Hello! Translator here :)

Just as a quick note before I start my review, the 'unreliable summary' bit in the novel description is there on purpose and is taken directly from the raws and the main page of the novel on Changpei. The author wrote both the 'proper summary' and the 'unreliable summary' specifically, so whoever's been removing it, please stop!

Anyway!

The Eye of the Storm is very much a story about love and how long it can last despite so many challenges and seemingly hopelessness over the years. This story... more>> takes place over a decade and is told in a non-linear format, where the readers are in the present in one 'chapter' and in the past in the next. The author makes it quite clear which timeline we're in, as 'N' in front of the chapter number stands for 'now' and 'P' stands for 'past'. (Just as a note, the author split up each chapter into multiple parts. The book was uploaded as 127 ‘chapters’, but each ‘chapter’ was titled as “Chapter 1.1”; “Chapter 1.2” etc. Until the end at “Chapter 11.13”. This book is essentially 127 chapters. Each ‘part’ is a full-length chapter.)

The dynamics of the couple in this story is essentially friends to rivals to strangers to business partners to friends to coparents to lovers. The relationship between the MC and ML changes so much throughout the years, and Tan Shi writes the shift so well. The first 'chapter' (which is actually the length of 7 chapters in a normal book) introduces us to the MC and ML in the current day and provides us with a thousand questions of why they're acting the way they are. Chapter 2 takes us all the way back to the beginning where they met, and that's where we meet our characters before they get dragged over the metaphorical coals. It starts off fairly lightly, and then as we get into the meat of the story, you're slowly given the answers why our main characters act the way they do in the current day. I would say the bulk of the 'main plot' is set in the past, so it's actually very very important to pay attention to those chapters. Little things that may seem unimportant might come back and stab you in the heart :') (as I've personally experienced). Things get very serious in the middle, and there were moments I honestly couldn't breathe through the sense of suffocation and hopelessness that came from the book -- but don't worry, those moments are actually very in character and not dog blood at all.

Now, this book features a switch couple. Therefore the usual MC/ML way of referring to our main characters don't quite apply here, and it's debatable who is actually who! I personally think Liang Sizhe is the MC, but there are strong arguments for Cao Ye :) And yes, you actually get to see them switch in s*x scenes! Liang Sizhe is a multi-winning film emperor, while Cao Ye is president of what is essentially a film production company (and is the son of the director who raised Liang Sizhe to fame).

As a showbiz novel, this book also features a lot of films, and the author has 'written' some really interesting ones for Liang Sizhe I would personally really want to watch in real life. We get to follow each film as Liang Sizhe films them, and I would say each major film of his is a crucial insight into his mind during those months and years (as well as how he sees his relationship with Cao Ye). But the book never goes too far into those films; Tan Shi always remembers to keep the reader with the actual characters and not the characters in the films.

There is loss, there is pain, and there is courage and perseverance. You will cry for both Cao Ye and Liang Sizhe.

For those who like sun/moon metaphors, I would say Cao Ye is the sun (particularly in the chapters set in the past), while Liang Sizhe is the moon.

Please note: this is a very, very, very slow burn novel. Things take time to build up before everything explodes, but when it does, it is so very worth it.

Tags include: entertainment industry, switch couple, strong couple, HE, slow burn. I would also include: childhood sweethearts (sort of), pseudo-reunion after break up, pining and super slow burn.

As for TW/CW:

Spoiler

mentions of s*xual abuse towards a minor, mentions of casting couch, h*mophobia/homophobic jokes, main character disgusted by male touch.

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/start of rant That's actually Typhoon Eye (or Eye of the Typhoon), and not Eye of the Storm (since a storm can be of any type, but a typhoon in this novel has a special meaning). I really wish translators didn't take such liberties with the titles (I'm also looking at you, Muted - real name Mu Ran, since Muted doesn't make much sense either). /End of rant

A great novel by Tan Shi, one of my favorite danmei authors. It's related to another title by her, Rear-End Collision (both on... more>> Gongzicp). Both highly recommended if you like showbiz danmei. <<less

i know ill never be able to read such beautiful characters again in my life. In my heart they are both protagnists (no MC ML shi) and have an addictive charm and will leave u empty after u are done reading, happened to me. Im still in deep with this one and haven't been able to pick another one which could keep me engaged in its storyline or characters and always end up leaving in the middle. Wish I could forget it and read once again anew. Such rich and... more>> detailed story. <<less

O My God! I never thought I would be so addicted and think about them and be distracted while doing my other work😝

This novel is very interesting and I love Cao ye and Liang Sizhe so so much they are my babies I would love to protect from the all evil eyes!

So so interesting, Amazing its a Gem!!

O God ! I want to bow to the author ❤️❤️

Overall it was ok. Towards the end it really took a lot out of me just to finish the novel. I read the novel because it's the same author as Paper Plane (Which I love). I think it was hard for me to submerge myself into the storyline and characters because it kind of jumps around from current to past back to current. Because right when I was starting to feel sad for the young ML and MC it jumps to the future and the current situation is different.

Picked this up because of seeing this couple in Tailgate (追尾). It has a switch couple which makes the smut super spicy. The story alternates between past and present as you're introduced to their younger days which started off warm and sweet then turned sour. Tan Shi pen down the delicate moments very well, everything that happened in their younger days makes you painful after reading the present chapters.

Story was painful as it started off as a secret crush which continues for 10 years. Cao Xiu Yuan, the director in... more>> the story also made many films that even I would like to see life adaptations of. They're really stories within the story. The whole film industry settings were quite well written. I suffered for like 98 chapters before the sweet parts come in but even then there's still parts which made me cried. I felt like I witness two teenagers growing up and becoming the adult they are now. <<less