From the beginning I thought he seemed to be pushing them together, and turns out he had a bet going on with Qiu Yan about when the ML would lose his v**ginity (LOL) - so I'm sure he tried to be a matchmaker from the beginning.

I think the author just put it there for the CP to have some fun after all the tragedy happened - it's a bit silly. Yes, the ML couldn't 100% consent due to his mental state, but he was very enthusiastic about it and later on told the MC that even though he couldn't communicate at the time, he was aware of what was going on. So calling it 'rape' as some readers have done is kind of out there, and while it might be dubcon it's pretty mild and quickly turns consensual.

The translators describe him as a 'heroic handsome firefighter' and I agree he embodies that ideal! Our MC knows he's hot and teases and flirts casually not only with ML but others, but has very good work/family ethics, a strong sense of teamwork/comradeship, knows his physical limits and adhere very strongly to his moral bottom-lines even against the ML. MC also doesn't let his world revolve solely around ML; he's got a sick dad he prioritizes over everything and is his ultimate bottomline, a job he loves and career he wants to advance, and a supportive network of colleagues & friends. He's pretty much an ideal boyfriend ah!

Described as a 'mysophobic high IQ criminal investigative police', our ML is a highly intelligent workaholic who is quite resourceful and is very, very, very determined at all (mostly) lawful costs to capture the arsonist that mu*dered his family and traumatized him with pyrophobia. ML lets his guard down towards and gets very possessive over MC early into their working partnership, but, due to his very low EQ and nonexistent love experience, does NOT react well at all upon meeting MC's former lover. Although his character gradually develops to be more considerate for and of MC, his narrow single-minded focus towards capturing the arsonist, his general inability to emphasise with other ppl and his taking-for-granted of MC's forgiveness eventually touches MC's own bottomline...

Not the best first impression, quite the angsty 'getting together' full of prolonged misunderstandings (mutual love but ML and MC initially think the other only want to be FWB), but MC and ML definitely uphold their own principles and stand their ground in this relationship; most of their progress is due to their individual character development and reactions to the increasingly dangerous cases.

Btw yes, they DO IT in chp 100; MC in his own words "has always been 1 (top) " so "how could he, a pure 1 who has never been a 0, be reduced to giving meat to inexperienced little virg*ns", but only for GYX would he spread himself so clearly wide open that there's absolutely NO way ML can miss his hole (which he kept doing hahaha).

Their breakups (yes it happens TWICE) are also realistic; MC believes "as long as we like each other, most difficulties can be overcome", but because he's the type who will never "use results to weigh importance" and sacrifice his lover over "more important things", he cannot accept that "the person I love treats me like this" and would rather breakup early than let their love turn into hatred. Ofc ML doesn't agree because "no matter what you say or what you do, I will never give up on you".

Our ML's wife-chasing is quite mild compared to other 188verse novels, mostly because as a policeman ML isn't supposed to act against the law (although honestly some of his actions are clearly borderline), and because the duo are dedicated and professional enough to continue investigating together even after breaking up. They do get back together naturally too, given the nature of their professions where everyday could be their last and the increasing fatality of the plot. (BRING TISSUES FELLOW READERS)

chp 191: GYX's still not fully able to communicate but is recuperating at home with RY nursing him. Partially as encouragement to stimulate his brain, GYX's daily kiss blows up into RY riding him. It's revealed later that our ML, although unable to voice it out, was in his mind fully aware of and consenting to the s**, actively overstimulating RY afterwards~