“Huff—”

Maxiao’s eyes burned, and he kept looking up, blinking hard as if trying to choke back his tears.

This lifelong regret left him feeling powerless, yet deeply moved.

At that moment, Little John spoke again:

“So, what do you think those are? I mean, those stars.”

“Lighthouses.”

Growing closer to Little John made it easier for Xiao Xi to speak.

That resonance of souls felt like a cure for her autism.

Xiao Xi looked at the twinkling stars in the sky, her eyes reflecting their light as if mirrored within:

“That must be lively, right?” Little John asked.

“Not really...”

Xiao Xi shook her head, seeming a little downcast:

“They can see each other and want to communicate, but they are worlds apart, facing each other from afar, unable to hear each other’s calls.”

“All they can do... is strive to shine their light.”

“To let that light illuminate the other lighthouses...”

As the piano melody twisted and turned, like waves of melancholy flowing over jagged mountains and into a sorrowful, tranquil river,

Even the hardest-hearted couldn’t help but be touched.

Stars, lighthouses...

In truth, they were all Xiao Xi.

She was like a star hanging far away in the sky, and like a lonely lighthouse standing by the sea.

Before John came, she could only look at other lighthouses from afar.

But as John entered her life, her light gained meaning.

That was why she clung so stubbornly to “Anya.”

Yes.

She saw herself as that lonely lighthouse by the sea, forever facing the ocean.

She was Anya, and Anya was her.

John.

My beloved.

Now, I am gravely ill and cannot accompany you to the end anymore.

But I hope to become Anya, to be by your side in another way.

John.

My beloved.

Life is too short.

If possible, I wish to become a star in the sky, a lighthouse by the sea.

Forgive my congenital psychological barrier that prevents me from expressing my true feelings.

Actually, I don’t want you to take care of Anya.

What I want is to stand there forever, quietly watching you, being your light, always illuminating your way home...

At this moment!

The chat barrage was completely silent.

Players and viewers alike froze with the same motion—

Those with tissues searched for one, those without blinked up at the sky.

Meanwhile, in many live streaming rooms broadcasting the game, soft sobs quietly emerged.

Xiao Xi’s love was so ethereal, so elusive that it took them the entire game to finally understand.

Her love was also so heavy that it took a lifetime of gameplay to fully grasp.

“So... what’s in that bag?”

Pulling her gaze away from the starry sky, Xiao Xi pointed to an old schoolbag on the ground and asked John.

“Oh, this? It’s the prize I got from whack-a-mole!”

Saying so, Little John pulled his prize out of his backpack.

It was a platypus doll.

An ugly, plush platypus doll.

“Can I see it?”

Xiao Xi took the ugly platypus from John’s hand, mumbling:

“It looks so strange... but I really hope one day I can win one myself.”

“Joh—n—!!!”

At that moment, John’s mother’s voice called from the foot of the mountain.

Little John hurriedly jumped down from the tree stump:

“My mom’s calling me, I have to go.”

“I’ll give this back to you!”

Seeing John about to run, Xiao Xi jumped down as well, trying to return the platypus.

But John waved his hand:

“Hmm... keep it, it’s yours now!”

“Mine?”

“Yeah! It’s a gift! Because I’m a whack-a-mole master, I’ll definitely win another one!”

Little John was full of confidence.

Xiao Xi hesitated for two seconds, then hugged the platypus to her chest.

“...Thank you.”

At this moment!

Even someone as seasoned as Xu Xiaolin!

Felt a buzz in his head!

He completely lost it!

Covering his face, shoulders shaking, tears streaming through his fingers!

Yes!

That childhood promise—Xiao Xi had never forgotten a single part of it!

The rabbit constellation they once shared, the lighthouse under the shining stars, the ugly yet priceless platypus doll!

She held that platypus all her life, folded paper rabbits for half a lifetime, and finally became a lighthouse by the sea, silently guarding John forever!

This love was silent.

But it thundered in the heart!

Watching Little John’s retreating figure, Xiao Xi hesitated for a long time, then finally mustered courage and whispered:

“By the way! Will you... will you come here again next year?”

Little John stopped, looking at her from afar.

The moonlight was like a song, pure and delicate as the finest veil, draping over them dreamily.

“Of course! What about you?” Little John nodded.

Xiao Xi felt relieved and nodded firmly: “I will!”

“Then... same time? Same place?”

“Yeah!”

Xiao Xi engraved this promise deeply in her heart, then, as if worried, asked again:

“What if you forget... or get lost?”

Faced with her question, Little John smiled.

Then he said the phrase that ran through the entire game, the final answer—

“We will always meet on the moon, fool.”

Little John smiled.

Xiao Xi smiled.

But at that moment!

All players and viewers couldn’t hold back anymore; sobs and tears broke out everywhere, some even howled in grief!!!

Their minds were flooded with Old John’s bewildered eyes from the start of the game—

“I don’t even know why I have to go to the moon...”

“I just...”

“Have to go!”

I have to go!!!

Xiao Xi, for the childhood promise under the starry sky, clutched that platypus doll and folded paper rabbits for half her life, just to remind John of their pact.

Although John lost his memory by accident and missed the appointment, he miraculously never forgot the promise beneath the stars!

Just as he said!

Even if I get lost, even if I lose my way.

We will always meet on the moon.

The blocker made him forget everything.

But it could never erase the promise to meet Xiao Xi on the moon!

At this point!

All the mysteries were solved!

The strange yellow-and-blue paper rabbits! The ugly platypus! The lighthouse standing by the sea!

And Old John’s deepest wish hidden in his heart!

Amidst the tangled mysteries was the most sincere, pure, and heart-wrenching emotion in the world!

When players unraveled the fog and solved every riddle, they found the answer boiled down to one word—

Love.

However!

At that moment!

Bang bang!

Suddenly!

In the memory world, there was a sudden jolt again!

The remote health monitor that had always been carried suddenly lit up red.

This meant Old John was about to fail.

What now?!

Neil looked at the female doctor with understanding.

At this moment, the female doctor remained calm, simply staring steadily at him.

“What do you want to do, doctor?”

“Of course, restore Old John’s memories so he can be with Xiao Xi...”

“That would violate the contract.”

Before Neil could finish,

Another unexpected twist came!

“What... do you mean?”

Suddenly, Neil had a bad feeling.

Players widened their eyes!

“We don’t have time,”

The female doctor said:

“To fulfill the contract, we must find a way to send Old John to the moon in the shortest time.”

“Hey! Hey!!!”

Maxiao wiped his tears, pointing at the screen, unable to believe what the doctor was saying!

“No! Old John never wanted to go to the moon! His wish was never to go to the moon! What he wanted was Xiao Xi!”

What he wanted was to fulfill the childhood promise with his wife!

Xiao Xi reminded him his whole life, and he searched his whole life!

And now, the doctor insisted on sending Old John into space for the contract?!

Players outside the game were furious!

Inside the game, Doctor Neil reached out to stop the female doctor!

But!

The female doctor pointed her finger!

Bang!

Neil was trapped inside an invisible barrier!

“Neil, you need to calm down. Our contract is to send John to the moon, and that cannot be changed,”

The female doctor said expressionlessly:

“We must get the client to the moon,”

“And the best way to complete this...”

“Is to delete Xiao Xi.”

“Only by completely removing her from Old John’s memory, will the obsession disappear, and he can be smoothly implanted with the desire to be an astronaut.”

You’re full of shit!!!

At this moment!

Global telegrams exploded!

Neil desperately hammered the transparent space, players outside furiously sent telegrams on screen!!!

‘You’re f**king lying to us!’

‘He never wanted to be an astronaut! Are you f**king kidding us?’

‘B*tch! B*tch! Get your ass back here or I’ll f**k you up!’

‘Baka! I swear... &*#￥%@!!!’

‘Oh sh*t... &%*&@#￥%!!!’

‘Dog! You’re a damn dog! Who the hell taught you to write this plot?!’

‘Damn... Can you not mess with people’s emotions like this...’

‘I’m seriously going to die of anger.’

‘This b*tch is a pure bastard!’

‘......’

Streamers raged, viewers were outraged!

But still, nothing could be changed.

Just like that, they watched helplessly as, under the doctor’s manipulation, Xiao Xi was erased bit by bit from John’s life—

Bright sunlight filtered through mottled tree shadows onto the corridor.

Pages fluttered lightly in the wind, the platypus doll sat alone on the steps...

In the noisy cinema, John and his brother Joey leaned on each other watching a movie.

But the girl who once sat shoulder to shoulder with him in the cinema was gone...

At the racetrack, sunshine shone brightly, joyful laughter echoed.

But the brave figure who once rode atop the saddle was gone...

Everyone was silent.

After the doctor’s memory alterations,

Joey was not hit by a car, Xiao Xi never appeared again.

John was “successfully” implanted with the dream of becoming an astronaut.

Days passed like slideshows...

John smoothly entered the space agency...

Then rapidly rose through the ranks...

Soon after, he was assigned the manned lunar mission...

Everything seemed to be heading towards “normal.”

But all players and viewers outside the game felt like a heavy stone pressed on their hearts, leaving them speechless.

Despair spread, almost swallowing everyone whole.

Soon, in the heavy silence, the time for the rocket launch to the moon approached.

John was now just one step away from his dream of going to the moon.

But no one was happy.

Everyone was silent.

Even talkative streamers like Ayin and Tree-ge had red eyes and quietly pushed the process forward.

...

“Ready?”

In the space agency’s small music hall, the director leaned toward John sitting at the piano.

“I... think so...”

John’s answer sounded absent-minded:

“I just feel... like I forgot something...”

“Haha, don’t worry, after all, every great astronaut feels this way before a mission...”

The director laughed heartily, patting John on the shoulder.

Was it really so?

John didn’t know.

Though his dream was so close, why couldn’t he feel happy?

It felt a little like loss, a little like pondering.

John’s fingers slowly tapped the black and white keys.

The familiar melody came again!

Simple, yet sweet and winding, made from two main notes.

Neither streamers nor viewers could believe their ears!

Because this was the very song John had originally composed for Xiao Xi in his memories—

“For River”

“Oh, right,”

The director was about to leave the empty music hall, but suddenly turned back and casually said to John:

“There will be another member joining this space mission...”

Hearing this, everyone’s eyes widened, and their breath caught!

Things seemed to take another godly turn!!!

And as those words fell!

Suddenly!

Bang bang—

The sound of Old John’s heartbeat in reality came, like a distant-to-near drumbeat, dusty and tired, knocking on the music hall’s door!

Click—

Accompanied by piano sounds flowing like a moonlit stream, the door slowly opened.

Outside stood a girl.

Orange-red hair, serene face, and the familiar blue dress.

Although my memories were deleted! Tampered with! Corrected!

Love is not.

Even crossing through surging crowds, countless ravines.

Even with endless hardships and twists on the road.

I will still come as promised.

We already missed once.

This time.

We won’t miss again.

Yes.

The girl standing at the door was Xiao Xi!

In fact, the female doctor never fully deleted Xiao Xi; she only temporarily removed her from John’s memory.

This was to slightly shift the timeline, giving hope for two parallel lines that never crossed to finally converge!

She believed Old John’s deep, burning love could help him cross layers of people and bring his lifelong beloved back.

And in truth!

Old John did not disappoint.

In the music hall, John and Xiao Xi stared at each other for a long time.

We were no longer two parallel lines.

No matter how the stars move, no matter how time changes, no matter what the future holds.

This time, we finally have a chance, like two meteors rushing toward each other, though dusty and weary on the way!

But one day, we will meet at a point!

Because I love you.

“...This song is really beautiful,”

After a while, Xiao Xi spoke softly:

“What’s it called?”

John smiled:

“It’s called—”

“To the Moon”

Xiao Xi smiled too: “...That name... is so beautiful...”

...

Finally, the day of the rocket launch arrived!

The sunset glow spread over the sightseeing bridge, casting a golden light on every spectator.

Male doctor, female doctor, brother Joey, close family friends, housekeeper Lily, two children...

The piano tune of “To the Moon” played, filled with earnest and heavy love.

Everyone held hands, watching the launch site in the distance.

On the huge screen above, the live broadcast showed the rocket ascending—

“Three—”

“Two—”

“One!”

“Ignition!”

Rumble—!!!

With the deep roaring of flames from the launch site,

This rocket carrying two people’s lifelong promise from childhood to old age finally left the ground.

Flying toward the moon!

Thump—thump—

As Old John’s heartbeat in reality grew weaker.

Everyone’s hearts tightened.

They knew it was a miracle Old John lasted this long.

This time, Old John was truly leaving...

In the live broadcast, John and Xiao Xi sat side by side.

Outside the porthole were countless stars!

The huge moon grew closer and closer; all the stars seemed to gather beside it, gradually forming a cute yellow-bellied rabbit.

Xiao Xi turned to look at John, and John happened to turn to look at Xiao Xi.

They stared at each other just like when they looked up at the stars as children.

This time, Xiao Xi reached out her hand to John first.

Their fingers intertwined.

A promise spanning sixty years and a lifetime was finally fulfilled at this moment.

The next second.

Beep—!!!

With a long alarm, on the heart monitor, Old John’s heart finally stopped beating.

His wish was fulfilled; he found himself in the last moment of life.

Under the vast starry night, cradled by the pale yellow moonlight, the manned rocket gradually became a dazzling star, a lighthouse among thousands of galaxies.

Old John’s relieved voice accompanied the flowing piano music—

“At the last moment of life, I finally remembered that childhood lighthouse and the moon that looks so much like a rabbit.”

“I never worried about getting lost, or not finding it.”

“Because I know...”

“We will always meet on the moon.”

Vast night sky!

Stars sprinkled!

A bright moon hung over the horizon, moonlight bathing the lighthouse.

In this magnificent scene, a flowing script appeared:

“Yes, the place I wanted to go was never the moon.”

“It was where you are.”

“—To the Moon (The end)”

At this moment!

Players worldwide!

Collectively broke down in tears!!!

-----------------

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com