Husband on Trust
Burk another showcase of "falling in love at first sight" yet it was kinda of cute. The overall worked out fine even though it makes fuckin sense to not trust someone you've known for 6 weeks.
Sissy
FUCKIN POWER DYNAMIC That what this novels is about Niang Niang Qiang/Sissy is a thrilling story that brings its readers through the minds of our two main characters, Li Chengxiu (MC) and Shao Qun (ML). Shao Qun, our typical CEO gong, is one of the worst ML I have ever seen, never failing to surprise me with his new, petty antics. The only thing he hasn't done is murder. Our MC, on the other hand, is a pitiful chef with a speech impairment. He is poor as dirt but got by comfortably in the city until the ML rolled along and scooped him up for a ride. Yes, Sissy has a stereotypical setup. Where it differs from other novels is its ability to develop the main characters' personalities with a deep dive into their minds and emotions. By the end of the novel, we see great changes in their psychological state, influenced by their experiences with love and hate. Our MC challenges the idea of what it means to be a strong person, one of the best personifications of a weak, nice and naive MC. He cries a lot for almost 30 years old, has no money to his name, and is always pushed around by others. Yet his mind is firm, and no matter what others do to him, he knows where to draw his bottom line to protect himself as well as his pride. The ML is not supposed to be lovable. I don't believe anyone thinks his actions are forgivable, including the MC himself. Such is the complexity of the human experience, filled with contradictions and great internal struggles. There are two ways you can interpret the ending: happy or horrific. Happy endings are usually classified by whether the main characters get together in the end. By this metric, you can argue that Sissy has a happy ending. I see it a bit differently: By the end of the novel, our main character finally has a sense of "family, " a lifelong commitment he can be secure with. Although he acknowledges that he was forced into these circumstances, he feels satisfied regardless. The horrific side is that this ending represents class conflict, in which such a huge power dynamic between a couple inevitably means that one person may not be in a position to consent to anything. Any decisions made by the weaker person is just an illusion of choice created by their more powerful partner. Li Chengxiu's decision to give in to Shao Qun's persistence to settle for a "comfortable" life draws parallels to our own capitalist reality, in which the rich have the final say. The poor can scream, shout, and struggle all they want, but in the end, they are just goods to be bartered around among the rich. Here, Shao Qun's gaslighting has succeeded--and he has bound Li Chengxiu with him for life. Li Chengxiu himself has completely given in to the idea that he has no personal autonomy and is satisfied with letting others decide his path. The novel goes over other complex issues such as internalized h*mophobia, discrimination, and sexual assault. I respect the author for having a lot of self-awareness of these issues and exploring them in-depth, especially with regard to the traumatic aftermath of the assault. (In contrast, most other BL novels pay no heed to this). Sissy is akin to a PSA of what a toxic boyfriend looks like, showcasing classic tactics such as intoxication, dubious consent, gaslighting, and mental abuse. Even more impressive is the author's ability to weave together different themes for a fun and cruel novel. Our main character reflects the intersection of sexuality, gender, disabilities, and socioeconomic class clashing together in a capitalist, classist hell. Once you really think about it, Sissy actually feels more like a modern day horror story about discrimination against vulnerable people thinly veiled as a danmei. The only nitpick I have is that the author chooses a rather fatalistic approach to these problems without offering solutions. But maybe that's the author's message--that as long as these class structures exist, there is no way out.
Who Cares (Shui Ba Shui Dang Zhen)