Guardian read-along: prologue, chapters 1 & 2

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Hello, and welcome to our weekly read-along of Guardian by priest. We're so happy to have you here!

We're starting off with the prologue and chapters 1 & 2:

• Prologue: Guo Changcheng's first day night at the SID. He briefly meets Zhao Yunlan.
• Chapter 1: Li Qian vs a ghost. Zhao Yunlan is called to a murder scene and meets up with Da Qing.
• Chapter 2: While examining the crime scene at the university, Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing meet Shen Wei, a professor, who seems evasive and suspicious.

Excerpts

1) Our first glimpse of Zhao Yunlan. 2) Zhao Yunlan's apartment. 3) Da Qing appears! 4) Meeting Shen Wei.

1) Our first glimpse of Zhao Yunlan
A young man walked out of 4 Bright Avenue’s little garden with long strides. There was a cigarette in his mouth, and his hands were shoved in his pants pockets. He was tall, with upright shoulders, thick brows, deep-set eyes, and a defined nose. He was very handsome, even if his expression was a little dark.

The man’s brows were furrowed, and he walked so fast that wind seemed to rise in his footsteps. The message on his face was clear: “Don’t block the way, don’t bug me, and fuck off.”

In a stroke of misfortune, Guo Changcheng happened to meet his gaze and was immediately terrified by those black eyes, beautiful yet cold. His instinct told him that this hot guy had a bad temper.

But when the hot-tempered hottie realized who Guo Changcheng was, he suddenly braked. In the next moment, his expression transformed, fluid as that of a master actor. That thunderous look was abruptly one of sunshine and open skies, with a kind smile that spread naturally across his face faster than one could turn a page. Along with that smile, two shallow dimples appeared on his cheeks. The cigarette still in his mouth made the corners of his lips seem a bit crooked. With his eyes crinkled a little, he seemed as if he might be up to no good—but just the right amount of no good, which lent him an approachable air.


2) Zhao Yunlan's apartment
To say Zhao Yunlan’s apartment was as messy as a doghouse would be a grave insult to dogs everywhere. Clothes were strewn all over the bed and floor; it was impossible to tell whether he planned to wash or wear them. All manner of junk was piled on the queen-sized bed, some of it almost beyond human imagination. The lone sock draped over the corner of a laptop was one thing, and the presence of sunglasses and an umbrella wasn’t wholly bizarre, but it would be a stretch to explain the tall hat folded from white paper or the huge jug of cinnabar powder.

All of this clutter had been pushed into a heap, leaving only a nest big enough for one person to lie in—and he’d probably dug out that space just before lying down.


3. Da Qing appears!
As Zhao Yunlan passed through the intersection and decelerated, a black shadow descended from the sky. Like a grenade, a round animal slammed into the hood of his car, nearly denting it. The metal clanged with the impact.

Zhao Yunlan immediately stomped on the brakes, sucking a sharp breath through his teeth. He stuck his head out the window. “This is a motor vehicle, sir, not your litter box! Could you please take it easy?”

Perched on the hood was an utterly black cat. Atop the mere suggestion of a neck was a face like a persimmon; his body was a perfect sphere. With great effort, he sucked in his belly while folding his hind legs beneath him. Only after overcoming those challenges could he extend his front legs—short compared to his round belly—and assume a dignified sitting pose.

This big kitty with his persimmon face took a quick look all around. Seeing no one nearby, his whiskers quivered as he slowly opened his mouth. A rather deep male voice emerged. “Cut the bullshit and get out here. Can’t you smell it?”


4) Meeting Shen Wei
Their gazes met, and they both froze.

Out of nowhere, Is he an instructor or the school hottie? flashed across Zhao Yunlan’s mind.

Something flickered over the hot…instructor’s…face. He seemed to instinctively avoid Zhao Yunlan’s hand but quickly recovered. Clearing his throat, he touched his hand to Zhao Yunlan’s for the merest fleeting instant before letting go. “The honor is all mine. The name is Shen—Shen Wei. I teach here. I’m sorry, I mistook that officer for a student staying behind for the summer.”

Shen Wei’s hand had the chill of a corpse fresh from cold storage. Zhao Yunlan couldn’t help giving him another glance, but Shen Wei refused any eye contact, using the excuse of picking up his scattered lesson plans to avoid his gaze. Zhao Yunlan began to help, and the two of them reached for the same piece of paper at the same time.

Under the circumstances—one of them reaching for his own paper, the other simply trying to help—Zhao Yunlan should have been the one to withdraw. Instead, it was Shen Wei who hastily pulled back, as if burned. His lips were pale, but a trace of crimson tinted his cheekbones.

His entire reaction was peculiar for a first meeting. It was as if he feared Zhao Yunlan, but it was more than that. If a criminal with a guilty conscience came face-to-face with a police officer, in addition to being nervous, they would try to sneak peeks at the officer’s reaction rather than fully avoiding their eyes.

It was all rather baffling. Zhao Yunlan started to observe Shen Wei carefully.

Questions
What impressions did you get from the prologue and first two chapters? What did you enjoy the most? Were you hooked from the beginning? What world-building details caught your eye? Favourite character interaction so far? How does it compare with the drama? What other excerpts did you particularly notice or like? If you're reading in Chinese or a different edition, how do the excerpts above compare? If you're reading the official version, do the illustrations match your idea of the characters? Any other thoughts? (Note: these are just conversation starters. Feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like!)

If you like, as well as discussing the chapters, feel free to introduce yourself. For example, how long you've been in Guardian fandom, whether you've read the novel before, and whether you've seen the drama. Which edition are you reading and in which language? Have you read other Chinese novels or are you new to the genre? If you're not usually on Dreamwidth, feel free to say where people can find you, eg, your tumblr, AO3, etc, handle.


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