Regarding BAB: What I understand is that, if you're expecting for Meatbun to punish her protagonist for their "misdeeds", you didn't get her style, right? Because I only read Erha and I definitely agree she's not into it. She IS what we call "based" or "biased" if you want, deal with it.
I didn't read BAB so I don't know the whole context, I also don't know the fandom well (except for their memes) so I didn't know there are people complaining about that lack of punishment? But it's ironic that the reason I'm putting it off is not actually He Yu... Although, I admit he seems to be too much for me and I'm not into his kinks, lol. But I can't with the cold bottom who has to be chased until the last minute... and that's how XQC sounds. That's even why I like Erha so much, I love the fact that both protagonists are into each other and both do their sacrifices, it's not only one doing all like most BL. So, correct me if I'm wrong but what I get from your replies is that he was a terrible doctor to He Yu and still the fandom won't recognize this and put it in the same place everyone put bottoms: that they are there just to be loved and did nothing wrong? Because that's actually other of my problems with fandoms in general... they just want to read a story where the top only exist to be there for the bottom or suffer if he did something wrong... and, I mean, there are a lot of scum tops that deserve to suffer but my point is that people love so much this, they only that want that for them, no matter the story.
Anyways, sorry if I'm babbling but those are some thoughts I had reading your reply 😅
Its okay lol. Spoilers ahead//
I mean when you read the summary of BAB as is in jjwxc, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you read "cold apathetic divorced doctor X mental ill patient"?? if your mind conjures up picture of a poor victim patient exploited by their doctor kind of scummy romance, BAB is ironically exactly that but with TWIST as well because we know Heyu refuses to stand in the box of a passive victim.
The thing with BAB is it is true the story is kind of what you described aka XQC is a cold bottom that is being chased till the last page by Heyu( their most fluffy moments are in extras, that tells you all you need to know how intense the books are LOL) but , remember the summary, the cold bottom is not cold because he is genuinely apathetic. But because he is himself mentally ill. The worst kind too aka he refuses to even acknowledge that he is ill until the last arc of the book. That is why he is doing everything in his power to alienate anyone who can help him and that usually turns out to be Heyu because he is the only one who effects him THAT much.
Its not an accident that the people in XQC life do not like Heyu and his ex wife Li Roqiou that much. There is something very sinister beneath XQC's tons of excuses as to why he choses to hurt these two when they get close enough to question his lifestyle choices - two people who do not have personal life support system beside him and society would look down on if things fell apart between them( he is someone who is hyperaware what society expects from men like him so that he can get the privilege of trust . That privilege definitely works in his favor when he does something covertly shitty to people who cannot retaliate back without looking terrible instead of him. That brilliant brain of his KNOWS what he is doing)
So unlike other typical stories of cold bottoms, XQC is definitely different because the plot is not acting like he is just a sweety pie beneath his cold exterior like a tsundere. At least he is not ALL that. There is legit something sinister going on with him . In fact ironically its XQC who buys into the tsundere archetype for himself. He has convinced himself whatever shitty things he has done, he has done for the good of those people and not because he is a suic*dal sociopath who would ruin anyone who would get in the way of his pre-planned death plan.
So if that kind of hardcore atypical story is your thing BAB is definitely worth a read. He is definitely not like Chuwanning. Chu wanning AT LEAST knows what are his issues. He knows he has a terrible personality. He knows his defense mechanism is being cruel and it furthers isolates him. He knows his issues and problems starts and ends with him . His real problem is that he couldn't do anything to solve these issues to form meaningful relationships. And it cost him the well being of his student/ the man he loves and he dies a horrible death in 0.5 timeline.
XQC 's case is worse than CWN because not only he does not know what his problems is, he would swear up and down that he doesn't have any! so that is why it takes so much time to "melt" him.
I won't say she is biased. I would say her story philosophy is very rooted in Asian principles of what redemption and heroism is. In typical Hinduism and Buddhism and Tao culture, what you need to turn good is to have a change of heart. In a society which values community over individualism, Your sins are not your own, its your family's too. This is why in medieval Chinese times, a traitor's entire family used to get punished alongside with the traitor. There are stories of a Confucian scholar whose glory is credited to his hardworking mother who knew the value of the right environment to grow a scholar and how she tirelessly searched for it. So you would find Meatbun stories full of references to these and how she writes redemption.
To look at Shi Mei, his one part aka Hua Binan died a horrible death while another is while alone is very much alive and is loved by people who get treated by him. Pretty good ending for a man who basically ruined and killed an entire timeline right? why did that happen? what is the difference between Shi Mei and Hua Binan??
Its because Shi Mei was the one who had to go through the 5 year arc parallel to Mo Ran too. Unlike Hua Binan who stewed in his revenge isolated from the society he wants to destroy, not looking at the faces of people he wants to kill, looking only at their worst excesses in Gueyue day in and out, Shi Mei saw their best. He saw how kind and supportive society can be to people when you are kind . THAT is what made him develop a conscience that Hua Binan lacks. Meatbun is not biased. She is VERY consistent in her theme of how society maketh heroes and They also maketh villains. It all depends on their cruelty and kindness.
It applies to Heyu too. XQC likes to steal all credit from his sister and aunty Li and Qin Ciyan on how much their support means to the stability of his life, this is why he refuses to see how isolated he made Heyu. He already is in a family who wants nothing to do with him and then as his personal , in house physician not only he terminated his term of work early, he even says it was not his responsibility to be "the bridge" Heyu needed to recover from his illness! I mean its a wonder Heyu didn't mowed down the society when we see him already. He is raised and treated like a villain his entire life. XQC should not have felt its surprising that Heyu attacked him- WHAT ELSE CAN HE EVEN EXPECT after leaving an abused and neglected kid to deal with a fatal illness all by himself!?
So in conclusion: Be nice to people! 80% of bad people won't be bad if they had people who were nice to them.