Longing for the Distant

谢小禾Feb 2024

3.5

Word count: 154K words
Chapters: 30

Summary

Yu Wei, a surgeon devoted to her patients but indifferent to her own love life, meets Zhou Nianyuan during a late-night emergency consultation. Known as "Xiao Wu," Zhou has a frail constitution, an uncertain diagnosis, and little willingness to cooperate with treatment—which leaves the highly responsible Dr. Yu thoroughly preoccupied with him. As their encounters multiply, that preoccupation seems to cross the line of an ordinary doctor-patient relationship, gaining an involuntary note of care. But Nianyuan's family background is complicated, and Yu Wei never imagines the trials that await them—trials that will even ensnare the innocent people around them…

Editor's review

*Nian Yuan* sets its story in the hospital—an everyday yet high-pressure setting—opening with a late-night emergency consultation: surgeon Yu Wei cares deeply about her patients but little about her own love life, while patient Zhou Nianyuan has a frail constitution, an uncertain diagnosis, and no willingness to cooperate with treatment. Dr. Yu's strong sense of responsibility makes her thoroughly preoccupied with him, and that preoccupation gradually crosses the boundary of an ordinary doctor-patient relationship. Xie Xiaohe's writing is restrained and delicate, giving lasting resonance to the care, tentative probing, and involuntary concern between doctor and patient. The latter half turns to Nianyuan's complicated family background, as troubles arrive one after another and even ensnare innocent bystanders, adding a layer of real-world pressure beyond the emotional thread. Suitable for readers who enjoy slow-burn romance driven by everyday detail, and for those interested in doctor-patient relationship themes. Readers expecting strong plot twists or fast-paced conflict may find the early sections slow.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Romance readers who enjoy slow-burn, everyday stories driven by detail
Fiction readers interested in doctor-patient relationship themes
Readers who prefer restrained, delicate writing over melodramatic conflict
Readers who want to feel characters' emotional shifts through easy reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong plot twists and fast-paced conflict
Readers uninterested in medical settings and doctor-patient relationship themes
Readers who prefer grand worldbuilding or historical settings

Reading tips

Begin with the late-night consultation encounter and note the contrast between Yu Wei's preoccupation with her patient and her avoidance of her own feelings.
Pay attention to the reasons behind Zhou Nianyuan's reluctance to cooperate with treatment, which helps illuminate the foreshadowing of later family troubles.
The romance develops slowly; read at a chapter-by-chapter pace rather than rushing to find intense conflict.
When the story turns to Nianyuan's family background, look back at the details of earlier doctor-patient interactions for echoes.

版权信息
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
第六章
第七章
第八章
第九章
第十章
第十一章
第十二章
第十三章
第十四章
第十五章
第十六章
第十七章
第十八章
第十九章
第二十章
第二十一章
第二十二章
第二十三章
第二十四章
第二十五章
第二十六章
第二十七章
第二十八章
第二十九章

FAQ

Is this a medical-industry novel or pure romance?

Judging from the synopsis, the story begins with the hospital and the doctor-patient relationship; the interactions between surgeon Yu Wei and patient Zhou Nianyuan form the main line of emotional development, with the medical setting providing background and the basis for their relationship—overall, it is closer to a romance that starts from a doctor-patient encounter.

Do the male and female leads' feelings develop quickly?

The synopsis shows that Yu Wei initially cares for her patient out of a sense of responsibility, and only gradually does that care cross into an ordinary doctor-patient relationship—a type that advances slowly through everyday concern rather than a rapid love-at-first-sight unfolding.

Is the later part of the story very angsty?

The synopsis mentions that Nianyuan's family background is complicated and that the two later encounter many trials, even ensnaring innocent bystanders. Readers can expect real-world pressure and twists beyond the emotional line, but the exact degree depends on the actual reading; the synopsis gives no more detailed direction.

Is it suitable for readers who like light, sweet stories?

The book has gentle passages of everyday care and emotional probing, but it also involves an uncertain illness, a complicated family background, and troubles that ensnare others—it is not a purely light and sweet story throughout. Readers who prefer pure sweetness without twists should consider carefully.

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About the author

谢小禾 Author · Chinese

Xie Xiaohe is a Chinese author about whom only limited public information is available; neither her dates of birth and death nor an English name have been clearly recorded. Judging from the two works held in the collection, Jianghu Is So Full of Demons and Nian Yuan, her writing spans the common categories of time-travel alternate history and modern romance, suggesting a creative range that moves between different kinds of subject matter. Jianghu Is So Full of Demons, as the title suggests, appears to blend martial-arts world and fantasy elements, possibly using a time-travel framework to build an alternate narrative, while Nian Yuan belongs to modern romance, its title carrying a sense of longing and remembrance and perhaps focusing on urban relationships and delicate emotional portrayal. Though only two works are listed, they already outline an expressive scope that combines historical imagination with realistic emotion. Because biographical materials and the author's own accounts of her writing are lacking, a full assessment of her style and influence on readers remains difficult and must await more works and public information.