case file compendium volume 1 – rou bao bu chi rou

Case File Compendium Volume 1 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Series: Case File Compendium #1
Published on February 13, 2024 by Seven Seas
Age Range: Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Representation: M/M couple, Chinese cast

Rating:

Synopsis:

From the outside, He Yu seems to have everything going for he’s handsome, rich, and smart. But beneath his perfect facade, he’s hiding a dark secret–one that makes him a slumbering threat to the people around him. After spending years abroad, he enrolls in film school to pursue the girl of his dreams, Xie Xue…but that forces him to deal with her overprotective older brother, the man He Yu hoped he’d never see again

Xie Qingcheng, an icy man of subdued emotion, was once He Yu’s doctor, and is the only person who knows He Yu’s terrible secret. He Yu swears not to let his past with this man get in the way of his feelings for Xie Xue, but he soon finds himself drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and violence that involves both of the Xie siblings. As a sprawling conspiracy sucks in He Yu, he must confront his own grudges and face new truths–including his own feelings for Xie Qingcheng, which warp into a fixation much darker than what he feels for the man’s sister.

Goodreads

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Before you venture further, just know that this post will contain all sorts of spoilers you don’t wanna know if you haven’t read the book and have intentions to do so. You’ll be spoiled from the start to the end.

Personally, Bing An Ben is the more foreign book amongst all of Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou’s novels so I had zero idea what this might be about. I went into Case File Compendium blindly and read the story without any pre-context. It took me a little bit to get into the flow of the setting and the characters, but I gradually got used to it and found it pretty interesting. There’s a larger age gap than I expected between the main characters. Also, I’m still trying to figure out if the animosity between them stemmed more from the difference in personalities or because they’re attracted to one another.

Anyway, there are more than meets the eye. He Yu has a rare disease that might cause him to be targetted by malicious people. Meanwhile, the deaths of the Xie parents are suspicious to say the least and their eldest child is shouldering a lot of responsibilities.

University

A student came back to the university after speaking to his mother about his tuition fee. He informed Xie-laoshi that his mother wouldn’t want him to continue studying.

Due to some unknown disease, half of the student’s face was covered in purple blotches. As a result, he was shunned and bullied. Because only Xie-laoshi was nice to him, he liked her and gifted her a veiled love poetry.
The student asked if he could stay to read some books because he’ll be leaving school the next day. Xie-laoshi agreed. While doing some work, she fell asleep.
The student confessed to her that he was the one stealing from his classmates.
When Xie-laoshi woke up, the cup that the student was drinking from froze over.
With a start, she called the boy’s mother and found out that it was actually the 7th day of the guy’s death. He ran out of his home in torrential rain after arguing with his mother.

He Yu (19M) left his desk and went to Xie Xue’s room.

They have been friends for 10 years and she’s 5 years older than him. The story above was just a fictional story created by He Yu.
He’s secretly in love with her.
This was her first year as a lecturer teaching screenwriting and directing in the School of Fine Arts at Huzhou University. He Yu was one of her students.
Son of a pharmaceutical tycoon and applied for this university and this class after he heard Xie Xue was teaching.
Xie Xue’s older brother, Xie Qingcheng (32M), came to visit her. He’s 13 years older than He Yu and a doctor.

He Yu suffered from a rare mental illness, an orphan disease, called “psychological Ebola” that has only four recorded cases.

He has congenital deficiencies in the endocrine and nervous systems. When disrupted, their personality would change drastically, turning violent, and will have high fever and confusion.
The patients would first die from the mind, then of the body.

8 year-old He Yu met his doctor for the first time at his birthday

He Yu did a prank with a bucket of water and spoiled Xie Xue’s expensive hair dryer such that she’ll go over to his dorm.

However, the victim became Xie Qingcheng instead.
Xie Qingcheng divorced with his wife, Li Ruoqiu, and is going on a matchmaking date. Li Ruoqiu cheated on him with a married man.

The Xie family were rich. His parents were high ranking members of the police force, but due to a major error that they committed, they were demoted to the lowest ranking.

Then, their mother got sick.
Both parents died before Xie Qingcheng became of age and he needed to take care of his sister.
He’s going to the matchmaking sessions to please Auntie Li.

Matchmaking Date

Xie Qingcheng’s date is named Bai Jing, a salesperson who wants to be rich and famous.

📁 she’s so annoying. i can’t believe she was with them the whole way until the bbq place later.

After the date, while on the streets

Bai Jing was live-streaming (her other job) when a homeless old man staggered up to Bai Jing calling her his daughter.
It’s obvious to Xie Qingcheng that the old man has mental issues and just mistook Bai Jing as his daughter.
When Bai Jing saw that her views skyrocketed and she was getting donations from the public, she forgot her fear and started to direct the camera at the old man.
Xie Qingcheng couldn’t handle this anymore and berated Bai Jing after shutting down her livestream.
Then, the old man had severe heart attack. But the ambulance was blocked by traffic and couldn’t make it for another 30 minutes.

Coincidentally, He Yu and Xie Xue drove by.

They quickly transported the old man to the hospital with He Yu’s expensive car.
He Yu even paid for the homeless man’s fee.

COFFEE SCENE ☕️

📁 OMGGG THIS SCENE!!!

Barbecue place

He Yu, Xie Xue, and Bai Jing went to eat barbecue while Xie Qingcheng bought the old man’s dog to the vet.

He Yu turned down Bai Jing when she asked for his WeChat, and she left.

Xie Xue has someone that she likes and it looks like it’s He Yu.

Psychiatric Hospital

He Yu planned to confess to Xie Xue on the 20th, which is the same day the Xie Xue is accompanying the homeless old man to the psychiatric hospital.

Xie Xue will discuss with the hospital to see if she can bring her class there.
Xie Xue was late even though she texted He Yu she wouldn’t be.

At the restaurant, He Yu met Xie Qingcheng. When Xie Xue never appeared, He Yu knew something was wrong.

Xie Qingcheng went with him to the hospital. They found out that Director Liang is a man, not a woman as described by Xie Xue in a text.
The fake director, Jiang Lanpei, killed Xie Xue. Thankfully, the man’s corpse is just wearing Xie Xue’s clothes. Jiang Lanpei killed the real direction Liang. She had been at the hospital for 20 years without anyone visiting her so she desperately wants to leave
Xie Qingcheng volunteered himself as hostage while the rest went to find Xie Xue who is trapped within a floor board underneath Jiang’s bed.

Jiang Lanpei forced them to the rooftop.

The Liang brothers were cheating outside of their relationships and raping Jiang. They also raped another girl who killed herself, so they doused her corpse in acid to dissolve her, but left the remains in Jiang’s room to scare her.
Xie Qingcheng managed to get out of his binds and He Yu managed to take the scalpel out of Jiang’s hands.

“You fake being a fool. I fake being a normal person.”

Jiang triggered the hidden systems in the hospital that she overheard from Director Liang. The hospital is burning down. She wanted to die with everyone.
When the firefighters arrived, Jiang lighted herself up with gasoline and a lighter that she stole from Liang.

He Yu went back into the burning building wanting to save the patients still trapped there after hearing the firemen saying that they shouldn’t go back in anymore. Xie Qingcheng went him with him.

Somehow He Yu’s blood was able to command and calm a hysterical patient. His diseases evolved within his body to blood toxin—hypnotic power of persuasion.
The first 3 Ebola cases all had enhanced smell.
They left the burning building and found Xie Xue awake.

In the meantime, one of the psychiatric directors and Liang’s friend was trapped in the building and bound to a wheelchair.

A man in firefighting uniform came in and tossed gasoline in the director and lighted him up on fire.
He mentioned that he’s the “janitor” sent over to clean this place up.

“If even I thought that their lives were insignificant and expendable, then who else would treat them as living, breathing humans?”

Everyone had to stay near the hospital for the police interviews.

Xie Qingcheng and He Yu need to share one sofa bed.
After getting pissed off by He Yu, Xie Qingcheng left the break room to smoke.
Out there, he met Chen Man (real name: Chen Yan) who is his friend’s older brother.

Zhuang Zhiqiang (homeless old man) will be sent to the He family’s rehabilitation center.

A person surnamed Duan is suspicious about the patients opening up the doors in orderly manner and he suspects it’s blood toxin.

Neverland Island

Xie Xue had to wear the nine-tailed fox mascot costume for a school event. He Yu went to find her and saw her sitting at the dock.

Turns out, it’s Xie Qingcheng underneath the costume.
Wanting to be trapped with Xie Xue in the island, He Yu asked a senior to cut the rope ties on the bridge and he jammed the phone signals himself since he knows how to hack.
Due to the rain, they escaped into the cave.

He Yu and Xie Qingcheng talked about the day the latter stopped being the former’s doctor

Xie Qingcheng was the one who resigned, but He Yu’s mother was the one who wanted He Yu to stop interacting with the Xie family.
Someone’s trying to get into the island but the senior that He Yu contacted stop him.

In the cave,

They found a guestbook in which a gay chat mentioned that Xie Qingcheng would be a top while He Yu is a bottom.
In one of the pages, a line wrote “WZL will be murdered soon” by Jiang Lanpei. It’s written recently and no way by the Jiang in the psychiatric hospital.
He Yu heard a rumor recently: If you have a grudge against someone, you can picture how the person will die and write it down on a piece of paper. Then, write down Jiang Lane’s name using a red pen and her ghost will kill your enemy for you. The enemy must be a guy.
Both of them have been seeing plain-clothes police officers around the school. They must’ve been investigating something.

He Yu’s senior came by to rescue them and Xie Qingcheng overheard their conversation.

He Yu explained that he wanted to confess to the girl he liked so he did this thing.
They parted in bad terms again.

Xie Xue wrote a love letter to send to the person she was secretly in love with. Then, she started to have a nosebleed.

When the love letter booth was gathering all the letters, some of it flew off.
He Yu helped picked up one with bloodstains on it and saw it was named to Wei Dongheng, who is known to be wild and a player.

Xie Qingcheng brought the guestbook to the police station and fainted there. Chen Man brought him to the hospital.

Hospital

Xie Qingcheng is severely allergic to mango

The cake that He Yu brought to the cave was that flavour but it was too dark so Xie Qingcheng just ate it thinking it’s peach-flavoured.
He Yu was at the hospital as well but he left without knowing what happened to Xie Qingcheng.
Since Xie Xue needed to leave town for a school thing, she asked He Yu to help and that’s how he knew that Xie Qingcheng was allergic to mango and had fell sick.

Murder Case

Meanwhile, a man had the real files of Jiang Lanpei which he was supposed to do something with. However, he was quickly killed by a woman after finding out that the files were missing in the safe.

Two people were dead—Director Liang’s son and wife—and they say it’s suicide.

Hangshi

Xie Xue asked her brother to visit He Yu who was participating as an actor for a low rated film.

He Yu’s role is a rich guy who confessed to the female lead who he had been in love for years but was rejected.

Xie Qingcheng went into He Yu’s room and found him popping pills, cutting himself, and drinking alcohol.

After finding out that Xie Xue liked Wei Dongheng, He Yu’s illness flared up again.
In his drugged out haze, He Yu thought Xie Qingcheng was Xie Xue and kissed him.
Xie Qingcheng finally realized that He Yu was triggered by losing his love to another.

The next day,

Xie Qingcheng made He Yu promise that he would go to the medical school after the production and train under him, so that He Yu wouldn’t overthink about the love situation

Cemetery

Chen Man and Xie Qingcheng went to Chen Man’s brother’s grave since the former just solved his first case.

Xie Qingcheng walked to Qin Ciyan’s grave, an old colleague who was murdered by a patient’s deranged child.

A group of old colleagues from Huzhou Medical School came to visit as well.
The rumor of Xie Qingcheng being gay is because when He Yu went to find him then, Nurse Zhou wanted He Yu’s number but he refused by saying he’s Doctor Xie’s boyfriend.

It seems like Chen Man might be falling for Xie Qingcheng.

Medical Center

He Yu went to meet Xie Qingcheng. Chen Man joined them for dinner.

He Yu and Xie Qingcheng had a bet going on and the latter lost.

Ending

Duan-laoban and the Huzhou University’s instructor, Jiang Liping, are scheming together.

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case file compendium volume 1 – rou bao bu chi rou