After devouring volume one of Silent Reading: Mo Du, I could not wait to jump back into the world of the Yancheng Municipal Bureau. What was waiting for me in volume 2 was a gritty scene surrounding a school bus hijacking, missing young girls, and an over twenty-year old grisly case. I already trusted priest to enthrall me with a good mystery. I wasn’t prepared, however, for the case to consume me outside of my reading time. Going though the clues, trying not to guess too much but working out what I was missing. From start to finish, Silent Reading: Mo Du volume 2 was an inticing read.
What I Loved
This includes story specific spoilers.
The Main Case
The case in this arc was disturbing. It made my hair stand on end, especially given that it involved children, sexual assault, and murders. I was disgusted at every turn, but that only fueled my need to keep reading. I think priest does a great job at making the reader understand how awful the case is without needing to get graphic about the details.
Aside from how grim it was, it was also heart breaking. Something that is sewn through out the arc was how strong the cycle of abuse is, spanning decades. Su Hui was most likely abused and in turn, abused her daughter. Su Xiaolan was the victim of her mother’s abuse and was then trafficked. She then took her pain and targeted other girls. Su Xiaolan then groomed her daughter, Su Luozhan, and turned her into another groomer who also targeted girls. The adults in Su Xiaolan’s life failed her and the result was catastrophic for generations. The one adult who could have put an end to this, Wu Guangchuan, was instead a sick and deprived individual who continued the abuse. Luckily, he met his end early. Unfortunately, Guo Heng had to serve time for this.
What saddened me the most was the fact Qu Tong didn’t make it. She was so brave during the bus jacking and was trying to save everyone. It angers me that some sick lunatic took advantage of her during this vulnerable moment. I understand that her disappearance reopens the missing girls case, but I wish it wasn’t so.
The Ship is Sailing
The developments between Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou were delicious! This is absolutely a slow burn but the crumbs we are getting, THE CRUMBS!!!, are so good.
Fei Du is such a complicated person and I have reason to believe we’ve barely scratched the surface. There’s so much he’s hiding and the little snippets we’re getting add to the mystery. In this volume, we see Fei Du slowly realizing that all these good deeds he attributed to Tao Ran were actually Luo Wenzhou. This new understanding softens Fei Du, and now he opens the flirty floodgates with Luo Wenzhou. It’s interesting how he he uses his “playboy” autra to seem in total control. Yet those little moments of realization with the cat and the gaming console sow how he’s coming undone.
“Other than the little bouquets and the console, what else was there…?” Fei Du asked quietly.”
On Luo Wenzhou’s end, he’s starting to see Fei Du in a new light and that troubles him. Lou Wenzhou admits that in beginning, he cared for Fei Du out of a “brotherly” concern. But now in adulthood, he’s annoyed by him. Young, rich, and seemingly careless. But the tides are slowly changing, and as little bits and pieces of Fei Du surface, Luo Wenzhou is intrigued. I also want to see more of Luo Wenzhou. We get a good part of him but as he grows closer to Fei Du, I suspect a new side of him will emerge, too.
“Luo Wenzhou felt that if this man weren’t Fei Du but a stranger he’d met in passing on the street or in a bar, he would’ve daydreamed about him for some time.“
Their banter is fun but what makes me blush is how much Luo Wenzhou is falling for it and how hard he’s trying to reign it. There’s something to be said about when a slow burn is done right, you almost don’t want them to get together because the “will they, wont they” is just that satisfying. But still, I look forward to seeing when these two will cross the line they can no longer return from.
Where to Buy Silent Reading: Mo Du Volume 2
Silent Reading: Mo Du Volume 2
Written by priest
Translation: Yuka, Nande M
Copy Editor: Jehanne Bell
Proofreader: Ami Leh, Pengie
Editor: Heather Wychbold
Illustrations by Rylee
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Silent Reading: Mo Du Volume 2 is available now.
