Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 HeadInTheClouds:

Does anyone else have problem with posting if you quotes someone in your post? 

Yes, I can't QUOTE long posts either. 

 nathsketch:

I started copying just some bits here and there about the leaked script. I'll do this with the most relevant comments and the excerpts you posted, and try to have them all organized over there. My OCD demands it :D

Maybe with links back to the originals?

 AH :

I highly recommend re-reading it. I feel like the story gets better when I re-read it knowing all the characters and additional details I've picked up from the drama and conversations in these threads. And I feel like I pick up on additional details every time I do another re-read ^^

Great advice (as well as tons of great posts). I've read the book twice so far, and it hasn't been enough for me.

My account is also under review! Maybe we are posting too much too soon!

It only happens when  there's a quote in my post. Oh well, guess no quoting for me on mobile then.

@ blabla100

For me, Eternally Yearning for You is very much about XY's feelings towards XL at the end of the novel. There are a lot of yearning in the novel from various characters,  but as XY is the main character I think it's fair to ask who is it that she's yearning for. Out of the 3 men in her life, only XL fits. She ended up.with Jing so it doesn't makes sense to yearn for him. Her feelings for CX never takes a romantic bend. It's only with XL - his death, all the if only and things that remained unsaid that would caused this yearning.

Tong Hua knew what she was doing. A happy ending would leave us satisfied, but it's this dissatisfaction that kept us yearning and wishing for it to be different. 

Too bad I don't know Chinese so can't really read all the fanfiction that are out there.  I read that THua originally plan a 3rd book.in this series, but for some reason she scrapped the idea. That's too bad because we might have gotten some sort of resolution from it. 

 HeadInTheClouds:

Too bad I don't know Chinese so can't really read all the fanfiction that are out there.  I read that THua originally plan a 3rd book.in this series, but for some reason she scrapped the idea. That's too bad because we might have gotten some sort of resolution from it. 

From my understanding, it was not a sequel to Lost You Forever. She initially wrote a book that takes place after Once Promised, before Lost You Forever, and had covered 100-200K words before she scrapped it. She then went on to write Lost You Forever, which is the last of her historical novels.

The following is Tong Hua's interview in conjunction with the publication of the 2019 revised edition of Lost You Forever:

《书生说》-桐华《长相思》何谓相思？思而不得，最相思
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV18Q4y1P7FD

Hello everyone. I am Tong Hua. This is my work Lost You Forever, which will see a new revised edition in 2019. Lost You Forever is the last historical romance out of my 10 works. Written in 2012, I felt at the time that it was the most well-written of my works, but upon reviewing it after many years, I still feel that it is lacking in some areas. This revised edition is not able to make up for all the regrets, but it has done its best to address all the areas that it can. I hope everyone will like it.

In what way has 步步惊心 Scarlet Heart, which propelled you to fame, influenced your subsequent works?
This novel holds especial meaning for me. It is my first work. It is also the work that made me famous. In a sense, it changed my career path, and influenced my life plans. As such, it is particularly meaningful for me. Let's put it this way. If Scarlet Heart was not well-written and was not well received, I would very likely have continued working in my area of expertise, which is finance, instead of seriously going down the writer's path. It was Scarlet Heart's success that made me realise that my works are loved by many readers, and as such changed my career.

During the creative process, do you work out in advance the ending of each character?
I normally do not write an outline for my stories, which means I myself actually have no idea how the character would end. As I write, it's sometimes based on my own deeper understanding of the characters or like being pushed. Or perhaps sometimes it's the character who guides you slowly towards the end of his fate. So it is not deliberate, but a natural progression.

Many of your works have been adapted into dramas. What do you think these dramas should retain? 
My greatest hope is that the characters and their emotions are retained. Novels are two-dimensional while dramas are three dimensional. As such, when a novel is adapted into a drama, changes are inevitable. Some changes are due to funding requirements. One can be unrestrained with the descriptions in the novels, but such scenes cannot be filmed in reality. Such changes are understandable. However, I personally hope to retain the integrity of the character and their emotions. Although the plot or scenes may change, if the character's integrity can be upheld throughout, then the adaptation is a good one in my eyes. 

You have written so many romance novels. What is your own view on love?
My own take on love - as a woman, I will talk about it from the viewpoint of a woman. I feel that firstly, is to be the best version of yourself which is to achieve mental and financial independence. Only by ensuring independence in these two areas can there be true equality in love. 

Please recommend a book that has greatly influenced you and elaborate the reasons for your recommendation.
A book that has greatly influenced me would be Tolstoy's Anna Karenina as it is a classic, a great literary work. Different people derive different aspects from it. I read it when I was much younger, so at the time my focus was on the romance. Tolstoy's Anna had a destructive, tragic love line, which gave me a lot to reflect upon. Personally, I feel that this is something women should reflect upon, regardless of the era [they live in]. As such, I recommend this book. 

桐华说：长相思不是悲剧，每个人都找到了自己的归宿
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Dh4y1D7MH

My first novel was a story set in ancient times, which is Scarlet Heart that everyone should have heard of. Lost You Forever is my last historical story to date. 

Is there a story between Lost You Forever and Once Promised?
Yes. At the time, there were plans for a story, and I had actually written about 100K to 200K words. However, I was extremely dissatisfied with it because I felt that I failed to properly convey what I wanted to express. As such, I put it on hold and went on to write Lost You Forever.

Why are most of your novels tragic?
Actually that's not true. I'm not saying that I prefer tragic stories. To me, Once Promised is a tragedy, but Lost You Forever is not considered as one. All the characters in Lost You Forever found their proper place in life, so to me, Lost You Forever is not a tragic story. 

Are there any plans for new books?
Lately, I have ideas for two stories in my mind. Both are modern stories, so some readers might be disappointed because they feel that I should revisit historical stories. Nonetheless, for now, my inspiration lies in modern stories. The ideas for the two stories are there but I personally do not know yet whether I will be able to complete them because there is a still a long process from taking an idea to actually writing it. 

Will you let your children read your works?
I think that is challenging because my child is a young boy. I feel that on the whole, boys are... my books are mostly romances, more geared towards women, so he may not necessarily enjoy them. However, I think I will let him read them when he has grown up.

@MengXiang

I feel the same way as you about the differences in XY and XL relationship in the drama compared to the novel.  Reading the novel, i want things to work out and for them to end up together.  But there have been times in the drama when i wished XL would just forget about XY and find someone else to love because she seems rather indifferent towards him. That never happened with the novel for me.

And i dont really like how they made him come across as a liitle too mopey (that's Jing's specialty and he can keep it) and almost pathetic (that scene in her bed room was just....urg! That was not the vibe in the novel)

The leak script is really not encouraging. I might just spit blood if they make XL's feelings one-sided ?. His life and ending is tragic enough, the least they can do is let him have this little bit of love.

I don't really sees him as making XY's choices for her with regards to Jing. Jing is one of XY's options (her only good option really since someone refuses to enter the race ?). He even male sure that she's willing to marry Jing (or 17th as it is). If XY didn't want Jing, I doubt XL would bothered with saving Jing.