Love at the Appointed Hour

Name: Love at the Appointed Hour
ISBN: 9787546421155

是今成都时代出版社 · ChinaJan 2023

3.7

Word count: 279K words
Chapters: 70
ISBN: 9787546421155

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Summary

[Love at first sight + reunion after long separation + time travel] Six years ago, she traveled through time, fell in love with him, and vanished without a word. Six years later, he has waited himself into a bitter grudge, while she pretends not to know him! A sweet romance by Jinjiang star author Shi Jin: watch a devoted, tsundere loyal dog fall effortlessly for a fierce, adorable girl.

"You fell for me at first sight, right? What a coincidence—I did too."

Fu Xiao travels back six years, charms a loyal dog named Ji Xiujun, then disappears into thin air.

Ji Xiujun searches in vain, loving and hating Fu Xiao in equal measure.

Six years later, Fu Xiao explains why she vanished and hopes to rekindle their romance.

Ji Xiujun tsundere-ly refuses, secretly overjoyed; only after Fu Xiao repeatedly swears never to abandon him again does he half-reluctantly give himself to her.

Editor's review

This is the sweet-romance route Shi Jin excels at, weaving high-concept elements—love at first sight, reunion after long separation, and time travel—into a brisk, direct-conflict narrative. The core appeal lies in the comic tension created by the time gap between the heroine's "seduce and run" and the hero's "waiting until he becomes a resentful bachelor": the heroine is high in combat prowess yet endearingly cute, while the hero is devoted, tsundere, and says one thing but means another. Their post-reunion push-and-pull delivers both misunderstandings and sweetness, making it suitable for readers seeking light stress relief and emotional value. The author handles the sweet-romance interactions with steady control, the dialogue is lively, and the plot moves without dragging—good for fragmented reading time like commutes or before bed. One caveat: this book prioritizes the romance line and light-comedy atmosphere, so don't demand rigorous temporal logic; read it as a brisk sweet story and the experience will be smoother.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Romance readers who enjoy love-at-first-sight and reunion-after-separation setups
Office workers looking for light sweet romance to unwind with on their commute
Readers who prefer a high-combat-power heroine paired with a tsundere loyal-dog hero
Readers interested in time-travel themes who can accept light logic

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting rigorous temporal worldbuilding and hard sci-fi explanations
Those who dislike sweet-romance tropes and tsundere push-and-pull plots
Readers who prefer realistic fiction or serious literature

Reading tips

Start with the opening time-travel meeting to establish the emotional foundation before entering the reunion line.
Pay attention to the hero's contradictory words and actions to better appreciate the sweet-comedy tension.
Best read chapter by chapter on commutes or before bed; no need to finish in one sitting.
Don't take the time-travel setup too seriously—focus on character interactions and emotional progression.

About the publisher

成都时代出版社 China · Founded in 1985

Chengdu Times Press is a comprehensive publishing house whose output spans popular science, modern romance, time-travel and alternate-history fiction, wuxia novels, and social fiction. Although the database contains only seven titles, they already show considerable breadth: popular-science works such as The First Fossil Hunters, involving authors including Adrienne Mayor, Xing Lida, and Ding Guozong, sit alongside novels such as Timing Love, Zhenxiang, Here: Lighting the Lotus, Yongfeng Inn, The Wind and Dust of a Medical Journey, and Roots, which range across romance, alternate worlds, wuxia, and realistic themes. Its authors include Shijin, Yanmao yu Jiu, Jiang Xueluo, Lü Jiafa, and Liu Wei. Because public information is limited, its publishing profile can currently be described only in terms of the diverse subjects reflected in these titles and a balance between popular science and genre fiction.

版权信息
第一章惊鸿一瞥
第二章久别重逢
第三章有客自远方来
第四章梦里不知身是客
第五章朋友眼里出西施
第六章迷雾重重
第七章青梅竹马
第八章落花有意
第九章故人之谜
第十章时光倒错
第十一章一穷二白
第十二章意外重逢
第十三章花褪残红青杏小
第十四章前因后果
第十五章两小无猜
第十六章一见钟情
第十七章时间拐点
第十八章眼光独到
第十九章怦然心动
第二十章一见如故
第二十一章穷困潦倒
第二十二章剧本有变
第二十三章及时雨
第二十四章新工作
第二十五章帅老板
第二十六章居一室
第二十七章夜深花睡
第二十八章守株待兔
第二十九章机缘巧合
第三十章缘分之谜
第三十一章朝夕相处
第三十二章时光密码
第三十三章约会
第三十四章有变
第三十五章心动
第三十六章夏雨
第三十七章告白
第三十八章两难
第三十九章夏夜
第四十章初吻
第四十一章篝火
第四十二章密码
第四十三章改变
第四十四章纪念
第四十五章书信
第四十六章礼物
第四十七章分离
第四十八章回归
第四十九章失恋
第五十章解释
第五十一章别扭
第五十二章酸气
第五十三章赌气
第五十四章断肠草
第五十五章巧遇
第五十六章破冰
第五十七章绝情丹
第五十八章回魂丹
第五十九章一世英名啊
第六十章反应
第六十一章重新开始
第六十二章约会归来
第六十三章攻关
第六十四章保质期
第六十五章逼婚
第六十六章结局
番外谢麟
番外陆灵犀
后记

FAQ

I haven't read anything by Shi Jin—is this a good entry point?

Yes. This is a typical sweet-romance route with concentrated elements and a brisk pace; the time-travel and reunion setup is clarified right at the start, so no prior reading experience is needed. If you enjoy light romance lines and high-sweetness interactions, this lets you experience the author's style; if you prefer complex worldbuilding or serious narrative, it may not be the best entry.

Why does the heroine "pretend not to know" the hero after their reunion?

The material shows the heroine traveled through time six years ago, fell in love with the hero, then left; six years later she explains her disappearance and hopes to rekindle the relationship, while the hero—having searched fruitlessly and torn between love and resentment—puts on a tsundere refusal. The "pretending not to know" is the source of tension in the early reunion scenes; the specific motives and development require reading the book, and one shouldn't speculate beyond the text.

Is the time-travel setup complex and hard to understand?

From the material, time travel mainly serves as the premise for the two meeting and separating, with the focus on the emotional push-and-pull and sweet interactions after reunion rather than rigorous temporal logic. Treat it as a setup device for the romance and don't scrutinize the timeline point by point, or it may detract from the light reading experience.

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About the author

是今 Author

Shi Jin is a web-fiction author about whom little public information is available; details such as real name, nationality, and dates of birth and death remain unknown. Judging from the 24 works held in the collection, Shi Jin has long been active in genres including time-travel and alternate-history fiction, modern romance, and youth literature. Representative works include Huai Bi Ye Xing, Ding Shi Zhi Lian, Xing De Xiang Feng Wei Jia Shi, Zhe Jin Chun Feng, Jiu Suan Bu Neng Yu Ni Dao Zui Hou, Jia Qi You Yue, Zui Mei Nian Hua Xie Hou Ni, and Yi Qian Ling Yi Lian. Her writing centers on romance while also spanning time-travel alternate worlds and coming-of-age themes, and her titles often carry lyrical and narrative overtones, reflecting a sustained interest in emotional relationships and the fates of her characters. Because author statements, interviews, and publishing background materials are lacking, the development of her style and her specific influence cannot be confirmed, but readers may gain a sense of her thematic orientation and narrative profile through the works listed above.