[Topic] Currently ongoing reading

I needed to do this list, since I'm already mixing things that I picked up and decided to read, but some are followed, others are put on hold.

• 深渊巨龙苏醒以后 / After the abyss dragon awakens (on-going). Glorious new story from Sangwo. I came to love their works, they're fun, but also gory. The story follows an abyss dragon that finds himself awakened after thousands of years of sleep, his cave is gone, his treasure is gone and his body he loves so much is also gone, all left is that his soul is now resides in a boy names Shi An. Shi An, the original body, is shunned by his family and peers due to not having any magic, but he is part of a pretty wealthy upstart family, yet his own father doesn't see value in him so he is ready to discard him at any moment. But Shi An who now occupies the body has two goals: how to return his true powers and body full of glorious scales and how to snatch that shiny human into collection. Although Shi An never liked to take people, but Mu Heng is simply too handsome to skip. Mu Heng on the other hand, the last descendant of dragon hunters bloodline had no idea about it, he only had one thought after catching a glimpse of the dragon - his head will look good on his wall. Although this story has load of dark and gory elements, but it's super fun and Shi An with his dragon antiques is just too funny. 
• Qiang Jin Jiu (complete). The only novel not taken from jjwxc. Although I made a pause, but still it's one of few times I take time to read some ancient-themed novel. Usually, I stay away from all the palace intrigues and such. But QJJ is fun and two protags are interesting, though it's mystery to me still how they managed to get hooked like that. I was particularly inspired to read after seeing arts byt this artist on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DXGS_Dll) and the novel proved to be full of eroticism.
• 男配只想做工具人[娱乐圈] / Male partner just wants to be a tool man [wearing a book] (on-going). No need to re-introduce, it's an old pal that I'm simply waiting when it's over, since all the heart knots and plot knots were solved long ago.
• 他们对我紧追不舍[快穿] / They are chasing me [QT] (on-going). What can I say. The idea is not bad. MC is thrown into transmigration, since he refused advances of one man, who decided to approach him with a different "skin" in another world. So MC's main idea is to pinpoint him and if possible get rid off him. The idea is good, but the execution is lacking, I stopped at world two right now, since world one was kind of lacking. MC does play his role, so he won't be discovered and taken advantage of, this I find illogical, since MC knows the perpetrator knows his identityt, not vice versa. Next the plot stayed a mystery till the end, unlike one plot point MC realized, Chu He, the perpetrator is not only here to chase him. Also the person who is obviously our ML in the worlds, he's basically the forceful type that I don't like and MC remembering and writing down all his sins, when it time came to leave he comitted suicide right in front of ML. The background of the first world was really lacking in backbone, I usually get emotional at such point, but I was completely still when I was reading the final chapter, bored out of my mind. I'll try few more worlds to see if it's worth continuing or just drop it with 2 stars.
• 我靠武力秀翻娱乐圈[穿书] / I use force to plough through the entertainment industry [wearing a book] (on-going). ML of this novel is a mentally ill person, the backstory of it is present, he constantly lives in a adark, he has seizures and acts like a lunatic due to ptsd, but he can't stop filming, although coming out of roles becomes harder and harder, he is also suicidal, he does things that comes across bad and he used manipulation against MC, so they can become together, since to him MC became that final touch of sunshine that could save him, he started to act more normal, be more normal and have a more normal disposition, but he knew, if MC would ever leave him, it'll be his end forever. MC crossed to this world, in original story he is a cannon fodder, but came into contact with ML earlier and they actually got together. The original story other protag was actually reborn, but to him ML is nothing but a resource for fame and fortune, thus he continued to press on MC and pester ML. Although ML does things that many wouldn't like, but the overall story I don't find inherently bad, because in many stories even if MLs have some weird tendencies or manias, nothing is done about it, or it is miraculously cured, which doesn't happen here. The other good point is that MC though has soft heart for ML, but he is actually physically stronger, he is shorter and thinner, but if he has to use force, he is way stronger and ML once felt his fist, so he knows he's no opponent.
• 被我渣过的男主重生了[快穿] / The protagonist who was scumbagged by me is reborn [QT] (on-going). MC is almost at the end of his QT journey and is ready to retire form transmigration, but is told that there are troubles in the worlds he passed after he left, he crosses again and finds out that the lot was comletely off the rails when he left, although the protag became a winner, but something was wrong due to his death in the story and MC saw there's a bug that intervened in the plot. He travels to some time before main events and finds out that the protag is actually reborn and bears a deep hatered towards him, so MC has to fix the world plot and bear the consequences that were not done by him, but the bug. I quite liked the idea, though the novel itself is on the easy side. True identities of ML and MC become obvious in the first world. I'm at the beginning of world two and it becomes obvious that the protag reborn part will be a reoccuring theme.

Plan to read:

• 偏执反派总在发狂[快穿] / The paranoid villain is always going crazy [QT] (on-going). 
• 穿成炮灰后嫁给男主 / Marry the hero after being dressed as a cannon fodder [wearing a book] (complete). I've been waiting for this novel to be over, since it had a hiatus point and I thought it'll never come back online. But author took the liberty finishing. I heard many comments that the ending was rushed. I remember I started this and found that actually MC had troubles even if he knew what is what and that made things more interesting, unlike MCs who just get things all right all the way. Surely it smells of being deliberate, but still it looked interesting. But my opinion might change after finishing.

[Chinese BL novel] Cannon fodder stand-in alliance* / 炮灰替身联盟

Title: Cannon fodder stand-in alliance* / 炮灰替身联盟

Author: 八爷党

Year of release: 2021

# of chapters: 120 (+extras)

Status: Complete

Tags: transmigration, one world task, starting business, entetrainment

*all titles, names are an edited MTL version

Summary: Cheng Lang travels to a world of a book to become a stand-in among others to become a background decorum in an abusive relationship between two protags. The overbearing president Lu Chengxuan, who never knew ill, found that all the fish in the pond managed to escape his sight and his "white moonlight" was among them.

Storyline: This novel is different from transmigration novels among others, the point is it describes only one mission world and I think it's great, I really liked this idea where you can incorporate some things of the transmigrator among fully developed storyline of the world. Alternatively, CL is given this mission because this world kept collapsing. In the original storyline Shen Huaiyu, the protag shou, had his parents lost in an accident and his brother become a vegetable. He came to work in a night club to earn money where he met Lu Chengxuan, his perpetrator and started the abusive relationship with him. LC acted like an overbearing foreceful president, he pestered SH all the time and basically forced him into relationship. Rumors of SH to work in a night club also reached the uni, but since his personality was introverted he never explained himself. Other stand-ins like Cheng Lang's character were also destroyed by LC being in their way. Due time SH's defenses and personality were completely destroyed and he as a person as well. CL took action and reversed everything, since he never acted according to the script. I loved his motivation that he didn't want to leave scumbags like LC alive and kicking, this was not love, it was abuse and it was disgusting.

CL rushed in like a star, he grabed on many opportunities, becoming member allowed on stage in the club where he used his best skill cross-talk and he aslo sang well, but his ambitions were much higher. He befriended SH slowly opening him up, he helped him with money his uncle swindled out of him to help pay medical bills otherwise he'd have taken from LC. He also cleared rumors and such. They slowly started a small business and he used SH's talents as a literari soul in this case, their milk tea shop with varous gimmicks and promotions as well as their own style and great taste swayed more and more customers and their business slowly expanded. On the way CL also met with other cannon fodder people who he helped out of predicament, but also used this to help himself and their company grow and show what he's capable of (vivid example is how he made a listed company lose a great fortune in the market after the exposure of their dealings in a talent show where one of the cannon fodders, a singer from same night club, was a contestant). Many customers from the same club were actually swoon by CL, not in a romantic way, but they foud him hillarious and those who saw and took part in the market play found that he is capable, so he won't stay in the club for long. CL's idea was slowly but surely taking shape and you could understand why he actually started a tea business, it's a business that SH could support due to his knowledge, CL was slowly teaching him to walk out from te shadows and become confident in himself, despite the past and everything LC did to him and become self-dependent. Which SH did by the end of the story. Which completed the reverse of making LC and SH basically switch positions of president and a pauper. All points of the storyline were completed beautifully with alternatives.

Due to story being very much concentrating on several relationships with CL being the center of it, the only part that suffered was the romance between MC and ML.

Few words about the ML. He's although an iceberg, but is a nice and righteous person inside. He is actually the "white moonlight", not SH, just so we're clear. LC was coveting Qin Mu (ML) for a very long time. But in the end he used SH as a spare. Qin Mu was instantly attracted to Cheng Lang when he saw him and after few meetings they had a relationship contract ready, but unlike LC who abused and humiliated SH, QM was seeing CL with the mind of getting married. Our snow leopard (cute nickname he got), was all out after his wife. And they came together early and were a power couple though their relaionship after getting a strong lock of "through thick and thin", after this "thin" part os one night event, their relationship moved to the background a bit, but it was mentioned and shown from time to time. The most wonderful thing, although it was not clear how Mr Snow Leopard and especially CL fell so hard in love, but CL's intentions were clear, he decided to take QM with him. QM in the story was actually not a significant character, so his absence and such were not threatening to the world itself.

Unlike many transmigration novels I've read before, it is reoccuring theme where MC becomes someone who is served on a platter by ML, but lately I see more and more hard-working MCs. CL is no exception, he didn't want to involve QM and be noticed by the world's consciousness, so he brought their small tea shop in the beginning to become a new upstart company with prospects by himself and his decisive rule.

It's a very fast-paced, easy to digest novel, it has its' own twists and turns and before you know it it's over. CL is righteous and hilarious and decisive at the same time. Although he is considered orthodox and different from other taskers, but your heart is with him on his ideas. I liked the idea of this novel and the executions, it fully completed what it wanted to present.

RATE: 5/5.

[Chinese BL novel] He blew up after wearing a cannon fodder O / 穿成炮灰O后他A爆了

Title: He blew up after wearing a cannon fodder O / 穿成炮灰O后他A爆了

Author: 凉白开开

Year of release: 2021

# of chapters: 92

Status: Complete

Tags: ABO, interstellar, mecha

Summary: Yun Zingzhe wears a book and becomes a cannon fodder of a story. It's an ABO world and in the end the character had a tragic ending dying after cutting their gland. YZ is a genius mecha developer of a more advanced world, but he was bound to a bed all his life due to his weak physique. Now although it's a diffeent world, but Zingzhe's dream to boot a mecha might come true. The only thing now he is pestered by his ex-fiance who refuses to let him go, even forces a marriage on him. But at the engagement when things were repeating the storyline YZ was saved by the ever silent Luo Wenchuan.

My impression went downhill by the end of this story. Although I have special feelings, since I basically started this novel and followed it step by step, but it doesn't prevent me from seeing that it has a lot of work to do and loose ends are endless.

Worst that was done to this novel is the official summary given by author. It basically has 2 major events and are spoiled from the get go. 1) LZ's glands will be cut, but they will recover; 2) LW is a second prince to the Empire.

I first started this to see on a strong O character that went through trials to reach the top, but what I encountered was rather awkward.

The storyline goes as follows. YZ crosses. He parts with his fiance who caused original host's demise. He now wishes to boot a mecha. He uses his skill to earn money since family cut his expenses due to A-O bond cancelling. No one believes he can. MC works really hard to boot armor and then take place in games. Load of time spent on matches, starting from school league, finishing with Empire's league. MC always had a surprise up his sleeve. His ex started to see him differently and pestered him, thinking YZ is same YZ and will come back crawling. YZ meets LW and becomes his mecha master, LW instantly attracted to YZ and always helps him whenever he can. They go to the bigger league when YZ is taken into research institute, they use his excellent mental ability to develop groundbreaking equipment. They proceed to semi-finals when YZ was taken back and was tricked to engagement party of him and his ex. He cuts his glands on the same day Empire reveals LW is a second prince and a heir. LW drops everything and rushes to save YZ but it's too late. YZ enters coma, but his actions stirred protests against the new marriage bill that worked as a force to engage YZ and his ex. YZ became B. But his excellence rose greatly, he was revealed as a genius researcher. He started new company and rose to fame with his newly developed mecha he used in finals. Their company grew, his family that forced him to marry did not have a good life. His gland recovered, the end.

Although it sounds like not a bad outline, but many details just lacked depth and the ending was as if cut very abruptly.

Let's put everything in a big pile - Problems:

• Revealing all dramatic points in synopsis. And I mean it, those are all, the entire novel is basically covered in the summary. And that what makes it bad. Instead of being surprised by the turn of events, especially cutting the gland, yu actually expect it instead. The thrill is different.
• Lots of mecha text. Comparing to feelings development and inter-personal relationships, giving deapth to characters, instead there was enough text of competing and mecha fights.
• Unbalance. Sometimes consequences or actions were over-dramatised. E.g. the whole cutting gland. YZ could have just not cut it actually, but the story must show stronly opposing MC, so we have it. Ppl who were responsible got a backlash only because he is YZ the genius researcher and love of the heir. But they also got a pretty serious backlash. The Chi family (YZ' ex-fiance family) was basically destroyed and the head of the Chi family developed for many years the way he did and *gasp* no one had evidence of it. Next. What YZ did to his father (basically swallowing his company and making it his own) was justified, but he felt kind of vicious at the end.
• It's my own opinion, but when LW asked YZ to date and get married, those two times things were... sounded funny. Surely it should have been romantic and meaningful.
• The ending was abrupt and thus lacked a point. Because two main dramatic points were known, the aftermath was just rushed to the ending. So as a reader you get no surprises after that and the novel is finished by the time you realize it.

It might have started promising, but when I look back at it I can't find anything that deserves any praise. Except the "ugly cat" mecha that was used and was a comic relief.

RATE: 3/5. I had no idea it will end so abruptly, failing entire experience.