. It’s kind of funny that the ancestors are switched, though. So here we have Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji vowing to bring all the Yin Iron pieces back to the cold spring pond to neutralize them, and of course Lan Wangji’s first reaction is, “None of your business.” It’s cute how Lan Yi takes Wei Wuxian’s side and has a sense of pride for her close friend’s disciple. I think he’s an honorary Lan in her eyes.

And then Lan Yi gives them a warning to not make the same mistakes she made. Wei Wuxian’s like, “Yep, got it, I promise.” But we all know from the beginning that this obviously doesn’t go well for him, since he dies in the first five minutes of the series. He will go on to make some questionable decisions, most of which are driven by his emotions, which are often not in check. Side note: I love this series, but I don’t like how they took a great grey character like Wei Wuxian and turned him into a character where many of the things that went wrong were caused by other people.

Another side note. That fucking Yin Iron fell on the guqin so many times, and it didn’t dent it at all. Is the guqin made out of iron too? I thought it was wood. If I did that to my violin, I guarantee you the violin would not fare very well.

Forever a favorite moment. It was great enough that they were tied together by Lan Wangji’s headband, but even better that Wei Wuxian fell on him. So great—such a tease to the audience. And this is as close as we get to the scene in the book when Lan Wangji uses the body binding spell to keep Wei Wuxian on top of him all night (ooh, my heart skipped a beat when I read that).

Also, taking the screenshot, I noticed you can see the impression of the little metal piece from Lan Wangji’s headband. Little things like that interest me for some reason. I wonder if it bothered Wang Yibo—did it press too hard on his forehead? I remember him saying he’d get tan lines from the headband.

I love this little smirk he does. A moment when Wei Wuxian’s gift to gab really pays off. Instead of letting Lan Wangji talk and explain the situation, Wei Wuxian keeps speaking, lying about what they were doing. I’d like to think he does it in part to protect Lan Wangji and to stop him from breaking any of his clan rules, but likely it’s another chance for him to prove himself as someone Lan Wangji can trust. And I take Lan Wangji’s little acknowledgement of him there as his silent “thank you.” It says a lot, I think, that Wei Wuxian is willing to lie to Jiang Cheng in order to protect the Lan Clan’s secrets.

I’m sorry, but every time I hear Nie Huaisang say, “You were gone a whole day and night,” my mind immediately goes to the gutter—like the implication is that they were doing something inappropriate during that time. I keep expecting a sex joke, only to remind myself that this was on Chinese television and that would, of course, not happen. Jiang Cheng says a similar thing (and my mind goes the same way that time too), but in that case, canon book Jiang Cheng does later accuse them of having a more-than-friendly relationship, and he does not say it in a nice way.

Also, throughout the scene that precedes this, where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are discussing what to do next with Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen, it really feels like wangxian just want to go on a buddy road trip together, and they are so disappointed when they are turned down. Oh, I didn’t screencap it, but Lan Wangji has the saddest sad face at the end.

I think Lan Wangji is a little impressed here but he doesn’t want to admit it. Wei Wuxian has a great gift to come up with ridiculous stories and lies at the drop of a hat. I love that Wei Wuxian doesn’t have to come up with a scary snake story when he could have just told Nie Huaisang what he’d already told Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing, but he does anyway. Mad respect.

This also kind of amuses me because Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji can never really have a moment alone. They keep getting interrupted by other people when I think they just want to talk about what they experienced. Instead we just have all these shared glances. Nothing like a big fat secret to get close to each other, right?

Omfg Jiang Cheng is so jealous! I thought maybe I was imagining it or just projecting my own ideas onto him, but NO—he is jealous! He’s all like, “If you like Lan Wangji so much, why don’t you marry him?” I mean, that basically happened. I’ve gone on about this before, but I love the tension between Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji, and the fact that it continues even after Wei Wuxian dies makes it even better. Jiang Cheng is so stubborn and continues to hold a grudge against Lan Wangji, and it bothers the fuck out of him that there’s someone out there devoted to Wei Wuxian, by whom Jiang Cheng feels so betrayed.

And, I mean, by this point, it’s already started. As soon as they get to the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian starts paying more attention to Lan Wangji than he does to either Jiang Cheng or Jiang Yanli. And Jiang Cheng likes to say, “You’re worrying my sister, you’re hurting my sister” when he really means, “You’re worrying me.” His stupid pride gets in the way of having a good relationship with Wei Wuxian. And I don’t think Wei Wuxian would ever put Lan Wangji above Jiang Cheng, who he considers his family—at least not at this point. It’s not until the second half that things switch, and really, even then, in the CQL-verse, the two are probably equal in Wei Wuxian’s mind. He backs off from Jiang Cheng due to Jiang Cheng’s attitude toward him.

Okay, Jiang Cheng’s jealousy aside, I love how steadfast and supportive Wei Wuxian is of him. As soon as he catches on that Jiang Cheng is jealous, he immediately starts trash-talking the Cloud Recesses and talking up Lotus Pier. It’s very cute, very sweet. He’s a good brother to him, really.

Now who’s jealous? Just kidding. I love his wistful expression here, as he watches them go off. Anyone who’s read the book knows that Lan Wangji does get jealous at times and certainly frustrated with Wei Wuxian’s coquettish behavior. I would say he is more longing at this moment, maybe even wanting to get closer to Wei Wuxian, without really understanding why himself. There’s such an isolation to his world: even though he’s surrounded by other disciples, he doesn’t have any friends. He’s maybe regretting how quickly he refused to the invitation to Lotus Pier. I think, on the one hand, Lan Wangji has found one person in this world who not only shares a secret with him, but who has similar goals—on the other hand, his code of ethics are all over the place. His heart and mind are conflicted: he wants to get closer, but he doesn’t want to make the wrong decision. To his Gusu Lan Clan mind, Wei Wuxian is all wrong, but his heart says otherwise. And I’m not saying he loves him already—but he is already seeing a kindred spirit in Wei Wuxian, someone who he can rely on, someone he can trust, someone who has his back, even if it means bending a few rules. And in a relationship, you have nothing if you don’t have trust.

I never noticed that they were communicating telepathically here. Or something. I dunno. I guess it’s not that clear.

Also if it feels like I’m ignoring all these parts with the Wen Clan, it’s because I am. I mean, not really, but this is all the Yin Iron stuff that I don’t really care about. And I’m not in the Xue Yang fan club either, so I’m not going to spend time on him until he’s actually in it in Yueyang (possibly) and Yi City. Actually, confession: I’ve never watched the Yi City flashback episodes. I read it, so I know it, but I never watched it hahaha. I will this time around. I made that pact with myself.

AWWW, HE SMILED!!!

Ahem, excuse me. This is too fucking cute, though. The rabbit lantern that Wei Wuxian drew just for him, his cute baby smile, and the Wei Wuxian pointing it out with a grin. Cuteness overload—my heart can’t take it.

But I also had a sad thought that if Wei Wuxian hadn’t come over, Lan Wangji would be sitting here alone. He’d make his lantern all on his own, send it off into the sky, say his own prayer to himself, and never hear Wei Wuxian’s, which likely sends Lan Wangji over the edge with his feelings. Everything he thought about Wei Wuxian was true, and maybe it’s okay to like him, maybe it’s okay to consider him a friend, maybe it’s okay to trust him that way.

Just a shot that I liked. Enjoy.

I feel so bad for Jiang Yanli here. I also feel bad for Jin Zixuan, even though he’s a complete dick. I understand how they both feel here—to be tied to someone you don’t know, from the time you were small children is incredibly unfair in my eyes. That being said, I know this still happens in other parts of the world, and it’s implied that it’s common in our CQL/MDZS world (which would make sense, of course). I like the feeling of siding with Wei Wuxian, wanting to come to Jiang Yanli’s defense and protect her honor, while also still having an understanding of how Jin Zixuan must feel about the whole thing. His choice has been completely taken away. And he’s, what, 17 here? What 17-year-old boy wants to be reminded constantly about how he’s already engaged? It’s not typically a young man’s dream to settle down and get married—not that it can’t be! But the implication here, with all the girls tittering about it, is that they’re all excited about marriage, and he wants nothing to do with it. Of course, Jiang Yanli isn’t either. I think she really just wants to get to know him and spend time with him, before even thinking about marrying him.

Ah, a momentous occasion: the first time Lan Wangji tries to stop Wei Wuxian from getting himself into trouble (not counting the first time they met, when he was literally trying to police him while breaking Cloud Recesses rules). I like this shot, because you have Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji on either side of Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Yanli in the front, literally putting her body between him and Jin Zixuan (actually this parallels her final scene). It kind of shows the depths of their relationships (or at least what the director wants to show us). You have Lan Wangji, who grabs onto Wei Wuxian to try to stop him from further brawling; Jiang Cheng, who stands beside him, but isn’t really involved otherwise—standoffish, in a way; and then Jiang Yanli, who physically gets in the way. She’s the quintessential big sister. And I’m not saying Jiang Cheng doesn’t care—he does, but I think his first thought always has to do with the honor of the Jiang Clan and, while he’s standing beside Wei Wuxian, it’s almost as if he doesn’t want to show any involvement with this brawl, because that would look bad.

Ah, the old dudes meeting, while Jiang Cheng stands off to the side awkwardly, wondering if he should be there or not. At the outset, this meeting to decide their children’s future seemed kind of bad, but it actually turned out nice, with them agreeing to call off the engagement. Very progressive, I thought.

Two things I learned in this scene: Wei Wuxian doesn’t want to marry a woman and he doesn’t want to leave the Cloud Recesses yet (TL: he doesn’t want to leave Lan Wangji). He seriously looks so disappointed when she says they’re going home soon.

This feels like a mixture of “I’m worried about you” and “I don’t want to be left out.” We already know at this point that Wei Wuxian doesn’t want to leave the Cloud Recesses (more that he doesn’t want to leave Lan Wangji, because he doesn’t like all of the rules, obviously). He also is very interested in what’s happening with the Yin Iron, as he has also vowed to protect it with Lan Wangji. He is very perceptive—he knows something is happening, that Lan Wangji is going to go off on his own, and he wants to go with. It’s kind of hard to say if this is more out of duty or his adventurous spirit, but either way, he wants to help Lan Wangji.

“After his leave, things will be as quiet here as before.”

Look at how sad he is! The only person he considers a friend has just left, and at this point, he doesn’t know if he’ll ever see him again. It’s possible, sure, but then only at clan gatherings, and that’s if Wei Wuxian and Lang Wangji even happen to attend the same one. I believe we know from the book that Lan Wangji doesn’t typically attend gatherings (when he’s older), he often skips them. And Wei Wuxian isn’t necessarily important enough to even be invited, so he would have to be a guest of Jiang Cheng. Obviously we all know that they do go to gatherings and see each other again, but this is what I’d be thinking if I were Lan Wangji, okay? Like, when am I going to see him again? Will I ever see him again?

I leave you with a wholesome picture of Wei Wuxian and a rabbit. Also adorable that he contemplates bringing the bunnies back to Lotus Pier, but doesn’t because Lan Wangji might get lonely. MY HEART!

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

[shijiujun]

[ENG] History3: Trapped Novel - Chapter Eight

Translation Masterpost can be found here

Disclaimer: Translations are entirely mine - these are not official translations and some phrases have been changed for better English interpretation so you’ll definitely see better/different translations elsewhere. Also keeping in mind when we translated this we aren’t exactly thinking about the style of writing and this translation is as close to the novel as we can make it XD So yes, some parts may be a little awkward to read. And yes some teeny weeny details and words may not turn up in the translation because the Chi to Eng mind acrobatics didn’t work out. If you see asterisks, scroll all the way to the bottom for notes!

Full chapter below the cut

*Note: ERMMMMM I’M BACK? So there was a plan for Chapter 8 and 9 translations, but I didn’t want to leave this until like 2021, so I’m trying my best to just clear it before New Years. Not sure how many of y’all are still reading this, but... I just don’t want to remember that this is incomplete hahahaha, so yeah, I did Chapter 8, and Chapter 9 should be up within the next couple of weeks, so it’ll be pretty and complete for 2021!

Chapter Eight

The act of handing Li Zhi De over to the police force led to the emergence of dissenting voices within Xing Tian Meng, and even the elders that were initially approving of the reform were beginning to shift towards a neutral position, stopping the biddings that were proceeding at hand.

Jack is walking towards the spot where he parked the car, and suddenly, someone emerges from behind a pillar and stops him in his tracks.

“Chen-ye would like to speak to you.”

After coldly shooting the man a glance, Jack gets into the other’s car and is brought to a tea house. Jack walks inside, and as expected, he sees a man with a scar on the right side of his cheek — Chen Wen Hao.

“I didn’t expect Chen-ye’s invitation.”

“When it comes to talented people, even if I have to personally make the trip, I will,” Chen Wen Hao pours a cup of tea for the other, and Jack raises the cup in a sign of respect for the man, before drinking it.

“Liang Dian, based on your intellect, you should have long established your own gang.”

“…”

Jack shudders, the sensation coming straight from his chest, and looks at the old, scheming fox before him without the slightest change in his expression. Fang Liang Dian, that is his real name, and the people who know this name are mostly dead already. From this, he can see that Chen Wen Hao has indeed gone to great lengths to obtain this information.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the ends of his lips curve up in a smile as he picks up the teapot and pours a second cup of tea for himself.

“Tang Yi spared no efforts in sending his own subordinate to the police, is such a person still worthy of being followed? Aren’t you afraid of becoming a second Zhi De?” Chen Wen Hao says as he looks at the young man before him, sliding a document filled with a list across the table.

“This is everything Wang Kun Cheng has in Taiwan, I can hand them all over to you.”

The red-haired man plays with the black leather gloves he has in his palms and without looking at the contents of the document, he returns, “How immense these benefits are, but… what do I have to exchange with Chen-ye?”

“You’re indeed interesting,” he answers, his eyes filled with impress at Jack, “I want Xing Tian Meng and Shi Hai Corporations’ data on their flow of funds, their current client lists, and also their proceeding bidding cases, as detailed as you can get them.”

“Aside from Tang Yi and Zuo Hong Ye, even Gu Dao Yi may not fully have a grip on all these you mentioned, Chen-ye, don’t you think that your exchange offer of Wang Kun Cheng’s power in Taiwan lacks sincerity?”

Jack raises an eyebrow, and bored, he takes out his butterfly knife and begins to flip it in his hands. A young henchman immediately steps up to stop him upon seeing this, but Chen Wen Hao interrupts him.

“Speaking to me with this attitude, aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you?”

“Since Chen-ye is the one with a request, he can surely be like Liu Bei, and lower his position humbly to obtain what he wants.”*

Chen Wen Hao pats at the surface of the table, and loudly says, “Good, I did not place my bet on the wrong person! Liang Dian, Xing Tian Meng’s pool is too small, and it is a pity for you to stay here. You should come and discuss the Cambodian business with us.”

“Okay,” Jack smiles at Chen Wen Hao, the movement of the butterfly knife in his hands coming to a stop.

—

Investigations Team Three

Tonight, Zhao Zi is taking the night shift with Shao Fei, and one of them is standing in the office with the glass door closed, a cardboard box opened on the table and taking out the items inside one by one.

The box contains the last of Li Zhen-jie’s belongings, there are medals and awards, her police badge and also a team photo of Team Three.

“Boss, think back carefully, was there some connection and interaction between Li Zhen-jie and Chen Wen Hao?”

“When Li Zhen was transferred to Team Three, Chen Wen Hao was already in prison, so I don’t think they knew each other.”

“But there is Li Zhen-jie’s signature on the prison’s meeting logbook, I confirmed this, and it is indeed her handwriting. And she even went to see Chen Wen Hao with Tang Guo Dong!”

“Wait, when was this?”

“1990.”

Shao Fei looks through the things Li Li Zhen left on one hand, and recalls his conversation with Shi Da Pao.

“Since Boss said that Chen Wen Hao was already in prison before Li Zhen-jie transferred into the team, then she might have gone to see Chen Wen Hao for a case? But even if she was investigating a case, why would she have gone to see Chen Wen Hao with Tang Guo Dong? What is the relationship between them? Why did the both of them die in the same place?”

Opening the circular tube containing a graduation certificate, he doesn’t see anything else, and rifling through the books left in the box, he doesn’t find any other clues hidden between the pages either.

“Ah!”

Shao Fei yells in frustration, his hands pulling at his hair hard.

Incorrect! There has to be a clue he missed, he doesn’t believe that Li Zhen-jie was in cahoots with Xing Tian Meng, and so before she died, her meeting with Tang Guo Dong was definitely not because she wanted to leak information to him.

There has to be some other reason that made Li Zhen-jie contact Tang Guo Dong, there has to be!

It’s just, where exactly is the missing clue to the puzzle? Where is it?

“Damn it!” Shao Fei swipes Li Li Zhen’s belongings to the ground, and regrets it immediately the next second. Holding his head in his arms, he tries hard to breathe and calm his emotions down. Seeing the photo of himself and Li Zhen-jie, he remembers that when he first entered the team, he brought quite a lot of trouble to her because of his impulsive nature, but she never once chided him for it. Instead, she would generously teach him everything she knew.

“Li Zhen-jie…”

Looking at the him dressed in his police uniform and making a stupid face standing right next to Li Zhen-jie in sadness, he picks up the music box at the bottom of the box, turning the latch at the bottom to open it up as he listens to the melody repeat itself.

Suddenly, he sees a corner of what looks like paper trapped inside the box, and so he carefully uses the tip of his fingernails to grab at the corner of the aged paper, wanting to open it to see.

Shao Fei looks at the paper in disbelief, his eyes wide, this is actually something Chen Wen Hao wrote to Li Zhen-jie… a love letter?

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, and the only right thing I’ve ever done is to love you. — Wen Hao

“My god!”

Shao Fei cannot believe his eyes, and so continues to explore every corner of the music box, and as expected, he finds a birth certificate issued by a hospital and on it is printed…

Name of Mother - Li Li Zhen

Name of Mother’s Significant Other - Unspecified

Date of Birth - 21 October 1990

Gender - Male

“Li Zhen-jie had a kid? And the date of birth is 21 October 1990?”

How strange, why is this date so familiar?

Hold on!

“Don’t be too touched, after all I did chase after you for four years, of course I would know today is your birthday. 21 October, Libra, people who are born on this day have extraordinary personalities and thoughts, especially when it comes to personal matters, they are more persistent and firm in attitude.”

“Pfffft…. how accurate! Super accurate!”

21 October 1990, isn’t this Tang Yi’s birthday? Also…

“How coincidental, Li Zhen-jie also has a similar music box.”

“Is that so? This is the only thing my mother left me.”

“Could it be…?”

A thought suddenly flashes across Shao Fei’s mind, and so he picks up his jacket and rushes out of the office. He almost bumps into Zhao Zi, who has just come back from buying supper.

“Huh? Ah Fei where are you going? Ah Fei? Ah Fei?”

Shao Fei holds onto his steering wheel tight, his thoughts jumbled up in a mess as he drives at an urgent speed on the road.

Suddenly, the phone he left on the passenger seat rings. Turning his head for a brief glance, he sees that it is Tang Yi.

“I’m working on a case, let’s leave it at that for now.”

He quickly responds after picking the call up, and then hangs up immediately after, slamming his foot down on the accelerator to a destination unknown.

“…”

Inside the Tang mansion, a Xing Tian Meng leader sitting behind his study desk in his office, looks dumbly at his phone.

Someone actually dared to hang up on him?

“Forget it,” Tang Yi sighs, looking at his dark phone screen helplessly, and continues working his way through unfinished work.

—

Investigations Team Three, The Next Day

Lu Jun Wei hurriedly runs into the office, and seeing their Captain, he rushes until he’s right in front of him, “Bad news! Li Zhi De died in the prosecution’s holding room!”

Shi Da Pao tugs at his own shirt, his face filled with alarm and fear, “What happened? Why did he suddenly die?”

“I’m not very sure either, all I know is that it is all under investigation at the moment.”

Shi Da Pao looks at Zhao Zi, who was in the interrogation room together with Lu Jun Wei after midnight, and asks, “Did anything strange happen yesterday during interrogation?”

“No. Li Zhi De refused to speak, and thankfully, Guan Zhi-ge was there, that’s how we managed to get some information out of him.”

“Zhou Guan Zhi? Why was he interrogating with you guys?”

Zhao Zi scratches at the back of his head, and seeing his unusually furious captain, explains, “Because Li Zhi De was very tough to handle, and Guan Zhi-ge said that he could assist us.”

Shi Da Pao immediately shoves the documents in his hand away and walks out of the team office. Seeing their boss suddenly leave like this, the rest of the team exchange looks, revealing concerned expressions.

—

Tang Household

“Ah De’s death was sudden, we need to find out who exactly did it.” Tang Yi instructs while simultaneously walking into the house as he loosens his tie, his expression serious as he faces Jack.

“Yes, boss.”

“And take note of the reactions from each Xing Tian Meng faction, we must reassure our own people. After all, I was the one who sent Li Zhi De into the station, if we don’t handle this well, it will affect the progress of Hong Ye’s current accounts.”

“I understand, I will handle this immediately.”

After Jack leaves, Tang Yi picks up his phone and once again dials for Shao Fei’s phone number, but he is still directed to leave a message after no one picks up.

“I’m Meng Shao Fei, leave a message if you have something to say, if not, hang up, thanks!”

“Meng Shao Fei, where exactly are you?”

How could he not pick up his calls or return any of his messages for a whole day?

Irritated and frustrated, he walks towards his study, and the moment he pushes the door open, he sees the man who has been missing in action for almost 30 hours standing right in front of him. The man is smiling, delighted as he presses at the phone’s mic function, and replays his previous voice messages.

“Meng Shao Fei, my whole life, no one has ever dared to not pick up my calls, and not return any of my messages!”

“Where are you? Why aren’t you picking up my calls?”

“Shao Fei, it’s been a day, it’s okay if you don’t pick up my calls, at least send me a text message to let me know you’re safe, okay?

“Shao Fei, I’m really worried about you. Can you call me? I want to hear your voice…”

Shao Fei stares as Tang Yi’s expression morphs from embarrassment to anger, and smiles, “59 calls and 15 messages, you were that worried about me?”

Tang Yi glares at the person before him, and angry, he says sarcastically, “I thought Officer Meng had evaporated from the face of the earth.”

Shao Fei walks over and apologises, tightly hugging the other, “I didn’t realise that my phone fell under the car seat, and was out of battery. I’m sorry I made you worry for so long.”

Turning his hand and returning the hug from his lover, who always manages to make him feel unlike his usual self, Tang Yi sighs, “The next time you go missing, I will put a tracking device on you. What super important case is this, that you would not even realise you didn’t have your phone on you?”

“…”

Shao Fei looks at Tang Yi, hesitant as he wonders if he should tell him what he has found so far.

“What is it?” the other asks, sensitive to Shao Fei’s unusual reaction.

“Tang Yi, do you remember the names of your adoptive parents?”

“He Ru Yu, Li Shou Xing.”

Tang Yi’s brows are furrowed, as if incredibly unwilling to bring up these two people. Shao Fei takes out the notebook he has with him and flips to a specific page. He lets Tang Yi confirm the details.

“This address here, is this the place you used to stay at when you were younger?”

“Why are you investigating my past?” Tang Yi asks, staring straight at Shao Fei with alarm, caution and confusion.

“I’m not investigating you, I was actually on another case, and who knew I found some leads related to you.”

“Leads that are related to me?”

“Mnn,” Shao Fei nods, and inhaling deeply once, he gently says, “Tang Yi, I found your mother, your biological mother.”

Before he can finish speaking, the sound of a phone ringing interrupts him. Tang Yi’s looks at Shao Fei, startled, before picking up the call.

“Boss, xiaojie was taken away by He Hang’s people, he said he wants you to go over personally in exchange for xiaojie.”

“He. Hang!”

Tang Yi says these two words through gritted teeth, then pushes away the person hugging him and rushes out of the study.

“Tang Yi! Tang Yi!”

Shao Fei chases after him, worried, and unheeding of the other’s disapproval, he squeezes into the passenger seat and follows the murderous Xing Tian Meng leader to the destination highlighted by He Hang.

—-

Investigations Team Three Office - Staircase Landing

Zhou Guan Zhi is slammed heavily against the wall in the staircase landing, held up by Shi Da Pao via his collar.

Because the impact of the force used was too heavy, the man whose back struck the wall ends up in a coughing fit.

“Li Zhi De’s matter, were you the one?!”

“The person died at the prosecution’s office, how is that any of my business.”

Zhou Guan Zhi pushes Shi Da Pao away, turning around and about to leave, but the other man immediately grabs at him.

“If it wasn’t you, how would you have known that he’s dead? And you also know exactly where he died?”

He deliberately used the word ‘matter’ to replace ‘death’, and so if Zhou Guan Zhi really had nothing to do with this, then his first reaction would be similar to that of other Team Three members. It would be disbelief, fear and alarm, and not this look, as if he knew about this much earlier. Even the fact that Li Zhi De was transferred to the prosecution’s interrogation room from their own after midnight, he knows such a detail this clearly.

“You were afraid he would implicate you, and so you killed him, didn’t you?”

“Of course I’m afraid he will expose me, but boss, aren’t you afraid?”

Shi Da Pao’s eyes shift, and he retorts, “You were the one who murdered him, it’s nothing to do with me.”

“How could this not have anything to do with you? The one who let Ah Fei do as he like and investigate this case was you, the one who allowed him to protect Tang Yi right at his side was also you. In the end, we even got to the stage where Li Zhi De was brought back to the station, of course I had to silence him! If I wait until he reveals everything then you and I both are done for.”

The man, his gaze murderous and cold, laugh as he pats at the captain’s face.

“You actually knew what I was doing all along, but when have you ever stopped me during these four years? You gave the silent approval to your subordinate to sell off the drugs the police force obtained in return for a profit. Shi Da Pao, do you still think this has nothing to do with you?”

“…”

Shi Da Pao is speechless as he hears Zhou Guan Zhi’s accusations.

“Besides, that case four years ago, you were also a bystander who did nothing to stop it. What was Li Li Zhen’s relationship with you, that you would allow the rumours of her cooperating with Xing Tian Meng run rampant in the station? And you never once helped to clear her name, so you’re an accomplice. You are an accomplice who caused the death of others for your own greed, just like me!”

The last few words smash through the last of Shi Da Pao’s strength, and he numbly sits on the stairs. Covering his face in guilt, his voice weak, he says, “Why didn’t you just stop at the incident four years ago? Ah Zhi, you have already earned so much in the past few years. It’s enough! Stop already!”

“Enough?” the person who hears this cranes his neck upwards and sneers. “We police officers put our lives on the line day in and out only to earn this meagre salary. It’s not even enough to stuff the gaps of my teeth, how do I deal with those chasing me to repay debts? Stop putting yourself on a high horse, you are no different from me.”

Shi Dao Pao puts down the hands covering his face and looks at the person who’s slowly descending into insanity, and shakes his head, “You’re like this because you gamble, and this is your just desserts. And me… I did it to save my daughter. These four years, I’ve never once had a restful night, and I live in terror and regret everyday.”

Zhou Guan Zhi smirks, his eyes slanting to look at the person seated on the stairs, “Boss, as long as you took the money, your hands are dirty. No matter if it is because I deserve it, or if you were forced into a dead end, you’ve been tainted, and it is what it is.”

“Besides, isn’t it the money you took that year which allowed Xiao Ya to live on happily, all the way until now, when she’s able to have her wedding? So it doesn’t matter who wants to dig up the case from four years ago again, I will definitely not let him get away!”

He knows Zhou Guan Zhi is referring to Shao Fei, who has been so focused on the homicide case from four years ago, and he finally stands up, grips at Zhou Guan Zhi’s shirt collars and yells for him to stop.

“Ah Zhi, stop! Don’t fall any deeper into this!”

“Boss, don’t worry. I’ll be very subtle, no one will be able to find out. As long as you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, after a period of time, this will be slowly forgotten by everyone,” Zhou Guan Zhi says, arrogantly slapping away the hands at his collar and turns away.

“Ah Zhi, aren’t you afraid that I will turn myself in and expose you?”

“You!”

Zhou Guan Zhi turns back abruptly, his eyes betraying his impulse to strangle Shi Da Pao to death right at that very moment, but Shi Da Pao is no amateur either, and if they really do get into a fight, he will not have it easy. Instead, he tries the soft approach, lightening his tone as he tries to convince his Captain that they are both on the same boat.

“Boss, don’t do foolish things. Xiao Ya is about to get married, and you’ve done so much for her. Don’t you want to see her happily get married, and become the most beautiful bride?”

“,,,”

Shi Da Pao’s eyes tear up as he keeps silent, Zhou Guan Zhi hitting him where it hurts. Seeing that he has gotten his way, Zhou Guan Zhi smiles, smug as he stuffs his hands into his jacket’s pockets. He leaves the staircase, whistling casually as he goes.

—

In an Abandoned Factory

Chen Wen Hao sits on a chair, two men standing next to him on his sides. On the other chair, Zuo Hong Ye’s hands have been tied behind her, and a cloth is stuffed into her mouth, but she displays no sign of fear as she glares at He Hang, who has a gun pressed to her temple. Tang Yi, who arrived with Shao Fei, nods at Gu Dao Yi, who has been waiting outside for a while, and the three of them walk into the abandoned factory that is filled with a metallic stench.

“I’m here, let Hong Ye go.”

“No problem. My target is not her. He Hang, let Zuo-xiaojie go.”

“Boss, aren’t we making it too easy for Tang Yi by letting Zuo Hong Ye go?” He Hang refuses to loosen the ropes on Hong Ye as he glares at Tang Yi in fury.

“Tang Yi, I’ve been in Xing Tian Meng for so long, why did Tang Guo Dong let you become leader? How much authority does Xing Tian Meng wield in the underworld, and you want to go legal and reform? Aside from cutting off our brothers’ path to riches, you also handed one of us over to the police! I might as well just kill you here, lest you get in the way.”

The gun that was pressed to Hong Ye’s brain suddenly shifts to the Xing Tian Meng leader standing before him, but all he gets in return is the other’s cold laugh, full of ridicule and mockery for He Hang.

“You? If you were really capable, how would you have repeatedly failed in trying to assassinate me?”

“Fuck! I will kill you right now with a single shot, do you not believe me?!”

“He Hang, did you forget that I am still here? You’re in no position to talk here.”

“Chen… Chen-ye… but…”

Chen Wen Hao’s seemingly light tone belies a chilling warning under it, and He Hang retreats, not daring to say another word.

“Yes… yes, Chen-ye…”

Drenched in cold sweat, the man immediately keeps his gun, and loosens the ropes on Hong Ye, then pushes her towards Tang Yi. Tang Yi catches Hong Ye, and asks, concerned, “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Dao Yi, take Hong Ye and go.”

The bespectacled man stands between He Hang and Hong Ye, as if guarding against the possibility of another attack should the other man change his mind.

“I’m not going to leave, I want to face this together with you at your side.”

“If you get hurt I will hate myself, so, just go!” Tang Yi says in a low voice, tightly holding onto Hong Ye’s arm.

“I understand, you be careful,” Hong Ye bites at her lips, her eyes reddening as she leaves the factory under Dao Yi’s protection.

Chen Wen Hao gets to his feet from the chair and circles Tang Yi as he walks, just like a predator playing with its prey, and says, “Do you know why I had to find you today? Is it because you killed Wang Kun Cheng? Because you cost me losses of several ships worth of goods? Because you sent a bunch of my brothers to jail? Or-“

Suddenly, Chen Wen Hao stops in his footsteps right before Tang Yi, and stares into his eyes.

“Is it because four years ago, you saw the crime scene of Tang Guo Dong and Li Li Zhen’s death?”

“…”

Anger flashes in Tang Yi’s eyes, and the moment he takes a step, he is stopped by the other’s raised gun.

“No! None of that! I got you to come here because you are Tang Guo Dong’s son. Tang Guo Dong stole my woman, caused the death of my and Li Li Zhen’s child, and found someone in prison to create trouble for me, made me go through 24 years in jail. Twenty. Four. Years!”

“…”

Shao Fei stares at Chen Wen Hao in surprise, recalling the brith certificate he saw not long ago.

Li Zhen-jie’s child, was Chen Wen Hao’s? Tang Yi’s biological mother, is Li Zhen-jie? So… Chen Wen Hao is Tang Yi’s real, biological…

Chen Wen Hao does not see the young officer’s face go white, and continues, “When I came out, Xing Tian Meng became yours? What a joke, how is it that Tang Guo Dong could have everything, but I ended up with a broken family and nothing to my name? No, this is not fair, isn’t it?”

He pauses for a while after, and a dark, vicious smile emerges, “So… I want you… dead!”

All the men that were guarding outside of the factory suddenly rush in, surrounding Tang Yi and Shao Fei from the back. The both of them have no choice but to put up both their hands and pretend to surrender. Shao Fei takes half a step, opening his mouth to say, “Chen Wen Hao, Tang Yi, he’s-“

“Shut up, this is no place for you to talk.”

Tang Yi suddenly falls to the floor, avoiding the line of fire from the barrel of the gun and kicks out at the man holding the gun on him. It is only after the man falls does Tang Yi snatch the gun away, turning back to face Chen Wen Hao, the gun pointed at him.

At the same time, Chen Wen Hao has his gun turned towards Tang Yi.

“Chen Wen Hao, I’ve devised this plan for four whole years, all to force you to come back from Cambodia to take revenge for Tang-ye, because, it was you who killed him!”

“No! I didn’t kill him!”

“Shut up! You’re going to pay with your life!”

“Tang Yi!”

“Don’t stop me!”

Seeing that things are about to spiral uncontrollably, to a point of no return, Shao Fei can no longer care about anything else, and quickly blurts out the truth from that year.

“Don’t shoot! Chen Wen Hao is your father!”

===

*This is a metaphor and you can temporarily ignore who Liu Bei is.

[shypotato-translations]

QTVW Chapter 19

Showbiz* Sexy Queen (VI)

----

Ling Yi Yao finally drank the so-called "love" green bean soup. Although she didn't know why she did it, she knew very well that if she didn't do it, this strange woman in front of her would definitely do something that she would regret.

It was an instinct she had acquired on the battlefield after years of experience in the midst of gunfire, and now she felt a crisis that also sent chills down her spine.

Mei Mu Lan saw the spring smile on her face after she drank the soup.

She was already extremely gorgeous, and when she smiled, she was even more charming, and the few staff members who were quietly watching from across the room couldn't help but cover their beating hearts when they saw this scene.

Mei Mu Lan took back the thermos and packed all these things away, then immediately asked Ling Yi Yao with a serious face, saying,

“I don't know much about anything and I've never acted before, so I'm going to work very hard this coming week to learn from you, and I won't let you down!”

Ling Yi Yao: “……”

Why does it always feel like that, something doesn't sound right?

Mei Mu Lan continued,

“Good, I'm glad we've come to an understanding, so I think it's a good idea to move in with you so that we can study night and day. You see, I'm good-looking, so I won't bring down your taste when I walk with you; I have four-star hotel cooking skills, so I can make you eat delicious food; I can also talk with you to relieve your boredom, be a mood bin and so on; I can also……”

Mei Mu Lan made a mishmash of words and phrases, words that came out automatically without her being aware of them. In the end, even she believed that she was so talented that the person she was 'dating' was taking advantage of her.

Ling Yi Yao: “……”

No, it's always been you.

Ling Yi Yao smiled stiffly and said,

“It's not good for us to live together, it's not convenient.”

A very clear indication of rejection that any ordinary person could understand.

But it was clear that Mei Mu Lan was no ordinary person, as she turned pale and went from bright sunshine to thunder and lightning in a fraction of a second.

She saw her head slightly lowered and the back of her white hand wiped her cheek, and crystal drops of water fell on the back of her hand,

“I thought……,”

Her slow voice said,

“We've spent so much time together that we've at least been friends, but……”

Her voice was as mournful and silent as the autumn breeze sweeping through the hearts of the people.

Before Ling Yi Yao could react, a cry sounded again. Although the voice only had two tones, it could fully express the owner's disbelief, heartache, grief and despair at that moment.

And it is because there are only two tones that the tolerance of the owner of the voice can be expressed in a way that is so clear.

Ling Yi Yao instantly felt that she had done something unjustifiably bad, and the staff around her, who were seriously working and actually watching the show, couldn't help but tsk twice and sigh longingly to the heavens,

“People's hearts are not in the right place,”

“The times are changing,”

“Rites and ceremonies are in ruins,”

“The world is a cold place,”

Ling Yi Yao drew a cold breath in her heart and could barely keep the smile off her face, while the woman opposite her was already crying with her shoulders shaking.

Ling Yi Yao frowned, thinking that this person's behaviour was really weird and scary, but although this person was behaving strangely, as far as she could see, she hadn't done anything too out of the ordinary, and as for the previous ones, they were just the daily behaviour of fans towards their idols, which was understandable.

She frowned and said,

“I think of you as a friend, but living together, it's……”

Her words were interrupted as the woman opposite looked up, teary-eyed, but still smiling brightly, and said,

“It's convenient, right? Don't worry, I'll follow you when you're done, I won't get lost.”

Ling Yi Yao: “……”

This inexplicable chest tightness and heartache!

Just as Ling Yi Yao wanted to speak again and explain clearly, an abrupt man's voice interjected and he said,

“Yao Yao, is this a friend of yours?”

Mei Mu Lan and Ling Yi Yao looked over together and saw a dozen men and women in suits walking over, and standing at the front was the man who had just spoken, looking about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, playing with a white mobile phone in his hand, taking off his suit jacket and wearing only a white handmade shirt because of the somewhat hot weather, the corners of his mouth and eyebrows were frivolously raised, and the whole person looked somewhat cynical.

Mei Mu Lan scanned him and inclined her head, then saw the woman who was following him and holding his suit.

This woman was familiar to her, namely Bai Jieying, who had been interviewed with her yesterday, and when Mei Mu Lan saw her, she guessed the identity of the visitor.

The thought occurred to her: This man is the male lead in this novel, Ling Yi Yao's uncle Ling Tianye. It seems that the power of the plot is indeed great, the male and female leads finally met and hooked up even earlier than before, it is written in the original novel that the female lead only agreed to become Ling Tianye's mistress on the third day after the interview, but from the current situation, they should have fallen in love last night, right?

Mei Mu Lan looked at Bai Jieying, and saw that she was exuding charming beauty, her body was shaking, and she looked like she had been tortured all night, which made Mei Mu Lan grimace.

Naturally, Ling Yi Yao could see what was going on between them and asked,

“Ling Tianye, why are you free to come to the set today?”

Ling Tianye looked at Mei Mu Lan with interest and hooked out a reply,

“I came to have a look and recommend someone to try out for the crew, here……”

As he said this, he dragged Bai Jieying behind him into his arms and said,

“This is a new toy I found, it looks good, doesn't it? It's fun to play with it, and since she's making me comfortable, it's only natural that I should pay her back a little.”

Bai Jieying's face was white, she didn't expect this man to tell the truth about their deal in public, and he said it in such an unpleasant way, as if she was a cheap woman who had fallen back on him, she didn't dare to look at the expressions of the people around her, her nails were embedded in her hands, her heart was overwhelmed with hatred, thinking: when I become famous, I will kick you, this slag, immediately!

Ling Yi Yao only casually glanced at Bai Jieying before looking at Ling Tianye and said,

“This one wasn't bad, it looked much cleaner than the previous warbler, but the pay was too high.”

The director, who had been concentrating on filming the scene, saw Ling Tianye, the director’s investor and a good friend, had come to the set, so he also came over, and after seeing what was happening here, he said,

“This woman came to the audition yesterday, we were there, and her acting skills were not good at all, she was very stiff and weak, so she was dismissed. I didn't expect her to find you there, man, this is our company's annual blockbuster, the company's masterpiece in the film industry, don't mess around, if you want to play, invest in a small budget film for her, give her a chance to play.”

Ling Tianye stretched his hands and pushed Bai Jieying to the side in a bored manner, saying to her helplessly,

“As you can see, Wang Ye did not agree to your role, and what did you tell me last night, you said you were a good actress but those people had backing, so I agreed to your role, but look at the result now, this is making me look bad in public, okay, assistant, write her a cheque and kick her out.”

Bai Jieying cried out on the spot, she grew up without a father, but her mother has always been powerful and awesome, rich and beautiful, and she has always been sought after and adored by others, but ever since her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend, everything has gone wrong for her, her mother wants her to marry a balding old man in his forties, her stepfather doesn't care about her, and she chooses to go into the entertainment industry, but has no corresponding work experience and no acting skills, so she was always rejected.

By the time she got a good chance, she was also brushed off.

Last night, after accidentally meeting this young and wealthy man, she committed herself to him for her future, and now she is in this situation.

This time, she would definitely keep it in her heart, she thought with hatred, her eyes coldly swept a glance at Ling Yi Yao and Mei Mu Lan, then looked at Ling Tianye with resentment, raised her head and left in high pride.

Ling Yi Yao's face sank, this was the first time someone had given her a scowl, and when Ling Tianye saw this expression on his niece's face, he knew she was angry now and this was how she would sulk when she was angry, then her heart would stifle and wilt, secretly she would definitely find a way to attack back.

Ling Tianye shrugged his shoulders helplessly, then waved his hand and said,

“In that case, I'm going back to the office, so go for it.”

“……”

Ling Yi Yao looked at him coldly, turned her head and walked away.

Leaving Ling Tianye to shrug his shoulders with a bitter smile and rub his brow, he led the elite men and women behind him away.

Mei Mu Lan frowned and did not go after Ling Yi Yao, but sat down on the recliner, her heart full of sorrow.

What's going on here? Why is reality completely different from the plot?

Not only the attitude of the male lead towards the female lead, but also the feeling that the female lead gives off, it's like a child who hasn't grown up, her emotions are all on her face, which is completely different from the description of the novel that depicts a happy and angry woman who is strong in social skills and has completely taken over the male lead.

Moreover, although the plot did not describe how Ling Yi Yao and Ling Tianye got along, in the middle and later stages of the novel, the two of them did have a very bad relationship, even to the point of death, but now, as far as she could see, the facts showed that their relationship was clearly very good and close.

Mei Mu Lan frowned at these anomalies and pondered the reasons for them: The villain Ling Yi Yao, the male lead Ling Tian Ye, the roadie Aunt Wen, the director…… The female lead, on the other hand, seems to be a different person, with horribly awkward methods, and she was not chosen as a cast member, so that means that her acting skills are also average.

What's going on?

Mei Mu Lan recalls the female lead in the original owner's memory, which is somewhat similar to the current female lead, who looks like she gives the impression of a noble and high-minded literary artist.

And now the female lead, although her words and actions are in line with the plot, the end result, however, produces a great deviation.

And the female lead in the novel's plot is a queen of all variations.

On-screen, she can be charming and flirtatious at the same time; off-screen, she is kind and gentle to her fans and journalists; when facing her male lead, she is very tactful, combining pampering with warmth and consideration.

And so on, which means that the root of all the anomalies is the female lead, Bai Jieying, who has something very wrong with her.

When Mei Mu Lan figured this out, she felt a cold sweat in the heat of the day.

This situation is very much like the classic situation in a crossover novel, where the all-powerful female lead enters the body of the clumsy original owner and uses her powers to make her way in the crossover world.

So, the system provides the female lead in the novel's plot, which is, in fact, a fictional world that unfolds when an outside crossover enters the female lead's body.

And as the manager of the virtual time and space, she had never understood before what made her suddenly enter the fictional world to do her mission? But after this incident, she understood the reason behind it, it was because the virtual time and space had been intruded by travelers from the real world.

Just as the truth of the crossing dawned on her like an enlightening experience, a familiar cold mechanical voice rang out in her head,

【Host Mu Lan, decipher the true meaning of the system's mission and activate the system's hidden mission to solve the arrogant travelers who have crossed over from the real world.】

【The system rewards a random prize pack, which can be opened after the completion of this mission. Wish the host Mu Lan to complete the mission soon.】

[whyamistillwatchingtheseshows]

5 BL Male Characters I Love

Tagged by @negrowhat​

1. Lan Wangji from the Untamed  (which we only categorize as BL when technically it’s not but it is because of original source material but its not because of censorship but it is because of the actors Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo perfecting a peak level of pining, falling in love, and confession all through body language and stares...and perhaps a script that was delicately woven...even if lost in a bit of translation.)

Picking LWJ is me probably thinking more like “Choose Your Fighter.” That being said he’s probably my dream fantasy character. Full on, no joke. If I could be reincarnated into favorite characters, Lan Wangji would probably be my number one choice. Why you ask? Most people think of him as cold, unemotional, but honestly I think he’s so hypersensitive. It’s just not outwardly so like his equally hypersensitive husband. Wangji established himself as the fierce warrior with no voice, always finding the chaos, but soon enough, he found that voice. Found ways to be more expressive. Was it because of one man? Yes, probably, but either way I love this pining gay warrior. 

2. Fighter from Why RU? 

This boy, this character for me is the kind where I *hiss* and say stay away from me probably because at first he’s got that “fuck boy” attitude. Sort of like a mixture of seemingly arrogant with a dose of I’m sexy and I know it? Moving passed that (false judgment which actually now feels more descriptive of Tutor- he might be the fuck boy because I just thought of that scene where the basketball knocks shit out his hands and Fight’s trying to apologize and pick up his things and Tutor’s all like I can take care of myself, jumping on him for just being helpful...) Except somehow I find myself drawn to Fight. There’s something about him before he even talks to you (after you’ve made several wrong assumptions about this let’s just say stupidly good looking person), where you’re like yeah I’m already gone. What did you say? Oh, hi! You said hi. That’s cool. My name? Oh, I forgot my name...once you get passed that and actually get to know this character it’d make it far worse, because honestly I think it’s pretty clear that Fighter is unbelievably kind (+plus sweet, romantic, goofy) and for awhile there it looked like he was only kind to others (except Tutor when he had him alone) but he did in public spaces try to get him drinks and take care of him (thinking of that canteen scene where Tutor is so against the drink that Fight instead offers it up to Hwa). What I also like about Fighter is that he’s against confrontation unless he must go into defensive mode and if he does you better watch it. 

3. Sun from Dark Blue Kiss (really thought I’d choose Mork) 

It’s a close draw between the two of them, tbh. However, Sun might win the gauntlet because I feel more akin to him for some odd reason. Okay, so maybe it is both of them. So I’ll cheat on number 3 (sidenote did I already cheat on #2 because I talked an awful lot about Tutor too)? 

They have that constant “fight me” attitude, sometimes in a playful way and sometimes (maybe mostly) aggressively, but then of course somehow they turn out to be a pile of squishy, gooey, mush like fresh baked choco chip cookie. Maybe a little crisp on the edges, but in the middle it’s that ooey gooey goodness. 

4. King from My Engineer 

What is the Forest/Plant King? Chaotic good? Who knows, but I think I fell for him because they did solid character development for such a silly show. There was build up and pay off even on an individual level despite the pairing, if that makes sense. I think it’s also safe to say he’s basically a pure soul and why would anyone ever want to harm him. Yet, as we saw his head cannot be put through anymore...plus, he’s got an immeasurable amount of patience to work with Ram’s choice of rarely talking. 

5. Type from TharnType which is basically TharnType...

You know doing these and trying to separate them from their equally great partner is difficult. Thought I’d definitely go all WangXian with the first choice, however, I’m realizing it’s incredibly difficult to separate these two. They seem more glued to each other than FighterTutor. More emotionally and physically invested in the other than WangXian as well. I choose Type because he’s actually on a top 3 list in my head of characters that I feel most similar too. Somehow he makes it to the #3 spot on that list. Number 1 being Dean Winchester (from SPN) and #2 actually being #2 from this list. I think what gets me about Type is that same “fight me” attitude MorkSun have, and like them Type will go to town for the ones he loves. Yet of course, Type is also ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie goodness on the inside. He can be sweet, kind, romantic. After all, it’s still going to take him a lot of time to let go of his repressed anger and actually stop being so aggressive (though I think some of that hotheadedness ran in the family)!! 

No one asked for long drawn out explanations, but if you thought I could be brief. I can’t so I’m probably more like Wei Wuxian, but I aspire to have the resolve of Lan Wangji. I want to also honorable mention Tang Yi, if not just to shout out History 3 Trapped as a kick ass show. There’s also Two from Theory of Love. Then there’s also Shin from 3 Will Be Free, or the poly throuple that is NeoShinMiw because that you cannot make me break up. Then there’s also Win from Until We Meet Again. This list could be longer than 5 because in all truthfulness every character from each show I’ve watched has a sort of pros and cons list in my head....

Tagging @lostinbl​ @this-solaris-life​ @flower-of-the-desert​ @romanceismycallingcard​ @musicdramalove​​ @occasionally-writing​

[tiramisiyu]

【未定事件簿】Tears of Themis: Main Story 5-37 Translation

--

Translated parts: Chapter 5 – Sounds of Falling Snow (Part 1, 2, 3): 5-1 / 5-3 / 5-5 / 5-7 / 5-9 / 5-11 / 5-13 ♦️ ♦️  5-14 / 5-16 / 5-18 / 5-20 / 5-22 / 5-24 / 5-26 / 5-28 ♦️ ♦️ 5-29 / 5-31 / 5-33 / 5-35 / 5-37 / 5-39 / 5-40 / 5-42 / 5-43

Translation Masterlist: here

Video: (39:27) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV15a4y1j7CW?

Stellis City Police Station

MC: Wang Han, do you still remember how many lies you told yesterday, straight to my face?

Wang Han: I didn’t tell any lies. Everything I said was true…

MC: What I want to understand is the truth behind Kong Moli’s car crash.

MC: You can tell me about this matter. Qiu Heng can also tell me. Right now, he’s in the room right beside this.

MC: To me, there’s no difference between the two of you, but there is only one chance for a commuted sentence due to meritorious service.

MC: Tell me, will he be like you, quibbling until the end, or will he tell me a reasonable and fair truth and let himself be completely exonerated?

Wang Han: !!!

> Have Wang Han explain brake pedal maintenance service

> Have Wang Han explain son’s work

MC: Wang Han, do you know what the reason for Kong Moli’s car crash accident was?

Wang Han: I heard the police say that it was the brakes losing control.

MC: That’s right. On Kong Moli’s SUV, there was one brake pedal that was too worn, resulting in the brakes losing control.

MC: What a big coincidence that her SUV was the same model as the one that you sold off.

MC: Your car originally had an appointment for brake maintenance service. Why did you suddenly cancel the service?

MC: Could it be that you switched Kong Moli’s brakes onto your own car?

Wang Han: It wasn’t! I was just about to change cars, so I cancelled the replacement service!

MC: You’re lying!

MC: After the water pollution, the whole village’s livelihood suffered consequences. You also farmed for Rainbow heart fish. At that time, you really had the heart to change cars?

MC: Plus, yesterday you also lied that the car parked in your yard wasn’t yours!

MC: Lying about this kind of thing where it’s so easy to check the owner – how stupid could you be!

MC: If there is nothing odd about you changing cars, then why would you lie!

Wang Han: I actually was…

Wang Han: When the paper mill paid compensation for the pollution, I somewhat gave myself a little more. 

Wang Han: It just so happened that the original SUV needed maintenance, so I just simply changed for a new car…

MC: (He actually admitted that he got greedy with the villagers’ compensation…)

MC: (This instead became an excuse for him to cover up the murder…)

> Have Wang Han explain brake pedal maintenance service > Have Wang Han explain son’s work 

MC: Wang Han, I found that your son works at a medical store that Heirson holds controlling shares for.

MC: Looking at that medical store’s typical recruitment criteria, neither your son’s academics or work experience meet them. 

MC: Can you explain to me how your son obtained this job position?

MC: Was this the exchange condition that Heirson used to instruct you to kill Kong Moli?

Wang Han: Heirson’s laboratory was built in out village. Of course they would give me some benefits, as the village chief…

Wang Han: My son’s work was set three years ago. It has nothing to do with Kong Moli.

MC: (This entry point doesn’t have much attack power…)

> Prove that Wang Han had the motive to kill Kong Moli > Have Wang Han explain the reason he hid that Qiu Heng went to the village 

MC: Wang Han, it was you and Qiu Heng joining hands to kill Kong Moli, right.

MC: Otherwise, why would you lie, saying that you didn’t know that Qiu Heng went to Rainbow River Village?

MC: Because of his thievery, he was caught by Sun Heping and brought to the police station. Even Zhao Yuncui knew. You, the village head, could not have been unaware!

Wang Han: I did know, but I really hadn’t met with him.

Wang Han: I knew he was the key witness in Kong Moli’s case. At that time, I didn’t say because I feared provoking trouble…

Wang Han: At that time, I feared that if you two visited for a while in the village, you would notice the matter of me getting greedy with the compensation. I just wanted to have you leave quickly…

MC: (One instance of corruption became his all-purpose excuse…)

> Prove that Wang Han had the motive to kill Kong Moli

> Have Wang Han explain the reason he hid that Qiu Heng went to the village

MC: The accident’s compensation was just a one-time payment. How long could it have been sufficient for your family to splurge?

MC: Yesterday, I remember that I saw many of the newest, high-class luxury goods at your house.

MC: I see that your real economic source isn’t actually raising fish, nor is it the compensation. It’s the annual dividend Heirson gives to you!

I showed Wang Han the document that Lu Jinghe sent to my inbox. His face immediately became pale.

Wang Han: These dividends started from three years ago. This has nothing to do with Kong Moli…

MC: Why did Heirson use dividends to bribe you?

Wang Han: At the beginning, before the laboratory came, we specifically sought an environmental agency to do an assessment.

Wang Han: At that time, the water that the laboratory let out didn’t meet the required standards. It was me who helped settle things with the environmental agency to get a qualified document.

MC: Good that you’re admitting it!

MC: Your house’s good lifestyle is all reliant on Heirson’s dividends. Using that saying, I could say going from rags to riches is easy, while going from riches to rags is hard…

MC: If Kong Moli really exposed Heirson’s pollution, having Heirson become bankrupt due to fines, just like the paper mill…

MC: Then you wouldn’t be able to continue receiving these dividends!

MC: Aside from this, your son’s work was also set up by Heirson. If Heirson’s problems were investigated, then your son would also be at risk of losing his job.

MC: Unable to farm for Rainbow heart fish, no dividends, no work for your son – your house would be completely out of income sources!

MC: This reasoning was enough for you to murder Kong Moli!

Wang Han: I did hate her for blocking my road to fortune, but I didn’t hurt her.

Wang Han still wanted to quibble. Without waiting for him to spin more lies, Yan Wei knocked the door and entered.

Yan Wei: Lawyer, Qiu Heng says he wants to meet you, *cough cough*.

Coughing twice was the hint that Yan Wei and I had established, to create a sort of “Qiu Heng betrayed his ally” falsehood.

MC: Okay, Leader Yan, I’ll head over now.

MC: Wang Han, you can see now – if you’re not willing to talk, someone else will.

Just when I was about to leave this room, Wang Han suddenly stood up…

Wang Han: No, you cannot believe Qiu Heng! The person who killed Kong Moli was him!

--

Pet Store

Xia Yan brought Youyou to Anrong Street, number 107. Here, there was a pet store.

Xia Yan: The address that your Auntie Moli left is here.

Xia Yan: Did she leave a pet for you?

Mu Ziyou shook his head.

--

[Flashback]

Xia Yan: Where’s the password cylinder? Give it to me.

Mo Yi: Have you thought it through? If you guess wrong, the secret in here will be a secret forever.

Xia Yan: When I solve riddles, there’s never the possibility of me solving it wrong.

Mo Yi: You’re quite self-confident.

After a light, crisp sound, the password cylinder opened.

Xia Yan: You have anything else to say now?

Mo Yi: I hope you can be this lucky forever. I am serious.

Xia Yan took out the papyrus paper from the password cylinder. An address was written on it.

Xia Yan: Anrong Street, number 107 – isn’t this near Kong Moli’s house?

Mo Yi took out his phone to check the address – it was a pet store.

Mo Yi: It should be as I speculated – the thing in here was left by Kong Moli for Mu Ziyou. It’s not the essential evidence we’re looking for.

Xia Yan: Then we’ll keep looking. Plus, that child himself is proof of Heirson’s illegal activities.

Xia Yan: Right, how did you confirm that Mu Ziyou was not the one who placed the evidence in Kong Moli’s loft?

Mo Yi: It is true that Mu Ziyou is a child with high IQ, but he is still just a child.

Mo Yi: He could invade the big data lab and tamper with Kong Moli’s case file tags, but collecting those substantial evidences and placing them in the loft…

Mo Yi: He definitely wouldn’t be able to do this.

Xia Yan: I also had my suspicions about this point, but I couldn’t find clues.

Mo Yi: Mu Ziyou’s psychological condition requires treatment rehabilitation. That letter originally was a tool that I used for the treatment.

Mo Yi: By telling him that the letter was left in Kong Moli’s loft, I could both reduce how Mu Ziyou guarded his heart, and get a feel of the answer we want.

Mo Yi: It’s two birds, one stone, no?

Xia Yan: If Mu Ziyou once went to the loft to place evidence, then he would definitely know that the letter was faked by you.

Xia Yan: But if it wasn’t Mu Ziyou, then who could it be that placed the evidence and gave the investigation direction?

Xia Yan: And what is his motive for doing so?

Mo Yi: It’s hard to say whether this person is an enemy or friend.

[Flashback end]

--

Pet Store Clerk: Mister, I’ve made you wait long.

Pet Store Clerk: We’ve checked the records – last year on September 12, a lady called Kong Moli ordered a British shorthair cat.

Pet Store Clerk: Ms. Kong paid the full price, but never came to get the cat.

Pet Store Clerk: We called Ms. Kong’s phone, and learned that Ms. Kong had passed, so we refunded her money.

Xia Yan: So it’s like this…

Xia Yan: That cat should be the birthday present Kong Moli was to send to Mu Ziyou…

Xia Yan turned around and went to look for Mu Ziyou.

During this time when he spoke to the clerk, Mu Ziyou had run off himself to the front of the pet store’s glass cages.

In the cat hut, two cute British shorthair cats were tumbling around, holding onto each other. 

They used their soft little paws to mutually pat at each other. It was hard to say if they were fighting or playing. 

Xia Yan: Do those two British shorthairs have a buyer?

Pet Store Clerk: No, those two just came to the store.

Xia Yan: I’ll have them both.

Pet Store Clerk: Are you sure you want two?

Xia Yan: Yep. If there’s only one, it’ll be lonely.

Xia Yan: Help me get matching sets of cat food, cat huts, toys, etc.

Xia Yan: Send them all to this address.

Xia Yan thought a bit and gave Mo Yi’s research centre address to the pet store clerk.

Xia Yan: What if the orphanage won’t allow having pets?

Xia Yan: Either way, he’ll be going to Mo Yi’s place sometimes. Putting them there to raise is the same.

Xia Yan took his phone to pay at checkout.

He didn’t see that behind him, Mu Ziyou was silently looking at him, faintly showing the first smiling expression that he had shown in the past few days.

[vermemesol]

College! AU | Nine Percent - Part 1

Pairing : Nine Percent x Fem!Reader

Genre : College!AU, Fluff

College! AU Masterlist | Normal Masterlist

Next

.....

“Is that the new girl?”

“I heard she’s the heiress to the Cai family!”

“Cai family? Is she related to Cai Xu Kun?”

“No way! I’m so jealous!”

You gripped the strap of your backpack as you walked down the hall, hearing the whispers about you, feeling their gazes on you. ‘Here we go again.’ you thought, still walking down the hall to the office, head hanging low, gaze on the floor instead of straight ahead.

Soon enough, it was time for class and you followed the teacher from the office to your class. 

You did a small bow. “I’m Cai Y/N.” you introduced yourself coldly. You didn’t say much about yourself and the teacher wanted to urge you to say more but she didn’t bother in the end. “You can sit anywhere you want.” she gestured to the few empty seats scattered around the class. “Okay.” 

You sit at the empty seat at the very back of the classroom, next to a guy. All the empty seats were next to girls and you didn’t want to sit next to them either because girls liked to gossip a lot and be nosy, which you didn’t want.

“Hey~” the guy seated next to you greeted, grinning widely. You ignored him though. “Um... My name is Justin.” Ignored, again. He gave up trying to get you to talk to him for the next few periods.

As soon as class ended, you grab your stuff and head out the back door immediately. “Wai-” Justin tried to call out to you but you left too quickly. “And there she goes.” he sighs. “Who?” Ming Hao turns around to face the owner of the voice that asked who. “My seatmate.” he answers. “You have a seatmate now?” Zheng Ting asks again. “Yeah, she just transferred here. Cai Y/N. She hasn’t talked to me yet though...” he sighs yet again. “Oof. Not a very warm seatmate you have there.”

Meanwhile, you are making your way through the halls and into the cafeteria. You grab some food, find a seat and start to eat. “Oh hey. If it isn’t the new girl.” you hear someone say to you as you were eating. “I hear that you chose to sit beside Justin.” You continue to eat, not paying any attention to her, which annoyed her. “You’ve got some nerve to be ignoring Justin and me on your first day! Do you not want to have a good life at school?” You continue to ignore her. “Fine.” she scoffs, grabbing a carton of milk and pouring it on your head. You dropped your cutlery and stood up, glaring at her. “Look.” You grabbed the collar of her school uniform. “I would like it if you wouldn’t come and waste my time talking shit. Did I do anything wrong? No. So unless you want to get a broken jaw. I suggest you leave me alone. Got it?” You let go of her, grab your stuff and head to the restroom. 

As you left the cafeteria, Justin just entered it with his friends, so he saw you leaving. “Y/N?” he called your name as you were walking past him but you didn’t hear him. “You know that girl?” Zhang Jing asked. “Yeah, she’s my seatmate...” “Was that milk all over her???” Cheng Cheng asked. 

You didn’t go back to class after lunch because your clothes were soaked and you had no spare clothes with you. So you were sent home. But instead of going home, you went to your work place, a well hidden cafe that was in between the school and your home. 

“Y/N! You finished school early? Woah, you smell of milk.” your co-worker took in a few sniffs. “I was excused from school because some girl poured milk all over me during lunch... I’m gonna go take a shower.�� “Your uniform is in locker seven!” your co-worker tells you.

For the rest of the day you work at the cafe and around 4PM... “Welcome to The Ne-” you freeze at the sight of your seatmate Justin and his friends. “You know ‘em?” your co-worker asks. “They’re regulars here.” she adds. ‘Shit.’ you curse in your head.

‘First day of school, get rumors about you spread around like wild fire, sits next to who might be one of the popular kids in school, get milk poured all over you by an obnoxious girl, and now your schoolmates are regulars at your new job. How wonderful.’ these were the thoughts that went through your mind as you served the boys their food and beverages. “Enjoy.” you smile, yet it somehow sounded cold. “Y/N.” Justin called out to you. You stop in your tracks and turned around. “Yes?” for the first time today, you responded to him. “What happened today?” he asked. “I got milk poured all over me, wasn’t it obvious?” “Why thought?” Zi Yi asked. “I don’t know. Something about ignoring Justin and the girl who poured milk all over me.” “Guess we know who it is now.” Li Nong said. “So you came here after you were sent home?” Yan Jun asked. “Yes. No more questions. I’m busy.” you answered.

You finish your shift at 6PM and the boys are still there. “Bye Y/N!” your co-worker waves at you. 

The next day at school, you arrive earlier than everyone else, so you look around the school since you didn’t get to do so yesterday. As you were walking around, you see someone in courtyard. You recognize that it was one of the guys from Justins friend group and he was playing with a cat? You start to walk towards him slowly and quietly.

“Does that cat live in the school?” you ask as you stopped a meter behind him. He turns around after jumping up a little, startled from your sudden appearance. “Oh, yeah... The school kept this cat around for student’s to play with.” he answered. “I see...” you replied. “Y/N, was it? I’m Zi Yi, Wang Zi Yi.” he introduced himself. “Yeah... Cai Y/N.” you responded. 

You two ended up sitting down and chatting. More student’s start arriving in the school. Eventually both of you had to go to your respective classes. 

Once you arrive in class, you see that Justin is already in his seat. “Morning.” you greet Justin as you set your things down. He was startled at the fact that you greeted him. “M-morning.” he stared at you as you sit down. “What?” you ask the wide-eyed boy. “N-no... I just didn’t expect you to greet me.” he explained. “Well, you’re not only my seatmate, you and your friends are also regulars at the cafe that I work at. I’m going to have to see you guys even if I don’t want to, might as well start talking.” you say. “True... I saw you talking to Zi Yi this morning too.” he adds. “Yeah, he’s a nice guy.” your conversation ended there and class starts.

During lunch, the boys ask you to sit with them. They take that time to introduce themselves to you. 

- END - 

Hello~ This is the end of this part to this series. I’m not 100% sure if I’ll actually finish this series, I’m hoping I will tho. Anyways, thanks for reading! I’ll try my best to continue writing for this series. And if I do finish it, I’ll definitely make more than one ending to it since this is a Nine Percent x Fem!Reader series. I hope you liked it so far! 

Next

College! AU Masterlist | Normal Masterlist

[lansizhuis]

hi a question what do you think about xue yang and xiao xingchen?

Is this as individuals or their dynamic? For XY, it’s still the same as THIS ONE. And HERE’s for the Yi City arc in general.

For XXC *breathes* oh wow I don’t think I’ve talked about him much based on my tags hahaha OKAY HERE GOES. He was young. He was naive. He was someone the world definitely would prey on. All his life was spent on that mountain - he was sheltered, protected, and only saw the best. He was only seventeen when he descended from there with just one goal in mind: “to help save the world”. He was pure af and he believed in fairness he justice. He thought the real world worked on how it was up in that mountain. He thought that good deeds are always rewarded and bad deeds are always punished; he thought the world operated on the black and white morality; and he thought he could help save the world. And then reality comes crashing into him with XY’s desecration, destruction, and inhumane action towards the family that he and SL built (and towards SL himself). He atoned for what he believed were his sins and moved on. And he thought he could move forward and use that painful experience as a learning. Tbh, I think he would have been successful had he not been reacquainted with XY again - with XY who bled on people that didn’t hurt him because he doesn’t know what else to do; because he wasn’t strong enough to push himself better. 

I’m seeing two sides on my tl regarding their dynamic. On one hand, there are those who fully condemn XY and is unforgiving for what he did to XXC. I completely understand that sentiment. As I always say, XY’s past and history makes you empathize with him and it serves as an explanation to who he became BUT again, it will never serve as an excuse for his atrocities. A sin is a sin no matter what your past gave you. Is it difficult for him to be a better person with all his life experiences? Hell yeah! But it is NOT impossible. On the other hand, I see those that completely empathizes with him and kept saying “if only this” and “if only that”. I understand that sentiment as well bc these are the people who understood XY’s story. But the whole “if only this” and “if only that” is done. “If only XY had a second chance...” - that’s the thing. XY already had his second chance when the blind XXC and A-qing picked him up. And he still fcked up that second chance. “They could have been a family...” - perhaps. But we should also understand that part of changing to be better is atoning for your sins. Now, how we would define “what’s equal atonement” for one’s crimes becomes subjective per person. 

I’m going to end this with the meta that XY’s actor (Wang Haoxuan) posted after the Yi City arc was aired (actually all of the Yi City arc’s actors posted messages haha). Anyway, I loved how we can see how much Wang Haoxuan understood his character - he empathized with him but he didn’t excuse him. He made messages on the Yi city crew but I’m going to focus on XY and XXC since this is what the ask was about. He basically “told” XY that what XY did wasn’t right at all and he’s not asking/expecting everyone to understand him but that he knows that despite all that, XY has a heart. He even called XY a “bad child” and that he wishes that his next life will be kinder to him and have people who will love him. For XXC, he wrote one thing - “I’m sorry”. And I think it’s so simple and yet it encompasses what I, too, feel for him.

[armyvetswife]

My 2 cents worth on Kdramas

So, earlier this year (2018) my 12-year-old granddaughter turned me on to Kdramas.

Started out with 'Boys over Flowers' in January and we're still arguing about which one of the guys Jan-Di should have ended up with....Gu Jun-Pyo or Yoon Ji-Hoo. Since I'm a sucker for the whole Soul Mate thing (been married to my own soul mate for over 30 years) and Ji-Hoo became my favorite right from the start, I actually wasn't too happy with the way things turned out in the end.

But that's all beside the point and the only thing that matters is that it only took this one series to get me completely and absolutely "hooked" on Kdramas.

Since Kim Hyun Joong became my first favorite as Ji-Hoo, I started looking up other parts he starred in and came across 'Inspiring Generation'. Wow! What a difference! The character of Shin Jung-Tae is just about as opposite of Ji-Hoo as it can possibly get. But I guess that's what makes a truly great actor, and Kim Hyun Joong was simply amazing playing the part....even though it bothered me to see that handsome face getting beat up way too much.

But then it was also 'Inspiring Generation' where I found what would become my next favorite...Song Jae Rim, in the character of Mo Il-Hwa.

I can't quite pinpoint what it was that endeared me to that part, but of course I had to once again look for other Kdramas, featuring Song Jae Rim. And that's when I came across 'Moon embracing the Sun' with Song Jae Rim as the King's swordsman, Woon.

Absolutely loved Jae Rim in that part and still do, even after having watched the entire series about a dozen times by now. I also liked Song Jae Rim in 'Goodbye Mr. Black', even though his wasn't a main character role, but didn't care much for the part of a hitman/killer Mr. Kim he played in 'Two Weeks' since I really don't like my favs playing "bad guys". Of course, watching 'Two Weeks' made me find another new favorite...Lee Joon Gi

Okay, so I just said I don't like my favs playing "bad guys", but the main character, Jang Tae-San, isn't really a bad "bad guy" and if that story doesn't tear up your heart, then you better check if you still have one.

I actually had to do something I usually NEVER do...about half-way through the series I had to watch the final episode to see how it turns out, just so my old nerves could take watching the rest of the story. Yeah, I know...terrible, isn't it? Don't worry, I got more than an earful about it from my granddaughter, and I promise to never do it again! ;)

But while I thought that it could not possibly get any better than Lee Joon Gi's performance in 'Two Weeks', I quickly found out that I was wrong when I watched 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo' next. OH, MY...!!! Not only is Joon Gi with long hair pure eye-candy (to me at least), but he absolutely nailed the part of Prince Wang So. 

Ladies, how many of you were ready to strangle Wang So's mother with your bare hands. I definitely was! And what's the big deal about that scar? I guess it's because Princes had to be "perfect", but come on...  Scars are just proof that you were stronger than whatever or whoever it was that tried to kill you. And apparently back then the phrase "chicks dig scars" was unheard of. And also apparently I'm not the only one who wasn't happy at all with the way the story ended, considering there are numerous fan videos on YouTube with different, happier endings. I got more than just a little upset with Hae Soo for leaving Wang So. How could she not see that he was trying his best to NOT become some blood-thirsty tyrant??

Anyway, after only about 3 days of some serious editing work, the final episode in my own DVD collection of 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo' has a much happier ending now...many thanks to Daria Zyuzina who created the wonderful fan video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj0r9zE5Le8) where Wang So finds Hae Soo in the future. And like so many other fans, I'm also still hoping for a Season 2 with this kind of scenario.

On another note to 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'... aside from the despicable character of Queen Yoo (Prince Wang So's mother, who treats him like s**t), my other least-favorite character is Prince Wang Yo (Wang So's biological brother, and also a son of Queen Yoo). However, while I hated the character, actor Hong Jong Hyun did an excellent job portraying the mean, spiteful, conniving 3rd Prince. But if you're like me, you would much more enjoy seeing Hong Jong Hyun in the role of Wang Rin in 'The King in Love'

or, even better, as Seo Chan Hwi, the vice-commander of the Royal Guard in 'Jeon Woo Chi'

(that is, if you can get into things like wizards and magic and tolerate some occasionally slightly over-done special effects of people flying through the air and such...BUT at least in 'Jeon Woo Chi' ONLY the wizards have that ability, unlike in some of the Chinese dramas where seemingly anybody can have such super-human abilities...if you ever watched 'General and I', you might understand what I'm talking about... I couldn't make it past a trailer that had a fight scene between Chu Beijie and He Xia, but that's just me, I guess).

As far as wizards and magic are concerned, however, I did very much enjoy the ones in 'Mirror of the Witch' aka 'Secret Healer' and my favorite character there ended up being the Taoist Yo Gwang, played by Lee Yi Kyung.

Don't ask me why, I just found him adorable (maybe because he was so awkward, dealing with the girl  Soon Deuk who clearly has a crush on him). SPOILER ALERT -- 'Mirror of the Witch' has a rather bitter-sweet ending!

I want to get back to Lee Joon Gi for a moment since I just finished the 'Lawless Lawyer' series....which is an excellent nail-biter and I had to seriously restrain myself NOT TO watch the final episode first again. If you've seen it, tell me is it just me or did you think too that Joon Gi looked too skinny in that series? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying at all that he looked "bad" in any way and his performance was awesome as usual...I just felt that he looked like he'd lost a whole bunch of weight and "celebrity life" was taking its toll on him. Kind of worries me, because I would definitely like to see him in many more future performances.

I still have some Lee Joon Gi binge-watching left over for now, since the only other movies and series I made it through so far were 'Iljimae', 'Arang and the Magistrate', 'Gunman in Joseon' and of course 'The King and the Clown' (which was way too sad for my taste). But most likely 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo' will always be my absolute favorite and I'll keep hoping for a 2nd season...even though that will probably just remain wishful thinking for myself and many others, but we can always hope, right?

Some of my other favs I’d like to mention would be Kwak Dong Yeon as swordsman Kim Byung-Yeon in 'Moonlight drawn by Clouds' aka 'Love in the Moonlight'

and he also played an excellent part as young Shin Jung-Tae in 'Inspiring Generation'.

Then there is Seo In Guk for his outstanding performances as Prince Gwang-Hae in 'The King's Face'

and also as Lee Hyun / David Lee in 'I Remember You' aka 'Hello Monster'.

An excellent yet unfortunately somewhat overlooked performance of Kim Jae Young as Moo-Yeon in ‘100 Days my Prince’

And last (for now) but certainly not least is Jung Il Woo whose sad role as Prince Yang-Myung in 'Moon embracing the Sun' cost me plenty of tissues,

but required even more of them in 'The Return of Iljimae' (even though it has a happier ending for Jung Il Woo’s character)

I'll probably get "yelled at" for saying this, but I honestly have a hard time deciding whom I liked better...Lee Joon Gi as Iljimae in 'Iljimae: The Phantom Thief', or Jung Il Woo as Iljimae in 'The Return of Iljimae'. (Sorry, Joon Gi, but be assured that you'll still always be my #1 fav).

So, thanks to my granddaughter, back to some more binge-watching...hey, I got to blame someone else for things not getting done around the house, right? ;)

[nobully]

🍿    :   watch a rom-com with my muse. lmao

(     *     VALENTINE’S DAY PROMPTS   ! | 🍿    :   watch a rom-com with my muse.

"What do you mean you've never seen a romcom before?"

'I mean, they're not exactly my go-to genre.'

"Well, what about with friends? What did you guys watch together?"

'Uhhh...action films, mostly? Also, basketball games and crime documentaries...'

'Besides, it's just a movie. Who cares what you watch if you're entertained?'

"Ugh, no wonder you're so clueless!" Nicolette grabbed Wang Yi by the arm and started dragging him to the theaters. "Come on, we're going to watch one right now!"

'What, why?!'

"Because your romance-deficient brain's gonna bite you in the ass one day."

'That doesn't even make anatomical sense...'

"Just shut up and pay for the popcorn!"

'Fine, fine...sheesh.'

So they bought the tickets and a giant bucket of popcorn with two drinks. Wang Yi's not sure why the usher winked at him when he collected their stubs, but when he entered their theater and saw the audience inside, he started to have an inkling.

'Valentine's coming up, huh...'

"What, thinking of nice gifts?" Nicolette teased, and okay that was definitely blatant enough that he got the hint and squirreled it away for later.

'No, just thinking how out of place we are in this room full of couples,' Wang Yi muttered under his breath. That "Sizzle, Pop, and Couple's Cups" snack deal should've clued him in, but he was too happy about saving money at the time to pay it closer attention.

In response, Nicolette just hooked her arm around his and pulled him close on purpose. "We are a couple. Of friends. Who the hell cares what they think?"

'Yeah but, look at them all cuddling and stuff...' Wang Yi side-eyed a couple where the boyfriend was feeding his girlfriend popcorn. 'We stick out like a sore thumb.'

"Ohhhh, so you want me to feed you popcorn too?"

'No!'

"All right, calm down. I'll behave. Besides, the point is to watch the movie, not get frisky like a pair of teenagers." Nicolette's grip tightened on Wang Yi as she dragged them to their seats. "Come sit. It's not like you'll die from being seen with me, right?"

There was a high note in her voice that Wang Yi had learned to recognize as a giveaway: if he kept on complaining, she'd probably feel hurt. So he tactfully shut up and settled down on one of the big plush recliners. 'Anyways, just don't hog all the popcorn.'

Nicolette broke into gleeful laughter.

Eventually the lights dimmed and the movie began: some fun-filled romp about a woman chasing after her ex who was now engaged to another girl. Halfway through Wang Yi realized they could've solved everything just by sitting down and talking and quickly lost interest. Instead, his eyes wandered over the other audience members. There was a couple near the front row with their foreheads touching, not interested in the movie at all. Another had the girl leaning her head on her lover's shoulder. And the couple a few seats down from them...

Wang Yi had to squint to see clearly, but it looked like they'd graduated from hand-feeding each other popcorn to passing it back and forth between their mouths with kisses. He was still debating whether to feel embarrassed for their sake when a voice whispered by his ear.

"What are you looking at?"

His head whipped back to catch Nicolette's innocent grin as she sipped from her straw.

"Something more interesting than the movie?"

The couple a few seats down giggled; Wang Yi's 99% sure Nicolette can see them too since everyone's got their seats down for the film. He rolled his eyes at her and mumbled,

'...it's not that.'

'I'm just surprised people actually do that stuff in public.'

As predicted, Nicolette dropped her act once the jig was up, but her words aren't any less stimulating. "I don't know, I think they're pretty tame compared to what you did that night in my apartment."

He could feel his face heating up in the dark. 'Will you let that drop?'

"I mean, it was pretty unforgettable." Strangely enough, she sounded pretty genuine. "Enough that I'm still a mix of fucking mad and awestruck that you actually pulled it off."

'Okay? But I swear it was an accident.'

"There are no accidents in romcoms."

'You think we're living in a romantic comedy right now?'

"I don't know about the romance part, but you're pretty hilarious on a regular day, Yiyi."

'...thanks, I guess?'

They end up being shushed and shut up for the rest of the movie, which played out as expected and ended with a kiss, proposal, and marriage. When the two finally rose to leave, it was to see most of the couples stay behind and continue being lovey-dovey through the credits. Escaping it was almost a relief.

"What did you think of the movie?" Nicolette asked as soon as their footsteps hit the sidewalk outside.

'It was all right, I guess? A little illogical, but I guess that's romance for you.' Wang Yi was ready to end it there, but seeing Nicolette's expectant look, tried for a little more. 'Also...there really wasn't a villain character? Kinda lacking, yeah?'

He got a disgruntled noise in response. "Not every romcom needs an actual villain."

'But there's no real conflict without one.' Those petty arguments and staged misunderstandings that took its place didn't really draw him in.

"Yes there is. The romance, Wang Yi? The fricking feelings of pining plaguing both sides? I mean I know some guys don't go for that kind of stuff, but you can still feel it, right?"

'Uhh...I don't, actually.' Like literally, what was emotion.

Nicolette stopped walking to place her hands on her hips. "If you hated the movie that much, you can just say it outright."

Oh um, she misunderstood. 'I don't hate it,' Wang Yi corrected hastily, 'I just...don't feel anything about it.'

Nicolette blinked before she leaned in, incredulous. "No? Nothing?"

'I mean, I can get an idea from most of the scenes, but I have to think about it first.'

"What about the scene where the couple met as childhood friends and he gave her a flower ring as a promise token?"

'I was debating whether she made a replacement or stored it in a freezer to keep it fresh 25 years later.'

"Or the one where the guy finally confesses his love, only for the girl to leave him because he was still wearing his engagement ring?"

'He probably could have called her to reschedule and try again.'

"How about in the end, when they got together despite everything and floated away in their log cabin with hot air balloons?"

'That part reminded me of a Pizar movie, actually. I wonder if they bought the copyrights to Above? Also, no way the plumbing would have worked in that house.'

"You're missing the point!"

'I thought movies were up to personal interpretation...'

"Did you even interpret anything? You're just picking out problems and thinking of weird solutions to them!"

'You're the one who asked...'

"Oh, so it's my fault now, is it?!"

'Uh, do you want me to buy you ice cream or something...you're looking kinda heated.'

"Kind of? Wang Yi, you're so dense!" Nicolette fumed. Or at least, she looked like she was fuming, with her red face, angular brows, and intense stare. He wanted to check just how taut her expression was, but she turned away before he could look closer. "What kind of idiot eats ice cream in winter?!"

'So I guess that's a no?'

"Gods, stop asking if you already know the answer!"

'I mean, it's not like I can read your mind.'

"Are you seriously pissing me off on purpose right now?!"

Wang Yi scrunched his eyebrows and stopped in place as Nicolette stalked off. He didn't get why, but everything he said seemed to be pushing her buttons today. But they weren't any different from his usual lines?

'Wait,' he scrambled and chased after her. 'Are you like, PMSing or someth—'

"What?!" Nicolette turned, absolutely livid; Wang Yi didn't stop in time and slammed face-first into her elbow as she swung her arm backwards.

—

Hours later saw Wang Yi sprawled over the couch in his condo, cradling an ice pack to his fresh black eye as Nicolette poured them drinks (water, not wine).

"Hey, can you see?" she asked after setting their cups on the table.

'Kinda hard to tell when my eyelid's swollen shut.'

'I can try to pry it open.'

"Don't touch it!" she hissed and rushed over, only to see that he had one arm draped over the sofa and the other firmly gripping his ice, not his face. "Dammit, Yiyi!"

Wang Yi was surprised too. He blinked at her with his one good eye before trying a smile. 'Sorry, I didn't actually mean that.'

"You don't mean half the things that come out of your mouth," she huffed at him and sat back down.

'Right,' he admitted. When there was no comment after that, Wang Yi tried, 'Um...so what are we going to tell Zhilan?'

"That you ran into my elbow, what else?"

'I mean, this time the truth's gonna sound like a lie and he might think we fought for real. Which—to be fair—we kinda did?'

"Arguing isn't fighting, it's literally how we talk," Nicolette countered.

'Yeah, but to the rest of world we're—'

"Why do you care so much about public opinion?" she snapped. "What about what I think? Or—or Zhilan, or any of your other friends?"

'Weren't we just talking about Zhilan?'

"I mean in general," Nicolette sighed. "I swear, Wang Yi. It's like sometimes you only hear half of what I say, while other times you read me like a book and forget everything by the end of the day."

'It comes off that way, huh?' Wang Yi genuinely wondered. 'Maybe I'm just grasping at things I know.'

"Oh sure, like how you always catch me lying because you're a hopeless liar yourself?"

'Basically?'

Nicolette was genuinely getting sick of this. "What else are you incapable of? Besides telling the truth, apparently."

'Well,' And Wang Yi swallowed, strangely grateful that he's stuck staring at the ceiling instead of her face. 'I don't think I actually feel—'

*+:｡.｡𝄞 어느 작별이 이보다 완벽할까 Love me only till this spring... ~♪ ｡.｡:+*

Both of them turned to look at the table where Nicolette's phone was going off. Then she yelped and picked it up.

"Hellooooo, Lanlan! Mm-hmm, uh-huh...oh of course, you're so sweet~" Nicolette glanced up from her phone and nudged Wang Yi's leg with her foot. "Zhilan wants to know what we want for takeout tonight, pizza or Italian?"

Wang Yi lifted his head to stare at her blearily. 'Pizza is Italian.'

"Shut up, it's a whole new world for him."

'Whatever's fine...you pick.'

"You're so boring?"

'Thanks, I try.' He meant it too, but Nicolette just made a face at him and went back to talking to Zhilan.

"Hello? Yes Lanlan, apparently Yiyi can't tell the difference between either choice so anything goes! Hm, me? Oh no, I think it'd be more fun if you chose..." She chattered on happily while he flopped back against the couch, content to be ignored.

"...by the way, I gave him a black eye with my elbow."

Wang Yi jolted up, nearly concussing his eyeball against his ice pack.

"No, no we didn't fight...this time it was an accident, promise...yes, he's fine, but preparing more ice isn't a bad idea, Lanlan!" Nicolette caught his movement out of the corner of her eye and mouthed a super obvious "I told you so" with her lips.

"Mhm, all right! See you tonight! Byeeeeee~"

Click.

She tossed her phone on the couch this time and plopped down next to him.

"If you have to lie, don't do it to Lanlan of all people."

'A little too late for that, don't you think?'

"Don't do it any more than you have to?" Nicolette poked him in the side. "Besides, I explained everything already. He gets it."

'He gets what we show him, you mean.'

"Wow, is this how honesty looks on you, Wangy? Because you sound fucking depressing."

‘Blame the brain damage.’ Wang Yi shifted his ice pack around to block more of Nicolette from sight. It's melting though...he should get a new one soon.

“Nice try, but I didn’t hit you that hard.” But Nicolette started to drag him off the couch anyways. “Let’s go.”

‘We don't need to meet Zhilan until two hours later…’

“Uh-huh, and the nearest clinic closes in one? We’re going to get your eye checked out. And your brain too, if you want.”

‘Sounds like a pain.’

“That’s par for the course, you pain in the ass. Besides,” Nicolette added, “All lying shit aside, I know you hate making him worry. So you can show up on Game Night with a nice little doctor’s note or stare at Zhilan’s sad puppy eyes all evening, but I won’t let you ruin things for me too.”

She was trying to egg him on, but Wang Yi gave in before he took the bait. He always did, and she always knew he would, so the two of them stumbled out and hailed a taxi with surprising harmony.

'By the way, you're paying, right?'

"Dream on. It's 50-50."

'When it was your elbow that hit my eye?!'

"More like your head that rammed itself into my elbow in the first place?!"

Wang Yi started to sputter and fume. Snickering, Nicolette rummaged through her pockets. "Wait, I want a picture of this."

'Don't you dare—'

"Oh shit."

'What?'

"...I think I left my phone on your couch."

'What?!' Wang Yi looked out the window where they were weaving effortlessly through the city streets, far away from Condo 408.

"Wangy...Yiyi...I'll pay you back later?"

'What the hell, we can just turn back!'

"And pay double the taxi fare? Are you stupid?"

'It's not stupid if it's your Dust too!'

"Excuse me?! When were you such a selfish prick?"

'Me selfish? What about the time you—'

Ringringring!

Wang Yi dug out his own phone before falling silent. 'It's Zhilan.'

Nicolette quietly bit back her latest insult. "So answer it."

Press.

"Hello?" Zhilan's bright voice came over the call. "Hi Wang Yi, I heard about your injury...are you doing all right?"

'Uh yeah, Nicolette's taking me to the clinic right now for a check-up. Don't worry, I'll be fine.'

"Oh, that's good! Actually, I just wanted to call and make sure: did you get two black eyes or one?"

'...just one.'

"All right, then I should have enough ice for you and the drinks! We can take it easy tonight and just talk if it'll make you feel better."

'Nah, it's fine. Besides, I still want to beat Nicolette at Mon*poly. Again.'

"Oh! Then I'll make sure to have that out. See you later?"

'Later. Thanks.'

Click.

As expected, Wang Yi hung up to see Nicolette glaring at him.

'What? Last week I won fair and square.'

"Yeah, after you fucking lost at YUNO the week before?"

'YUNO's luck, but Mon*poly's a skill game.'

"Oh, like it's hard to roll two die to get exactly the numbers you want?"

'You mean you can't?'

"What the hell—"

And on and on they went, bickering back and forth, all the way to the doctor's office.

[yiqiie]

IDOL PRODUCER S2: E2 THOUGHTS

every week, i’ll sit down and watch the newest episode of Idol Producer Season 2 《青春有你》and write down all my thoughts. nothing get’s left out so get ready for a bunch of memes, shit posts and rants as we get through another season of our fave survival show 

feel free to send me any questions to my inbox and i’ll answer them asap!

a/n: sorry this is late! i forgot the episode was released yesterday welp but tbh saturday night is probably gonna be my upload day anyway 

start time: 10:42 am 

my internet is experiencing problems woooooo so this will be interesting 

so many goddamn ads 

wait who’s the team who were playing like instruments and shit??? they sounded AWESOME

oh damn recap of zyx being pissed off 

MILK ADS 

that chewing gum is actually pretty good ngl 

also the theme song is getting catchier so don’t be surprised if i start liking it 

i still feel so bad for the kids who are sitting out IN THE COLD 

[break while my internet decides if it wants to continue being an asshole]

MC JIN YOU’RE HILARIOUS I LOVE YOU 

‘if you’re a rapper, PLEASE LEAVE’ i’m dead 

zhang pd is sighing lmao 

chen si jian leggo 

IT’S A RAPPER I’M CRYING AHAHAHHAHAAH 

*awkward silence* 

he’s shaking omfg poor baby 

also minghao is really cute ily i never said it before 

HE WROTE THAT?? oof you got talent boy 

he got a zyx serious nod 

wtf he was so quiet??? and now he’s just rapping the shit out of this song 

HE CAN SING YES YOU GO BABE 

oh damn those lyrics 

is it an A? i saw in the description there might be an A today 

IT’S A B YOU GO SWEETHEART 

IT’S THE SMILER FROM LAST EPISODE 

i love their suits 

LI ZHENNING BABE YOUR SMILE 

black pearl i’m crying his skin is GORGEOUS 

HIS POUT 

ALL OF THEIR SMILES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL 

zyx and mc jin talking about shi mingze being similar to kris wu 

LOOK AT ZYX’S FACE MY EXO FEELS 

he looks like my uncle I SPIT MY WATER OUT LMFAO 

jia yi’s CLAPPING I AM IN LOVE 

THAT ENTRANCE 

HIP WIGGLING I LOVE IT 

the song was damn good 

mc jin lmfao HIS SOUNDS 

even the trainees know that their bets on other trainees’ grades are probably gonna be wrong lol 

YOU’VE SCARED THEM ZHANG PD 

jia yi why are you so fcking cute 

NO ONE IN C EITHER 

well their prediction wasn’t wrong they said all of them would be D together 

but :( i really liked their perf 

HE WANTS TO GO ON STAGE JUST TO SEE ZHANG PD 

what a precious bub i shall protect 

stretchy bendy boi

xu long han uwu 

WAIT 

HE WAS THE ONE WHO CALLED ZYX A DIMPLE LIAR 

AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH 

[pls excuse as my wifi loads again]

LI RONGHAO NOT UNDERSTANDING THE JOKE 

i actually love him 

oh jesus this song brings back the memories lmfao 

THIS KID IS FCKING HILARIOUS I LOVE HIM 

stretchy bendy boi again woooooo 

I’M CRYING HE’S SO FUNNY I LOVE HIM MUM 

we already knew he was F but still ;; 

YOU MADE A GOOD IMPRESSION THOUGH GORGEOUS ILY 

YAO MINGMING ILY HE’S SO CUTE 

LOOK AT HOW ADORABLE ALSKDJALSD

6 years as a trainee damn boi 

oh shit 

how is being this good at dancing fair holy goddamn 

THEY CAN SING TOO WTF THIS IS NOT FAIR 

[wifi cut off again so guess what i GET TO WATCH THE PERF AGAIN] 

zyx has his serious face on 

wait they just got up from that position WITHOUT THEIR HANDS 

HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE

uh oh they ain’t getting As or Bs 

A C AND A D NOOOO 

okay i agree with his comments but c’mon they were nervous 

don’t worry babes you have plenty of time to improve! ;;; 

zhou shi yuan oh god i need to remember names 

HE DOES BIOMEDICINE?? DAMN BOI 

deep voice holy shit damn 

VOCALS VOCALS VOCALS 

omg so many vocals today 

BROMANCING ALREADY SHARING MILK 

okay that sounds weird 

THE BOY HE CHEERS AT EVERYONE WHO IS HE 

others: :| 

this boi: :O

omfg he’s a fcking meme too 

[paused while my mother makes me watch a David Attenborough documentary on bamboo] 

MAVERICKS LET’S GO 

MR X’S SONG WHOOP WHOOO 

IDOL PROD S1 FEELS LEGGO 

IT’S ACAPELLA HOLY SHIT LET’S GO 

vocals damn holy shit 

okay the dancing may not be as on point because there was a bit where they weren’t doing anything 

BUT I STILL LIKE THEIR VOCALS 

YAO CHI WHAT THE 

WE HAVE A B BABES 

GUAN YUE FINALLY 

MY BEAUTIFUL SMILING BABY BOY I’VE MISSED YOU 

even yixing is in love with his smile i can tell 

those sharp dance moves though 

I LOVE GUAN YUE GUYS 

honestly that was my favourite performance i don’t care what other people say 

it’s probably gonna be a B 

even though i want him to get an A 

LIAN HUAI WEI MY FAVOURITE BUB 

li wenhan holy shit you are fcking adorable 

YUEHUA LET’S GOOOOO

he forgot to bow WHAT A CUTIE 

LI WENHAN BEING A LEADER I LOVE 

babe don’t say you don’t want an F because zyx can sense fear and he’s gonna give you one 

i’M PRAYING FOR YOU ALREADY 

wenhan is such a soft boy omg 

JIAYOU BABES I’M ROOTING FOR YOU 

oh goddamn these slow mo shots are killing me 

OOF WENHAN GAVE ME A LOOK 

picking up the rose petals I AM DEAD 

guys i still really love jolin she smiled at me and i just forgot about my love for all the others 

jks li wenhan is singing at me now 

i want him to get an A but my bet is on a B 

NO Fs OR Ds WE DOING GOOD 

hu chun yang is really cute just saying 

told y’all so 

even though i wanted him to get an A

YES IT’S THE BAND HOLY SHIT 

THIS WAS SUPER GOOD IN THE PREVIEW 

oof i love it i love it i love it 

probs not gonna get the results i want them to get but WHO CARES I’M STANNING 

all Cs i can deal with that 

LIKE MY DAD POOR LI RONGHAO

i really like this guy’s suit 

wait i forgot his name 

i’ll wait till zyx says it again lmfao 

ZHANG PD SAYS HE’S HANDSOME 

chen you wei THAT’S HIS NAME 

HE GOT AN F WHAT 

oh here we go gramarie

okay i gotta say gramarie is really good at picking songs 

like last year it was a really good song too 

when are we getting an A 

the accents are so cute AHAHAHAHA 

zyx is losing his shit 

i missed their names though and their company 

there aren’t any left????

are there seriously no As?

oh damn 

i just noticed that the new trainee clothes are from new balance 

I AM CRYING FROM LAUGHTER 

such a good reference to ‘balance’ 

they’re really not going to give zyx a break lmfao 

theme song practice leggo

IT’S THE SM PRACTICE ROOM 

MY SM FAMILY FEELS 

i really do love the new uniforms 

THE DORMS 

WE’VE MISSED YOU 

bruh the gifts are better than last year 

wenhan you’re adorable omg i’ve said this so many times 

SOMEONE HAS A YODA AHAHAHHA

XU MINGHAO YOU’RE A GORGEOUS BOI 

and you’re a cutie too 

he speaks so softly too ugh ily 

lmfao their hands look like jellyfish ngl 

but damn xu minghao you’re a good teacher 

wang jiayi ;;; working when everyone left already 

ngl i’m not feeling the broship like last season where people would go out of their way to help each other 

he’s literally by himself and it’s nearly 6am 

jesus this boy is hard working 

LMAO once one person comes in everyone comes in ahahhahha

okay okay previews here we come 

wait removing the centre decision 

TO WHAT

oh damn future stages what a look 

I LIKE 

sidenote: i took a ss of this beautiful boy but forgot where i was going to put it so i’m gonna leave it here anyways. enjoy :)

finish time: 9:47 pm 

that’s all folks; tune in next week for another episode of mai’s shitposting whilst we suffer through another survival show together!

[rqs902]

OMGOSHH EP 5 IS YAO CHI APPRECIATION TIME YESSSSSSSSSS HAHAHAHAHA YESSSSSSSSS 

ok bc i couldnt help but include some spoilers, the rest is going under the cut:

iqiyi giving mr tyger all the group shots bc........

BROOOOO CHEN SIJIAN’S RAP!!!!!!!!!!!! omgogomg this is where wuzelinwuzelinwuzelinsunzelinsunzelinsunzelinkeqinmingkeqinmingkeqinming comes frommmm i love itttt his lyrics are hilarious!!! and also immediately being like ‘ill get rid of wu zelin!’ when mc jin brings it up HAHHAHA

daniel is a cutie!!!!

yao chi talking about his rap..... wow can i hug him hes amazing

awwww xia hanyu talking about wenhan..... wenhan’s really done a lot for him

wait that whole last bit where they leave dachang is just obvious iqiyi favoritism and it kinda makes me sad.....

UGH honestly the worst part about jia yi being so popular is that hes gonna miss his tyger gege’s when he has to leave them behind....

by the time lin mo was called, he was already so done... he looked so defeated.... because he knew they wouldnt be able to stay together and its so heartbreaking..... 

OKAY THESE SPECIAL TEACHERS WE NEED TO HAVE A TALK. OH MY GOODNESSSSS HOW COULD YOU CHOOSE EVERY SINGLE TYGER MEMBER EXCEPT THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY NEED TO BE CHOSEN???!??!?!! THATS SO FRUSTRATING ALSDKJALSK LITERALLY EVEN IQIYI WANTED THEM TO BE CHOSEN!! THEY LITERALLY PAN TO EITHER JIN FAN OR ZHEN NAN AT EVERY SINGLE BREAK I SWEAR AALSKDJLKKSDK

jia yi hesitating at the end...... and zhen nan’s words at the end.... HES FREAKING 61!!!!!!1 61!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS FREAKING JIANG JINGZUO ALL OVER AGAIN BUT THEY DIDNT LET HIM SPEAK WTFFFFF ok if youre gonna keep giving zhen nan and jin fan screentime bc yall regret eliminating them so early why you dont give them screentime at the end when it really matters????? i wanna see what zhen nan would say (jingzuo’s last minute screentime got him a lot of attention too... the fact that they didnt give zhen nan any is NOT HELPING) and i wanna see jin fan and chen youwei’s freaking last friendship bc youwei was rooting for him the whole time bc HE KNOWS JIN FAN DESERVES TO MAKE IT!!!!

AHHHHHHHH LIN MO ITS LIN MO!!!??! HE’S INJURED!!?! AAAHHSHHGHHGHH NOT MY CHILD WTF NOOO!! lakjsdlakalsk omgosh please be alright..... it sounded like his voice making that pained sound, and the person was blonde so i think its lin mo....... noooo my heart.... i cant take more stress, we literally just had elims..... so lin mo has to say goodbye to his friends (including his best friend...) and then he gets injured???? alsdkjlakj ughhhh 

omgosh daniel getting the special time at the end is just another stab to the heart goodness.... he was my favorite oaca kid from the start.... 

i cant believe chen you made it and daniel didnt.... also im so sad that like ou tianrui was the only one who didnt make it from bg project, that must be so sad... also sad that yao chi is the only one from mavericks that made it... losing all your closest friends at once :c im happy for guan yue and mingming going up, they deserve it 

WHOEVER MADE THE ENDING CREDITS IS LIN MO BIASED HAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA WTFFF THERES 3 CUTS OF HIM AND 2 OF THEM ARE REALLY EXTRA AND THE THIRD ISNT EVEN FROM THIS EPISODE HAHAHAH WHO INCLUDED THAT???!! i mean yes he looks very sad and is crying there but its like so random i laughed (im sorry)

okay not gonna lie i didnt cry as much as i thought i would. yes it was sad but i kinda already knew that jin fan and zhen nan werent gonna make it so i was more just FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY watching the whole thing and seeing them get random bits of screentime (YOURE TOO LATE IQIYI) but i heard rumors and then when i saw those goodbye videos they uploaded on weibo today....... my heart sank like oh goodness its real...... i cant live in denial forever.... I STILL CANT BELIEVE ZHEN NAN WAS FREAKING 61 AND JIN FAN WAS FREAKING UNDERAPPRECIATED WTFFFFF everyone on jin fan’s team im sure was rooting for him bc they knew how he was so vital to their success --- he literally taught them all the choreo wtf chen youwei would be nothing without jin fan..... ughhhh alsdkjalsdkjlaks this is so frustrating im so sad for him....... but now i just really wish jin fan and zhen nan do some really cool stuff and stay active while they wait for the others. i think its likely (sadly) that zhan yu will get eliminated the next round, (but im honestly surprised and grateful that the special teachers recognized his talent! he realllyy killed that ‘retreat’ stage even tho zhenning is getting all the attention) and lin mo is liked by iqiyi (i think) but i dont think he has enough potential to actually make it into the top 9... or maybe its just my wishful thinking bc i hope mr.tyger can go on promoting without jia yi, but without jia yi AND lin mo, itd get pretty rough for them, so if at least lin mo stays behind with mr. tyger, i think they could potentially still do somewhat well in the meantime while jia yi goes off to debut with the top 9 and they wait for him to come back

and now for my random predictions: 

right now its rather fixed that wenhan, guan yue, and jia yi will make it. I think youwei, huaiwei, mingming, chunyang, wang jiayi are all likely, which means most of them will make it (but probably not all), and then xixi.... honestly i feel like xixi wont make it (BUT I REALLY LIKE XIXI) but i think iqiyi doesnt like him enough to give him enough screentime for him to make it (at least at this current rate....) also please note that YAO MINGMING WAS THE ONLY ONE FROM THE TOP 9 who did NOT get to go on that trip to leave dachang coughiqiyihatesmingming but luckily/hopefully mingming is popular enough to get votes anyway, LIKE MINE BC I VOTE FOR MINGMING). other than the current top 9, I think its likely either shi zhan or li zhenning or deng chaoyuan will make it. zhenning is the lowest of the three right now, but iqiyi likes him and hes gotten the approval of all the judges AND he was able to shoot up a ridiculous amount from pretty much just ONE DAY of voting (maybe a week at max, counting from the time they released the solo cams), and these votes have been tallying for the past month. so can you imagine how much more he’ll shoot up next time? he has a ton of potential to make it. shi zhan is already up there but iqiyi really likes him too bc of how hilarious he is, and jolin’s approved his smile so i can see him getting more and more screentime too. yao chi i think is also likely, bc he won 1st place visuals hahah that gets him attention from the public but also the staff, so i think theyll give him more and more screentime too. plus he has a touching backstory and mc jin has approved of him too. i think yao chi is someone who they’ve depicted as really humble and works really hard, and they like his smile. (who doesnt hahaha) but ofc there’s probably gonna be a lot of toss up in the rankings yet to come. from ip1 we learned that 70% of the kids were fixed from the start hahaha but 2-3 of them can come from behind, so who knows. iqiyi seems to really like cheche and wangzhe (how did wangzhe and wu chengze get to go on the trip to leave dachang but not mingming?? i mean i really like chengze tbh but i was just so surprised he was there! hahaha it seems so random bc hes #22?? i mean good for him but still)

anyway im all in all kinda all tired from watching a stressful 3 hrs lol but tbh i feel like they didnt show as much of the fun hotpot time as id hoped... and what about all the other rankings besides #1 visual? i dont really understand why they took a few random kids (who, no surprise, all dont get eliminated this ep) out of dachang for that trip.... i like a lot of those kids honestly, but id rather have seen more of the big group bonding / singing over hotpot (giving some of the kids who get eliminated some last screentime before they leave) or at least like find out who ranked in #1 boyfriend or something like that hahaha.... oh well..... now its time for me to go wallow in some mr tyger content so i can mourn the loss of our two children.... 

[shijiujun]

history3 ep 11 summary - YASSS YOU GO SHAO FEI YOU GOT THIS! SHAO FEI WINS THIS IS THE FIRST KISS

Are we gonna die? Think we gonna die (WE DIED BUT FOR AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT REASON)

OKAY OH GOD we start off with the emo and heartbreaking hospital scene again, and look at those hands and Tang Yi’s face and expressions and little smiles all for Shao Fei - Once again Chris is EXCELLENT at acting - AND THEN SHAO FEI OPENS HIS EYES TO SEE TANG YI SMILING DOWN AT HIM GUYS he’s totally smiling down at Shao Fei and Shao Fei is doped up on drugs and goes “Tang Yi...” and when the cam pans back to Tang Yi he’s CRYING HE IS CRYING THIS IS NOT A DRILL omggg this scene totally tore my heart lungs and whatever out WHAT THE HELL

Yu Qi arrives outside and she’s very protective of Shao Fei and wants Tang Yi to stay away from him, she’s mad that zhao zi let tang yi in and she doesn’t want tang yi to do anything to him, what if he does something to shao fei right? and then she turns around and bumps into tang yi who’s just left the room - she glares at him and then pushes past him to go inside, and zhao zi too also moves past him to go inside

while inside, yu qi scolds zhao zi for letting tang yi in - basically she’s a parallel of hong ye and also in the dialogue by mentioning the part that nothing good has happened since shao fei met tang yi, and she’s saying that this can’t go on because shao fei has only gotten hurt worse each time since hanging out more and more with tang yi

And Tang Yi looks so numb standing at the door listening to all this, and that is how we all get the LAST SCENE OF THAT PREVIEW as he walks away

OOOOOH yes we were all damn right on our predictions - Once Tang Yi leaves the hospital, Chen Wen Hao’s people ambush him and says that Boss Chen invites him to tea and doesn’t let Jack come along so Tang Yi nods at Jack to leave him and HE GOES INTO THE CAR ALONE

Tang Yi arrives at the tea place and Chen Wen Hao nods at him in acknowledgement and wow the table is so damn long for 2 people - Chen Wen Hao says that these few years Tang Yi has been purposely fucking with his business and people - Tang Yi killed Wang Kun Cheng so Chen Wen Hao wanted to kill Hong Ye in return but she is still alive so Chen Wen Hao says that it looks like he’s at a disadvantage (he doesn’t know that he actually hit it where it hurt with Shao Fei omg i.e. that it really was tit-for-tat and eye for an eye)

OMG PLOT DEVELOPMENT: Tang Guo Dong, Tang Yi’s dad in a sense - Chen Wen Hao used to be gang brothers with him in Xing Tian Meng and from what Chen Wen Hao says, Tang Guo Dong was married and had a Wife and kid - Tang Yi doesn’t seem at all surprised which means.. WHO IS THE KID AND WHO IS THE WIFE?!!!!

So Tang Yi and Chen Wen Hao agree not to mess with each other anymore on the business and all and I’m quite surprised Tang Yi agrees - So maybe, it’s either he’s playing the long game OR the person who was responsible for the incident 4 years ago might be someone else? anw, chen wen hao offers tang yi tea and tang yi drinks it, symbolising that they agree with the arrangement to keep away from each other, and also that chen wen hao won’t sell drugs to Xing Tian Meng anymore

in the car as jack drives tang yi away (yes, resourceful bb jack managed to find out where they were meeting anyway and turned up halfway), jack asks tang yi what chen wen hao asked for and tang yi says: “it was just a transaction” and jack rightfully points out that he killed wang kun cheng and took down so many drug routes and businesses, and this was his plan all along? for chen wen hao to agree not to sell them drugs anymore? tang yi says yes, but as he looks out the window, he thinks: “that day that i’ve been waiting for so long, it’s finally going to come” - okay so it’s a toss-up right now as to what’s going on with the bad guys

back at the hospital: we get the scene of zhao zi sleeping so damn soundly next to shao fei on the floor and shao fei actually wakes up and he’s thirsty and asks for water AND- OMG ZHAO ZI U TOTALLY LET SHAO FEI DOWN WHAT THE FUCK HAHAHAHA zhao zi is sleep-talking, hears shao fei’s request for water, and then says, “i don’t want water” and then turns around LIKE DUDE

so shao fei turns to his side gingerly and tries to reach for the water but doesn’t succeed, AND THEN A HAND SLIPS INTO VIEW AND HE LOOKS UP AND GUESS WHO IT IS?!!!!!

TANG YI. HANDSOME, EMO, SAD, BUT HANDSOME TANG YI WHO LOVES SHAO FEI. and omgggg this scene i couldn’t even properly type this while i was watching the scene - shao fei’s obviously so glad that he’s here and tang yi does his boyfriend duty and pours water for him and then dabs the water at his lips with the cotton bud AND

shao fei: “why are you here?”

tang yi: “if i wanna be here, i’m here”

AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN!!! shao fei grabs tang yi’s hand as he can totally tell that his husband is so sad and emo and drags him close - tang yi lets him and leans half on the bed, and then shao fei says: “i got someone to look at my (chinese) horoscope before, and that person counted my fate. she said that i won’t die so easily and that my life signs are very strong, so you don’t have to worry about it”

and then tang yi snorts - it’s a weak one but it is one nonetheless and shao fei then says: “there, i think you look better smiling”

OMG IF THIS ISN’T LIKE SOME DECLARATION OF FRICKIN LOVE WHAT IS IT?!!!!!

the next scene: it’s morning and zhao zi is asleep and someone is snoring damn loudly from the bed - you can’t tell it’s shao fei because the blanket covers the face but the snoring is so damn loud that zhao zi who didn’t wake up for shao fei the night before, GETS UP and flips the blanket open to reveal JACK!!!!

and while zhao zi is stunned and shocked and everything, jack tells him that tang yi and shao fei are having a conversation upstairs on the rooftop, and then jack also comments: “you know, even if the person wasn’t dying/in severe condition, with the way you’re looking after them, they’d be dead”

i totally agree with jack on this one, zhao zi - and anw zhao zi gets all mad and says: “hey! don’t curse shao fei. my grandma helped him to count his fate and horoscope before and says that his life signs are strong etc.....”

jack: “whoa, your wise grandma also does that?”

zhao zi: “yes!”

jack: “has she counted YOUR fate for you?”

zhao zi: “yes! she says that one day my other half will be someone who takes absolute care of me”

LOLOLOLOLOL HAHAHHAHAHA ZHAO ZI you have no fucking idea - and as if the script wanted to show us how clueless zhao zi was, jack presents zhao zi with BREAKFAST and wow zhao zi totally forgets about ah fei upstairs, he just sits down happily with food and jack is so happy that zhao zi is happy and appreciative like saying ‘see? i’m the one that’s gonna take care of you’

AND THE KEY OF THIS FRICKING EP | ROOFTOP SCENE: They’re finally having a proper conversation OH MY GOD JESUS THEY ARE HAVING A CONVERSATION A SERIOUS, PROPER ONE, and tang yi says: “i really don’t want to lose another friend”

AND LOL SHAO FEI IS LIKE: “wait, i’ve been upgraded? i’m no longer half but A friend?!!!”

and tang yi legitly looks so sad as they talk about life and death, and how it’s worser being the one who survived and watching the person that’s important to you die (tang yi is referring to tang guo dong but also partially shao fei)

and shao fei knows how tang yi feels because li zhen jie died and she was that important person to him too, and then tang yi GOES ALL EMO AGAIN AND LOOKS AT HIM AND OMG IT’S A LOVE CONFESSION!!!

tang yi: “you were in my way and against me for four years, and until the moment when i was outside the operating theatre, i realised, i didn’t want to lose you. whether it was four years ago with boss tang, my grief and anger from the way you approached me and hung around so angrily, or now, when you are so persistently getting close to me... it made me feel the warmth of being take care of. you made my life so different and even made me like this change.”

Okay in all seriousness - Tang Yi is totally trying to say goodbye to him as he continues: “meng shao fei, i want you to live well, even if it’s just for my sake-”

AND SHAO FEI IS LIKE: NOPE, NOT TODAY BITCH

AND WE GET THIS:

so erm.... definitely a happy ending and last button scene tomorrow. shao fei says some other things after the kiss and tang yi is like looking at him stunned while shao fei yells his triumph at having his feelings reciprocated to the world on the roof but i figured the kiss is what we were all waiting for

you’re very welcomed guys. 

[mihanada]

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

(back to masterpost)

I might have been silently screaming this entire chapter despite knowing our main characters obviously make it out of here alive.

Chapter 53: Courage (Part 3)

No joke, this chapter really was quite awesome. Aside from the brief fight against Xue Yang in the Yi City arc and a few scuffles with the mysterious face-concealed dude, there hasn’t been much fighting or longer action sequences. Also, I finally get to find out what happened with this giant tortoise thing after hearing about it a while back through spoilers.

So, at first I thought the maple leaves were sort of funny in a cognitive dissonance sort of way, but turns out that they’re quite significant for getting the hell out of this place.

“Wei WuXian, “… What a large… tortoise…””

don’t you love his reaction.

I’m actually kind of surprised Wen Chao didn’t scream his head off the moment the tortoise-snake looked at them. He held it together until it blew out steam, I’ll give him that.

lol this line (”beast craved slaughter more than anything”) seems on par for giant beast thing except it’s probably been stuck in this underground cave for years? is the hole at the bottom of the lake even big enough for it to fit through? it’s probably starving and looking for a good meal haha

“one suddenly started twitching like a worm” very accurate description of Wen Chao, yes.

and welp there goes your only weapon. maybe aim for the eyes next time?

you know, narrative, you conveniently left out why this guy is called the “core melting hand” >.> 

“...as though something was about to be sucked out of his arm...” doesn’t sound too good. I was on the edge of my seat at this part though, like damn, we have a giant tortoise snake wanting to munch people and a guy with a mysterious power called “core melting”...

What is Wang Lingjiao’s problem, geez. Literally, her three helpers are shot down and she just merrily continues to try to burn Mianmian’s face like wtf I’d at least be concerned if I was next to get an arrow in the back??

I wonder if we get to find out her fate later on...

And that’s how Wei Wuxian got his brand! Finally found out, 53 chapters into the story! ...will it be over chapter 100 by the time we get to find out how Lan Wangji got his?

Wei Wuxian really has this hero-like disregard for his own safety as a kid, and he never hesitates in helping others. He’s almost always the first to act as long as someone isn’t holding him back. But, it’s kind of ominous and scary that he’s really so flippant about himself. He even tells Jiang Cheng “there’s a piece of cooked meat here. You want to eat it?” talk about gallows humor. at the same time, this bravado really can’t last forever, can it?

“Wen Chao saw that his eyes were bloodshot and had on a terrifying expression.” think he’s talking about Jiang Cheng here. Ah, Jiang Cheng is still but a youngling, I don’t think his scary face is nearly as terrifying as when he becomes an adult haha.

I’m still wondering how anyone knew a beast was in the area but ok. Everyone is now trapped underground. I’d be concerned if I didn’t already know these guys all survive at least this part of the story.

ah, poor Mianmian, literally this happened just because Wang Lingjiao was jealous. and will we ever learn your whole name.

“Okay, enough, Jiang Cheng, stop carrying me. It’s not like my leg is broken.”

OH, you little shit. Ha. Remember when they were in the Cloud Recesses and he got whipped a bit, then was a drama queen about it and Jiang Cheng carried him? Now he’s more terribly wounded and saying ‘let me down’.

well, this also why he feels no qualms about offering to carry Lan Wangji. he gets carried by Jiang Cheng all the time lol. though, I think by ‘carry’ in this scene they mean he’s got an arm wrapped around his shoulders, otherwise there would be no need to say ‘propped him up’ earlier.

“No matter what, it’s better than waiting for our parents here and doing nothing.”

in a sort of meta sense...what irony. Wei Wuxian would be waiting forever, because he doesn’t have parents anymore.

I dunno, I like that the Yunmeng Jiang is the water sect where everyone’s good at swimming xD

ahh and despite being injured so badly (seared to a human crisp), Wei Wuxian takes charge. truly our lovable mc, right? He still does this in the present, just in a more teacher-ly sounding way.

like I keep mentioning: character consistency.

 “Jiang Cheng raged, “What are you doing?!””

every time I read ‘Jiang Cheng raged’, I laugh. Ah, I really love this guy, asshole that he becomes. let me not bore you though.

also: GOD DAMNIT, NAMELESS LAN SECT DISCIPLE. shame on you. wtf you hit the guy trying to save your asses with a stray arrow you saw that arrows did absolutely nothing to this thing. he’s just lucky Wei Wuxian isn’t the vengeful sort of guy.

ahh don’t you know not to pull out things stuck in your body and preventing you from bleeding out?? >.< I guess not lol. um, lucky it wasn’t the main artery in your arm??

I probably did a low screech when Lan Wangji came to save Wei Wuxian. It’s the first time we get to see him really act reckless and out of his usual composed shell (aside from the times Wei Wuxian prodded him enough to get him to snap), and it’s to save his crush. :3 Granted, Lan Wangji does have a good character so it’s understandable how Wei Wuxian never figured out he liked him. Still, there’s something nice about knowing a guy was willing to get munched on by a giant beast for you??

ouch I winced for poor Lan Wangji’s leg though, they were in a really dire situation here. If they weren’t the main characters and we know for a fact they don’t die or get crippled here, it’d be really scary and tense

ahhh and Wei Wuxian also does not disappoint, literally throwing himself at the tortoise thing and stopping its jaws with his whole body. it’s true though, people can achieve herculean strength in desperate times. And suitably, as soon as the one he was trying to save was in the clear, it no longer could hold out

“The two rows of fangs were already deep into Lan WangJi’s blood and bones.”

uh...ew...and poor Lan Zhan. it’s a good thing this is a fantasy world where we have magic cultivation stuff because it’s doubtful he’d realistically ever be able to heal from all the damage unless he got really lucky.

“Hovering on his back, Lan WangJi’s voice possessed the rare emotional fluctuation, “How could this be pleasant?! Let me down!””

indeed, let’s savor this moment.

“Wei WuXian’s mouth refused to rest even as he was running for his life,”

Accurate. This is literally his character. xD

“Wei WuXian, Oh no, Lan Zhan’s injury will worsen again.”

see his total unconcern about his own pretty bad wounds. Instead, he’s worried about Lan Wangji’s injury, which is actually quite dire.

So...let’s see what happens next. I’m really liking this flashback so far.

(quotes from ExR’s translations)

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