A Sequel to the Promise at the Edge of the Clouds

The Promise Beyond the Clouds is a novel I wrote out of my deep affection for the characters in There Is a Shop at the Edge of the Clouds. After reading the original novel and watching its screen adaptations, Liu Shisan and Cheng Shuang’s story was like a pebble cast into the lake of my heart, sending ripples across it that never quite faded. Their story was so moving, yet so full of regret. I couldn’t accept that it had simply come to an abrupt end. Liu Shisan’s uncertainty and perseverance as he grew up, and Cheng Shuang’s courage in facing her illness and her passionate, wholehearted love for Liu Shisan, both broke my heart. I longed to give their story a continuation, and so The Promise Beyond the Clouds came to be. In this novel, I hope to carry on the dreams they never got to fulfill. Perhaps Liu Shisan will find a glimmer of hope in life again after enduring hardship, no longer tossed about at the mercy of fate’s raging current. Perhaps Cheng Shuang will have more time with Liu Shisan, and we’ll get to revisit the warmth and laughter tucked away in the little shop beyond the clouds. In this new story, I want to make up for what was lost, give their love a happier ending, and let Liu Shisan rediscover the precious feelings he’d forgotten in the little town beyond the clouds. This is not only about satisfying my own desire to see their story completed. I also want to offer new comfort to all the readers who, like me, were moved by them. Together, we can return to the little town beyond the clouds, feel the romance and warmth that belong uniquely to Liu Shisan and Cheng Shuang, and begin a new journey of healing.