Pristine Darkness

Afterward

Ding Mo's Note

Everyone:

And so it ends. From now on, there will be no more stories about Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao, and no short stories will be written.

It is not easy to write a sequel, and it is even more difficult to write one in a different style. Up till today, there are still people asking why it is necessary to write a sequel to Close Your Eyes. However, in the course of writing, I became more and more convinced that Pristine Darkness had to be written. Just like a light-hearted arc needs the remaining heavier strokes to complete it, just like the reverse side of happiness and sweet love features tears that shock the spirit. If there's no. 2, no. 1 becomes even more complete. Thus, Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao's story and lives are now complete and well-rounded. This most probably has to do with me as the author; at different stages of writing, I have different demands on my writing. It's just that the length of time between the two stories is somewhat long, it's been 3 years since I finished writing Close Your Eyes 1. I wanted to continue the story to the greatest extent, yet also hoped that it would be an entirely different story. I have tried my best. You guys have had a tough time, too. I think that it's difficult for many 'younger sisters' to have the plot line as the most important element of the story. After all, without delight, the crucial feature of 'mutual teasing and provocation' would also be lacking. However, the number of subscribers has remained steady; I thank you all for your deep love and support.

Winter is here. I'm sorry that this time of renewal has come so quickly, so I am not able to accompany you in passing the winter season. However, maybe a new story will come with the spring blossoms? Maybe, a story whose 'adorable meter' is off the charts? After all, I took almost a year to write Pristine Darkness with it's dark plot, and I am almost unable to repress the stirrings of love that are threatening to burst forth within my heart --

Let me give you early wishes for a happy new year. We will meet again in 2017.

-- from an evergreen tree in the Internet literary circle: Lao Hei Tu (lt. Old Black Earth 老黑土)

Thank you for journeying with us on this translation project! Anks and I (shl) and the other translators have enjoyed giving you the opportunity to read Ding Mo's work, although it wasn't always a pleasant read - psychopathic killers and blood galore, anyone? 

Anks' Note

Like it's said 'All good things come to an end", this awesome story too has reached its finale but i am really not ready to let some things go. I absolutely loved this novel and now saying goodbye to these characters is particularly hard.

First of all, i am really gonna miss our Bo Jinyan's acumen and quirky personality as well as Jian Yao's warm persona. Also, the thrilling cases that constantly kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages(okay scrolling the screen) even faster, never knowing what would happen next. With the constant twists and turns, Ding Mo has this amazing ability to never be predictable. Too many times i had gasped with the plot twist and even had some jaw dropping moments.

Another thing i really like about Ding Mo novels is that she provides such amazing content on both ends of the spectrum. On one side, we have the worst kind of psycho criminals and gut wrenching situations with gory details (that i even had to step away from the novel a few times and read lots of fluff to balance it out), while on the other side, we have such romance to make us swoon, humor and awesome bromance.

However, one thing i just can't get over is losing one of our favorite characters, Fu Ziyu! Why, just why? I had cried buckets after reading about his end. Still, i had held hope until the very end that by some MIRACLE he would make it back. But reading the last few chapters was really heartbreaking when even that last remaining shred of hope was dashed. He was rly a wonderful character. His loss felt just so personal.

After venting that out i want to wrap it up by saying i throughly enjoyed reading and working on this novel. Thank you dearest Shl for always being so patient and kind. You are the best of the best! Also, a big thank you to all our lovely readers for sharing this journey with us! Your comments and support really made it a wonderful ride. Love and warm hugs to all! Hope we get to share another Ding Mo story like this.

shl's Note

I confess, when I first joined this translation project I had just finished translating When a Snail Falls in Love, and I didn't think I would find another pairing as unique as Xu Xu and Ji Bai. It also didn't help that the beginning chapters of Pristine Darkness were so twisted and dark, and that I had not yet read Close Your Eyes, Here He Comes (Love Me if You Dare).

Gradually, I came to appreciate Bo Jinyan's wit and dour humour, and Jian Yao's steadfast character and independence of thought. Of course, their bantering yet deeply loving relationship was a plus! Discovering Fang Qing and An Yan, as well as all the other interesting side characters, was also enthralling. As for Fu Ziyu . . . ah. I loved him at first meeting. But, I have to say, once Han Yumeng turned up, I knew that was it for him . . . (rule of thumb - if family member or lost love of a character turns up, he or she is not long for this world. I learnt this the hard way watching Top Gun with Tom Cruise (yes, I'm that old), when his partner 'Goose's' wife appears. Go Google it!)

I realise from Ding Mo's note that the author was worried readers might not appreciate the darker aspect of Pristine Darkness and its complicated plot, as compared to the more obvious relationship development of Close Your Eyes. I appreciated both elements! And I think Ding Mo threw in enough sweetness that those who wanted to see more of the BJY-JY relationship were placated. And, of course, there was also Fang Qing and Jin Xiaozhe, as well as An Yan and Gu Fangfang. I'd rather not think about Fu Ziyu and Han Yumeng . . . I also appreciated how Ding Mo worked in the backstory of the antagonists, making it possible for readers to sympathise with, or at least feel pity for, some of the antagonists. In relation to that, I thought it interesting to consider how criminal psychologists like BJY are different from the psychopaths they pursue if they understand them so well.

I have enjoyed translating this novel. I don't know if I'd really want to translate another crime/ thriller novel again (yikes!), but this has been a great roller-coaster ride. Thanks to all translators and editors who have worked on this project - Geeky (who started this off), Clue, Ting, and Lid_d (translators), and Anks, Summer, Libramuse, Artemis, SantaCalculus, and Advy (editors). A big thanks to Clue, who jumped in when she could despite a difficult academic schedule, and especially to Anks, who edited faithfully despite the sleepness nights of new motherhood!

Of course, thank you, readers, for joining us on this journey! We hope to see you again soon <3