china_shop: Chu Shuzhi wearing a black face mask with a cat mouth and whiskers on it. (Guardian - CSZ cat mask)
The Gauche in the Machine ([personal profile] china_shop) wrote in [community profile] sid_guardian2025-04-06 01:39 pm
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Guardian Readalong: Vol. 2, Chapters 13 & 14

Guardian novel readalong.


Welcome to this week's installment of the Guardian novel readalong! Here are last week's chapters, and you can find all previous discussions on the schedule post (vol. 1 part 1, vol. 1 part 2, vol. 2), or via the !readalong tag.

This week's chapters:

Chapter 13: Zhao Yunlan calls Shen Wei "Xiao-Wei" to defuse his fury at the Crows, and they leave the Yao Market. Daqing asks the Crows about his bell. The SID celebrates Lunar New Year's Eve with a party. Zhao Yunlan asks about Shen Wei's name. Chu Shuzhi leaves the SID library in a mood; Daqing tells Guo Changcheng to accompany him home. Zhao Yunlan arranges for Shen Wei to be called in to work so he can present Shen Wei with fait accompli cohabitation, but then he finds the portrait room and sends the movers away. Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei and Daqing go to see Zhao Yunlan's parents, and Zhao Yunlan comes out to his mother.
Chapter 14: Changcheng follows Chu Shuzhi home; Chu Shuzhi tries to scare him off with cannibalism talk. Changcheng perseveres. Chu Shuzhi advises Changcheng to stop wasting time collecting so many merits; then he disappears. Zhao Yunlan tells Shen Wei he came out. Daqing tells Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei that Lao-Chu's merit shackles were due to be removed but the Netherworld reneged. Shen Wei's knowledge and questions make Daqing suspicious about his identity. Zhao Yunlan sends a message telling Chu Shuzhi to come to the SID.
Phew! That's a lot!

The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation are:
Vol. 2 Ch. 13: ch. 64-66
Vol. 2 Ch. 14: ch. 67 and about the first fifth or so of ch. 68

Excerpts:
1. The SID Lunar New Year's Eve party
Toward the latter half of the night, after the New Year’s bell had already rung, drunk humans and ghosts alike started to run wild. Guo Changcheng flopped down on the table, sobbing loudly for some reason. After he finished crying, he tucked himself into a little corner and ignored everyone, meticulously polishing his work ID over and over with a microfiber cloth. Finally, he rolled under the table and fell into a deep sleep.

Chu Shuzhi, Lin Jing, Zhu Hong, and Daqing were gathered at a mahjong table. Other people’s chips automatically became dried fish when they arrived in front of Daqing. The cat’s expression was deadly serious. He had no choice but to keep winning, having eaten almost all his chips.

Lao-Li pulled a giant femur from out of nowhere and started pole dancing in front of everyone. Sangzan grabbed Wang Zheng’s hand, pulling her unexpectedly into his arms. He held her waist and lifted her up high; she laughed, humming a little tune from a faraway time, and danced a Hanga tribe dance with him.


2) Zhao Yunlan asks about Shen Wei's name
Zhao Yunlan silently put Shen Wei’s hand on his chest. Perhaps because of the alcohol, Zhao Yunlan’s pulse was a little fast. After a while, when Shen Wei thought he was about to fall asleep, Zhao Yunlan quietly asked, “‘Wei’… How did you come by that name?”

“It was originally the character Wei that’s made up of ‘mountain’ and ‘ghost.’” Shen Wei’s gaze dropped, seeming to gaze right through the gleaming floor; there was no knowing how far into the past he was looking. “But someone once said to me that while ‘mountain ghost’ was fitting, it was perhaps naming me into a corner. He told me that in this world, the mountains and seas are all connected, and lofty peaks stretch out endlessly. He suggested, ‘Why don’t we add a few more strokes and make it a proper name?’”

Zhao Yunlan touched his nose. This mysterious “someone” had a way of speaking that sounded rather familiar. “Who has the audacity to just randomly rename someone?”

Shen Wei smiled. “Just someone I met by chance on the road.”


3) Zhao Yunlan sees the portrait of Kunlun-jun
Eventually, the beam of light made its way to an ancient ink painting on the southern wall. It was huge, nearly occupying the entire wall on its own. The paper was as thin as a cicada’s wing, the surface as smooth as snow…and like all the others, it was a painting of a person.

The person was drawn with delicate brows and an almost lifelike expression. His long hair reached the ground, and he wore the simplest green robe imaginable. His head was tilted slightly, lips curved in the faintest hint of a smile. The brushwork was so vivid that it seemed the man might step out of the painting at any moment…and it was clearly none other than Zhao Yunlan himself!

Along the edge of the painting was a small line of text. It wasn’t modern simplified or traditional Chinese. In fact, it wasn’t any sort of writing he was familiar with. Zhao Yunlan had never laid eyes on it before. And yet, somehow, one quick look told him exactly what it said:

Laying eyes on Kunlun-jun for the first time, in the shades of the grove. A single fleeting glance and the melody of my heart faltered.
By Wei.


Was…was he, Zhao Yunlan, the Mountain God of the Great Wild…?


4) Zhao Yunlan comes out to his mother
She still seemed dumbfounded. Finally, stumbling over her words, she said, “Is he… The man you brought with you, is he…”

Zhao Yunlan nodded. He had both hands on the door, as though blocking it with his body. “I, your son, spent over half a year doing everything I could—cajoling and lying, consulting all thirty-six stratagems and seventy-two transformations… I used every trick I know. It would’ve been easier to start an uprising. And now he’s finally, finally mine. If you feel like you need to kill or maim someone, come at me, but please don’t go out there and ruin all my hard work. It’ll break my heart.”

To an onlooker, it would’ve appeared as though her soul had left her body. Her eyes far away, Zhao Yunlan’s mother began robotically wrapping dumplings without another word.

“Mom?”

His voice didn’t reach her. For a minute or two she was simply in a daze, completely unaware of what she was doing or what she had just heard. She was on autopilot.

Suddenly, after Zhao Yunlan’s repeated attempts to talk to her, she snapped out of it. Words began tumbling from her mouth before she could think. “What about your job? Will people gossip about you? What about your future? That’s right, I… I think your dad said you bought a house a few days ago. Do you still have money?”

Zhao Yunlan blinked, not at all sure how she’d jumped from him coming out to him not having money. If there was any logic there, he couldn’t see it. It seemed like she’d latched on to a few key terms and strung them into random sentences, and they all rushed out at once.


5) Chu Shuzhi gives Guo Changcheng some advice
A thick layer of glowing merits emanated from Guo Changcheng, who was about to cough his trachea into a bow. The impossibly white light seared Chu Shuzhi’s eyes.

The hand that had gripped Guo Changcheng’s neck suddenly lifted and came to rest on that messy bird’s nest atop his head. Guo Changcheng shivered instinctively. Chu Shuzhi patted the top of the man’s head, voice calmer and a bit tired now as he said, “You didn’t study properly as a kid, did you? Have you read The Injustice to Dou E? It clearly states that ‘those who act in kindness often suffer through poverty and live short lives, while those who do evil enjoy riches and long lives.’ Do you remember that?”

Guo Changcheng really wasn’t wired for studying. At the end of every year, he’d return everything he’d learned that year right back to the teacher, every last bit. So now he just squatted on the ground, looking up at Chu Shuzhi with a blank expression.

Chu Shuzhi tipped Guo Changcheng’s chin up and examined him for a while. “Your forehead is somewhat flat and narrow, which means the fate linking you and your parents is shallow. Your ears are thin, which means your youth was full of troubles. The middle third of your nose bridge protrudes a bit, which means you will lose the protection of your elders after you leave middle age, and the latter half of your life will be unpredictable.

“Overall, your face says you’ll have a hard life and ultimately won’t amount to much. There’s no point in collecting so many merits. Donating money and doing good will only make you even poorer. Try to be smarter from now on. Live in comfort like the nepo baby you are. Enjoy what you should and live a few good days while you can.”

Guo Changcheng kept looking up at him, confused.

“You really are a bit dense,” Chu Shuzhi said.



Questions:
On a scale of 1 to 10, how many feels do you have about the "Xiao-Wei" moment and how hard it mashes Shen Wei in the feels? Do you have a sense of why the Crows are breaking up with the rest of the Yao / helping Ghost Face? Thoughts on Daqing's being the one to send Guo Changcheng to accompany Chu Shuzhi, and generally taking up the mantle of leader in Zhao Yunlan's absence? Would you subscribe to the “Lord Meow Number One in the World” account? Zhao Yunlan's "Surprise! We're living together now!" plan: good idea / bad idea / it only works because it's them idea? On a scale of 1 to 10, how discomfiting is it for Zhao Yunlan to find Shen Wei's portrait room? On a scale of 1 to 10, how discomfiting is it for Shen Wei to meet Zhao Yunlan's mother? (Where is Zhao Yunlan's dad? Surely he should be there!) Zhao Yunlan's coming out speech: any notes? Does Chu Shuzhi really think Guo Changcheng's accumulating merits is a pointless waste of time, or is he just bitter because the Netherworld screwed him?

Poll #32943 SID Lunar New Year's Eve party
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6


What's your favourite detail from the SID Lunar New Year's Eve party?

View Answers

Guo Changcheng polishing his work ID with a microfiber cloth
3 (50.0%)

Chu Shuzhi, Lin Jing, Zhu Hong, and Daqing playing mahjong
0 (0.0%)

Daqing's mahjong chips turning into dried fish (and him eating them)
5 (83.3%)

Lao-Li pole-dancing around a giant femur
1 (16.7%)

Sang Zan and Wang Zheng doing their Hanga dance
1 (16.7%)

Shen Wei letting Zhao Yunlan use his thigh as a pillow
3 (50.0%)

other
0 (0.0%)



(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the readalong!)

Our schedule for this round -- please sign up to host a post if you can!
facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-04-10 06:38 am (UTC)(link)
"Aww, that bit during the popcorn scene in the drama (ep 5, 5:50), where people are theorising why the Hallows won't respond, and DQ says, "Maybe, it's just that your detector is garbage," and GCC dutifully writes it down, word for word. :D"

Heeeee omg yes. :D :D I watched this scene so many times in the last few weeks but I didn't put these together, and now I'm all DUH, it's very obvious that this is where they took this bit from. :D (I love Wang Zheng's face when she laughs at it. :D /random)

"Chu Shuzhi's whole backstory is a LOT, and I'm interested that Daqing knows all the details while ZYL has never heard it before. Huh."

Daqing was there when CSZ started working for the Guardian, and I guess Zhao Yunlan just didn't care to find out why exactly CSZ got the punishment?

"Plus the cut-off of 7 years old for being untouchable... ooookay?"

I kinda highkey hate that I know, but it's pretty much exactly the same in the catholic church (or at least it was, and at least in some parts of it - I'm happy for all the other parts where it's not, if they exist :P), so this was unexpectedly super familar to me.

"I keep being befuddled by magic, and especially by ZYL doing magic. Like, is this something just anyone can do? If it's because deep-down he's Kunlun, why hasn't he questioned why he can do it?"

I think here it's the Soul-Guarding Order doing the magic. And generally it's always related to the magic objects he has, isn't it? And I guess only he can use some of them as the Guardian, and others, like the talismans, can be used by pretty much anyone who knows what they're doing.

"He is (very) large, he contains multitudes. :D"

:D :D :D ITA, and the fact that he's always in his cat form, no matter which role he takes, makes it even more fun. :D
facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan gesturing)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-04-11 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
"You'd think he might be a little bit curious? LOL."

I think Zhao Yunlan has some interesting priorities re: what he cares about sometimes. xD I can see him being curious, but I can also totally see him going 'eh, CSZ did something bad a very long time ago, what does it have to do with me? he's a good employee, that's what counts'.

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trobadora: (Zhao Yunlan - Kunlun)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-04-19 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
It feels like a different genre from spirits and gods and sorcery, to me, but it probably isn't. ;-p

It 100% isn't!

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trobadora: (Chu Shuzhi - done with this)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-04-19 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
Aww, so much of the Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng scene made it into the drama in various parts and ways. I love how they adapted all that. <3 <3 <3

Right???? :D

(Again, I'm all, "ZYL, take better care of your bf!" ;-p)

Yeah, ZYL is very focused on "getting" SW, but a lot of this makes me feel like he cares significantly less than he thinks he does, because he's just riding roughshod over SW's feelings way too often. /o\

I keep being befuddled by magic, and especially by ZYL doing magic. Like, is this something just anyone can do?

That looks like perfectly ordinary talisman work to me?

I love that -- I love how he's a cranky wise old mentor sometimes, or a deputy leader, and at other times a brat, a parental figure, or a fish-obsessed CAT. He is (very) large, he contains multitudes. :D

Yes! Daqing is great! :D

I DNW a points-based ethical system! ;-p

100% agreed. Once it's about points, it no longer qualifies as ethics in my book.
trobadora: (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan - bench)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-04-19 10:54 am (UTC)(link)
That's definitely a less depressing way to look at it - and it's still plenty sad. *sighs*

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facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-04-10 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
"Do SW & ZYL see DQ talking to the Crows? I assume not, but I feel like they're all in the same vicinity. (Poor DQ!)"

I also assume not, but I love how this scene sort of cinematically panned away to a different place in the same area. :D

"That is some attention span!!! (I think this oath is probably what became, in episode 4, the Envoy thinking, "Once a promise is made, even mountains can't get in our way. I promised you that for the sake of the people, for the sake of Haixing's peace, even if I have to forever shoulder burdens whilst going the opposite way, I will bravely advance forward." *pets*)"

Lol at the attention span, and also yes, I think so! One of the very, very few things that they grabbed from the novel and didn't build quite enough context around it - they're always so good at it otherwise! ♡

"I adore the conversation about Shen Wei's name -- both that ZYL recognises himself in the story (or at least, it sounds familiar), and his saying, “Who has the audacity to just randomly rename someone?” -- Gee, I wonder!!! LOL!!! <3 <3 <3"

Hahah, yes, and he says it after it sounded like him, lol awww, self-awareness. :D ♡♡♡

"Is Chu Shuzhi banned from the library because he'd be bound to abuse the sorcery books (ie, for safety reasons) or what? Is he just too disrespectful?"

Probably a condition of his sentence - the Netherworld doesn't trust him to have access to such things, whether they have reasons for that or not?

"(Has he tried using Changcheng as a book retrieval service yet?)"

Changcheng can't even see the door to the library, can he? :) But also CSZ didn't even read anything when he had access to the library (this time), so I guess he doesn't care all that much. xD

"Haha, that reminds me of the conversation about ZYL sprawling all over Shen Wei, post-canon. <333"

Omggggg, YES. :D :D :D I was equally melting into a puddle from both of these concepts but didn't put them together. :D :D :D ♡♡♡

"Zhao Yunlan’s eyesight was still recovering, so he didn’t see the little storage bin in the wardrobe, covered by a long trench coat. -- ooh, mystery! (Don't tell me! I've completely forgotten about this.) Love that the drama trench coat is from the novel, hee!"

I literally just assumed that this is where the underwear was and that's why he didn't find it. xD :D No idea if that's correct. xD

"The inscription on the Kunlun painting is so romantic (and the illustration in the official translation is gorgeous)"

There's beautiful fanart of this scene too. ♡♡♡ (I've recced this artist here before for the 'Shen Wei's inner colors' scene, and she's also drawn other things from the novel. ♡)

"It's just mean to stress SW out like this and then act all smug and wring a hug out of the situation!"

Ikr?? Needlessly worrying Shen Wei is the one thing that actually didn't work for me here. But also I don't think Zhao Yunlan thought at all about worrying him or getting a hug out of it, I think he went straight to acting smug and inappropriate and annoying to hide how hard he was thinking about the secret room.

[If my comment had anything to with you cut-tagging the last part, I really appreciate the sentiment, but honestly I don't really like the implications of it...? Having been on the other end of squickiness, feeling like it would be appreciated if I cut-tag my bathroom-kissing-Weilan squee would make me feel a lot more unwelcome than people just saying they were squicked by it (which was very 'fair enough' to me, and I actually genuinely loved that everyone could express their feelings exactly as they are). So I really don't want to be on this end of squickiness in this way - it's a lot more comfortable if everyone talks freely about all the things. ♡ (Also I'd probably still read your full comment even when it's cut, but I already read it before, I just had no time to reply, lol. :D)]

"Ha, the description of ZYL's mother is followed up with "Fathers and sons do often have somewhat similar tastes in partners, after all." But the way she talks to ZYL reminds me of the SID team all being so rude to each other, rather than SW."

I saw it as just her looks - all elegant and refined, and wearing glasses. I didn't even consider it would imply anyting about the personality - if it's supposed to, then it kinda really doesn't work. :P

"(Does his mum know DQ can speak, I wonder? I don't think he says anything in the whole scene.)"

I think she thinks he's a totally ordinary cat - in the phone call she said they've had him for so long that he's going to die soon.
facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-04-10 10:05 am (UTC)(link)
♡♡♡! All good, sleep well! :)
facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-04-11 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
"I think he was too busy with his parole hearing to rootle around for good sorcery spells? ;-)"

Which shows a lot of restraint, I just realized? Like, he knows that he got screwed over when he IS in the library - he could do something really stupid about it with the resources he has, but he just doesn't, he's just sad and distracted instead.

"But the whole set-up to get SW out of the way was inevitably going to stress him out... ZYL should know that."

Oh, definitely, he should have known, and he should have scrapped the whole plan for this reason alone. It's only afterwards that he has other things to think about and probably no brainspace left to really pay attention to Shen Wei's reaction.

"Ha! I wonder if anyone's written a Yao reveal..."

Hmm, what do you need to do to provoke Daqing into talking, and how much does it need to involve dried fish. :D :D :D

And the funniest thing to me about the 'taste in partners' thing is that Zhao Yunlan didn't get it from his father, he literally got it from his past self, and it would always be Shen Wei no matter who the parents of this specific reincarnation are. xD

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trobadora: (Zhao Yunlan - Kunlun)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-04-19 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm, what do you need to do to provoke Daqing into talking, and how much does it need to involve dried fish. :D :D :D

LOLOLOL!

Zhao Yunlan didn't get it from his father, he literally got it from his past self, and it would always be Shen Wei no matter who the parents of this specific reincarnation are. xD

♥ ♥ ♥

(I wonder if it sort of works the other way round, for him? if the parents for all his reincarnations are picked based on similarities with him, since he'll still inevitably be himself even when he reincarnates?)

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trobadora: (Da Qing - megaphone)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-04-19 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
So much of priest's storytelling is cinematic. I can 100% see why the books get adapted. <3

That's very true, yeah!

Ha! I wonder if anyone's written a Yao reveal...

Oh, that would be fun! :D
trobadora: (Zhao Yunlan - Kunlun)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-04-19 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
One of the very, very few things that they grabbed from the novel and didn't build quite enough context around it - they're always so good at it otherwise! ♡

Yes, 100% agreed on that!

Probably a condition of his sentence - the Netherworld doesn't trust him to have access to such things, whether they have reasons for that or not?

Yeah, that's my take too, and I also think he doesn't actually care about the books, LOL.

I literally just assumed that this is where the underwear was and that's why he didn't find it. xD :D No idea if that's correct. xD

I definitely think you're right about that!

"The inscription on the Kunlun painting is so romantic (and the illustration in the official translation is gorgeous)"

There's beautiful fanart of this scene too. ♡♡♡

So gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing the art!

But also I don't think Zhao Yunlan thought at all about worrying him or getting a hug out of it, I think he went straight to acting smug and inappropriate and annoying to hide how hard he was thinking about the secret room.

That makes sense to me - and also, I think he still underestimates just how much SW worries. (Though he really shouldn't, at this point!)

it's a lot more comfortable if everyone talks freely about all the things. ♡

♥ ♥ ♥

I saw it as just her looks - all elegant and refined, and wearing glasses. I didn't even consider it would imply anyting about the personality - if it's supposed to, then it kinda really doesn't work. :P

Yeah, I took it the same way.
trobadora: (Zhao Yunlan - patience)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-04-19 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, I kind of love that Shen Wei was struggling fiercely against ZYL's hold.

Can't have been THAT fiercely, since SW is a lot stronger! :p

(At this stage SW doesn't know how much ZYL has figured out, right? ZYL is the one keeping secrets now? Hm.)

Yeah, at this point they're both keeping secrets from each other. Which they also do in the drama, though there ZYL hasn't got nearly as close to the truth, of course.

I think this oath is probably what became, in episode 4, the Envoy thinking, "Once a promise is made, even mountains can't get in our way.

Yeah, I think so, too!

Daqing passes on the red envelope to Xiao-Guo -- which somehow turned into dinner with Guo Ying in the drama. <3

Did it? I'm missing the connection here.

Is Chu Shuzhi banned from the library because he'd be bound to abuse the sorcery books (ie, for safety reasons) or what? Is he just too disrespectful? (Has he tried using Changcheng as a book retrieval service yet?)

I think he's banned as a matter of course, because he's wearing the shackles, and he actually doesn't care about the books. *g*

Haha, that reminds me of the conversation about ZYL sprawling all over Shen Wei, post-canon. <333

Yes! :D :D :D

And then it says, He had recently managed to force Shen Wei to reluctantly stay with him in this tiny apartment and how it's all about getting laid (presumably against Shen Wei's better judgement), and then I'm back to "ehhhhhhh, this makes me uncomfortable" again. ;-p

*hugs*

I got stuck on a different part that made me uncomfortable; I'm all for the two of them being stalkery at each other, but IMO that doesn't mean anything goes, you know?

and idk, I feel like the room is less creepy for an ancient immortal than it would be for a human? Like, when you've lived thousands of years, your perspective is inevitably going to be skewed anyway...?

Honestly, personally I never felt it was particularly creepy.

It's just mean to stress SW out like this and then act all smug and wring a hug out of the situation!

Yeah, I'm 100% with you on that.

Though, otoh, maybe ZYL thinks the best argument for their relationship is SW himself, and that once his mum sees SW, any resistance will evaporate, lol.

LOL, I just said the same thing in my comment, without having read this first!

(Does his mum know DQ can speak, I wonder? I don't think he says anything in the whole scene.)

Pretty sure she thinks he's an ordinary cat. She really doesn't know much about his life, which, honestly, I find pretty sad.
trobadora: (Zhao Yunlan - patience)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-04-19 10:58 am (UTC)(link)
Remind me where in the drama ZYL keeps secrets from SW? I'm blanking.

I meant that ZYL is hiding that he's realised out that SW is hiding info about Kunlun from him. (What with the destroyed audio recording and all.)

I think the red envelope is how GCC's uncle finds out he's working at the SID -- so actually, this is more like SW & ZYL running into Guo Ying at the DoS, now I come to think of it, which was what led to the dinner. (I can't remember if the dinner happens in the novel.)

Oh, I see! That makes sense, thank you for explaining.

Really? Huh. I would be pretty disturbed to know I'd been being surveilled like that...

In a real-world context, absolutely! But I guess I don't apply real-world rules when reincarnation and past lives are involved. *g*

He does work for a secret government department that routinely wipes people's memory, so I suppose it can't be helped. (I wonder how many people know there are yao living among them...)

Yeah, good question about who knows! And it's true that he probably doesn't have much of a choice, but that's just another way in which the world he's living in sucks.

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