Case File Compendium Vol. 3 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Case File Compendium vol 3 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Volume 3 of Case File Compendium is about the aftermath of the sexual assault in the previous volume. If the reader is hoping for soul-searching, deep conversations, healing and understanding, they will be sorely disappointed.

He Yu plunges deep into his psychopathy, living in a reality of his own, where his actions aren’t his fault, and pushing himself in Xie Qingcheng’s company—and into the older man’s bed. He’s still demanding answers for what took place when Xie Qingcheng resigned as his doctor. The latter isn’t willing to tell him anything, and only gives in to He Yu’s forceful demands to get rid of him faster.

Xie Qingcheng wants nothing to do with He Yu. He’s deeply traumatised by what took place, and he hates He Yu with passion. However, since he bottles everything in, he simply goes on as if nothing has happened, his rage surfacing only on occasion with He Yu. Reader feels both annoyance and sympathy for him, as it turns out he’s coped with hardships this way all his life.

Life keeps throwing the two together, and they end up on the set of a same movie production. Things get so bad that the reader starts believing this will end with either of them killing the other. But before their hatred peaks, a serial killer shows up and the two are caught in his web.

This was a difficult, heavy book. On one hand, I’m happy that the events of the previous book aren’t glossed over here, but there was nothing light to give the reader even a breather. Even the revelation of the source of He Yu’s madness didn’t ease things, as it’s a tragic story too.

We mostly follow He Yu as he descends into his madness. The brief lucid moments are always followed by worse delusions and violence. And Xie Qingcheng’s suffering isn’t any easier to witness. There aren’t even any side stories and plots that would take attention away from the two even briefly. And just as the plot changes a new gear, the book ends in a double cliffhanger, with Xie Qingcheng ready to reveal one of his secrets, and the pair in a mortal peril.

Nevertheless, this was a good book. He Yu’s mental illness is believable and Xie Qingcheng’s suffering relatable. It’ll be an agony to wait for the next book, but I’m invested in the story now. It’ll definitely need all the remaining several volumes before any sort of HEA can be achieved.