Tao Xue

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Tao Xue (陶雪)
Alias(es)	“Aunt Tao”; “Aunt Xue” 34 45
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Youke; later worked in literary planning for Shan Hai Hui Juan and The Wandering Earth game and film projects 604
Occupation/Role	Online novelist; literary planner and scriptwriting contributor 495 604
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background & History

Tao Xue first appears as a first-year senior student at County No. 2 High School and a newly recruited member of its literary club. A devoted Guo Xiaosi reader, she approaches Chen Guiliang's book stall looking for The Edge of Love and Pain and seeks his supposed connection to Guo Xiaosi. Chen uses the false name “Zhang Wei” and wins her interest through a discussion of Dream of the Red Chamber, particularly his unexpected admiration for Grandma Liu. 2

She later discovers that “Senior Zhang Wei” is actually Chen Guiliang and that his claimed connection to Guo Xiaosi was fabricated. Although she arrives intending to confront him, his compliments about her new hairstyle quickly defuse her anger, establishing their teasing, literature-centered rapport. 12

When Tao Chenggang begins working with Chen, Tao Xue personally buys and delivers a Xiaolingtong to Chen's dorm on her brother's behalf. She and Chen turn their unusual seniority connection into a running joke: she calls him her “big nephew,” while he calls her “Aunt Tao” or “Aunt Xue.” 33 34 45

Before Chen leaves for Peking University, Tao gives him Jay Chou's Common Jasmin Orange and later a pair of gloves she knitted herself. She declares that she wants to enter Peking University and remain his junior schoolmate. 88

Tao scores only six points above the first-tier university admission line, leaving her uncertain about her application options. She nevertheless begins college, becomes more socially confident, and continues visiting Chen in the Capital City. 244 276

Appearance

Tao Xue is introduced as a pretty, small-framed junior schoolmate. As she grows older, she becomes less thin, loses much of her baby fat, and develops a more mature oval face. 33 345 378

• Wore a Korean-inspired hairstyle during high school, which Chen described as refreshing and artistic. 12
• Was short enough to have her view blocked in crowds at the Bird's Nest test event. 345
• Her adult appearance is noted as more filled out and mature than in high school. 378

Personality

Tao Xue is lively, expressive, and talkative, often taking the lead in conversations with classmates and new acquaintances. Her curiosity can make her impulsive: she sneaks into bus stations, visits Chen's dormitory without hesitation, and becomes absorbed in ideas such as antique hunting after reading adventure fiction. 33 52 277 278

Literature is central to her identity. Although she begins as a Guo Xiaosi fan, she reacts angrily when she believes he plagiarized another work, insisting that she “support[s] justice, not relatives.” 49

Her feelings for Chen are sincere but complicated by Bian Guanyue's prior relationship with him. Tao alternates between bold pursuit, insecurity, competitiveness, and resignation; she eventually accepts an unconventional relationship while still struggling with being secondary to Bian. 176 277 379

She is self-aware about her short-lived enthusiasm for new pursuits. Despite completing successful novels, she repeatedly abandons hobbies and career experiments once their novelty fades. 548 604

Writing Career

Tao begins publishing web fiction during her first year of college. She initially writes for Qidian's male readership, attempting tomb-raiding, historical, fantasy, xianxia, alternate-history, and fanfiction stories. She abandons more than ten novels before recognizing that she is better suited to writing for a female readership and moving to Jinjiang. 313 495

Her breakthrough work, Silk Road Dust, is a large-scale female-led historical novel set around the Western Regions. To depict its settings, she travels through the Gobi Desert, grasslands, deserts, and museums. The work remains in Jinjiang's VIP Golden List top three for three consecutive months. 495

Chen Guiliang acquires the physical-publication, comic, and film adaptation rights to Silk Road Dust. Its comic adaptation performs poorly enough to cause a small loss, but its anime adaptation later launches on both AcFun and Tudou. 495 534

After an extended hiatus, Tao begins Silk Road Dust 2: Princess Jieyou, a dual-protagonist sequel centered on Princess Jieyou and a Xiongnu princess amid the Han–Xiongnu struggle over Wusun. 583

Work	Format / Status	Notes
Silk Road Dust	Web novel; adapted into comic, anime, and planned historical drama	A female-led Western Regions story; ranked in Jinjiang's top three for three consecutive months. 495 523 534
Silk Road Dust 2: Princess Jieyou	Sequel novel	Focuses on Princess Jieyou, the Xiongnu princess, and political conflict in Wusun. 583

Relationships

• Chen Guiliang — High-school senior, longtime friend, romantic partner, and later publisher of her work. Tao's schoolgirl crush develops into a lasting relationship; she later describes him as a lover, and the narrative states that he marries her. 2 176 495 534 578
• Bian Guanyue — Chen's longtime girlfriend and Tao's initial romantic rival. Their relationship moves from subtle competition to an uneasy, increasingly cooperative coexistence. 277 378
• Tao Chenggang — Older brother. His business partnership with Chen creates Tao's first practical connection to Chen outside school. 26 33
• Xu Fengyin — Friend and creative collaborator. Xu Fengyin becomes a fan of Silk Road Dust, helps connect Tao with artists, and provides original character art for its anime adaptation. 495 534

Notable Quotes

“I support justice, not relatives, okay?” 49

“He's not a friend, he's a lover.” 534

Trivia

• Tao lived in a four-person girls' apartment at County No. 2 Middle School. 33
• Her “Aunt Tao” nickname originates from the joking seniority created by Tao Chenggang and Chen's uncle being classmates. 52
• She bought Chen's Xiaolingtong herself, loaded it with credit, and saved both her own and her brother's phone numbers in it. 33
• Tao bought a new Beetle using the copyright income from Silk Road Dust. 534
• By the final chapter, she has written only two novels over more than a decade, despite repeatedly returning to writing projects. 604