To Embers We Return (焚情) Read-Along: Chapters 11 to 20

[douqi]

Discussion of Chapters 1 to 10 can be found here.

The link to the novel on JJWXC is here.

Note: I'll try to catch up a little but will probably be a few days behind the actual chapter updates from now on, especially since she's going to drop about 10k words when the novel goes into VIP.

Comments

Re: Chapter 18

[neuxue]

- Fang Pan's metallic veil and metal lips are a Look

- I continue to kind of ship Shen Ni and Li Shan. The verbal sparring is just too good.

- The way this reappearance of Black Box - within the city and thus casting into doubt the capabilities of the tracing device that was supposed to buy them time to fortify the city's defences, not to mention in a shop that was guaranteed to draw Shen Ni's eyes - gets Shen Ni the permissions she wanted to access the R&D department and records feels almost too convenient. Like, if you were a mysterious figure who wanted the empire's top machinist to access the time capsule records for some purpose known only to you, is this not exactly how you'd arrange for it to happen? *pulls the murder board out of storage, brushes off the dust, and adds more red string*

- The way the entire interaction between Shen Ni and Bian Jin reads entirely like an awkward morning after and not at all like a medical procedure debrief!

- ‘Last night, I kept asking you stop, but you didn't. I didn't see you observing the proprieties then.’ Reader, I screamed.

- The way Bian Jin's anger makes Shen Ni's heart beat faster... ;) ;) ;)

Re: Chapter 18

[douqi]

Like, if you were a mysterious figure who wanted the empire's top machinist to access the time capsule records for some purpose known only to you, is this not exactly how you'd arrange for it to happen? *pulls the murder board out of storage, brushes off the dust, and adds more red string*

MY LIPS ARE SEALED.

The way the entire interaction between Shen Ni and Bian Jin reads entirely like an awkward morning after and not at all like a medical procedure debrief!

I mean... that was the one of the best sex scenes that isn't technically a sex scene that I've ever read.