Winter of the Eighth Year

纸十八Jun 2023

3.2

Word count: 70K words
Chapters: 25

Summary

Li Xiting, a sensitive teenage girl, falls in love for the first time with Chen Nian, the boy who seems to glow when he stands in a crowd.

She carefully cultivates every interest that might bring her closer to him, and finally turns those interests into a single goal—getting into Nanjing University, to be with him.

But life is always cruel: she gets into Nanjing University but does not have him. She is like Cinderella in a fairy tale, but she does not have the fitting glass slipper.

Without that slipper, she cannot walk into his world, and so they become two parallel lines that will never meet.

She uses countless reasons to make herself better, and behind all those reasons the real master is him—Chen Nian.

She spends half her youth keeping him in her memory, and he is also what traps her.

She is trapped in that snow for many, many years, until the day she learns he is getting married, and only then does she realize that everything, all of it, was her own "one-woman show."

Only on the day she and her eyes close in eternal sleep does she have the courage to say: "My boy, congratulations on your wedding."

Editor's review

The Eighth Year's Winter is about a youthful crush that never echoes back. The author, Zhi Shiba, writes Li Xiting's inner life in fine detail: to get closer to Chen Nian she learns the things he likes and quietly turns those interests into a goal of getting into Nanjing University. This way of turning love into self-improvement makes the crush more than bitterness—it carries a clumsy, earnest sense of growth. The story does not stop at the sugary formula of "get into the same university and all is well"; instead, after Li Xiting reaches her goal, she finds that the two are still like parallel lines. That gap rings true to the many feelings in real life that simply fade without resolution. The novel spans a long stretch of time, from girlhood to the news of his marriage, with emotion piling up layer by layer; it suits slow reading on a quiet night. It offers no compensating happy ending, but it shows how a person can spend half a youth remembering another and how, when the "one-woman show" ends, she learns to say goodbye. For readers who like delicate psychological portraiture and can accept a regretful ending, this book has a real ache and an aftertaste.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like youthful-crush stories and can accept a regretful ending
Readers who prefer delicate psychological writing and care about inner growth
Young readers in the middle of unrequited love or just letting go, who need emotional resonance
Readers who want a short, bittersweet story for quiet nighttime reading

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for mutual love and a sweet, happy ending
Readers who prefer strong plot and fast pacing
People who easily over-identify with long unrequited love and sad feelings and need lighter reading

Reading tips

Read when your mood is steady; avoid finishing it in one sitting during a low period, which may deepen the gloom.
When Li Xiting changes her interests for Chen Nian, pause and ask whether you have ever "become better for someone" in a similar way.
At the end, reread the line "congratulations on your wedding" to feel the layers between farewell and letting go.
After finishing, write a short response piece to sort out your own view of "one-woman show" feelings, which can help you process the emotion.

版权信息
第一章新婚快乐
第二章同学，你的伞
第三章父亲
第四章陈年同学新年快乐
第五章是他的纽扣
第六章她不敢与他年年
第七章希望他万事如意，希望我如愿以偿
第八章岁岁年年
第九章暗恋的种子
第十章听你的，我试试南大
第十一章我真的没有家了
第十二章我的少年，高考加油。
第十三章北边穷苦南边富裕
第十四章遗憾从这一刻开始
第十五章永不后退
第十六章不负年华，终见春山
第十七章南大，我来了
第十八章命运弄人，天意如此。
第十九章第八年冬
番外（一）陈年篇
番外（二）南月篇
番外（三）第八年冬我要离开了
番外（四）她故事的主角（1）
番外（五）她故事的主角（2）

FAQ

Does this book have a happy ending?

No. The story leans toward regret: Li Xiting gets into Nanjing University but never enters Chen Nian's world, and the two remain like parallel lines. Only when she learns he is getting married does she realize it was mostly a one-woman show. The book's focus is not on a happy ending but on how a person faces feelings that are never returned and completes a farewell.

Is it suitable for male readers?

Yes. Although the main line is a teenage girl's crush, it writes about the universal experience of one-sided feeling and self-growth, and male readers can see themselves or people around them in it. That said, if you only like strong plot and fast pacing, it may feel slow.

Will I feel very depressed after reading it?

There is some sadness, but it is not gloomy all the way through. Alongside the bitterness of the crush, the author writes about Li Xiting working to become better in order to get closer to him, and that part carries the strength of growth. When you are emotionally sensitive, it is best not to read it straight through; after reading, shift your attention appropriately.

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About the author

纸十八 Author · China

Zhi Shiba is a Chinese author of youth literature, about whom limited public information is available. Two of her works are currently included in the collection: The Eighth Winter and Green Fields and Thorns. Judging from these two books, her writing tends to focus on the emotional ups and downs and life choices of growing up, and she is skilled at developing character relationships against the backdrop of changing seasons and natural imagery, creating a delicate and slightly melancholic narrative atmosphere. The Eighth Winter uses a span of years as its thread, linking the characters' long-held concerns and changes over time, while Green Fields and Thorns contrasts "green fields" with "thorns" to reflect the beauty and setbacks encountered on the path of growth. Overall, Zhi Shiba's prose leans toward restrained lyricism, emphasizing the progression of emotion and the accumulation of detail, giving her a certain recognizability among readers of youth literature. As the author has not disclosed further biographical information, the full scope of her work remains to be supplemented by future publications.