If Mr. Ling had not entered in a wheelchair, making his limited mobility obvious, plenty of people present might have assumed that the two men in suits, tall and striking as jade trees in the wind, were special guests invited by celebrity singer Mai for the concert. With their hair and features styled just slightly, both their faces and physiques were absolutely at celebrity level.
Yan Xiaodao pushed Ling He through a VIP passage with fewer people. Quite a few distinguished-looking guests came and went, many of them celebrities and acquaintances from the entertainment and cultural worlds, showing their faces on social media and publicly supporting one another. Next time somebody else held a concert or promoted a new film, Mai Yunliang would naturally have to return the favor.
Along the way, several guests who looked like talent agents stared at Ling He’s face in amazement. But the moment their gazes slid down toward his legs, they shook their heads in disappointment or contempt and backed away. If Ling He’s legs had not been disabled, they probably would have rushed over asking: Which company are you signed with? Do you already have a contract? Planning to break it, jump ship, and marry into our company instead?
Sure enough, they ran into their old acquaintance Jian Mingjue.
The major owner behind Red Square was Jianyue Mingliu Group. Second Jian counted as someone connected through family ties, but his elder brother thought him hopelessly incompetent at serious business and had never entrusted the cultural and entertainment company to him. Jian Mingjue was essentially a hanger-on who constantly appeared at Red Square, brokering relationships with wealthy patrons from every direction—gilded outside, filthy within. The man knew perfectly well how to profit from proximity and location, while outwardly always putting on the young-master airs of someone declaring, “This is our Jian family’s business.”
There was an envelope inside his suit jacket too, containing tickets that had been couriered to him even though he had no need whatsoever to present one when entering.
“Oh, Mr. Yan!… Oh….” Jian Mingjue turned his signature large-chinned face in the middle of a lively conversation, clapped his hands, and came over to greet Yan. Yet the second half of his intended “Oh, Mr. Ling” lodged violently in his throat. He froze completely and stared at Ling He like someone struck stupid by infatuation.
Jian Mingjue had seen Ling He at his most miserable and disheveled. The image of the man half naked and stinking on the gambling table had left too deep an impression. No matter how beautiful his face had been, something of proper dignity and elegance had seemed missing. But today Ling He had been packaged properly. His clothes were immaculate, and his eyes—with obvious mixed-ancestry features yet a naturally fierce beauty—looked brilliant and commanding beneath the lights.
Yan Xiaodao greeted Jian with perfect composure and shook his hand. The muscles in Jian Mingjue’s face twitched. Inside, he was undoubtedly beating himself bloody over the one gamble in his life he most regretted losing: the enormous wager on Yilu Island with a living person as the stake…. Ling He truly was a city-toppling beauty who outshone everyone wherever he appeared, and somehow he had ended up being won by a rough bastard like Yan Xiaodao, a man with no understanding of romantic pleasures!
Ling He, in an unexpectedly good mood, extended his hand as well. Jian Mingjue took the opportunity to hold those long hand bones and the wrist attached to them for quite a while before finally releasing him….
Jian Mingjue grinned and slapped Yan Xiaodao on the shoulder. “What a pair of jade beauties. You two look good together! Your brother has nothing else to say. I’m fucking jealous enough to hate you!”
Yan Xiaodao’s expression did not change. “Then I still have to thank Mr. Jian for making it possible back then.”
Jian Mingjue nearly ground an entire row of molars to pieces. Fuck your grandmother. Is this bastard mocking me for being forced to feed him the winning discard that day?!
Yan Xiaodao spotted You Haodong in the VIP passage. He was somewhat surprised. That man actually bothered coming to a crowded, boring event like this?
As usual, You Haodong nodded to Yan Xiaodao from some distance away, enough of a greeting between acquaintances. He neither approached for warm conversation nor came over to trade drinks and pleasantries, still maintaining the airs of the port’s young master. He had not come to watch Ling He. The last incident had already cost him enough face, and he had absolutely no desire to see Yan Xiaodao again or become involved in that business.
There was an envelope in his suit pocket as well, containing two front-row VIP tickets. If the woman beside him had not wheedled and dragged him here, You Haodong would have had no interest whatsoever in Mai Yunliang’s concert.
The concert itself was hardly remarkable. It followed the standard formula of a Hong Kong celebrity concert from beginning to end: dazzling stage effects, hot backup dancers wearing lingerie on the outside, one revealing costume change after another, various guest performers appearing intermittently to joke and lend support, and handsome young Mai Yunliang waving his microphone while conducting a full-arena singalong…. All that extravagant packaging successfully persuaded the audience to temporarily stop worrying about more substantial matters such as vocal skill, acting ability, hit-song rankings, or actual signature works.
Yan Xiaodao and Ling He sat in the second VIP row, far too close to the stage. The noise made their skulls ache and their ears ring. Worse, Yan Xiaodao constantly felt as though Mai Yunliang was staring at him. Mai forgot his lyrics several times because he kept looking over toward their side.
Only when Mai Yunliang called, “Friends in the front rows, stand up and let me see you!” did Yan Xiaodao finally fail to escape. Reluctantly, he lifted an arm and waved a light stick a few times, immediately earning mockery from the person beside him.
Yan Xiaodao did not mind sitting closely pressed against Ling He. In any case, to many people in the VIP section, the two of them had long since become each other’s intimate companions; everybody assumed they had already slept together aboard the Cloudtop. The current gossip circulating through their circles was that some male fox spirit of unknown origin had bent Master Qi’s tough, perfectly straight Yan Xiaodao.
Yan Xiaodao’s right arm curved behind Ling He, loosely forming a protective enclosure around him.
The male fox spirit turned through the revolving lights and shouted directly into Yan Xiaodao’s ear, “Mr. Yan, does it make any sense for you to put your arm around me like that?!”
They had to shout at each other to hear anything. Yan Xiaodao assumed Ling He disliked it and had not even managed to withdraw his arm before Ling He beat him to it. Ling threw his own left arm solidly around Yan, bursting with happiness, and shouted again, “I’m taller! This is the arrangement that makes sense! Understand?!”
Yan Xiaodao frowned while suppressing a laugh and returned, “You’ve got something wrong with you!”
Mr. Ling grew tired of shouting and urgently switched to a string of hand gestures. Still refusing to let the matter go, he repeatedly demonstrated the difference between the tops of their heads: I’m 184 centimeters. You’re only 182. Old man, if you don’t accept it, grow again!
Yan Xiaodao could feel that Ling He had immersed himself completely in happiness, so exhilarated he had nearly forgotten himself. When he smiled, even more teeth than usual showed. And that unmistakable happiness clearly did not come from Mr. Mai laboring away onstage. Ling He kept looking at Yan too, from inches away, every breath brushing lightly against his ear, each gaze leaving heat across Yan’s face….
The only irritating thing about sitting near the front was that fans carrying flowers and stuffed toys constantly rushed toward them, wave after wave trying to throw themselves onto their idol or steal a little physical contact. That kind of insane enthusiasm was far beyond what an old man of Mr. Yan’s age could endure. By the time the concert neared its end, the venue had become extremely chaotic. The passages around the VIP seating were completely blocked by people, packed tight without the slightest order.
Some fans began fighting with security staff while others continued surging forward. Crowds like this could very easily produce accidental crushing injuries or a stampede, and security personnel rushed everywhere.
Many important figures were seated in the VIP section, and the lighting was dim.
A setting like this was also the easiest place to make a move in every sense of the phrase: cause an accidental injury, fish in troubled waters, swap something under cover of confusion, rob someone amid the chaos—or quietly cover one or two mouths and abduct their owners before anyone nearby even noticed….
One person deliberately forced his way through the narrow gap between the seats directly in front of Yan Xiaodao and Ling He.
The man wore sunglasses and a baseball cap. Beneath the dim lighting, he turned his head and looked once.
Ling He kept his eyes facing the stage and did not look at him. He shook his head firmly.
The man lowered his head and quickly disappeared without drawing attention.
…
At last, the concert ended in an encore sung by the entire audience. An assistant hurried out from the side of the stage and specifically sought out Yan Xiaodao. “Mr. Yan, there’s also a backstage celebration afterward, with flowers, cake, late-night snacks, and refreshments. We sincerely hope you’ll stay a little longer. Please honor us with your presence….”
When Yan Xiaodao pushed Ling He out of the theater, he had already planned to take advantage of the confusion and slip away as quickly as possible. From the expression on Ling He’s face, he could practically see the same excitement surging in rhythm with his own thoughts. Ling He looked radiant, as though he were saying exactly the same thing: Let’s hurry up and get out of here. These people are boring and annoying. We can go home and play something on the piano together….
Unfortunately, the VIP passage was cut off a short distance ahead and made an awkward right-angle turn directly toward the entrance of the backstage celebration. The reception celebrating Mai Yunliang’s successful concert was being organized by the Jian family’s cultural company. One of their executives stood at the entrance, her full figure tightly wrapped in red, moving through greetings with people from every circle in a graceful, practiced manner and gesturing every distinguished guest inside. There was simply no way to escape….
Yan Xiaodao did not know her personally and had never dealt with her, but he recognized her immediately. The formidable woman executive was Ms. Zhao Qifeng.
Zhao Qifeng possessed considerable poise and social experience. Though no longer young, she retained much of the beauty and charm of her younger years. Yan Xiaodao could tell she had recognized him too, but she showed neither awkwardness nor embarrassment. Her skin gleamed brilliantly beneath body lotion dusted with reflective shimmer as she lifted her chest, held her head high, looked him straight in the eye, and smiled until her cheeks rounded. “Mr. Yan, I’ve heard so much about you. We’re extremely grateful that you took time from your busy schedule to support our company. Thank you for attending Mr. Mai’s Linwan concert tonight….”
Yan Xiaodao nodded with calm confidence. “Only proper, Ms. Zhao. You’re far too polite. Thank you for the invitation and hospitality.”
Zhao Qifeng even deliberately bent down to smile and speak with Mr. Ling, a small but remarkably considerate detail. Then she expertly continued, “There are drinks and Hong Kong-style refreshments inside so everyone can have something to eat. We’ll also have congratulations and cake-cutting in a little while. Please enjoy yourselves, you two beautiful gentlemen!
“Mr. Yan, we’ve ‘again’ delayed your drive home tonight. Thank you for being magnanimous enough not to hold it against us.”
With that final half-joking remark, Zhao Qifeng neatly dissolved the embarrassment hanging between them. Her emotional intelligence really was quite good.
Yan Xiaodao had to admit that, setting aside whatever affairs Ms. Zhao conducted in bed, her speech, bearing, and methods were leagues above that idiot Second Jian’s. At least she looked and acted like someone capable of running a business. No wonder so much of the Jian family’s enterprise depended on this woman holding the banner; a spoiled playboy simply could not be relied upon.
Naturally, the celebration became another opportunity for wealthy gods and immortals from various commercial empires to build private relationships with people from the entertainment world. Groups of three or five gathered everywhere, hiding in dim corners while discussing excellent business opportunities that outsiders were not meant to hear.
Yan Xiaodao and Ling He deliberately chose an empty corner and leaned close to chat quietly. Mr. Ling unceremoniously collected an enormous amount of food, all freshly steamed Hong Kong-style dim sum.
Ling He ate siu mai, shrimp dumplings, and custard buns one after another, simply tossing them into his mouth. Yan Xiaodao watched him and wanted to laugh. Among all the beautiful men and women present, nobody else ate like Ling He. “Everyone else is restrained, chewing daintily in tiny bites. I’m afraid you’ll choke!” Yan Xiaodao stood there holding a glass of water and personally attending to this young master.
“Quit talking. I’m handsome anyway.” Ling He had reached an extraordinary level of shamelessness.
Yan Xiaodao had no reply and yet had to admit he was right. Being beautiful really was unbeatable. Even with oil around his mouth, Mr. Ling somehow still looked better than everyone else!
Yan Xiaodao glanced at the people approaching from every direction, circling while manufacturing excuses and false pleasantries. Once again, certain memories made him uncomfortable. With real tenderness, he pulled Ling He into his arm and asked, “If you don’t want to stay any longer, should we leave?”
Ling He smiled sharply. “Leave now because Jian Mingjue, You Haodong, and Liang Youhui have all come over?”
Correct. The entire collection of familiar faces had arrived.
Yan Xiaodao tried to read Ling He’s genuine emotions. “Forget everybody else. If you don’t want to see that pack of demons and monsters, I’ll take you home. I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable.”
The way their eyes met and they leaned close to whisper looked far too harmonious and intimate. Yan Xiaodao had already stopped avoiding appearances and openly wrapped one arm around Ling He. Everyone in the world now believed those two were involved. In reality there was nothing between them, yet somehow it also felt as though everything was already there….
At home, the two were never this physically close because there seemed no need. Yet Yan Xiaodao had developed some contrary instinct: the more crowded and watchful the setting, the more he unconsciously wanted to gather Ling He securely into the circle of his arm, almost deliberately letting everyone see. He could no longer tell whether the impulse came from his habitual protectiveness or from the increasingly visible beginnings of fierce possessiveness.
Jian Mingjue passed behind Zhao Qifeng and snorted. “You put on this whole fake-ass celebration specifically to hook Yan Xiaodao, and you think I can’t see what you’re doing, Madam?”
Zhao Qifeng answered coldly, “It has nothing to do with him. We always hold a celebration! Not everyone handles things as recklessly as you, charging ahead without thinking what comes afterward.”
Jian Mingjue rubbed his nose and laughed. “I think you’re definitely losing money tonight. See that green-eyed fox beside him? He’s more than ten years younger than you, and he’s a fucking mixed-blood great demon on top of that! Let me explain the appeal to you. When a man fucks another man, that’s when thunder from heaven meets fire from earth. Once you’ve tried it, you can’t drag yourself back. Especially with a beauty who outshines every flower in the room!”
Zhao Qifeng said disdainfully, “I’m not trying anything. I’m dealing with Mr. Yan purely for business. Your mind goes too far.”
You Haodong sat down nearby and did nothing but drink red wine. He and Yan Xiaodao had little to talk about. Being excessively polite would look like fawning, but picking a fight and turning hostile was not an option either. His father had recently become obsessively devoted to worshiping Buddha. Every day after work, the man hid himself in one temple after another and barely went home, frantically donating huge sums of money as though unable to live through another day without doing it. Even You Haodong found him pathetic.
After scraping together so much money, why turn around and donate it all to build temples and worship Buddha, filling the private coffers of corrupt bald monks? You Haodong could not understand his father’s logic at all. Wasn’t it better to keep money in your own pocket and slowly spend it yourself?
Young Master You and his father actually had a decent relationship, partly because he was the only son, the sole direct and legitimate continuation of the family line. No matter how much they fought, father and son remained bound together. His father and mother, on the other hand, had long since lost whatever affection had once existed between husband and wife. They treated each other coldly while going about separate lives. Once a man became successful, there were more lovers around him waiting for their turn than he could possibly satisfy. Who still wanted to go home and face the wife who had endured the hard years beside him?
But plenty of people in their circles loved gossiping that Prefect You suffered from a private ailment: a sallow complexion, physical weakness, night sweats, and serious problems in the male department. Every time he met a lover, his heart was willing but his body was weak, and once they got into bed he would finish within a minute. That had earned him the mocking nickname “Three-Second You”!
Naturally, this was the sort of gossip men like Jian Mingjue spread behind Prefect You’s back. To his face, they all bowed so low their chins nearly struck the ground while flattering him, and none dared say anything reckless in front of You Haodong either.
Yan Xiaodao opened another bottle of red wine. Drinking freely was actually an excellent method of blocking unwanted conversation.
During the brief moment when another businessman pulled Yan Xiaodao up, slung an arm over him, and insisted on trading toasts, Jian Mingjue intelligently shifted over beside Ling He, lowered his glass respectfully, and offered a toast. “Mr. Ling, I offended you badly last time. Please forgive ignorance and don’t hold it against me. In the future, between Mr. Yan and me… I’ll still need you to help mediate.”
Ling He sneered. “You flatter me, Mr. Jian. You’ve been smooth enough to dance through every situation since the moment you left your mother’s womb, famous throughout Linwan and Red Square for how thoroughly you get around. Why would you need anybody else to mediate? You can spin yourself around perfectly well.”
“Ha ha! Still exactly that same tone. Excellent!” Half drunk and unable to stop admiring Ling He’s face, Jian Mingjue gave two shameless dry laughs. “Mr. Yan really is well-endowed and good in bed, isn’t he? Otherwise how could he have serviced a blunt, outspoken man like Mr. Ling into such ecstasy that you’re willing to submit sweetly and obediently to him and him alone, huh?”
It was an entirely obscene joke. Second Jian did not dare touch him, so he settled for running his mouth.
Ling He’s smile deepened. Layered dark-green light appeared in his eyes beneath the lamps as he suddenly leaned close enough to startle Jian Mingjue. Ling He’s words came out in an elegant murmur, undeniably masculine yet extraordinarily pleasant to hear. “Mr. Jian, I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood something rather important. Why don’t you ask Mr. Yan whether I’m the one who’s well-endowed and skilled? Ask whether I was the one who made him lose his mind in bed, and whether that’s why he’s so devoted to me that he refuses to leave my side.”
“Huh?” The abrupt reversal confused Jian Mingjue. “Heh-heh. That can’t be right…. Mr. Yan? Now that’s a fucking joke.”
Ling He rested one hand along the back of the sofa and the other over his knee. There was not the slightest trace of helplessness or inferiority in his disabled body. He sat like someone who could overturn the entire gathering with a flick of his fingers whenever the winds and clouds shifted. Smiling, he looked Jian Mingjue slowly up and down. “What? Interested in finding out for yourself, Mr. Jian? You and I could arrange a match one day.”
Jian Mingjue was actually frightened into silence, a shiver rolling straight down his spine. Even seated, Ling He’s height and broad shoulders gave him an overwhelming advantage. He looked down at Jian with a sharp, powerful presence running from the peaks of his brows to the ends of his hair, leaving Jian with the sudden impression that in another second this man might strip off his trousers and fuck him flat. That aura genuinely did not lose to that tigress surnamed Zhao in bed!
Second Jian’s asshole clenched involuntarily. He tightened everything he could and hurried away. He had no interest whatsoever in somebody entering through his back door. Nor did he think Yan Xiaodao looked remotely like a man who enjoyed being fucked by other men. No matter how you looked at him, he simply didn’t….
The star of the reception, Mai Yunliang, finally managed to escape the people surrounding him long enough to cut the cake, pour champagne into the tower, and carry champagne and plates of cake around to the guests. At last, this gave him a perfectly legitimate opportunity to approach Yan Xiaodao.
Mai Yunliang had not yet removed his stage makeup. Fine flecks of gold shimmer covered his handsome face, while an exaggerated lightning design was painted around his right eye. The makeup cleverly concealed the anxiety and sickly pallor underneath. Yet whenever he brushed past powerful guests and exchanged embraces, one could occasionally see fear flickering in his eyes and deep exhaustion sunk into the sockets, as though at any moment he wanted to pull himself out of the crowd and stuff himself into some pale, empty corner….
Yan Xiaodao could not quite define how he felt about Mr. Mai. As far as a man’s character and dignity were concerned, Yan neither admired nor respected the choices represented by this kind of life.
He could roughly guess how Mai Yunliang had established himself in those circles. If you gained something, you paid something. Fame and wealth wildly disproportionate to a young man’s age and ordinary reality did not fall from the sky. The prominent television host invited to tonight’s celebration was much the same. His name was Lu Yilun, and in private he also had the same high-end male-escort reputation. The people men like them courted, pleased, and exhausted themselves serving were not innocent fans. They were the wives of powerful officials and wealthy men—or simply the powerful officials and wealthy men themselves. Top Host Lu was rumored to have affairs with more than twenty wives of rich businessmen and senior officials, using the “wives route” to establish companies and accumulate wealth.
Mai Yunliang always appeared excessively polite, cautious, and deferential. When he bent down to toast Mr. Yan, the top of his head nearly collided with Yan Xiaodao’s nose.
“Mr. Yan, it’s an honor to see you again. Thank you for being willing to appear and support me tonight. I wanted to….” Mai Yunliang chose his words carefully, his emotions swaying like the clear wine moving inside the glass.
“Of course I should come support you. If you send me tickets, naturally I’ll show up. Sorry I happened to be out handling business when you came by. You’re busy enough already and still traveled all that way personally. Don’t trouble yourself like that next time!” Yan Xiaodao spoke with easy openness, yet without receiving so much as a scratch, he neatly blocked whatever real intention lay behind Mr. Mai’s unfinished I wanted to….
Ling He immediately shot Yan Xiaodao a sharp look.
Mai Yunliang wandered through several more remarks about Linwan’s atmosphere and the luxury of Red Square. Inside his pocket he was holding a hotel card with his room number written on it, hesitating repeatedly, his brows tightening with anxiety. He could tell that although Mr. Yan treated him courteously, he carefully maintained something like a five-meter distance, as though afraid of catching bacteria or a virus from touching any part of him. And the clever, formidable Mr. Ling beside Yan had been firing flames at him from the beginning, guarding Yan with open hostility and making no attempt to conceal the disgust in his eyes.
Mai Yunliang tentatively asked, “Mr. Yan, if it’s convenient, perhaps sometime we could discuss a few things… regarding performing in Linwan.”
“Oh. I don’t handle that side of the business at all. I’m completely an outsider. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be much help.” Yan Xiaodao was already being extremely tactful.
Ling He sneered. “Mr. Yan, Mr. Mai is inviting you to meet privately and communicate one-on-one. Whether you happen to manage this line of business or any particular line of business clearly won’t prevent a comprehensive ‘exchange.’”
Yan Xiaodao could hardly miss the implication. He shot Ling He a look: Behave. Don’t start.
Mai Yunliang awkwardly explained in a low voice, “Mr. Ling, please don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean anything else. There are simply some matters I’d like to discuss in private.”
Light blazed from Ling He’s phoenix eyes, boring straight through the skin beneath Mai Yunliang’s makeup. He felt no embarrassment whatsoever and did not lower his voice in the slightest. “Would you like to discuss your private romantic adventures and limitless debauchery with Mr. Jian, or perhaps how you and Young Master You threw open your hearts and went straight to the main event? I’d love to hear about it too.”
Mai Yunliang’s face changed as though somebody had slapped him publicly. He abruptly turned away. Fortunately, the music around them was deafening and the crowd loud enough that nobody noticed two demons had rolled up their sleeves and begun tearing into each other.
Yan Xiaodao frowned and openly reached out to take Ling He’s hand, wanting to reassure him: What are you doing? Don’t.
Then, absurdly, a sweet illusion of happiness rose inside him, warm enough to make his heart itch. So this sharp-faced, cold-hearted, vicious-tongued Mr. Ling was jealous over him?…
Yet it did not look like simple jealousy either. Ling He seemed unable to conceal a deep, instinctive contempt and disgust for what Mai Yunliang represented. The moment he saw the man, he went looking for an excuse to spray venom. Yan Xiaodao simply could not understand where such intense, meddlesome outrage came from.
In the end, Yan Xiaodao still had to maintain the false politeness required in business settings, while Ling He dared tear through appearances and confront anyone directly. Anyone whose values clashed with his own received not one inch of ground; he would simply crush the entire pack of gaudy little bitches beneath his feet. Deep down, Yan Xiaodao admired this frank, powerful version of Mr. Ling more than he could say. He genuinely liked him….
A man who looked like a department manager from Jianyue Mingliu came over to invite Mr. Yan away, saying Chairman Jian had arrived and had not seen him in a long time, so he hoped Mr. Yan would come over for tea and catch up.
The moment Yan Xiaodao temporarily left his seat, Mai Yunliang saw his chance and immediately started to rise and follow. Ling He moved faster. One crutch shot straight across and blocked Mai Yunliang’s legs.
Mai Yunliang gave up in frustration and sat back down. “Mr. Ling, you truly misunderstood. I only have some serious business to discuss with Mr. Yan. I absolutely have no other intentions.”
Ling He’s extremely thin lips opened and closed, firing another burst of poison. “Oh? Mr. Mai has serious business? I was under the impression that none of the houses, cars, or money in Mr. Mai’s pockets were earned through serious business. I didn’t realize there was any legitimate business in your life at all.”
Mai Yunliang choked completely, unable to answer. Tears welled in the eyes beneath his lightning makeup, forced there by Ling He’s merciless cruelty as humiliation flooded his face. In a war of words, Mai had no chance whatsoever. Almost nobody did against Ling He.
Ling He delivered the threat in an ice-cold voice. “Mr. Mai, Mr. Yan is a decent, upright man. Keep your hands, feet, and schemes to yourself. Stay away from him.”
Even I can’t bear to touch him. You think you can? What makes you worthy?
Ling He stared at Mai Yunliang and wanted nothing more than to tear this entire breed of people apart with his bare hands.
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