The Beginning of the End

This is the second volume of The Final Youth. When I was a teenager, I also thought the sky was darkest just before dawn.

When I was in my thirties, I wrote in my diary: That day was like the desolate remains of a life spent weathering the years, yet a glimmer of white light remained, never to be extinguished. It was the end of youth, and the beginning of old age. These were the diaries that the young Xixi and Qingzi, and the adult Xixi, wrote together across time.

I dedicate this book to police officer Xu Zhiqing.