★ A masterpiece by Xia Shang, a representative writer of Chinese post-avant-garde literature, asking questions about the soul! His novels have been selected for "Advanced Readers of Contemporary Chinese Short Stories" by Duke University in the United States.
★ This book includes Xia Shang's two novellas My Sister Lover and Hate, which tell stories of two profound first loves, the ripples of which linger long in the heart.

My Sister Lover tells the emotional entanglement between the protagonist, a photographer, and the sisters Qige and Qiyu. In the end, shortly after giving birth to their daughter, Qiyu commits suicide by cutting her wrists due to a strange skin disease that disfigures her.

Hate tells the story of the heroine Hangzi, who is considered "mentally abnormal," and the hero, her former primary school classmate. The unexpected ending is tragic—it turns out that the heroine and her first love, Dabing, shared such a deep bond, yet after reuniting with Dabing, whom she had not heard from for years, she chooses to kill him...

"How is she now?" My voice trembled a little.
"She died soon after giving birth to Beijun."
"Beijun is Qiyu's daughter?" I was stunned.
"It's your and Qiyu's daughter."
"My daughter?"
"After Qiyu gave birth to Beijun, she cut her artery. Within half a year, white spots covered her face. She had lost her beauty by the time she died." Meng Hebing's tears rolled down her cheeks.
My eyes welled up with tears.

Xia Shang is a representative writer of Chinese post-avant-garde literature. He has authored novels such as The Chronicles of the Eastern Shore, Beggar’s Wandering, Herbalist, and Naked Ghost, as well as four volumes of Selected Works of Xia Shang and nine volumes of The Series of Xia Shang’s Novels. His novels have been selected for "Advanced Readers of Contemporary Chinese Short Stories" by Duke University in the United States.