Silent Reading (IV)

Silent Reading #4

by Priest, E. Danglers (Translator)

Childhood, upbringing, family background, social relations, traumatic experiences…

We keep reviewing and seeking out the motives of criminals, exploring the subtlest emotions driving them. It’s not to put ourselves in their shoes and sympathize, or even forgive them; it’s not to find some reasons to exculpate their crimes; it’s not to kneel down before the so-called “complexity of human nature”; nor to introspect social conflicts, much less to alienate ourselves into monsters.

We just want to have a fair trial – for ourselves and for those who still have hope for the world.

Genres: China, Mystery, Romance, LGBT, Crime, Contemporary, Novels

420 pages, ebook

About the author

Associated Names:
* Priest
* พีต้า (Thai Profile)

Reviews

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐

I was deciding for a long time how to rate this vol. It's probably a me problem but I was so confused about this case. Everything started to get conected, so I really should've payed more attention in previous cases 🫣 Still, I had a little more trouble staying invested in the plot. However, my enjoyment of zhoudu relationship was the same as ever! They are really going into their full domestic era 🫶 (Since this is vol 4 already, I think I don't need to specifically announaced there are most likely some spoilers.)


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We start this volume with Fei Du still being in a hospital. Since Wenzhou got back to work, he sends his mother to bring Fei Du food. Comrade Mu Xiaoqing is, of course, taking the opportunity to see for herself, who her son's lover is 😆 I love this scene so much because Fei Du is so startled about learning the identity of this misterious lady, that he just says his ily confession to Luo Wenzhou over the phone 😂

“What’s the matter?”
In a somewhat strange voice, Fei Du said, “Nothing. I love you, shixiong.”
Luo Wenzhou knew perfectly well that the words “I love you” coming out of Fei Du’s mouth were about the same as “Have you eaten?” but he still accidentally bumped into a drinking fountain in the hall.

I love them so much ❤️ just look at them! For all of their skills in their respecitve fields, they are extremly clumsy at this relationship thing, haha. But especially Luo Wenzhou is determined to excel in this too. He made me completely mushy about his taking care of Fei Du. Or more correctly trying to take care of Fei Du because gods forbid that President Fei would ever need taking care of. (*Luo Wenzhou's voice* "Then why are you in the hospita all the time, Feishir?")


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So when, using the master bedroom as a guest room, he carried in fresh bedding to lay out for Fei Du, Fei Du evidently got the wrong impression.
Luo Wenzhou hadn’t yet straightened up when a familiar Mu Xiang scent came up from behind him. Then he was hugged from behind, one very badly behaved hand hooking around his waist, the other hand lightly brushing past his neck and pressing his lips; then there was a breath at his ear.
Luo Wenzhou’s ear buzzed. His body didn’t wait for instructions; without authorization, it was already half on fire. He grabbed Fei Du’s wrist, thinking his own palm was so hot it was humiliating.
Luo Wenzhou said, “Don’t mess around.”

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Luo Wenzhou felt Fei Du’s heartbeat. He’d heard that it had stopped once, so when Fei Du had just gotten out of the ICU, he’d been unable to resist listening to Fei Du’s heart, thinking that he’d have done anything to make that weak and sluggish heartbeat liven up again.
…now that it had livened up, Luo Wenzhou was somewhat regretful, wanting to eat his words from back then.

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Perhaps Luo Wenzhou had sprinkled some sleep aid onto it, or perhaps Fei Du had been tired out by the tossing around; as soon as he touched the pillow, his eyelids began to droop. He raised his free hand against the gentle light of the bedside lamp, half screening his eyes, murkily saying, “Then what did you bring me home for?”
Luo Wenzhou sat silently at the side of the bed for a while. “I want to take care of you.
Can’t I?”

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Luo Wenzhou had absolutely no idea that he was disturbing his pure dreams. He propped both hands on the mattress, half rose, and looked over to study Fei Du’s “sleeping countenance” by the faint light of night. He looked for a while, then he really couldn’t help himself; he leaned close and kissed Fei Du lightly, then gently pulled him into his arms—he could only do these things by stealth while Fei Du was sleeping, or else the joker would probably climb all over him.
Fei Du: “…” Like a corpse, he let Luo Wenzhou move him around; the breathing he’d thought was bothersome was now right at the base of his ear, and the rising and falling chest was pressed closely to his back. One of the quilts had been set aside unused. It was a particularly crowded position.
Fei Du helplessly thought, “Forget it.”
The words “forget it” seemed to be a magic spell; the results were instant. As soon as he thought them, all the bothersome details around him settled, and Fei Du actually slept through the night.

These two have me in a chokehold!!!! I can't 🫠🫠🫠🫠 I don't know what's with priest's couples that I always go feral over them. I'm literally reading a crime novel (and enjoying it!) just so I can gush about zhoudu! ➡️ And then me proceeds to be speechless because everytime I love something too much, I'm incapable of expressing it, oh well. Anyway, I want to study their relationship under the microscope. Luo Wenzhou is trying so much to be chill about it, as to not scare Fei Du out of it, while Fei Du doesn't even know they are in a real relationship. Or more likely, he doesn't want to acknowledge it because it's easier to pretend to have zero feelings.

“Say something if I hurt you, and tell me if you can’t take it, all right?” Luo Wenzhou spoke into Fei Du’s ear, his breathing rapid. Fei Du’s hair was stark black against the snow white pillowcase; Luo Wenzhou could only maintain a roughly human appearance by gritting his teeth. “I know you like to torture yourself, but I don’t like that. I don’t like you being in pain.”
Fei Du didn’t have the attention to spare to consider the meaning behind his words, because he was only now finding out that he and Luo Wenzhou perhaps had different views on certain subjects.
“No.” Fei Du gave a dry laugh. “Wait a minute…”

I almost forget about how in the middle of all emotional turmoil they are both getting through, Fei Du is also faced with an unexpected twist that Luo Wenzhou is not a bottom 😆 my precious baby was so preocupied with scheming, that he completely overlooked all the signs, that Luo Wenzhou has been pampering him like a pillow princess since (almost) the start of the book. But don't worry, darling, you will like Wenzhou's tehinque 😉😉

He wanted to love him, wanted to take care of him, wanted to slowly unwrap his convoluted, unknowable heart like opening a beautifully wrapped package. Luo Wenzhou had started on a path with his one-sided declaration, had made his preparations for a long and arduous journey, carrying a traveling bag of patience on his back.
But he’d had him by his side only a few days when that bastard had once again thrown him off his proper pace. It was as if he’d been bewitched.
The sudden physical intimacy had made him throw away all his defenses, filling his heart with deep-rooted desires. It had also pushed him onto a roller coaster. All the things he’d originally planned to take his time on had at once become things he was itching with impatience to get on with.
Luo Wenzhou was impatient to hear Fei Du say what he’d been thinking when the bomb on that fatal cold chain truck had gone off, and why he’d grabbed him.
He was impatient to open up Fei Du’s maze-like chest and see his own progress, see how far he’d gone. Impatient to hear a few sentences of truth come out of his mouth, to hear him own up to all the facts.

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Just this everything!! *gestures to all these long quotes* 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Did I mention already how much I love them together?? Even when they are a total mess and when Luo Wenzhou is a lying lier who lies. Just keep telling yourself this, Captain Luo, you're not fooling anyone.

Fei Du was as bothersome as could be, not at all lovable. Right now, Luo Wenzhou thought that there wasn’t a single adorable thing about him, from the roots of his hair to his heels. What had he spent these past few months constantly thinking about him for?
This bit of goods was only fit for dragging home, stripping naked, and throwing on the bed.

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They are a mess and so am I because I have no idea where I'm going with this review. I had to cut out some quotes for this not getting way too long (as if it's not already) but I really liked those scenes with Luo Wenzhou's parents. His mom is of course already totally on board with their relationship and is half ready to adopt Fei Du like a stray kitten. But what I didn't expect was for the father to also be agreeing and even saying to Fei Du they are both there for him because he doesn't have parents anymore 🥹🥹🥹🥹 and if I'm getting overwhelmed, imgine what that did to Fei Du. My poor baby was read to run like there's an apocalypce.


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“There’s nothing to misunderstand.” Luo Wenzhou’s hand tightened involuntarily, encircling Fei Du’s wrist hard enough to hurt a little. “They came over on purpose to see you today and behaved that way because I formally told them…” Fei Du was inexplicably somewhat panicked and tried subconsciously to interrupt him.
“Shixiong.”
“…that you’re the person I’m planning to spend a lifetime with.”

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“I’d really love nothing better than to…” After a good while, Luo Wenzhou sighed, lowered his head, and gently kissed his dry lips, quietly saying, “Dig out your evil heart and rotten lungs and have a look.”

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“You asshole.” Luo Wenzhou repeatedly jabbed Fei Du’s chest with one finger. “You actually do care for me, you didn’t have any other ideas before, and now you want to stay with me. Do you dare to admit it?”
Fei Du froze under his attentive gaze for three seconds. Then he snatched his jabbing paw and instantly pressed Luo Wenzhou against the little dining table, stopping his mouth with biting force.
[...]
“Yes, I care for you.”

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You will have to imagine all the kisses but I still think they did amazing job in the drama with all emotions they were allowed to show. Ok, time to wrap this review up, haha. I need to mention as well how much I love them being a couple in public. They were both already out, so them being together was probably not such a surprise to everyone (Xiao Haiyang excluded because I think he still doesn't know) and even if they are not exactly overly PDA, I love how they are comfortable with each other.

Tao Ran watched Luo Wenzhou pull apart the crowd to go into the room and grab Fei Du. He really couldn’t resist smiling, feeling that his two anxieties had cancelled each other out, like fighting fire with fire. He truly felt at ease.

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Haha, a rare sight of Tao Ran smiling because of them because I still think they are mostly causing him headache 🤭🤭

"I have a favor to ask… A little while ago some bastard scraped my significant other’s car and wasn’t caught at the time…"

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Look at that smile 😏😏 Fei Du is like 'that's my future husband, everyone' 😏

Luo Wenzhou dodged left and right, checking on Tao Ran and Xiao Haiyang’s positions in the dining room. Then, without warning, he pressed Fei Du into a corner out of their line of sight and personally tasted his mouth.
The kitchen door was half open; if they’d only stuck out their heads, Tao Ran and Xiao Haiyang would have seen. Fei Du could even hear their low voices. Luo Wenzhou’s sudden surprise attack of a kiss was unusually turbulent, almost fretful, entirely at odds with the “relaxed and cheerful” atmosphere of the weekend hotpot gathering.
Likely anyone faced with a knife to the back would have found it difficult to maintain true calm.
The winter air was dry, and lips were delicate. Fei Du hissed and hurriedly turned his head away slightly, grabbing Luo Wenzhou’s hand, almost inaudibly saying into his ear, “Darling, if you bite through and I bleed, you’ll have to carry me out of here on your back.”
Luo Wenzhou already had the results of his analysis and smacked him indignantly. “I’ll carry you out over my shoulder—you weren’t drinking? Do you ever tell the truth?”
Fei Du turned his head to cover up his entirely unrepentant smile and gently licked Luo Wenzhou’s earlobe.

Alright, the last thing. I was a tiny bit dissapointed that the last action scene was not more exciting. Well, good for them to be more safe and sound during this dangerous mission but Luo Wenzhou swating over trying to disarm the bomb and Fei Du destroying another one of his cars to get to him, was such an amazing scene! Still, we got some more of sweet moments, so who am I to complain 😍

Luo Wenzhou was accustomed to being a team captain; as soon as it came to business, especially when time was very tight, his manner would be intense. Having said this much in one breath, he remembered that this was Fei Du, not one of his grunts. He hastily softened his voice slightly.

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Luo Wenzhou clicked his tongue, very unsatisfied with his roundabout means of expression. Taking no care whatsoever to evade the onlooker, he reached into the front seat, brushed Fei Du’s chin, and pinched his earlobe. “Got it. You love me. I’ll be careful.”

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[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something so satisfying about a hard earned slow burn and Priest delivers again and again. In addition to having a great plot and characters, the subtle humor had me laughing out loud throughout the book. And I don't even know where to begin with how much I loved Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du’s relationship ❤️ The cute, sweet, and flirty moments between them are what made the book for me.

LW: super caring (in an almost aggressive way 😂) , protective, fiercely loyal and devoted. The unwavering love and support he has for FD is EVERYTHING.
FD: charismatic with a brilliant mind, sassy but definitely hiding a lot due to a very traumatic past.


This is broken up into five books, each focusing on a different crime with them all being interconnected in some way by the end of the book. Crime/thriller/mystery is not my go-to genre so by the end of the book I was ready for it to end- I feel like that is definitely a me problem though.

While I really enjoyed this novel, Can Ci Pin is still #1 for me for Priest's novels (might change when I finish Sha Po Lang and Guardian). This is a much tighter story but was just a little longer than my attention span could handle.

[amax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format read: kindle
Reading time: A couple of months (it was on hiatus for way too long)
Tags: translation, trauma, lgbt (m/m, bi), crime, detective fiction, mystery, psychological
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 8/10

Review:
Omg, Priest is such a genius. I am, once again, reminded of why I'm a mega fan of her work.

Book 4 is, like the previous volumes, a high octane story featuring a complex murder case with a whole underground web of nefarious people. Luo Wenzhou and his team are sent to work on the gruesome murder of a high school boy. The only witness to the crime is a girl of the same age, utterly traumatized and unable to cooperate with the investigation. Luo Wenzhou soon discovers that the boy's murderer is one of the most wanted criminals for multiple murders some 15 years before this case. The more the team digs into this case, the more they uncover the ugliness of the student's school, severe bullying, murderers in hiding, and corporate entities handling all of it in the background.

This book also gives us a lot more information on Fei Du's horrible childhood and his current plans and obsessions with destroying his father's "legacy" through whichever means possible. As expected, Luo Wenzhou refuses to see him self-destruct, and so the pair have frequent heavy and loaded conversations about what Fei Du should and shouldn't do. Now that Luo Wenzhou is officially in his life, he has turned into a full-on mother hen and is in protective mode 24/7.

I found that the middle section of the book dragged, but all the complexities of the various characters involved in this story are, ultimately necessary to understand (and solve) the case. As always with Priest, the murder cases are more prominent in the story than the DuZhou dynamic, yet when she gives us moments between the two, they're stellar. Their chemistry is explosive, and things go from 0 to 100 so quickly, then back to 0 within the span of a couple of paragraphs. Following their relationship is like being on a rollercoaster (not on the level of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 1, but more like Guardian: Zhen Hun (Novel) Vol. 1, which makes sense).

Also, unrelated to the book's plot, but I keep thinking of the Justice in the dark LA that was tragically cut short. Zhang Xin Cheng as Fei Du and Fu Xin Bo as Luo Wenzhou live in my brain rent free, and every time they pop up in the book, which is basically on every page, I just picture the actors haha. Here's to hoping that the rest of the show will be released one day...



Onto book 5 for the grand finale!

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.85 stars

And the plot thickens... **light spoilers**

This volume covers technically one case that devolves into something deeper, but in my mind, it splits into two definable halves: a group of runaway teens escaping academic and social pressures within their private school's insidious ecosystem that ends up with one of them brutally murdered; and a long-escaped near-forgotten serial murderer reappearing, not out of his own volition, but by contract.

All those thin threads that have been woven throughout each of the cases so far, those unanswered questions are finally coming together in this volume. Following the trail of just who hired this serial killer (who'd been hiding for fifteen years steeps Luo Wenzhou and his team at the investigation bureau even deeper into the web of the dark criminal underground plaguing Yan City.

This world is too complicated. Countless sordid things have been accumulating underground for a long time, like chronic illnesses that can never heal.

And the one who shines the most light on this dark conspiracy? Fei Du himself. Finally, Fei Du reveals the cards he's been holding, the secrets weighing him down ever since these interconnected cases began, opening up to Luo Wenzhou about both his traumatic past and his concealed feelings toward him.

While I found the first half of the case intriguing enough, as it shifts into the second half of the investigation focusing more on the serial killer and the organization that hired him, we sort of lose the characters and the events of the first half of the case--the horrific bullying and social pressures facing the students at the private school where the group of teenagers ran away from. Bigger fish to fry, certainly, but I felt that this part of the case gets dropped once Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du start tracking down the forces behind Lu Guosheng (the serial killer hired out by a larger assassination group). The second half of the case really picks up speed, and it's made even more suspenseful by the threat of a mole in the bureau that Luo Wenzhou and Tao Ran have been trying to discover since the previous volume.

What I loved about this volume is the growth for Fei Du. As soon as his cards are on the table, and he finds, to his great relief, that Luo Wenzhou has still chosen to trust him, we finally get to see Fei Du's behind-the-scenes dealings on the main stage. And boy oh boy does this man know how to pull his resources. For the second half of the case, Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du team up as the power couple we always knew they could be, with Fei Du's resources and Luo Wenzhou's fearless initiative combining to narrowly catch the killer and bring down a whole leg of the criminal organization they're finally closing in on.

Whereas the previous volume had leaps and bounds for the romantic development mostly on Luo Wenzhou's part, this volume finally FINALLY gives us the beautiful balance of both Luo Wenzhou's utter soft-heartedness toward Fei Du and Fei Du's long-withheld feelings for Luo Wenzhou. While things are still rocky as they navigate titles and boundaries, the open communication and tenderness that both parties exhibit in this volume are utterly heart-warming. This volume is beautifully decorated with small, domestic moments between the new lovers (and plenty of Luo Yiguo shenanigans).

With his arms crossed over his chest, Luo Wenzhou watched his master Fei and master cat. His heart....finally seemed to return to his body, slowly sinking into his chest, producing a flower, the scientific name of which was "calm."

There are so many of these little moments of Luo Wenzhou realizing how at peace and at home he feels with Fei Du in his life, but while we've seen so much of Luo Wenzhou's longing this whole time, Fei Du's inner emotions are finally opening up as well.

"I want you." This had originally been just a casual line of flirtation, but the instant he said it, it raised a mighty uproar in Fei Du's heart, as if an uninvited spring breeze had ruptured a vast field of snow, creating something out of nothing, sweeping everything away, the enormous echoes surging through his heart, quivering endlessly. As if he'd inadvertently spat up a bloody piece of his true heart.

The raw emotions in this volume, the baring of each others' chests, really drive home why this couple is one of my favorites in any Priest novel. They're both strong independent characters individually, but once they begin to open up to each other, constantly choosing each other, we still get major character development for both of them. So proud of these boys and the little home they're making together. Even if master cat #1 Luo Yiguo tries his best to ruin their intimate moments by breaking anything in sight. (Still love him.)

[kay! ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰*ੈ✩‧₊˚ three ✰’s

the way priest weaves together plot is immaculate which is why i’m so bummed that i didn’t like this book in the series as much as i liked the others. with the other volumes in this series it did take me awhile to get into each new case but once i did i was speeding through the pages trying to connect each and every dot.

that never happened with this case, which sucks, because zhoudu still makes me want to scream (in a good day), luo yiguo still is my (second favorite only because da qing from guardian exists) cat in danmei, the side characters are entertaining and the writing is always 🤌🏻

there’s still one more book left to go in mo du so i’m crossing my fingers that the case there will pull me in better than this one did!!!

[Stephrewritten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know why but this one took me a little more to hold attention for. I still really enjoyed it and the development of their chemistry 🤭 I think a lot was coming together but also felt confused at certain points and have to double back. But overall, really enjoyed it, I do love how everything is tied together and slowly unraveling. I’m excited for the final volume!

[⋆ ࣪˖ ִֶָ sel ་༘࿐ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 ZhouDu is just something else. Aside from the very complex case that Priest had concocted; their relationship here is really intricate. The way the two move and communicate as a couple is so good. Especially with their dynamic. Fei Du is detached and likes to run away, so Luo Wenzhou would always do things to run towards Fei Du without scaring his person entirely and try to communicate patiently with him. He loves and cares for Fei Du so much, and so does Fei Du to him.

Looking forward for more. I won't talk about the case so it won't spoil anything. But it's very moving, and I love how it helped us take a glimpse inside Fei Du's mind and history.

[ukiyopei · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy shit priest is a genius. how did they come up with something this complicated?

[Leena · Rating 5 out of 5]

and when you say that priest can't top the previous story she goes above and beyond.

[Devinne Ch · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The human-shaped monster’s footsteps were already right behind them; as they cried out to heaven and earth in the empty streets, neither heaven nor earth answered.".

So... When I started this volume rereading, the live action wasn't even halfway through the last one, and I honestly expected to wait until this one was fully adapted to read it. However, with that ending from vol. 3 there was absolutely no way I could just wait so long to continue, so I decided to read only the first chapters to relieve a bit of my anxiety, the thing is, when I realized I did not only finish the entire thing, but even started the next one 🤡 (jokes on me).

"Sometimes, a person’s thoughts aren’t free, because external forces are constantly trying to mold you. They force you to accept mainstream tastes, force you to listen to whoever has the loudest voice—even if it doesn’t accord with your logic or your character, even if it’s entirely against your interests. But as long as the real you still has one last gasp left in her, she’ll always be trying to make a weak noise.".

I'm sincerely mostly impressed at how much of this volume I had completely forgotten, I remember that I was like "wtf is going on!!??" and "this happened!!??" for most of it. I said before that it was surprising how many details from the first 3 volumes I didn't remember, but this time, nevermind the details, I completely forgot THE ENTIRE PLOT!!? I couldn't even remember what it was about, it was like reading it for the first time (which I loved I need to admit) 😅, I started to remember a few things halfway through the book, mostly like "deja vus", but yeah, I'm still shocked with my own memory.

“Dear Mom and Dad, I’m leaving you this letter because I worry every day, pondering in pain what I was born for.”.

The case starts with a group of high school kids from an elite school running away during the holidays because of the "pressure". However when one of those kids gets killed in an horrifying way that results being the same as a series of murders from 15 years ago, the team starts digging up on things and discovers that the case is quite a bit more complicated and disturbing than they once thought.

"This person had killed and robbed. He was cruel and ruthless. He made no distinction between a human life and a dog’s life—they were both a joke to him.
Towards parents or siblings, relatives or friends, he was without exception unfeeling, without exception indifferent. He only cared about [...], this daughter he’d never met—because in his eyes, she wasn’t a person; she was a “family line,” a family treasure of the sort that was very precious, even if you didn’t know what use it had.".

This case touches a lot on economic differences, bullying, marginalization (specially among teenagers at school), abuse of power and decades old conspiracies from big corporations, including public servants and killers for rent.

Our little comrade Xiao Haiyang also gets a bit of spotlight and development in this arc, he's such a nice kid, I would like to give him a hug (even though sometimes he desperate me a bit). This case is quite a bit personal to him, since someone he loved was involved in it, we learn a bit about his past and about how he decided to become a cop, it's quite heartwarming and bittersweet at the same time.

"She finally demonstrated for me that if you couldn’t be free, it was better to die.".

From an outlooker point of view the happenings of this case might seem quite absurd, and even exaggerated, because most people wouldn't imagine kids being capable of such kind of doing, but reality is very different, specially if those kids are used to doing what they want without suffering consequences . I currently live in a city that holds a lot of elite schools, no simple private schools, ELITE schools, and news about creepy stuff happening there aren't really rare, the terrible treatment students from more humble backgrounds suffer (from both the school and their colleagues), in particular if they are not white or are there on scholarships is frankly deshumanising, everything usually gets weeped under the rug and there are rarely legal consequences.

The funny thing is that this second time reading the novel this one is, at least for now, my favorite case, I really have no idea how I even forgot about it.

"Luo Wenzhou was human; sometimes a human couldn’t avoid being covetous, couldn’t avoid being endlessly greedy.".

In this volume the relationship between Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du starts to deepen and evolve to... "more", they finally admit their true feelings for each other and work on a lot of the tension there was around them, by being honest and trusting each other their feelings and their secrets. Especially regarding Fei Du's childhood and relationship with his parents (and between his parents), a lot of questions finally get answered (as inevitably numerous others arise), and some things regarding the entire character start to make sense. I admit that sometimes I really want to get into the book and give that pr1ck Fei Du a nice beating, like really, only Luo Wenzhou to be so patient with him (because, again, LWZ is always goals). I need FD to suffer a little bit for LWZ, honestly that man deserves the world.

"In the beginning Fei Du had been like a dangerous plant emitting a rare perfume, indiscriminately attracting everyone who passed by. The more Luo Wenzhou’s intellect had flashed warning signals, the more attracted he had been. All the so-called “seductive” people and things on earth were probably like this—you knew they were poisonous, but you wanted to go take poison.".

Ps: I'd love to have Captain Luo as my boss, like really, seems like so much fun, I would like to be his bestie honestly 🤭
Ps2: Considering the nature of this case it actually makes quite some sense they decided to age up the kids a few years, however in the few chapters I already watched they sadly also removed pretty important scenes 😓.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

”All his life, he’d constantly dodged, constantly struggled, and constantly broken away; there had never been any person or thing he’d been reluctant to leave. This was the first time he had been seized by a strange longing, invisible waves rising in his calm chest, submerging his keen senses.”

Actually baffled it took me seven months to finish this. I got through half and then there wasn’t anything on this earth that could make me get through more than a couple of pages at a time. There’s nothing wrong with the story, it was wrapped up much better than the previous ones. Details were woven together better and we got a conclusion that made sense without too many plot holes. To top that off we also got to know our main characters better and their relationship played a bigger part. I think I’m maybe just getting a bit bored overall, the old case that’s being solved parallel to the new cases in every book feels blown out of proportion, and if the conclusion isn’t grand as hell, it definitely feels like this could have been shorter overall. But! We’re getting closer to finding out the truth and I’m invested enough to stay seated.

[A’ n h Kate ྀི · Rating 5 out of 5]

Còn gây cấn hơn cả phần trước ạ uầy không ngờ thủ phạm từ 15 năm trước đã xuất hiện và g.i.ế.t một học sinh nam học sinh nữ bên cạnh đã chứng kiến toàn bộ chuyện này.

Mới phát hiện ra một việc là vụ của bố mẹ chủ tịch Phí với LVC liên quan tới nhau quá khứ của chủ tịch Phí vẫn là một bí ẩn chưa được giải đáp. Tập này hai người thả thính quá trời quá đất luôn.

Vì phấn khích quá nên làm trước một cái review phần này quá ư là tuyệt vời luôn….Thật không ngờ những em học sinh đó có thể nghĩ ra những trò như vậy!

Ồ hoá ra Tiêu Hải Dương là quân của Cố Chiêu gửi gắm để phá giải vụ án năm xưa, uầy vậy là ông Chiêu vẫn còn chấp niệm vụ án 15 năm trước nên Tiêu Hải Dương muốn trở thành cảnh sát để giúp đỡ người hàng xóm đã chăm sóc mình. Nói đến Cố Chiêu thì đó là đồng nghiệp của sư phụ của Lạc Văn Chu….

Đoán đúng là Tiêu Hải Dương một tay Chiêu Dương chăm sóc từ bé nhưng mà không phải ông Cố gửi gắm mà là THD muốn trả thù…. Oà hoá ra là một tổ chức lớn triệu tập những kẻ giết người sao. Vô tình lại biết thêm là bố của một học sinh đang dính đến cái trò chơi quái quỷ đó.

P/s : Tiếp tục thôi phần sau là phần cuối rồi làm nốt

[akira · Rating 4 out of 5]

book 4 has my favourite case so far. something about deconstructing the dark underbelly of elitist institutions is really entertaining for me... and this plays a big role in this arc. not only from the angle of the school, where the kids of the rich and powerful were emboldened to actual murder. but also with said rich and powerful old money folk buying and selling lives.

last book we learnt more about fei du. things are finally laid bare (not everything of course - he still is fei du). but we do learn more about his past, his father, and the role the two of them have respectively played in all the plots so far. book 3 also has the most relationship and character development for fei du. him opening up, however reluctantly, to luo wenzhou. i also loved his relationship with xiao haiyang. they're not friends, but i think fei du recognises the things that pushed xiao haiyang with this case. he's able to interact with xiao haiyang without any pretenses.

[Reyhane · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first review
I hope one day i can see the rest of the drama😭

[Shyam]

So much suspense.

[ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jools · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will go down in history as the most gut-wrenching, souls-opening, heart-breaking love confession a human being ever imagined. I needed 3 full working days to recover.

[Binghe · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow este caso ha sido una fumada increíble, me encanta