i always see people comparing shen jiu and jiang cheng but i think personally jin guangyao is a better comparison for shen jius character. the extent of their shittiness is built on how God awful their lives were. even tho they're nothing a like in temperament, their choices and actions are based on the ways they can lift themselves above who they used to be. and the reason why neither of them try to stop being awful people once they've achieved that power is because they never really believe they Can become anything more than they were, a slave and a prostitute's bastard, so they continue to step on people to reach the impossible.
they're both disgusting and twisted people who have allowed their own hurt and bitterness at the world to be an excuse for abusing innocent people around them as a way to make themselves feel superior.
jiang cheng on the other hand is literally just a selfish asshole. i don't think he fully has the capabilities to be as awful and conniving as either shen jiu or jin guangyao (nor do i think he would be resilient/smart enough to have survived as long as either of them did).
