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There Is No Observatory on Xiaotan Mountain
In Haishi, there’s a common saying: Tan Dashao’s (Young Master Tan’s) arrogance, three parts are the Tan family’s fault, seven parts are Shen Zongnian’s.
Tan Youming had long held the title of the island’s most coveted playboy. TCB magazine once famously wrote, “When Mr. Tan smiles, even a typhoon over the island seems to clear.”
But a dazzling butterfly is impossible to catch.
No one knows that the amount of money Tan Youming has spent on Shen Zongnian is a thousand, ten thousand times more than all the gifts he’s ever given to his female companions, female friends, or blind dates combined.
When a date invited him to dinner, Tan Youming glanced at his watch and said, “Next time. Shen Zongnian’s about to get off work.”
“……”
At an auction, when a date said she wanted a painting, Tan Youming smiled and said, “That one’s no good. My friend likes it.” He added, gentlemanly, “Why don’t you pick another?”
“……”
Shen Zongnian, cast out by his own family, was sent to the Tan household at twelve, where he lived under their protection until he came of age. With iron-willed determination, he clawed his way to the top in just a few short years—stepping over the bones of kin, sparing no one: the parents who abandoned him, the cousin who framed him, the uncles who threatened him, and anyone who took advantage of him when he was down.
But now, he’s decided to release the butterfly that was never his to keep.
Tan Youming had long held the title of the island’s most coveted playboy. TCB magazine once famously wrote, “When Mr. Tan smiles, even a typhoon over the island seems to clear.”
But a dazzling butterfly is impossible to catch.
No one knows that the amount of money Tan Youming has spent on Shen Zongnian is a thousand, ten thousand times more than all the gifts he’s ever given to his female companions, female friends, or blind dates combined.
When a date invited him to dinner, Tan Youming glanced at his watch and said, “Next time. Shen Zongnian’s about to get off work.”
“……”
At an auction, when a date said she wanted a painting, Tan Youming smiled and said, “That one’s no good. My friend likes it.” He added, gentlemanly, “Why don’t you pick another?”
“……”
Shen Zongnian, cast out by his own family, was sent to the Tan household at twelve, where he lived under their protection until he came of age. With iron-willed determination, he clawed his way to the top in just a few short years—stepping over the bones of kin, sparing no one: the parents who abandoned him, the cousin who framed him, the uncles who threatened him, and anyone who took advantage of him when he was down.
But now, he’s decided to release the butterfly that was never his to keep.
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 25, 2026
I remember seeing a post online of someone questioning how those domineering CEOs have so much time to play romance when they're supposed to be running a whole company, and this novel is like what if it was more realistic, so we got 70% business drama and only 30% romance. The romance is also super slow-burn (like they get together in the last 10 chapters). Keats is slow-burn too I guess, but this is like 5x slower in burn, most of the time nothing is really even burning, it's being steamed at low heat by Shen Zongnian. (I do like the dynamic between Shen Zongnian x Tan Youming more though.)
While there's a decent amount of plot, trope, and stylistic similarities to Keats, this story still feels pretty different. Beyond the pacing, Xiaotan Mountain is also not as easily engaging as Keats. Keats takes place mostly during scenes where these rich heirs are playing (wasting money) and having fun (depravity), while in Xiaotan pretty much all they're doing is work work work. I honestly did get pretty bored since I felt like we're doing the same things over and over again for 20+ chapters with no progress in any direction. Things picked up near the end, but many aspects of the story just wasn't explore in as much depth as I would've liked, which made the impact and payoff feel somewhat lukewarm. Keats have the feeling of a wine-induced haze, while Xiaotan Mountain felt more like breathing in cold cigarette smoke, a bit acrid and bitter. There's more angst and a sort of constant feeling of having something caught in your throat. Personally think it might've been due to differences between Chen Wan's vs Shen Zongnian's perspectives.
Overall not a bad experience, but I was a bit underwhelmed.
While there's a decent amount of plot, trope, and stylistic similarities to Keats, this story still feels pretty different. Beyond the pacing, Xiaotan Mountain is also not as easily engaging as Keats. Keats takes place mostly during scenes where these rich heirs are playing (wasting money) and having fun (depravity), while in Xiaotan pretty much all they're doing is work work work. I honestly did get pretty bored since I felt like we're doing the same things over and over again for 20+ chapters with no progress in any direction. Things picked up near the end, but many aspects of the story just wasn't explore in as much depth as I would've liked, which made the impact and payoff feel somewhat lukewarm. Keats have the feeling of a wine-induced haze, while Xiaotan Mountain felt more like breathing in cold cigarette smoke, a bit acrid and bitter. There's more angst and a sort of constant feeling of having something caught in your throat. Personally think it might've been due to differences between Chen Wan's vs Shen Zongnian's perspectives.
Overall not a bad experience, but I was a bit underwhelmed.
November 12, 2026
Tan Youming looked at Shen Zongnian’s pitch-black eyes with some nervousness, until the other man pulled him into his arms, pressed a hand to the back of his head, and said by his ear, "Tan Youming, thank you. I like it very much. But, I no longer need an observatory."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews