CH 120

Chapter 120 – Never Apart [The End]

Forever Kaleido!

Ever since their debut, Kaleido had upheld the tradition of traveling together at least once a year. No matter how busy their schedule was, as long as there was a rest period, they would definitely travel together.

Half a year after TingJue came out, the six of them figured out a good time and set out to northern Europe together, wanting to have a good time traveling around several small Northern European countries.

After the publicity period of his new album, which was released after their coming out, Fang Juexia seemed to have made a godly disappearance. Although Pei Tingsong still had activities, the two of them rarely appeared in public at the same time. The fans howled day and night, writing letters in “blood” every day on Weibo, hoping that the young couple could show off their love in public.

Although Fang Juexia didn’t look at Weibo, Ling Yi enthusiastically interacted with fans every day, and his side account was even full of TingJue girls pitifully asking for help. Because of that, Ling Yi also couldn’t bear to read any more and reminded Fang Juexia every day.

Finally, taking advantage of this opportunity where six people were traveling, Fang Juexia started up a livestream.

The day these anxiously longing fans had been waiting for finally arrived, but because there were too many people who were too excited, the livestream screen immediately froze. Fang Juexia fiddled with it for a long time, but finally, he had to put his cellphone on a shelf facing the bed as he stood in front of the big mirror in the hotel room to straighten out his clothes.

Pei Tingsong, who had already changed his clothes, came out just in time to see Fang Juexia raising his hand to wrap a scarf around himself. He thought that the livestream hadn’t started yet, so he directly picked up Fang Juexia, walked a few steps and fell on the bed, pressing himself on top of Fang Juexia.

“Give me a kiss.” Pei Tingsong lowered his head and drew close, but unexpectedly, Fang Juexia quickly pulled the scarf up to cover his lips. His hand was too fast, and the soft scarf separated him from Pei Tingsong’s kiss.

Pei Tingsong frowned and looked up. “What’s the matter? You’re not even letting me kiss you.” Saying that, he forced the scarf open, held Fang Juexia’s face with both hands, and directly kissed him. 

“Wu! Wu…” Fang Juexia’s hand slapped Pei Tingsong’s shoulder, and he struggled desperately. Pei Tingsong easily pried his teeth open and went deep into his mouth, electrifying him into numbness.

“No… wu… livestream…”

Only upon hearing that word did Pei Tingsong suddenly realize something. He stopped his actions immediately, and blinked up close at Fang Juexia.

It was too late. The livestream had already gone crazy a long time ago.

[AHHHHHHHHHHHHH HUGGING HIM AND THEN TOSSING HIM ONTO THE BED AND THEN FORCEFULLY KISSING HIM IS TOO SUE!!!!]

[Shit, shit, shit, a bed scene as soon as it started!!! Gone deaf, deaf, deaf!]

[I’m not deaf! I just heard the moist sound of French kissing!]

[Goddamn, I’m covering my mouth in front of my cellphone, screaming silently, wuwuwwuwuwuwu, who will save me?]

[JXGG, why did you stop him? I’m not short on this kind of popularity, you guys can continue for me!!]

“Live…stream?” Pei Tingsong, wearing a confused expression, was still lying on Fang Juexia and holding onto his face.

Fang Juexia, his heart like ashes, nodded. 

They quickly got up from the bed. And then, Pei Tingsong started clearing his throat non-stop, acting as if it had encountered a big problem. Fang Juexia, with a red face, silently walked to the bedside table and picked up his cellphone. When he saw [Gone deaf, gone deaf] filling the barrage screen, he was so embarrassed that he directly shoved his cellphone into Pei Tingsong’s hand. He didn’t want to do anything else now; he just wanted to find a crack in the ground and squeeze into it.

Pei Tingsong took hold of the hot potato and let out a few hollow laughs. “That was a livestream accident, let’s treat it as if nothing happened.”

[You’re lying! We all saw it!]

[WOC Juexia Gege’s mouth has gone red from Wolf Cub kissing him]

“His mouth was already originally very red,” Pei Tingsong defended himself. Fang Juexia had already worn the scarf properly standing in front of the mirror, and handed Pei Tingsong another scarf, one which they had bought in a handicraft shop located on the street on the first day that they had arrived in Sweden.

Pei Tingsong held the selfie stick in his right hand, reflexively extended his left hand, but before he took the scarf, he deliberately said, “I’m livestreaming now, it’s inconvenient. I’ll put it on later ba.”

Fang Juexia, who was holding the scarf, took a look at it, and, as expected, took the initiative in helping him put it on. He also seriously tied it into a knot.

[I’m deaf, I’m deaf, I’m really going to be deaf]

[So sweet, what sweet angel is our beautiful baby?]

“We’re going out now. Come here.” Pei Tingsong held Fang Juexia contentedly. He held the cellphone at a far out distance, so that the screen could just perfectly fit the two of them. Leaving the hotel, they walked in the winter sun. The streets here were very exotic, and Pei Tingsong and Fang Juexia walked side by side. With such a background, the image became ridiculously beautiful.

“Ah.” Fang Juexia stopped suddenly, felt around his pocket, and then took off his backpack to check for something.

“What’s the matter?”

[Why does JXGG never grow up, he’s just like how he was when he debuted. With no makeup on, he looks both milky and well-behaved.]

[How cute ah, Juexia, today is another day I want to give PTS a green hat]

Fang Juexia raised his head, stretched out his hand, and solemnly replied, “I forgot to wear gloves.”

Pei Tingsong burst out laughing. “I thought it was something serious.” He gave Fang Juexia the selfie stick, and bit at the fingers of his own leather glove to pull it off. With the tattoo on his hand now exposed, Pei Tingsong pulled on Fang Juexia’s hand, wanting to help him wear the glove. “This may be a bit big for you.”

“If I put it on, what will you wear?” Fang Juexia struggled against Pei Tingsong’s grip on his hand, not wanting to wear his glove, but he couldn’t shake himself off. He was a little nervous, so he grabbed his hand in return.

“What are you doing?” Pei Tingsong laughed for a while. “Your teeth are itching again, and you want to bite me again ah.”

This unintentional remark suddenly ignited the barrage in the livestream.

[What?? What did I just hear??]

[What to bite me again? So that bite mark was really caused by JXGG!]

[I just knew it!!! Holy shit, I guessed it this entire time, but I didn’t expect it to be true! I said that that bite mark didn’t look like it was from a kitten no matter how you looked at it!]

[I remember their previous description, their bandmates said it was from a little cat raised by Pinot Tree Supreme. Completely snow-white, um… To some extent, it’s true]

[AHHHHH THIS AMAZING GIANT FLUFF OF MANY YEARS’ STANDING, PTS, you are so good!]

The two people, who had busied themselves with gloves were completely unaware of the leak. After putting on the glove, Fang Juexia squinted at the barrage, and suddenly discovered something. His eyes went round, and he slapped Pei Tingsong on his arm.

Pei Tingsong’s expression was confused, and he mouthed out— [What’s wrong?]

[Hahahahaha, JXGG is too cute]

[He’s really reacting too late Fang Juexia]

Pei Tingsong soon realized what was going on, and began to laugh after covering his mouth. “I didn’t mean to, really didn’t mean to.” Saying that, he went to fawn on and cuddle Fang Juexia. “Gege.”

[Aiyayayaya, it’s time to be coquettish again]

[I haven’t heard Pinot Tree Supreme call out “Gege” for a long time, wuwuwuwuwu]

The two people stood by the side of the road, waiting for a taxi. Fang Juexia wanted to quickly pass by this thorny topic, so he talked about other topics with his fans, “Fire Ge and the rest of them are still at the hotel. They played cards until very late into the night yesterday, and now they are still sleeping in. They haven’t even eaten lunch.”

Some fans asked them if they had come out for a date. Pei Tingsong said, “Yes ya,” with a brilliant smile on his face. Fang Juexia chuckled and shook his head. “In fact, we came out to meet a friend, who we haven’t seen in a very long time. I also thought that since I haven’t seen everyone in a long time, I should start a livestream to chat with everyone. “

“Did you guys miss us?” Pei Tingsong raised his eyebrows.

[Missed you guys so much wuwuwwuwu]

[Our Xiao Pei is really getting more and more handsome]

When the cab they had booked arrived, Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong got into it and chatted with the driver in English for a while. The driver even asked them if they were Asian models, to which Fang Juexia replied with a smile that they were not. The driver then said they were very good-looking.

[The driver is so discerning!]

[Hahaha, wherever Xiao Pei goes, everyone says he looks like a model.]

As they chatted with their fans, they soon arrived at their destination. They got out of the car, walked along the street to the corner, to a nicely-decorated coffee shop there. A string of snow-white wind chimes hung at the door, and Fang Juexia, who was walking in front, pushed the door open. The wind chimes swung and made a pleasant sound.

Pei Tingsong followed behind Fang Juexia. “We had a chat with this person first, and he really wanted to say hello to everyone. We originally wanted to find a restaurant to eat at, because Fang Juexia kept saying he was hungry, but since this person also said he was coming, we came directly to this coffee shop. I hope the food here won’t be too bad.”

[Why do I feel like Xiao Pei’s tone is a little sour?]

[Hahaha, saying this “this person” again and again is really very sour]

“Who’s sour…” Pei Tingsong anxiously started to retort, but as soon as he looked up, he saw Fang Juexia being warmly hugged by a familiar figure, and his expression collapsed at the speed of light. “Alright ba, I’m sour.” He didn’t forget to switch the screen to the back camera, so that the fans in the livestream could watch the ongoing scene with him. 

[Yi???? Isn’t that Liang Ruo!!!]

[God, I’ve got goosebumps!]

[It’s really Liang Ruo! Wuwuwu, it turns out that Juexia Gege’s friend is Liang Ruo]

In the camera, Liang Ruo, who was finished hugging Juexia, caught sight of Pei Tingsong from a distance, whose first reaction was to smile and then to point his middle finger up at him. 

[Hahahahaha Pei Tingsong, you have this kind of day too]

[Hahaha, Pei’s standard greeting]

“Tch.” Pei Tingsong had a [do you think I’ll be angry] expression on his face, and he had also stuck up his middle finger. Liang Ruo laughed and waved to him. “Come over quickly ah.”

This was their first face-to-face chat, while also being the first time Liang Ruo had made an appearance in the public eye ever since he had left the entertainment circle. Knowing that they were livestreaming, Liang Ruo specially spoke to the fans, “Long time no see, I’m Liang Ruo.” After saying that, he looked at Fang Juexia. “It’s a little strange, saying hello to your guys’ fans.”

Pei Tingsong deliberately said, “Isn’t it, you used to be a fan of the opposing party.”

[Hahahahaha, it’s fine! We are also very surprised!]

[Have you been alright!]

[Liang Ruo also hasn’t changed much ah, that’s good]

They sat around a small wooden table next to a fireplace, with two Samoyed dogs lazing around nearby. Liang Ruo brought them each a cup of coffee and many of their signature snacks. “Try it, this one’s very delicious. I don’t get tired of eating it every day. “

Fang Juexia pulled him to sit with a smile. “Stop busying yourself, sit down ba.”

“Alright.” Just as Liang Ruo sat down, he suddenly remembered something else. “Ah, I’ll go tell Carl, he doesn’t know you guys are coming.”

As soon as he left, Pei Tingsong immediately squeezed next to Fang Juexia, leaned his head against Gege’s shoulder, and raised his coffee to the camera. “Do you guys know? I paid four times the price for this cup of coffee.”

[Hahahahaha what enmity is this?]

Fang Juexia smiled and patted Pei Tingsong on the head, but Pei Tingsong grabbed his hand and kissed it. The barrage immediately started boiling over.

[Wuwuwuwu, this dog food is so delicious!]

“Don’t be like this…” Fang Juexia clenched Pei Tingsong’s hand and glanced at the other people in the coffee shop. “There are still many people here.”

“What are you afraid of? We’re already engaged.” Pei Tingsong deliberately took Fang Juexia’s face and gave him one kiss, soon followed by another. The other guests around them began to look at the young Asian male couple, with some even laughing and whistling.

Fang Juexia started blushing, his pale cheeks about to turn into the same color as the birthmark at the corner of his eye. Pei Tingsong, however, started bragging more, embracing Fang Juexia’s shoulder as he announced to the people whistling around them, “He is my love.”

[AHHHHHHHH MY LOVE, WORTHY OF TIGER!]

[AAAAAH, hurry up and give me some insulin and a hearing aid! I’m both dizzy and deaf right now!]

The bearded man at the next table wasn’t stingy with his praise of Fang Juexia. “Your lover is very good-looking, he’s the most beautiful Asian boy I have ever seen.” Pei Tingsong easily thanked him, and by the way, showed off his ring. “We’re already engaged, I am his fiance.”

Fang Juexia instinctively wanted to cover Pei Tingsong’s mouth, but Pei Tingsong grabbed his hand first and kissed his wrist.

[It’s really a top show, gone deaf, gone deaf]

[Now I finally know why these two people don’t show off their love. Based on the way Pei Tingsong shows off, we would all die of the sweetness]

Before long, Liang Ruo came back with a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes. They sat down together, looking very close. Fang Juexia soon understood that this person might be Liang Ruo’s current partner. Liang Ruo had already revealed through phone calls that he had found a home, and that his partner loved him very much, and had helped heal his pain.

“This coffee shop is so warm ah.” Fang Juexia looked around. “As soon as we came in, there was a happy feeling to it.”

“Right?” Liang Ruo also looked at him and said, “Every small decoration here was made by me. Look at that mural, the cross-stitched one. That’s a piece I embroidered for several months, isn’t that really cool? And now I’ve learned how to bake potatoes. They’re delicious, and Carl really likes to eat them…”

Fang Juexia looked at Liang Ruo, saw the sincere and happy smile on his face, and his heart finally came to rest. His previous worries and concerns were finally dispelled after really meeting this person.

It was too good, everyone was happy in the end.

They chatted about food and then about life; Liang Ruo shared his interesting stories with them, and Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong also spoke a lot.

“Hey, right, Carl used to be a guitarist in a band,” Liang Ruo proudly urged his lover to bring over two guitars and casually hand one to Pei Tingsong. “Let’s sing ba, I haven’t sung for a long time.”

Hearing Liang Ruo say this sentence, Fang Juexia seemed to have returned to that time when they practiced together many years ago.

He nodded. Carl and Pei Tingsong improvised a tune with the guitars, and then sang a very classic old English song.

[I don’t know why, but I kind of feel like crying]

[It’s so warm, I feel so happy. I also want to have my own cafe]

After finishing one song, they sang another, and the other guests in the coffee shop couldn’t help clapping for them. They then turned off the livestream, drank coffee and beer, and talked about their past dreams and their lives today. Time passed quickly, and darkness came early in northern Europe. At dusk, Fang Juexia received a call from Jiang Miao.

“We have to go, Miao Ge and the rest have already set off.” Fang Juexia patted Liang Ruo on the shoulder. “We’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Although reluctant to let him go, Liang Ruo nodded. “Are you guys going out to have fun together?”

“En, we’re going to see the aurora.”

The reason why they chose to come to northern Europe for this trip was because Ling Yi had mentioned by chance that he really wanted to see the aurora. It happened that Fang Juexia also knew about Liang Ruo opening a cafe in Sweden, so it all clicked together, and everyone agreed on the destination as soon as possible.

He Ziyan had driven a rented RV to pick them up when they came out of the coffee shop. At last, the six of them met up. Jiang Miao, seated in the front passenger seat, used the map and travel guide to give him directions when driving from the small town to the aurora viewing spot. Winter in northern Europe was very cold, and the six people were fully armed against this cold, wrapped in thick down jackets and wearing down hats.

“I just checked the website again, and it said that it might appear at 12 pm.” Saying that, Ling Yi began to wriggle around in the car. “So exciting ya.”

“Right.” Lu Yuan took out a pair of gloves from his bag and handed them to Fang Juexia. “Xiao Pei said you forgot to take gloves with you when you went out, so we bought another pair.”

Fang Juexia split the pair of gloves, putting one of them on Pei Tingsong. “Are we camping today?”

“No camping.” He Ziyan said while driving, “We’ve already switched to an RV, and Xiao Pei was the one who rented it. He said it’s too cold to camp, and that we’ll go camping at a beautiful place next time.”

Fang Juexia looked at Pei Tingsong, who put on the gloves, then rubbed Fang Juexia’s head, and said in a soft voice, “If we camp, your waist can’t stand it.”

“Alright ba.”

Everyone was bored in the car, so Ling Yi started up a large-scale Kaleido livestream, wanting to wait for the aurora with their fans. As soon as the livestream started, they also launched Kaleido’s traditional art of crosstalk.

By the time they arrived at their destination, they were a little hungry, so they simply did a food livestream with everyone in the RV. Ling Yi ate 40 meatballs in one breath, and he was so full that he couldn’t get up from the seat, looking just like a tortoise who couldn’t turn over.

Fang Juexia sat in front of the cellphone responsible for livestreaming, slowly peeling the skin of a baked potato, occasionally looking up at the screen.

[So the theme of this livestream is: Beautiful baby peeling potatoes]

[Hahahahahahaha too cute, Juexia]

All of a sudden, he saw a user named Chloe Pei give gifts in their livestream equivalent to 5 million RMB all in one go. He was so startled that he froze and stared at it for a long time, all the way until Pei Tingsong came over and asked him whether the potatoes were delicious, and only then did he come back to his senses. 

[Shit, what kind of local tyrant fan is this]

[Holy shit, holy shit, taking a screenshot, this is the closest I’ve ever been to a rich person!]

“I haven’t eaten it yet,” he said, turning to Pei Tingsong and telling him about the gift just now. Pei Tingsong was rendered nearly speechless. “Who was that ah, this upstart, do they think I’m really poor?”

Fang Juezia didn’t know who the real person was, so he had to recite the ID to him. He didn’t expect Pei Tingsong to turn his head on hearing it. “Chloe?”

Fang Juexua nodded. “Do you know them?”

“It’s my Jie…” Pei Tingsong sighed and began to speak in English to the screen. He asked her to stop and said that he wasn’t short of money.

[Shit! I thought it was a new rich person, but I didn’t expect it to be a family member 5555]

[President Bully’s Jiejie has appeared! Jiejie, I love you!]

It was getting late, and they sat around in thick coats, waiting for the aurora to appear. Everyone started chatting while He Ziyan and Jiang Miao set up the photography equipment, and Lu Yuan and Ling Yi kept maintaining a non-stop two-person livestream, making a lot of noise.

Pei Tingsong made Fang Juexia a cup of hot chocolate, covered him with a thick blanket, and then sat next to him to chat, their presence taking up a small corner of the livestream screen. 

He lowered his voice and said to Fang Juexia, “Fang Ping’s rehab has been successful. He’s left the facility, but I wasn’t at ease, so I found someone to follow him. However, he seems to have changed. As soon as he came out, he found a job instead of returning to Guangzhou.”

Fang Juexia let out a gentle “en”, sipped the hot chocolate, and looked up at the night sky.

Pei Tingsong stared for a long moment at Fang Juexia’s side profile. Every time he saw him silent, he would think of the summer when he had returned to Beijing from San Francisco, and remember the Fang Juexia who had been waiting for a hug at that time.

“Juexia.”

Hearing Pei Tingsong calling his name, Fang Juexia turned around, let out a light “en,” and asked what was going on. 

Pei Tingsong asked in a low voice, “Have you thought that if that accident hadn’t taken place, your life would have been happier?”

After all, he was a person so afraid of making mistakes, so he must want to avoid all the mistakes that had happened in the past, as long as there was a possibility to do so.

Fang Juexia said with a smile, “I thought about it when I was a child, and I often thought about it even after. All the way until we debuted, I would have similar dreams, but I didn’t think about it later on.”

“Why?”

Looking at Pei Tingsong’s doubtful expression, Fang Juexia leaned against him, and smiled especially sweetly. “I’ll tell you a story. When I was in the sixth grade of elementary school, I was originally selected as an excellent student to participate in an event held by the Municipal Education Bureau, and I was supposed to make a speech on behalf of my school.”

Pei Tingsong kissed the top of his hair. “Our Juexia Gege is so strong ah.”

Fang Juexia let out an “en” and continued, “I prepared for that speech for a week. Who knew that later, I actually came down with a high fever and could hardly speak, so the school replaced me with another student.”

He let out a long sigh. “I was very depressed at that time.”

“Poor little Juexia.” Pei Tingsong hugged him. “And then?”

“And then, because I couldn’t take part in the event, I could only go to the weekend math Olympiad class as usual that morning. I always took a shortcut through a park, and as luck would have it, that day, I met a pregnant auntie. I saw that she couldn’t stand any longer and was about to collapse, and that there was no one else around.” In a rare moment, Fang Juexia was lively while telling him this story, and he sounded very childish, almost as if he had really gone back to that day. “I was so scared. I helped her over to the grass, and then ran all over the place with my backpack on my back. Finally, I found an adult who helped me to call 120, and we all went to the hospital together.”

Pei Tingsong hugged him, listening to the story carefully, and patted him lightly on the shoulder. “You were really a kind child.”

Fang Juexia continued, “I didn’t go to my class, instead waiting in the hospital for a long time. Later, Auntie gave birth to a baby.” He was a bit excited and pushed himself out of Pei Tingsong’s arms with bright eyes. “Did you know? It was the first time I had ever touched a baby’s hand, and it was very soft. She held my thumb tightly, looked at me, and laughed. It was an amazing feeling. And Auntie said that without me, this baby might not have been born.”

When he finished telling his story, his appearance once again grew gentle.

“Whenever I feel regret over something, I simply take this memory out and think about it.” He leaned against Pei Tingsong’s shoulder again.

“In fact, we are all a collection of experiences. One by one, things happen in a sequence, all of which shapes us into the people we are now. If any of these links were changed, I may not be who I am now.

“I can’t stop bad things from happening, and I can’t stop regrets from welling up. However, I always feel that there is an invisible order of conservation churning away in this world, and that there may be a gift hidden behind all the regret. If you think about it that way, regret really can’t be considered as regret anymore. The me standing in front of a microphone with my speech in my backpack definitely couldn’t have reached to touch a baby’s hand, could I?”

Looking at Fang Juexia’s gentle face at night, Pei Tingsong seemed to see the firm and tenacious heart residing in him. He thought— This is the person he loves most, and this is the most precious part of his lover.

So he laughed. “You’re right, only the you who missed that speech could guard the birth of that small life.”

Fang Juexia nodded. “So I won’t think about what-ifs; the events of the past have made me who I am now, and if I have any regrets, they are all worth it.” Then he looked at Pei Tingsong, showing a satisfied smile as he uttered, “Because I have you.

“You are the gift that, under this invisible order of conservation, I got in exchange for my regrets.”

Without all his suffering, without all that waiting alone and fumbling around in the darkness, he might not have met Pei Tingsong.

If so, Fang Juexia would rather not think about a smoother life. 

Pei Tingsong’s nose suddenly stung, but he didn’t want to admit it no matter what, so he turned his face to control himself. Fang Juexia asked him what the matter was, and he only said that it was too cold to the point that his nose hurt.

“Ah! The aurora!”

Ling Yi’s loud cry almost reverberated across the entire snowy plain.

“Wow, it really is! Have a good look!” Lu Yuan quickly adjusted the angle of the livestreaming cellphone to allow the fans to watch the aurora with them.

Pei Tingsong also raised his head, and the beautiful blue-green arc appeared in the deep night, intertwining and then separating layer by layer. The originally endless darkness was stained with a mysterious and wonderful brilliance.

Night blindness caused Fang Juexia to be unable to see clearly. As the aurora grew brighter and brighter, he only felt that the darkness in front of him seemed to have become covered with a layer of illusory and beautiful light silk, like a veil. All of a sudden, he thought of the fireworks they had seen together and the kaleidoscopic night sky. Just like this moment, these were all the scenes of the most beautiful darkness he had ever seen.

Ling Yi yelled, “Juexia! Is it pretty? Can you see it?”

Fang Juexia nodded with a smile. “Very beautiful.”

[It’s really beautiful ah. This is my first time seeing the aurora, it should be more beautiful seeing it in person ba]

[Such a rare scene, Geges, quickly make a wish ah!]

[Hahahahahaha, make a wish for everything]

“Yeah.” Lu Yuan put down his snacks. “Let’s make a wish together ba.”

This proposal was unanimously approved by everyone, but they wanted to make one big wish instead of each making their own small wishes. After a round of discussion, Jiang Miao asked, “Are we wishing in silence?”

Pei Tingsong objected, “Let’s all wish together, how can it come true if we don’t shout it out?”

“Yes!” Ling Yi stood to form a rare united front with him. “The louder we shout, the more sincere our hearts are!”

“Okay~”

The six of them stood in the light of the beautiful and rare aurora, in front of the fans in the livestream, just like every time they stood on the stage, and they had even positioned themselves in that habitual way. Jiang Miao looked around, then out of habit, counted, “One, two, three…”

This time, they didn’t introduce themselves. The six young people, who were maturing with time, yelled at the aurora in unison—

“Forever Kaleido! Forever Dominoes！”

Their voices reverberated in the night, and then they laughed carefreely, like youths who would never grow up. After reluctantly saying goodbye to the fans, Jiang Miao stepped forward to end the livestream, while his Didis behind him were still interacting noisily.

“If you bully me again, I’ll go fly solo!”

Pei Tingsong disagreed. “Fly solo ah, I see where your little arms and legs can fly you to.”

Ling Yi habitually called for reinforcements. “Juexia, look at him, he’s pulling at my head again!”

“Don’t pick on Ling Yi.”

“Yeah,” He Ziyan added some details, “If you pull anymore, he won’t be able to grow to 175 cm.”

Lu Yuan found the little fried dough twists he hadn’t finished eating and walked over to Pei Tingsong and Fang Juexia. “Hey, right, have you guys chosen your wedding invitations yet? I saw a very nice one two days ago, let me tell you…”

Jiang Miao quickly turned his head. “Lu Yuan! Shh—”

“Hey, what’s the matter?”

“I haven’t turned off the livestream yet…”

—

The author has something to say:

This time it’s really over. Writing from winter to summer, thank you guys for accompanying Little Paradox for so long and accompanying me through an especially difficult period. Thanking everyone very much.

Although I didn’t complete the 100,000 character extras target given by the organization, I still wrote 70,000 characters. Because Little Paradox has already been signed to be published physically (there’s a simplified version with the meat deleted and a special simplified version without deletion), so there will be new extras, and I opened an extras collection pit (P.S.: A Werewolf game extra has been updated! The target has been reached!)

The next piece will be “Lovely Allergen” (the title still in flux). It’s the pseudo-sibling story that I’ve always wanted to write, and interested friends can go read it~ However, because my back fasciitis has been a bit serious during this time, I may have to take a rest for a while to write this story. After a specific time is determined, I will make an official page and also post up a Weibo notice. By the way, you can review after having finished reading. If you can, I hope friends who liked Little Paradox can help review. Thank you.

It’s postscript time again.

In fact, writing this piece was not the original plan. Many readers know that Little Paradox was actually “cutting in line.” At that time, I just happened to have an idea to write a story about a boyband, and coincidentally everyone wanted to read it, and it ended up like this. Only afterwards did I discover that I had dug a big pit for myself. Because for me, creating a pair of protagonists is already a lot of effort, let alone a whole group. A boyband isn’t that simple; if you say they’re a boyband, then they have to have personalities, characteristics, their own works, and their own strengths. So I’ve done a lot of homework in writing this story, not wanting “boyband” to just be a background characteristic of the piece. 

So I asked myself, what kind of boyband would make you want to pursue them? With this idea in mind, I wrote Kaleido. In fact, everyone knows that all the members in nearly-cancelled K are very idealistic, and the Star Chart company is also an idealistic brokerage company. Because I am a very idealistic person, I hope that at least in a book, a group like nearly-cancelled K could rely on their own strength to achieve success and that people in love can be together no matter what; those are my simple wishes.

Although my ability is limited, I am very serious about writing. For both Kaleido and Little Paradox, I put in my greatest effort. So I both accept and thank you for all the results and your comments. At least now, when I look back, I feel that it’s incredible, because each of them lives in my heart, and I felt sincerely reluctant to part at the end and shed tears for them.

In fact, when I wrote Fang Juexia, I set him as being very introverted at the beginning. I remember at the beginning of the series, many people asked if Juexia had some psychological problems, because he was too closed off and silent. In fact, this was what I wanted to express— that not loving to express himself didn’t mean that he wasn’t “normal.” This was my original intention in writing Juexia, and I sincerely admire everyone who takes dreams seriously. Fang Juexia’s ability to remain unmoved by external things and his strong and tenacious pursuit of his dreams are all things I find very hard to achieve. That’s why I wrote it, and to give myself an idealized benchmark ba.

Relatively speaking, Pei Tingsong is more extroverted, but being extroverted doesn’t mean he doesn’t have introspective moments. I spent a lot of time shaping his introspections, hoping that he would seem like a good-thinking child in your guys’ eyes. If Juexia’s keyword is “persistence,” then Pei Tingsong’s may be “brave.” He is good at expressing himself and also dares to openly express himself. Whether it’s thoughts on life or insisting on being himself, he can speak frankly, do things bravely, and make quick decisions. That’s very difficult, and I also really admire his ability to execute things and self-confidence.

These two people seem to be opposite, but in fact they are unified, so later, Juexia becomes brave, and Xiao Pei grows more gentle and persistent. What they have in common is that they both insist on being themselves and are not willing to give in to reality and change their natures. They are both rebels, but in different ways and means. I used to think that it was great to be able to change the world, but as I grew up, I found that when you face the voices of the entire world, it’s already great to not change yourself. I can’t be so persistent and brave in this matter.

I’ve also tried a new way to write the romance plot. In the past, I used to let the protagonists get together at the end of the story, but because I was trying out new characters (such as Xiao Pei and Juexia), I also tried out a more direct romance plotline to let them get together in the middle of the story. It was quite risky; many readers will not continue to read when they see the confirmation of the relationship. But the key to Little Paradox’s emotional plotline wasn’t how they got together, but how they communicated and loved each other after they got together. I personally liked this change; it’s a wonderful growth for two people who loved each other to influence each other and become more and more like each other. 

In the process of communication, it is hard to avoid two different kinds of thinking colliding. The two kinds of thinking that Xiao Pei and Juexia have are not liberal arts vs. science, but their thoughts that came with the professional mannerisms they learned, because what a person spends a lot of time learning will affect everything. 

At this point, I would like to say a few more words. Seriously, I’ve never thought of using my online novels to popularize any subject, that isn’t my goal. Take Xiao Pei for  example, he’s a person who loves reading and thinking, so he must have a reserve of relevant knowledge. It’s not that I’m deliberately showing off, but I can’t let a character be OOC. For example, when I write Wei Huan, I won’t let him say anything too high level, because he is a jock (kidding). Of course, if you don’t like this style of writing, I also understand; it’s an online novel in the first place, and you all want to read and relax and don’t want to be preached to and advertised to. But I didn’t want to preach to or advertise to anyone, I just wanted to shape the character. That was my only purpose, even though it is very vulgar. 

So, when you like this part of the content, it’s because you like to absorb new knowledge. If you like this kind of expression, you don’t have to attribute it to me. Don’t think that the author knows everything, there’s no one who knows everything. I know my own ignorance and can’t bear to carry this undeserved reputation. I feel very ashamed whenever I see this kind of comment.

In order to create a complete role, I had to learn what he had learned. I wanted to make him come to life as much as possible, that’s all. Don’t praise me too much, and don’t add a literary filter to the author. I’m ordinary and mediocre, and I can’t bear your high expectations, so I hope you can separate the book from the author, and not beautify the book or me too much. A lot of times, people’s high literary expectations for the text will instead turn me more timid and fearful of disappointing people in the process of creation, but I do try my best every time.

When I was writing Little Paradox, too many people compared Renshe with it (in fact, it has completely different ideas and themes), which greatly killed my desire to write. So I hope that when Little Paradox is over, it will not be compared with any other books, and it will not be placed too high on a pedestal, it is just itself.

Every story of mine has an original intention that I want to express through it. This one was originally “dreams,” but later, because of a change of mentality, I integrated “self” into it as well. In fact, I know that there is no need to make such a chicken soup theme, it’s just recreational reading. But I am a person who finds it easy to fall into confusion, anxiety, and self doubt, so I can understand the negative emotions of many friends at present.

Words can be used to communicate across space, and I think that it is particularly meaningful if people who see them can be encouraged even a little. In the comments section, I saw many “small shops” working hard. I am deeply moved by all of you. It’s hard for me to be encouraged by anyone, and I know it’s not easy to be encouraged, so I feel more comforted and full of strength than ever when I see you saying “I was comforted to the point that I was encouraged”. In fact, I’m the shop opposite you. Seeing that you can continue your own business, and self, I also have the courage to be myself.

I have spoken a lot of nonsense, but thank you all for reading this and for all your tolerance, thank you for accompanying me through this special series period. I’ll always be the shop opposite you. No matter what happens, we’ll stay in business, okay?

Finally, I’d like to take Fang Juexia, Pei Tingsong, Ling Yi, Lu Yuan, Jiang Miao, and He Ziyan to make a final bow to you (now Xiao Pei doesn’t need anyone to press his head down anymore). Thank you for your love for them, your support for Little Paradox, and for accompanying this story from the beginning to the end. Their story won’t end, it’s just a new beginning.

Forever Kaleido.

I’ll see you in the next story.

——May 15, 2020, ChuChu

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Juurensha: It’s done!!!! (Barring any new extras I can find–when the Taiwanese version comes out, I will definitely try to translate that extra and post it here then) So I’m kind of emotional too, it was a very long and good novel, and I really enjoyed watching FJX and PTS fall in love and grow together! I hope all of you enjoyed it as well! I really enjoyed everyone’s comments (thank you to everyone who helped me translate some of those poems), thank you to everyone who bought the raws (128 people and counting!), and thank you Noks for editing this monster for me as well! Forever Dominoes!

Our next project (with some old friends coming to help us out) will be Want to Ascend, then Fall in Love, so if you’re interested in a heavenly dao big boss and a demonic cultivator emperor forced to work together and falling in love (with comedy and knives), then stick around on Peach Pits to check it out! We’ll be translating from the beginning, so we’ll be doing a few mass releases before settling into a biweekly schedule. 

Noks: It’s over…It was a vibrant, lovable and hilarious (sometimes tearful) journey, which has come to an end here. It’s time to say goodbye to Kaleido, to FJX and PTS (until the story is picked up for a re-read anyways) and to all the readers who accompanied us throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed editing this story (possibly being more fun than just reading it), and thank you Juu for such a marvelous translation! It’s time to move on to other BL pastures for now, but remember: Once a Domino, always a Domino, even if it’s just a virtual and fictional Domino!

If you can, please support the author by buying the raws (and gain access to translated smut! ). Here is a guide on how to buy them, and it’s not super difficult! Also there’s the traditional physical novel open for pre-orders here! You will probably have to use a forwarding service to purchase them, I’m also struggling along there with CssBuy and now a Taiwan shipping service because CssBuy isn’t working.