Troublesome

Footnotes

1. 陆枕秋 | Lù Zhěnqiū
2. 唐迎夏 | Táng Yíngxià
3. 死对头 | sǐduìtóu | Literally “death-match opponent” or “mortal enemy.” Refers to a sworn enemy or arch-rival with whom one has a long-standing and often irreconcilable feud. Common English equivalents: arch-nemesis, sworn enemy, bitter rival.
4. 靳水澜 | Jìn Shuǐlán
5. 高岭之花 | gāolǐng zhī huā | Literally “flower on a high mountain peak.” A metaphor for someone (often a beautiful woman) who is admired from afar but is seen as cold, aloof, unapproachable, or unattainable, much like a beautiful flower growing in an inaccessible high place. Common English functional equivalents: ice queen, unattainable beauty.
6. 孤寡 | gūguǎ | Literally “solitary and widowed” or “orphaned and alone.” In modern internet slang, especially in webnovel contexts, it’s often used humorously or self-deprecatingly to describe someone who is perpetually single, aloof, or seems destined to be alone, sometimes implying they are socially awkward or unapproachable in romantic contexts. It can carry a slightly teasing or melancholic tone. Common English functional equivalents: chronically single, lone wolf, forever alone.
7. 直播 | zhíbō | Live broadcast, live streaming. A common activity in modern internet culture and frequently featured in webnovels, often involving celebrities, influencers, or authors interacting with their audience in real-time.
8. 老师 | lǎoshī | Means “teacher.” A respectful form of address for teachers, mentors, or experts in a field, such as an author like Jin Shuilan.
9. 草 | Cǎo | Literally “grass.” In Chinese internet slang, this character is a very common euphemism for 肏 (cào), which means “to fuck.” It’s used as an expletive similar to “fuck,” “shit,” or “damn” in English to express shock, frustration, or strong emotion.
10. 脸都绿了 | liǎn dōu lǜ le | Literally “face all turned green.” An idiom describing someone’s face changing color due to extreme anger, frustration, shock, envy, or illness. Similar to the English “green with envy” but can also signify anger or sickness. Common English functional equivalents: face turned green (with anger/shock/envy), livid, pale with fright.
11. 打脸 | dǎ liǎn | Literally “to slap (someone’s) face.” A very popular trope in Chinese webnovels. It refers to a situation where someone who was arrogant, dismissive, or wrong is proven spectacularly wrong or humiliated, often by the protagonist they underestimated. It provides a satisfying reversal for the reader.