Once in a Lifetime

Name: Once in a Lifetime
ISBN: 9787511370563

陈之遥China Overseas Publishing House · ChinaJun 2018

3.5

Word count: 202K words
Chapters: 27
ISBN: 9787511370563

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Summary

Su Min, born into a family of tailors, longs for a life less ordinary. She enters the fashion industry and becomes personal assistant to designer Fang Shuqi. Together they carve out a place for themselves in a world of glamour on the surface, hard work behind the scenes, and fierce infighting off the record, achieving success and finding love—only to break up over differences in outlook and a tangle of misunderstandings. After leaving Fang Shuqi, Su Min strikes out on her own, gaining a deeper understanding of fashion and of life itself, and a greater sympathy for Fang Shuqi's choices. Fang Shuqi, too, finally realizes what matters most, gives up his illusory success, returns to where he began, and starts over with Su Min.

Editor's review

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Encounter is the latest novel by Chen Zhiyao, continuing her signature style of finely observed urban emotional storytelling. This is no simple love story: it turns its lens on the deep contest between emotion and selfhood, and on personal growth, among urban men and women. Drawing on her legal background and years living in the United States, the author fills the story with authentic industry detail and an international narrative perspective, so that when the characters face emotional choices, the social relationships, career dilemmas, and conflicts of personal values behind those choices feel especially vivid.

In terms of reading value, the book's core appeal lies in its profound dissection of "modern intimacy." What it explores is not the surface question of "can they be together" but the deeper proposition of "in what posture do they stand side by side." The heroine, Su Xiao, has a clear and forceful arc of growth; her journey from initial confusion and dependence to final independence and clarity offers a strong point of reference for contemporary women. The hero, Gu Wei'an, also breaks free of the traditional domineering-CEO template; his complexity and inner struggles give the character genuine flesh and blood. The emotional tug-of-war between them is full of adult rational calculation and irrepressible emotional surge, and the tension is palpable.

Chen Zhiyao's prose is cool and precise, adept at using restrained dialogue and detail to sketch turbulent inner lives, and the narrative pace is well modulated. For readers who enjoy realistic urban emotional fiction, this book offers ample depth for reflection and emotional resonance; it is like a mirror reflecting the real predicaments modern people face between love and self-realization, and the possible ways out.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy realistic, finely written urban emotional novels
Readers interested in exploring women's independent growth and the balance of intimacy
Readers who appreciate well-rounded characters and emotionally logical, unconventional stories
Fans of workplace romance with a degree of professional background detail (such as law or business)

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for light, sweet, high-sugar romance throughout
Readers who cannot accept realistic weighing and hesitation in the protagonists' emotional lives

Reading tips

Pay attention to the heroine Su Xiao's psychological trajectory; her growth is key to understanding the book's theme
Note the discussions of career choice and personal value, an important subplot
The author plants details and metaphors that echo back and forth; immersive reading brings out their subtlety

About the publisher

China Overseas Publishing House China · Founded in 1988

China Overseas Publishing House focuses on philosophy, history, world classics and mystery and detective fiction, with a secondary interest in foreign literature and folk literature. Its catalogue of roughly 960 titles includes Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Jiang Tingfu's Modern Chinese History, Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, Arthur Conan Doyle's Complete Sherlock Holmes, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, as well as Classic Collected Edition of Greek Myths and a beautifully illustrated edition of Zhuangzi, giving it a publishing profile centred on classic translations and traditional Chinese culture. Its authors and translators range from Wittgenstein, Jiang Tingfu, Mitchell, Conan Doyle and Saint-Exupéry to Huang Min, Fu Donghua and Liu Shijie. Public information about its editorial philosophy and series system is limited.

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【前传】上海往事

FAQ

Does this book have a HE (Happy Ending) or a BE (Bad Ending)?

The ending is open and full of hope, focusing more on the two protagonists' growth and their redefinition of the relationship. It fits a realist tone and cannot be summed up by a simple sad-or-happy label.

Is the plot melodramatic or angsty?

The plot develops from character and realistic logic; the conflicts arise from differences in values, career choices, and life stages. The emotional portrayal is deep, but it is not driven by external melodramatic events, and the level of angst is moderate.

Are Chen Zhiyao's other works similar in style to this book?

This book continues the sharp yet warm observation of urban emotional relationships found in the author's other works, such as Island Survivor and The First Time. The style is consistent, though the character setup and exploration of themes are more mature and profound here.

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About the author

陈之遥 Author

Chen Zhiyao is a Chinese author about whom little public information is available; the existing information comes mainly from her works. Five of her books are included in the collection: This Is a Song of Parting, If You Hear, I Once Loved You So Much, Day & Night, and One Encounter in a Lifetime. These works suggest that she focuses on such genres as youth literature, modern romance, and social fiction, with themes centered on emotional relationships, experiences of growing up, and urban life. She is good at portraying characters' psychology and the twists of fate within everyday situations. Her book titles often carry a lyrical and retrospective tone, indicating a writing orientation that emphasizes emotional narrative and reflections on life. Because biographical information has not yet been made public, readers' understanding of her still comes mainly from the works themselves, and she has thus left an impression on readers of the relevant genres through the concentration of her subject matter and the sincerity of her emotional expression.