With the Smoke

腊八椰子Jun 2022

3.4

Word count: 110K words
Chapters: 50

Summary

She loves him, so she rushes toward him with solitary courage. Liu Yunzhi treats her extremely well—asking about her warmth and cold, coaxing her to sleep at night, telling her stories when he has time, touching her slightly bulging belly, and discussing the child's name with her... She deceives herself and sinks into it, drunk in the net of tenderness he weaves, thinking of growing old with him as a pair. But in the end, she is utterly disappointed and heartbroken. Now, reborn for another life, the elegant Liu Yunzhi has no connection with her yet. But she cannot lie to herself that she no longer likes him at all; when she sees him, her heart beats violently. "Yan'er, I've found you a scholar; you will definitely like him." "Brother, he is a disaster."

Editor's review

Banyan is a romance novel framed by rebirth, and its core appeal lies in the emotional tearing the heroine experiences when facing old people and old matters again with knowledge of the ending. The author Laba Yezi does not write rebirth as a simple revenge satisfaction story; instead, she lets the heroine waver repeatedly between "knowing he is a disaster" and "her heart beating violently," and this confrontation between reason and instinct constitutes the book's main tension. Liu Yunzhi is portrayed in the previous life as the embodiment of gentle consideration—asking about warmth and cold, telling stories and coaxing her to sleep, discussing the child's name—and the more delicate the daily details, the more the later utter disappointment and heartbreak hurt; after rebirth these memories become the heroine's one-sided burden and let readers experience the torment she cannot voice to others. The sibling dialogue "I've found you a scholar" and "he is a disaster" brings a light, homey tone that contrasts with the heroine's inner heaviness, so it does not read as unrelievedly oppressive. Suitable for continuous reading before bed or on weekends, following the heroine's perspective to gradually clarify what she really wants. Note that the book has a high emotional concentration and the early buildup leans heavily on psychological description; readers need some patience to enter the character's inner world.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Romance readers who like rebirth themes and want to see the heroine struggle between old love and new circumstances
Readers who prefer delicate psychological description and can accept slow-burn emotional buildup
Readers interested in the gentle male lead and the "knowing it's wrong yet still moved" setup
Casual readers who want to read a story with high emotional concentration in their leisure time

Not a good fit for

Readers who expect fast-paced revenge satisfaction and want the heroine to turn against him immediately
Readers who dislike past-life entanglement and repeated emotional tug-of-war
Readers sensitive to plots such as pregnancy and marriage and who wish to avoid such content

Reading tips

Read the first few chapters before judging whether you are hooked; this book has heavy emotional buildup, so do not rush to conclusions at the beginning.
Pay attention to the heroine's different reactions to the same scenes in the two lives; this is key to understanding the character's changes.
Read the sibling dialogue against the heroine's inner monologue to better appreciate the contrast between surface and interior.
If you are easily moved emotionally, read in segments; there is no need to read deep into the night in one sitting.

版权信息
01 我跑不掉了
02 前世今生的纠葛
03 我很早便欢喜你
04 传说中的阎王兄妹
05 心悦的人
06 他要娶她？
07 坠入爱河
08 私定终身
09 红豆和相思
10 满腔爱意
11 心结解了
12 这般可爱天真
13 念书
14 听得面红耳赤
15 小小试探
16 情难自禁
17 心不在焉
18 护短
19 上药
20 小鱼儿的身世
21 许愿
22 心悦于你
23 一粒糖
24 浓情
25 求亲
26 收拾行李
27 英雄救美
28 一见钟情
29 命运弄人
30 风尘女子
31 怀孕
32 浪漫过往
33 皇上赐婚
34 隐疾
35 剿匪刻不容缓
36 哥哥被抓
37 公开审讯
38 尾声
番外前世（一）
番外前世（二）
番外前世（三）
番外前世（四）
番外前世（五）
番外前世（六）
番外前世（七）
番外前世（八）
番外前世（九）
番外前世（十）
番外前世（十一）

FAQ

Is this book a rebirth story, and how much is the rebirth setup used?

It is a rebirth setup. The heroine returns with memories of her previous life to a time when she has no connection with Liu Yunzhi yet; rebirth is not only the starting point of the plot but also the source of the whole book's emotional tension—she knows the previous life's ending but cannot control her heartbeat when she sees him. The setup is mainly used to drive psychological description rather than large-scale turnaround plot.

Is the male lead Liu Yunzhi good or bad?

The available information presents two sides: in the previous life he treated the heroine extremely well—asking about her warmth and cold, coaxing her to sleep and telling stories, discussing the child's name—but in the end the heroine was utterly disappointed and heartbroken; in this life the heroine's brother directly calls him "a disaster." The book does not give a simple good-or-bad label; readers need to follow the heroine's perspective and judge for themselves.

Is the ending happy or angsty?

The information only goes as far as the heroine after rebirth still not letting go of old feelings, her heart beating violently when she sees Liu Yunzhi, and her brother calling him a disaster; the final direction is not stated. It is best to read it as a work whose appeal is emotional tug-of-war, without presupposing the ending type.

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About the author

腊八椰子 Author

Labab Yezi is an author about whom limited public information is currently available. The library holds one work by this author, the modern romance novel accompanied by Smoke. Based on the existing information, the author's writing is focused on the common genre of modern romance, with only a small number of works so far, and no complete, verifiable author profile has yet taken shape. There is no reliable public record of Labab Yezi's real name, nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, or writing career, so excessive speculation would be inappropriate. As for the one collected work, accompanied by Smoke, readers may regard it as an attempt within this genre; the author's choice of subject stays close to contemporary urban emotional themes, and the title carries a hazy, understated imagery that suggests the work may emphasize atmosphere and the development of relationships between characters. Given the lack of further works and critical materials, it is difficult to judge the full range of the author's style or influence. This introduction is based only on facts available in the library and may be supplemented if new works or public information emerge.