"Hello, everyone. I'm Apple."
"Hello, everyone. I'm Wu Deng."
"You hide first."
"Sure thing."
I started this book on April 1, 2020, and ended it on July 31, 2025—nine million words, five years and four months in all. From 700 first-day subscriptions to an average of 7,000 by completion: publication, signing, premium release, audio adaptation, comic adaptation, overseas release... Recently, there was even an electronic release of a Vietnamese version I couldn't understand...
This was my first book. Writing it to this point taught me many lessons, but brought me even more gains. In truth, the moment I signed the contract, it had already exceeded my expectations. Everything I received afterward was a gift, and an immense affirmation of me.
Thank you—to every reader who made it this far. Those reader IDs etched into my mind, always leaving goofy comments, earnestly offering advice, or seriously criticizing this book... Every time I opened the chapter comments, I couldn't help but laugh. Unless you change your names, it'll be hard for me to forget you now. My heartfelt thanks for your support.
Partings must always come, even when the turn comes just as abruptly.
The book is complete—scatter the flowers!
A thousand readers, a thousand Hamlets.
Some people liked open endings. Some liked tying up every last matter before saying a proper goodbye and leaving. Others had more unusual tastes and preferred an ending that cut off abruptly.
After writing nine million words, I truly understood why so many authors liked going eunuch. It was really easy—just drop everything and leave, irresponsible as could be. How could the sheer bliss of it be summed up in a single word?
I seriously considered all kinds of endings and found that I had more or less filled the plot holes that needed filling. The