He is a celebrity in the professional dubbing and voiceover industry. His actual career is a mystery. He does not do much networking or socializing.
Because of a one unexpected event, he began introducing new foods and dishes to her every night. That alluring voice described to her how to prepare dish after dish, and little by little, completely charmed her in.
[Ebook][Eng Translation] [Rất nhớ rất nhớ anh][Radiodrama][흔상흔상니][Drama]
OMG! ( ⊙ o ⊙ ). I haven’t been smiling like a silly girl over a love story in a while. My heart literally fluttered and I got butterflies in my stomach in some parts of this by the absolute sweetness in this story. LOL. Thanks to cloudandsea for the awesome recommendation.
Our male and female lead are in the online entertainment circle, he on the dubbing side and she on the music cover side. The circle is one where physical appearance is generally anonymous and you are known by your online handle and your voice. Gu Sheng, a relatively unknown online singer who goes by the handle Sheng Sheng Man and who specializes in cover songs of ancient-style music, is a huge fan of Qiang Qing Ci, a very famous and well-loved CV (character voice) artist (i.e. dubber, voiceover artist). It was like, love at first listen.
One morning, she was chatting with a friend in her online “room” when his voice suddenly appeared in her headset, describing to her in detail how to prepare a food dish she had been talking about. This began their online chats about food. Gu Sheng can scarcely believe that she is talking to her idol, and he seems to be trying to progress the relationship further.
顾声 Gu Sheng (online handle: 声声慢 Sheng Sheng Man):
Fourth year university student. Talented online singer and composer of ancient-style music, but relatively unknown. She is a “good girl,” easily embarrassed , somewhat oblivious in the love department.
莫青成 Mo Qingcheng (online handle: 锖青磁 Qiang Qing Ci):
26-ish years old, doctor in real life. As a CV artist, he is low-key, well-respected, and basically a legend. His fans are rabid and his voice is adored by tens of thousands. In real life, he is handsome, gentle, warm, persistent in love… all-round perfect. This author seems to create male-leads that I adore… just the right combo of manliness with gentleness (wen rou) to his love. I think, he wins in the department of “most romantic” when he is courting Gu Sheng.
The author stated that this was a “fun” story that she created to satisfy her love for food and ancient style 古风 music. （Right up my alley! I LOVE FOOD!) There is no angst. It’s a novel about a boy pursuing and courting the girl he likes, how they fall in love, first with each other’s voice and then with each other as a person. This novel feels to me a bit like a cross between Loving You is the Best Thing I Ever Did and, as cloudandsea also noted, One Smile is Very Alluring. Similar to Loving You, where each chapter was the name of a Chinese herb, each section of this novel is the name of a food dish. Interaction between the leads in the first half or so feels like One Smile with a lot of online chats, although, since this novel is very new (completed Aug/2013), it is much more up-to-date on the current Chinese online culture – weibo, YY, 5sing, tieba, QQ. If you’re not familiar with this popular culture like I was, the reading may be a bit confusing at first. It uses slang, emoticons, etc. in the writing, making the style feel very modern and fun. Also like One Smile, you get the hilarious circle of friends who like to throw in their commentary. But the romance is more like Loving You – heart-warming, cute, warm, warm, warm. *insert my high-pitch squeal*
There are lots of scenes where a song is mentioned or sung by the one of the characters, and the lyrics are written out. I would look up the song (most of them are on Youtube) and play it while I read the scene. It set the mood and gave a completely different reading experience. For example, in the first face-to-face meeting between our leads (sparks were already flying), they were coerced (well, Gu Sheng was… MQC was ready and willing) into recording a cover for 上邪, a song which tells a story about a princess and general who are deeply in love but ultimately separated by war, political marriage, and death. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn-iZL2ob1U) Now, listen to this and imagine the two leads in a dark recording studio, staring into each other’s eyes as they sing out the love story and then Mo Qingcheng saying in his seductive voice, “Never will I cease to love you.”
With all the songs, this story could make an awesome radio drama. Someone tell me if it happens because I’ll listen for sure. This story has made me a complete fan of古风 music。
If I have one complaint about the novel, it’s that the ending might feel abrupt, like the romance hadn’t developed to a satisfactory place of maturity for the story to end. Hopefully, when the novel is published and the author includes the epilogues she promised, that will be fixed.
My summary: I’m buying this for sure when it is published in hard copy. I will be reaching for it over and over again when I want to feel happy. ☺
Oh, this book sounds fun. I love Gu Man’s One Smile Is Very Alluring, so I’ll definitely want to read this. Thank you for the Viet link.
Never heard of this author, but if this book is as good as you say, then I will become a fan of her. 😀
Correction: The Viet ebook posted above is the wrong one. That is an ebook to a different story by the same author. The correct Viet title of this book is “Rat Nho, Rat Nho Anh”. However, I can only find an incomplete Viet translation of this story. It’s really too bad, I really want to read this. 🙁
Ok, changed the Viet link. My assistant was reading the other book so she gave me the wrong link. You can give the other book a try even though it is not posted here. According to my Viet friends, this author is very popular in Vietnam.
I am of 2 minds as I am pretty interested in this book but I feel it’ll make a fantastic audio book if done well. However as of now, no audio book or radio drama in sight so should I wait or not?
True, this book will make a great audiobook. I’ve read up to chapter 3 and I’m already hungry. All the wonderful dishes describe by Qiang Qing Ci is mouthwatering. 😛
I think both leads have passed each other by in real life except they did not know it yet. He works at a hospital near her family store, I think. 😀
Oh, I will definitely check out that other story too. It is actually shorter and the translation is complete.
OMG! You are so right! This story has made me an ardent fan of ancient style music too. I especially love the beautiful voice of Dong Zhen. If this story ever get made into an audiobook, they will have to pick someone with an amazing voice to play the male lead. I want to swoon over his voice too. 😛
I’m only at chapter 8 but I’m already falling for our male lead, Sheng Sheng Man. Too bad this story is not that popular. It definitely needs more fans.
Do you mean Qiang Qing Ci? Or Toupai, as everyone lovingly calls him? He’s on my top 3 male leads list right now. <3
I'm not sure how popular MBFB is… definitely not Tong Hua or Gu Man type of popularity. This novel is a favorite among this author's fans.
So… I decided to dust off my translator's hat and translate the scene in the recording studio I was describing above. Will post up soon…
Temptation, temptation, lol. Must put a temporarily ban on hoju from posting anymore books bcos she always messes up my weekend plan, lol. Since the male lead managed to lure hoju out of retirement to translate, I must get my hand on him as soon as possible, lol. Okay, I gonna finish off Ding Mo & proceed to MBFB at the weekend since it’ll also be my first time reading her novel. I’ve high hope so this better don’t disappoint me or else I gonna post my ranting later:P Hey hoju, who are the other 2 top males?
MBFB is popular especially with the Viet as well as the Chinese. Otherwise, how could she earn the honour of writing Silent Separation’s script with Gu Man? I am sure the script will be satisfying but I am worried abt the casting for that drama:(
Xinn, hand-off, go & continue to drool on your lecherous big boss, lol.
Oops… sorry. LOL. I just finished another of MBFB’s novels and was going to post this weekend. But, I don’t think it’s your type, so it shouldn’t mess up next weekend’s plans for you. 😉 I do have an easy-to-read boss-subordinate novel for you for when you’re not busy.
My top 3 male leads in no particular order: Gu Pingsheng, He Suye, and Mo Qingcheng/Qiang Qing Ci/Toupai, although the latter might be edging to the lead right now.
Oops! My mistake. Yes, I mean Qiang Qing Ci aka Toupai. Sheng Sheng Man is our female lead. Lol.
Qiang Qing Ci is the ideal man. He’s a doctor that can cook and sing. His voice can make girls swoon all over the place. 😀
Alright. Please forgive my very rusty translation skills.
Here is the scene I was talking about. Make sure to listen to the song when you get to the part. This is going to be a long translation, so I’ll break it up a bit.
To set the scene, Gu Sheng is at a recording studio where she has just met her idol, Qiang Qing Ci (real life name, Mo Qingcheng but also lovingly known as Toupai). They have finished what they were going to do there and are about to leave. The other people there are all Toupai’s friends, and they are all huge names in the online entertainment circle.
==================
After a while, he seemed to have eaten until he was satisfied, and he gave an indistinct chuckle. “Forget it. Let’s think about what we are going to have for dinner first. We’ll leave this to decide later.”
“Wait, no,” wwwwk suddenly let out a laugh. “I have a suggestion. Before we go, how about we make a private little souvenir?”
“Private souvenir?” Feng Ya Song [Elegant Ode] chimed in.
“Sheng Sheng loves Toupai ’s[1] voice the most. This, we can all tell. Toupai also said that he loves Sheng Sheng’s voice the most…… Since Fei Shao [Young Master Fei] has offered us the use of his recording studio for free, this is a rare opportunity. It’ll be a waste if we don’t record a few more things as souvenirs. Since the two of you so… *love*… each other…” wwwwk deliberately paused for half a beat and rubbed his chin before continuing, “… ‘s voices, why don’t you record a duet right now?”
Fei Shao’s eyes lit up as he ripped off his baseball cap excitedly. “Dang! Awesome suggestion!”
……
A…… live duet with Toupai?
Gu Sheng’s blood pressure, which had just fallen back down not long ago, immediately soared. She stole a glance at the studio, imagining herself and Toupai in that soundproof room… face to face singing… and…
This was not a KTV, k? There’s honestly so much ambience in there, k? Two people in that glass room, a bunch of onlookers on the outside…… T T
Even when she was at a KTV before, she had never sung a duet with a boy in front of a whole bunch of people. T T
“Mm. Sure,” Toupai agreed, not showing any awkwardness. “We can upload it onto 5sing[2] after we are done recording. Consider it as a Valentine’s Day gift to the fans.”
Valentine’s Day… gift…
Alright… Many daren in the online world like to do something on special occasions like Valentine’s Day, Children’s Day, etc. Normal, totally normal.
Gu Sheng was still digesting this suggestion, but he, after thinking briefly, was already saying, “Shang Ye [Oh Heaven]… okay with you?”
Those two words, shang ye, coming from his lips, seemed to carry a heartrending sense of bleakness.
The heckling crowd surrounding them went completely quiet.
The mountains will crumble, heaven and earth will come together, and only then will l cease to love you.[4]
Wha…?
Really. So. Attention-Grabbing.
Gu Sheng had completely frozen.
Qiang Qing Qi was an action-oriented person. After saying this, he was already asking the recording engineer to search for the background music and motioning to her that she could go into the soundproof live room. Soon, Fei Shao, with an evil smirk on his face, had very considerately printed off the lyrics and brought them over to the two of them.
Gu Sheng walked over to stand next Qiang Qing Ci, put on a pair of headphones, and glanced at the faces of everyone standing on the other side of the glass wall. She honestly felt like she was going to have a heart attack……
DaRen[3], were you planning on completely changing over your style right before you retire from the entertainment circle and starting to seek out rumors and gossip? T T
Meeting for the first time and already recording a duet in the studio. Was this really okay…?
With one hand covering her headset, Gu Sheng heard Qiang Qing Ci ask her, “Need to practice a few times?”
“I…” Gu Sheng forced herself to forget that there were actually seven or eight other people quietly listening in on what the two of them were saying. “I might need to practice along with the background music one time. DaRen… how would you like to work out the parts?”
Qiang Qing Ci’s eyes sparkled with laughter. Glancing at her, he put on his headphones and answered, “The opening of this song is really high. I’ll sing that part. The rest…” He picked up a pen and marked off a few lines. “We’ll sing these lines together. The rest you sing by yourself, okay?”
……
……
Was this really ok……?
Girls were supposed to be able to sing higher than men… T T
If Toupai’s fans heard this, they would on one hand be saying, all starry-eyed, “DaRen, you’re amazing!” while on the other hand be saying Sheng Sheng Man was completely useless… But Gu Sheng guessed that, even if she did try to sing that high, her voice would crack. Based on the fact that Toupai had so effortlessly sung “Zue Meng Xian Lin” [Drunken Dream, Fairy World-like Rain][5], Toupai was probably more suited for this song.
But…
That other little spirit in her that was Toupai’s diehard fan was reprimanding this little spirit that was trying her best to keep level-headed: Even if I never heard him sing Zue Meng Xian Lin, I still have complete faith in my DaDa[6] . No problem at all!!!
Fine.
The level-headed spirit surrendered.
In reality, from the moment she stood in this soundproof room next to Toupai, level-headedness had completely left her.
Gu Sheng was very familiar with this song. In a low voice, she read through the lyrics once or so, making sure she wouldn’t not know the words while halfway through singing or something embarrassing like that. Feeling that she was about ready, she said, “DaRen, I’m good.”
Qiang Qing Ci answered her with an “uh huh” and then said, “You can call me Qiang Qing Ci, or you can call me Mo Qingcheng. You don’t have to keep calling me ‘DaRen.’”
……
In her headset, she could hear clamoring coming from the group of people on the other side of the room again.
“Sheng Sheng, say it, say it. The best would be to call him Qing Ci or Qingcheng…”
“That’s enough, Feng Ya Song.” Dou Dou Dou Bing [Bean Bean Bean Cake] frowned at him before turning to the glass and offering her advice. “Sheng Sheng, calling him Qiang Qing Ci will make it seem like you two aren’t very close. Mo Qingcheng would be better, yes? Huh?”
“I agree.” wwwwk’s opinion was concise and to the point.
“I agree, too.” Fei Shao immediately chose his group to join.
Even Jue Mei [Perfectly Beautiful] finally stood up from the sofa, walked over to stand behind Fei Shao, placed a hand on Fei Shao’s shoulder, and said seriously, “Sheng Sheng, if you want to progress the relationship further into the world of real life, you will need to call him Mo Qingcheng.”
……
All you, DaRens…
Did we really need to be this serious about this kind of thing? T T
“Whatever you wish to call me will be okay.” Even Toupai could not tolerate the people outside anymore. He couldn’t hold back his laughter as he said, “I just didn’t want you to feel too uptight.”
“Alright…” She nearly slipped and said DaRen again, but immediately managed to stop herself. “Uh. Mo… Qingcheng.”
( ⊙ o ⊙)…… Why did I suddenly get the feeling like this was a blind date?
And it was a blind date surrounded by nosy aunties watching as my date and I introduced ourselves to each other…
======================
[1]头牌 Toupai. Nickname for Qiang Qing Ci. This word means “leading actor/singer/performer” or “star” or “headliner performer” i.e. the biggest name and biggest crowd-drawer.
[2] 5sing.com Chinese website used to share music. Similar to soundclick. Users can uploadd, share, and download original songs, covers, background music, etc.
[3] Literally meaning “big person.” A respectful form of address to a person of authority. In this case, the big names in the online entertainment circle are addressed as “DaRen.”
[4] Taken from the ancient poem, 上邪 “Shang Ye” [Oh Heaven]
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhkJeaTFxDE&noredirect=1
[6] Literally, “big big.” In the online world, DaDa is used to refer to someone who is highly skilled or capable
Thanks hoju for translating the scene. All of Toupai’s friends are hilarious. My goodness, it does feel like they are on a blind with all the nosy aunties. 😛
Hmm, it seems like ‘love at first sound’ for both of them. 😀
Last part of the translation:
========================
Gu Sheng could swear she must have been blushing right then. She raised one hand unconsciously to the side of her headphones, acting as if she needed to study the lyrics, to partially block her face from view. Seeing that the two of them were ready, the recording engineer quickly started the background music. The two of them followed Toupai’s plan and without much trouble, familiarized themselves with the song along with the music.
Seriously, Toupai was someone who could really sing.
Gu Sheng had to sing her part while still giving part of her attention to listen to Toupai sing.
Listening to someone sing at such a close distance like this, especially when this someone was the perfect Toupai, was definitely a scene she had never imagined before. After practicing through nearly once, Toupai very diligently told her that they would have to sing through another time and even did not forget to thoughtfully advise her, “Don’t put too much effort into your voice right now. This time, we will find the feeling in the song first before we start to do the actual singing. Save your breath and energy for later.”
Gu Sheng nodded.
But, when she discovered that the second time around, Toupai did not even need to look at the lyrics… she realized that this second practice was really only for her benefit…
This time, besides singing himself, Toupai was mainly paying attention to her. After he had finished singing his own part, he would immediately look over at her. Gu Sheng originally could have come in at her part just fine, but with his one glance, she actually stumbled in early.
“Sheng Sheng, don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous,” Dou Dou Dou Bing could not help teasing. “Even though I totally understand you, that completely normal feeling where you can’t stay calm after the exceedingly gorgeous Toupai DaRen has taken one look at you… But, it gets better after you get used to it.”
Mo Qingcheng’s eyes glanced over to the other side of the glass wall. Silence fell immediately.
Gu Sheng forced herself to not get distracted and was finally able to get through this round.
“It’s for real now, little girl.” Even the recording engineer was finding this situation very amusing. “It’s okay. Once you have officially sang through once, there will be a lot of lines you will each have to go back to re-record separately.”
“Alright.” Gu Sheng’s face was burning.
Everyone here was clearly amusing themselves by making fun of her, k? T T
First time meeting all of them too, you know…
“Don’t be nervous.” Toupai’s voice was low and soft and had the power to calm a person’s heart.
Very quickly, the prelude of the music could be heard.
With one hand on the microphone’s frame, Mo Qingcheng finally started singing the first line along with the background music:
[0:18] “Your wedding gown like fire has scorched the horizon
Henceforth, the setting sun will sear my heart [‘til red] like cinnabar…”
When he opened his mouth to sing the first note, Gu Sheng swore she clearly heard her own heartbeat.
Seriously, it sounded so good it could make people cry.
Effortless high notes that carried an intense sense of anguish and unwillingness to let go.
He even gave the listeners the feeling that he was the general in the story – someone who did not want to give in, did not want to let go of the woman he loved, but caught between the country and the princess, he had no choice but to only stand and watch as the princess left, to allow her to enter into a political marriage…
Gu Sheng was a person who loved music, and at the same time, she loved any stories set in the ancient times.
The cruelest thing in the world, perhaps, was after having possessed something, to lose it again. Those beautiful feelings, if one had never experienced them before, would not be etched into the bones and engraved on the heart. And then to use a knife and slice away, one inch at a time, those veins and bones that were joined together because of love. That was really too cruel.
As she sang this song, she could not help looking straight up at Mo Qingcheng.
Mo Qingcheng’s deep black eyes also carried her reflection in them.
As the two of them neared the end of the song, that gentle yet sorrowful section, she deliberately sang slightly offbeat to Mo Qingcheng. His male voice sang first followed by her clear and somewhat mournful repetition of his lyrics.
[3:28]“Drifting petals are falling again in this season,
Yet your wedding gown is more brilliant than those falling flowers
Your lips move, as if once again to sing ‘Shang Ye’ [Oh Heaven]
But what you say is ‘I am willing to part from my love for him.’”
What a sorrowful sentence: I am willing to part from my love for him.
As Gu Sheng sang the last note, she found she was having difficulties removing herself from the story.
But she was suddenly surprised to hear Toupai suddenly start to speak some lines, lines that had not even appeared once when they were rehearsing. “I desire to know you deeply and love you. Forever may this be unchanging…[7] ”
He even… changed the word in the poem from “jun”[ancient style; means “you” when addressing a man] to “er.”[ancient style; means “you” when address a woman]
In Mo Qingcheng’s voice, she could hear a sense of understanding, as if he, too, was captured within this story.
Blossoms swirling in the sky of Chang’an. The smell of blood, strong as wine, carrying on the wind.
He looked straight into her eyes and told her, “’Til the different directions of the world no longer exist, ‘til the seas dry, then only then will I cease to love you.”
====================
[7] The first two lines of the ancient poem, Shang Ye.
I am completely in LOVE with the song, Shang Ye. I will come back and do a translation of the song tomorrow.
The ancient poem, 上邪 Shang Ye is a love song — a song about a girl who will stay faithful to the love in her heart. Toupai is usually really low-key. He doesn’t post or answer weibo, is really private about his life. Singing Shang Ye for no other reason other than the fact that he wants to and then posting it online is completely contrary to his personality… and makes for a very suspicious love declaration-like posting… especially on Valentine’s!
Here’s a translation of the poem Shang Ye, first, so you can see why it’s so attention-grabbing.
上邪！
Oh Heaven!
我欲与君相知
I desire to know you deeply and love you
长命无绝衰
Forever may this be unchanging
山无陵
‘Til the mountains crumble
江水为竭，
The rivers run dry
冬雷震震
Thunder roars during the winter
夏雨雪
Snow falls during the summer
天地合
Heaven and Earth come together
乃敢与君绝！
Only then will I cease to love you!
===========
Mai, I find Toupai’s friends hilarious. I have another favourite scene of them where they crash in on Toupai/Sheng Sheng’s online singing “date” and he’s trying to kick them out of the virtual room, one at a time. Have you read it yet?
This is such a fun translation… hmm… seriously thinking of picking this whole book up as a project.
Hoju,
Thank you. The song/poem is quite romantic and poignant. The Viet translation of this song is really beautiful. If this song is Toupai’s love declaration, then it is a brilliant move on his part. Sheng Sheng is totally under his spell by now, and so am I. 😀 I can see why you are so in love with Mo Qingcheng, I think I am too.
Yup! I have read that part where all his friends sneak into their private chat room and interrupt their singing date. It’s quite funny how Toupai kick them out but they keep sneaking back in. Lol.
Oh, are you really considering translating this book? That would be awesome. Although, you may have a hard time translating all those cooking instructions from Toupai. 😀
As promised, the complete translated lyrics of the song. This is the first song that made me shed actual tears from just listening and reading the lyrics alone. Then, I watched the MV and oh my…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn-iZL2ob1U
Synopsis:
[0:01] In 2012, the Shanxi Xi’an archaeological team discovered a tomb. From the epitaph inscription in the tomb, it was determined that it was the joint tomb of a general and a female of imperial lineage. The main chamber of the tomb contained a double coffin to allow the burial of two people together, but that coffin contained only a single male corpse. What was unexpected, however, was that the title of the woman of imperial heritage that was inscribed on the epitaph was identical to that of a princess who, in historical records, had married to a border area in a political marriage.
[0:18]Your wedding gown like fire has scorched the horizon
Henceforth, the setting sun will sear my heart [‘til red] like cinnabar
It is said that peach blossoms can be found in your eyes
But how is it that in one evening, those blossoms fell like rain?
[0:47]I ask, who can lend to me a chance to look back?
To go against the current, to recall those fleeting years that long slipped by
To follow along, again, as you softly sing to me ‘Shang Ye’ [Oh Heaven]
To see you once again
[1:13]In those yesteryears that have long ago passed
I laughed at you for too easily promising your hand in marriage
[1:26]It was you who used all of you to recite ‘Shang Ye’
Yet, I too easily turned my back on you, a wife beautiful as a flower
That year, flower petals filled the sky of Chang’an
I could hear the sobbing and blood on the spring wind from the outer pass.
[2:21]The smell of blood on the wind is strong like wine
In my ears, the sound of warfare seems to swallow the wilderness
Against the light of flames, the returning geese are also letting out their sobs
The sound of weeping carries far
[2:48]That song, ‘Shang Ye’ that you used to sing
Hereafter I will never again be able to clearly hear it
[3:00]What cannot be defeated is the passage of time that flows like water
Our country had long ago already said eternal farewells for you and I
And so, you carved your name into the historical scrolls
So now, let me carve your name onto my tombstone
[3:28]Drifting petals are falling again in this season,
Yet your wedding gown is more brilliant than those falling flowers
Your lips move, as if to once again to sing ‘Shang Ye’
But what you say is ‘I am willing to part from my love for him.’
===========
Mai, if you think that this love declaration is brilliant, then you should read his actual love declaration that he put on weibo. Ah… so romantic!! <3 And of course, the weibo comments that followed from his friends were hilarious again.
Yep, my worries about translating this story are the recipes and the slang. Don't know how well I'll do with those. I'll give it a try and see. It has to be easier than translating Jin Yong and his poetry, right?
Hoju,
The Viet translation is still a work-in-progress, so I’m not at that part yet. But according to what you said, I can’t wait to reach the actual love declaration. His friends are amusing. They really remind me of Xiao Nai’s friends in ‘Just One Smile is Alluring’.
It sounds like you are seriously considering translating this book. It’ll be difficult but it will definitely be easier than translating those ancient stories of Jin Yong. 😀
By the way, you did an amazing job on translating the song. Your wordings are beautiful. I have a question though. Did the princess in the song really went off to marry another man? Since there was only a single male body in the coffin, I guess she was buried somewhere else.
Oh gosh, thanks, hoju! The translation of the song recording scene, the poem, and the song lyrics (especially the song lyrics) were beautiful! When I was reading your translation of the song recording scene in the novel, I could feel the intensity of the moment between the two leads, but it wasn’t until I read your translation of the song lyrics that I really understood how emotional it must have been in that recording studio! I’ve always loved ancient themed songs. The fast paced ones have such an epic, heroic feeling to them, while the slower ballads bring forth such a bittersweet, melancholic, romantic atmosphere. But given my almost nonexistent understanding of Mandarin, I have always only been able to enjoy the tune with virtually no understanding of what the lyrics mean. So when I first listened to Shang Ye before your translation of the lyrics, I simply thought, “Hmm, nice song.” But after understanding what the lyrics are saying, I cried. This is a seriously sad song! I am assuming the general in the song never saw his beloved princess again after she was married off to the border country? And when he died, he inscribed her name along with his on his tomb, for she will always be with him in his heart, from life until death? Wow, this is a very emotional song to choose as the first song ever for the leads in the story to record together!
It would be so wonderful if you could translate this novel. I will be one of the first to fill your comment section with my long-winded messages. Now that you have mentioned that online date between the leads and the male lead’s friends crashing the date, I long to read it. Could you translate it for us, if you decide to not translate the entire book?
Dear Hoju, thank you veru much for recommending this book and the translation. I’ve one question… How did Mo Qing Cheng managed to get into ShengSheng’s chat room and during their ‘date’, kicked out his busybody friends with administrator rights?
Thanks for the feedback, guys, on the translation. Glad someone liked it. 🙂
Mai and Melanie,
Yes, the princess was recorded into history books as having married to a border country, probably to a prince or important official. It was never explicitly stated, but I would guess that the general never saw his love again. My two favourite lines in the song are the ones you guys are discussing:
And so, you carved your name into the historical scrolls
So now, let me carve your name onto my tombstone
When the princess chose to let go of her love for the general and agree to the political marriage (I’m guessing probably for his sake so the war would stop?), she indirectly put her own name into the historical records as “Princess XX who married to country YY.” The wording in the song could also be “In exchange, let me carve your name onto my tombstone.” So the general knew that her sacrifice was for him, and to him, she would always be his wife. Hence, even in death, she would forever be with him.
That’s my interpretation, at least. 😉
Melanie, I’m glad I’m not the only one who cried over this song. It is an emotionally intense song, and the story is so beautiful and sad at the same time. You’re right; the tune is catchy and nice, but the lyrics turn the song from something nice to something that hits you hard…
Mssyng, you are very welcome. 🙂 Sheng Sheng invited MCQ into her private chat room, so that’s how he got in. Since he didn’t have administrator rights (and all his friends did because Sheng Sheng’s friend gave it to them), I would suspect that he “kicked them out” by threats. LOL.
So, yes, I am officially going to take up this translation project. Give me a little bit of time to get a decent amount translated, and then I will let everyone know when I post. I have to share the Toupai love. (Or maybe I should hide him and keep him all to myself… mwahahaha!)
In the meantime, I’m still here, ready to discuss the story. 🙂
Hoju,
Yay! You are picking up this project. I am so happy to hear this. Thank you for sharing the Toupai love. Take your time, I will wait patiently. 😀
Hi Hoju, what I meant was the first time when Sheng Sheng was on the bus talking to her roommate. Coincidence?
Ah, sorry. Right at the beginning of the story?
So, I’m not familiar with YY, the platform they were using to have their chats, and how it works but from what I understand, anyone can search for your chat room and enter it. They can also go right in if you give them the “number” (kind of like a phone number) of the room. However, an administrator can choose to lock the room and then, only other administrators or invited guests who have been “carried” in by an administrator can go in. On their “date,” Toupai went into the room and then Sheng Sheng locked it. Theoretically, no one should have been able to go in, and because it was Sheng Sheng’s personal account, no one but friends should really be hanging around her YY room anyways. What a surprise it was when halfway through their “date,” several unknown voices popped out of nowhere in her LOCKED room. Turns out her friend, who was also an admin, “carried” Toupai’s friends in and then gave them admin rights.
As for whether it was a coincidence, the short answer is no.
Btw, I use “date” loosely. It was just a chat but looked suspiciously like a date to the outsiders that barged in.
Hoju, thank you for the spoiler. Toupai is very similar to Xiao Nai then. Both knew about their girls before they officially met online. 😀 Lucky for them both that their girls are already half way in love with them, or else their pursuit will be for naught. LOL
Thank you for explaining how YY and QQ work. When I was reading, I didn’t fully understand how it all works.
It’s awesome that you’re translating the novel, hoju! I tried using Google Translate to read me the story, but I got so confused after the first 2-3 chapters. So in these chat rooms, instead of typing, people just speak out loud and literally chat with each other as if using a phone, only it’s using a computer? I am assuming it is not a video chat, and the people chatting can only hear each other’s voices. Sorry, I’m not very familiar with online chats. :p
So we know Toupai is handsome and accomplished. What about Sheng Sheng? Is she cute? Pretty? Gorgeous? What is she studying in university?
Hi Hoju, thanks for the explaination. I got a bit lost with qq, yy and the other terms as China has its own platforms.
Tehe, Mel, I’ll leave a bit of mystery for now and hopefully, the future translation will answer your questions you asked in the spoiler tag. 😉
As for Sheng Sheng, I think the author deliberately did not go into too much details about her because the novel is about the attraction of “voice” and then falling in love with who the person is on the inside. The “outside” (physical appearance, vocation, etc) is not important in the online world and wasn’t the reason for the attraction between our leads. As a quick sum up, besides being a fourth year student going on to study a master’s, nothing else is said about what Sheng Sheng is studying in university. She was described as “nice-looking” by one of Toupai’s friends. That’s about it… or at least what I remember. I may be missing some stuff.
So, I decided to look into QQ and YY a bit more.
Think of QQ as the China equivalent of MSN or ICQ (anyone remember that?). It’s a more personal form of social media and online communication. Group chats are limited to a small circle of friends.
YY on the other hand, does not have an equivalent that I know of in the English-speaking world. It can be much more large scale. While you can have a personal channel, YY is designed for large scale, real-time communication. It’s used for gaming, online classrooms, online karaoke and performances, to list a few ideas. A single virtual room can hold up to tens of THOUSANDS of users at one time, all listening in real-time… like an online stadium. Communication can include video or audio only, which is more often the case as well as text/typing. In the entertainment/singing side, users can buy virtual gifts to give to their favourite artist during their performance. The artist can collect virtual roses from his/her fans and cash them in for actual money.
Does that help?
Yes, shifu, I am not going to touch this book. Although I was so tempted after reading through all the comments and notes but the thing that scared me off was if it’s similar to Just One Smile Is Alluring, then it’s really hands off for me. Just One Smile was my nemesis and I will remember it for life.
Can shifu or Hoju tell me if I struggled thru the online content part in Just One Smile, will I suffer the same fate here? I guess if it’s yes, I shall forever hold my peace.
hoju,
Thanks for the explanation about QQ and YY. YY sounds like a lot of fun actually. So Sheng Sheng has a personal YY room, which she shares administrative privileges with her friend? Is her friend also an online singer? Does Sheng Sheng have any fans?
I don’t agree with the author that physical appearance has no significance, even in the online world. When I fall in love with guy’s dreamy voice in an audiobook, my first thought is, “Hmm, I wonder what he looks like. Is he as dreamy as his voice is?” And if I do eventually happen to find out what he looks like, I am sure his looks would affect how I react to his voice in the future. In a more global example, plenty of people start internet relationships or even just exchange phone calls with a potential significant other and they click fabulously, until they finally meet in person and boom! The relationship falls apart because each sees what the other looks like. Sadly, usually, it is the guy who backs off when he realizes that the girl is not pretty. I guess it is just human nature to be attracted to pretty things. What does this teach us? Never start an internet relationship unless you are pretty confident that he will like what he will see when you meet him in person? 😛 Hence, I think Sheng Sheng must be pretty darn “nice-looking.” Even the nicest and least superficial of men like their girlfriends/wives to be pretty.
XinnXinn,
I heard Just One Smile Is Very Alluring (by Gu Man, right?) is a really good book. But I don’t think I can listen to it on Google Translate and understand it if it has a lot of online gaming and online chat terminology. 🙁 I tried listening to a few chapters of Really, Really Miss You with Google Translate, and I was completely confused. I think I will wait patiently for hoju’s English translation.
Xinn: You definitely will get confused & not be able to understand this book with google translate as there are many conversations like Wei Wei so no point to read it. Just wait for hoju’s english translation which I believe will follow the text very closely. She’ll also include the relevant MVs to enrich your reading experience. Beat listening to that robot in google. Also, I’ve requested someone to make an audio book for this but it is still early days to tell if this will happen.
Xinn,
I would avoid this book in google translate just because of the slang alone. There is so much current culture and slang riddled through this novel that machines just can’t translate and will spit out gibberish. Sorry. 🙁 Come read along with me as I translate. (Shameless promotion… Lol)
Mel,
To use YY, you need an account. Sheng Sheng has her own account/channel so she can chat with people in her own room. Her friend, who is not a singer, has admin rights and knows the password to her channel. Sheng Sheng is basically an unknown, although she is quite talented. She has fans but in negligible numbers.
Sorry. I didn’t mean to insinuate that MBFB, the author, is saying that physical appearance plays no part in a relationship. However, the novel’s emphasis is on falling in love with sound, so it’s my (and mine only) suspicion that that is the reason she chose not to include too much physical description of Sheng Sheng. I completely agree with you on your points above. 🙂
Peanuts,
There’s an option to NOT follow the text when you translate?????
Mel, yes, Just One Smile is Alluring is by Gu Man. The first half of the book was a nightmare for me. The online game was so difficult to comprehend. But the second half was quite nice as the romance really blossomed and there was less online game content by then.
Shifu, thanks for the note too..
And Hoju, guess I will wait along with Mel for your translation on Really, Really Miss You.
The translation is officially kicked off. Here’s the first post with new material.
http://hui3r.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/really-really-miss-you-很想很想你-prologue/
hi hoju~~ thanks a big big big bunch for translating and posting this novel!! I came here after drama Boss&Me, then me finishing the come and eat shan shan, wipe clean after eating, and then i read this. Seriously, I’m dying from too much sugar consumed! toupai is sooooooo freaking sweet!
thanks again hehe. (^o^)
You’re welcome, sweettooth. LOL. Oh the irony in your username. Is your sweet tooth able to hold up to Toupai’s sweetness? 😉
Haha seriously hoju, I don’t know!! I’m diagnosed with diabetes already! I actually read the Chinese ones with raw translation of Google and I’m already hooked. Not to mention i’ve been smiling from ear to ear while reading it. Seriously need a facial massage hehe. Too much sweetness from Toupai! So jealous of Gu Sheng!
Hi,…. Just wondering where can i read this Chinese Ebook?
🙂 Try this one. http://www.xiaoshuomm.com/books/15/15649/
THis novel got me interested in ancient style music again. I totally forgot how much i loved it. I ａｍ ｃｕｒｒｅｎｔｌｙ ｏｂｓｅｓｓｅｄ ｗｉｔｈ 上邪ｂｙ 小曲儿 ｄｕｅ ｔｏ ｔｈｉｓ ｎｏｖｅｌ….
恩儿
A friend recommended this to me since I liked Just One Smile is Very Alluring so much. Maybe she felt this one has a similar feel to it and true enough, it has! I absolutely loved it that I finished everything in just one sitting (been sitting for hours though). I’m lucky enough this was already completely translated in english. (so thanks Hoju at Fanatical!)
I love the chemistry between the leads even though their relationship is mostly online and in their chatrooms. My favorite parts are when Mo QingCheng is being so high profile about their relationship online and offline. It’s just so cute! I recommend this novel if you just want a light read with all the giddy feeling inside. <3
hi everyone. I recently discovered this rare gem. Dear translators, you guys are heaven sent! This is one of the best stories I’ve ever read! This is so heart fluttering, I was smiling like a mad woman while reading this. Toupai’s voice is reverberating inside my head! Oh gahd I must be crazy. So I’d just like to ask, are there any news regarding the radio drama of this novel?