One Night, One Day, One Year, One Lifetime

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That night, I listened to the hymns till dawn, not for serenity, but to seek a sliver of your soul;

That month, I flipped through all the scriptures, not for enlightenment, but to touch the pages where your fingers once lingered;

That year, I knelt on the grounds, my head embracing the dust, not to pay obeisance to the Gods, but to feel the warmth you left behind;

That life, I wandered through ten thousand great mountains, not in search of an afterlife, but to cross paths with you –

Gao Fei, will you believe that I lived through this night, this day, this year, and this lifetime, only to hold your hand and accompany you in this journey of life?

Associated Names
One entry per line
yi ye yi ri yi nian yi shi
一夜一日一年一世
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Mulberry Song (4)
Eastern Palace (4)
Unrepentant (4)
Falling Leaves Without Trace (3)
A Game To Make Him Fall (2)
Ballad of Ten Thousand Gu (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. sad beautiful tragic
  2. Novels which lives in me
  3. My favorite novel
  4. Cried a river
  5. Novelettes

Latest Release

Date Group Release
11/19/17 catharcity c13 (end)
11/18/17 catharcity c12
11/17/17 catharcity c11
11/15/17 catharcity c10
11/13/17 catharcity c9
11/11/17 catharcity c8
11/09/17 catharcity c7
11/08/17 catharcity c6
11/07/17 catharcity c5
11/07/17 catharcity c4
11/05/17 catharcity c3
11/04/17 catharcity c2
11/03/17 catharcity c1
Write a Review
128 Reviews sorted by


patelpalak
patelpalak
January 22, 2021
Status: c13
Very very angsty, but deep thoughts and philosophy. Tragedy throughout, both protagonists are antihero personalities, but its realistic.

Made me cry when I was reading, it is a great read for those who are in for deep and dark books.
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Jay0000
Jay0000 rated it
December 30, 2019
Status: c13
If you want a beautiful yet sad love story... Well is it really a love story? I think it is more to love and regrets since love story sounds a bit happy ending.
Spoiler

She loves too much and he loves too late. I want to believe that they will meet in another life but I heard that if you commit su*cide, you cant reincarnate.

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xpotatoknight
xpotatoknight rated it
May 16, 2018
Status: Completed
I liked this story and thought that the author really highlighted the ugly sides of love instead of how it's so pure and innocent.

... more>>
Spoiler

My favorite character was the FL. She was obsessive in love and did any means she possibly could to get into the heart of the man she loved. She accepted everything from him, including his hate because how much she loved him. I think one of her biggest flaw was that she didn't really know how to love someone so she did it recklessly. I could only admire how hard she tried and in the end wasn't even sad. She just wanted a bit of happiness in her short time that she had left. I don't agree with the way she went about things, but she was desperate and hopelessly in love. She got what she wanted and had her own happy ending.

I disliked the ML. I understand his hatred for the FL because she messed up the lives of his parents and his past relationship to be with him, but even when she was gone, he was so adamant about how much he hated her and how she ruined everything for him after she was gone. His life went back to normal when FL died, but it was his own fault his relationship with his 2nd marriage went down the drain. My biggest annoyance with him was how he denied his feelings, and refused to give up thoughts of FL when he had already started a new life, thus causing misery for the 2nd girl.

Honestly, had the FL not died, nothing would have changed until they both died from old age. He would always blame her and continue to hate her for the rest of his life and she would continue to be by his side smiling happily, telling him "I love you".

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BigKia29
BigKia29 rated it
November 18, 2017
Status: Completed
I agree 100% to Anastrisha. I rated it 3stars because the way it is written and translated was good, more than good to be honest but on several occasions throughout the story I want to smash my laptop (no joke).

ps: this is like the ugly twin of A Game to Make Him Fall
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Realvnv
Realvnv rated it
December 31, 2021
Status: Completed
I didn't pass out from crying, then woke up and cried again like apparently most commenters did (?) but I gotta admit even the happiest moments felt just sad.

FL chick was an unreasonable, selfish, obsessive chara that was literally littered with flaws. I haven't felt much pity for her at the end honestly, but not because of her apparent flaws, 'cause she got her wish.

It was a heartbreaking one, ominous even, but I believe she paid her karma off and it was the least she deserved.

For the ML, I didn't... more>> find him faulty. Maybe if we were to read from the ML's perspective first, we could even abhor the MC. He was a perfectly fine doing man; got the looks, carrier, a lover, great prospects... Then FL just barged into his life and took away many of his things.

(Tho I'd like to repeat that while what FL did was barbaric and I excepted better from her than that, she paid it off.)

I especially liked chapters that were told from the ML's perspective; it wasn't so full of snots and tears to the point of being vulgar, but it was apparent that ML was... Well, not well. Lol made a pun there.

All in all, this story could have a HE for the FL and ML if only that illness didn't show up lol.

-1 star cause even tho I understand FL chick a lil bit, I couldn't like her per se. <<less
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HitchHiker
HitchHiker rated it
December 25, 2021
Status: Completed
This is quite well written though not perfect. There are plot holes but it does what it sets out to do which is to suck out all the water from readers as tears. But on the believability scale, the story ranks pretty low.

I didn't really like the FL's methods and the fact that she didn't feel remorse for what she did to her future in-laws shows just how selfish she is. But then that's the character sketch, so I'm good with that.

My problem is with the ML's character coz I... more>> can't understand what he's going for. If he hated what she did to him, what he should be doing is ignoring her, not engage her and be hateful. Actively hating and hurting someone is just going to make you feel guilty later and make you the bad person. On top of that, he sleeps with her regularly? He has to behave that way for the plot to flow the way the writer wants but I can't really think of a real person behaving the way the ML does. <<less
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Crescent
Crescent rated it
August 5, 2021
Status: Completed
Really great short story, the ML and FL are both flawed which makes them very human. The ending is satisfying as it provided enough closure to the story. Very well thought out story and the writing is eloquent, the narration is amazing and you really feel for the characters and they navigate their feelings for each other. Totally worth a read.
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
satissr 018
June 2, 2021
Status: --
I usually dont like sad stories but this story is another thing, I searched for the original story that I could get somthing more but theres none, some readers might just go with the story and thus this is the end but it is not for me. In 'girl on paper' the ML said somthing similar to that when people read stories, the story wont just end and it will live in their imaginations so I will let myself to be bold enough to create not just one but multiple... more>> Scenario for the couple, one if them where it came from when lisa said that she would let her father become her lover in the next life and also when the ML said that when he meets her he will do everything to get her, the difference is that he will be the one who try to have her heart and she will love him back, the other Scenario is just like the do_over stories were after his death he would return to the time where he first met her at the meeting so he will be the one who is waiting for her and he will say "hi, lets be friends" <<less
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Biju
Biju rated it
December 22, 2020
Status: Completed
I uh, cried, still feeling kinda raw inside, I hope that people express themselves more instead keeping their feeling bottled up...... reading this made me think about their lives, the way He Yujin loved Gao Fei, and him not getting a chance ... more>>
Spoiler

to know and understand his love for He Yujin

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I throughout the whole book, loved the raw feeling, the raw emotions both Yujin and Fei showed us! I hope the author makes something like this again or gives us a short special chapter for a life with Yujin and Fei both loving each other and living happily with a complete set of family instead of dying without having known for the fact they had mutual love for each other again and with despair.....

And I wish to tell the readers to enjoy this raw emotional short story with Chinese sad bamboo instrumental songs, brings out the tears out instantly and bends perfectly with the story plot~! <<less
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CaliforniaMaki
CaliforniaMaki rated it
December 21, 2020
Status: Completed
*sigh* I feel so raw right now. The words that the author wrote and have been translated is wreaking havoc with my emotions. I feel so heartbroken and quoting the translator's notes this story is a bit different from tragedy stories, you read another perspective that hasn't (rarely) been used.

At first, I was concerned with the FL's obssessive love and later you'll see there's beauty in broken things. Honestly, I feel so bad right now. It's been a while since a story has gripped my heart this bad.

For spoiler readers... more>> out there this line by the Translator says it all:

Spoiler

He Yujin loved too much; Gao Fei loved too late.

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fireflying
fireflying rated it
December 16, 2020
Status: Completed
Ah, I haven't read a tragedy in a while. Now I remember why.

I really want to hate the MC. I want to slander her for being s*upid and silly and holding on to that one man, even though he treated her with such coldness. I want to scream at her for being way too possessive and resorting to terrible means... but I can't.

I can't.

She definitely wasn't an innocent and pure soul, but her love was definitely clear with no other intentions. She was just so stubborn and set on what... more>> she wanted. She loved him, and would get him. Her whole life was him, every detail made her happy. She was appeased with such little things. She did so much, get gained so little from him. She was just so optimistic and peppy, it hurts me so much to write this right now, remembering.

The whole story felt so very human. The leads were not perfect. No, not by a long shot. They had so many flaws, and they just felt wholly real. So f*cking sad the human condition is. it was so heartbreaking to read, because love will be mixed with all sorts of these ugly emotions He Yujin expresses. She was truly, truly human after all. It's really devastating how she was the epitome of "living for love..." until she wasn't.

'Hi, Gao Fei. I'm He Yujin, let's be friends.' is what she said when she met him. And then she became his wife,

Too late, he wished he could say to her 'Hi, He Yujin. I'm Gao Fei, let's be friends.' and then become her husband.

I think if we only got the main story, I would have rated this much lower. In all honesty, I didn't really delve into the main story about He Yujin as much as I really went in with the Gao Fei's POV. It felt like He Yujin's story was a prologue to the pain and suffering happening later. To Gao Fei.

Spoiler

Something the translator said at the end, which I really think sums up this story:

Madmen – He Yujin; Gao Fei. One was insane while she lived; the other was forced to insanity as he lived.

Their love ended before it could begin. He Yujin will never know that, even without realising it, Gao Fei had already come to love her, and Gao Fei will never have the chance to tell her that, it turns out, his love for her was no less than hers for him.

He Yujin loved too much; Gao Fei loved too late.

---

This hit hard.

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Their love ended before it could begin, one loved too much and the other loved too late.

Gao Fei's POV is also extremely human. It's the part that I really enjoyed, because it hurt so f*cking bad.

Spoiler

He has a slow decent into madness, but denies all of it. It makes me wonder, if they really do get reunited back up there, would they be able to live out a beautiful dream?

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Another thing translator said:

" There is one kind of love – I love you, and this has nothing to do with you, but I love you.

There is another kind of love – I hate you, and I will never love you, but I will follow you in your death. "

Perfectly sums up this story.

in all I give this a 11/10, thanks for breaking my tear ducts. <<less
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MiAlMo
MiAlMo
October 11, 2020
Status: Completed
FOR PASSERBY ERS: don’t pass by this book is worth it.

I’m usually very lazy and the fact that I went thru the trouble of making an account just to write this review is a testimony to this books tear jerking awesomeness.

I read this book and I cried myself to sleep and still I did not regret reading it, I found myself reloading the page and wishing it was a dropped novel so I might have a chance of reading more in the future.

I’ve never been a fan of an author... more>> but today I’m defiantly one. Author sama if you have any other works we’re can I find them and thank you for writing this book that led me to appreciate the tragedy genre. <<less
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Wh_atever_123
Wh_atever_123 rated it
August 5, 2020
Status: c7
Omg I can't with the MC, I did feel sorry for her because she just wanted him to be happy with her but love can't be gained by force or pity. She didn't value herself so I understand why ML did what he did. If I were the ML I would've done the same thing. She delivered herself to him and did everything even though he didn't appreciate. She put herself there so IDK what should I feel sad for. She probably accepted this kind of toxic love.

Even... more>> if she alive again I would not believe he will love her for who she is. If this was to happen it should've happened long ago before she dies. <<less
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Mononichu
Mononichu rated it
July 29, 2020
Status: Completed
Ok I cried from the beginning to the end of this book. All I’m gonna say is that these characters are so dimensional and experience so many spectrums of emotions that they seem like real life people. That’s what made this book so haunting and all the more heart wrenching, In all it’s twisted glory. Definitely a book I could read many times over.
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ShenMiao98
ShenMiao98 rated it
June 30, 2020
Status: Completed
Reading this has become a ritual... sort of. I come back to read it at least once every three months. And it also made me discover the masochist within myself, because that's what this is. Terrible pain and heartbreak perfectly packaged into a small novel with thirteen beautiful chapters. Someone above described the process as a knife twisting your heart from within, and then pulling it out in the final chapter, and I'd like to concur. Because that is exactly what this feels like. I bawl like a baby every... more>> single time I read it.... it just never stops hurting. He Yunjin's pain is so wretched and haunting and Gao Fei's descend into madness..... it's equally heartbreaking. <<less
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Ken18ghoul
Ken18ghoul rated it
June 6, 2020
Status: Completed
Never have I thought I would cry for almost 3/4 of the story, and here I thought I was over heart wrenching novels, I usually avoid them but this one I can't stop reading. May it be love or obsession it can really make you irrational. This is a piece of tear - jerking, pillow drenching novel, its like every scene was becoming alive in your mind ripping out the emotions in you.
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
acetylcoa
acetylcoa
May 18, 2020
Status: Completed
I read this story when I was binging all the angst novels out there. This one made me cry the most, the emotions are so raw, it hurts. Still, beautifully written, with a plot that will stick with you for a long time. It's definitely worth the read, but honestly will not reread it again because of how much it made me cry.
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Celia8132010
Celia8132010
May 12, 2020
Status: Completed
Oh My God I rarely cry reading novels until I read this piece. Cried for 3 hours straight. ML is full of hatred and angst (understandable but a bit too much for my liking). FL is a hopeless romantic and quite a pitiful character. If you like really sad, depressing, and gloomy stories about love, angst, hate, and regret this is the story that will deliver just that.
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s1003
s1003 rated it
March 23, 2020
Status: Completed
This story shows all the dark sides of love - the obsession, the scheming, the anger, the pain, the pride, the loss of reason. It's terribly tragic but you can't help but think it's also beautiful.

I couldn't like the MC or the ML as characters but I empathized with them. Both of them were wrong and right and wrong.
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oopsaloo
oopsaloo rated it
February 29, 2020
Status: Completed
This novel felt really profound. The MC is flawed, the ML is flawed, and the way they show their love is very unique. Somehow the main characters are both endearing in their own ways, and you can kind of see that they are human and not perfect - it adds some realism and freshness to a landscape of novels where we’re sick of the same overused tropes. You see the tags - including tragedy - and you’re guaranteed to feel sad if not bawl while reading it. Really hits you... more>> in the feels. Very well translated, props to the translator for that! <<less
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