I’ve realized that when Xu RenDong dies enough times in an instance, he kind of loses it. The psychological trauma gets to him, and that’s why he behaves in bizarre, almost comical ways. It’s comedic relief for the audience, but when you realize the reason for it, it just makes the story more depressing. Now, with his whole broken heart syndrome revealed, I think Lian Qiao is starting to catch onto what’s happening with Xu RenDong’s power. I don’t think he fully knows, but he’s too smart and too observant to be entirely unaware.
Also, there’s no way they don’t have a preexisting history. Somehow, they forgot each other, but there has to have been something. The way they interact and how their obsession seems almost predetermined is too suspicious.
Finally, I want to say that I love how the author writes gore. No holds barred, she goes all in. It’s disgusting and the imagery is horribly vivid, but it’s realistic. She doesn’t romanticize what the characters go through, and that makes this so much more interesting to read.