Hard to Escape

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Waking up after a car accident, the first thing I saw was Yin Li’s handsome threatening face.

It made me somewhat embarrassed.

But in the end I had to be ruthlessly heartless, cursing while pointing at his shapely nose:

“It looks like you’re the bastard who hit me!”

He blankly stared, and then coldly said:

“I’m your fiancé. Yan Xiao, you have amnesia.”

Then I had to persuade Yin Li, I was a wretched toad and wasn’t good enough for him.

He sneered, “Even if you grew wings to become a swan, you still wouldn’t be able to escape your birthright. Not to mention that you’re just a toad.”

This is definitely not the general amnesia plot that you have in your mind! You definitely won’t be able to guess it~

Associated Names
One entry per line
In Love with a Tall Rich Handsome Counterfeit
插翅难逃
爱上冒牌高富帅
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Reborn as My Love Rival’s Wife (2)
She Become Sweet and Cuddly (2)
Amnesiac Queen (1)
Sons, Too Mensao (1)
Why Are You Doing This, Duke? (1)
I Don’t Like The World, I Only Like You (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Straight Modern Romance
  2. BG Romance with HE (pt 2)
  3. MC w Disabilities/Sickly
  4. Want to get diabetes? Read this and prepare your i...
  5. Modern Romance

Latest Release

Date Group Release
12/11/18 Summer’s End c13 part2
12/04/18 Summer’s End c13 part1
11/27/18 Summer’s End c12 part3
11/20/18 Summer’s End c12 part2
11/13/18 Summer’s End c12 part1
11/06/18 Summer’s End c11 part2
10/30/18 Summer’s End c11 part1
10/23/18 Summer’s End c10 part2
10/16/18 Summer’s End c10 part1
10/09/18 Summer’s End c9 part2
10/02/18 Summer’s End c9 part1
09/25/18 Summer’s End c8 part2
09/18/18 Summer’s End c8 part1
09/11/18 Summer’s End c7 part3
09/04/18 Summer’s End c7 part2
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love-cutter
love-cutter rated it
April 18, 2018
Status: Completed
I finished this novel in a day!! It was that good!

The first 3 chapters were english translated and it seems like the series has been dropped. I had to MTL all the other chapters, but it was written well enough that you could understand about 90% of the story (he/she is often mistranslated in Google sadly and obviously grammar is a bit weird with MTLing).

I really liked this novel because it's complex and it feels so damn real that you'll end up loving it. It's about loving who you are... more>> and all your faults. But of course, it's a bonus when there's someone who sticks with you through those hard times.

The first three chapters can be summed up in the synopsis. Our female lead is wary towards her self-proclaimed fiancee. She recalls absolutely nothing about her past and doesn't trust anyone else's recollection of her memories. The way she treats her fiancee is HILARIOUS. Trust me, she has a good reason for doing so. Read the spoilers if you must.

To sum the novel up, the female lead will regain memories about her past as a talented ballerina. She'll find out memories in her past that she'll want to forget and she'll learn to accept herself--ballet and the life outside of it.

The truth about her past and the characters around her.
Spoiler

The female lead was adopted by her mother and moved to France when she was 12. (I'm unclear from the MTL if she ran away from home and just snuck into the shelter or not.) She fought fervently to leave the hut that housed the other hopeful adoptees in Mexico. Since then, our female lead has fought for parental love from a woman who used to be a ballerina, but could no longer be because of an injury. She practiced ballet until she was hella good at it, but she actually hated it. She felt trapped from her mother's and her teacher's expectations. Even the French man that pursued her often painted her in her ballerina outfit, which she fervently rejected because he also saw her as a beautiful ballerina. She was overall a cold person (quite the contrast to the FL we know which is hilarious) who practiced ballet every day to the point that she's become accustomed to the pain in her toes.

Her self-proclaimed fiancee is the male lead. I'll call him ML. ML's sister was also a talented ballerina who practiced ballet with our female lead in France. FL and the sister considered each other as rivals, but our FL was better than her because FL was acknowledged by that teacher. Watching the man she loved (the French man who fervently pursued FL even though she heartlessly rejected him) and the ballet teacher that she desired taken from her, ML's sister decided to something as payback. ML's sister was drunk one rainy afternoon and decided to run over the FL. But here's the twist that our FL remembers much later on, recall that our FL is extremely unhappy with her life. FL sees that ML's sister was only scaring her because the car swerves around her. FL intentionally runs towards the car. She was suicidal. She didn't want to live like that unhappy life anymore, but having practiced ballet for so long, it was all she had. Her adoptive mom died about 2 years earlier and wasn't that rich.

ML comes to the scene seeing his distressed sister and the FL (who he only briefly met when she told him off for smoking in a non-smoking area) covered in a pool of blood. Seeing this, he immediately thinks that his sister is guilty and he takes FL away to China. Only the blood was found by the French police.

Later, our FL will wake up briefly as she's taken away to a hospital, just to tell the doctor not to amputate her legs. Then, she'll wake up in the hospital without any memories. I'm assuming this is from too much blood loss and perhaps, her mind wanted to suppress the bad memories so she can start a new life. When she wakes up, the ML proclaims himself to her as her fiancee but is actually quite cold. He's polite and gives her housing, rehabilitation, schooling, etc. But she feels no warmth from him nor does her body recognize him (she tried it by kissing him lmao). ML wanted to protect his sister and pretend to be FL's fiancee so she wouldn't sue his sister, etc.

But contrary to his expectations, our quirky FL weaves her way into his heart. I think the first time this really showed was around ch 10 (I might be wrong, it was around there somewhere) where the FL takes back a dirty stray cat and he orders her to throw it out immediately. When the cat runs away, FL chases after it, but the ML has already found it first and gave it a bath... even though he has severe cat allergies (his face gets bumpy). Or, when he found her trying to do ballet moves with her injured legs and she falls down, crying. He starts to soften up to her. I could tell the guilt was killing him so he sent her to university to study French. She could easily understand it because she's lived in France~

There's a bunch of fluff fluff scenes for the first half of the novel. Like the first time he proposed to her out in the middle of nowhere with the stars and he asked her poetically (something about the galaxy and stars... Sorry MTL sucks).

The second half of the novel is when she falls head over heels for ML (mostly, dependency because he forged her new name and life) but finds out he's a fake. I like that she gives him a hard time. He totally deserved it. But, then again, she wanted to die initially so I'm not sure who to blame. All I can say is that everything gets resolved wonderfully, the rivalry between the sister and her, getting recognition from her old esteemed teacher after not practicing ballet for 2 years, turning down her fervent French pursuer and getting the man who lied to her but loves her wholeheartedly.

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So yeah, it's complex. Initially, it was fluff fluff then it gets quite heavy at the end. No R-18 scenes lol.

The only downside to this is that I wished there were extra side stories~ I wanted to see some post-marriage fluff and children!! <<less
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nixxara
nixxara rated it
August 23, 2016
Status: c3.1
MMM. There is no backstory to this in the beginning so many may be left confused with what's happening in the story. The story starts off with the female MC losing her memories and then the male MC (I presume) claims he is her fiancee yet shows no love but rather coldness towards her. Don't misunderstand, he does take care of her but what's cold is his heart and not his actions. The female MC is definitely smart, as she knows that they were never in love with each other... more>> and uses her wits to test the male MC by acting boldly. The female MC is hilarious and I'm so happy she has no feelings whatsoever for the male MC and even wants to bid him farewell. I see that there are a lot of 1 star votes and those votes probably exist due to the non-existent background that causes confusion among readers. Because there aren't many chapters out right now, it's like following a story with inside jokes you don't understand.

Fret not, because by ch. 3.1, you may be getting the gist of what's happening and how awesome would it be to see the cold male lead fall in love with the female lead? :)) 5 stars for the funny female lead! <<less
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manjuone
manjuone rated it
September 17, 2020
Status: Completed
Their relationship basically built on deception. I can't like the ML at all. The FL deserve better.

... more>>
Spoiler

I just feels like this novel reads like a true crime story, but romanticize and the villain get away with doing the crime. Seriously, what is wrong with the ML?? He basically kidnap the FL, who was dying and takes advantage of her at her most vulnerable time all to "protect" his sister. Then he manipulate FL, who is amnesiac and have nobody to lean on but himself by claiming to be her fiance. Cutting FL of from her past, alone with broken dream, broken body, and no memories. Leaving her with no choice but to depend on him. From the on, their "romance" start. What a fvcking creep, a criminal I say. And he also got no repercussion doing this!

And the sister is such an entitled girl. I get that she doesn't really intended to kill FL, but FL still got hit by her car! Why not call an ambulance? Instead she and her brother, the ML conspire to hide this accident. Wtf??

And, god, that proposal at the end. ML, once again, manipulate and pressure her (this time using his life) to accept his proposal as he wouldn't take no for an answer. Looking at the trend, I bet he would keep manipulating FL in the future. Poor FL will have to live forever with this kind of ML. I guess FL got that stockholm syndrome. ML belong in jail imho. The fact that this is marketed as romance and seen as fluffy story is so scary to me.

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DOHere
DOHere rated it
October 4, 2019
Status: c42
The idea of the story wouldn't have been bad, but I really didn't like the author's writing style. It's just giving repetitive details and cheesy exaggerations, feels like how I was BS-ing my essays. Not that bad if you have these flowery, abstract descriptions once in a while, but they're too over the top and all over the novel. Example:

... more>>
Spoiler

I danced, circling him. I was unbridled in my performance. I expressed my deep longing for freedom. It wasn't Odette or Odile's movements. It was my own chaotic way of expression. This was my body's cipher. I didn't need to follow in the footsteps of anyone else. I finally rediscovered that gentle yet smooth feeling. This was the real meaning of dance.

I was dancing my own life. I danced the confusion I felt after the accident with amnesia. I danced the love I had received, and similarly the pain when discovering the love was a farce. I danced the horror of learning the truth. Finally, I danced the peace and intensity of this very moment. I had too much to tell Yin Li, so I used a more familiar language to express myself.

I was good and bad. I was tender and passionate. Within me, I carried hopes and despair.

I continuously changed my footsteps yet my eyes never left him. His eyes were already burning with emotion. He had been bewitched.

I could imagine myself in this moment. I was releasing my wicked, alluring side and revealing my innocence as well as my darker side. Every step of mine was a weapon.

Flamboyantly beautiful.

It takes five people working full-time to support a world-class artist.

I was one of those artists who used my two feet to entice others.

I looked at Yin Li like this. I didn't touch him, but with every step I coaxed him.

Why don't you serve me?

My dance expressed that to him clear as day.

As the music came to a close, I circled one last time, withdrew my feet, and once again outstretched a hand to Yin Li.

This time his eyes burned as he looked me in the eyes. He gracefully kneeled at my feet and humbly kissed my fingertips.

He would serve me.

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--puke <<less
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Tutubitter
Tutubitter rated it
January 4, 2021
Status: --
A novel that romanticised a selfish manipulating criminal. Disgusting. I don’t even understand how a lot of reviews here are calling this “fluffy”.

FL is very inspiring tho as she really strived hard. But she really deserves a better ML. The “romance” part just dragged the novel down for me.
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annieyongannie
annieyongannie rated it
July 18, 2020
Status: Completed
Ok, this is one looooong spoiler review, so brace yourselves. I would have wanted to disect each chapter because I was truly intrigued by Yan Xiao. The Author was able to come up with realistic events and even more a realistic MC. I would have liked to read more of her works but this is the only one translated in NU. Also, a huge thank you to the team behind the translation. You did such an amazing work. So, without further ado, here it is.

... more>>
Spoiler

Yan Xiao (MC) is not simple-minded, in fact, she had complicated yet wise thoughts. Having lost all her memories (she didn't transmigrate), it was only normal for her to be wary of everyone, including the man who claimed to be her fiancé, Yin Li (ML). I liked that she didn't blindly trust YL and everyone around her. If I was in her situation, hell, I would have gone as far as to suspect YL was someone who tried to kill me, or accidentally hit me with his car and is now trying to finish the deed to avoid future troubles, but since I got amnesia, he decided to wait a little bit just to satisfy his curiosity if I was lying in order to survive; you know only for his own amus**ent.

But YL continued to be by YX's side and YX knew that given her situation, she could not depend on anyone other than YL. So she went along with all of YL's arrangements (her moving to YL's house and the rehabilitation treatment, then going back to school next).

YX appeared to be strong since the beginning. She never let anyone take advantage of her even if she felt helpless. But on the other hand, that was only a mask she put on to protect herself. That time when she had to rely on herself to take that step (which ought to be excruciatingly painful), she fell again and again yet she never gave up. She must have thought that only she can help herself, so she had to do what she had to do. And then she broke down, whether that was because of self-pity or a cry of victory, I cried with her. I felt her pain and the pride she felt for having won over her disability even if it's just a short period. She is a woman stronger than anyone. She is a woman I would want to be if I was put in a similar situation.

Her falling inlove with YL was only a matter of course. She probably wanted to deny it, but her feelings probably started very early on. She had her doubts on YL and those doubts never left her mind, but YL never did anything harmful to her and even helped her with her recovery. And when that cat incident happened, she saw a different side of YL, other than the cold and detached person he usually is. And that was probably the starting point when her mind started to accept that YL is indeed her fiancé, and allowed herself to fully trust him.

When YX accepted the fact that she wanted YL, she didn't shy away from it. She was decisive and on point. She was a woman who knows exactly what she wants. She embraced that feeling and made YL feel that she has accepted him.

But just like any other novels, conflicts arise, and in this case in the package of Yin Xuan (YL's sister) and Frank (YX's suiter in France). Her past suddenly caught up to her and she was once again thrown into chaos, like when she first woke up. The trust that she built towards YL started to crumble, and even then, she wanted to hold on to that trust. But circumstances wasn't kind. She eventually learned of the truth and that truth almost destroyed her. YX had it really bad. She went through hell and back. When she finally thought that she is finally living the life she should live, like a slap in the face that she didn't see coming, the truth was dumped on her like that. I would have gone mad. I would have hated everybody. YL, for deceiving me, Frank for crumbling the world I currently live in, and life, for not letting me go and continuously give me sh*tloads of crap.

When she left YL without confronting him, it was a decision she made after much deliberation. Like what she said, she not only loved YL, but trusted him. By leaving, she was protecting herself, at the same time, running away. I totally relate with this girl, as if we are of the same wavelength. She was probably afraid that her love for YL would have clouded her judgement.

What I also loved about her was she left YL and tried to find her identity herself, and not go with another man who claimed to have known her back in France, immediately trusting him. Given all the evidences in hand, and even when she realized that they were the same person, she wasn't some useless and helpless girl who depends on men to support her.

She is smart, so when she finally contacted Frank to arrange everything for her to go back to Paris, she already thought it through and already had a plan in place.

She cling on to ballet like her life depended on it. She had nothing, and only something tangible can redeem her from this slumped state. It didn't matter whether she like ballet or not, she just wants her identity back. The reason why I didn't come to dislike her for continuing in this futile attempt because I knew her thoughts all too well. I sympathized with her. I pitied her. She is a very strong woman, that even on the verge of losing her sanity, she persisted. She is a woman who has gone through harsh tribulations of life, but because of her will to live, she adapted to every situation like a second nature.

And when she left everyone behind, I didn't see it as totally unrealistic. She wanted to control her own fate and didn't let anyone decide for herself. She was bold and decisive. Even with all the uncertainties in the road she's about to embark on, she valiantly took a step forward with eyes wide open.

Step by step, she went through hell again. Those hardships she had gone through seemed to have been a sharp knife stabbing me. Why does she torture herself like that? Why can't she just let go and seriously think of what she wants from now on. But then I realized, ballet was all she ever wants this moment. And she will go through hell again if she have to just to get it back.

And then harsh reality struck her again, this more cruel than the last. She was never meant to be killed, premeditated or not. She wanted to die. At that moment, even my world crashed. I wallowed in self pity and can't help but ridicule the absurdity of this fact. I sobbed and thought that this is the real hell for her.

This is one of YX's thoughts that clearly reflected a lot of people's experiences. This is life.

"The world wasn't fair to me. For ballet, I had dedicated my life, yet I still chose to die. Then, I lost my memories and was deceived. The past had been a foggy, dim period. I went through tumultuous emotional ups and down, and life was never carefree. I was seemingly never treated with gentle kindness. The world treated me coarsely and harshly."

It seems that I was truly biased for YX, but that was only because from the very beginning, it felt like I was her. This was her story, her life, and it felt like it was mine too. So I would like to say a few sentences to the people around her.

Yin Li. I have never fully grasped his thoughts. He is a cunning and sly businessman who only wanted to protect the only family he had left. Unexpectedly, he fell inlove with YX and all his resolve went down the drain. From the moment he chose to take responsibility, he did it with the resolve to see through it till the end. I only wished I was given a chance to take a peek at his thoughts, it would have been much more easier to forgive him. But I forgave him regardless, because it was only human nature to protect the people you love and do everything to keep them safe. And he did exactly the same to YX.

This is a phrase from YL to YX that made me love him. "I'm not you. I don't have the right to flippantly ask of you to forget the past like it's nothing. But you know that I hope you will walk out of its shadow. Life is full of unexpected turns. But compared to the most ancient civilizations, we are small and humble. Civilizations become civilizations for a reason. They have barbaric, bloody pasts. But these pasts accumulate into wisdom. Only by experiencing the darkness can you have our current cultured societies. People are the same. Your pain and your struggles all mold you into who you are today."

Yin Xuan. I hated her at first. I couldn't believe she had the audacity to call YX names when she robbed YX off of her life. But later on, she finally was able to let go of all the things that were weighing her, including her life's goal and her guilt. She was a young girl who was blinded by her jealousy, pride, and other things, but in no way am I condoning the things she has done. I'm just saying, anyone could have harbored ill intentions to anybody. Learning of what really happened that night through YX's memories, it was easier to forgive her.

Frank. I didn't have much thoughts of this man. But I didn't like him. I always had the impression that he only fell in love with the high and lofty Alicia, and he wanted YX to continue dancing because he wants to see Alicia again, not because he fully supports and understands YX's intentions and suffering. So yeah, I agree with YL, Frank doesn't match YX at all.

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So ok, I would love to say more, but that would be too much really. This is the only novel I have read where I was fully in sync with the MC, and that was probably because I would have made the same choices as her, had I been in a similar situation. <<less
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Crayon
Crayon rated it
July 25, 2020
Status: --
Even though the ML gets to redeem himself, I just can't like him. Actually I despise him as ML. I think the author could give MC more deserving ML. I feel this ML is just a ready bake bread, just for the convenience sake.

I don't remember why but I can't bear to not giving this a 2 stars. (I remember the ML wrongdoings tho)
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underbluesky
underbluesky rated it
September 12, 2021
Status: Completed
Such manipulated romance made it hard to immerse yourself to the story emotionally. I kept on reading while feeling so confused and disturbed as to why their relationship could developed into love. Anyway its not the worst novel I'd read... until...

... more>>
Spoiler

The last chapter was so ridiculous and off-putting that it left a very disgusting after-taste in me. (bad enough for me to write my first review, take off all the star, and change my whole perspective on this novel from a barely passable read to a promotion of morally wrong conduct). If it ever happened to me I would stuff seaweed into his mouth to shut that manipulating trap, throw the ring into the ocean, shove him down there to forever look for it as he wished, while the police officers danced their asses away to give him his final farewell. (I chose to have selective amnesia about the helicopter and guests situation cause it only added fuel to my raging fire)

In conclusion, read from the beginning if you want to give this novel a try anyway.

Read the last chapter first if you hesitate but don't want to waste your time like I did, only to be driven so mad at the end

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beallara
beallara rated it
September 4, 2020
Status: Completed
i understand that it's not my history and that I must accept that no one is perfect (fictional characters included) but
Spoiler

I can't stand the fact that he destroyed her and still dared to love her regardless and didn't did nothing to show remorse or pay her back before she found out the true.


he would simply marry her and treat her good after everything he did and it stinks.

and the last proposal are you kidding me? I would have killed him right there

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KichiX
KichiX rated it
March 5, 2020
Status: c42
This novel reminds me of Same Place, Not Same Bed. I'm not sure if it's the tone, the subject matter being similar (both FLs devote their life to something/one only to find out that it does not bring them the joy they thought it would) or something else.

The melancholy and unease seeps on the pages of this novel, even though the FL is usually upbeat and determined not to give in to her inner demons, and the ML is supportive (?).

Unlike others I never found this novel "fluffy". As it's... more>> written in first person we get to see all of the FL's dark inner thoughts, her doubts and her suspicions, and her suppression of those same doubts to maintain the veneer of a happy life with the ML casts a darkness over the entire story. Because they love each other they invest in the lie that the ML created even while they both know that it is crumbling around them.

The FL's relationship with ballet was plausible if over-done. Had the author dialled back the depression and melodrama slightly the story would have benefitted.

I didn't have as many problems with the last half of the story as others might have, but the last chapter is truly terrible. Skip it and create your own romantic proposal scene and marriage because chapter 42 mars the story beyond recovery:

Spoiler

He fakes his death by drowning to make her regret not agreeing to his proposal and then "comes back to life" and proposes when she is distraught. How insensitive can you get. I would almost have preferred it if he truly did die rather than this. And the worst part is that he was apparently recreating the real death of a man who died trying to set up his proposal.

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Talk about out of character.

In the end I have mixed feelings towards this story. It was both good and bad, melodramatic, but surprisingly realistic. <<less
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earlgreyt
earlgreyt rated it
December 15, 2019
Status: Completed
I very much wanted to give this a 5 but the last chapter uh... (๑•﹏•) ;;

Nevertheless!

This is quite a unique and pretty incredible novel in CN romance genre with a female protagonist.

... more>> We get a surprisingly strong MC who is complex, makes mistakes, has embarrassing moments, struggles with self-respect, self-doubt, self-deception, and has her own dreams separate from the ML (!!). She has stubborness and an incredibly strong spirit, and faces many of those doubts alone. She feels real. And she is admirable.

After the comedic undertones in the first couple chapters (pretty cliche, but still humorous) you'll come to realize that this novel is really about her: the heroine's journey.

Very rarely do CN novels give heroines the drive to achieve their own dreams; this novel does just that.

In this story, nobody is perfect. Nobody stays a villain or a hero. Everyone makes mistakes, including our MC herself. That's what makes the journey so satisfying to read. It's difficult to connect with perfection, rather, the MC's imperfections, struggle to achieve her dreams, to become a better version of herself, truly make her alive and humanized (one of us! one of us!).

Spoiler

Some readers think the ML isn't as single-mindedly devoted or the relationship between him and the MC are more equal. I agree to the latter, but disagree with the former.

The ML is VERY devoted - he's pretty much in the background supporting her the entire time. When she couldn't stand, he helped her up after she couldn't get up again. When she tried to regain dance, he became the patron for the documentary so she'd have money for equipment. When she didn't have a chance at the competition, he purchase a stage for her in Paris. He's been looking out for her the whole time, even when she didn't want to see him or talk to him. That spells "devoted" to me.

However, what I do like is that, he has a bottom line. He didn't harm his sister even after he fell in love and thought his sister was the one who ruined her life.

On the equal part, it is very nice that the two of them fell for each other around the same time when she lost her memories. She agreed to his proposal at the time (before the past screwed everything up.)

However, he's been her shoulder (or silently supporting her) through her entire journey when previously she had been alone, but she hasn't done the same for him. Other than to get him to loosen up, the heroine hasn't supported him or shared any of his burdens (in fact she's caused a lot of trouble). So in this matter, they are not equal.

And honestly, I don't mind that about this story.

There are many many other CN/JP/whatever stories out there who are strong female leads, but their lives are about supporting the male protagonist and helping him reach his goals. So this reversal is fine for me.

And she does give up dance and choose to be with him in the end, which is not a choice you'll see any male protagonists making. I don't mind as much because she regained her love for dance in the first place through casual dancing/enjoying life, since previously, she had to give up so much for it that she became depressed and resentful. So her choice to back out from the professional scene is in a way preserving her love for it.

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Spoiler

This novel reminds me of the fact that: Nobody in this world exists for the sole purpose of saving you.

Fictional romances frequently depict an ML who exists solely to resolve the core of the MC's problems. It's easy to become complacent, pull out an OP ML who rescues the MC from all of her struggles, like an enjoyable, mindless dream.

But sometimes you get tired of reading about fairytales about characters who have cake fall into their laps with no effort at all (or bc they're just too beeeyooooteeefffurrrrr).

This is for those people.

Don't you feel that a heroine with her own pursuits and passions, someone who has worked so hard to achieve her own dreams, shines so much brighter than someone whose pursuits/passions/dreams lie in their most handsome/rich/powerful partner?

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Great translation. Though some parts were super super sudden and I thought I skipped a chapter or something, I'm a fan of how the author enters into this almost stream-of-consciousness type writing when describing the deep emotions behind the MC's love for dance, her past, and her immersion in it. Due to the excellent translation, I was also fully immersed in those moments. Great work!

Spoiler

MINUS THE LAST CHAPTER, it's weird OOC and IC at the same time... but also just weird.

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savii
savii rated it
February 26, 2019
Status: c15.1
The novel is soo good.. If you get past the first few chapters then it's a roller-coaster ride..

The story is written beautifully. And the translators are doing an amazing job.. Its very emotional, mysterious, fluffy in some parts and very angsty in other....

I hope this story doesn't end and goes on this beautifully for ever... Highly recommended...
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fanneeywp
fanneeywp rated it
July 6, 2019
Status: c31
The ML is mysterious and kinda hateful at first. Fortunately, MC is a reliable narrator, isn't s*upid, and well aware of her own conditions. This is a mystery storyline!

In the latest chapters, when MC discovered her past as well as her complicated feelings towards ML, I already hooked and can't wait to read the ending!
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ravlyn
ravlyn rated it
July 12, 2021
Status: Completed
Such a good novel!! The author has a way with words when she/he expresses the emotions and feelings of the characters and the overall atmosphere of the story. The translation is really good and manages to capture the necessary details. ML may seem kinda shady at first, but make sure to read on because each step he takes is ultimately calculated. FL may seem comedic in the first few chapters, but there's the underlying sense of doubt over her unrevealed past, which makes the plot even more intriguing, and I... more>> do think angst should be one of the tags instead of comedic. Regardless, this is a really enjoyable short novel.

spoiler: I do think the last chapter felt a bit rushed and done in poor taste. <<less
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Yangkxin
Yangkxin rated it
May 9, 2021
Status: Completed
I truly fell in love with this novel. As an artist and someone who has always been close to the arts, our FL's struggles made me cry buckets and reform my interests.

Let me start with the story:

In the first part it's about ballet and the FL's dreams and aspirations. The second part near the ending, the story veered towards romance more than "chasing dreams".

But I want to gush about the first part. How the author wrote FL's feelings, discovery, pain, desperation, and perseverance resonated with me both on the levels... more>> of a reader and someone with their own craft. Author-sama's writing is immersive, so much so it hurts the reader but just as quick puts on a smile. This is one of those novels that changes your life and I actually started ballet because I wanted to understand that feeling FL had about expressing and breaking free through dance. The extent the novel explored ballet made even an ordinary reader be amazed of something they've never explored before. There are novels who mention sports in the passing and not truly the whole point of the story, but I've only encountered a few who made me want to try the sport too.

I wish this would have been a "chasing dreams" kind of story though. I wish this would have been a novel about an artist and not a person.

But when the whole truth came out, the story veered towards our FL's and ML's romance and ballet wasn't given much focus anymore. The ending may have also been rushed as another review said and, well, that's that.

I believe it would have been a more complex, excruciating, and inspiring novel if the author had an artist take on it but it's the author's choice and what they wanted to relay. And it's only the romance route and the rushed ending that were major points which I didn't like.

For the characters:

I love the FL. And I also love the ML albeit I kinda dissed him a lot.

The FL is refreshing and if she was an actress I'd say that she suited the role. She just fit the character perfectly and she also had humor. The way her perspective was written was immersive and the author developed her personality well, making proper use of the FL's struggles. Her identity as an artist, as a ballet dancer, was also set in stone and her thoughts and desire for ballet wasn't written unconvincingly.

As for the ML, he was sort of a diverse character. At first you'd like him, then hate him hard, then like him again, and then hate him again. At the end I can surely say that ML is not a good person yet he's also not bad. He's just human and any author who can write a character like that is an idol to me. I love how if this was a mathematical problem, there would still always be one answer only with different variations but still the same one. The circumstances ML went through truly made him do the decisions he did and there was no other choice. But that's not a bad thing, sometimes that's just how life is, that part highlighted ML's helplessness and just goes to show how he was human and not some domineering walking idiot. Still, he tried hard to rectify his mistakes, and I admit he suffered even though it wasn't really his fault as was revealed. But I still hated his role in making this into a romance novel ahahaha.

Then there's ML's sister who I didn't plan to mention at first but she's one of the true testaments of the author's character development skills. I HATED her a lot and her attitude. Then when she and FL danced together for a movie, I loved her tenacity and how she was so focused and serious with ballet. But I HATED HER AGAIN and I think many times after actually because of her role. But nearing the end when she wanted to give up ballet, I felt sad and urged the FL on to make her come back. Other than being proof my brain was going mental, this was proof that Author-sama raised a side character well.

There was also the actor male friend actually and I liked him too. The author didn't put any sly-disgusting-new-friend-who-was-actually-a-stalker trope on him and he was genuinely just a good friend of the FL's and some comic relief. With the heaviness of the drama you have to go through, actor male friend is seriously a good breath of fresh air.

And then there's also the Chinese ballet teacher ahahhaa. There are so many good characters I want to give recognition to them all. I felt sad when the Chinese ballet teacher couldn't do ballet anymore and this, paired with some of the plot points, made me think of people who couldn't pursue their dreams because their bodies won't allow them. That made me sad. But the Chinese ballet teacher taught instead and she believed in our FL and I love her for being able to support someone else in an art she also wanted to do but couldn't.

Then there's the French ballet teacher and at first I thought she was to mean and stuck-up, just the stereotyped villain. That disconcerted me a bit because the novel had nothing of the usual tropes you see and it'll just be disappointing. But in the end I saw that the French ballet teacher was exactly just that, she was a ballet teacher. She taught strictly and thought for the best of her students. She also wanted to see them succeed and she knew what would be right for them. In short, she was doing her job and I'm really glad the author wrote her that way.

Lastly, the 2nd male lead. I purposely left this last because I didn't like him much. He wasn't poorly written though, he was just like an old love who suddenly appeared out-of-nowhere sort of guy. But his role as a 2nd male lead was enough for me to go against him ahahahha I'm heavily canon-oriented lest the 1st male lead is a bastard. But other than that, how he tried to ruin ML's sister also lowered my good points for him.

Well, that's that for the characters and the story. Now just for you who is reading this:

Give this book a try.

Even if you're not really an artsy person, or someone who reads BG novels, or drama novels, give this one a try. Books like these just make me want to pull everyone to read it and I hope you will because,

a book that makes a reader reach for a dream, new or old, is a good book. <<less
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DemiUchiha
DemiUchiha rated it
January 9, 2021
Status: c4
I can't continue reading it. I hate the MC so much already.

She's irritating. How can she claim to dislike someone who she doesn't really no anything about yet and who has been the only one taking care of her since her dumb*ss has woken up. It's absolutely ridiculous.

0/10 would NOT recommend.
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Shimaloo00oo
Shimaloo00oo rated it
December 25, 2020
Status: c42
Just beautiful...

I really loved the road I went through this book. It was really not like a typical webnovel, it was defenitly something more.

The mistery was really attractive and made me so attached to end this in 14 h non stop (yeah, I know its not healthy)

... more>> Though the ending was rushed and strangly not fitting with the writers style in previous chapters, it dodnt make me to enjoy this less.

I really recomend this who are looking for a good written heart warming mystery romance.

Just one chapter and youll be hooked ! <<less
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DEX94
DEX94 rated it
October 8, 2020
Status: Completed
This is one of the best stories I have read in so long

The writing & character development is... I dunno how to describe it

I work 10 hrs/day & stayed up for the first time since I got my job 9 months ago just to finish reading it

That's how good I thought it was

FL is now my #1! She is so strong I love her so much!!!
I wish there were more chapters so I can enjoy it longer

This is not a 4.2 story... it deserves 5 stars AT LEAST
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tara
tara rated it
May 7, 2020
Status: c42
I will be honest...

When I first started reading this novel, I didn't have high expectations, especially since I found it kind of confusing with how odd the characters were acting (in the beginning).

But, as the novel continued on, I found myself extremely enjoying it. The characters' feelings and actions are well described and are logical. Even the antagonist in the story, doesn't just hate the MC for the sake of it.

The female character in this novel appear to be energetic, happy and free spirited in the beginning, but as the... more>> story progress, and as she gains back her memory, her character develops beautifully.

Spoiler

What I liked the most is that, even though everyone told her she can no longer dance because of her legs, she continued practicing as much as possible. Though, she had obsessively done that because she felt as though a part of her will return back to her if she proved that she can still dance (and that in reality, things would have taken way longer than shown in story) it was satisfying to see that she gained back her abilities through her hard work

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For the male character, in the beginning he appeared very stoic, cold and unfeeling (as usually seen in Chinese novels) but

Spoiler

when he actually sees her trying her best to walk, and discovers how different she is from the rumors, he falls in love with her.

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One thing that I especially liked about the male lead, is that he is respects the FL wishes. Yes, at the beginning he was very jealous and controlling, but then as the story shifts and she regains back her memory, you see how much he dotes on her and respects everything she does. <<less
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JojoChua
JojoChua rated it
May 24, 2019
Status: Completed
I like this novel, so warm-hearted. The story is flowing well, with comedy here and there. I laughed so hard at Yan Xiao's antics. Thumbs up for both translators who deliver good translation.

I finished the novel with MTL and somehow I feel that the title is fit very well. It's hard for Yan Xiao to escape from Yin Li *lol*
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