The Rules of Love

秦三见Nov 2025

Rating 2.5
Word count
216K words
Chapters
32

Tags

Contemporary Romance Workplace RelationsLove at First SightMutual LoveAdult RomanceUrban RomancePhilosophical DialogueTender SentimentHeartwarming Narrative

Summary

One flight, one encounter.

Shen Huiming knows that for adults, love at first sight is really just desire at first sight. And he feels that for the flight attendant named Suo Yang.

In Alain de Botton's book, Suo Yang comes across the following lines:

Someone must be up there at thirty thousand feet, pulling the strings of our fate;

The philosopher in the bedroom is as absurd and ridiculous as the philosopher in the nightclub;

It is very difficult to distinguish passion from love, infatuation from affection;

Cupid's arrows are easier to shoot than to receive, easier to give than to take;

We need to take it upon ourselves to consider two people growing old together.

He feels that these lines from Essays in Love perfectly capture the rules of love between him and Shen Huiming.

Editor's review

This is an urban love story that begins with an encounter on a flight. Rather than writing love at first sight as pure romantic coincidence, the author uses lines from Essays in Love to lay bare the distinction between passion and love, infatuation and affection, so that the approach between two adults carries a sense of self-examination. The relationship between Shen Huiming and Suo Yang moves forward with both the lightness of attraction and a serious consideration of whether they can grow old together, and it never feels ungrounded. The narrative pace is light, alternating dialogue with psychological description, making it suitable for relaxing before bed or on weekends. For readers who enjoy restrained yet candid writing about love between adults, this book offers a romance sample that develops not through strong conflict but through mutual confirmation. As you read, pay attention to how the quoted lines echo the characters' states of mind, and you will find the emotional layers richer than they appear on the surface.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read in segments before bed or on weekends, following the rhythm of the dialogue without rushing to the ending.
  2. Pause when you reach a quoted line and think about which layer of the character's state of mind it corresponds to.
  3. After finishing, look back at the key moments in the relationship and trace how the feelings move from attraction to confirmation.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 第一条：肯定有谁在三万英尺的高空摆弄我们的命运。
  3. 01
  4. 02
  5. 03
  6. 04
  7. 05
  8. 第二条：卧室里的哲学家与夜总会里的哲学家一样荒谬滑稽。
  9. 06
  10. 07
  11. 08
  12. 09
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 第三条：要把激情和爱情、迷恋和爱恋区分开来是很困难的。
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 第四条：丘比特箭的发射比接收更容易，给予比接受更容易。
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 第五条：我们需要责无旁贷地思量两个人一起慢慢变老。
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 番外 一场虚惊

FAQ

Is this a tragedy or a happy ending? The available information indicates that the story revolves around the romance after the two meet and settles on the consideration of growing old together, with an overall warm and confirming direction. The specific ending is not expanded in the synopsis, so it is best to rely on the actual reading rather than presupposing sadness or joy.
Are there many quotes from Essays in Love in the book? The synopsis explicitly mentions that Suo Yang reads several lines from Essays in Love about fate, passion, and affection, and believes they present the rules of love between the two. These quotations are important clues for understanding the characters' emotions, and you can pay attention to when they appear while reading.
Is it suitable for male readers? Yes. The story centers on a two-person relationship and involves adults' discernment and confirmation of feelings, and it is not aimed at only one gender. For readers who enjoy light urban emotional narratives, the reading threshold is not high.

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About the author

秦三见 Author · Chinese

Qin Sanjian is a Chinese author of online fiction, about whom public information is limited; no clear record of birth year, birthplace, or educational background is available. A contracted writer on Jinjiang Literature City, Qin focuses mainly on original boys' love fiction while also writing modern romance and youth literature, with more than twenty contracted published works and eleven titles held in this collection. The stories are mostly grounded in urban relationships and favor a light-comedic tone with redemptive arcs, portraying characters' wounds and reconciliation within gentle, witty everyday settings; emotional development unfolds naturally and relationships are drawn with care. Representative titles include Qinglai, Jinri Ruchun, Cishen, and Chunchao Weiwang, while the two-male-lead short-story collection The Real Universe also shows Qin's skill in shorter forms.