Amanda > Recent Status Updates

I'm not sure if I'll finish this this year because my ability to read disintegrated again, but I'm at chapter 80+! It's a wildly uneven book and the main romance sucks tbh (though the chapter 81 confession was hilarious) but I'm really fond of Lin Jue, the thirty-something jiejie who has truly weird and scary hobbies and was recently revealed to be grieving a long-term relationship.

The post-tournament cases haven't been great but I like the subplot where ZJY is learning to draw talismans. There are more romantic hints, but no real romantic chemistry, and the "main" plot is nowhere in sight, so it doesn't feel like we're going anywhere. I hope things pick up again!

The chapters have been getting meatier and I've been really enjoying the horror + competition arcs, though I think I was most invested in the first two cases that were smaller, and more self-contained and emotionally connected. The bridge case seems like a combination of both big and small imbalances, so we'll see how that goes! Fingers crossed that the girls get a peaceful resolution. ;A;

First impressions, based on chapters 1-4:

- VERY STRONG first chapter, 10/10 for how it pulls you in atmospherically and emotionally.

- I like the storytelling where you're sort of experiencing everything in real time, and information about the world they live in is revealed as the main character has more encounters.

Chapter 2:
蘑菇的睡眠是静静待在一个地方，等待时光的流逝，但人类的睡眠好像不一样。闭上眼睛不久后，无边无际的黑暗就像潮水一样漫上来，他的身体变轻了，或者说他好像在渐渐失去自己的身体。

Perhaps she should hire someone fluent in Chinese. Art might know someone—a linguistics student, a retired professor old enough to be versed in the traditional characters and not just the simplified ones.

Wow Ruth there's no need to call 繁體-ers old. 😂 But yes your pain is valid. 😂

Reading this in the year 2023 and the line But unraveling the rest required her to match LuLing’s squiggly radicals to uniform ones in a Chinese-English dictionary. took me out. Life before Pleco. 😂

Chapter 163 has the awkward/funny scene where Cai Quan and Shen Zhui witness the awkwardness between Jingyan and Mei Changsu, and the... pastry hijinks. And then it turns very, very sad. (Foya, Feiliu, MCS, + JY scene.)

Chapter 157: Scenes that weren't in the show. Oof.
可当新任太子一步一步踏上东宫主殿的白玉石阶时，他突然觉得是在踏着朋友咬牙支撑的背脊，脚一软，不由跌坐在阶前。

Chapter 156: Thanks I didn't need my heart anyway:

他就象是一团熊熊烈火被扑灭后余下地那一抹灰烬，虽然会让人联想到曾经存在过地那团火焰，却再也没有火焰的灼灼热量和舞动地姿态。

Still chapter 155:
“你们对我的情义，有时候难免会成为牵累。”
(“Sometimes your affections/loyalties to me can’t help but be a burden.”)

Chapter 155

Lin Chen:
"他是你地少帅，又不是我的。对我来说，他就是梅长苏。” 蔺晨的唇边一直保持着一丝笑纹，但眼睛里却毫无笑意，“我一直帮你，是尽朋友之责，要了你的心愿，可不是帮你自杀的。"

Read vol2 mostly in English (because I got distracted by other books), but not much happened in that volume. Xia Dong's entrance was super cool, and was Master Thirteen's.

Reading this via this year's Dracula Daily and I have no idea how far along we are, lol.

Unsure if I can finish this (it's 229 chapters long, and the TV adaptation is coming out this week, lol), but I'm enjoying it a lot so far! Very introspective characterization, and emotional storylines that connect.

CH26 (vol2 ch5): the line of empathy from MCS to Liyang to Nihuang was so well done. Reading the line about LS too young to know the version of Liyang who was bright and nimble and competitive in hunting hurt; Also: 霓凰虽然不是我的血亲，但她那种炫目神采，常令我想起过去，心中爱羡

CH 27 (vol2 ch6): is a lot of fun! Mu Qing and Yujin bring a lot of energy.

Started reading this in anticipation of the TV adaption, but I don't think I can read this fast enough (or keep track of the characters, lol). It's pretty fascinating to read a translated work, though. I'm not used to reading JP names in CN (which just imports the kanji), so names have been a challenge. The first time I saw 二郎 (Jirou in JP), I did a complete double-take bc of CN deity associations.

Vol 1: The first volume (21 chapters) was slow and a bit choppy and hard to sink one's teeth into, held together by Yan Yujin's presence. Highlights: Xie Yu's EXTREMELY cinematic character introduction; Mei Changsu's theatrical asides to the audience; =Yujin fighting with a fan (+ backstory); MCS suddenly using kinship terms on Prince Qi's family when he's alone w/ Meng Zhi; MZ getting to hold MCS's hand and hug him.

Didn't think I'd see the day when I'd be reading this in the original language, but book club picked this. First few chapters are short and surprisingly more readable than expected, not too dense--it helps a lot that I'm already familiar with the characters and settings. Let's see how long it takes for me to either switch to English or drop it altogether haha.

ch24: The Ring shenanigans were amazing, I'd have loved to see this chapter adapted into any visual media.

ch 28: These 4 chapters (TV ghost arc) have been the best and most emotional so far (but still funny and heartwarming)! The author's notes that give you other PoVs are super funny (the ones for ch27 & 28 are my favorite). The longer you've known a ghost, the more bittersweet their departures. ;___;

Chapter 21 - Mr. Shen having full confidence with the power of his pecs, bless him. No one can touch that and remain unmoved, it is known:
"小宁是对我有好感的，毕竟我的胸肌是那么结实，这绝对不是我的错觉！"

Chapter 21 is long but hilarious, featuring a flashback to the ghost in the girls' dormitory, but my favorite part is how DONE Mr. Shen is with his roommate's uselessness:
"她们宿舍在三楼，将窗帘绑成绳子拉我们上去，我当时为了追求学长身体锻炼得极好，两三下就爬上去了，舍友个没出息的，最后还得我拽他。"


"我觉得他没用极了，既然看不到，那人一定是在小窗下方啊！那个位置，只有窗下也就是门前是死角。"

Reading this for book club! I'm only 4 chapters in—not sure if I like this type of MC, but the plot, writing style, jokes, and vocabulary require very little mental engagement and has a modern-day setting; good for people who have low Chinese literacy (aka me HAHA). I was v busy this week so I just skimmed but had no trouble understanding any of the scenes, even though I was barely parsing the words.

Impression of chapters 9–14:
I super enjoyed the sports/competition tropes. Very fun potato-chip reading, but I’d have done away w/ the chapter w/ mushrooms bc it felt extraneous. Surely you can engineer a delirious butt-grab WHILE advancing plot? XD

The MC’s POV, so despondently convinced that he’s misjudged & is about to be ground to dust by the ML, makes for good low-stakes tension haha.

ch11:
No context, just: “两人好歹也是摸过屁股的关系，”

ch12-13:
Loving the feel-good metaphors of fengshui tournament round 1: in w/c they basically have to go mining w/ the power of their insights. Everyone else picks up rocks w/ telltale veins & the MC picks a wholeass lifeless boulder that’s been passed over for 8 years.

They also have to call the tournament a Science Competition, I guess because taboo?

ch8:

两人一前一后，走到玄关时，背对着周嘉鱼的林逐水，却轻轻的问了句：“你看到了吗？”

周嘉鱼茫然：“什么？”

林逐水抬手指了指天花板。

周嘉鱼抬头，在看到了天花板上的东西后，倒吸了一口凉气。就在客厅里孩子熟睡的婴儿车上方的天花板上，竟是倒挂着三个黑漆漆的黑影，他们的面容虽然有些模糊，但周嘉鱼却隐约能从他们的脸上感觉出喜悦。

周嘉鱼说：“他们是在高兴……？”

林逐水道：“嗯。”


Oh no the ceiling babies are cute. (I hope we don't get any more sinister updates for this case haha it's so sad but sweet.)

ch6:

LZS:
It called you mommy.

ZJY:
...

LZS:
And asked for milk.

ZJY:
*about to cry*

LZS
I lied.