I Took Notice the First Time We Met

The whole novel has been revised several times, with many interaction details added or removed. Thank you to all readers who support the official edition; see the reading guide for details (be sure to read it!). Check out my upcoming historical romance, about a male lead whose secret love comes true and an ex who doesn’t get back together after their relationship falls apart: Marrying My Ex’s Older Brother. Tan Silang was born into a distinguished family and was dazzlingly beautiful. She and the young general Pei Shuo were deeply in love, and their marriage would be settled as soon as they exchanged birth-date cards. Unexpectedly, one day she overheard Pei Shuo joking with someone: “How could I not get tired of her? All she does all day is act cute and fawn over people. She’s really dull. If my mother weren’t forcing me, who would want to marry her...” She immediately decided to get things straight with Pei Shuo. But as soon as she turned around, she collided with a pair of eyes as still and deep as an abyss. The person before her was Pei Shuo’s cousin, Xie Jing, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. She had heard he was ruthless and merciless, and Tan Silang was a little afraid of him. But Tan Silang married him. It was an unexpected imperial decree issued in the fourteenth year of Taihe. The emperor’s order could not be disobeyed. In the end, Tan Silang could only steel her anxious heart and marry the dazzlingly gifted, yet cold and unfeeling, Xie Jing. Later, when people saw how devoted the couple were to each other, they joked, disregarding Pei Shuo’s ashen face, that the emperor had casually pointed a finger and arranged a perfect match for the “cold-faced jade gentleman.” * When Tan Silang married his cousin, Pei Shuo thought he was happy. After all, he hadn’t wanted to be tied to her all the time. But later, when he went so long without seeing her, he found it hard to bear. The day he learned that his cousin had deliberately arranged the imperial marriage decree, he prepared what he would say. He wanted to explain his regret to Tan Silang and tell her that his cousin was scheming and unworthy of her. But his cousin merely gave him a cold glance, summoned an attendant, and had him forcibly taken away. Then he turned aside and kissed the peony beside Tan Silang’s temple. "When we first met, I had already fallen for you. How much more so now" Reading guide: 0. A story about giving each other a sense of security in love. [Important] Consider buying one chapter at a time, and stop reading if it makes you uncomfortable. The original chapters 1–14 were revised on July 29 into the current chapters 1–5.5. Thank you for supporting the official edition. 1. Everything serves the romance between the leads. At heart, this is a sweet, everyday romance. The supporting male character doesn’t get much plot time. [Important] After marriage, 80% or more of the story focuses on scenes between the two leads. Early on, the hero gets jealous a lot, often over the most inexplicable things. The author loves that sort of thing. 2. The heroine falls in love after marriage; the hero’s secret love comes true; the second male lead does not get back together with her after their relationship falls apart. 3. The title and the final line of the blurb are from Ouyang Xiu’s “Looking South of the Yangtze”: At fourteen or fifteen, idly holding a pipa, seeking a tune. Tossing coins in the hall, running below the steps; when we first met, I had already fallen for you. How much more so now. 4. [Important] As the blurb says, the hero has been plotting for a long time. Once he knew the heroine no longer wanted anything to do with the second male lead, he took the initiative to seek marriage with her. The heroine will learn the truth later. 5. Both leads are sexually inexperienced. 6. A fictional setting, entirely invented. 7. Unrestricted chapter comments are enabled. 8. The author can’t write plot. The whole novel is just the leads being clingy and cuddly. If anything in the story bothers you, that’s the author’s lack of skill, so blame the author, not the leads. Upcoming novel: Marrying My Ex’s Older Brother Blurb: Passionate, pampered princess x steady, dependable loyalist | The heroine is not sexually inexperienced, the hero is | The hero’s secret love comes true | The ex-husband does not get back together with her Jiang Ying had never imagined that one day she and Cui Chengzhang would grow to resent each other. They had been childhood sweethearts and were inseparable after marrying. If nothing went wrong, they would have had the kind of love story people praised as a lifelong union between one man and one woman. She couldn’t say when it began. When she took his hand and acted coy, he would frown impatiently. When she put her arms around his neck and raised her head to kiss him, he would turn away and make an excuse to avoid her. Even on the Qixi Festival, after learning he had official business and having to go out alone to see the lanterns, she saw him walking side by side with a young woman, chatting and laughing. She wanted to rush over and have a huge argument with him, but instead she ran straight into a solid embrace. “...I’m sorry.” The man fell silent for a moment, then replied in a low voice, “Princess Rong’an, be careful.” For some reason, Jiang Ying felt her heart settle. She took a careful look at the man before her, confusion in her eyes. “Do you know me?” It was not until the next morning that she remembered he was Cui Chengzhang’s sworn elder brother, named Tan Chuan. She barely knew him. - When they were young, Cui Chengzhang had praised Jiang Ying for being bright and charming, and he had been delighted when she openly confessed her love for him. It was only after marriage, when they were together day and night, that he realized she was spoiled and frivolous, with no understanding of modesty, self-restraint, or proper conduct. When he received the divorce papers, he truly felt relieved. Yet a year later, on Qixi once again, the streets still blazed with lanterns. The moment he looked up, he saw Jiang Ying’s smile was just as it had always been, radiant and bright as rosy clouds and brocade. Only this time, she threw herself into someone else’s arms and raised her head to kiss him. He heard her affectionately call the man “Brother Tan Chuan.” The voice that had once been so familiar turned into a sharp blade in an instant, leaving several bloody wounds in his heart and teaching him what it meant to regret something too late. - At eighteen, Tan Chuan placed third in the palace examination. At twenty-six, he was appointed prefect of Jiangning. Young and talented, he had a promising career. His only regret over the years was that the woman he loved already had someone in her heart, and that person had never cherished her. Reading guide: 1. Tan Chuan is the hero. Pampered heiress x devoted, practical man. The heroine is not sexually inexperienced, but the hero is. The heroine and her former husband truly married and had a genuinely sweet relationship. The hero’s heart and body belong only to the heroine. He has secretly loved her for years, and she has always been the moonlight in his heart. 2. The leads are three years apart. When they meet again, she is 24 and he is 27. 3. This is a fictional setting. Please don’t nitpick historical accuracy. 4. Inspired by the lyrics: “It turns out that lying beside him, even sleepless, I was never afraid; even selfishly waking him with an argument felt right.” Theme: May you always have the courage to love