Afterword
As I write this afterword, I find myself remembering what I was going through when I wrote this story.
In 2012, I happened to be working on a project concerning the Asia-Pacific market. Because the project required in-depth collaboration, I gradually came to know more about the Philippines and Vietnam as well. The project lasted for more than a year. I had been to those places, and because of work, I also seriously researched their history and customs. The more I learned, the more I wanted to share it with people, and so it all found its way into this book.
So I think that as long as I do not stop continuing to get to know this world, I probably will never stop being curious.
Maybe it's because I'm an Aquarius. Curiosity is the source of my creativity, which is why the 一生一世 (Yisheng Yishi) series came into existence. So far, the series consists of three books, with three different angles from which to tell three different stories. And in this strange series, I always like to touch upon things from Buddhist scriptures. Interestingly, when you read enough Buddhist scriptures, you discover that they are more like books of philosophy. For example, the origin of the phrase “昙花一现” (“a fleeting appearance, like the night-blooming cereus”), and the line, “无挂碍故，无有恐怖，远离一切颠倒梦想苦恼” (“because the mind is free of hindrances, there is no fear, and one is freed from all inverted delusions, dreams, suffering, and afflictions”).
This story began with its very first character appearing on June 24, 2012. Counting it up, it has been more than four years now. I am very glad that after all this time, I could still write a new extra chapter. I have always stubbornly believed that writing is a matter of one's state of mind and of timing. Having written so many books, when I look back through them, I can usually come to a conclusion about myself: if I were to write this subject today, I probably wouldn't write it this well. That's why I am someone who is very afraid of writing extra chapters. Once a story ends, I turn the page on it. If I write more, I'm afraid it will lose its flavor.
Nan Huai may be a special kind of existence. In this story, he has a complete personal history, yet his story itself is a blank. So this new extra chapter captures, from the perspective of an observer, one ordinary night in Nan Huai's life. To him, it is an utterly ordinary night, described in only a few words. Yet for that woman, it is a lifetime of emotional investment. And he does not know that somewhere, there is someone who loves him. Perhaps this is exactly who Nan Huai is. This is how he should be. At least, that is what I believe as of today.
Mo Bao Fei Bao
Thank you
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