Black & White 黑白 by 朝小诚 Chao Xiao Cheng (HE)


s11134230

Whatever addictive worldly things, he had tried before except love emotion. She is the  eleventh poison he used to self-test the bottom line. After experiencing  love, it is time to call it quit.

Play with emotion, play with desire, play with people’s hearts. That is Tang Yi.

You do not say, I will definitely not ask. You want to go, I will also absolutely not retain you. But I don’t know when you come back if I will still be here to greet you with a smile. This is just like Ji Yi Ning.

However, this man, in order to retain Ji Yi Ning, the first time, gamble on marriage and the second time, gamble on his life ……

There is a prequel on Tang Yi’s younger brother Tang Jin and his wife Su Xiao Mao in 唐家小猫  (Tang’s Kitten). There is also a spin-off on the banker Tang Chen Rui and Xi Xiang Wan in Elite Lover.

[Ebook] [Radio drama] [Đen Trắng]

 

23 Responses

  1. XinnXinn
    XinnXinn December 31, 2013 at 4:45 pm |

    Happy happy new year……my new year resolution is to read and finish a book each week – this is a pretty long shot but definitely going to try hard!

    I hv been wanting to read a hardcore triad book for as long as I can remember. I’ve just finished one whose lead is a triad boss but it doesn’t really contain much of substantial triad elements. There is another one written by 丁墨 (author of 如果蜗牛有爱情 When A Snail Loves) which I’ve been meaning to read but never gotten to it becoz nobody around here seems to hv read it yet. Now I may just try Black n White since you have read and therefore I can get plenty of spoilers. Before I start, does it have a HE?

    Meanwhile, I am half way through Dr Meng Gu and insurance saleswoman, Ms Chen Ruo Yu. I must say this book is really draggy but it’s still funny enough to hold my interest.

  2. Bongsd
    Bongsd January 1, 2014 at 9:41 am |

    Thanks for the warning. haha I’m at chapter 4. I like the Tang Yi’s brother and his wife.

    I discovered that Chinese authors like to write stories about gangsters and student/professor relationship. If you want another story about gangsters, try ‘Stolen Passion’ (盗情).

    PS : never knew that you are just beside me, I always thought that you’re from the US. lol

  3. decembi
    decembi January 1, 2014 at 12:32 pm |

    Haha, no wonder you said you were into gangster novels recently!

    Going to put this on my to do list! Blood and sex! Sounds like serious stuff hahaha

  4. decembi
    decembi January 2, 2014 at 2:46 pm |

    Hahaha ok I will definitely try this. And, maybe if I read enough, I’ll find a teacher student novel you will like one day! Though there’s a long way to go for me hahaha

  5. Bongsd
    Bongsd January 3, 2014 at 1:13 pm |

    Awesome epilogues !

    He loves her so much. But it must be tiring to live with a control freak.

    Every character is interesting. Except the girl who like TY. She’s only here for my fav part…to make the main girl jealous. I love the doctor. Poor baby. TY really controls his life. Or should I say, he controls everyone’s life. Haha

    The way JYN confess herself is so special that only TY can understand. I’m like TY’s assistant, don’t talk about European literature, paintings, etc to me.

  6. Bongsd
    Bongsd January 4, 2014 at 9:40 am |

    Haha when TY called him and told him “come to see her a little” and his reaction. lol

    Haizz I’m reading ‘Paper Rose’. I feel so bad for her, she’s so nice to him while he’s a real JERK. I hate this type of guy. He’s with her but one call from his ex is enough for him to leave her. He’s with her but can still sleep with his ex. It’s unacceptable to me. I really can’t wait for the second male lead to appear. Or she can escape with the ‘Siberia’ guy, not a problem for me.

    Stolen Passion is longer and more in action. They travel a lot too (USA, Southeast Asia, Italia, Africa, Australia etc). I can’t say which one is better. I like them both.

  7. decembi
    decembi January 5, 2014 at 4:22 pm |

    Just finished the first 17 chapters (at least that’s how they are counted on the website I’m using). I can’t decide if I like this! Haha. It’s strangely hypnotic but also leaves me emotionally detached. I shall persevere though – hopefully the female lead grows more of a backbone and I can see the male lead sweat and be vulnerable.

    For me, the best part so far is probably when he is dancing samba (?) alone and that was the first time her heart shook for him. I thought that was particularly moving and a convincing moment to show where her love starts to unravel. And, when she asked his younger sister, what day was it – for him to appear so lonely. That was nice.

    But I still feel rather emotionally detached as the female lead is so … one note. Haha

  8. XinnXinn
    XinnXinn January 6, 2014 at 1:24 pm |

    Where were all the blood curdling scenes? Where was all the serious triad stuff? I hv been misled but nevertheless, I enjoyed it very much. I was totally geared up for all the morbidity especially after the beginning part, but at the bat of an eyelid, all the wit, humour and funny moments started unfolding. What a pleasant surprise, I really did not expect the book to be so funny.

    I actually found Tang Yi very sweet, almost like a paper tiger. But I guess, best of the lot was the pairing of Tang Jin and Su Xiao Mao (becoz they were such a cute couple I hv started reading 唐家小猫). Xiao Mao is just too adorable.

    And yes, Peanuts, the book was so philosophical at times that i had the feeling of walking down memory lane of Philosophy 101. The author really did a good job intertwining the humour with all the theological and philosophical stuff.

    And I agree with Bongsd, almost every character in the book was likeable, even Jian Jie, the prosecutor. I say ‘almost’ becoz, I strangely feel a little bit uneasy, and at times even angry with Yi Ning. Maybe, she is too “unemotional”, like those times she could have shouted or quarreled with him and yet she didn’t. Geez….why am I splitting hairs with her…..lol…

    I realized after reading so many books that not all the epilogues are nice, but the epilogues here were fantastic. I wish the author would write a book about Tang Yun Hen. His character would be lethal, combination of Tang Yi’s brute and Yi Ning’s finesse. Imagine a triad boss

  9. decembi
    decembi January 6, 2014 at 2:35 pm |

    Wow, all you guys read really fast!

    Ok, since it’s funny, I will put this on hold and try again later. I just keep having the urge to kick the female lead – although to be fair, she’s quite poor thing and tortured. Haha.

  10. XinnXinn
    XinnXinn January 7, 2014 at 7:21 am |

    Thanks for the info, I was planning to google them out later but as usual, you always do all the hard work for me (I’m so ashamed…lol…)

    Besides Tang Yi and Tang Jin, I wonder if the rest of these Tangs are from the same family, maybe they are cousins or something. If they are not related, the author must have an amazing passion for the surname ‘Tang’!

    But I can never read two or more books from the same author consecutively, will likely only check these other Tangs out later. (This author’s books definitely deserved to be bookmarked for a future date). Meanwhile, going to finish Tang’s Kitten first. Xiao Mao is simply too cute to resist.

  11. Bongsd
    Bongsd January 7, 2014 at 1:55 pm |

    Peanuts, you ask me but my gold fish memory can’t remember.. All I can remember it’s that there are a lot of racing, bombing, a lot of people died. But not bloody like in ‘Sleep with a wolf’ when he killed all her family members. But ‘Stolen Passion’ is a great book. The triad boss is even more cold than Tang Yi, be prepared.

    I read all YLWX’s books that Seoul listed on her blog. I don’t like ‘Sleep with the wolf’, I prefer their daughter’s story. But my fav is ‘Wedding night, neighbor’. 🙂

  12. XinnXinn
    XinnXinn January 9, 2014 at 5:05 am |

    Oohlala…just finished the kitten book. My only regret – if I had known, I would hv read Tang’s Kitten first, and then move onto Black n White, becoz the former would hv provided the perfect backdrop for a better understanding and appreciation of Tang Yi. Oh btw, I also thought that Tang’s Kitten had more triad flair than Black n White.

    The personalities of Tang Jin and Tang Yi are poles apart, but in reality, both brothers love and look out for each other. At the end, after the death of their father, out of love and siblinghood, Tang Jin offered to return to the triad life of the Tang family to help Tang Yi. And for the same reason, Tang Yi refused to allow it simply becoz Tang Jin has someone to love, namely, Xiao Mao and also, Tang Jin is not suitable to lead such a life.

    All said, the author must hv written Tang’s Kitten as an afterthought to plug some of the gaps in Black n White.

    Ok, if asked to choose, I will go for ……. Tang Jin…..lol….he was so sweet throughout, and the things he secretly did for Xiao Mao especially when he was pursuing her…..arrrhhhh….ok…time to move on to another book!!

  13. S T
    S T August 24, 2015 at 3:16 am |

    Where can I read the English translations of these novels?

  14. Mike
    Mike January 17, 2016 at 10:41 am |

    I also do hope that this will evntually get a translation. Always too few violent novelks out there 😀

  15. Ssbreader
    Ssbreader December 11, 2016 at 2:29 am |

    Oh! I just saw this discussion. Read Black White too, and while it was good, I wasn’t too impressed with JYN. Can’t take simpering female leads.. guess that’s why I prefer Stolen Love. Solstar24 blog has a very good translation of the first few chapters, before the main leads meet.

Leave a Reply