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booksnail · 5 years

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Skate Into Love (Ch. 1)

So honestly, I’m obsessed with Steven Zhang (张新成). I think he’s among the best actors of his generation , if not the best. (highly recommend My Huckleberry Friend (on Viki) and Young Blood (Song Dynasty spy drama that may be on Youtube, dunno?) And he’s super well-spoken.

Coincidentally, he’ll next be starring in 冰糖炖雪梨 (”skate into love”), which is directed/produced by the same people who did Ashes of Love and which also guest-stars Deng Lun! His co-star is the lovely Jancie Wu, and they’re already like SUPER ADORABLE and I CANNOT WAIT.

（See promo vid here: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av61345905?from=search&seid=12623965854910313307)

Anyway, to get myself in the mood, I’m translating the novel that the dram is based on. It’s a complete cheesy romcom, so if you’re into that sort of thing, please read on!

Novel: Skate into Love (冰糖炖雪梨)

Author: Jiu Xiao Qi

Genre: RomCom

Synopsis: As kids, Tang Xue bullied Li YuBing a great deal, and YuBing didn’t have it in him to fight back. When they unexpectedly meet again in college after a six year separation, Li YuBing had successfully transformed into a hotshot hockey star, and he was ready to seek revenge.

*** CHAPTER 1 – SEATMATE ***

“My Seatmate”

Author: Tang Xue (Second Grade)

My seatmate’s name is Li YuBing. He’s super annoying. Why? Because Grandpa had promised me that if I tested as No. 1 in the class, then he’d take me to Disneyland. I really want to go to Disneyland! But I didn’t get No. 1. Li YuBing did! The teacher even praised him during the parent-teacher conference. Dad said to me, “Look at Li YuBing. Now look at yourself!” I really wish the teacher would stop praising him, because he’s so annoying

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#cdrama #chinese drama #heavy sweetness ash like frost #ashes of love #denglun #steven zhang #张新成 #janice wu

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booksnail · 5 years

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Before We Get Married

Am I the only one who finds Before We Get Married hard to watch? The male lead is so aggressive/bordering on criminal. I would be so pissed if I was thrown in an S&M room with a dude that I have turned down multiple times. Not romantic. Would definitely sue.

Pity--I was very excited for Jasper Liu . . .

#before we get married #tw drama #taiwan drama #cdrama #我們不能是朋友 #jasper liu #puff guo

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booksnail · 5 years

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It’s not often that I scream out loud, but when Luo Tian Yi slammed his hand against the wall . . . damn boy *__*

#cheat my boss #cheatmyboss #cdrama #drama review #kdrama #马卡龙少女

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booksnail · 5 years

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Coup de Foudre - Thoughts

I love Janice Wu with all my heart, and I was beyond excited to see her star as modern day lovers with the dude from the Oriental Odyssey.

UNFORTUNATELY, while the result wasn’t bad, their characters in Coup de Foudre were just so. boring. Yan Mo is a dull, dull man, Qiao Yi has the personality of a wet rag, and their vanilla romance was a flat line.

It’s not that I need so much conflict or drama. The problem is that their relationship lacked all the giddiness that first love should have. The combined introversion, stoicism, and groundedness of the two completely snuffed any spark. Making it worse is the fact that the ending is revealed at once, so the journey, already unexciting, becomes all the more tedious.

Zhao Guan Chao and Hao Wu Yi were much more bearable, with their furtive crushes, their small spats and jealousies. There’s not much new there, but at least they have personalities and there’s suspense to keep me going. Heck, even Qiao Yi’s Love Rival and Fei Da Chuan tugged at my heartstrings more than the leads. In fact, I would say Love Rival was one of my favorite characters, really fun and unexpected.

Besides the supporting cast, what I found most moving about the drama was its depiction of friendship and family, and of the little trials and indignities in life. Nothing brought on the waterworks faster than the fight between Qiao Yi and her mother, because that really is the essence of the mother/daughter dynamic.

I think if the drama could have infused a bit of that–that sincerity, I suppose–into the leads’ basic bitch romance, it could have been perfect. Well, one could dream.

#coup de foudre #janice wu #cdrama #我只喜欢你 #chinese drama #drama review

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booksnail · 5 years

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Ashes of Love Ch. 25

Since I couldn’t conjure buns, I honored my promise and brought Run Yu to a breakfast stall. After changing our appearance and concealing our immortal aura, we finally found a place that looked acceptable. Just as we sat down, we heard someone cry, “Waiter, I’ll have four buns!” [Tn: Here, waiter is literally “little second.”]

“Coming right up!” The waiter swung his dish towel over his shoulder…

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#香蜜 #香蜜沉沉燼如霜 #cdrama #ashes of love #Heavy Sweetness Ash-like Frost

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booksnail · 5 years

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Ashes of Love (Ch. 24)

Ashes of Love (Ch. 25)

When I opened my eyes again, it was another beautiful day. As I sat up, rubbing my eyes, something that flashed a brilliant gold floated to the ground. A closer look revealed it to be a phoenix feather. Even a single feather of Phoenix gleamed so radiantly–he truly was an arrogant bird who knew no humility.

But the bird himself seemed to have disappeared. I let out a breath of relief–now I…

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#ashes of love #Heavy Sweetness Ash-like Frost #香蜜沉沉烬如霜 #香蜜 #cdrama

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booksnail · 5 years

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Ashes of Love (CH. 23)

Ch. 23

Yet, just as I was enjoying myself, his eyes suddenly snapped open and with a piercing glare, he cried: “Who dares?!”

I watched in bafflement as he yelled at me, then closed his eyes in satisfaction. I couldn’t help feeling a bit miffed–how is it that, even in his dreams, he doesn’t forget to bully me. But if I think about it carefully, this is pretty much his mantra. Kind of like how…

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#Ashes of Love #cdrama #chinese novel translation #香蜜 #香蜜沉沉燼如霜 #heavy sweetness ash-like frost

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booksnail · 5 years

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Ashes of Love (Ch. 22)

A note: I took a long break from translating because I’ve been working on other things and because it seemed like there wasn’t much interest anyway. I appreciate all the comments I’ve received though. Thank you guys! As there seems to be some interest, I am going to continue to chug along and see if I can finish. 🙂 As always, would love to hear your thoughts on the story!

~~ Chapter 22 ~~

Th…

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#Ashes of Love #cdrama #chinese drama #邓伦 #香蜜 #香蜜沉沉燼如霜 #fantasy novel #heavy sweetness ash-like frost #novel translation #杨紫

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booksnail · 5 years

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Nice to Meet You

Is anyone else watching this? (只因为遇见你)? It’s so trash but so addicting? Also the whole meeting in the jungle thing and falling in love was actually kind of romantic? The female lead is so pretty <3

#cdrama #nice to meet you #chinese drama #只因为遇见你 #romance

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booksnail · 5 years

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BOOKS 3/20/2019

I’ve recently changed to a longer subway commute, which sucks in many ways, but which resulted in one benefit — more time to read in the mornings. (I try to read all the time, but let’s face it, the internet gets in the way.)

Some books I finished recently that I loved:

Loitering With Intent – Muriel Spark

A Nervous Splendor – Frederic Morton

Beware of Pity – Stefan Zweig

(more…)

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#austria #bookclub #books #fiction #literary #literature #novels #reading #zweig

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booksnail · 5 years

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Legend of a Demon Cat Thoughts

When I was a wee child, I watched Farewell My Concubine and was deeply traumatized by the scene where the main character’s mom cut off his extra finger. I had no idea what the movie was really about, but that scene stayed with me for years. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. In college, I watched the film again (or perhaps watched it truly for the first time) and was happy, for once, that…

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#legend of a demon cat; demon cat; chinese movie; cmovie; movie review; movie critique; film review; film critique; cmovie review; cdrama; ch

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booksnail · 5 years

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Touch Your Heart - Eps 7-8

Touch Your Heart – Eps 7-8

How adorable are these two?! So much love. This drama reminds me a bit of Love020 in that it really gets its audience. You came for a romcom, and romcom you will get! I cannot emphasize enough how much I adore the fact that the two characters work out their feelings and issues right away.

(more…)

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#asian drama #drama review #kdrama #kdrama review #korean drama #lee dong wook #touch your heart #yoo in na

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booksnail · 5 years

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Gangnam Beauty Thoughts

It’s been so long since this drama came out that I think all that can be written on it has been written, but still, my two cents. I really do think this is one of the best dramas to come out of Asia in years, primarily because it’s one of the few shows that captures so perfectly the ways in which women internalize sexism.

(more…)

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#cha eun woo #cha eunwoo #gangnam beauty #kangnam beauty #kdrama #kdrama review #korean drama #my id is gangnam beauty

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booksnail · 5 years

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Touch Your Heart Thoughts

Why is Yoo In Na so freaking cute? It definitely takes acting chops (or some inherent trait) to be so adorable that even girls think so. I particularly like her character, because although she’s cutesy and not very smart, she’s also not stupid, and she’s certainly not helpless. (This is in stark contrast to many female protagonists in cdramas who, even while professing to be “feminist” or…

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#kdrama #kdrama review #korean drama #lee dong wook #touch your heart #yoo in na

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booksnail · 5 years

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Ashes of Love (Translation) - Chs. 19-21

Title: Ashes of Love / 香蜜沉沉烬如霜

Author: Dian Xian

Previous Chapters: Prologue, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.1, 5.2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

CHAPTER 21

“Have some fun?!” Phoenix repeated my question with disbelief. I felt a chill down the back of my neck. “I came to look for you!”

I wasn’t sure what came over the mortals in the room; they all stared at Phoenix unblinkingly. The fat man from the next booth swallowed hard and said, “Truly, he is the creme de la creme! A god among men!