[Chinese BL novel] After marrying a wealthy family, I just want to start a career / 代嫁豪门后我却只想搞事业[穿书]

Title: After marrying a wealthy family, I just want to start a career / 代嫁豪门后我却只想搞事业[穿书]

Author: 一点桃花痣

Year of realease: 2019

# of chapters: 111+extras

Status: Completed

Link to NU: n/a

Tags: knowing the plot, marriage to business giant, jewellery deigner, face-slap present, raising children

*all names/titles are an MTL version

Summary: Ning An, who is only 19 and is awaiting his trip abroad for further studying finds himself crossing into a 24 yo Ning An in a book he read. Ning An is a cannon fodder created to progress feelings of protags. One is his brother, the other is a person original Ning An fell in love with. Now Ning An who crossed found himself being older, dropping out of school, having bad relationship with his family, doing modeling and having debts. But also due to agreement of two mothers he found himself also getting a husband, who was a business giant in the book, but also used as a board, yet now he is still at the beginning of his career.

Second novel from this author and I can conclude these: 1) Author loves to be "poetic", it doesn't matter they jump through three totally different epithets, they just can't stop, but funnily when I thought there would be good to add more details author writes quite plainly; 2) Author who likes to be angsty, more like let's write the biggest chunk about how we're mulling over this one problem and can't decide for a long time and things get some conclusion in the last 3rd of the novel.

Tbh not the best author or story to me in both novels. Probably because I am not fascinaed with mulling over things for long periods even if supposed motivation is present. Secondly, it all depends on characters, basically uncertainty of those characters create the drama itself. Oh yes, in this novel let's not forget the shadow of secondary CPs.

Characters:

• Ning An is a 19 years old student who learnt to be a model and later got interested in fashion and wanted to move to study, but at the crucial moment he crossed. He is portrayed as this hard-working individual that is actually unsure of his own level of skills in designing, but he wants to grow in this field and not give up at something he chose. His description often suffered from this 'hard-working' title, because indeed he worked hard to work as a model and self-learning, but the mention of his talent is sparse, which actually got him what he wanted in the end. Surprising to me that his wish to follow the designer that he appreciated from day one in this world was turned into a sort of emotional drama. I also find him self-confident to a point, because despite his uncertainty he describes, after coming to this world he looked for opportunities to meet this designer and show his works with idea of becoming an apprentice. While he is basically no one in this world of designers. And surprise he feels sad when he is refused, but mostly he is self-taught only and a lot of time is basically spent on that instead of applying to courses or going at least somewhere and starting somewhere, only fearing that if he goes he will def skip on this big designer. In the end he did become an apprentice, so yeah. About emotional drama I will mention separately.
• Feng Yun is 23 when the story starts. He is an illegitimate son of a big boss. His mother brought him up to strive an be the best in everything. Basically if it wasn't for his grandmother she might have completely stripped him from childhood and damaged him. Although there is no real dive into her, but you can basically see from actions that she brought him as a heir, so he can take a position and basically squeeze out everyoen else, especially the woman who became wife to the big boss. The mentioned wife is actually a very kind and sweet person and love between the two is genuine, while ML's mother is a typical I want best for my son, I want his position to be what he deserves and who cares what her son wants. She obstructed and helped to ruin his original start-up game company, so he would have nowhere to go except to his biological father. He is portrayed as one who went through a lot, which is true, he became emotionally cold on the outside, but he also has no one to emotionally depend on except MC, with him he can show his soft and vulnerable side and he also slowly fell in love with him in these hard times they went through together.
• Secondary characters. There are a lot. Mostly concentrated on two sub-CPs of Ning An's two friends. What amazed me is how these characters, who did not bring anything to the table, occupied enough space for unknown reason and also got more opportunities than MC at first. With how the novel kept repeating the 'hard-working' notion it really was redundant, since hard work isn't everything, it is also an opportunity, which MC never took, since he was like a one-way railway, not with an adoptive mind, but waiting for that one opportunity, while he could develop hi sopportunity in many other ways instead of most traditional. But also not mentioning MC's talent, but giving more to secondary characters was really unusual. For example, one of his friends got a really unique voice and in the end signed with a company and became a hot singer. The other friend was younger and described as prettier, there is also an episode of a movie opportunity for him and MC, but he was mentioned as protag for this movie first, while at first he refused the opportunity was second-handed to MC, which he also refused since he waits for that one day to be accepted. And btw this younger boy even took part in the show of this designer MC was infatuated with, while MC himself was dropped at the final stage. But he is 'hard-working'. Yeah. Really contrasting.

Emotional drama:

• I'm not from here, I might leave. The emotional drama of MC who crossed, basically a lot of it was based on his feeling of belonging and missing his original world. I can get where it comes from. He came from a good family, unlike the one in this world he crossed to. he was supported and loved. So his attachment to his original family is strong and part fo him believes he will leave one day, that's the prerequisite to the relationship drama between him and Feng Yun. I can understand that he is not afraid of mishaps in his career, since he can use it as a learning experience, though he treats his career rather seriously, not as someone who is constantly afraid of going back. But he treats the love of ML like that. The biggest problem of him accepting ML's feelings comes exactly from this. He is afraid of someday leaving and causing him harm, while not realizing that he causes emotional trauma either way, by that I mean either leaving or not answering. Basically, most of the time before he settled down it was all about being in this elevated state where he couldn't decide what he wanted to do and how it will affect ML. It was really annoying, because he couldn't see that he was getting nothing with doing nothing, while harm was being done already. I still find his soft-geartedness harming. Again MC doesn't realize it, or author doesn't realize it too. Only once MC regretted that he flirted with ML in this uncertain period, but def forgot that it was his soft side and desire to support that led them to this point, he was soft-hearted even before this and indulged in the feeling himself. So most of the drama was sucked out of this situation. And I might tell you, with 111 chapters of the main story, they get together in the last third. As well as MC moves on with his career in the last third. That's why I consider it a stretched drama.

Where my boredome came from:

• From sucking on the situation of MC constantly not being able to make up his mind. As if existing, but always ready to go. It was just stretched enough to become too long.
• Nothing interesting happening. Although some "drama" is supposed to happen, but I really didn't feel it, I was reading this novel with a brick face. Basically the story starts with MC arriving, then he marries ML, while ML dislikes him at first due to his prior investigation and seeing the original Ning An's antiques, so they taunt each other for some time. Later MC goes through changes and is "hard-working". Honestly, this work was repeated hundreds of time of not more. Later ML goes through troubles where his mother leaked his game they developed, so all wok was wasted, he in the end due to everything had nothing but to move to his biological father's company and start from there. MC was working as a model and despite all the "opportunities" he was only thinking about opportunity of apprenticeship and skipping on those. ML fell in love with MC, realized his feelings, at first was silent, but then climax of the conflict comes with him telling and MC asking for time, since he is uncertain, if he'll leave one day, last third of the novel is him being accepted by the designer he wanted and there is also a scandal, clearing up and moving on with his career. Basically no evident and bombing success tbh. Secondary characters to me got a bigger pie when it came to popularity and the only thing MC got was that by the end when his teacher had another collection which he helped to hold etc. He got to put two of his models on the run-way and well it was noticed, but that's it. To me MC always lived in the shadow of glory of others till the end of the main story.

So that's it. That's the deal. Mainly both novels have similar antiques of mulling over for a long time about one thing. It's very humah I'm not rejecting it, but also this is a novel where some things should be controlled to an extent.

RATE: 3/5. Not my type of author. Not getting back to them. I don't like the image of MC and the story it portrayed. Hard work isn't everything in the novel, if that then many would have opportunity, MC also doesn't show any sign of plasticity, which is also a bad example how to be. While others adapted way better tan him, that's the thing!

[Topic] Currently reading (completed/ongoing)

 CONTINUE READING:

1. 走红后豪门大佬成了我粉头 by 雁飞行 [on-going] / After becoming popular a business giant becomes my fan. This one is still on-going. The burn is slow. But in general it's all the MC who went to entertainment basically to earn money for the lab and equipment, since science is his way to persue life. Where he meets his love.
2. 和残疾巨佬闪婚后 by 惗肆 [on-going] / After a flash marriage with a disabled business giant. It's almost done, but it's one of the best I've read in a while.
3. 我哭了，我装的 by 艳归康 / I sried, I pretended. THIS IS WILD. The genius programmer and game developer crosses to a book. His role is a stand-in before the first love of protagonist appears. He agrees, but follows his own line. In life he is diametrically opposite to the shou. He is wild, he dropped out of school, since he didn't want to follow the dance path. No one knows that he set a game company and everyone treated him as a layman, including ML. His relationship is always push and pull, he has many times crossed the lines and acted not like any other people would do. In their personal life and sex life became exciting from all angles, MC would pierce his nipples, wouldn't shy from sex on a windowsill where ML watched his first love, would simultaneously make love and broadcast it on all displays in his computer room, but he also would break ML from his shell, he'd take him to experience most boring things, but also most exciting that he'd never go after like parachuting or diving. Slowly ML realized that the person who attracted him at first just because he has the beauty mark at the same place as hi first love, but later the personality of MC conquered him. While others think he uses MC as a stand-in, but he doesn't know how to explain that these two are completely different people and his first love betrayed him by confessing to his own father. It's ongoing and it's very dynamic. MC is just a queen.
4. 渣攻的白月光替身不想干了 by 壹枚 [completed] / Stand-in doesn't want to do it anymore. Brings nothing new, I actually don't like the ending, it was unnecessarily cruel. Plus it has loopholes in motivation etc. MC is reborn, he died from a car accident. In last life he treated his husband he loved dearly with all his heart, but that had only white moonlight in his head and openly cheated in their marriage. Getting his heart trampled on MC decided to switch, but he found out that the only person who treated him well in last life didn't leave abroad like last time. Later he found out that this person and himself shared a past he forgot about and both missed each other in last life. All basic stuff. But the way some are ended up in prison and such it's all... so bad imo. Like most cliche. It's also stupid like some characters that hated both MC and ML the most just disappeared from the novel after declaring that they'll get revenge. Don't know, it was nothing new, sometimes logic was not present and it felt a bit of a waste, so 2,5/5.
5. 道长他盛世美颜[娱乐圈] by 胖啾的月光 [on-going]. Relatively interesting! It reminds me of the previous novel where MC could see ghosts. Why? Because here MC also finds ML, while the other person is in a state of a soul. Everything else is different. MC comes down the mountain to earn money for his temple. A lot of onmyoji stuff going on here. He can see/fight ghosts, also draw talismans. He meets ML who is in the state of a soul, ML has a very unfortunate fate and is very delicious to all evil-doers. MC in a while helps him return to his own body, but it also met with difficulties, someone tried to harm ML not once. From small villains to bigger villains in the world of Taoist and Buddist priest who try to solve what evil was unleashed.
6. 死后我又叒叕爆红了[古穿今] by 佐川川 [completed]. I still read this one, but... MC is a painted that died more than a thousand years ago. He know strives to paint again, but not only Chinese painting, but try Western paitings as well. He at first doesn't know that he became famous after death. But he is not the only one who was reborn. MC's apprentice is also in this world and suspects that the one who changed recently might be his master he always loved. In original line MC was switched at birth and grew in a rural area, being taken home he suffered from cyber violence, was framed, in the end was sent abroad where he was bullied and under depression comitted suicide. But now MC wanted to move away from this unreliable family who favors their now adopted son and not deal with them and completely dedicate himself to painting. One things can be said the logic behind some events is just infuriating. The switch of opinion and the whole - next day [---] family became bankrupt. Come on, so dumb. Also the motivation or logic behind some actions is pretty idiotic too. Like the change of opinion of netizens, braindead characters and the easily believed rumors is just... Often mistaken relationship between the two everyone saying they're a couple, no matter how MC refuses and no one cares to listen. It's so dumb, I don't know. I'm thinking of dropping it.
7. 专职备胎，断情绝爱[穿书] by 润莹 [on-going]. MC suffers from a rare syndrom, he needs something that will support him during meals, otherwise he doesn't have an appetite, the first person used it to his own advantage and MC always was around the first person, but actually fell in love, yet his heart was broken as their promise to be MC's soothing prtner for eating. Even when he picked up the person again from the street and thought that they finally can fall in love, in a year he came back to an empty apartment where the person he thought finally loved him in return left him. He came back to China and married a man, they had several years of good time, but was framed in his work, was attacked and dropped his favorite occupation - paiting. The first love his husband dropped him for came back, he was actually a subordinate to MC's company and was the one who leaked designs and created the turmoil. Husband was too occupied with his first love return to see the changes and care for MC's being framed. MC asked for divorce and left. His heart was broken for a second time. Later MC found out that several books are happening at the same time, his first and second love were protags and he was just a garbage others threw out, but in the end he was hollowed out so much that he didn't care, he used handsome men as meal partners. At this time he also met a scientist, a person who actually was a genius and although was younger than himself was aready a known person. It is our ML, but one that doesn't want to conquer MC with brovado, but slowly occupy a place in his heart. I have no idea how they'll come together later. Of course the thing is MC believes in plots, but ppl deviated from the plot long ago. His first person came back to claim he'll love him, but for MC it's too late. His husband realized that the first love he cared so much about was replaced by love for MC during their marriage, but he realized it late. Only ML tried to heal MC's trauma for drawing and open him up with time. Have no idea where it'll go from here. The settings are pretty dog blood and such, sometimes MC acts cheap tbh and that's what I don't like, it is also contradicting, he had ppl who agree to his company, but he doesn't turn away from his exes too. Basically his cheapness what distracted me from fully enjoying. And although it's supposed to go somewhere, but I have no idea how he and ML will end up together later, since it feels very bleak and ML's appearance in the story is rare for the longest of times.
8. 影帝只想咸鱼(穿书) by 挂星星 [completed]. I am in the reading of this one, but again. Lots of cliche stuff. Zhu Yu crossed to be an illegitimate son. He knows the story, knows he will meet a big boss who has trouble sleeping, but feels fine when MC is around. Plot progressed in different direction, Zhu Yu left the Zhu house early and signed the contract with the big boss earlier. He now is considered a child for Mr. Zhou to raise. Some parts of it are really brain-dead, writing feels messy. Like the tossing from one event to another and then suddenly changes. Like for example sudden;y MC's new friend gets a call that a boy from orphanage he comes from had an accident, other guy said that MC is richer than them and could pay for the operation, while MC's friend was upset with this dude. In the edn MC indeed paid for it bringing up some bs reason. Anyway stuff like this: abrupt, out of nowhere and serving nothing, happens a lot in this story. Lots of cliche. I'm not sure if I want to continue. After previous good finds it feels too bleak and uninteresting to continue.
9. 一觉醒来影帝揣崽了 by ：禁庭春昼 [completed]. Dropped, got bored.

A lot of try-outs, it's actually good, if in around 30+ chapters I don't feel like it I let it go, it is sometimes hard to keep up for so long to see if it's good. But it also helped to find some crazy stuff.

[Chinese BL novel] After the flash marriage with a disabled business giant / 和残疾巨佬闪婚后

Title: After the flash marriage with a disabled business giant / 和残疾巨佬闪婚后

Author: 惗肆

Year of realease: 2021

# of chapters: 94+extras

Status: Completed

Tags: knowing the plot, marriage to business giant, jewellery deigner, face-slap present, raising children

*all names/titles are an MTL version

This is the 5th novel from this author that I've read/reading. Although they started from a pretty cliche start with rebirths/knowing the plot type of stories, but they do have a knack for pacing and good relationships. Their style is getting better and better to me. So I'm pretty sure about them in this field and this type of stories. Which are just good for leisure.

Summary: Shi Yunnan saw a realistic dream in which the third young master of the Shi family is actually a transmigrator, a protagonist Xie Kueye, who will reach the pinnacle of life. He knows who to befriend and who to use. While Yunnan's fate is to be betrothed to a person from the Luo family, tossed and never getting a good ending anyway. But the promised groom later becomes lovers with protag, frames the patriarch of the Luo family and they live like nothing else matters. Yunnan was sceptical at first, but here he was called from abroad to get back because their family promised his hand to the abovementioned scum, although Yunnan decided on the wait and see tactic, but not when it came to his own marriage, so when the current patriarch of the Luo family came to the door, the promised groom changed. From agreed marriage to deep love and the secret past of the two.

From all 5 novels I personally liked this better, I followed it from start to its' current finishing line and I must say it's nicely paced, it's dynamic and the feelings are in place.

The story starts from Yunnan having the realistic dream about the third young master of the Shi family. Yunnan in his life basically had no good feelings for his family. The reason for it was simple, his mother died when he was young, she had a heart disease and at a crucial time she wasn't saved. The natal family of their mother due to the quick re-marriage of the Shi father to another mother not long after the Wen mother's death made them cold in their feet and they wanted to fight for the right to bring up two brothers back to Wen, in the end only one brother was taken and Shi Yunnan was left behind. But the new stepmother was not alone and brought a baggage, her son Xie Kueye. In a short while it became an open secret, that most likely Shi father cheated on his wife with children from the very beginning and Xie Kueye must have been his illegitimate son. While Yunnan's twin brother moved out and changed his last name to Wen Yibei, Yunnan was left alone unloved. And he soon even was sent away abroad. He got a miserable pay to live, which made him start working early, he was bullied and traumatized, he had to drop music and just lived abroad for most of the time. Wen family wanted to take him too, since he was left alone, but soon he was framed by his cousin and decided to move away for good and never come back. When Wen grandpa found out it was too late to change Yunnan's mind. He lived mostly abroad before one day he was called back by the Shi family to "pay back" for the upbringing. Yunnan laughed at the hypocricy of the Shi family, so when the current Luo patriarch came to their house he suggested to change grooms.

Luo Lingsheng survived man-made car accident, he had to fight to reach the top and missed the best time to treat his legs. Partially he gave up on treatment to get better. But what pushed him further that the person he secretely loved was finally bound to him, yet to protect this person by himself he decided to fight the battle which brought him so much depression in the past.

Both at first agreed to just create a play, Yunnan gets a partner and is protected and Lingsheng gets a cover, which was just an excuse. Yet with the time flow Yunnan realized that he cared about Lingsheng a lot and slowly fell in love, even knowing that the other person had a white moonlight in his heart, he decided to squeeze the person out of Lingsheng's heart and hand in hand go forth to their happy future. And in the end to find out that the White Moonlight in his husband's heart always was and always will be him alone.

Lingsheng and Yunnan met on an 18th birthday of Wen Yibei, Yibei grew up loved in the Wen family, he became a famous cello player, while everyone laughed at Yunnan for being thrown out abroad and being treated even worse as a son who was brought outside. Although he and Yibei were twin brothers and had a good relationship, deep-deep inside Yunnan felt the wall that was across them and had an drunk emotional outbreak where no one saw him. That day all Lingsheng could remember was a drunk teenager who said he was handsome and that he wouldn't forget him, but also cried for being unloved. It was their first meeting and first drop of love, but Yunnan forgot everything after being sober and left, while Lingsheng had his own worries. Life separated them for years. But in the end when Lingsheng heard the Shi family plan to marry Yunnan to Luo Yanchuan of the second room he rushed to play his part at least to take people away, never knowing that the person he loved would agree to marrying him and he could tie them together and finally fulfill his dream, to be with the person he secretely loved all these years. But his own inconvenience was the first obstacle he had to conquer between himself and their happy future.

The story itself is a chain of events with a professional line growth, but also face-slapping. Since Yunnan after getting the dream was always on alert against Xie Kueye. Yunnan in the end learned jewellery design and was very talented in this field, so he basically developed in this direction. Plus he and Lingsheng were always on alert against Kueye and Yanchuan. While Kueye always looked ike he had nothing, but behind Shi family's back he earned a fortune, while Yanchuan pretended to be a playboy while he always wanted to get the power of Luo patriarch in his hands. In original storyline they were both protags to reacht the pinnacle of life, while others ended up tragically.

In general it's not a road to success, more like road to success in love with Yunnan slowly falling in love. With occasional spots of events and face-slapping. The sweetest parts are all family parts, especially with Lingsheng's nephew, whose parents tragically died wduring the Luo family war for inheritance. Yunnan and Lingsheng brought up little Jinyu as their child.

The text is really nice, well-paced, it has several emotional outbursts which are understandable, but no deep and brooding melancholic drama. It's a good read to have a good time.

RATE: 5/5.

[Chinese BL novel] My crossing worlds and seeing ghosts / 我在阴阳两界反复横跳的那些年

Title: My crossing worlds and seeing ghosts / 我在阴阳两界反复横跳的那些年

Author: 半盏茗香

Year of realease: 2020

# of chapters: 103+2

Status: Complete

Tags: crossing, entertainment, ability of seeing ghosts, "overterning the car"

*all names are MTL'd, title is my frivilous interpretation to be close to the story

Summary: Xun Lan crossed to become an 18-th liner who was currently sprayed online for a harassment case. The original Xun Lan since long been gone by cutting wrists, when Xun Lan crossed he not only was in such a situation, but also got a bonus - he could see ghosts and the yin energy around him was abundant too. He never was an actor in his previous life, but he taught himself many skills, but firstly he solved the one person who decided to use him as a stepping stone and accused him of harassment. Later Xun Lan saved two men from the ghost bus, what he didn't know that one of them soon got into a car accident (man-made) and became comatose. How he knew that? The triple actor emperor Qi Nian (ML), to be precise his soul, was next to his apartment door when he got back. From then on they set on a journey of seeing ghosts of wronged people and helping them bringing justice to their stories. From then on a legend was born about Xun Lan's metaphysical body - if you've done something bad, be prepared overturning your car when you get close to Xun Lan. 

This story is really entertaining, although there will be quite dark stories from ghosts, but in general things will get resolved pretty easily. There will be many cases, so they occupy the biggest portion. On the background you can slowly see Xun Lan opening up about himself and his world, while he and Qi Nian get to know each other better, but also become confidants and later lovers. It will also involve a little bit of Qi Nian's story of his family, which will be solved in the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, it has a lighter tone when reading, despite dark backstories of ghosts. Sometimes the writing is a bit silly, but you realize it was quite intentional. I rarely look out for the 'seeing ghosts' stories, but this one was a good exception to me. I felt for two protagonists, their feelings developed slowly, but surely. Also the whole overturning the car and metaphysics by the network and people and entertainment was quite funny.

RATE: 5/5. For a good ghosty time :D