The humor works in small doses. Like Sun Jian internally complaining "look but can't eat" with three wives. Or the villagers laughing at him for choosing beauties over workers. Relatable and light fun between the drama.
I appreciated the small, poignant details that made the story feel grounded. Xiao Xi's different colored shoes, the hole in her knee, the woven bag – these all painted a vivid picture of her poverty. The part where she puts newspapers under her in the car out of fear of dirtying the seat broke my heart. It showed how ingrained her low self-esteem was. Those little behavioral details tell you more about her past than any exposition could.
1 The rain motif is used really well. It’s there during the accident, during her first meeting with Fu Beijun, and it washes away the blood. It’s a classic symbol for cleansing, but here it feels ominous. It’s washing away evidence and starting her new life on a dirty, painful note. Nice touch.
Okay the jump to the present day with the mortuary scene and the female corpse got me. The description of her being stitched together from different people is just brutal. The author doesn't hold back on the gory details, like the skin texture being all wrong and the hands being a man's hands. That reveal that there are actually four people in one corpse was a twist I did not see coming. And it's so messed up that the protagonist is just like "don't call the police" because he knows the rich people who dropped her off will get away with it anyway. Real cynical view of justice but honestly? Kinda true to life in a depressing way. I like that the hero isn't some righteous idiot who's gonna go on a crusade. He knows which battles he can fight and which he can't. At least for now. The whole atmosphere in this section is thick enough to cut with a knife.
I need to talk about that moment when Lin Du fell and just decided to lie there, casually shifting into a posture like an old man on a field ridge. That tiny action packed so much personality. She’s not panicking, not acting like a typical heroine. She’s just tired, in pain, and doesn’t care about appearances. It’s that kind of grounded, unfiltered reaction that makes me feel like she’s a real person, not a scripted character.
Holy shit, I'm hooked from the first line. The whole three souls and seven spirits thing with the protagonist missing his Earth Soul is such a cool concept, I've never read anything like it. And the fact that it makes him emotionless, so his mom dying and him sewing her head back on is just a Tuesday for him? That's dark as hell but so intriguing. The childhood scene with the little girl and the car accident doll was painful to read though. He genuinely thought he was being nice by giving her his favorite toy and she freaks out crying. I felt that awkward confusion in my bones. Really sets up why he's so isolated. The writing makes you feel like a total outsider with him, and I love when a story can do that without having to spell it out. I just wanna know more about this whole corpse stitching family business and why his grandpa is so respected. That whole vibe is creepy but fascinating.
I have to say, Yu Sui’s internal voice is the best part. His horror at the gay meme replies from the netizens had me laughing. The “did they pick your nose” comment was insane. I love that the internet in this world is just as chaotic and unhinged as real life. It makes the story feel grounded despite the Alpha/Beta/Omega stuff. His panic when he dropped his phone was perfectly relatable.