The prison flashback is brutal. Fang Yi sacrificing Shen Qi to protect Shen Baozhu, then visiting only twice, and then sending Baozhu with the divorce papers? That's pure evil. The author doesn't let you forget the depth of his betrayal. And the line "This is what you owe Baozhu" - what a horrible thing to say to your wife. It makes the present day Shen Qi's actions feel not just justified but necessary. She's not being petty; she's protecting herself from a man who will use her and discard her. The stakes are clear from the start.
I appreciate that the author didn’t give Xia Nan cheat-level stats at the start. All attributes at 5, one skill at level 4 with 99/100 exp—that’s almost painfully average. It makes his growth feel earned, and I’m actually curious what happens when whirl slash levels up. The whole “looking at reflection to see stats” trick is neat, like a personal hack.
The whole "I'm the most impartial captain" thing with Si Yuchuan is such a joke. He literally pushed Banyue aside to save Jin Huamian, then has the nerve to say she was careless. Impartial my ass. He's clearly playing favorites and using the "weaker person needs protection" excuse to justify his obvious bias. I really wanted someone to call him out on that hypocrisy properly.
1 I find the details about the educated youth life really interesting. How she was isolated, how Sun Qing spread rumors about her background. It paints such a vivid picture of how cruel people can be when society gives them an excuse. It makes me root for her to succeed all the more.