People in Tokyo, the world is clear

Maybe it’s been a dream for a long time?

To be honest, although the overall process was difficult, I was really happy when creating this book from beginning to end.

I love the characters I create. Though they're filtered through a self-absorbed lens, they possess a vivid innocence and endearment in my eyes. They're the kind of people I, already stained gray by the exhaust fumes of a strange city, most aspire to be.

Writing a story I love is a truly joyful experience. I often laugh at the sentences I write, and I feel a genuine joy.

I thought I could be happy like this forever...

But the situation when the product was about to be put on the shelves and charged for was a real blow to my head, and it got even worse after it was put on the shelves.

There are more and more dissatisfied readers, and many criticisms and expressions of dissatisfaction appear in interjections or comments, which really makes me feel at a loss.

Even worse was the chain reaction: within a week or so of its release, the number of follow-up readers dropped to less than one-tenth of its initial level.

I learned from some friends who also write online articles that this situation is not normal. It is probably because they did not touch the readers' favorite nerves, so they collapsed directly.

When I learned the outcome, I was actually a little sad. This story design consumed a lot of my hard work and expectations. I designed a separate plot line and ending for each character, and I deeply considered whether the plot and writing would bring joy and pleasure to readers.

But the results didn't seem to be as good as expected. During the worst days, there were only a few dozen people reading each chapter.

I had always hoped that my story would be liked by many people, but this result was really disappointing.

What's worse is that I am a full-time author.

At that time, I told myself that if I could persist, I would try to persevere. At least, there are still some friends who have been following and supporting me. I also like this kind of story.

So I sat down at the computer again, coded a new chapter, and uploaded it.

Maybe it’s a habit I developed since childhood. I have a certain degree of obsessive-compulsive disorder and like to focus on words and sentence structures, which causes me to type slower.

My more capable colleagues can generally maintain a pace of around 2,000 words per hour. I'm a bit clumsy and hesitant, often spending five or six hours pondering around 5,000 words a day. The rest of the time is spent online researching historical context, refining the initial story design, and thinking about the more detailed character interactions and plot points.

During that period, due to my poor health and some minor lung problems, I used my brain so much every day that I felt drowsy and tired all the time, which made me feel depressed all the time.

Watching videos every day and reading everyone’s posts and comments became my only source of happiness.

I'm not a very strong person. What's more, the more you take something seriously, the less resilient you become.

I still remember that day, when I woke up early and opened the comments for last night's chapter with great anticipation, wanting to see what everyone thought of it, but only a few comments caught my eye.

"Water", "poor quality".

And there's the clown emoji.

The specific content is probably at the end of Chapter 8 of Volume 2 of this book.

It's hard for me to describe in words how I felt at that time.

I know that the readers who sent this content may not have malicious intentions.

They are just describing their feelings normally.

But it is precisely because of this that it is even more painful.

The only reader who followed me gave this description of the story I had put so much effort into creating.

At that time, I felt that the online writing thing was over for me.

If I had to describe my mood in one sentence:

"I never want to sit down at my computer and type again."

But I'm a full-time writer. So, no matter what, I have to finish this book.

So I thought about it for a long time, and the only thought was that maybe I could salvage something for free.

So I did it.

But my mindset had changed by then. I could no longer find the joy I once felt while writing, and instead felt only aggrieved and miserable.

So the quality of the finished chapters was so low that I couldn't even satisfy myself. After trying to patch up a chapter, I gave up on forcing the story to ruin it and decided to pause and adjust.

Then, on the third day after I chose free, the new subscription data in the author's backend dropped to 0.

It was the end of the year.

The most festive time of the year.

I really wanted to muster up some more strength, but I'm sorry to everyone that I didn't do it.

That month was so difficult.

I am very grateful for the kind words left by my friends who are still reading.

I am even more grateful that my parents encouraged me to keep going despite this situation.

It took me a long time to sort out my emotions and get back on track.

I read a lot of successful online literary works, took notes, and summarized why they were successful.

Unfortunately, I am not very talented and find it hard to find the key points. The more I realize my own shortcomings, the more I realize my own shortcomings.

At that time, I really wanted to give up, and my overall condition was very bad.

I am very fortunate to have a parent who tolerates a child who is a little irritable due to failure and denial, and teaches me not to be happy or sad because of a few words.

Ultimately, I want to finish this story, and no matter what people think of it, I'm going to try to finish it.

I still want to say that I am really sorry for not updating for so long.

I've said before that the chapters before the stable update are restored will remain free, and I will carry out this promise. And, as compensation, after the stable update is restored, I will also try to set up as many free chapters as possible before charging again.

Friends who are still following the book, please try not to give paid props. First, I really feel bad asking those who are still following the book to spend more money. I feel really bad. Second, I am currently absent, so the income from props will be much lower. I don't want you to spend money in vain.

Novel No. 50-0-

When we continue to charge, I would be very grateful if you could continue to support the number of subscriptions.

There's no need to worry about my financial situation. Although I'm a little pessimistic and feel a little guilty about not making any progress, I still have enough food, clothing, housing and transportation.

If there are still friends who are worried that I will run away, I may consider starting a small book group so that everyone can understand the specific situation of the creation.

Thank you so much for still waiting, bow!

——Old Tokyo, written in the early morning of March 2023, 3.

----------

In addition, let me explain some things:

First of all, you can still speak freely in the posts and comment sections and make comments freely. This farce is because my mentality is unbalanced. In the future, I will try my best to strengthen myself and prevent this kind of situation from happening again.

Secondly, if there are any malicious, sarcastic comments that go beyond the story itself, please don't pay attention. I'm grateful to those who have spoken up for me, but these comments are meant to attack me, and I can handle them on my own. I'd be deeply ashamed if anyone was affected by them because of me.

Again, two chapters of this book have been blocked due to some keywords. They have been revised and are currently being communicated with the website for review...If the process goes smoothly, they will be released as soon as possible.

Finally, like the thank you list for last December, the thank you lists for January and February are still being compiled and will be published at an appropriate time. We are deeply honored by your support beyond subscriptions, such as by contributing food items, but we encourage you to avoid any additional spending. If you are lucky enough to continue reading this book in the future, subscribing is the greatest support you can offer.

Thank you all for your company along the way. I will continue to work hard.

Chapter 16: Showing Attention for No Reason

The pale blue sky is warm today.

After saying goodbye to Miss Dream Chaser, Lin Sen went home and took a bath in the warm afternoon breeze to clear away the foul air in his body.

He found an envelope and stuffed most of the reward for his hard work into it.

I searched for the paper and pen that were scattered around the house, moved the face of the orange cat that timidly jumped onto the table and crawled over to act coquettishly away, and wrote the name [Chestnut] at the beginning of the letter.

It has been a long time since I last contacted the pen pal who once lent me a helping hand.

I once received a sum of money from her that could have solved my urgent needs.

Although the other party hinted that he did not need to repay the money when he sent it, and the money was lost in an unfortunate theft, it did not mean that Lin Sen could feel at ease and refuse to pay it back.

Lin Sen may be an unruly person, but he is not a bad person.

"Dude, you're such a good guy. Pay me back part of it first."

The content of the repayment letter was quite easy to write. I continued with the story I had shared with the other party, and quickly finished it, using the fact that my career had improved.

However, when I leaned over the front desk to find the post office employee I had met twice to send a letter, other unexpected situations occurred.

"Mr. Kobayashi, there's a package with your name on it, but you haven't come to pick it up since the parcel slip was sent out."

"I recently moved."

"I see. Please keep it. There's another letter here."

Lin Sen took the tightly sealed package and stuffed it into his backpack. He went out, turned right, and opened the letter while waiting for the red light at the intersection.

Before throwing the envelope into the trash can on the side of the road like a flying card, he glanced at the words on the envelope:

[Dear Aiko Mori]

It turned out to be a letter from some cheap old man who had already severed ties with me.

"..."

what?

jiǔ ling sān jiǔ 覟

Lin Sen quickly caught the flying envelope and confirmed that he was not dizzy and had not made a typo.

"Aizi? You're just like a beast of burden."

This cheap father has never called him that since he was a child.

What does this sudden change of attitude mean?

I met some really bad Gansters in Chiba and need them to transfer 300 yuan via WeChat?

Curiosity made Lin Sen patiently read the sloppy Japanese text written in the same font as a defense paper.

The content is not too complicated and the wording is simple.

In the letter, Kobayashi Hiroyoshi suddenly transformed into a gentle and kind old father, asking about the recent situation of his son in Tokyo who had been kicked out of the house by him.

At the same time, he deeply expressed the situation in which the family was unable to sleep at night because of the debt situation that Lin Sen had described in the phone call he made home.

At the same time, he firmly stated that no matter how miserable the child becomes outside, Chiba will be his eternal home.

The earnest words and sincere emotions may not make those who hear them sad or those who see them cry, but at least they will make people smile.

Lin Sen almost believed it.

"So, if we talk about the key points, these should be these two sentences."

Focusing on the end of the letter, two sentences stood out.

Although the annual salary for a councillor is not high and our family is struggling financially, I have saved some money. I hope it will help my son through this difficult time.

[Thinking about it, it's been over a year since I last saw you. I miss you so much. Since Golden Week is approaching, I hope my son can find time to come home and catch up with us.]

translate:

First of all, I'll send you some money to pay off your debt and express my gratitude.

Secondly, I have to do something after taking the money, so I go home during the Golden Week for something.

"However, you wrote to me in a tone that has never appeared before. It seems like you have something to ask of me?"

But Lin Sen couldn't figure out no matter how hard he tried, what could his adopted father, a county councilor who had never treated him well since he was a child and had already severed all ties with him, ask of him, a useless man in the eyes of the Xiaolin family?

Thinking about it again, I just felt that it was Louis XVI holding Head & Shoulders - I was confused.

Lin Sen put away the letter and counted the package that had been sent.

The amount was not too much, but it was enough to pay off the debt owed to my pen pal Li Zi, with a good portion left over.

I glanced at the time the letter was sent, and it was about fifteen days after the initial phone call.

The local Yakuza in Tokyo have common rules:

If a large loan is overdue and the principal cannot be repaid, they will come to your house every week to ask for the current interest.

If you can't pay the interest within a week, you'll have words painted over your door. Two weeks of housebreaking, three weeks of final warnings, a month of selling your body to illegal labor or feeding crabs at the bottom of Tokyo Bay—your choice.

"He's quite resourceful. He sent the money within three weeks."

Lin Sen stuffed the folded letter and the money into his backpack.

"If it were the original body, after failing to pay back the money and being at the bottom of her rope, and then receiving a letter like this, and hearing those fabricated warm words, she might have burst into tears, packed up her belongings, and rushed back to Chiba to bury herself in the grave."