Honey Stewed Squid

Description

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Tong Nian, a cosplay cover singer, falls in love at first sight with a man she spots at a Net cafe. Chasing him, she signs up for the MMO she saw him playing, albeit it’s a super high ranked account a friend acquired for her. Who could have known he was a pro gamer, moreover a legend in the gaming circle at that!

Associated Names
One entry per line
Cá mực hấp mật ong
go! Go! Cinderella's Unrequited Love
Go Go Squid! (Drama)
Mi Zhi Dun You Yu
Qin Ai De
Re Ai De
Stewed Squid with Honey
亲爱的,热爱的 (Drama)
蜜汁炖鱿鱼
Related Series
God’s Left Hand (Prequel)
Fish Playing While Trapped in a Secret Room (Prequel)
Recommendations
A Slight Smile is Very Charming (9)
Why Not Soar Your Majesty (4)
Really, Really Miss You (3)
Online Game: Willingly Captured (2)
God’s Left Hand (2)
Fish Playing While Trapped in a Secret Room (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Because of drama
  2. Novelsss
  3. Right in the feels
  4. Modern
  5. Cliches, Classics, Goats

Latest Release

Date Group Release
08/26/20 Hui3r 2019 epilogue part1
02/14/18 Hui3r weibo scene 5
10/06/17 Hui3r weibo scene 4
12/23/16 Hui3r weibo scene 3
12/10/16 Hui3r weibo scene 2
12/08/16 Hui3r weibo scene 1
11/29/16 Hui3r epilogue
11/26/16 Hui3r c48
11/23/16 Hui3r c47
11/19/16 Hui3r c46
11/16/16 CrystalRainDescends c12
11/16/16 Hui3r c45
11/12/16 Hui3r c44
11/09/16 Hui3r c43
11/05/16 Hui3r c42
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38 Reviews sorted by


Shortk
Shortk rated it
March 25, 2020
Status: c19
dropped.

Is this supposed to be comedy or romance? Because it's just annoying.

Tong Nian, especially in the beginning is the epitome of annoying and all stereotypes of an annoying romantic lead. I cannot be the only one seeing this.. Ok, if she was a guy doing what she did:

1. Love at first sight (girl reviewers: ugh unrealistic, uncreative bleh)

2. ... more>>
Spoiler

borderline stalking, creeping, looking up his name, personal information from the cyber cafe; shamelessly and selfishly borrowing someone's ID to game with "him", bombarning them with texts as the cafe (girls: what a creep)

3. Is ignored via texts, still sees him despite many of the hints of uninterest from the lead, doesn't clarify team's misunderstanding clearly immediately despite him blantly rejecting her multiple times & even before that, can't "take a hint" until he says NO he's uninterested in women moment (girls: ugh NO MEANS NO take it the first and second time)

i will say she is less offensive after FINALLY understanding and accepting his rejection. To be fair, she was embarrassed about the whole situation to begin with & of bothering him... but did that stop her from bothering him in the beginning??!

[collapse]

Also she's supposed to be great and everything, but she literally never does her job from what I'm reading (once she took a call) and I swear
Spoiler

am I crazy? Why did you go flying? Didn't she have an event to do which SHE COMPLETELY ignored (?) to rush into the game competition she heard he'd be at?

[collapse]
<if you think that is cute, I don't understand love then. That's probably my issue, but I think that's insane and dumb (at this point she's a freakin stranger danger to him ppl ugh) >

I also kind of dislike the author because it's like even the author cannot respect the male lead's feelings
Spoiler

and continues to make situations where he has to be with her despite his blatant multiple refusals and disinterest in her. Like wtf respect his feelings... don't make him pretend to be her bf for his grandfather

[collapse]
... this story isn't cute to me.

I don't care if I'm alone in this or this means I don't understand love, but this is just vexing all around. Let's not have double standards here: a guy's no is important too. Yeah this is a book, but can't you imagine this happening to a girl? Ugh traumatizing. <<less
34 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
auroraRMC
PiCrazy31415 rated it
June 30, 2018
Status: c1
I need to amend my requests for female MCs from being smart to having both a high IQ and a high EQ. I've only read the first few chapters and the last 10 chapters of this story, and I'm already dying of second-hand embarrassment here. Your chasing after the guy is torturing me, the reader, much more than it's hurting you. Sigh. One would think that before playing a game, she would at least look through a couple manuals/guides right? Right? Please, tell me how this high IQ person is... more>> so idiotic. Also, I feel like the ML has way too much of the power here, esp since the female MC can't do anything. This is the result of doting on your kids too much, guys. Of course, since this is only based off of around 15 chapters that I could stomach, at the extreme ends of the story, this probably isn't a real review. But I don't doubt that I would have been KO'd by embarrassment in the middle. <<less
16 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Tachi Works
Biah_belle rated it
July 10, 2016
Status: --
If you liked a slight smile is very charming, this one has a similar in-game concept.

{{ Tong Nian had completely forgotten that she was toting around an account belonging to the Grandmaster group of this server... and asked: I use Q, W, E, R, and A, S, D, F to move right?

Grunt:...

... more>> Three seconds later, a row of words appeared on the team-chat screen.

Grunt: Not a hacker. ID stolen by one of the kids in the family. Everyone, watch yourselves.

Everybody fell over backwards.}}

________________________________________________

Tong Nian, a cosplay cover singer, falls in love at first sight with a man she spots at a Net cafe. Chasing him, she signs up for the MMO she saw him playing, albeit it's a super high ranked account a friend acquired for her. Who could have known he was a pro gamer, moreover a legend in the gaming circle at that! <<less
14 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Nana (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
It's good... as expected as hui3r!! Their choice is awesome like usual.

MC is the female lead whom fall in love at first sight with the male lead.
13 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
frostcrystal
frostcrystal rated it
February 19, 2019
Status: weibo scene 5
It's cute and fun, but it doesn't quite make it to 5 for me. I tend to like my female leads to be competent, and while Tong Nian is actually a pretty good foil to her male counterpart, she is also a character with really random bits of expertise/s*upidity. For instance, she's supposedly an excellent computer programmer and engineer, but she doesn't really have the right mindset; she's not that logical and kind of air-headed. I don't think the author gets how detail-oriented you have to be to stay up... more>> until midnight cursing out the compiler, only to find out at 2am that it was actually because you missed a line in the test file. She's conscientious, but doesn't really seem to care much about her job as a singer. All she thinks about is Gun. It's as if the author just wanted her to be "smart" and threw in a few pieces of random genius here and there... but I guess it's still better than if she was completely and irredeemably s*upid. <<less
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rageouss
rageouss rated it
September 19, 2021
Status: --
I feel the urge to puke after reading 20 chapters of this, the level of ret*rdation coming from the MC shouldn't even be possible. She's given like 50 chances to correct the misunderstanding of her and the ML dating and yet she just stays silent each time, she cries about her stalking the MC and even after the ML rejects her she just goes back to her home and stalks some more and further makes sure to meet him again, what kind of character is this? and the author just... more>> plays this off as a laugh.. what the hell?

It feels like every character in this novel has an extra chromosome, she got rejected the 2nd time in 2 days and her friends conclusion is that she needs to play hard to get to get his attention.. bit*h he doesn't give a flying f*ck about your stalker friend? Nobody give a f*ck about MLs opinion or feelings, author just forcefully chugs sh*t at his face the whole novel. MC is completely DELUSIONAL, she knows the relationship is fake, she knows he doesn't give a f*ck about her and does not want to be with her and yet she still holds her phone near her 24/7 and acts and constantly thinks about how great it is to be his girlfriend... this novel is disturbing.

Cute story, cute protagonist & comedy.. f*cking hell. <<less
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Tutubitter
Tutubitter rated it
January 6, 2021
Status: Completed
To summarise what I felt this novel is like......

It's like a would-be-cute story but still in the drafting stage. It felt bland and lacking. Perhaps, if given more time to develop, it would have been better.

I've read God's Left Hand and Fish Playing While Trapped in a Secret Room and I liked both but this is not up to par.

To be more precise, maybe it's the lack of depth in the character that somehow dragged the story. Specifically, the FL's character. Because the ML's character is already mature, complete with... more>> the background and short-tempered/straightforward/dont-give-a-damn personality. ML was expressed very clearly in the story. Meanwhile, the FL's character seemed really flighty and her background was pretty much useless in the story like it was just there so she doesn't seem like 'just cute and ditzy'. Basically she's just (⊙.⊙) and just goes with whatever is happening.

Moreover, their relationship... Jesus... It actually started out nice, FL was attracted at first sight cause, man, who doesn't like a handsome face? and then proceeded to attempt to pursue ML. Up until they met again at the tournament, from there it was just... to be concise: just bland, messy and strange. From there on out, the FL is just " (⊙.⊙) ?". Everything from there to the end is literally slowly disappearing from my memory I can't even write a precise review about it anymore, that's how unappealing that was.

Also, they both barely really expressed themselves through words, like some may think it's enough to show it through actions but both of them obviously need it as they both lack security and they both knew it. But frustratingly enough, both thought it's fine to just keep it in their freakin hearts. Note to people reading this: don't do the same sh*t as them, express yourselves through both words and action. It's a good thing they're characters of a "cute/fluffy" novel so they reached marriage, otherwise, nuh uh.

Theres also this piece of gold that I think is really funny and I just wanna share it incase you missed it:
Spoiler

He had never told anyone, including Tong Nian, what it was about her that he was most drawn to.

It was her directness.

She was not coy, did not try to cover up her feelings, did not have little thoughts and notions that she would waver over and be torn about, did not try to hide anything while thinking she was clever in doing so.

Idk how it is in the raws but FL was literally all those "She was not" and "did not".

I think what the ML is trying to express is that the FL was very pure and transparent about her love and dependence, and not a sly fox full of tricks and fake masks. But it was just really funny to me that all words that described "She was not" and "did not" were all who she was and did, LOL.

But yeah, as contradicting as it is, the FL really is still direct.

[collapse]
<<less
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makenai89
makenai89 rated it
November 29, 2016
Status: epilogue
Honey Stewed Squid is a funny and fluffy romance story between a cute girl and handsome guy. If you are the type who likes romance WITHOUT anguish and heart-breaking twists, then you will absolutely love this one. Nothing's lacking in terms of loving moments, and the Author's eloquence in narrating awkward events easily captures reader's attention. Further emphasizes this quality is the translator's high expertise in expressing Author's intention.

However, there are some spots outside Honey Stewed Squid's main plot that will probably only be understood by people who have read... more>> its predecessor, God's Left Hand. Beside of it, character development in this story is practically nonexistent. They are indeed interesting and nice characters, but rather cliche if you have read a large amount of romances.

Edit after Random Scenes #2: From what hui3r (the translator) said, apparently this story is something like sequel of God's Left Hand and one other novel that was released earlier (they haven't been fully translated, though). It is intended to give closure for Gun as one of the characters who appeared in those novels. The main plot of this "romance in e-sport saga" itself was told in those two novels, not in Honey Stewed Squid. So I reconsidered HSS status as sequel, and decided to hike its rate up from 4 to full 5 stars. It is a prime example of sequels, although not really good as standalone. <<less
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tedy2004
tedy2004 rated it
October 21, 2020
Status: c39
Honestly, at first, I've would've dropped it with how cringe and embarrassing it was when reading the first chapters, then it started getting ok with ML's straightforwardness. *spoiler

... more>>
Spoiler

The ML straightforwardly rejected FL after knowing what was a misunderstanding, but it's like you felt that the author kept making the plot, not the ML or FL, so after that, the ELDER FAMILY COMES HAHAHA, then some plots are happening there and there and they get as a misunderstood couple, BAM plot, sigh.... Plus the ML's crew kept having dirty and disgusting thoughts about them being in one place like really they can't "talk" which talk means talk, not your s*upid speculations. Besides because of the author's over forced imagination with a fifteen-year-old girl falling in love with a handsome guy twenty-nine years old, it's sickening, you don't feel the chemistry that much.

[collapse]

I don't recommend it, though this is only my opinion.

Good Day, is it not? <<less
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xuexin
xuexin rated it
November 24, 2019
Status: c2
Sorry, I couldn't even get past chapter 2. This FL is annoying me already. If you want to chase a guy go ahead, but don't use your friend's business to try to give him freebies when you're not even planning to pay for it. It's hard to run a business... and you get mad when your friend comes up behind you to stop you from saying it's free? =.= Why, are you paying for it? You've only met the guy and you want to give him free stuff already? Okay,... more>> sure. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
notjoining
notjoining rated it
December 1, 2016
Status: epilogue
For you hardcore gamers out there, a little bit of caution:

Beware, salt-inducing s*upidity in first 3 or 4 chapters of the story.

Other than that, it's a cute read. Smiling from start to finish. Got bored by chapter 37 or so. Nonetheless, a worthy story to read.

... more>> Like all MBFB stories, or rather, any story in this genre, this is heavily character-driven. So expect ass-pulls and convoluted logic just to move the story along.

Nonetheless, the characters are okay. They're all flat, but there's none of that angst BS. The misunderstanding arc was also pretty short, so it didn't overstay its welcome. Perhaps my number one gripe would be the sudden romance between MC and love interest. But hey, this one's a side-story, so I guess I can ignore the sudden shift in feelings.

Non-existent plot, unless you consider getting the heart of the love interest "plot", quirky characters with little to no personality whatsoever, character interactions that just make you smile; 4/5, mediocre, but hey, at least it's enjoyable. <<less
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Clary_Fey
Clary_Fey rated it
July 12, 2019
Status: Completed
I'm a fan of Mo Bao Fei Bao!! Love her novels!! I've read most of her novels and they're just so good that I can't get enough of them. I'm so glad that the drama for this novel started airing!! Shout out to Author Mo Bao Fei Bao for such an amazing novel!!
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Aurinne
Aurinne rated it
January 31, 2019
Status: weibo scene 5
I read this after reading the first story, God's Left Hand, and its sequel Fish Playing While Trapped in a Secret Room. This one is a spin-off of those two. The first two have the gamer "Appledog" as their MC and follow her relationships with her old superstar gaming team and her new relationship with a younger superstar gamer. The ML of this novel, Gun, is one of her old gaming teammates and a key supporting character.

It is not necessary to read the first two beforehand (they are a nice... more>> read, but less fluffy than this one, and much more gaming-focused), however, I personally am glad I did.

If you read this novel alone, it might feel like Gun is a shallow stereotype of the cold/indifferent/handsome ML. In fact, his character setting has been somewhat like that from the very first book, where he feels like a well-rounded contrast to his former close teammates. By the time I got to this book, I already had some understanding of and fondness for him, so I didn't feel the flimsiness of the story as much. Instead, I was delighted to read a story that showed him gaining a little more happiness.

The MC is a bright and fluffy girl who, although intelligent academically and talented as an online singer, is somewhat awkward socially and loses a lot of her wherewithal when the ML is around. I didn't find her to be one of those hopelessly s*upid MCs (like in Wipe Clean After Eating or Come and Eat, Shan Shan), but she's definitely in the more naive/clueless category. However, she's written endearingly, so it's enjoyable rather than irritating (unless you're one of those with a morbid loathing of any character who isn't 100% full of common sense and situational awareness).

I felt a bit sorry for the MC in the first half as she desperately tries to chase or deal with her feelings about an ML who is completely indifferent, but the pay-off in the second half is totally worth it. And there's lots of sweet pay-off to enjoy (not just some rushed chapter at the end). In the end, it really is their sweetness that makes this so enjoyable.

Although it's short and lightweight, it still manages to carry some of the intelligence and a sprinkling of the depth from the preceding stories. So, I'd recommend this to anyone looking for some sweet, satisfying, lightweight romantic fluff, and to anyone who's read the first two and wants to read more about Gun. <<less
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KichiX
KichiX rated it
May 19, 2018
Status: Completed
It's cute and all, but I just couldn't believe the romance. She falls in love at first sight, and he... eventually treats her as he would a friend, but because she is female it is love. The reasons for either of them falling in love with the other are not evident - I had no feeling that either of them should be "the one" for the other. When the female lead's feelings are justified and developed very late in the story, it kind of invalidates the entire basis of her... more>> feelings in the first place. That is, after being in love with him for months, she isn't only now finding a reason to love him?

Having said all of this, the story was enjoyable to read, it made me laugh, and towards the end the couple are very sweet (I just... didn't feel the chemistry). In terms of enjoyment I would rate this highly, but in terms of satisfaction with the story, not so much (hence the rating). <<less
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Aster Anemone
Aster Anemone rated it
May 18, 2017
Status: weibo scene 3
=3.5=

The story was good, characters were exhausting. One cool-unresponsive-careless other extra-dimwit-damsel in distress-under confident, girl. It was a very potentially strong story but all the potential topics were just grazed not fully explored. So it left an unsatisfactory after taste.

Thank you for the translation but it looked like much was left out. As many a times things wont match up in sequence and I felt lost in many places in the story. I hanged on to see the extent of the story. It slightly reminded me of "The Kings' Avatar".

Plot... more>> was good but was underdeveloped. Characters were very promising but their screen time was very limited. Pacing was jerky. <<less
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chande
chande rated it
October 5, 2020
Status: Completed
It started from a small cybercafe where MC fell in love at the first sight with ML. What followed after is a huge misunderstanding after a huge misunderstanding between them.

... more>>
Spoiler

Like when ML thought that MC fell in love with his teammate, Grunt. Or when his teammates thought that MC was already ML's girlfriend (however in reality, they only met twice). Or when their entire family thought that they were dating (thanks to DT).

[collapse]

MC is a famous online singer, a bright student, and also a good programmer. When it comes to love, she's a bit slow and timid. But I love her determination to chase after her love.

ML is a famous pro gamer in e sports industry. He's your typical tsundere male lead (cold, indifferent, aloof, etc). In his 29 years of life, he never falls in love with any woman (because he's not interested). Of course it changes when MC slowly enters his world.

Many says MC is a thick faced woman who shamelessly chase after ML although she knows that he's not interested. But in this modern era, not only man can do the chasing but woman can too. I know many men aren't comfortable when being chased by a woman, but maybe this is not the case for ML. Looking at his personality, he indeed needs a little push. He seldom takes an initiative so that's okay for MC to take one. And it turns out, it works well for both of them. <<less
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lenin_yuweh
lenin_yuweh rated it
June 21, 2020
Status: epilogue
Watch the drama and felt that there was a lot of missing information so I ended up finding the web novel to get the complete story.

Translation: it was okay

Storyline: I would have to say that the drama missed a lot of the context that the web novel gives light to but the novel seems abrupt with the transition between their relationship. It would be best to watch the drama and read the novel at the same time to enjoy the storyline completely. The web novel completely focuses on their relationship... more>> which is sweet, cute, and funny. But it lacks the character development for both the ML and FL, which was better shown in the drama.

Characters: Seems pretty typical but I like that there is no big bad villain or other typical tropes such as poor girl, rich guy. It was simple and straight forward. It's nice to read a FL that is actually smart and the only thing lacking is that she is super naive. ML, as mentioned above, was not really well defined as a character except that he is tall, handsome, and amazing. One thing that described that he can be naughty though he still tried to respect the FL innocence, which was cute and funny.

Overall: It was okay. Light and sweet. A nice story to read when you want to relax. To get the complete feel of the story, it is recommended to also watch the drama. <<less
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BillionJellyfish
BillionJellyfish rated it
November 6, 2017
Status: Completed
Cute story! It basically revolves around how a quiet girl (MC) chases after a pro gamer (ML). Sadly, there is not much character development nor plot in the novel, but the sublime romance is nice. I recommend this for those who have a thing for cute lovey dovey stories.
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
meiberry
meiberry rated it
January 28, 2017
Status: Completed
I thought it was adorable. I think Tong Nian is adorable. And there were many parts that I found absolutely hilarious.

I do feel sad that Tong Nian sort of fell so head over heels in love to the point where she kind of seems to have lost sight of herself. She mostly stopped doing the things she liked most after meeting Gun. It's weird. But oh well, it's just a romance.

This reminds me of Wei Wei Yi Xiao for sure, along with Really Really Miss You - they both have... more>> famous people online and some fun internet interactions. Gun is also a really special character. But once again, I wish there was an extension of this story where their relationship develops in a more complex, realistic way. <<less
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joyyo
joyyo rated it
August 31, 2022
Status: Completed
The first 25 chapters really gives me second hand embarrassment: (but I decided to stick with it and honestly i’m glad I did bc the ML IS SO FINEEE >:D

he really said he’s not romantic but be doing stuff that makes me grips the sheets and smile left and right. &Gt;0<

i want him fr. He’s probably on my top 10 (if not 5) best husband material list
1 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
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