straightforwardly | 209 | cnovels: who dares slander my senior brother, urban tales, husky & white cat shizun

Another week, another round of updates on my thoughts on the cnovels that I’m reading. (...Not that I’m consciously deciding to make weekly updates, but it has been about a week since the last time I did this, so. No promises about the future.)

► Who Dares Slander My Senior Brother - Hi, I’m straightforwardly, and chapter 42 left me screaming. Holy hell. And I thought that “our tortoise” moment from chapter 40 was a great moment! I am so into Wen Jing giving into his desires without fully understanding what those desires are. (Also, laughing forever at his wondering why Jun Yanzhi isn’t stopping him.)

(Some of the comments seem to think Jun Yanzhi somehow used demonic cultivation to manipulate him into kissing him, but I didn’t get that impression? If I’m wrong, I’ll take this back, but though Jun Yanzhi has crossed a lot of lines, I don’t feel like he’d do that.

Besides… I did get the impression from all the previous chapters that Wen Jing is already into Jun Yanzhi; he just doesn’t quite understand what it is that he’s feeling. See: his reaction every time Jun Yanzhi starts losing clothing around him. So for me, this chapter felt like an escalation of that. A very, very welcome escalation.)

► Urban Tales of Demons and Spirits - I’ve been reading this one slowly over the last two weeks—about an arc at a time. I liked it well enough from the start, but it definitely grew on me the more I read. I think it wasn’t until partway through the second volume that I got properly hooked.

I’m really into Wen Jiubo’s interactions with Gu Yang (especially in the later volumes), and I’m enjoying the development of their relationship. Wen Jiubo’s just so obviously in love with him in a way that I’m really into? It can be a little frustrating at time that Gu Yu still isn’t convinced that Wen Jiubo cares about him, but when I think about it, it’s not actually that dumb of him. Tbh, being suspicious when an immortal being who doesn’t seem to be capable of empathizing with humans claims that you’re the exception to that rule is… rather sensible when you look at it from the perspective of someone living their life, rather than as a character in a romance.

I’m currently on volume 3, chapter 53, and ahhh, I’m not used to not being able to read the resolution for an arc right away! I’m not sure if what’s going on right now is even real (Yan University turning into ruins overnight is really suspicious), and I can’t even begin to guess at what’s actually going to happen. I’m just going to sit back and see where the story goes with this.

► The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - There’s only four chapters translated so far, but I’m already super hooked. The set-up is so interesting, and I just want to know more about what went down in the past (and what’s going to change now that Mo Ran’s gone back in time)! I loved everything about Mo Ran and Xue Yang’s conversation in the first chapter, but this part in particular hooked me:

Xue Meng’s entire body was trembling, so full of anger that his tears were falling.

“Mo Weiyu, are you still human? He used to…”

“He used to what?” Mo Ran looked up without much emotion.

“You should know how he used to treat you…” Xue Meng said tremulously.

Mo Ran suddenly smiled.

“Are you trying to remind me how he once beat me until I was covered in wounds and made me kneel and admit my wrongdoings in front of everyone. Or are you trying to remind me how he stood in my way for your sake, for the sake of unrelated persons, preventing me from accomplishing what I wanted several times?”

“…” Xue Meng shook his head, pained.

That’s not it, Mo Ran.

Think about it carefully, put away that twisted hatred of yours. Look back.

He used to teach you cultivation and martial arts, protecting you on all sides.

He used to teach you how to write and read, how to compose poetry and paint.

He used to learn how to cook for your sake, he was so clumsy that he hurt his hands all over.

He used to…He used to wait for you, day and night, alone, from night…till daybreak…

He had so much to say, but it was all choked up in his throat. In the end, Xue Meng could only sob,

“He…He did have a bad temper, and his words sounded harsh, but even I know he treated you so well, why…How could you have the heart to…”

Xue Meng raised his head, holding back way too many tears. His throat was choked up, and he couldn’t say any more.

After a long pause, there came a soft sigh from Mo Ran.

“Yes.”

“But Xue Meng. You know what?” Mo Ran’s voice sounded very tired. “He once caused the death of the only person I ever loved. The only one.”

— Chapter 1

We haven’t even met the Shizun in the title yet, but I’m already so intrigued by what his actual relationship with Mo Ran was like—and by Mo Ran’s feelings about him! The contrast between “preserving his corpse with spiritual energy for years” (did he really kill his Shizun? or was he lying and his death was actually because of some accident?) and “blaming him for the death of the person he loved” is super fascinating. (As is the fact that the MC has a person that he loved that deeply outside of his endgame romance. Again, I’m so curious about how this is all going to go down.)

(Also, the first chapter makes me vaguely want to ship Xue Meng with both their Shizun and Mo Ran. He just gets so emotional about both of them, in very different ways! Idk how their interactions will actually play out in the novel proper, but I thought I'd mention it.