A gentle, perceptive pipa player × a refined scoundrel, a powerful figure in Beijing's elite circle
Love and hate | Sinking with eyes wide open | Coercive love | An old flame reignited | Six-year age gap
Yu Xuefei first met Shang Siyou because of a pipa made of small-leaf rosewood.
She had never received such a gift before, so she nervously sought him out to return it. "It's too precious, Mr. Shang."
"I've never taken back anything I've given."
The man had a composed gaze and a warm, mellow voice. Light filtered through the screen, casting a patchwork of shadows across his face, yet somehow making him seem impossibly out of reach.
Shang Siyou was handsome, refined, and upright. Their families had known each other for generations, and they held him up as a role model to spur the younger generation on. Only Yu Xuefei knew that beneath his gentle exterior lay an insatiable desire for control.
It began with the rosewood pipa, then she became his canary. Every step was part of his scheme.
Yu Xuefei did everything he asked, and in return, he gave her the chance to perform in Canada.
On the day she left, a friend asked with a laugh, "Aren't you afraid she'll run away?"
Shang Siyou's lips lifted slightly. "She wouldn't dare."
And later, she truly vanished without a trace. The name "Yu Xuefei" became an unspeakable taboo to him.
Half a year later, a rare torrential downpour hit Beijing. A wedding invitation arrived from overseas, bearing a familiar name that stung his eyes.
In a fit of rage, Shang Siyou smashed his wineglass. A shard cut across the bird on the screen, leaving a horrifying scar.
People thought Yu Xuefei had thoroughly offended Shang Siyou and would have to live under an assumed name for the rest of her life.
No one expected her to make a grand return with her first concert after coming back to China. Some guessed Yu Xuefei had found an even more powerful patron than Shang Siyou.
But when the performance ended and she was giving her thanks, the refined, dignified man presented her with flowers, gently resting a hand on her slender waist as he solemnly declared, "From today on, you should call her Mrs. Shang."
No one knew that in the blinding snowstorm that swept through Toronto that year,
Shang Siyou had stood outside her door for a long time after she refused to let him in, ice even forming on his eyelashes.
Later, afraid something might happen to him, she let him inside to warm up.
The man who always got his way clung to her through his unrelenting fever, murmuring only one thing: "Yu Xuefei, can we start over?"
[Reading Notes]
1. Old-school melodrama. The male lead is absolutely no good: he's crazy and twisted. If you can't handle that, do not read!
2. The female lead is good at enduring and striking back, so the coercive love in the first half may feel frustrating (...). But in the second half, the male lead will suffer plenty. Don't insult my darling female lead. If you must, insult me instead T-T
3. There is a scheming female lead, but she does not actually get married. The setting is fictional, with no real-life inspirations. It's all about the atmosphere, and I've made up countless details.
4. The volume subtitles come from the song "Rotten Grass Turns to Fireflies."
*First draft: November 14, 2024; revised: May 17, 2025
Theme: Develop a healthy view of love
Why do I feel like it's a bit sadistic due to my age and identity? T T
Hahahahaha, do they also have a relationship? If so, will Chuan'er regret letting Xiao Qiu come to the UK?
I really didn't expect that this pair would be so good at writing. 😭 I really didn't see enough! [Orange Candy] Got it
There must be a baby fan wow 🥺 🥺
It will be almost two months since it was finished. I wanted to write about my feelings but never did. Maybe I have to say goodbye to the story before I write about my feelings. Although I will read it from time to time in the future, I have been reading it for nearly two months. From the beginning of September to the beginning of January, I was really happy to spend this time with Sisi's words 🤩 When I first read it, I didn't pay much attention to the title of the book, but from the beginning and later, I can see that the relationship between the two and the growth of the heroine are all related to rain. Yu Xuefei's name contains rain, but she is afraid of rain. Rain is the externalization of her inner trauma, and it is the shadow that she wants to escape but can never get rid of. But at the end of the story, she finds that she is no longer afraid of rain at some point. Sisi uses the thread of "rain" to string together Fei Fei's entire growth trajectory. And I really like Sisi's way of handling it. She didn't make the rain stop, she just made people no longer afraid of the rain. The problem won't disappear, but you no longer have to carry it alone. In the subsequent reading process of the character Chuan'er, I can also feel that the background of the character is really painful. He is an abandoned child, raised by businessmen as a "substitute", and has never been truly loved, so he does not know how to love at all. The story of the bird he told Yu Xuefei was about himself. He thought that love meant possession, control, and making the other person never leave, but this twisted love almost destroyed his relationship with Fei Fei. It was Feifei's repeated "escapes" that forced him to reflect on his behavior and begin to truly learn how to love. The most touching thing about their relationship is those moments when they are seen, two people trapped in their own cages, trying to find an exit through each other, but they are scarred in the collision. When Shang Siyou finally understood why Feifei left, why he hid it, and why he suffered alone, redemption became possible because he truly saw her. And when Feifei finally understood where Shang's desire to control came from and what trauma was behind him, she could be freed from her fear, not because of forgiveness, but because of understanding. They are all seeing each other and themselves; they are seeing the wounds and the hearts still beating under the wounds. The bright line of the story is Fei Fei's growth and escape, while the hidden line is Shang Si's struggle and transformation. Fei Fei's growth line is very touching. From a poor student who was forced to give up the opportunity to pursue graduate studies, to a pipa player who finally stood on the stage of the National Center for the Performing Arts to hold a solo concert, she used her own His hard work has proven himself, and the valuable thing about Shang Si is that he is willing to change for love. No matter right or wrong, or Chuan'er, the native family has a profound impact on them. Fortunately, everyone can break those negative cycles through self-awareness and hard work [Spread Flowers] There are also portraits of the supporting cast! As mentioned in the last book, Sisi, you are really good at writing. Every supporting character is so three-dimensional and full-bodied! Although they are supporting characters, they also have highlight moments in their own stories. For example, from Yu Xiaomeng, we can see the growth of a person. She put aside her jealousy and prejudice, jumped out of her own narrow-mindedness, and saw a more real Yu Xuefei. And Zhu Wanzheng, the journey from love rival to friend makes the background of this story richer, and also allows us to see that girls can be so beautiful hahaha! The growth arc of the character Jiang Lie is even more complete and touching! In the end, his light was also seen! 💪 I said it in the last book, Sisi, all your plots are connected very naturally, and so is this one! I must say, Sisi, your plot settings are so logical. It's really comfortable to watch. Every choice of the characters has a cause, every change has a foreshadowing, and every twist comes naturally. There is no abuse for the sake of abuse, nor sweetness for the sake of sweetness. When reading Sisi's article, you don't have to worry about logical issues! Look for this but think! 😚 Finally, thank you Sisi for writing such a gentle and powerful story. I hope more people will like this work! Looking forward to more collaborations! (You know what I mean? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha) I also hope that the author Quesi can bring us more exciting stories. Feifei and Chuan'er will be happy forever! I also wish Sisi a happy life, smooth work, and happy coding in the new year! (I silently say that I feel like I didn't watch enough after the reunion, hehe, I'm so reluctant to leave) 😚
Wow wow wow, I made a wish before to read the story of Xingyi's brother Zhuang Boyan, so I really opened another article. I just went to browse the column and found a new article! It seems that the author intends for us to get to know the heroine first and then establish the story 🧋 🧋
The moment I saw the ambassador, I felt like he was going to the next book hahahaha! Everyone is so happy 🤩 I'm so sad that it's really over 😭 Sisi, please write quickly! Looking forward to the new work!
Will this be the final cover [Cat Head]
2025.9.2-2026.1.6 Officially ended. It is difficult to say goodbye to the story you wrote 🎆
When will it be the turn of The Underskirts and The Wedding Invitation Street to publish (I discovered that Doris Kiss has also had its name changed [changed]