Sick Beauty Gives Up Struggle [Rebirth]

Li Rong finally knew what Lin Qin was going to do.

He thought of the embarrassing young boy who brought him hot milk in high school, and he firmly believed from the beginning that his parents were wronged.

He has always regarded Lin Qin as a wet sparrow that needs to be protected under its wings, but unexpectedly, Lin Qin already has the ability to protect others without knowing it.

Li Rong's heart was both soft and sour.

Why did you show kindness to Lin Qin in the first place?

He doesn't remember either, maybe he has experienced a trough before, so that he can understand the embarrassment of others.

Li Rong stood up and looked at Lin Qin who had been cut off the microphone on the stage. In fact, they didn't need to say anything, they just looked at each other, and they knew what the other was thinking.

Li Rong smiled helplessly at Lin Qin, and Lin Qin was also relaxed, showing his first relieved smile since the finals.

In fact, if Lin Qin had mentioned his plan from the beginning, Li Rong would never have agreed.

He didn't want Lin Qin to gamble with his future and open a hole for his stalemate.

But the matter has come to this point, Li Rong will never disappoint Lin Qin's intentions.

Those loopholes that Lin Qin didn't realize were filled by him, and the means that Lin Qin couldn't do were implemented by him.

Fortunately, Cen Wei reacted quickly and took Jian Fu away early to deal with public opinion issues. The next battlefield will not be offline.

Ji Xiaochuan exclaimed: "He...they are going to take Lin Qin...where?"

Two strong men with big arms and round waists came to the stage, and just about to touch Lin Qin's arms with their hands, the fans in the audience immediately screamed.

"Get your hands off!"

"Don't touch!"

"Whoever moves Qinbao, I will fight desperately with whomever, the program crew will explain on the spot!"

……

There were thousands of fans in the audience, and the sound of shouting shook the entire gymnasium. The strong man hesitated, suppressed by the absolute number of people, he did not dare to move Lin Qin, so he had to make an embarrassing gesture of inviting Lin Qin to the backstage .

The host bit the bullet and walked up to the front desk, clutching the microphone, but his whole body was already wet with sweat.

It's really not that he's not capable enough, it's just that no one can encounter such an emergency in his career, if he handles it well, he'll be famous in the industry, if he doesn't handle it well, he'll just wait for unemployment.

The host came over with a strong smile, and hooked Lin Qin's back kindly: "Everyone, fans, please calm down. Since everyone has doubts about the number of votes, we will verify all the votes again next time. Don't worry about it. Don’t be noisy, the space in the gymnasium is narrow, it’s not good if there is a danger, now please leave the stadium in an orderly manner according to the instructions of the staff, please believe that we will definitely give you a satisfactory answer.”

The host cleverly did not take out the fairness and justice that had been emphasized before the game as a platform for the show.

In fact, he knew in his heart that the games were all conducted in secret, which was commonplace in the industry, but the audience didn't know that they had such a big reaction because they believed in fairness.

The biggest contradiction now is actually the information gap between the audience and the industry.

But he couldn't say, "It's because you are ignorant that you yell."

Lin Qin glanced at him, and said calmly and ruthlessly, "Only I can quiet them down. Do you want to give me the microphone?"

Of course the host didn't dare to give it, he was afraid that Lin Qin would say something surprising again and say something that would make the program crew want to hang himself on the spot.

Lin Qin sighed: "I don't want to embarrass you, I've said everything I need to say, and I won't say anything more."

The host hesitated for a moment, but still didn't dare to let Lin Qin touch the microphone, so he held his microphone tightly and brought it to Lin Qin's lips.

Lin Qin really didn't mean to embarrass him, so he didn't even raise his hand.

He said to the angry Hazelnut Crisp in the audience: "I'm afraid everyone is in danger, so please go home as soon as possible with each other, and I will leave immediately, I won't be dismissed by their public relations, don't worry."

The host is extremely tangled.

He didn't know if Lin Qin's words were right, or if he should say it. Although it sounded like it was meant to appease the fans, it also virtually blocked the way for the program team to solve it privately.

Lin Qin simply jumped off the stage and walked to his parents and friends.

Of course, he is not afraid of being forced to stay by the program group, because whether it is on or off the field, there are thousands of fans gathered. If he cannot get home safely, these fans will not agree.

Lin's father and Lin's mother were completely stupefied.

Lin's mother really thought that Lin Qin was being bullied so much that she couldn't say a word, she could only cry silently.

Lin Qin had no choice but to hug his mother, like coaxing a child: "Let's go, I'm fine."

Then he looked left and right, but he couldn't find Jian Fu and Cen Wei, so he asked Li Rong suspiciously: "Squad leader, where are they?"

Li Rong looked deeply at Lin Qin, and after a few seconds of silence, he said briefly: "Manipulating public opinion."

Lin Qin was stunned.

He had always simply thought that as long as he told the truth in front of everyone, Suhe Creature would be finished.

But he doesn't have deep social experience, and he has forgotten that public opinion is a weapon that can be manipulated by people. It is not difficult for a powerful company to create a reversal.

Cen Xiao and Jian Fu are going to deal with the aftermath.

The changing situation is like the spring weather in City A. It was clear that the night sky was dry and windless more than ten minutes ago, but now suddenly lightning strikes.

Lightning split the sky with a dazzling crack, and at the dinner party ten kilometers away, the thunder was long overdue.

As soon as Zhai Ning's pen tip landed on the contract, the door was suddenly pushed open. Someone rushed in hurriedly, regardless of etiquette, and rushed directly to Zheng Zhupan's ear, whispering a few words quickly.

The visitor was sweating profusely and panting, and looked at Zheng Zhupan anxiously, only to see the muscles on Zheng Zhupan's face twitched, and his complexion suddenly sank.

Zhou Hong didn't know what to do, and asked nervously, "Mr. Zheng, what happened?"

Zhai Ning immediately threw the signature pen aside, and looked at Zheng Zhupan with wide eyes.

Her heart was beating like a hammer, and her already dead heart was suddenly full of hope. Her intuition told her that Li Rong and the others must have done something!

Zheng Zhupan scolded angrily: "Song Yingyi is a thing that has more success than failure!"

Although he was angry, it wasn't a gaffe. After all, he had experienced big storms in these years, and it was commonplace to deal with public opinion when there was public opinion.

But Zheng Zhupan didn't think at this time that the public opinion would get out of hand this time.

Zhai Ning immediately stood up and pushed the contract away: "Did something happen to Suhe Biotechnology?"

Zheng Zhupan adjusted his expression and smiled at Zhai Ning: "President Zhai, don't worry, it's not a big deal, it's just that there is something wrong with the small company he invested in."

Zhai Ning took advantage of the topic and said calmly: "Mr. Zheng also knows that I am a person who attaches great importance to the reputation of partners. I can't sign this contract today. Let's talk about cooperation after Mr. Zheng resolves the negative news."

Zheng Zhupan emphasized his tone: "Dean Zhai!"

Zhai Ning was not to be outdone: "I represent the hospital. If anything happens, the hospital's reputation will be damaged. I can't bear it!"

Zhou Hong was caught in the middle, in a dilemma.

He certainly hoped that Zhai Ning could cooperate with Zheng Zhupan as soon as possible, so that their community of interests would be more solidly bound.

But what Zhai Ning said is also reasonable, if something happens to Suhe Bio, don't implicate him and the hospital.

The work in the hospital is his way of retreat, and he will not cut off his way of retreat unless it is absolutely necessary.

Zhai Ning glanced at Zhou Hong, and took advantage of the victory to pursue: "How about this, Zhou Hong, you can check on the Internet to find out what's wrong with Suhe Biology."

Zhou Hong hurriedly took out his mobile phone, he was more willing to listen to Zhai Ning this time, because he also knew in his heart that Zhai Ning had a bottom line and was much more reliable than Zheng Zhupan.

The rhythm of the Internet is faster.

Before the program team can discuss a suitable countermeasure, the official blog of the program has already been occupied by fans.

"Explain to me how to let the players accompany the boss to drink during the game?"

"If Lin Qin didn't go, he must have gone. Who did he go? Did you keep him in the finals because he went?"

"Speechless speechless speechless, disgusting to death, can you give me a happy word, let everyone suspect it is appropriate?"

"How many people voted and who was killed, the program team won't think that we can't see if other artists don't dare to say it?"

"Apologize to Lin Qin! Give Lin Qin justice! Announce the real number of votes!"

"Wajing Entertainment, Suhe Creatures threaten artists, harvest fans, there is no bottom line!"

"Wajing Entertainment get out of the entertainment industry!"

……

Now not only Hazelnut Crisp was angry, but even the fans of the previously eliminated contestants began to question the program group's ticketing.

Apart from closing their eyes and pretending to be dead, the program team really didn't know how to reply.

But the death of the program cannot be tolerated, and the Lin Qin fan support club will soon throw out a big news.

The president himself released a message through his official account——

[This senior programmer wrote a small program to count the number of fans' votes. The following is the actual count of the votes of Hazelnut Crisp and the screenshot of the voting interface. The warrants have been made, and the number of votes is displayed as 970021. There must be a large number of votes that have not been counted. According to the data analysis of various comprehensive indexes since the Lin Qin competition, the guaranteed number of votes this time should be around 150w, but even if it is 970021, it is far more than Cheng Zerui's votes. 】

As soon as this news was released, it was quickly pushed to the top of the program-related topics, and the number of readings skyrocketed.

"Fuck! There are strong people in the Hazelnut Crisp support club, this is too awesome!"

"How did the fans manage to be so obedient? If they asked for screenshot statistics, they would take screenshots. That's 97 people! Even if one person votes for a whole family, 20 people are needed."

"I love it so much. I'm convinced. The show crew didn't expect the fans to be so capable. Good guy, they sold half of the votes. How dare you."

"Is Fu Rui there? Hazelnut Crisp said that if you show the evidence, you will show the evidence."

"Wajing Entertainment is so domineering. If you don't sign, you won't be given the first place, and you will die."

"If we don't give an explanation for this matter, individual players will never have a bright future. From now on, it will be a game of capital!"

……

While monitoring the background data, Jian Fu couldn't help admiring: "This president has a lot of tricks, and the statistics are calculated so quickly. Isn't this more efficient than the vast majority of people in the first district?"

Cen Wei said indifferently: "People generate electricity for love, can it be the same as making money from work?"

While urging the platform to heat up the news, Jian Fu said, "I thought she was doing useless work before, but I didn't expect to plan ahead. She is indeed more suitable than me to be the president."

Cen Wei: "It means that ticketing for competitions is already a common thing, and this chairman is very experienced."

Jian Fu snorted, "Yes, it's commonplace, but fooling people's hearts will lead to overturning sooner or later."

He was still gnashing his teeth in hatred, what kind of rubbish did he dare to say to kill Lin Qin?

The chairman's statistics caused an uproar, and soon a group of high-traffic accounts began to stand in the opposite direction and pour dirty water on the chairman.

"Is the program I wrote convincing? With hundreds of thousands of screenshots, will someone check them one by one? It's too easy to fake."

"I think everyone should stay calm and wait for what the show crew has to say, and don't listen to one-sided opinions."

"Besides, when Lin Qin went to talk about cooperation with people, he had to secretly record the recordings and put them together. This...was too scheming. Is this still his persona?"

"Friends, haven't you said angry words in private? How could it be possible to really let someone die? Song Yingyi is just a daddy."

"As far as I know, Suhe Biology is a conscientious pharmaceutical company. How could it have anything to do with the entertainment industry? It's a misunderstanding."

"There are too many reversals in the news, don't take sides, and don't be manipulated."

……

These accounts dare not blatantly whitewash Wajing Entertainment and Suhe Biology, but they have been secretly provoking the president's nerves, trying to make her fall into endless self-proof, and focus all the contradictions on the matter of ticketing superior.

This is already the practice of abandoning the car to protect the handsome. It's nothing to lose a show, as long as it doesn't affect Suhe creatures, it won't hurt.

Just when someone really followed the idea of ​​the marketing account to think about whether Lin Qin's recording had a character problem, the hazelnut cakes threw out the rehearsal photos again.

[I want to keep it for later posting. Before the finals, the fresh air system in the stadium failed, and Qin Bao had a bad cold. Look at his throat. He went to get an injection. Everyone knows that the closure is very harmful to the body, but he did it for the best. The effect of the performance is still good. Even if he knows that he may be sold out, he still wants to give the fans the best performance. He respects his stage very much. 】

The photo was taken very clearly. On Lin Qin's neck, there was a red pinhole. The pinhole had just scabbed, and he could vaguely feel the horror of the needle piercing his throat.

"Baby Qin, idiot, I hurt my mother to death."

"It turns out that the cold is real. I said why the front line is crying. How much damage does the sealing needle really do?"

"Why do you do this to an artist who respects the stage and fans?! Why do you hurt his efforts so much?!"

"Woooooo my baby, does it hurt? Why are you so cruel to yourself? Nothing is as important as your health."

[Speaking of which, let me also post a video. I bought it from a proxy shooter. The scene of Qin Bao coming out of Yan Pan's studio, no one knows the relationship between Yan Pan and Wajing Entertainment, right?Look at Qin Bao's tears, how much he has been wronged! 】

In the video, Lin Qin came out of Yan Pan's studio building with his mask pulled up to his chin, his eyes were red with tears in his eyes.

He was very depressed, with his head down most of the time, walking aimlessly on the street, not knowing what was on his mind, his thin back made him look a bit bleak.

"Ah, did you get bullied? Is this the day you talked about signing with Song Yingyi?"

"I'm outraged, sisters, there isn't a single good thing in this program group!"

"I know Yan Pan, she always calls Cheng Zerui, and also shows Cheng Zerui's internal tidbits, so it turns out that she and Wajing Entertainment belong to the same family."

"Yan Pan, Song Yingyi get out and apologize!"

……

Those posts that questioned Lin Qin's character were quickly overwhelmed by overwhelming distress. Fans were angry and scolded the marketing account. The marketing account that couldn't bear it had no choice but to delete the post in desperation.

Jian Fu monitored the public opinion field, and seeing these evidences, he was so distressed that he almost suffocated.

Although he now understands that Lin Qin is preparing for this east wind, seeing how he tosses himself, Jian Fu still scratches his heart.

"Where's my knife? I'm going to kill Zheng Zhupan!"

This tone must be counted on the head of Su Hebio!

But it is clear that Suhe Biotechnology will not give up the battlefield of public opinion. After a while, medical bloggers and children's bloggers end and start to speak for Suhe Biotechnology.

"Disputes in the entertainment industry want to stay in the entertainment industry. Personal morality does not represent the attitude of the entire company. As far as I know, Suhe Biotech has made great contributions to the medical industry over the years. Jiaketing is their company's drug. .”

"I don't know anything else, but the parents of many children have privately sent me a private letter, and they are very grateful to Xinghe Biologics for giving their children hope. I think those who can work hard for the children are not bad people."

"Don't get involved with Suhe Bio. A pharmaceutical company just invested in Wajing Entertainment, which doesn't mean it understands the twists and turns of the entertainment industry."

……

These bloggers all have a good reputation and have high prestige among followers, so there is an argument that Suhe Bio will be picked out.

An unfamiliar pharmaceutical company has produced a medicine that actually solves the problem. Even if there are some minor problems, everyone is not unacceptable.

Just when the enthusiasm for hedging in public opinion subsided a little, another unexpected incident occurred.

A contestant named Jiang Zui who retired early jumped out and angrily scolded Suhe Creature!

[@江醉: I wanted to bury it deep in my heart, but I couldn't bear it anymore, so I had to come out and say something.What Lin Qin said was the truth. At that time, almost all the contestants and staff members were there. Zheng Zhupan from Suhe Biology did come to the program group to accompany the important people to drink, and he only picked handsome boys. I was one of them!

It’s not that Zheng Zhupan doesn’t understand the entertainment industry. At that time, I was about to perform on stage, but Zheng Zhupan threatened me, saying that I would not be able to survive in this industry. I delayed the competition. Retirement, this incident has caused a great blow to my spirit!Isn't a small artist without background not a human being, just let others trample on him? !

I still remember the details of that night. Zheng Zhupan said that He Dayong of Meijiang Pharmaceutical, which was investigated some time ago, was an idiot.He also said that if He Dayong hadn't been involved in 'that incident', Suhe Biotechnology would never have scooped him up! 】

Underneath the text, Jiang Zui also posted a picture of the Seven Star Hotel that night. Although the picture is blurry, it has all the information that should be there.

Soon, Fu Huan liked Jiang Zui's article, and Jiang Zui was instantly pushed to the forefront.

"Another contestant has come out to hammer! It's really crazy, Zheng Zhupan is choosing a concubine."

"Fu Huan liked it! Sure enough, all the contestants know about it?"

"I searched for Zheng Zhupan's photos on the Internet. He is a fat and greasy guy, and he also picks out handsome artists. I threw up, sisters!"

"Is Suhe Bio so awesome, a pharmaceutical company manipulates an entertainment company?"

"You can find out after a search. Zheng Zhupan and Song Yingyi are closely related, and they jointly hold shares in several small companies. This is a family business!"

"It's disgusting, Suhe Creature! What kind of cancer is Zheng Zhupan?"

"Uh, isn't the most frightening thing about counterfeit medicines easy to deal with, and what does that incident refer to?"

"Fuck, there's still a big melon, this Suhe creature has a whole body of treasures!"

"Hurry up and make them pay the price!"

……

After the night of the finals, many people couldn't sleep. Things fermented until Jiang Zui jumped out and Fu Huan went off. Another day has passed.

The program team was still playing dead, and the championship resources promised to Cheng Zerui were also forced to be interrupted.

Lin Qin held the soup medicine prescribed by the doctor to recuperate the body, pointed at the computer screen, and was stunned for a moment: "Is this Jiang Zui?"

He doesn't have a deep impression of Jiang Zui, he only remembers that Jiang Zui left the game very early, and it seems that they haven't spoken yet.

Li Rong threw two stomach medicines into his mouth, and swallowed them with hot water: "The one who went to Zheng Zhupan's dinner with me did not perform well at the dinner, and he was also a little transparent, so the program team sent him away."

Jiang Zui was able to jump out, of course it was Li Rong's method.

The photos released by Jiang Zui were taken by Li Rong, and the words Jiang Zui said on Weibo were also taught by Li Rong.

Some words did not come from Zheng Zhupan's mouth, but it did not prevent being grafted onto Zheng Zhupan.

And such an excited tone full of exclamation points and questioning makes the text look very real. After all, if a small artist with no background, if he hadn't lost his mind and gone crazy, how could he grab such a big capital.

The reason why Fu Huan liked it was not because of Lin Qin's persuasion.

Fu Huan has his own sense of justice. If he could hold back, he wouldn't be in the position he is today.

And even he thought that Jiang Zui said it because he couldn't hold back his emotions. As for what everyone said that night, Fu Huan couldn't remember at all. He only remembered Dean Zhai, but Jiang Huan didn't. not mentioned.

The two sick people, Li Rong and Lin Qin, leaned comfortably on the sofa, sometimes monitoring the development of public opinion, and sometimes having some refreshments with Ji Xiaochuan and Aunt Hui.

Jian Fu and Cen Wei have been working in District [-] and stayed up all night, and Cen Wei didn't even go to District [-].

Jiang Zui's accusation is extremely detrimental to Suhe Biology. If it is said that manipulating ticket sales and forcing accompaniment is a personal moral disadvantage, then condoning counterfeit medicines and operating in secret will involve everyone's interests.

Now the fans of the contestants are no longer fighting, and everyone is waiting for Suhe Biology to give an explanation.

"Before I became a fan, I was an individual first, and I would take medicine when I was sick. If a pharmaceutical company says there is no problem with counterfeit medicine, I think it is the biggest problem."

"Wait, everyone, we don't know who this Jiang Zui is, why do so many people believe one of his articles?"

"I have been a doctor for ten years, and I can tell with my conscience that there is no problem with Suhe Biological's Jiaketing, and everyone should treat it rationally!"

"I think bloggers should come out and speak out. There are not one or two incidents in which companies have been slandered and defamed over the years. I suggest that this matter should be investigated by the police, and everyone should not stand in line."

"Agreed, we are not professionals, since Jiang Zui corrected me, we must listen to Suhe Biology's defense."

"Yes, anyway, I don't think a boss of a big company will always say such irresponsible words, but this Jiang Zui, there is no price for lying."

……

Ji Xiaochuan anxiously said: "Boss, he...they have entered the navy to control public opinion again!"

Li Rongwo lay on the sofa, staring at the screen, and slightly pursed his lips: "It's not surprising for a person who has no bottom line to do anything."

"This group of people are so disgusting!" Lin Qin didn't expect that Suhe Creature could struggle so much, it wasn't even a struggle, and they wanted to pour dirty water on the victim.

Li Rong patted Lin Qin's shoulder reassuringly, bent his eyes, calmly said, "Don't worry, I won't let your thoughts go to waste."

In fact, things have developed to the present, and they have taken a big step forward.

Suhe Biology has changed from a vague and unfamiliar concept that makes the public indifferent to a hot topic on the cusp of the storm.

Those bloggers who were bought off, in order to whitewash Suhe Biotech, did not hesitate to take out Jiaketing and praise it repeatedly.

Although this will indeed make some people hesitate and believe, at the same time, the name Jia Keting is deeply engraved in everyone's hearts. Once the trust collapses, Jia Keting will bring down the entire company.

These bloggers are probably very confident that Jiaketing will be the pinnacle of Suhe Biotech and will never fail.

The dispute over whether Jiang Zui's words were true or false lasted for two full days.

During this period, no more news came out, Jiang Zui didn't respond anymore, and the other players avoided talking about the accompanying wine incident.

The public relations of Suhe Biotech continued to work hard. In order to divert the public's attention, the program team finally issued an apology statement.

[Due to equipment failure, the vote statistics failed. All the staff of the program group sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to everyone. The re-integrated votes will be announced later and the ranking will be re-ranked.There are many investors in the program group, but investors cannot determine the ranking of the contestants. We will resolve the misunderstanding with the relevant contestants as soon as possible, and apologize again. 】

"Hahaha I will believe it?"

"Speaking like this after holding back for a few days, isn't it, which company's public relations, resign and go home!"

"It's such a versatile equipment failure. Why don't you give Lin Qin more votes for the equipment failure, or is your equipment also bribed?"

……

However, just 1 minute after the announcement of the program group, before the fans had time to scold, a newly registered trumpet released an astonishing recording.

"...It is impossible to allocate money to continue research, and it is just right for Jiaketing to come here."

"There are still five years to return the capital, and the profit will double in seven years, and it will take at least ten years to earn."

"Ten years... how about 15 to 20 years, the research is so hard."

"Well, it can't be cured. For this kind of disease that takes medicine for life, one less one can be cured."

"I'm afraid that someone will be disobedient."

……

The trumpet made a speech after the recording.

[I used to work in Suhe Biology, and my conscience is still alive. I left this internal recording, just taking this opportunity to let everyone see Suhe's ugly face.I know that Suhe Biology has bribed many big Vs and will pour dirty water on me. I accept all confrontations, as long as Suhe Biology dares. 】

Of course, after the trumpet spoke, it happened to be pushed to the homepage of netizens who paid attention to this matter.

With a smile on his face, Li Rong said lightly, "Du Mingli is really powerful. With one word, he blocked the way of many big Vs."

The more well-known bloggers are, the more they cherish their feathers. It’s okay to let them say something unconscionable in order to make money, but if they find that the wall is about to collapse and want to put their reputation on it, they will definitely not do it.

It is perfect for Du Mingli to entangle with the marketing account and big V. If it is to guide emotions and confuse the public, who can compare to the leader of the ghost eye group.

Compared with the personal gains and losses of celebrities, the public is obviously more concerned about drugs related to people's livelihood.

No one cared about the program group's apology statement, and everyone flocked to leave messages under the trumpet.

"It's terrifying to think about it carefully, so Suhe Biology doesn't want to cure this disease at all, they just want to keep making money!"

"It turns out that Jiaketing was developed for this purpose, haha, it's too cruel."

"They would rather let tens of thousands of children take medicine for life! How many families have been displaced and their families have been destroyed?"

"There is no one in their eyes, it's all money!"

"The recording time of this recording was three years ago. This is a stone hammer."

"Suhe Bio is the most disgusting company I have ever seen, bar none."

"Hehe, those who make medicine are like this, but we ordinary people can only rely on them. Is there no conscience in this world?"

"Uh... I don't know if anyone still remembers Lu Yinxu?"

……

The name that had disappeared for two years, the name that had been drowned out by countless insults, reappeared in front of everyone.

It is a little strange, but it can quickly evoke the carnival in that memory.

It's just that time has changed, and many people can't remember where the carnival started.

A gust of wind blows in from outside the window, it just brushes over Li Rong's forehead, blows his hair up, and puts it messily on the ear temples.

Li Rong couldn't help raising his hand and stroked the tentacles of the wind.

He said softly, "It's windy."