The Heartbeat at the Tip of the Tongue

Description

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The vastly differing world views of the male and female lead –

The purpose of food:

Female lead: To fill my tummy!

Male lead: Art!

The impression they have of each other:

Female lead: Impossible!

Male lead: Too s*upid!

Is there a possibility that you would date the other party?

Female lead: Who, who wants to get together with this peculiar weirdo!

Male lead: She’s so s*upid, I’m the only person capable of accepting her.

This is a story about how an arrogant and cold male idol successfully PKs the female lead’s black-bellied childhood playmate before bringing the female lead along in his domination over the world of gourmet food. The male lead is an extremely talented chef; however, he suffers from blindness – thus, his other senses are all hypersensitive with the exception of his sight. With his perfect sense of taste and his ability to accurately determine people’s attitude and feelings through their vocal tone and their breathing, he is better able to discern the truth and people’s real underlying intentions when compared to the common man.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Cupid's Kitchen
舌尖上的心跳
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Sweet Heart in Honeyed Desire (7)
Marriage Concerto (Small Thing Called Love) (3)
God of Cooking (2)
First Marriage Then Love (2)
The Rice Pot Next Door (2)
When God Says Let There Be Light (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Probably read when im bored (some of it)
  2. Because of drama
  3. Love, Zuliate
  4. Lidos
  5. Modern BG Romance

Latest Release

Date Group Release
02/18/19 distractedchinese c82 part2 (end)
02/17/19 distractedchinese c82 part1
02/15/19 distractedchinese c81
10/26/18 distractedchinese c80
10/19/18 distractedchinese c79
10/12/18 distractedchinese c78
10/05/18 distractedchinese c77
09/21/18 distractedchinese c76
09/14/18 distractedchinese c75
09/07/18 distractedchinese c74
09/01/18 distractedchinese c73
08/24/18 distractedchinese c72
08/17/18 distractedchinese c71
08/10/18 distractedchinese c70
08/01/18 distractedchinese c69
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80 Reviews sorted by


HiddenHermit
New HiddenHermit rated it
March 18, 2024
Status: Completed
Ah, cute story on the slightly mature side. MC, Lin Ke Song, is one of the more level headed female leads that I've seen for a romance. She isn't annoyingly wishy washy and helpless. ML, Jiang Qian Fan, is a dry romantic. He is considerate of MC and allows no ambiguity in their relationship. He makes sure MC knows where she stands in his heart.

The story has a simple plot with a heavy emphasis on food. The translation has flaws but is still understandable overall. A happy ending for the... more>> main couple.

A lil bit about the plot.

Spoiler

MC meets ML when ML was visiting China. ML is a blind chef and noticed that MC's sense of taste was unique. ML pays MC to take him around to try the street food that MC thinks is delicious.

ML returned to New York and later MC also ended up moving to New York. Due to a cooking competition, ML ended up being MC's mentor for three months. In that time she learnt more about cooking and they grow closer.

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About MC's bestfriend.

Spoiler

MC had a crush on her best friend, Song Yi Ran, for 10 years but she never confessed cause she believed that the best way to stay with him was to be his friend. Girlfriends come and go but "bros" get to stick around. However, she didn't know that SYR also had a crush on her for the past 10 years. He didn't pursue her because of his family situation.

I do feel a lil bad for SYR because he lost MC right at the time when he was able to resolve his family issue. But I don't feel too bad because SYR was also a dumbass. He had a lot of girlfriends and would even be intimate with them in front of MC... even though he was crushing on MC the whole time. So yeah, I feel a lil sorry for him but ML is definitely a better fit for MC.

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Kieukieu
Kieukieu rated it
July 19, 2017
Status: c43
Review may contain spoilers

Heartbeat at the tip of the tongue is a delightful modern romance novel. The story in a nutshell is about two people who are polar opposites of one another who are brought together by chance to compete in a culinary contest. The female lead Lin Ke Song is an endearing character. I found her pragmatism, and witticism refreshing and charming. Ke Song recently graduated with a degree in hotel management. When we are first introduced to her she unemployed with a string of unsuccessful employment in her... more>> wake. With little to no prospect or plans for her future ku song spend her days keeping her childhood friend and long time crush Song Yi Ran company, but her days of leisure is short lived when her uncle offers to bring her over to new york to help manage his flourishing restaurant. Initially Ke Song was taken aback by the offer but the prospect of gaining experience in management, and the possibility of procuring sufficient income to further her education in the states appealed to her tremendously. Nonetheless the conspicuously deciding factor for her to accept the offer was the excuse to follow her childhood friend Song Yi Ran to New York.

Not soon after settling into her new life in New york City, Ke Song was offered the opportunity to participate in a culinary show. Weeks prior Ke Song and Song Ki were out sightseeing when they stumbled upon a cooking contest. Impelled by Song Ki to participate, she grudgingly accepts but purposefully sabotaged her tomato omelette dish to make it astoundingly inedible to tease and torment the judges. Unbeknownst to Ke Song this particular cooking contest will determine the competitors for Masterchef, an upcoming cunlinary show. The participants is chosen not for their notable cooking skills but rather they select the participants who produced the worst dishes, and her's left a deep impression on the judges. Ke Song has no particular interest or affinity for cooking, her only talent as far as food is concerned is her ability to accurately guess the ingredients used in any particular dish. Ke song enjoys food but views it as nothing more than a way to satiate and appease the appetite. She was rather disinclined to accept the offer, however she was won over by her uncle's enthusiasm and enticed by the prize money. Cautiously, she accepts the offer although with a lingering sense of foreboding. Ke song apprehension turned out to be spot on when her mentor was revealed to be none other than Jiang Qian Fan. Professionally Jiang is known for being a renowned three star michelin chef, who is both respected and admired in the western and eastern culinary world, but to Ke Song, Jiang is the arrogant, critical, and socially inept man she played food tour guide to, for a day back in china. Needless to say her experience with Jiang left her with a singular impression of him and one she is wary of experiencing again. Discourage not only by her past experience with him, she also silently questions his capability as a chef since his vision impairment must be a disabling hindrance to cooking. Jiang for his part was preparing to voice his objection to this absurdity when he sensed her doubts and skepticism. Greatly offended by her dismissals of his skills because of his lack of sight, he decides to accept her as his pupil and train her to represent him in MasteChef. With much reluctance and wariness on both their ends is the partnership formed, but this atmosphere of dread does not last long. On the surface Ke Song and Jiang may appear to be polar opposites but food as they say is a way to any mans or woman's heart.

I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, even though there is 40 plus more chapters to go I couldn't help but rave about what I've read so far, and it's good guys. I found the translation easy to follow and the description of the food quite soothing and entertaining to read, but do be aware you will salivate and suffer from cravings regularly throughout this novel lol. There are a couple things that I want to talk about in detail, one is the character development. I think the author did an amazing job of developing Ke Song character slowly throughout the story. In the beginning she was kind of adrift and unsure of her future. She seem quite dispassionate with her choice in career and it shows in her employment failures within that field. But as she slowly mentors under Jiang her understanding and appreciation of food broadens to encompass more than just the enjoyment of food but its selection, preparation, harmony and display as well. Witnessing Ke Song growing passion for food was as fulfilling for me as the romance. Speaking of romance, prepare yourself for a love triangle. Although it is pretty clear who Ke Song will end up with later on. I will admit I did ship her with the wrong guy for the first 5 chapters. I originally thought Song ki was the ML but I swear I had valid reasons. first off, Song ki is your stereotypical ML in romance novels. He is rich, handsome, arrogant, and charming. Plus whenever Ke song and Song ki interacted they had the most entertaining rapport and banter. I loved their relationship dynamics. They made sense to me. So when the actual ML entered the picture, I was taken by surprised. Personality wise Jiang was the complete opposite of Song ki. Song ki has a witty sense of humour, entitled but also charming, playful and carefree, whereas Jiang is rigid, severe, indifferent and austere. They couldn't be more different. It took me quite some time before I started to ship the FL with the ML. Their first several interactions with one another was quite tense, strained, and lacking, and for valid reasons on Ke Song's part. Jiang is a difficult person to befriend, he has no desire for or interest in interpersonal relationships, and he makes this fact known. Their relationship was tumultuous from the start but that's half the fun of this novel. So if you like a slow burn romance this is it!

I'll end this overly long review by saying that there were several glaring factors about this novel that I did not like. For one I absolutely abhorred the fact that the supporting and side female characters in this story are all portrayed as rivals and competitors for the ML attention. This is an overly done and abused trope, it is incredibly annoying and just didn't sit well with me. Female friendship is a thing look it up. There are also other little things here and there that did not make sense, like Ke Song's age. Her age wasn't revealed until 30 or more so chapters in. I had originally thought she was 21 or 22, since she was a recent college graduate and because of her maturity level. It was later revealed however that she was 18... what the holy hell? how ?? more than that how is it that her age was never questioned once....?? Especially given the fact that the ML is 28, I'm not being prudish about the age difference, it's fine, they are both consenting adults, but isn't it jarring the lack of attention and scrutiny her age poses? It would've just made more sense for her to be 22 honestly. But I digress, this novel while it may not be the most original or outstanding book out there I do think it is well worth the read. <<less
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Poor_Hero
Poor_Hero rated it
February 6, 2016
Status: --
it's basically about the male lead who is a "super" chef (lol, I am serious, I mean he is genius and cold) and the female lead who is pretty good in tasting food... the comedy is pure gold, for me, and the food is described pretty detailed so it makes me hungry, lol.
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frostcrystal
frostcrystal rated it
March 30, 2018
Status: c52
What a hidden gem! I must say, when I read the summary, I was definitely not expecting a piece of such depth. I thought it was just going to be fluffy comedy.

The thing I enjoyed the most was the amazing characterization of this novel. It's a semi-love triangle; you more or less know who's going to win from the start, but on the other hand, I really liked how it was handled in this case (I don't usually like love triangles much.)

One side of the triangle, with Ke Song... more>> and Yi Ran, is a meeting of similar people - two kids who grew up together with similar humour, tastes, and hobbies. The other side is a meeting of opposites - Ke Song is young, naive, charming and careless, while Jiang Qian Fan is almost monk-like in his austerity. But what really touched my heart was the subtle differences in their relationships. Ambitious Song Yi Ran may love her, but he loves her selfishly; always hoping that he can have it all, not willing to put aside or compromise his own ambitions for her. On the other hand, Jiang Qian Fan is cold, severe and impersonal, but he is always careful and kind when it counts, straightforward in supporting Ke Song's growth and teaching her to respect herself and to find her own dreams.

I enjoyed the reading of this novel very much and eagerly await further chapters. If there is a flaw, I would say that a lack of other good female characters would be it.... but it's a flaw I can overlook. <<less
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sangmaharani
sangmaharani rated it
February 27, 2020
Status: Completed
It's cute and fluffy all along.

There are three key characters in the story: female lead the super talented rookie; male lead the cold passionate male god; and second lead the precious BFF. Male lead and second lead are both plausible candidates for female lead. Both men are sincere in their love. However, as the story progress, we came to understand why male lead is the endgame. He is simply beyond swoony, a perfect husband material.

Initially I want to rate higher, but some brownie points need to be taken down. The... more>> reason: MC's skill development in cooking is way too fast to the point it is scientifically impossible. She is someone who has never taken a step into kitchen, can't even distinguish salmon, but in mere three months, she is able to replicate 3-star Michellin dishes, do impromptu cooking, and perform assistance in a competition among veteran chefs. Oh, and her competitors on Master Show are doing equally good too (they are all chosen because of their totally unplatable dishes on the selection).

As religious watcher of Shokugeki no Souma, somehow I can't accept this logic. Tasting requires tongue sensitivity, but cooking is a skill that is hammered into muscle memory. In other words, it needs repeated practice. Not to mention, cooking techniques, recipes, knowledges are very vast. No matter how talented you are, or how godly your mentor is, I think three months aren't enough to develop cooking skill at MC's rate. <<less
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KichiX
KichiX
April 23, 2019
Status: Completed
Not sure how I feel about this. The romantic pairing is up there in the description so it came as anything but a shock... but the second male lead... it's so melancholic. The female lead deserved better, and the second male lead deserved better. They both kept their feelings hidden out of a desire to protect the other and both of their feelings were so pure. "Pure" as in truly wishing the best for the other, and understanding and trusting that how the other treated them was nothing more than... more>> a desire to keep them safe and away from harm. It was so heart-wrenching to read... <<less
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C-novel fetish
C-novel fetish rated it
October 21, 2017
Status: c47
If I can, I want to give 10stars.
... more>>
Spoiler
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This novel is top of my fav. The MC is secretly in love with her bff but dare not say bcoz she's afraid their friendship will be broken.I can understand her. This is the toughest moment. The chemistry between ML and MC is really good. And also the way the author describe in preparing food make me drooling. The second ML is also really pitiful. Although MC and second ML are in mutual in love, they dun know. And it's really painful for me to watch. But then again I don't want ML to be heartbroken. The way he love MC is absolutely and purely (ohhhhh~ I'm dying) I'm in dilemma because of author (haha)

Anyway U gotta surely absolutely hv to read this. <<less
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RannSy
RannSy rated it
June 12, 2017
Status: Completed
This isn't your usual type of light novel stories. At first, I thought this was a light hearted type of story but as it progresses, I could see the development of each characters (not only the leads) and how they learn to accept and change their views. The romance is also the best part as the female lead doesn't just suddenly jump to another boat quickly. She cherishes her feelings for her first love and the male lead squeezes his way in to the female lead's heart with difficulty. Their... more>> type of romance is totally my cup of tea. This enters on my list of top 10 modern stories. 101% recommending it for reading.

[Updated: 08/13/17]

So I read the author's other works and seriously, each of them are brimming with emotions and will pluck your heartstrings. You learn lessons and each story depicts the reality of life. I wish that someone would pick up the other novels so they could understand that overwhelming emotions I'm feeling right now after reading them. <<less
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earlgreyt
earlgreyt rated it
September 28, 2018
Status: Completed
The author's writing is absolutely gorgeous. It's very rare to find a CN that has such excellent pacing and 'tightness' in terms of the writing. There are no rambling plots or unnecessary/filler pages. This book highlights the author's ability to create extremely beautiful emotional progressions between the characters, especially the romance and friendship between the main characters. The other highlight is the food. I was drooling and craving the wonderful food descriptions. The author definitely did their research about cooking!

Also can I just say, a ML with a (permanent) physical... more>> disability in a CNovel? AMAZING. Too many novels look down on any sort of physical imperfection and have them cured immediately. The ML's disability is written really well and his strength/determination shines brighter because of it instead of being diminished by it. (Actually I had a blind professor in college who is literally just as amazing as the ML is so his abilities weren't unrealistic at all.)

Spoiler

I definitely had a strong second lead syndrome for this book. It makes me crave to read a successful romance with a childhood-friend-teasing ML! The author did a really good job making the reader sympathize with both MLs and tbh, even I can admit that the MC is best with the chosen ML.

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There were a couple of minor things, and as other reviewers have said...

Spoiler

There aren't any positive examples of female friendship as all other women are written as her rivals or competing for attention for the MLs and scheming against her. But there's some redemption for the main love rival and cousin in the end, so I'll add back the star I previously removed.

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Otherwise, solid read, SUCH good writing (so hard to say this about LNs...) ! <<less
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sayalr
sayalr rated it
June 9, 2018
Status: Completed
Gaaaahhhh!!!!

This is literally the most appetizing and the most amazing story i've read so far. The warm lingering feelings still remains even after i've read this and actually, for chapters 66 and so on, I had to rely on google translate since unfortunately, I can't read nor understand the chinese language. Actually, it's not that bad you'd probably just have to reconstruct the sentences to make it much more understandable.

but anyways, this is such a good read that even the love triangle didn't bother and frustrate me like, COME ON!... more>> This was also the very first time i've seen love triangles handled this amazingly with completely ZERO frustrations except for some slight and subtle feelings of maybe pity and sadness for the second male lead for reasons I can't explain here since I highly recommend you to read this.

and also, this is the very first time i've written such long review so this is just further proof how beautifully written this story is.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED PEOPLE!!! <<less
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silentkira
silentkira rated it
August 18, 2021
Status: Completed
Oh god, I like this so much. The story is very realistic. No dogblood drama. The only seemingly unrealistic part is how FL improved her cooking skills, but don't quote me on that. Who knows, she could be a genius. And she wasn't doing anything else while she was practicing her cooking (no job, not studying), so maybe one can really improve by leaps and bounds if you focus on one thing. This comment is gonna be mostly about the good qualities of our main leads. I don't deny their shortcomings but I choose to focus on the positive notes of this story.

I really like the fusion of the romance and the main plot. Romance was not over powering and the love triangle was handled tastefully. The ML and 2nd ML are both emotionally mature so there were no childish showdowns of throwing money and other predictable acts. They even decide to work tgt, how mature is that?!

The FL was younger than ML. Idk by how much exactly cuz the ages weren't clear. ML was 28. FL graduated with a degree in hotel management and had at least 3 job experience but later author mentioned that she's 18.? My best guess is that she's 20-24. She was friends with 2nd ML in elementary (or was it middle school) and they've been friends for 10 years, so. Her worldviews and her biases were very short sighted and she didn't know what she wanted. But when she was interacting with the ML, she learned that she was just a frog in a well and that the world is so much bigger. She was able to see the world differently and the ML differently. He broke her biases and taught her a lot.

The ML was very patient with her. He also let her grow and decide for herself what she wanted to do. He wasn't some douchebag that gave her an ultimatum. He was dedicated to her and it was no brainer why FL came to love him. I stress again, he was very patient and he didn't rush her. He shoot his shot but he let her come to a decision herself. He just told her that no matter what happens, I got your back. I cried at that. It was so touching 😢😭 He's also a great teacher, he wasn't selfish. He taught her everything he knew. He taught her how to fish instead of just giving her fish. A comment below said that it wasn't clear how ML fell for her and I agree and disagree at the same time. For me, he fell for her gradually. It was a cumulative of all their interactions and before he knew it, he was in love. It wasn't love at first sight and it wasn't something moving like the FL taking care of ML while sick (this didn't happen). It was just plain old friendly interactions and talking and knowing each other. And I love that. Love doesn't need a plot device for it to happen.

I also like it that there was no sudden miracle cure for the ML's illness. He was perfectly able as he could be in his capacity. He didn't need anyone's pity and achieved success inspite of his disability.

And the 2nd male lead, oh God, I love him. I love him as much as the ML. His love story is just an example of 'love needs timing'. He's driven and ambitious and he doesn't lose his goal but he remains grounded. He's also fiercely loyal in all definitions of the word.
Spoiler

He loves female lead enough to give up on her. He knows their love has the wrong timing, and he was waiting for the right time, but it was too late. She fell in love with ML while 2nd ML was striving for his goals (which is equally important as his love for FL). It wasn't that he was reluctant to give up his goals, but that giving it up was not the answer to his problems.

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I just love him so much..

Idk if this is a shortcoming but the female interactions were shallow. It was always about the love interest. If the female rival doesn't like ML then it's the 2nd ML and vice versa. But I do accept the fact that this can happen in real life. The only difference is that their interactions are practically civil compared to other novels. They just spoke, no violence or cursing. The redeeming fact is that the rivals were turned tsundere and kuudere (for lack of better words). Author didn't let the love rivals crash into a wall or dig a pit. In simple words, they were just prideful and petty.

All in all, 5/5. This was a great read. This is going on my favorites list.
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magicboots023
magicboots023 rated it
July 19, 2020
Status: Completed
I don't write reviews often and I like to save them for novels which don't have any. I tend to read the reviews for dramas to get summaries because web novels usually have awful summaries. This one is no different. The summary of the novel doesn't give the story or characters justice.

Summary:

Our heroine, Lin Ke Song, has been in love with her childhood best friend for 10 years. He is a wealthy young man and a player. Ke Song follows him to New York and works for her uncle at... more>> a restaurant until her reckless friend pushes her into a street cooking contest which she fails terribly leading her down a long road to competition for winning "worst cook." Mentored by the calm, and regal top chef in NY, Jiang Qian Fan, Ke Song begins to learn about cooking and become a well-established chef herself. While learning to use and love her talent for cooking (and tasting) Ke Song navigates her way around the warm-hearted Jiang Qian Fan who doesn't hesitate to dote upon her and share his feelings making things confusing for poor newbie chef Ke Song.

What I liked: (everything, haha)

There was so much I loved about this. Although the web novel is clearly a romance and focuses mainly on the lead couple, the real story is about a young and budding chef with the talent of perfect taste and her learning to appreciate the art behind cooking for people and learning hidden secrets and talents in food. I love that his story clearly explains ll the foods, flavors, and manners in which each meal is made. The recipes and details which are outlined in each chapter (if not more than once) will literally make you grab paper and a pen to write down recipes and stow away for later when you have time to test them yourself. I am not a foodie and don't necessarily gravitate towards this genre of "foodp*rn" nor does reading this really make me hungry but the novel is so well written and charismatic it's wonderful.

Relationships:

I also love the relationship between the leads. Although there are a few moments in which I do feel like he's being a little too forward with her, she never really flat out refuses him when he's pursuing her. Their relationship is clearly reciprocated which is what I struggle with in many other novels when the FL is rejecting the love interest but they don't back down. Here she clearly is just as in love with him but he is the first to make his move on her.

There is a love triangle and it's never super annoying or causing problems in the lives of the two leads, so no need to worry about misunderstandings. There were a few times the author managed to fake me out when I thought the ML would find out the MC was spending time with her best friend and the ML would get jealous, but there were never any misunderstandings which trust wasn't fully given and kept. That is rare in web-novel-land and I love it.

Charming Points:

The novel was full of fluffy, romantic moments that made me hold my breath and ship the couple to the Atlantic and back.

There was a little comedy which actually made me laugh and no real drama and definitely a happy ending. The story was well written, the translations were mostly perfect. Nothing enough to make me struggle through reading it. I'm just grateful it was translated at all. I highly recommend this and hope everyone enjoys it! Please like if this review was helpful or encouraged you to read it. <<less
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YoriMei
YoriMei rated it
July 14, 2020
Status: Completed
This author never fails to impress and I really liked how the ML was blind, a disabled ML? What a rarity! I love the characters and plot even though it's the same "throw a newbie into a whole new world and watch them flourish" combined with "love at first sight" and "mentor-student relationship", it was a great read though a little fast paced. I also want to focus on the two ML since I know it's easier to see the second ML as "toxic" in a western view, but both... more>> were really important in my opinion.

If JQF is "I will bring you to my world and help you flourish, let you stand on your own two feet", SYR is "I will raise you for our lifetime, follow me and you won't be lacking".

Spoiler

It's not as if he is purposefully dragging her down to his side by treating her like sh*t or ruin her self esteem, it's that he doesn't want her to face adversity or force her out of her comfort zone. He flat out tell her to follow and leech off him, to not do things that she doesn't want to or force herself to do things that don't suit her. Instead of going forth and facing uncomfortable situations or becoming disappointed by the results, he rather she follow him and stay under his wing while he went out and fought the battles for the both of them. He truly does care for her, even planned to be with her once his big brother was out of the picture, it's just that he was too late, and continued to hesitate on letting Ke Song truly into his life when JQF made his move.

Sure, he was a douche to parade all these random women in front of her, even if there was a point to it all (to down play how important she was to him, but sadly it worked on her too) but he isn't as toxic as to try to destroy her sense of self-worth to shackle her to him. To put it bluntly, what JQF offered was to let her into his world and be "partners" (we do this together) while what SYR offered was to shelter her and be a "housewife" (you stay home, I'll go and bring home the bacon)

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That said, as much as I liked this novel I really do have to say that the female characters in this story were honestly a let down besides MC. Almost very single one of them, from beginning to end, were hostile to MC from the get go because of her "closeness" to JQF or SYR. While I understand characters being jealous, did they have to be so from the start? Hell, Iris didn't even know MC for even a minute and was already 100% hostile. While I didn't need Ke Song to have a girl best friend or anything, it would have been nice to at least have some girl characters that were polite or mildly friendly with her. <<less
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Aurinne
Aurinne rated it
May 1, 2019
Status: c82 part2
This is one of those intelligent modern romances that was very easy and enjoyable to read - not horrendously deep or angsty, but just thoughtful enough. I liked it a lot.

The MC is a likeable character - not boring or bland, but still with her fair share of common sense, reasonableness, occasional insecurity and enthusiasm. Well, and a slightly unbelievable level of natural, undeveloped cooking talent, but I wasn't bothered too much by that.

I also enjoyed the ML - yes, a little too perfect, but not in the usual overbearing... more>> way many weaker/melodramatic Chinese novel MLs are. I enjoyed the way he slowly let her deeper into his world, and patiently worked his way into her heart by simultaneously stimulating and supporting her in her career and life.

I appreciated the balance between the romance and the cooking. Rather than the romance taking over or distracting from the cooking, the gradual development of their relationship instead occurs naturally through the cooking. I really felt that this was one of the more enjoyable and satisfying relationship developments I've read for a while.

Most of the other characters around her are also not treated as all-bad, all-good or cliches. Although most don't receive much attention in the story, it is nice to see some characters that are given plausible motivations and a chance to develop by the end of the story (although, as I indicated, it's not an emotionally-heavy, character-driven story where this is the focus).

If I had any irks (apart from having to stretch my belief just a little further than I'd like regarding the speed and level of the MC's improvement in cooking), they'd be:

The love-triangle, which, although this is one of the most well-handled ones I've read, is still something I don't enjoy. I spent the first part of the book impatiently waiting for her to get over the second-male-lead and get on with the end-game romance, and the last part of the book feeling a little sorry that the second-male-lead couldn't get a happier romantic ending (not sorry at all he didn't end up with the MC, though).

The food p*rn. I neither love nor hate food p*rn in stories, and I think this one handled it pretty well most of the time, but, in the last stages of the book, I began to tire of the sections that contained successive, seemingly-endless dishes that needed to be artfully described and evaluated by the characters. Like, I began to just skim it because I was so over it. Having said that, if you really read stories for the food p*rn, you might feel the opposite about these parts. It's only a minor thing in the context of the overall story, anyway.

In summary, I think this is one worth at least trying. It's easy to read, there's nothing annoying about the writing itself, it has an intelligent and reasonable undertone and I found the main couple's relationship development really lovely and satisfying. <<less
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pinkmworago
pinkmworago rated it
March 7, 2019
Status: Completed
I am soooooo in love with this novel. This is actually my first time commenting here in NU though I've been here for so long.

The novel itself is very very good. It's a light novel but still has so many feels and has its own depth that your heart just can't help but ache. The love triangle, the relationship between the three leads? It was superbly written by the author, and was also well translated. These words by the FL pretty much sums up the three's relationship...

... more>>
Spoiler

"But she and he had always had a time difference. When she was looking at Song Yi Ran, he had hidden all his intentions. When she finally started flying out, he started chasing."

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The FL had a crush on the SML for the past 10 years (!!!!) but when she realized her feelings for the ML...

Spoiler

"Lin Ke Song felt that her heart was very small, it could only contain one person at a time."

[collapse]

This converation between the FL and ML just hits the right spots. If this doesn't convince you to read the novel, I don't know what will...

Spoiler

FL: "Because you are Jiang Qian Fan, so you won't know this kind of worry that the person you like will drift from you the moment you say some things. As long as I properly endure, maybe I will always be able to stay at a place neither too far nor near him... Friends and lovers can stick together, but are of a world of difference. But to take that step takes not only courage, but drastic determination."

ML: "Not being able to have drastic determination means you don't like him enough. In the future, try liking someone that will make you brave."

[collapse]

And this! This will give you a glimplse of how much the ML loves the MC, how he's the right person for her. He did not push, he did not give her pressure to make her his; no, he was just there standing behind her, silently supporting her...

Spoiler

ML: "I will always be behind you. So, no matter what happens, do not be afraid."

FL: Actually, these words were much better that a thousand "I like you"s.

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There! I actually have a lot more quotes from the novel (like I said, it gives you a lot of the right FEELS) but I think those are enough to give you a push into reading this. Because I just can't believe that such a masterpiece is being slept on! READ IT PLEASE. <<less
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18Yuki
18Yuki rated it
December 17, 2017
Status: Completed
10/10 my favourite modern romance novel.

The MC is sweet, loyal and imperfect, the ML is dedicated, caring and the guiding hand of the MC. The two together is simply... meant to be. At first I sympathised with the 2nd ML, his relationship with the MC is so innocent and had it been any other situation then the two would’ve gotten together in time. They were set to be a classic childhood friend turned lovers story. But with the ML it became something more. The two MLs love the MC in... more>> different ways, their relationships are very different and it makes things all the more sweeter. Both MLs are black bellied in their own ways but they aren’t perfect and if there was one thing in common between them, it was that the MC was both their weakness and their strength.

The cooking aspect of the story is very much important but what sets this apart from other cooking novels is that it’s realistic. Each description is so vivid yet not overdone, each criticism, each compliment, is all with reason and backed up strongly with logic. I don’t know much about cooking but I can imagine each step, taste each flavour... it’s made me hungry more then once. It’s highly realistic, so if you’re expecting something like Shokugeki no Soma, it’s not going to reach your expectation but it is still mouth watering.

As other reviewers have said, the MC is not an airhead, a Mary Sue, or anything like that. She isn’t s*upid, to put it simply. She can be a bit naive, a bit dense and a bit innocent but she can stand on her own two feet, think for herself and most importantly, she grows with each chapter. She isn’t entirely reliant on the MLs, she is the ML’s partner in all definitions. <<less
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Nana (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
Nana (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧ rated it
September 28, 2016
Status: c36
MC came out as positive and intelligent. So apparently she has a godly ability to taste. The translation is good and not awkward at all. Must thankful for NU that I can find hidden gem like this ^^

Will update soon after finishing reading all the available chapter.

Updated (2016-09-29 chapter 36) :
A good kind of series, no s*upid angst, good translation. Our MC just graduated from her hotel management and have plan to take master degree at 18 y.o (is she a genius or what?), so she somehow join a... more>> competition to finance her education. There's a bunch of descriptive food, the sexiness of lip and fingertips, and feeling of being friend-zoned by your crush. Like she's afraid if she confess it'll destroy their friendship and left them with nothing. Male lead isn't blind from the start, but because of sickness, he gradually lost his sight. He can only perceive some light and shadow, but it makes his other ability to be enhanced (this really remind me of the winner MasterChef US season 3). Because he can use his sense to sniff out lies, he can be demanding and forced MC to face her feelings.

The story move fluently from chapter to chapter, and our cold block of male lead manage to warm quickly to our MC.

Definitely hoping for more faster release. <<less
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catshannah
catshannah rated it
June 11, 2016
Status: c26
Why does this have 5 one stars?! This story is so great tho T-T

I have spent 4 hours at the middle of night to read all 26 chapters, and they're great! The story is wonderful, I absolutely love the female lead, the male lead makes me have butterflies, and I am so looking forward to how the love triangle will be~~~~

5 stars!! Thank you author-san and translator-san!! I hope dear translator will finish this book T-T I mean it's too good of a story to waste!
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Shortk
Shortk rated it
June 19, 2021
Status: Completed
2.5 um it's ok. I don't understand why people love it so much. It's just slightly better than average.

First of all, it's not that logical. This entire thing is based on the concept how the MC places in this random tv show matters to an internationally acclaimed chef aka ML's life at all and that being this random tv show winner defines any acclaimed chef's investments and influence. Smh. Kill me w that dumb dumb. Investors don't care about anyone you've taught especially bc here they aren't employed to you aka apart of the assets they're investing. She could only add value not take away bc she wasn't apart of his "assets" to begin withhhhh

SMH SCREAM

    • Like make that make sense. It's not realistic. I don't care if this is romcom or whatever. It has to make sense for the readers to believe. I think this is very much chinese thinking placed upon western life. It's not accurate. But perhaps china shouldn't have to hold this illogical plot pot and it's just that the author is being ridiculous lol. That's basically the plot so.. Idk it all depends if the romance can save this and the romance is not that strong enough jesus.
Second, the MC barely has a personality except for being earnest. But ya know I'll let that go. It's fine she's a person I guess. She's ok - she has growth it's nice. The ML is whatever. He's decent I guess nothing amazing. He's definitely better after they get together.

Then there's this rule in movie ratings that I keep in my mind for books to see it's level of equality. A lot of chinese novels don't pass this but even some sh*t novels pass this. And I forget the name but please catch a long scene where two women have a non-aggressive dialogue that isn't about a man. Ok if you're gonna love a book, tell me it at least HAS ONE SCENE BESIDE THAT RANDOM TV HOST TALKING TO THE MC SAYING SHE GOT INTO SHOW as the only postive interaction BETWEEN TWO FEMALE CHARACTERS. Yes I'm screaming. I feel like the book even acknowledges its problem trying to win over the cousin but it still LACKS ONE f*ckING SCENE between 2 females not about a man

Anyways I just assume if you love this it's because you haven't read anything better. Damn sorry. Yes it's not bad. But it's not a 5 star imo lol

Ty for the translations
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Tasnuva
Tasnuva
September 7, 2020
Status: Completed
All I can say this novel made me pull an all- nighter which is actually very difficult for me as there have been a few times I could stay up all night in my life.. (except at work). I agree with some of the reviews that it gives you the feels. There were many quotes I wanted to screenshot and keep them for later to make myself happy whenever I need them. I think the ML is one of the 2 or 3 who I genuinely respect and appreciate among... more>> all the CN/JN/KN I've ever read. I mean you just can't help but have a deep sense of respect for him. The FL.. this must be one of the best character growth I have ever read as I was irritated with her attitude, thoughts towards the ML at first.. it was really disrespectful and especially because of his blindness which made her a shallow person in my eyes and I can't read a story if I can't like the FL. I also don't like love triangles so like another reviewer I also felt uncomfortable and impatiently skipped many parts of their interaction.... BUT... that same girl earned a huge respect and love from not just me but all the other readers (you can really find them criticizing her in the earlier chapters and mind you I agreed with a lot of them but from the middle of the story and especially towards the end the same readers wrote some pretty amazing things about the FL). That's just how good the story is. Amazing characters, beautiful flow, pace, heartwarming, romance that touches the soul and exquisite storytelling.. and as a bonus it will make you feel as if you are watching thrilling final few episodes of MasterChef. <<less
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7174PK
7174PK rated it
November 1, 2018
Status: c80
This novel is just too good. The unique love story it portrays is something you cannot find anywhere else. The love, respect, care and patience that the ML shows to FL is truly commendable. FL's trust for ML is equally admirable. You might get a toothache from the overdosage of sweetness. The descriptive writing of the author is so good that you can literally imagine every food just from his words. Don't waste time thinking anything and just read it.
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