Bittersweet Reads 酸涩书单

1. 1 破 A Ruined Future 破烂前程 Lin Zizhou林子周Baihe (GL)371k WordsCompleted Qiao Mu is in her late twenties, has achieved nothing, and refuses to pay for her younger brother’s marital home despite being the eldest daughter. She’s also a sinful lesbian. For years, this family has been like a tiny boat adrift in a storm-dark sea: a violent, hard-drinking father and a mother who wallows in self-pity In the leaky ruins of their home, Father Qiao berates Qiao Jiabao, the sole male heir of the Qiao family: “You disgusting thing. You don’t like women?” Qiao Mu, who hardly ever 19.1kFavorites12.7kClicks/ch63.7kGifts

   Curator note

   A perfect story, one of JJ's best yuri stories.

2. 2 旧 Old Snow Is Hard to Melt 旧雪难融 Wen Du文笃Baihe (GL)644k WordsCompleted Originally titled Fake Paris This story features a disabled, depressed taxi driver x an obsessive, disillusioned model When Qiu Yiran was twenty-six, she spent all her savings to buy a taxi. She drove around picking up passengers day and night, but most took one look at the disability sticker and turned around to get out. Someone asked why she didn’t try a different line of work. She rubbed her painfully numb left leg and smiled good-naturedly. “I’ve tried other things, too.” At twenty-four, L 74.8kFavorites62.2kClicks/ch130.1kGifts

   Curator note

   A cinematic, artistic feel! Dazzlingly designed characters! A clearly defined growth arc! Disadvantages: Paris lacks atmosphere, and culturally it's not significantly different from China, but that's not a major issue.

3. 3 今 Leaving Port Today 今日离港 Yu Zai鱼宰Baihe (GL)627k WordsCompleted Lu Shiyao, top of her criminal investigation program, was sent to Hong Kong on an exchange program at the police academy for a year. Her physical training scores at the academy fell short, turning the top student into a bottom-of-the-class student. Her off-campus roommate bullied her, and she got soaked like a drowned puppy in a typhoon. Police Superintendent Xue Tong took her home, helped her recover, and trained with her. When Lu Shiyao finally returned to the top of her class, Xue Tong had ma 392.9kFavorites418.8kClicks/ch769.5kGifts

   Curator note

   Strengths: Excellent writing, well-developed characters. Weaknesses: Poor plot transitions

4. 4 余 The Rest of Our Lives 余生为期 Min Ran闵然Baihe (GL)776k WordsCompleted A gentle reminder: This book is recommended for adult readers. If you say young love is as hard to grasp as the wind, then I am willing to... spend the rest of my life with you, and lie forever in your arms. Reader’s guide: 1. Age gap (the younger character is an adult) 2. Happy ending This book is exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City. Reposting or altering it is strictly prohibited 307.1kFavorites338.1kClicks/ch338.6kGifts

   Curator note

   Advantages: Standard age difference text Weaknesses: Min Ran's writing style has never been particularly good, and the plot sometimes feels forced.

5. 5 月 Beyond the Reach of Moonlight 月光照不到 Winter Night Star冬夜星Baihe (GL)206k WordsCompleted *Cover art by Guoren, with thanks. Synopsis: A story about two girls raised together who have no blood ties. Six-year age gap. They reunite right from the start. Bold / sincere / loves but can't have her X gentle / obsessive / afraid of losing her Chen Jinyue (24): Chen Jinyue has always been the sort of person who would do whatever it took to get what she wanted. She has her mother and Lin Yunsheng to thank 152.7kFavorites153.7kClicks/ch194.1kGifts

   Curator note

   This is amazing! Who are you, Winter Night Star? The downside: There's no physical book! I want a signed copy!

6. 6 暗 A Secret Addiction [Entertainment Industry] 暗瘾[娱乐圈] Gu Lai Yi顾徕一Baihe (GL)608k WordsCompleted (Subscribe to the full novel to unlock bonus chapters) Cool, alluring classical dance goddess × quiet, reserved artifact conservator A-list star × water-town girl 1, Nan Xiaoxue is the classical dance goddess no one in the entertainment industry dares dream of. She became a principal dancer at eighteen, and has devoted herself entirely to the stage ever since, keeping to herself. An Chang is an unremarkable artifact conservator in 139.6kFavorites148.6kClicks/ch258.7kGifts

   Curator note

   Pros: The atmosphere of the misty rain in Jiangnan is very captivating; the bittersweet emotions are well-placed; An Chang's growth storyline is good; the radio drama is enjoyable. Disadvantages: None

7. 7 回 Avoiding Ambiguity 回避暧昧 Winter Dissection冬日解剖Baihe (GL)552k WordsCompleted *The new novel, The Young Lady Wants Me to Reform, is complete. It's long and satisfying, so dig in. Blurb: On the new boss's first day at the company, Zuo Yan got stuck in the bathroom and had to ask a stranger for a tampon. She thought the company was so big that she'd never run into a stranger whose face she hadn't even seen, and even if she did, she wouldn't recognize her. But then she walked into the office and bumped straight into her. The woman known as “Director You” had long, wavy hai 133.4kFavorites181.1kClicks/ch104.1kGifts

   Curator note

   The essays above the excellent level are well-balanced but lack brilliance.

8. 8 霓 Neon B-Movies 霓虹烂片 Wen Du文笃Baihe (GL)700k WordsCompleted Later, Chi Xiaoman moved out of that twenty-square-meter rental room. Her eczema never came back, and she never thought of Chen Yue again. The poorest year of her life was when Chi Xiaoman was twenty She was still living in a basement in an urban village, sharing the place with a woman. The basement was terribly rundown, with mold covering the ceiling. They could only eat the cheapest noodles beneath it, and kiss on a bed that creaked with every movement. In the dark, they could hardly tell wh 25.5kFavorites21kClicks/ch60.6kGifts

   Curator note

   It was so sour and astringent that I felt like I had overdone it.

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