In the last life, Movie Emperor Yu listened to the company and listened to his manager in order not to expose his sexual orientation. Until his death, he never had a relationship.
Yu Qing Huan didn’t want to be a money making machine in his current life. He wanted to travel to the best place, see the best scenery, eat the best food and then find the best man to live a happy life together.
Hou Qu is a genius savant who can easily learn chemical formulas just by glancing at them. One day, he gets lost in the busy streets and Yu Qing Huan helps him.
Little does Yu Qing Huan know that his wish to stay out of the limelight may not ever be granted as he had unknowingly been locked on by a hungry wolf hidden in the shadows because of his single act of kindness…
I enjoyed this book, especially how the slow fostering of love helped two people grow and become better people. I've interacted a bit with autistic people, and to me, the main character's mannerisms (and the way the parents treat him) actually seem fairly realistic. There's ways to help the autistic person learn to communicate better with others, express themselves better, and be more independent, but it requires a lot of work and not everyone will have the time, ability, or resources to do that work.
The story is very sweet and a wonderful way to while away a weekend. My favorite part is towards the end, where the author explicitly explains the connection between the two lives.
The English name for this book is "I just want to be in a relationship"
So satisfying and healing to see the protagonist, Yu Qinghuan, get a second chance at living his life the way he wants to - having a loving relationship, acquiring a found family, and acting in the projects he's drawn to. The story is also full of funny moments, particularly whenever Zhao Qingyuan is involved, the himbo.
Ultimately, I came to like the relationship between Yu Qinghuan and Huo Qu. It's full of tender care and helps them both become fuller versions of themselves. That said, I don't like the way their sex life is written, specifically the "refusal is consent" (in those words, yes) thing. It threatens to shade into rape culture. Unfortunately, in danmei, it seems quite hard to avoid the trope where the gong has an unquenchable sexual appetite and the shou always protests but actually wants it. Sigh.
If I staunchly ignore all such references, then there's much to appreciate here. The love story is full of both big and small moments - grand gestures but also intimate ones - and the karmic element is a nice touch. I also like the way Yu Qinghuan's roles are written, so vividly that I feel like I'm watching these fictional movies, and with subtle parallels between those stories and his own life.
I think it fell off for somewhere towards the last 1/4 of the story. The beginning is great and the romance is pretty distinctive in the ML being very smart but not people smart, while the MC learns to adapt to his traumas and how to be in a relationship. It's initially a fun dynamic, until you get a bunch of the questionable moments of ML pushing the MC into some vague semi-sexual situations under the guise of him "not understanding". It likely comes across as fluffy to most (and I agree for most of it), but some moments are a little off to me. Besides that, MC being a lucky koi is hilarious and I did enjoy the very few parts about him filming movies considering how it got pushed completely to the side by the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.