A traditional man of letters without knowledge of any foreign languages, Lin Shu undertook translation with the mere help of oral interpreters to become a pioneer in introducing foreign novels to China in the Late Qing period. His translated works, love stories in particular, were widely popular at the time. In addition to translation, Lin Shu also wrote short stories of his own, some of which, as can be found in his WeiLu Manlu (畏廬漫錄), were love stories. This article takes examples from WeiLu Manlu to see how Lin’s love stories are influenced by his translated novels. Although WeiLu Manlu follows the narrative convention of Strange Tales from Liaozhai (聊齋志異) in the main, its apparent application of techniques from the Western novels evinces how the influence mentioned above takes place. Lin Shu makes indirect acquaintance with western societies and life-styles from the stories he translates. In western love stories, he senses that amorous love itself has a paramount value, that men and women are autonomous entities in social intercourse, and that they are free to decide on marriage according to their own will. Indeed, men and women characters in his stories are relatively free and romantic in disposition. But equally evident in Lin’s stories are the confining powers of traditional romance conventions and a traditional ethical framework. Much a traditional man of letters, Lin writes with classical aesthetic, his lovers still succumbing to Confucian ideals of personality. The works Lin translates inspire him; he is yet preoccupied with Chinese clan ethic. In all, Lin does not deviate from tradition, but is open and accommodating compared with his contemporaries. Most impressively, his stories are among the earliest ones touching upon topics of modernity such as gender difference and modernization.