Ace

The biggest problem with this book is that the protagonist works himself to the bone but can't earn any money at all, and has no personal gain whatsoever. Every investigation carries a life-threatening risk. If there were sufficient benefits, such as funding or organizational power, I could continue watching. However, the protagonist has no benefits whatsoever. Is the protagonist a pure person?

The romance is a major flaw; it's not written like a typical web novel, it's just awful. I can't accept how Du Qingqing is written this way, and the protagonist's mother is even dating his friend? How could you even think of that? Why write so much about the ending for Wu Youyou and Hai Na? I'm never reading Xia's novels again. Reality is bad enough as it is, and reading a novel is even worse! However, objectively speaking, it's a good book and worth reading.

The most annoying thing about this work is its double standards. It seizes every opportunity to mock China, relentlessly criticizing its negative aspects while either omitting or subtly praising its positive ones, all while appearing smug. Conversely, it writes more objectively about other countries, mentioning both the good and bad, and occasionally praising the good.

I strongly advise against reading this. Although the plot and writing are excellent, the romance is deliberately disgusting. There's too much toxicity, including cuckoldry, giving away women, and the protagonist hugging Hina only to become someone else's fiancée. I'm not saying it has to be a harem; I can accept a single female lead or no female lead at all.

I don't know why so many people are criticizing it. Personally, I feel this is the best novel I've ever read, bar none. I work in the finance industry, and I've encountered several of the scams described in the book myself; they're all real, not just made up in other novels. However, a novel is still a novel, but overall, it's the most worthwhile novel I've ever read to reread. The law doesn't represent justice; it only represents order.

I really can't understand why Xia's writing is only at level 5. It doesn't match Xia's level at all; at least this book, *Ace*, is worthy of being called a masterpiece, and even 99% of the platinum-level works can't compare to *Ace*. It just shows that the level of readers is still far too low. I finished *Ace* years ago, and it's the only online novel I've read multiple times.

I had long suspected that Yu Ming's peanut allergy was a ruse. It's actually quite simple. Anyone who's seen Chow Yun-fat's God of Gamblers knows the scene where the God of Gamblers touches his ring when he's about to cheat. That was a deliberate addition to the 500-game gambling series—a trap set by intentionally targeting someone who wasn't paying attention.

I'm just curious about Hina's final fate. I read a book review where someone said they slept with the protagonist but didn't end up with him? And he slept with Hina even though the male lead already had a girlfriend? If that's the case, then it's somewhat unacceptable. To be honest, even when I had a girlfriend, I had several opportunities to sleep with other women.

Many people can't find it, so if you can't find it, try searching for Xia Da's author name.

The quality is passable, barely readable, but the author's bias is rather extreme, given that it was written in an era dominated by public intellectuals.