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Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben (Novel) #1
Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben, Vol. 1
Also known as BAB, the newest Chinese danmei/Boys' Love novel series from the blockbuster author of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun !
A modern tale with a sci-fi an elite young man with a dark side develops a deep, aggressive relationship with his former doctor.
From the outside, He Yu seems to have everything going for he’s handsome, rich, and smart. But beneath his perfect facade, he’s hiding a dark secret–one that makes him a slumbering threat to the people around him. After spending years abroad, he enrolls in film school to pursue the girl of his dreams, Xie Xue...but that forces him to deal with her overprotective older brother, the man He Yu hoped he’d never see again.
Xie Qingcheng, an icy man of subdued emotion, was once He Yu’s doctor, and is the only person who knows He Yu’s terrible secret. He Yu swears not to let his past with this man get in the way of his feelings for Xie Xue, but he soon finds himself drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and violence that involves both of the Xie siblings. As a sprawling conspiracy sucks in He Yu, he must confront his own grudges and face new truths–including his own feelings for Xie Qingcheng, which warp into a fixation much darker than what he feels for the man’s sister.
This urban fantasy from China built around the desire between two men (danmei) is the newest novel series by the author of the hit The Husky and His White Cat Shizun. The Seven Seas English-language edition will include exclusive, all-new covers and interior illustrations.
A modern tale with a sci-fi an elite young man with a dark side develops a deep, aggressive relationship with his former doctor.
From the outside, He Yu seems to have everything going for he’s handsome, rich, and smart. But beneath his perfect facade, he’s hiding a dark secret–one that makes him a slumbering threat to the people around him. After spending years abroad, he enrolls in film school to pursue the girl of his dreams, Xie Xue...but that forces him to deal with her overprotective older brother, the man He Yu hoped he’d never see again.
Xie Qingcheng, an icy man of subdued emotion, was once He Yu’s doctor, and is the only person who knows He Yu’s terrible secret. He Yu swears not to let his past with this man get in the way of his feelings for Xie Xue, but he soon finds himself drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and violence that involves both of the Xie siblings. As a sprawling conspiracy sucks in He Yu, he must confront his own grudges and face new truths–including his own feelings for Xie Qingcheng, which warp into a fixation much darker than what he feels for the man’s sister.
This urban fantasy from China built around the desire between two men (danmei) is the newest novel series by the author of the hit The Husky and His White Cat Shizun. The Seven Seas English-language edition will include exclusive, all-new covers and interior illustrations.
436 pages, Paperback
Published February 13, 2024
563 people are currently reading
7018 people want to read
About the author
Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
77 books1,466 followersAssociated Names:
* Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
* 肉包不吃肉 (Chinese Profile)
* โร่วเปาปู้ชือโร่ว (Thai Profile)
* Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat (English Profile)
* Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
* 肉包不吃肉 (Chinese Profile)
* โร่วเปาปู้ชือโร่ว (Thai Profile)
* Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat (English Profile)
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March 12, 2023Your Honor, in my defense, I saw the red flags and thought they were sexy.
February 23, 2024
i just wanna apologize in advance for the five stars this book might be getting from me. i am but a meatbun whore
———————————————
How can you be homophobic when your bitch is gay?
It’s official, I’m at the mercy of RBBCR. At this point, this author could literally release their grocery list and I’d gobble it up bc someone pls explain to me how bitches be reading the words “psychological Ebola” and still be like “i mean… it’s just fiction so it’s ok. it makes sense”. It’s me. I’m bitches. Psychological ebola… yeah- I- listen, if you think of this book as sci-fi with mild fantastical elements IT WORKS OK DON’T ASK QUESTIONS!
but like… why ebola tho?
All jokes aside, when I read the tw of homophobia, I was a bit skeptical as to how meatbun would handle this but leave it to them to write a book with almost every possible tw and make it work (in my opinion). It really made their banter hilarious.
This is Meatbun’s first modern danmei so I wasn’t expecting it to be perfect. And it wasn’t. But it was everything I loved combined into one story and told by the only person I’d trust to write the most outrageous troupes and somehow deliver it in the most dramatic yet cohesive way possible.
This book is about a 32 year old professor and his 19 year old sugar daddy, chauffeur and caretaker- wait, no. This book is about an ex doctor and his ex client- wait, no. This book is about a little devil and his doctor. And these two ARE NOT GAY. In fact, they hate homosexuality. And yeah so what if they occasionally talk about taking the other’s last name or fantasize the other in a wedding dress or spend the night in a cave in a “deserted island” or even kiss? It’s not homo if the homies were wearing socks. *cough* Xie Qingcheng wasn’t *cough*
“Then, the two homophobic straight men moved in astonishing unison. Without waiting for the other to react, they both stood up and moved to the table furthest to the side.”
So yeah, definitely do not go into this story expecting a BL, bc it’s CLEARLY NOT. They are definitely not in love. They’re so not gay that they feel the constant need to remind us how boring it is for two straight men to spend the night together. In fact, He Yu is so straight that every time he wants to tease Xie Qingcheng he has to whisper it on his neck. And Xie Qingcheng even has straight man cancer.
This is one of those books that you don’t know whether to take seriously or not. On one hand, I find myself hysterically laughing at Yu & Qingcheng’s banter and other times I’m bemused by how mature their relationship actually is. Although I joke about their relationship, these two are actually not in love… yet. Their relationship is strictly doctor-patient and I can clearly see why, in many ways, Qingcheng is the only one that can understand He Yu and he’s never afraid to speak his mind when it comes to how much he cares about He Yu’s wellbeing. I was way less frustrated with these two than I was with Mo Ran and Chu Wanning.
"You're only nineteen, He Yu. To put it bluntly, you're still three years from being able to legally marry-you're still just a child. You can cry when it hurts, you can ask for sweets. There's not a single doctor or nurse who would make fun of a patient for being afraid of pain and suffering.”
Anyways, this gets a 5 star from me because I enjoyed every second of it. I was never bored. Confused? Sometimes. But never bored.
———————————————
How can you be homophobic when your bitch is gay?
It’s official, I’m at the mercy of RBBCR. At this point, this author could literally release their grocery list and I’d gobble it up bc someone pls explain to me how bitches be reading the words “psychological Ebola” and still be like “i mean… it’s just fiction so it’s ok. it makes sense”. It’s me. I’m bitches. Psychological ebola… yeah- I- listen, if you think of this book as sci-fi with mild fantastical elements IT WORKS OK DON’T ASK QUESTIONS!
but like… why ebola tho?
All jokes aside, when I read the tw of homophobia, I was a bit skeptical as to how meatbun would handle this but leave it to them to write a book with almost every possible tw and make it work (in my opinion). It really made their banter hilarious.
This is Meatbun’s first modern danmei so I wasn’t expecting it to be perfect. And it wasn’t. But it was everything I loved combined into one story and told by the only person I’d trust to write the most outrageous troupes and somehow deliver it in the most dramatic yet cohesive way possible.
This book is about a 32 year old professor and his 19 year old sugar daddy, chauffeur and caretaker- wait, no. This book is about an ex doctor and his ex client- wait, no. This book is about a little devil and his doctor. And these two ARE NOT GAY. In fact, they hate homosexuality. And yeah so what if they occasionally talk about taking the other’s last name or fantasize the other in a wedding dress or spend the night in a cave in a “deserted island” or even kiss? It’s not homo if the homies were wearing socks. *cough* Xie Qingcheng wasn’t *cough*
“Then, the two homophobic straight men moved in astonishing unison. Without waiting for the other to react, they both stood up and moved to the table furthest to the side.”
So yeah, definitely do not go into this story expecting a BL, bc it’s CLEARLY NOT. They are definitely not in love. They’re so not gay that they feel the constant need to remind us how boring it is for two straight men to spend the night together. In fact, He Yu is so straight that every time he wants to tease Xie Qingcheng he has to whisper it on his neck. And Xie Qingcheng even has straight man cancer.
This is one of those books that you don’t know whether to take seriously or not. On one hand, I find myself hysterically laughing at Yu & Qingcheng’s banter and other times I’m bemused by how mature their relationship actually is. Although I joke about their relationship, these two are actually not in love… yet. Their relationship is strictly doctor-patient and I can clearly see why, in many ways, Qingcheng is the only one that can understand He Yu and he’s never afraid to speak his mind when it comes to how much he cares about He Yu’s wellbeing. I was way less frustrated with these two than I was with Mo Ran and Chu Wanning.
"You're only nineteen, He Yu. To put it bluntly, you're still three years from being able to legally marry-you're still just a child. You can cry when it hurts, you can ask for sweets. There's not a single doctor or nurse who would make fun of a patient for being afraid of pain and suffering.”
Anyways, this gets a 5 star from me because I enjoyed every second of it. I was never bored. Confused? Sometimes. But never bored.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 29, 2025
my first danmei!! omg i'm HOOKED. oh i love He Yu so much, he's already one of my top favorite characters ever and this is only volume 1. i just wanna protect him. 😭 i loved how intense the dynamic between He Yu and XQ was from the beginning, the tension was reaallll. nothing to the point of romance or anything, but i knew it was gonna be a slow burn and i personally love lil or subtle moments between characters and i loved those here.
pls rec me danmeis, if any!! i'm definitely interested in looking for more. 👀
(thank you, hope, for guiding me through this again 😭🤣)
pls rec me danmeis, if any!! i'm definitely interested in looking for more. 👀
(thank you, hope, for guiding me through this again 😭🤣)
March 31, 2024
Danmei is such a fun genre but god it makes you feel like a crazy person trying to explain the story to other people. This one is tentatively sitting at 3.5 stars for me, currently I’m rating up cause I did have fun with it.
Considering how much I love ‘The Husky and his White Cat Shizun’ which is written by the same author, this one fell much flatter in comparison. Both of the main characters were pretty unpleasant people, and at least in this volume they didn’t have much chance for their character development to gain much depth or complexity to offset the unpleasantness.
He Yu is the young, arrogant son of a wealthy family who suffers from *checks notes* psychological Ebola? And is one of only four people who has had it and the only one who’s survived with it. The psychological Ebola manifests through what is described as ‘psychological imbalances’ although what this means is mostly spoken about and not really demonstrated in He Yus behaviour. Although there’s also a component of the illness called ‘blood toxin’ which means that when his blood touches someone else with a mental illness he can control them? God knows, it sounds insane.
Xie Qingchen (the other MC), is a current medical professor, and was the treating doctor for He Yu as a child. Now he presents as an antagonistic barrier in He Yu’s attempts to confess to his crush on Xie Qingchen’s sister, Xie Xue. So there’s a bit of a strange future love triangle going on (given it’s Danmei we know they get together eventually, but from this place in the story I have no clue how they’ll make that work cause both of the characters speak about being homophobic and avoidant of same-sex relationships).
And behind all that there is some sort of mysterious criminal organization business going on? I actually have no clue how that’s going to work in, but there’s some murder and conspiracy going on. Who knows, but I’m happy enough to go along with the ride.
This is a bit of fun, I don’t think I would recommend this to someone new to Danmei, there are definitely better examples out there and better places to start, but I’ll still read the future volumes to see where it goes cause I love a bit of a batshit crazy ride.
Considering how much I love ‘The Husky and his White Cat Shizun’ which is written by the same author, this one fell much flatter in comparison. Both of the main characters were pretty unpleasant people, and at least in this volume they didn’t have much chance for their character development to gain much depth or complexity to offset the unpleasantness.
He Yu is the young, arrogant son of a wealthy family who suffers from *checks notes* psychological Ebola? And is one of only four people who has had it and the only one who’s survived with it. The psychological Ebola manifests through what is described as ‘psychological imbalances’ although what this means is mostly spoken about and not really demonstrated in He Yus behaviour. Although there’s also a component of the illness called ‘blood toxin’ which means that when his blood touches someone else with a mental illness he can control them? God knows, it sounds insane.
Xie Qingchen (the other MC), is a current medical professor, and was the treating doctor for He Yu as a child. Now he presents as an antagonistic barrier in He Yu’s attempts to confess to his crush on Xie Qingchen’s sister, Xie Xue. So there’s a bit of a strange future love triangle going on (given it’s Danmei we know they get together eventually, but from this place in the story I have no clue how they’ll make that work cause both of the characters speak about being homophobic and avoidant of same-sex relationships).
And behind all that there is some sort of mysterious criminal organization business going on? I actually have no clue how that’s going to work in, but there’s some murder and conspiracy going on. Who knows, but I’m happy enough to go along with the ride.
This is a bit of fun, I don’t think I would recommend this to someone new to Danmei, there are definitely better examples out there and better places to start, but I’ll still read the future volumes to see where it goes cause I love a bit of a batshit crazy ride.
February 20, 2024
4.5 stars
This was intense. There is so much animosity between the leads, and they constantly try to humiliate each other. They are so evenly matched though, that even in their cruelty it is clear how well they see the other. Going from this to a happily ever after is going to be a long journey, but it'll inevitably also be a rewarding one.
There are so many layers to these characters both individually and in relation to each other. He Yu suffers from a mental illness that has left him almost literally alone in his life. Because of this, it's easy to have great empathy for him even with his many manipulations. Xie Qingcheng has been left as the head of his household after the unexpected deaths of his parents, and is completely out of touch with his emotions. The few times we see him have a genuine emotional reaction on page nearly incapacitate him.
The author does a great job of addressing bigger societal issues in here. Sexism, treatment of the mentally ill, and toxic masculinity especially in relation to our leads, are all put under a microscope. The author does not shy away from showing how damaging these things are, and the results are often devastating.
I will say a level of suspension of disbelief is necessary with regards to the bigger plot. I somehow overlooked that there are sci fi elements to this, so some moments seemed a bit jarring, not the least of which are the details of He Yu's mental illness.
Overall this was a fantastic first volume and has potential to be a new favorite. Unfortunately this series is quite long and I'll have to wait a while for that happy ending, but I'm invested.
This was intense. There is so much animosity between the leads, and they constantly try to humiliate each other. They are so evenly matched though, that even in their cruelty it is clear how well they see the other. Going from this to a happily ever after is going to be a long journey, but it'll inevitably also be a rewarding one.
There are so many layers to these characters both individually and in relation to each other. He Yu suffers from a mental illness that has left him almost literally alone in his life. Because of this, it's easy to have great empathy for him even with his many manipulations. Xie Qingcheng has been left as the head of his household after the unexpected deaths of his parents, and is completely out of touch with his emotions. The few times we see him have a genuine emotional reaction on page nearly incapacitate him.
The author does a great job of addressing bigger societal issues in here. Sexism, treatment of the mentally ill, and toxic masculinity especially in relation to our leads, are all put under a microscope. The author does not shy away from showing how damaging these things are, and the results are often devastating.
I will say a level of suspension of disbelief is necessary with regards to the bigger plot. I somehow overlooked that there are sci fi elements to this, so some moments seemed a bit jarring, not the least of which are the details of He Yu's mental illness.
Overall this was a fantastic first volume and has potential to be a new favorite. Unfortunately this series is quite long and I'll have to wait a while for that happy ending, but I'm invested.
July 17, 2025
don’t even…
pre-read:
buddy read with the huzz (petrified)
pre-read:
buddy read with the huzz (petrified)
February 19, 2024
⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎︎ ｡ ✧ ⋆ ★ ★ ★ 🍓｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆
so. like. uh. before starting bab volume 1 i was expecting to give it a solid 5 stars without question because it’s meatbun i would give meatbun’s grocery store list 5 stars. so imagine my, well, not disappointment but rather just general lukewarm feeling as i read this 😭
bab has everything i love & more but for some reason i wasn’t clicking with it. and i feel bad for giving it such a low rating cause i did enjoy bab volume 1! meatbun’s writing was amazing as always as was her ability to craft wonderfully complex characters and plot twists but. it was not giving me the brain rot i had hope it would 😭
BUT i heard bab was a slowburn. so i fully expect in the future volumes i’ll be sucked into the plot & characters more? honestly i can’t name one dislike i had with bab i simply just didn’t feel that immediate connection that i had with other meatbun novels. but that’s okay, i’ve seen spoilers about hexie & i know i will GOBBLE their romance up once i get further into the book <3
p.s. he yu and xie qingcheng fighting each other to see who is more homophobic will never not make me laugh they are so silly (and so deep in the closet)
”Xie Qingcheng imagined the scene for a moment. With a chilly expression, he tersely replied, “Too gay. I’m homophobic.” Xie Qingcheng shoved He Yu away. He circled around him to enter the dorm and began searching. He Yu was at a loss for words. “What? That’s not what I meant. If you’re homophobic, then I’m even more homophobic…””
so. like. uh. before starting bab volume 1 i was expecting to give it a solid 5 stars without question because it’s meatbun i would give meatbun’s grocery store list 5 stars. so imagine my, well, not disappointment but rather just general lukewarm feeling as i read this 😭
bab has everything i love & more but for some reason i wasn’t clicking with it. and i feel bad for giving it such a low rating cause i did enjoy bab volume 1! meatbun’s writing was amazing as always as was her ability to craft wonderfully complex characters and plot twists but. it was not giving me the brain rot i had hope it would 😭
BUT i heard bab was a slowburn. so i fully expect in the future volumes i’ll be sucked into the plot & characters more? honestly i can’t name one dislike i had with bab i simply just didn’t feel that immediate connection that i had with other meatbun novels. but that’s okay, i’ve seen spoilers about hexie & i know i will GOBBLE their romance up once i get further into the book <3
p.s. he yu and xie qingcheng fighting each other to see who is more homophobic will never not make me laugh they are so silly (and so deep in the closet)
May 6, 2025
—— 3.25.✰ stars.
short summary: I see the red flags but I’m color blind
I finally started my second danmei series! It’s been more than a year since I finished grandmaster of demonic cultivation and I needed more danmei in my life.
if you don’t know what danmei is, it’s a specific genre of Chinese literature where the main characters are both men, so it’s boys love, it also has a characteristic way of being written and told, plus always divided in volumes.
it’s hard to rate the volumes because they are NOT independent books, it’s just the whole story divided in a number of volumes ( in this particular story in 10 volumes, so you are only rating the first 10% of the story)
ok enough of this, now about the story and characters!
the little we know about this story so far (remember, 10 volumes of 400 ish pages each) is about He Yu and Xie Qingcheng, the latter was his doctor in the past since He Yu has a special mental illness (that I still know very little about but the patients with this can evolve some kind of abilities).
the story starts when He Yu is trying to confess his feelings to Xie Xue, Xie Qingcheng’s sister, yea you read that right, so the story is so far very slice of life, but a crime has been committed on a mental health hospital and it seems like, this hospital, the university were both of them study and teach, and the main characters have a connection.
I know this is horribly explained but honestly it’s all I KNOW at the moment since remember, only 10% of the entire story
I like the characters, He Yu is a bit of a mess and has a personality that he shows and then his real personality that only Xie Qingcheng knows. He is quick on his mind and mischievous.
On the other side, Xie Qingcheng is a bit of an old school kind of man, formal, and honestly has a stick up his ass.
Both of them are apparently very straight, but yeah, we are reading danmei SO, we know this is not true, so far no advances on the romance, VERY VERY SLOW BURN.
I swear this review is shit, but I’m gonna end saying that this story seems kind of problematic and red flag everywhere so I wouldn’t recommend if you mind age gap, homophobic language, tradition OR if you are not very used to Asian, specially Chinese culture because the writing is gonna completely throw you off at the beginning.
of course I’m gonna continue it since I’m intrigued and this long journey is gonna drive me nuts.
“One cannot see the dark night while standing in the light.”
short summary: I see the red flags but I’m color blind
I finally started my second danmei series! It’s been more than a year since I finished grandmaster of demonic cultivation and I needed more danmei in my life.
if you don’t know what danmei is, it’s a specific genre of Chinese literature where the main characters are both men, so it’s boys love, it also has a characteristic way of being written and told, plus always divided in volumes.
it’s hard to rate the volumes because they are NOT independent books, it’s just the whole story divided in a number of volumes ( in this particular story in 10 volumes, so you are only rating the first 10% of the story)
ok enough of this, now about the story and characters!
the little we know about this story so far (remember, 10 volumes of 400 ish pages each) is about He Yu and Xie Qingcheng, the latter was his doctor in the past since He Yu has a special mental illness (that I still know very little about but the patients with this can evolve some kind of abilities).
the story starts when He Yu is trying to confess his feelings to Xie Xue, Xie Qingcheng’s sister, yea you read that right, so the story is so far very slice of life, but a crime has been committed on a mental health hospital and it seems like, this hospital, the university were both of them study and teach, and the main characters have a connection.
I know this is horribly explained but honestly it’s all I KNOW at the moment since remember, only 10% of the entire story
I like the characters, He Yu is a bit of a mess and has a personality that he shows and then his real personality that only Xie Qingcheng knows. He is quick on his mind and mischievous.
On the other side, Xie Qingcheng is a bit of an old school kind of man, formal, and honestly has a stick up his ass.
Both of them are apparently very straight, but yeah, we are reading danmei SO, we know this is not true, so far no advances on the romance, VERY VERY SLOW BURN.
I swear this review is shit, but I’m gonna end saying that this story seems kind of problematic and red flag everywhere so I wouldn’t recommend if you mind age gap, homophobic language, tradition OR if you are not very used to Asian, specially Chinese culture because the writing is gonna completely throw you off at the beginning.
of course I’m gonna continue it since I’m intrigued and this long journey is gonna drive me nuts.
July 31, 2025
frankly… i don’t care
March 24, 2024
This had potential, but it was just batshit insane. The hospital arc was the most unhinged thing I've ever read. Too much suspension of belief for me.
Also the protagonists said they were straight and unlike with other books, I believed it here! There's negative chemistry between them. He Yu and Xie Qingcheng should never meet again!!!
Can't believe this was written by the same author as 2ha. Won't continue the series xD
Also the protagonists said they were straight and unlike with other books, I believed it here! There's negative chemistry between them. He Yu and Xie Qingcheng should never meet again!!!
Can't believe this was written by the same author as 2ha. Won't continue the series xD
January 29, 2025
well shit this is going to be a longgggggggggggggg journey. i don't even know what to say........what did i just read? and do i like it or not? i'm still not really sure 😂
*this is going to have minor spoilers*
my experience during this book went exactly like this in this order: 👀🤭😬😱😰😣🤯🫨😬🫨😬🫨🤨🤨❓
there was quite a few things i didn't like and that bothered me a lot. one example, i'm not a big fan of when one of the MCs is pining for the other MC's sibling (but i mean i get it, it’s all apart of the process 😅), and that scene in the hotel room?? that made me hella uncomfortable and i just about stopped reading the book. HOWEVER, from what i've seen online (tik tok, x/twitter, reddit, etc) this couple gets a lot better (WAYYYY in the later volumes since this will have 10 volumes in total but still), and that the pay off is totally worth it. i personally love dark romance and reading about toxicity in relationships to see how the couple develops both as a couple and individually, so this is why i'm giving this series a chance.
i'm really wondering how they are going to get together because there was like 0.01% relationship development in this. these two are going to frustrate tf outta me i just know it......and they actually fucking hate each other (more so qingcheng). the synopsis on the back of this says "He Yu must comfort his own demons...including his dark obsession with Xie Qincheng" to be honest, i wish there was more of that obsession. i mean it’s kinda hard when he’s literally pining after the sister so hard. BUT i guess i just need to trust the process. you can definitely see the brewing of the obsession with the VERY little subtle things happening. and you can tell it’s going to be one of the situations where He Yu doesn’t realize his obsession and it’s going to take a while for him to clue in LMAO. but then there was some really blunt stuff as well and it was giving me whiplash. like you're telling me you're going to take his surname????? SIR?? that is marriage. it had me so confused wtf was actually going on 😂 ANYWAY, i was expecting MORE.
*this is going to have minor spoilers*
my experience during this book went exactly like this in this order: 👀🤭😬😱😰😣🤯🫨😬🫨😬🫨🤨🤨❓
there was quite a few things i didn't like and that bothered me a lot. one example, i'm not a big fan of when one of the MCs is pining for the other MC's sibling (but i mean i get it, it’s all apart of the process 😅), and that scene in the hotel room?? that made me hella uncomfortable and i just about stopped reading the book. HOWEVER, from what i've seen online (tik tok, x/twitter, reddit, etc) this couple gets a lot better (WAYYYY in the later volumes since this will have 10 volumes in total but still), and that the pay off is totally worth it. i personally love dark romance and reading about toxicity in relationships to see how the couple develops both as a couple and individually, so this is why i'm giving this series a chance.
i'm really wondering how they are going to get together because there was like 0.01% relationship development in this. these two are going to frustrate tf outta me i just know it......and they actually fucking hate each other (more so qingcheng). the synopsis on the back of this says "He Yu must comfort his own demons...including his dark obsession with Xie Qincheng" to be honest, i wish there was more of that obsession. i mean it’s kinda hard when he’s literally pining after the sister so hard. BUT i guess i just need to trust the process. you can definitely see the brewing of the obsession with the VERY little subtle things happening. and you can tell it’s going to be one of the situations where He Yu doesn’t realize his obsession and it’s going to take a while for him to clue in LMAO. but then there was some really blunt stuff as well and it was giving me whiplash. like you're telling me you're going to take his surname????? SIR?? that is marriage. it had me so confused wtf was actually going on 😂 ANYWAY, i was expecting MORE.
February 13, 2024
No, yeah, I agree with Meatbun: Xie Qingcheng should be fucked and his legs should wrap around the waist of He Yu bullying him. ╮(￣▽￣"")╭
This is my first time reading a human English translation of Case File Compendium 病案本 since before, I read up until Chapters 15-25 of an edited machine translation. Since it's by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat 肉包不吃肉, I also want to follow this novel and give it a chance.
This is Meatbun's first novel that doesn't have a cultivation setting, and it's interesting how she blurs the lines between modern reality and the surrealism brought about by her reader's suspension of disbelief. It's most apparent with He Yu's condition, this 'psychological Ebola,' and how the volume unravels more aspects of this fictional disease.
I cannot vouch for medical accuracy and credibility for the volume or the novel Case File Compendium as a whole, but I will point out that Meatbun does not have the same patience as she had in The Husky and His White Cat Shizun 二哈和他的白猫师尊 and Remnants of Filth 余污 when it comes to slowly building a profile around her more mysterious and elusive characters.
In terms of volume one for the three novels, Case File Compendium has the weakest starting point: it has a nice opening or starting chapter, yes, and it has an interesting premise. But Meatbun's prose is more forthright in giving you the explicit information you need. It is also more liberal in allowing its third person omniscient POV to freely give us, the reader, backstory information that diverges from the present scene. This manner of writing may come into conflict with the mystery and thriller aspect of the novel in a succeeding volume, and it does strip particular story arcs the suspense and tension they ought to have.
Another thing: Meatbun usually sticks to one character's POV or focus in the first volume, and that character's view allows us to build the profile of another key character before our impression is shattered by that key character's new POV in succeeding chapters. This was the case with Chu Wanning, and again with Gu Mang. The disparity of Mo Ran's and Mo Xi's assumptions of these two characters to their actual perspective adds to the novel's plot and overarching themes. Which is why it's interesting that Meatbun does not do this with He Yu and Xie Qingcheng, as they seem more evenly handed in focused POV for volume one.
Kudos to Meatbun in allowing for the prose to easily switch from one character to another, and kudos to her and the translator (Ben Bingham) at making it easy to follow.
On the matter of translation, Ben Bingham and 7Seas made a good choice to end Volume 1 where they did. It's not exactly a cliffhanger, but it neatly establishes a wider plot that our leads are inevitably caught up in. Bingham's choice of which terms to keep versus translate into its English counterpart has so far allowed me to pick up what certain terms mean within context, and it doesn't break up my personal immersion with the novel.
However, there are times when I cannot help but feel that Meatbun's longer sentences have been translated without direction or structure. Where they are too long that fragments within themselves are confusing to follow and warrant a reread. They weren't too frequent to make the volume unreadable, but I hope it gets resolved in future novels.
This is my first time reading a human English translation of Case File Compendium 病案本 since before, I read up until Chapters 15-25 of an edited machine translation. Since it's by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat 肉包不吃肉, I also want to follow this novel and give it a chance.
This is Meatbun's first novel that doesn't have a cultivation setting, and it's interesting how she blurs the lines between modern reality and the surrealism brought about by her reader's suspension of disbelief. It's most apparent with He Yu's condition, this 'psychological Ebola,' and how the volume unravels more aspects of this fictional disease.
I cannot vouch for medical accuracy and credibility for the volume or the novel Case File Compendium as a whole, but I will point out that Meatbun does not have the same patience as she had in The Husky and His White Cat Shizun 二哈和他的白猫师尊 and Remnants of Filth 余污 when it comes to slowly building a profile around her more mysterious and elusive characters.
In terms of volume one for the three novels, Case File Compendium has the weakest starting point: it has a nice opening or starting chapter, yes, and it has an interesting premise. But Meatbun's prose is more forthright in giving you the explicit information you need. It is also more liberal in allowing its third person omniscient POV to freely give us, the reader, backstory information that diverges from the present scene. This manner of writing may come into conflict with the mystery and thriller aspect of the novel in a succeeding volume, and it does strip particular story arcs the suspense and tension they ought to have.
Another thing: Meatbun usually sticks to one character's POV or focus in the first volume, and that character's view allows us to build the profile of another key character before our impression is shattered by that key character's new POV in succeeding chapters. This was the case with Chu Wanning, and again with Gu Mang. The disparity of Mo Ran's and Mo Xi's assumptions of these two characters to their actual perspective adds to the novel's plot and overarching themes. Which is why it's interesting that Meatbun does not do this with He Yu and Xie Qingcheng, as they seem more evenly handed in focused POV for volume one.
Kudos to Meatbun in allowing for the prose to easily switch from one character to another, and kudos to her and the translator (Ben Bingham) at making it easy to follow.
On the matter of translation, Ben Bingham and 7Seas made a good choice to end Volume 1 where they did. It's not exactly a cliffhanger, but it neatly establishes a wider plot that our leads are inevitably caught up in. Bingham's choice of which terms to keep versus translate into its English counterpart has so far allowed me to pick up what certain terms mean within context, and it doesn't break up my personal immersion with the novel.
However, there are times when I cannot help but feel that Meatbun's longer sentences have been translated without direction or structure. Where they are too long that fragments within themselves are confusing to follow and warrant a reread. They weren't too frequent to make the volume unreadable, but I hope it gets resolved in future novels.
February 15, 2025
How the hell are these 2 dummies going to fall in love? I'm not sure that I've ever felt less of a spark between two MC's and I can't even begin to imagine how this is all going to play out. My patience is packed, volume 4 is in the mail and I'm officially in on this series.
July 11, 2024
July 2024 update:
2/5stars
after sitting on this book for a while I've decided to drop it down to 2 stars because I REALLY didn't like the taste this book left in my mouth. I think this is going to be my first danmei series I'm DNFing:(
3/5stars
this book was a RIDE for me.
After finishing the first chapter, I was literally telling my friends that this could potentially be a new all time fave like the first chapter was SO insanely good... but if anyone else has read this, you know the first chapter is a little bit of a bait - it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the book.
But, for the first 200 pages, I was still enjoying the book - it felt a bit like "Supernatural" with the episodic, horror/terror vibes to it. But, around the half way point, it really started to lose me.
I think its difficult to root for a couple like Hexie - I love a good enemies to lovers, and I even really enjoyed their dynamic in this, but the fact that the two of them were straight up, outwardly self-proclaimed homophobic really didn't sit well with me. I'm used to the BL grey-area of homophobia and the relationships being a little... questionable. But, for some reason, these two just felt a bit more wrong to me. I almost wished I knew that they DIDN'T end up together (since, I'm assuming they do considering this is a danmei lol) or that they were a little less.... terrible lol
I'm interested enough to check out the next volume but yeah this one REALLY lost me
2/5stars
after sitting on this book for a while I've decided to drop it down to 2 stars because I REALLY didn't like the taste this book left in my mouth. I think this is going to be my first danmei series I'm DNFing:(
this book was a RIDE for me.
After finishing the first chapter, I was literally telling my friends that this could potentially be a new all time fave like the first chapter was SO insanely good... but if anyone else has read this, you know the first chapter is a little bit of a bait - it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the book.
But, for the first 200 pages, I was still enjoying the book - it felt a bit like "Supernatural" with the episodic, horror/terror vibes to it. But, around the half way point, it really started to lose me.
I think its difficult to root for a couple like Hexie - I love a good enemies to lovers, and I even really enjoyed their dynamic in this, but the fact that the two of them were straight up, outwardly self-proclaimed homophobic really didn't sit well with me. I'm used to the BL grey-area of homophobia and the relationships being a little... questionable. But, for some reason, these two just felt a bit more wrong to me. I almost wished I knew that they DIDN'T end up together (since, I'm assuming they do considering this is a danmei lol) or that they were a little less.... terrible lol
I'm interested enough to check out the next volume but yeah this one REALLY lost me
February 21, 2024
4.5 and it is only for the slow start.
* this volume ontains very heavy and serious topic, please check it before reading it
When BAB was only fan translated I managed to read only first few chapters - so I went into the book little bit blind.
It was wild ride okay - I was handeling the slow start with no grace at all and push through it only because twitter told me so. And then it started.
My jokes it is actually omegaverse (I even sent my friend screenshots with 'proofs', please send her good vibes), He Yu's nickname "Little devil", "no homo but", mystery plot, ROMANTIC PLOT, jealousy, MORE IMPORTANT CHARACTERS and rest is just spoilers.
(Also the moment he started calling him professor and not doctor? Take me!)
Meatbun did amazing job balancing heavy themes with with the clownery of the characters (I'm looking at you He Yu).
Note: The footnotes are not in the end of the page but all the back in glossary - since I read it as ebook it was very impractical. So now I'm looking at you 7Seas and your publication of QJJ because I really need my footnotes there b/tches.
* this volume ontains very heavy and serious topic, please check it before reading it
When BAB was only fan translated I managed to read only first few chapters - so I went into the book little bit blind.
It was wild ride okay - I was handeling the slow start with no grace at all and push through it only because twitter told me so. And then it started.
My jokes it is actually omegaverse (I even sent my friend screenshots with 'proofs', please send her good vibes), He Yu's nickname "Little devil", "no homo but", mystery plot, ROMANTIC PLOT, jealousy, MORE IMPORTANT CHARACTERS and rest is just spoilers.
(Also the moment he started calling him professor and not doctor? Take me!)
Meatbun did amazing job balancing heavy themes with with the clownery of the characters (I'm looking at you He Yu).
Note: The footnotes are not in the end of the page but all the back in glossary - since I read it as ebook it was very impractical. So now I'm looking at you 7Seas and your publication of QJJ because I really need my footnotes there b/tches.
September 27, 2024
This started out pretty strong, but became draggy after some time. I like the premise, and I thought I’d see interesting dynamics between our two main characters, but surprisingly, I didn’t find any of them particularly interesting or likable.
The romance trajectory follows the 2ha formula, as in: the main couple started out being on bad terms, and one person is in love with someone else. There’s even the same kind of unintentional mistakes where things backfired for our ML. But, while 2ha has Chu Wanning, who grips your heart and makes you root for him, and Mo Ran, who are naturally funny in his foolish mistakes, BAB only has an inexplicably grumpy man and a teenage boy who disdains him for what seemingly vague reasons.
The other plot so far is a series of mysteries and events happening to random strangers, that is apparently interlinked with a dark conspiracy working behind the scene. Some events are dark, but since we barely know these strangers, they don’t quite make an impact other than to shock or disgust. Ngl, I was pretty bored after around 50% mark.
I know this is a long story, though, so I’m still going to give it a chance. I hope the next book will hook me better.
The romance trajectory follows the 2ha formula, as in: the main couple started out being on bad terms, and one person is in love with someone else. There’s even the same kind of unintentional mistakes where things backfired for our ML. But, while 2ha has Chu Wanning, who grips your heart and makes you root for him, and Mo Ran, who are naturally funny in his foolish mistakes, BAB only has an inexplicably grumpy man and a teenage boy who disdains him for what seemingly vague reasons.
The other plot so far is a series of mysteries and events happening to random strangers, that is apparently interlinked with a dark conspiracy working behind the scene. Some events are dark, but since we barely know these strangers, they don’t quite make an impact other than to shock or disgust. Ngl, I was pretty bored after around 50% mark.
I know this is a long story, though, so I’m still going to give it a chance. I hope the next book will hook me better.
July 19, 2025
...I didn't like it as much as I did yuwu or 2ha
June 2, 2025
The writing feels weirdly amateurish. Which isn’t completely unusual for Meatbun, but this one in particular feels a bit jarring in its theatrics and melodrama. But I still enjoyed it overall.
I remember reading this a few years ago, before it was licensed and I can’t quite remember where I stopped. I think it was right before or right after the university incident.
I remember reading this a few years ago, before it was licensed and I can’t quite remember where I stopped. I think it was right before or right after the university incident.
December 26, 2025
Ah, yes; I just love reading a painful, long story about two homophobic homosexuals falling in love with each other. 🥰
On a more serious note, I am not sure if I am hooked enough to keep going. But we shall see.
On a more serious note, I am not sure if I am hooked enough to keep going. But we shall see.
February 24, 2024
I practically know nothing about this danmei and I went into it bliinnnd. The only reason why I'm giving it this rating is because the first volume is just a fraction of the story, and there's a lot more to come in later volumes. Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable read. I'm just anxiously waiting for (more) crazy things to happen!
Now, He Yu is a university student with a rare mental illness and his former doctor, Xie Qingcheng, enters his life again. Lots of banter and chemistry between these two, as they had a patient-doctor relationship. There are moments where I had to laugh because of how funnily unserious the situations that they get placed in are (thanks Meatbun!). And seeing He Yu's little failures at getting some alone time with his crush (which backfires on him) was silly. "No homo" is written all over these guys faces but we know what they really are, right? side eyes
Honestly interested to see where this goes, especially with the mystery plot that appeared and the development in He Yu and Xie Qingcheng's relationship. Meatbun, what are you cooking with this one?
Now, He Yu is a university student with a rare mental illness and his former doctor, Xie Qingcheng, enters his life again. Lots of banter and chemistry between these two, as they had a patient-doctor relationship. There are moments where I had to laugh because of how funnily unserious the situations that they get placed in are (thanks Meatbun!). And seeing He Yu's little failures at getting some alone time with his crush (which backfires on him) was silly. "No homo" is written all over these guys faces but we know what they really are, right? side eyes
Honestly interested to see where this goes, especially with the mystery plot that appeared and the development in He Yu and Xie Qingcheng's relationship. Meatbun, what are you cooking with this one?
March 23, 2024
short synopsis - <3
xie qingcheng and he yu are the best duo in modern danmei. the fact that they both are “homophobic” is what really makes their relationship more fun to pick apart.
take xie qingcheng, a resigned doctor who is now a medical professor and he yu, a student (who is incredibly not okay and mentally ill) 13 years his junior and put them in a room together.
what do you get?
drunken confessions to the wrong person, unstable and unhinged he yu, and a kiss that shouldn’t have been shared. one that goes way too far before it’s ended.
and then what comes next?
awkwardness and the two of them fighting each other for who win a series of tasks. all the while, an unknown group is planning on the downfall of their school and if they know what he yu is capable of… maybe him as well.
my review - <3
the world building here is wonderful and i’m so glad i read this early. i just wish the rest of it would release sooner :((
i love the relationship between these two carefully crafted characters and i’m looking forward to the rest of this series!!
xie qingcheng and he yu are the best duo in modern danmei. the fact that they both are “homophobic” is what really makes their relationship more fun to pick apart.
take xie qingcheng, a resigned doctor who is now a medical professor and he yu, a student (who is incredibly not okay and mentally ill) 13 years his junior and put them in a room together.
what do you get?
drunken confessions to the wrong person, unstable and unhinged he yu, and a kiss that shouldn’t have been shared. one that goes way too far before it’s ended.
and then what comes next?
awkwardness and the two of them fighting each other for who win a series of tasks. all the while, an unknown group is planning on the downfall of their school and if they know what he yu is capable of… maybe him as well.
my review - <3
the world building here is wonderful and i’m so glad i read this early. i just wish the rest of it would release sooner :((
i love the relationship between these two carefully crafted characters and i’m looking forward to the rest of this series!!
Read
February 23, 2024I won’t rate this book because I DNF’d fairly early on. I really liked the author’s other work, her skills definitely lie in cultivation and fantasy novels.
This is set in modern times, and I stopped reading right when it was revealed that the main character has a mental illness called “psychological Ebola.” He’s described as a monster, deranged, psycho, madman - basically every derogatory label possible. I stopped after it was revealed his mental illness comes with powers, where his blood can control the mentally ill (a massive wtf moment.)
Her writing is great and her ability to create complex characters is fantastic, but I genuinely couldn’t stomach how offensive and absurd the premise is.
This is set in modern times, and I stopped reading right when it was revealed that the main character has a mental illness called “psychological Ebola.” He’s described as a monster, deranged, psycho, madman - basically every derogatory label possible. I stopped after it was revealed his mental illness comes with powers, where his blood can control the mentally ill (a massive wtf moment.)
Her writing is great and her ability to create complex characters is fantastic, but I genuinely couldn’t stomach how offensive and absurd the premise is.
November 7, 2024
I don't even wanna go into detail here, so just a few things I wanna say about this:
- even for Danmei standarts, this was batshit crazy and unhinged
- there is no likeable character
The plot is so thin that it's barely visible
Maybe I'll hate-read the remaining volumes at some point, but for now, I'm glad that I won't have to interact with He Yu and Xie Qingcheng for a good while.
- even for Danmei standarts, this was batshit crazy and unhinged
- there is no likeable character
The plot is so thin that it's barely visible
Maybe I'll hate-read the remaining volumes at some point, but for now, I'm glad that I won't have to interact with He Yu and Xie Qingcheng for a good while.
February 21, 2024
4.75 / 5: "If there is a next life, I really want to be a normal person...I don't want to be so sick that I don't even have the right to be loved . . ."
god i love meatbun's writing so much :')
this is the first modern work i have read from her and it was just as immersive as her historical novels have been, which make me really happy. it also means it's just as twinged with bittersweet angst, so it's like a double-edged sword, really. but very worth it!!
i’m already so invested in he yu & xie qingcheng’s dynamic, it rings very familiar to the kind of dynamics meatbun has the habit to explore; but interestingly so, there seems to be a different kind of tension that really sets this pair apart. as a former patient & doctor, hy & xqc have seen the absolute worst of each other from their pasts and because of that, in their present, they always seem to be walking around a knife's edge around each other. this makes every scene they have together add even more to the mystery that's still at its beginning stages, and with how little we really get to know what that mystery looks like yet, it makes the story put you even more on edge (and i love it!!).
the focal point of it does revolve around a corrupted psychiatric hospital and its mentally ill patients, which really adds more to the tension as there's a great deal of discussion about mental illness that clearly will be explored for this series. the stigma around it still in modern society is a given, we all know that, but seeing how the story is starting to scrape into the surface by showing the harsher realities of cases like personality disorders makes a lot of scenes in this first volume hit really hard. i think he yu's character is compelling in that regard because while there's very little known yet to the reader about the full extent of his condition (referred to as 'psychological Ebola'), there's this mask that's clearly slipping in increments, and the dangers of it become more pronounced near the end of this book.
the intriguing thing about hy's character is that he carries that mask of charm & stability so well within the narrative, so much so that he's considered very highly by his peers, even as isolated as he makes himself out to be. he's even compared to some kind of noble consort with how refined his beauty & personality is in social settings!! knowing that that type of perception has been very carefully tuned so that the nature of his mental illness doesn't spread is one thing, but having it affect how we see him as the reader feels like a whole different type of story. we're aware that he's not all that he makes himself appear to be; we know there's more lying behind that mask that throughout the course of the story, will show all the worst and depraved parts of his illness, making all those warnings i've seen other readers make of him ring very clear--we know all of that. but yet i still couldn't help but be so charmed by his perspective. his outlook on the world, his reasoning behind certain decisions, the way he interacts with different characters beyond xie qingcheng; it all makes him feel like we're digging a little more each time into the crevices of his mind, and around the halfway point, you really get to see how that crevice begins to crumble just a bit.
his dynamic with xie xue, for example, feels most notable because at first, you get the idea that he clearly cannot be in love with her based on how he regards her at different points of the novel (calling her a dumbass, for example....not really in an endeared way, but also maybe a little? that's what's so confusing!!). he seems to actually look down on her quite a bit, which feels very ironic because she is five years his senior and xie qingcheng even more so, and yet hy & xqc both feel much more wise & perceptive than xie xue. which really is what partly leans into why i'm so interested in their relationship throughout the course of this volume!! going back to xie xue, though, again, it doesn't seem like he yu regards her that highly, and yet there is this painful sort of adoration he describes when he thinks on his feelings for her, and it's also shown in his multiple attempts to try and woo her.
i think maybe it comes from a place where in all the fake people there is in the world, including he yu-- who sees it all as a stage--xie xue seems to fall behind in her painfully naive perspective and earnest intentions. this makes her pretty gullible and seem a bit behind more than others, but it is a bit refreshing in the face of other characters who are much more conniving. he yu & xie xue have known each other for quite a long period of time, so there is some kind of connection between them both. but that connection seems to fray in & out sometimes, and only he yu really seems to notice because of how strongly he regards his romantic feelings. seeing how those feelings spiral, and how it also roots itself in a desperation for him to have that kind of connection to someone despite his illness, it really feels like a lot.
i can’t wait to see how this all develops even further, especially with xie qingcheng's medical observations adding more to the story. i particularly love how we get to see this all more or less take place in an academic setting. i don’t know if it’ll stay like that for the rest of the series but i am really committed, and i think there's something interesting to explore in this type of environment when he yu himself is majoring in screenwriting and directing, a field that plays as much a heavy hand to the story as all its medical content does, i'm sure...it's as if maybe it could be a commentary on how the world is a stage full of people who like to stick to the scripts for the sake of normalcy, but anyone who ventures outside the lines will be abused or shut down by all powers.
one character who takes the final bow in a sea of flames really makes this analysis strike deeply....
content warnings:
major: discussions & depiction of mental illness, fire-related deaths, suicide, drug misuse, and medical content
moderate: mentions of rape & murder, homophobia, alcohol content, and self-harm
minor: death of parents (d/t car accident)
god i love meatbun's writing so much :')
this is the first modern work i have read from her and it was just as immersive as her historical novels have been, which make me really happy. it also means it's just as twinged with bittersweet angst, so it's like a double-edged sword, really. but very worth it!!
i’m already so invested in he yu & xie qingcheng’s dynamic, it rings very familiar to the kind of dynamics meatbun has the habit to explore; but interestingly so, there seems to be a different kind of tension that really sets this pair apart. as a former patient & doctor, hy & xqc have seen the absolute worst of each other from their pasts and because of that, in their present, they always seem to be walking around a knife's edge around each other. this makes every scene they have together add even more to the mystery that's still at its beginning stages, and with how little we really get to know what that mystery looks like yet, it makes the story put you even more on edge (and i love it!!).
the focal point of it does revolve around a corrupted psychiatric hospital and its mentally ill patients, which really adds more to the tension as there's a great deal of discussion about mental illness that clearly will be explored for this series. the stigma around it still in modern society is a given, we all know that, but seeing how the story is starting to scrape into the surface by showing the harsher realities of cases like personality disorders makes a lot of scenes in this first volume hit really hard. i think he yu's character is compelling in that regard because while there's very little known yet to the reader about the full extent of his condition (referred to as 'psychological Ebola'), there's this mask that's clearly slipping in increments, and the dangers of it become more pronounced near the end of this book.
the intriguing thing about hy's character is that he carries that mask of charm & stability so well within the narrative, so much so that he's considered very highly by his peers, even as isolated as he makes himself out to be. he's even compared to some kind of noble consort with how refined his beauty & personality is in social settings!! knowing that that type of perception has been very carefully tuned so that the nature of his mental illness doesn't spread is one thing, but having it affect how we see him as the reader feels like a whole different type of story. we're aware that he's not all that he makes himself appear to be; we know there's more lying behind that mask that throughout the course of the story, will show all the worst and depraved parts of his illness, making all those warnings i've seen other readers make of him ring very clear--we know all of that. but yet i still couldn't help but be so charmed by his perspective. his outlook on the world, his reasoning behind certain decisions, the way he interacts with different characters beyond xie qingcheng; it all makes him feel like we're digging a little more each time into the crevices of his mind, and around the halfway point, you really get to see how that crevice begins to crumble just a bit.
his dynamic with xie xue, for example, feels most notable because at first, you get the idea that he clearly cannot be in love with her based on how he regards her at different points of the novel (calling her a dumbass, for example....not really in an endeared way, but also maybe a little? that's what's so confusing!!). he seems to actually look down on her quite a bit, which feels very ironic because she is five years his senior and xie qingcheng even more so, and yet hy & xqc both feel much more wise & perceptive than xie xue. which really is what partly leans into why i'm so interested in their relationship throughout the course of this volume!! going back to xie xue, though, again, it doesn't seem like he yu regards her that highly, and yet there is this painful sort of adoration he describes when he thinks on his feelings for her, and it's also shown in his multiple attempts to try and woo her.
i think maybe it comes from a place where in all the fake people there is in the world, including he yu-- who sees it all as a stage--xie xue seems to fall behind in her painfully naive perspective and earnest intentions. this makes her pretty gullible and seem a bit behind more than others, but it is a bit refreshing in the face of other characters who are much more conniving. he yu & xie xue have known each other for quite a long period of time, so there is some kind of connection between them both. but that connection seems to fray in & out sometimes, and only he yu really seems to notice because of how strongly he regards his romantic feelings. seeing how those feelings spiral, and how it also roots itself in a desperation for him to have that kind of connection to someone despite his illness, it really feels like a lot.
i can’t wait to see how this all develops even further, especially with xie qingcheng's medical observations adding more to the story. i particularly love how we get to see this all more or less take place in an academic setting. i don’t know if it’ll stay like that for the rest of the series but i am really committed, and i think there's something interesting to explore in this type of environment when he yu himself is majoring in screenwriting and directing, a field that plays as much a heavy hand to the story as all its medical content does, i'm sure...it's as if maybe it could be a commentary on how the world is a stage full of people who like to stick to the scripts for the sake of normalcy, but anyone who ventures outside the lines will be abused or shut down by all powers.
one character who takes the final bow in a sea of flames really makes this analysis strike deeply....
content warnings:
major: discussions & depiction of mental illness, fire-related deaths, suicide, drug misuse, and medical content
moderate: mentions of rape & murder, homophobia, alcohol content, and self-harm
minor: death of parents (d/t car accident)
February 18, 2024
I really wanted to love this one. I was so ready for it. I loved 2HA, I've really been enjoying the English release of Yuwu, so I figured that even though this wasn't a cultivation setting, even though the synopsis didn't sound like something I was super into that Meatbun's writing and characters would overcome that and I'd finish this book annoyed I didn't read it while the fan translation was still out. Oof, was I wrong.
There are two major issues here for me. The first, and most significant, is that Meatbun is trying to have a foot in both realism and the fantastical and that just simply is not working here. You show me He Yu with his off-the-wall make-believe disease, with his pseudo-blood parasites and clinical bloodthirst, and then you also have and then you also have a psychiatric hospital full of people with real illnesses, and a protracted bit with a homeless man who seems to have dementia and it just doesn't jibe. Set against real illnesses the fantastical illness seems clownish and ridiculous; set against the fantastical illness the real illnesses seem staid. I can see that there's going to be a throughline of "we should have compassion for people with mental illness" throughout the book but that's really hard to take in when one of these supposed mental illnesses involves a guy who can control people with his blood. This kind of messaging works in a fantasy setting because fantasy often lets you see the world anew, and while you're looking around with sort-of-fresh eyes the underlying message can come at you and really hit you. But here, where there are moments when you're thinking, I'm supposed to be taking this seriously? this blood thing? it's harder for it to get through.
Now, it may be that there are more fantastical mental illnesses further on in the story. But it does not seem worth it for me to continue on and find out, and that's due to the second major issue: the characters.
This really took me aback. The thing that got me hooked on 2HA - despite my lukewarm feelings for the first plot arc - and the thing that has me scratching at the walls, dying for the next volume of Yuwu to come out is Meatbun's skill with characterization. Mo Ran, Chu Wanning, Murong fucking Lian, like: how do you not get invested? How do you not want to see how they deal with all the insane situations they get thrown into? I never once felt this way about He Yu or Xie Qingcheng - never mind Xie Xue. Nothing about their lives seemed pressing or intriguing: He Yu's crush lacked the confused urgency and longing of Mo Ran with Shi Mei, and Xie Qingcheng's bitterness and heartbreak was so tepid. There were bits with Xie Qingcheng that seemed reminiscent of Chu Wanning - former colleagues who now hated him, a clear history there - but whatever happened there doesn't beg questions the same way Chu Wanning's distaste for Rufeng did, and I do think that's partially the fault of the setting. No reader knows a zongshi; but every reader probably knows a dude who changed jobs and has some beef with people at their old work place, so that doesn't call to the imagination as much. Really excellent characterization would've negated this difference, but again that wasn't in evidence here.
Overall, I was pretty disappointed to finish this book so underwhelmed. Like I said, I was so ready to love it. But not every book from every author can resonate.
There are two major issues here for me. The first, and most significant, is that Meatbun is trying to have a foot in both realism and the fantastical and that just simply is not working here. You show me He Yu with his off-the-wall make-believe disease, with his pseudo-blood parasites and clinical bloodthirst, and then you also have and then you also have a psychiatric hospital full of people with real illnesses, and a protracted bit with a homeless man who seems to have dementia and it just doesn't jibe. Set against real illnesses the fantastical illness seems clownish and ridiculous; set against the fantastical illness the real illnesses seem staid. I can see that there's going to be a throughline of "we should have compassion for people with mental illness" throughout the book but that's really hard to take in when one of these supposed mental illnesses involves a guy who can control people with his blood. This kind of messaging works in a fantasy setting because fantasy often lets you see the world anew, and while you're looking around with sort-of-fresh eyes the underlying message can come at you and really hit you. But here, where there are moments when you're thinking, I'm supposed to be taking this seriously? this blood thing? it's harder for it to get through.
Now, it may be that there are more fantastical mental illnesses further on in the story. But it does not seem worth it for me to continue on and find out, and that's due to the second major issue: the characters.
This really took me aback. The thing that got me hooked on 2HA - despite my lukewarm feelings for the first plot arc - and the thing that has me scratching at the walls, dying for the next volume of Yuwu to come out is Meatbun's skill with characterization. Mo Ran, Chu Wanning, Murong fucking Lian, like: how do you not get invested? How do you not want to see how they deal with all the insane situations they get thrown into? I never once felt this way about He Yu or Xie Qingcheng - never mind Xie Xue. Nothing about their lives seemed pressing or intriguing: He Yu's crush lacked the confused urgency and longing of Mo Ran with Shi Mei, and Xie Qingcheng's bitterness and heartbreak was so tepid. There were bits with Xie Qingcheng that seemed reminiscent of Chu Wanning - former colleagues who now hated him, a clear history there - but whatever happened there doesn't beg questions the same way Chu Wanning's distaste for Rufeng did, and I do think that's partially the fault of the setting. No reader knows a zongshi; but every reader probably knows a dude who changed jobs and has some beef with people at their old work place, so that doesn't call to the imagination as much. Really excellent characterization would've negated this difference, but again that wasn't in evidence here.
Overall, I was pretty disappointed to finish this book so underwhelmed. Like I said, I was so ready to love it. But not every book from every author can resonate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2025
first xue meng... then yue chenqing... and now chen man!! always trust queen meatbun to bless us with cinnamon rolls, i love my sons 🥹
about hexie they are just... 😈🧊❌🚭❓🚩👨❤️💋👨
meatbun never disappoints so we collectively say thank you queenie for this delicious meal oops book!! 💓
next volume i'm coming 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
about hexie they are just... 😈🧊❌🚭❓🚩👨❤️💋👨
meatbun never disappoints so we collectively say thank you queenie for this delicious meal oops book!! 💓
next volume i'm coming 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
April 19, 2025
Mi primer libro de Meatbun, tenía un poco de miedo por si esta autora no me gustaba pero no manas, ha estado increíble la experiencia, ya quiero leer mas.
February 20, 2024
Case File Compendium is a long-awaited official translation of the Chinese webnovel Bing An Ben by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou, a prolific author of historical danmei fantasies. Unlike their other series, this book has a contemporary Chinese setting and doesn’t have fantasy elements.
He Yu is a 19-year-old university student in the imaginary city of Huzhou (basically Shanghai.) He’s recently returned from living several years abroad, and wants to reconnect with the girl he’s loved for a long time, Xie Xue. She’s teaching screenwriting at the university, so that’s what he’ll study too. She’s several years older than him though, and only sees him as a childhood friend.
Xie Quingcheng is 32, a former doctor and current professor of medicine at a nearby university. He’s Xie Xue’s brother, and He Yu’s former doctor. He Yu suffers from an extremely rare (and imaginary) condition that’ll eventually drive him insane, if he doesn’t learn to control his emotions. And love, especially unrequited, isn’t good for him.
The premise of the three being connected throws the men constantly together. They don’t like each other much, and don’t really understand each other either, even though Xie Quingcheng is the only person who truly knows what He Yu is like and what is required of him so that he can remain sane. Both are extremely homophobic too, so even friendship under the guise of looking after a former patient isn’t likely. The first volume only sets the stage for their relationship.
Mostly, the book is a bit of a mess. A lot of things happen, a background conspiracy emerges, people come and go, and random stories pop up that have nothing to do with the characters or the plot. It takes a long time for the basic story to form and the reader to get the hang of the two men, especially since—in the manner of webnovels—their characters and backstories keep changing to fit the plot.
It’s amazing how much Xie Quingcheng has done for a relatively young man (though He Yu keeps calling him middle-aged), and how sane He Yu is for a psychopath. They’re fairly likeable characters nonetheless, and oddly well-suited for one another for such different people. The age gap is pronounced, but I didn’t find it problematic.
Contemporary China is an interesting setting. It remains kind of vague though, and I kept wishing there would be more of it. It’s mostly about the divide between the rich and poor, and traditional, patriarchal society and modern values—or the lack of them.
Despite the slow start, the story becomes fairly compelling towards the end, lifting it from a three-star book to a four-star one. The first volume ends at a small cliffhanger that comes out of the blue. However, since it is about the background plot, it’s not terribly annoying. The game between the two men has only started, and I’m interested in reading where it’ll lead.
He Yu is a 19-year-old university student in the imaginary city of Huzhou (basically Shanghai.) He’s recently returned from living several years abroad, and wants to reconnect with the girl he’s loved for a long time, Xie Xue. She’s teaching screenwriting at the university, so that’s what he’ll study too. She’s several years older than him though, and only sees him as a childhood friend.
Xie Quingcheng is 32, a former doctor and current professor of medicine at a nearby university. He’s Xie Xue’s brother, and He Yu’s former doctor. He Yu suffers from an extremely rare (and imaginary) condition that’ll eventually drive him insane, if he doesn’t learn to control his emotions. And love, especially unrequited, isn’t good for him.
The premise of the three being connected throws the men constantly together. They don’t like each other much, and don’t really understand each other either, even though Xie Quingcheng is the only person who truly knows what He Yu is like and what is required of him so that he can remain sane. Both are extremely homophobic too, so even friendship under the guise of looking after a former patient isn’t likely. The first volume only sets the stage for their relationship.
Mostly, the book is a bit of a mess. A lot of things happen, a background conspiracy emerges, people come and go, and random stories pop up that have nothing to do with the characters or the plot. It takes a long time for the basic story to form and the reader to get the hang of the two men, especially since—in the manner of webnovels—their characters and backstories keep changing to fit the plot.
It’s amazing how much Xie Quingcheng has done for a relatively young man (though He Yu keeps calling him middle-aged), and how sane He Yu is for a psychopath. They’re fairly likeable characters nonetheless, and oddly well-suited for one another for such different people. The age gap is pronounced, but I didn’t find it problematic.
Contemporary China is an interesting setting. It remains kind of vague though, and I kept wishing there would be more of it. It’s mostly about the divide between the rich and poor, and traditional, patriarchal society and modern values—or the lack of them.
Despite the slow start, the story becomes fairly compelling towards the end, lifting it from a three-star book to a four-star one. The first volume ends at a small cliffhanger that comes out of the blue. However, since it is about the background plot, it’s not terribly annoying. The game between the two men has only started, and I’m interested in reading where it’ll lead.
March 16, 2024
Reading this felt like the author came up with one single vague concept to explore mental disorders and just went to town with it.
(What if there was a disorder that could actually KILL you and lead you to act up? Well, guess what-)
You can tell there was not much double checking, researching or planning. "Shallow" is the key word for this book. This is a 1st draft of a 1st draft.
Ignoring the lack of plot, character chemistry and depth (xie is just a shitty doctor and heyu a man child) or editing, the writing itself has such huge dips in quality. You can tell this by the lack of consistency: the 1st chapter is actually good, some paragraphs and descriptions are fun (enough to see what could have been) and then the rest is mind numbing, downright silly and surprisingly boring.
Just- this needed so much more polishing.
(What if there was a disorder that could actually KILL you and lead you to act up? Well, guess what-)
You can tell there was not much double checking, researching or planning. "Shallow" is the key word for this book. This is a 1st draft of a 1st draft.
Ignoring the lack of plot, character chemistry and depth (xie is just a shitty doctor and heyu a man child) or editing, the writing itself has such huge dips in quality. You can tell this by the lack of consistency: the 1st chapter is actually good, some paragraphs and descriptions are fun (enough to see what could have been) and then the rest is mind numbing, downright silly and surprisingly boring.
Just- this needed so much more polishing.
March 1, 2024
❤️ Case File Compendium - Meatbun ❤️
❤️🔥 enemies (to lovers)
💌 age gap
🧠 mental illness
🔎 mystery
🪭 danmei
so another win of a Meatbun danmei 💞 she seriously cannot write anything bad! although this book contains heavy subjects and is not for everyone... (mental illness, murder, abuse etc.) it seems to be really interesting as I cannot wait for Xie and He Yu to become closer ❤️🔥🤌🏻 this is PEAK ENEMIES FIRST and lovers next 🥰 nothing major (or nothing romantic) happens at all but it sure promises a damn fine and REAL transition from antagonizing one another to caring for each other ❤️ the little breadcrumbs are already here in this first volume 🙌🏻
❤️🔥 enemies (to lovers)
💌 age gap
🧠 mental illness
🔎 mystery
🪭 danmei
so another win of a Meatbun danmei 💞 she seriously cannot write anything bad! although this book contains heavy subjects and is not for everyone... (mental illness, murder, abuse etc.) it seems to be really interesting as I cannot wait for Xie and He Yu to become closer ❤️🔥🤌🏻 this is PEAK ENEMIES FIRST and lovers next 🥰 nothing major (or nothing romantic) happens at all but it sure promises a damn fine and REAL transition from antagonizing one another to caring for each other ❤️ the little breadcrumbs are already here in this first volume 🙌🏻
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