Waiting for the Green Cicada to Fall

At the end of the first volume, the plot takes a sudden turn, separating the Liu Huaixin case from the Zhang Xiyu case, while subtly intersecting with the Li Jincheng case. If each clue is a railway track, then the image in my mind at this moment would probably look like this: This might lead to new cases, filling in several other storylines 🤣

Dear Lao Mo, I don't know if you still remember me, but I probably don't. I'm really glad I encountered your work, "Achan," last March. I was in my second year of high school then and wrote a book review. Now, in this sweltering summer of farewell for my senior year, I've received a new work from an author I've always admired. I'm truly lucky; even the title you chose is so fitting.

Like the new employee Li Qingyao, the readers also have their own notebooks, haha! The difference is that the reader has a richer perspective and knows more than the characters do. The technical term is "external perspective."

Today's splash screen image is a cicada! Taking a screenshot to commemorate this 🎁 Did you manage to capture it today? 😎

Compared to the first meeting between the male and female leads, what attracted me more was the old father standing in the rain holding a portrait of the deceased in the opening scene, with his fair neck and reddened earlobes. He may just be a tool to introduce the protagonist's profession, but he does reflect the reality of some families.

There are many people in this world who are played by fate, but whether they ultimately suffer a greater tragedy or reap a happy ending after hardship may depend more on their individual character and the influence of their family of origin. Xiang Siling, during her adolescence, was strangled and unable to cry for help, helplessly walking into the abyss of evil.

I absolutely despise Xiang Siling. While she was unfortunate, that's no reason to ruin a promising young woman's life, especially one she loved. Even if she doesn't remember who killed Xiang Wei, she could have simply admitted to the rape, that she wasn't a virgin, that Luo Huaizheng acted bravely, or that she herself was brave enough to report the assault the first time. Of course, there are no "what ifs," otherwise the plot wouldn't be able to progress.

A sudden gust of wind ripples the surface of a spring pond. Lao Mo's descriptions are really delicate. I really like the subtle interactions between Chen Pu and Li Qingyao. It's the kind of interaction where they unconsciously notice each other, perhaps with a little bit of inquiry, but they are always paying special attention to each other and constantly enriching each other's image in their…

It feels like Lao Mo tried a new writing style in this book. Previous suspense romance novels mostly followed the perspectives of the male and female protagonists, gradually discovering clues, deducing and reconstructing the truth, and finally realizing—the murderer is you! By using the "hiding" in the early stages, readers could enjoy the pleasure of solving the mystery.

Old Mo has worked hard; "Waiting for the Cicada to Fall" has been serialized for over five months, and readers haven't had an easy time, especially with the stories of Xiang Siling, Liu Tingmei, and others—some of which are quite dark and unpleasant.