“Ten years back, betrayal sent the family’s business into a spiral of desperation. Dealt with a massive blow, his father soon passed away. To save his family’s business, Mo Shao Qian was forced into a marriage of convenience with the heiress of Mu Corporation, Mu Yong Fei. Repulsed by her forceful, condescending behaviour, he lived separately from her after their wedding. For the next ten years, Mo Shao Qian constantly sought to divorce her, but despite the breakdown of their relationship, Yong Fei refused to concede.

Tong Xue caught Shao Qian’s eye while working at a cafe. Unknown to her, he found out that her deceased parents were the ones who betrayed his family. Blackmailing her with evidence of her uncle’s crimes, he coerces her into living with him as his mistress. Little did he expect that she would start to hold a place in his heart. Burdened by these conflicting emotions, will he be able to walk away from the path of misery he has chosen?”

I included my take on the title “Twilight Upon a Thousand Snow-capped Mountains” cos I felt it was closer to what the novelist wanted to convey. Reading deeper into this, it seems as though this novel is about Tong Xue’s darkest hours, hence the metaphorical twilight? Oh and I read that 千山暮雪 (Qian Shan Mu Xue) actually combines a word from each name in Tong Xue’s relationships. Mu Shao Qian, Xiao Shan, Mu Zhen Fei and Tong Xue, and it’s probably a chicken and egg thing but it made me so curious about which came first? The name of the novel or the names of the characters? *deng deng deng*

On the other hand “Sealed With A Kiss” really captures the essence of the drama, since they did focus on how she refused to reciprocate Shao Qian’s kisses initially, as though it was her last line of defense. *wipes a tear*

I’ve translated the beautifully written opening passage from the novel by Fei Wo Si Cun:

After time did I come to realise that there’s always that one person in this world who may have only been by your side for a short while, but would take an eternity to forget. Tong Xue understands that to this world, she is condemned, despised, seen as worthless and evil, labelled a third party. It’s just, deeply hidden and entwined, entanglements with the three men in her life, would be more perplexing than she could ever imagine.

The novelist used the idiom “盘根错节” to describe her relationship with the three men and this is one of those awesome metaphors that get lost in translation. She’s actually comparing the relationships with how roots of trees are so deeply entwined that untangling them for a clearer perspective seems impossible.