Don't Look Back

A tragic romance: the heroine suffers first, then the hero. Happy ending.

That year, twelve-year-old Yang Zhi, the daughter of a farming family, led the nine-year-old young master Tu Nan to the gates of Xuanming Mountain, where they became fellow disciples.

Tu Nan was cold by nature, but he was very close to her. When he couldn't sleep at night, he would come looking for her, hold her, and call her "Big Sister." Since he called her that, Yang Zhi took on the role of his big sister, soothing and caring for him from childhood until he grew into a dashing young man.

He was a prodigy, achieving a high level of cultivation at a young age. He slew demons and upheld justice, and every trip down the mountain became a legend. He made his mark on the world. Yang Zhi watched him leave the mountain gate and venture into the vast world. He had the immortal path, confidants, and so many things she envied.

As his "Big Sister," she could only watch him from behind forever. She had once been his sister, so she was fated to be nothing but his sister forever. She had no way out, nothing she could do, and nothing to say.

After watching his back for a long time, she finally thought: Go. Leave this place.

Once she'd decided to leave, she must never look back.

*

Tu Nan had never imagined this would happen. He returned to the mountain injured after vanquishing demons below, only to find the bamboo hut empty. No one was there.

At first, he didn't care. She had probably gone down the mountain on some errand. It was no big deal; he could get someone else to treat his wounds.

But days later, he realized she was gone.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered the last time he saw her. She had looked at him with a deep gaze and softly called him by his full name: "Mo Tu Nan."

He had frowned. "Why are you calling me by my full name?" He had never liked that surname. Tu Nan was enough. Adding Mo made it sound as if someone meant to bind him in place.

She paused before saying, "It's nothing. Go on. The mountain is dangerous. Take care of yourself."

Only after thinking about it for a long time did he understand that she had wanted to make him stay, but she hadn't. She had left on her own.

*

I can't sum up the leads in a few words. The hero is probably naive yet cruel, socially inept yet perceptive. The heroine is gentle yet strong, deceiving herself while seeing clearly through everything.

[Don't read pirated copies. I rewrote this book, and all pirated versions online are the version I abandoned.]

Prepublication: "Just for Show"

The day filming wrapped, Qiu Xi put on her sunglasses and left the set without looking back. She never wanted to work with Lin Han, that complete idiot, again.

Unexpectedly, a year later, the show became a hit just two days after it aired. As professional actors devoted to their work (and obscure nobodies who needed fans), the two of them embarked on a publicity campaign as a real-life couple.

Their publicity turned out to work incredibly well. Their CP fans were completely hooked. When they had chemistry, they were made for each other; when they had no chemistry and forced a conversation, it was mutual yearning. If they chatted together, they were a couple. If they stood apart, they were pretending not to know each other.

Whenever he had free time, Lin Han would check their CP fan community to see if they'd done enough publicity that day and how many fans they'd gained. If he found a particularly brilliant analysis post, he'd send a screenshot to Qiu Xi, laughing his head off. Qiu Xi would only roll her eyes.

Around the middle of the show's run, the CP fans discovered a brand-new way to ship them. They dug up tons of behind-the-scenes footage and wrote countless long analysis posts, determined to prove one thing: Qiu Xi had already fallen for Lin Han during filming, and had loved him deeply.

One day, Lin Han sent her another analysis post. "Those people are so good at making connections. How did they even come up with this analysis? But why were you acting like that back then? Hahahahahaha!"

Qiu Xi was silent for a long time. "Do you have something seriously wrong with you? We were obviously just..."

Doing publicity.

A genuinely sweet, clueless puppy-like hero * a clever heroine who pretends not to understand. A silly comedy, with no real-life inspiration.

Theme: Do what makes you happy. If loving someone makes you happy, love them. If they no longer make you happy, then leave.