Caught in my Own Trap 作茧自缚 by 飘阿兮 Piao A Xi (HE)

OwnTrap

The most far off distance in the world,

is not that I am by your side, yet you do not know that I love you.

It is that you are by my side, yet I do not know that I love you.

Or, that we are this close, yet one must go left, and the other going right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many years ago, Zheng Xie vowed, “If I am to have any other thoughts about He He, than let me be struck by thunder!”
He firmly believes that the rationality is much more stronger than emotions.
Many years later, in ways that he had never expected, was struck by both thunders and earthquakes.

[Ebook] [Audiobook] [Mua Dây Buộc Mình][Eng Translation][작충자박]

 

96 Responses

  1. lidge
    lidge August 31, 2012 at 2:51 am |

    Chancy, are you reading 作茧自缚 by 飘阿兮? I’ve read this a few months ago, and for some reason kind of missed it so I re-read it 2 days ago.

    Yes peanuts, happy ending for the main couple.

  2. lidge
    lidge August 31, 2012 at 2:59 am |

    I like this story, peanuts. It’s about 2 ppl who grew up together but afraid to confess that they like each other because they don’t want to ruin the friendship. The main guy doesn’t think the main girl likes him so he ends up dating a lot of women who remind him of her. Ironically, the main girl misunderstands and thinks he’s a player and that he’s only protective of her because during a botched robbery, her dad gave up his life to save him.

  3. lidge
    lidge August 31, 2012 at 4:23 am |

    Yes, I read this quite awhile ago. Off and on, sometimes I do go back to skim my favorite parts. Two days ago, the stress got too much so I wanted to read something cute & funny to feel better so I did a full re-read of this.

  4. lidge
    lidge August 31, 2012 at 4:38 am |

    On the surface, the story is filled with cute moments between the main couple. But underneath that, it slowly unfolds and we find out a lot of things, such as why the main couple met as children, why their relationship has progressed to the point that it has, the dysfunctional aspects of their relationship, etc. This story seems sweet on the surface, but it’s actually rather bittersweet.

  5. lidge
    lidge August 31, 2012 at 4:48 am |

    After you find out that the relationship between the main couple is not all roses and sunshine like it seems on the surface (I think it’s quite dysfunctional), you’ll love them more, peanuts^^

  6. Chancy426
    Chancy426 September 1, 2012 at 4:52 am |

    Im at 47 now, my heart is twisting for him. Poor gege.

  7. Chancy426
    Chancy426 September 1, 2012 at 5:03 am |

    Yah, considering she’s kept this secret for this many years. I haven’t gotten to his wishywashy parts yet. Sighs. If i were her i wouldn’t accept him just because he found out either, but the man should be more firm.

    U know i usually don’t like when girls smoke, but with hehe i think it makes a very interesting image. Awkwardly cute. His choking on his cigarette was hilarious also.

  8. lidge
    lidge September 1, 2012 at 1:02 pm |

    I did try 过客匆匆 but dropped it after a few chaps. Will give it another try later when I have time. From what I remember, the tone was more serious, and I was in the mood for something funny.

    Happy ending for the main couple, but I don’t think it’s a spoiler since the husband also shows up briefly in this story. Remember the Olympics party that ZX brings HH to in the beginning? It’s mentioned in passing that the main guy in 过客匆匆 has patched things up with his wife, and they’re now happily living together.

  9. Chancy426
    Chancy426 September 3, 2012 at 8:22 pm |

    I think her mom expected her to end up liking Zheng Xie because she herself also end up marrying the man she grew up with. Zheng Xie’s parents were also childhood playmates, so his father would expect this. His father really likes He He and his mom always wished that He He would be her daughter in law but didn’t want to force the kids. Everyone around them expected it but they were blinded by their close proximity. They stand too close to each other and want to find each there’s features in their dating partner. Zheng Xie probably doesn’t realize his liking for his fiance was because her personality is so similar to He He and that’s why he feels comfortable and familiar around her. For He he she always compares men with Zheng Xie, bit find them incomparable with him. They’re very cute this was through.

  10. Chancy426
    Chancy426 September 4, 2012 at 2:07 am |

    He did love her because he said he wants to have her in his life everyday. He’s not one to say love though. But that was Hehe’s mom’s definition of love also.

    I did want to get more clarification from Hehe though.

  11. Chancy426
    Chancy426 September 4, 2012 at 4:56 pm |

    I did find one ancient where the main girl marries the main guy to help the man she like to take over his throne, but when she was successful with the.plan she Realize she is in love with the main guy (crown prince) . Dramatic enough? Its the reader fir the first flames.daughter audiobooks.

  12. Chancy426
    Chancy426 September 5, 2012 at 3:34 am |

    Lol that’s my problem now too. Seems to be the trend now to have at least two voices, so good thing

  13. atsu-chan
    atsu-chan December 23, 2012 at 3:32 pm |

    Took a breather from Scarlet Flower for a few days and decided to fill in the with a bit of modern fluff and picked this one up again. This has to be the strangest book that I’ve read in a while though. I know you guys all loved it, but I didn’t…as much. It really picked up in the second half and was really good and the last ten or fifteen chapters were hilarious. But at the end, I really didn’t feel that Zheng Xie loved He He or that they should be together. It still felt more like a sibling relationship to me.

    Yang Weiqi and Ceng Shi are really awesome second leads though. Especially YWQ. She’s a brave girl – not afraid to love and lose and to give it all. A little too perfect, but definitely not boring. And Ceng Shi is such a refreshing second male lead – one that has all sorts of problems but is all sorts of winning and understanding.

    The thing about Zheng Xie and He He is that they feel like two-dimensional characters. I feel that the writer is really good at developing character tics and pulling pop culture references, but not so good at developing personality, character, and plot. ZX is so dull and I didn’t feel that he really loved He He other than being physically attracted to her and needing to take responsibility. He He was better as a character, but both of the main characters had no real trajectory and didn’t really convince me.

    It was really entertaining and supremely funny (especially the end) but I was hoping to get inside these characters a little more (especially ZX). It’s not the most convincing OTP when you feel like they should stay siblings.

    I read the extended endings that skyblu posted too! My favorite is the French one (so sweet!) but I think in order for any of those endings to work, I have to see the main characters need and love each other in more than just a sibling way. It must be really hard to write since the characters have known each other since birth, but it felt a little unsatisfying overall in the end.

  14. Peanuts
    Peanuts December 25, 2012 at 3:12 am |

    atsu-chan:
    Took a breather from Scarlet Flower for a few days and decided to fill in the with a bit of modern fluff and picked this one up again. This has to be the strangest book that I’ve read in a while though. I know you guys all loved it, but I didn’t…as much. It really picked up in the second half and was really good and the last ten or fifteen chapters were hilarious. But at the end, I really didn’t feel that Zheng Xie loved He He or that they should be together. It still felt more like a sibling relationship to me.

    Wah atsu, you didn’t finish the book while we were all reading, lol. At that time, I quite like this book but not as much as Chancy:P Probably bcos at that time I needed a book like this to even out some other books I was listening & peer pressure, haha… Thinking back now, I do agree with you that this book is pretty average. It has its funny moments but I did mention in some of my comments above there is something missing in their r/s. I don’t get it why he suddenly love her & wanna marry her towards the end of the book. Yah, the 2nd female lead in this book is the nicest I’ve ever read. The male lead is ok bco I’ve read better one, lol.

    Hey atsu, chancy, raini, skyblu, lidge, xiaoyuer or anyone reading this, wishing all of you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. May 2013 brings us more great audiobooks to enjoy, share & discuss. Heehee, I left a similar msg from us to our Cgege in English, lol.

  15. atsu-chan
    atsu-chan December 25, 2012 at 3:34 pm |

    To chancy, raini, peanuts, lidge, skyblu, xiaoyuer and anybody else reading this blog- Merry Christmas! Wishing you all a blessed holiday!! ^^

    And haha, I’m always a step behind everyone, Peanuts 🙂 it was entertaining though…especially the end!

  16. skyblu629
    skyblu629 December 25, 2012 at 5:17 pm |

    Peanuts: Hey atsu, chancy, raini, skyblu, lidge, xiaoyuer or anyone reading this, wishing all of you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

    You, too. May 2013 bring more good books in general.

  17. chancy426
    chancy426 December 25, 2012 at 5:39 pm |

    merry christmas to u all too! will be awaiting a new year that brings us many more happy moments and tons of new books. =)

  18. HuiEr
    HuiEr April 18, 2013 at 2:35 am |

    atsu-chan: This has to be the strangest book that I’ve read in a while though. I know you guys all loved it, but I didn’t…as much. It really picked up in the second half and was really good and the last ten or fifteen chapters were hilarious. But at the end, I really didn’t feel that Zheng Xie loved He He or that they should be together. It still felt more like a sibling relationship to me.

    The thing about Zheng Xie and He He is that they feel like two-dimensional characters. I feel that the writer is really good at developing character tics and pulling pop culture references, but not so good at developing personality, character, and plot. ZX is so dull and I didn’t feel that he really loved He He other than being physically attracted to her and needing to take responsibility. He He was better as a character, but both of the main characters had no real trajectory and didn’t really convince me.

    It was really entertaining and supremely funny (especially the end) but I was hoping to get inside these characters a little more (especially ZX). It’s not the most convincing OTP when you feel like they should stay siblings

    I know what you mean – I complained to Peanuts that the first half is so boring until they got to the Secret.

    I think the scene/point in the story that sold to me their OTP was when she was going back to her hometown, he finds out and rushes out of his meeting to the railway station. And then when they finally got on the phone, she tells him not to rush, to drive slower and she promises that she won’t leave until she sees him. And when he arrives, he picks her out immediately out of the crowd.

    I think in one of the earlier comments, someone pointed out that s/he liked that the author doesn’t narrate how the characters – and by extension – feel about each other. She just tells you their actual thoughts and feelings and let you infer what you will from it. I think that train station scene was when I believed that ZX loved HH more than a sibling – although he’s so muddleheaded about his feelings and he doesn’t know how to express himself.

  19. sunnybee
    sunnybee September 6, 2014 at 5:01 am |

    I really like the books by this author so far. Do you know any other book by this author? I have only read this one and 過客匆匆.

    Any other books like these, if anyone knows?
    Thanks =)

  20. Peanuts
    Peanuts September 7, 2014 at 3:38 am |

    I’ve only read this book & 過客匆匆. You can try reading her latest book 小世界. Other books include 婚结 : 婚缘未了 & 晨曦之雾 which skyblu read b4 but she doesn’t really like it.

  21. mhryu
    mhryu March 14, 2016 at 3:05 pm |

    Hi Peanuts and everyone,

    Thank you for the wonderful introduction to this entertaining novel. I have translated it into English for my friend’s reading and would be posting the translated version on this site : https://tinkerbellsan.wordpress.com/

    Have a wonderful week ahead and once again, thank you for the lovely introduction.

Leave a Reply