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Fashion magazine’s positioning had been very clear since its first publication.  Luxury fashion, visual enjoyment, consumer beauty and vivid color. All these four characteristics in one publication caused the grade of the magazine to go up in no time.

This was an era when beauty and lust were sharper than weapons, thus “Fashion’s” rise to the very top of the magazine industry was not unrelated to the large number of elites in the industry. For example, Hu Qi was a top-notch high-end photographer, with too many skills to enumerate including retouching, color matching, and even art designing.

Duan Xiubo agreed very easily to this extra workload request. He was generous and friendly and obviously Hu Qi was very grateful. He even said thank you more than ten times and was very polite to Luo Ding.

“Come a little closer. Okay! Angle the lights. Look at the camera. Luo Ding, don’t smile!” Hu Qi carefully looked for the right angle on the spot, took a lot of photos and then carefully looked through them one by one. His brows gradually wrinkled.

Luo Ding’s performance was somewhat unexpected.

Probably because his image was too gentle and fresh when entering the studio today, the costume designer had selected a suit with a youthful style for him. The British plaid pattern matched the waistcoat with its cummerbund. While siting outside the set, away from the camera and drinking water quietly, the attire seemed to be quite consistent but strangely it was different on camera.

He had wanted to highlight the strong collision between the temperaments of an adult man and a younger man, so he had asked Luo Ding and Duan Xiubo to stand face to face, with Luo Ding pulling Duan Xiubo’s tie while Duan Xiubo looked down into Luo Ding’s eyes to show the fierce conflict between them.

But Luo Ding’s aura under the lens was really beyond his expectations.

Once the lights hit him, the temperament of the young man suddenly sharpened. Although his expression still seemed to be smiling, and even though he was a little shorter than Duan Xiubo, the majesty that radiated from every pore exceeded the size of his thin body. Through Luo Ding’s eyes, when he looked at Duan Xiubo, even Hu Qi had the illusion that he could see sparks fly.

This effect was very good, but … Luo Ding’s suit had become very mismatched as a result. He had just taken a set of photos just now and after suddenly noticing the problem he felt uncomfortable

He put down his camera and stared at Luo Ding with a solemn expression.

As soon as he stopped, the entire set paused and Luo Ding also looked at him in a puzzled manner: “What’s wrong?”

Hu Qi’s professional X-ray vision sized Luo Ding up and down and he suddenly said: “Luo Ding, take off your jacket.”

“…” Luo Ding raised an eyebrow. “Did the theme change?”  As he spoke, he cooperated with a several assistants to undo his buttons. It was the artist’s job to be professional. When he first came into contact with the film industry in his early years, radio and television management was not so strict and it was common for female artists to reveal one or two things on camera. He had also been required to sometimes appear in the background. At first, he had been a bit shy, but later he realized that paying attention to such details was simply a reflection of his lack of professionalism. Gradually, after experiencing such themes several times he had become accustomed to it.

When he was shooting AIDS public service advertisements in his last life he had been asked to do the same by photographers. However, things were even more straightforward then. He was simply asked to strip.

Luo Ding’s liberal behavior naturally made Hu Qi look at him with a little surprise. Many artists will be somewhat shy and uneasy about requests for nudity put forward by photographers. At first glance, the professional attitude of the other party was well-trained. That was good. The biggest fear in print photography was that the artist could not let go of their inhibitions. No one will think you are cute if you pretend to be bashful in front of the camera. Active cooperation was the only way to really win the favor of the staff.

“Your outfit looks like children’s clothing.” Hu Qi briefly explained the reason for his request and patiently waited for Luo Ding to take off his shirt and jacket. His eyebrows jumped twice.

In fact, this young man’s figure was actually not so good. At least in terms of male aesthetics, a man should have the developed muscles, tanned skin and even the chest hair, sweat, and body odor which among other things represented male hormonal elements. However, Hu Qi was a professional photographer and his aesthetics had naturally escaped the shackles of gender. He suddenly found an unusual beauty in Luo Ding.

Luo Ding was very thin, which was also a common problem of many new male artists of his age. Today’s mainstream aesthetics were getting closer and closer to a feminine style[1], which had led many young people to gradually abandon physical training. However, although Luo Ding was thin, it was obviously different from a morbid thinness. A thin layer of solid muscle covered his slender skeleton, waist, abdomen, shoulders and even arms. The small muscles that had already formed were not as eye-catching as the muscles of fitness enthusiasts, but they gave people an indescribable feeling. He was refreshingly masculine. Probably because he rarely basked in the sunlight, his skin was very white and even reflected a hazy halo under the light, He did not have much body hair and because the temperature in the studio was a little cool his two grains[2] were standing upright.

Hu Qi’s gaze fluttered across his body without being obscene. Luo Ding saw that no one was speaking so he stretched his body and turned around.

Hu Qi’s brows suddenly wrinkled, and he instructed the wardrobe assistant on the side: “Take Luo Ding to change into a pair of jeans. Pick one that is a little tighter, light colored, and that highlights the buttocks.”

Luo Ding was hurriedly taken away from the set in a warm coat, and Duan Xiubo, who was in front of the screen, fixed his gaze on his back until he disappeared, before he relaxed his stiff body slightly.

“Give me a glass of water.” His hand was stuffed with mineral water and he took a big sip before his tight throat gradually returned to normal.

Hu Qi came up to speak with him, and his attitude seemed to be more cautious: “Mr. Duan, can you cooperate with me for a moment. Of course, you don’t need to show your body like Luo Ding, but can you go without your jacket and take a few pictures with just your shirt?”

Duan Xiubo’s response was half a beat slower than usual, and it seemed as if he had to think for a moment before answering: “Take off my jacket?”

Hu Qi thought he didn’t agree, and smiled awkwardly: “If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter …”

“… It doesn’t matter?” Duan Xiubo said, “Oh, it’s fine.”

Although Hu Qi was a little confused, his goal had been achieved so he quickly returned to his post to discuss lighting. Duan Xiubo, who was sitting on a chair, held his water bottle in his hand and tightened his grip. He couldn’t help rubbing his eyebrows.

That snow-white skin, thin muscles, and slender neck was repeatedly circulating in his brain. Duan Xiubo had once seen Luo Ding’s body when he had given him a bath in the hotel that day. The situation then was different from now. Because he had consumed alcohol at that time he had been careful to not touch or look at anything so his nudity had not been much of a problem. But now, just now, just a few minutes ago, Luo Ding was actually in front of him, personally! personally! personally! Using his own fingers to unbutton his shirt one by one! !! !! !! !!

Duan Xiubo could tell that his condition was a little bad. Mi Rui thought he was tired, so he asked quietly, “Can you hold on? If you don’t want to cooperate, it doesn’t matter if you leave now, you don’t have to agree to any unreasonable requirements. Besides, you have to film tomorrow morning, so you can just go back to rest early.”

Duan Xiubo was currently very vigorous, where was he feeling like he can’t hold on? He whispered to drive Mi Rui away and psyched himself up with routine psychological counseling. It took him a long time to dissipate the heat in his heart.

Luo Ding was also back.

After changing into jeans, though his youthful style was more refreshing than before, it didn’t matter because denim was a very malleable attire.

Duan Xiubo’s eyes glanced at Luo Ding’s body roughly. He didn’t dare to look any closer. Only a pair of slender legs encased in fabric was left in his head.

He felt a little hot, so he got up and took off his jacket neatly, leaving only a white shirt with a tie, which made his already strong figure look even more upright.

Luo Ding talked about his trousers.  He was so thin, yet they were still snug, he really didn’t know who else could wear this one-size pants.

Glancing at Duan Xiubo, it did not escape Luo Ding’s sight that although the other party was still smiling, the gentleness in his gaze was mixed with a little impatience.

That’s right. He had been delayed for so long. Although Duan Xiubo always had a good temper, it was human nature to get angry. Luo Ding smiled at him in apology, and entered work mode as quickly as possible.

At the beginning, Duan Xiubo couldn’t think of anything except getting the best angle. The more he worked hard, the more he was relieved. This calm attitude was not broken until Hu Qi put forward a new request.

“Put it on his waist?” His large palm stuck to the side of Luo Ding’s waist and he did not dare move. The supple and creamy skin under his palm was slightly cool, and with a touch he felt like he had broken through the sky. Luo Ding who stood with his back to the camera was also asked to hold on to Duan Xiubo’s waist with one hand.

Hu Qi was so excited, his eyes sparkled: “Yeah! Yeah! That’s it! Keep it up! Hey, Luo Ding go down a little bit more, put your hand on his waist casually! Okay! Okay !!!!”

He said “good” several times, jumped around like a monkey to find a spot, leaned over and clicked Ka ka Ka ka. After taking several photos, he finally breathed a sigh of relief: “Okay! Today went too smoothly! I don’t know how to thank you! “

Luo Ding still held his hand on Duan Xiubo’s waist. When he heard that the shoot had ended, he laughed, and squeezed his hands vigorously: “Duan ge exercises very well.”

“…” Duan Xiubo twitched as if electrocuted. He smiled awkwardly, grabbed the jacket handed over by Mi Rui, put it on and turned his back on the camera to sort himself out.

After, he patted Luo Ding’s shoulders, leaving a sentence for him to remember to eat well and left rapidly without turning his head.

Luo Ding watched him leave and saw Hu Qi happily approaching with a camera in hand. With an admiring look on his face he said, “Mr. Duan is really unimpeachable, easy-going, generous and without any pretensions. You see that he walked away so anxiously, there must be other work to be done, but he was so good-tempered to cooperate with our extra shooting … tsk, I haven’t really encountered such a person in the entertainment circle before.”

Luo Ding smiled, and expressed his admiration for Duan Xiubo in his words, but in his head it was the embarrassed appearance of Duan Xiubo, who had almost tripped over an electric wire as he left, that kept replaying.

His departure was a desperate gesture and if he didn’t know Duan Xiubo personally, Luo Ding would have surely thought he was hiding from some flood beast[3]. It was really hard for him today, it took so much extra time to complete the joint shoot.

I’ll invite him to dinner some other day.

Luo Ding happily made such a decision.

********

Ji Jiahe flipped over the drafts handed in for this issue and raised his brow in a subtle arc.

In his opinion, Duan Xiubo has always been an ascetic man. Although he always had a gentle smile on his face, as his friend, Ji Jiahe knew how he refused to be contaminated by external influences.

The appearance of this man in suits and dress shoes always appeared compelling on camera.

With his tall body, handsome appearance and calm temperament, whether he was looking down at his watch, or smiling at the camera, people will always be convinced by his powerful aura.

But turning over to the next page, the theme of the photos changed suddenly.

The man in a white shirt who had taken off his blazer looked much more accommodating than usual. He had stretched his neck in some embarrassment and his tie was caught in the hands of an unseen person. His gaze was gentle and affectionate. Compared to the previous page he undoubtedly appeared more down to earth.

Turning one more page, this time he had even taken off the tie and opened his neckline to expose part of his chest muscles. He stood sideways and he appeared to be looking down at someone with a sharp look in his eyes.

“Well done.” Ji Jiahe gave Hu Qi a compliment, loosened his tie, coughed, took a cup of tea and sipped.

To be honest, if  he had not been friends with Duan Xiubo for so many years, and if not for his strong will power, a person like him who loved beauty and color would have long been unable to resist the temptation and would have rushed forward without hesitation[4].

He turned the page gently again. The saliva in his mouth was half swallowed when he forgot what he was doing causing him to choke and cough for a while. As he shed tears he still glanced unconsciously at the picture.

“Fuck, Fuck, Fuck !!! What was this? Was this the theme I set for you? I said a British Jazz style!!!” He pointed to the young man in the picture who was wearing only jeans with a sunny smile on his face.  Ji Jiahe’s eyes were wide and his fingers couldn’t help but tremble, “What’s this? Is this British style!?”

The young man in the picture was incredibly handsome. After the retouching, you could hardly find any shortcomings in his originally delicate features. His eyes were focused yet vivid. Although his upper body was exposed, it did not feel obscene at all. It transcended sex and gender and gave off a … beautiful feeling.

It was really beautiful. There was nothing in the background at all. There was only one person’s solo photo, and his joyful mood seemed to infect everyone through his smile. His outstanding temperament had imbued soul into a flat character. At the first sight of this picture, Ji Jiahe could not peel his eyes away. This was a totally different feeling from when he saw Duan Xiubo’s photos. Duan Xiubo gave off a feeling of purely masculine temptation, but Luo Ding was … the pursuit of the beauty in human nature.

“It’s really good!” Hu Qi smacked the table with one hand and complimented Ji Jiahe generously, “You really have vision! I heard that he was still a little unknown actor when you chose him. So, when I saw him, I only thought you had picked a good model. But when he stood in front of the camera … my God! Do you know what it was like when I was shooting live? When he and Duan Xiubo looked at each other, I was so nervous that I couldn’t even press the shutter!!! What British style, the one outfit that had been picked before was too weak! Not explosive enough! It didn’t match him at all! At that time my mind was blank, and I had no time to pick more clothes, so I wanted to let him take off his shirt and try … “

Ji Jiahe raised his hand to interrupt his wordiness while staring at this series of photos with some disbelief.

Luo Ding in front of the camera … was unexpectedly like this?

In all honesty, at first, when he had asked Luo Ding to model for the inside pages he was really being selfish. He had that kind of thought about Luo Ding, but the interaction between the two of them was too little. Thus, it was only reasonable to deepen Luo Ding’s impression of him by cooperating again and again. He even prepared for Duan Xiubo to fill the inside pages as well if Luo Ding failed to deliver. But now it seemed that these photos … why were they only for the inside page. They were more than good enough for the cover, OK?!!

Hu Qi’s words had been interrupted halfway and as a result his face had turned purple but he still couldn’t help but say: “If this is a surprise, you should look at the back, you’ll know how malleable he is!”

Ji Jiahe stared at Luo Ding’s slightly curved eyebrow in the picture and was reluctant to leave, but after hearing Hu Qi’s words, reason controlled him to turn to the last page.

“… This picture …”

Ji Jiahe’s eyes twitched, his trembling fingertips curled up, and he coughed twice, covering his mouth: “Really …”

It really was … He had no words …

This picture was different from the personal photo just now. This one was a joint shot of Luo Ding and Duan Xiubo.

The two were shoulder to shoulder. Duan Xiubo’s white shirt maintained the slightly open neckline from when he shot the first photo where he stood sideways. Here he stood towards the front with the side of his face facing Luo Ding.  

Luo Ding was wearing his pair of light blue low-rise jeans. He was standing with his back to the camera while looking sideways at Duan Xiubo.

Luo Ding was a bit shorter than Duan Xiubo. When he looked at him, he had to look up slightly. His eyes were gentle and intimate. Duan Xiubo responded with a smile and an affectionate gaze. The handsome faces of the two men, one tough and one delicate, stood together, and their style matched perfectly.

What’s more important was their chemistry!

Luo Ding’s waist line was very beautiful, his rounded buttocks and the perfect depression in his lower spine made his waist look so thin, as if you could hold it one hand.

Duan Xiubo’s wide hand had really grabbed Luo Ding’s waist from the front to the back and his palm was welded to his flesh. Their skin tones were a little different, and with the intentional emphasis of the lens the contrast was even more pronounced. Luo Ding’s hand also went around Duan Xiubo’s abdomen and tried to wrap his waist, but he didn’t seem to be successful, so he could only hold the fabric of the other’s shirt and hung there cutely.

… Ji Jiahe admitted that he was too shameless. He suddenly wanted to be crooked. His eyes fell on Luo Ding’s face for a moment, then he stared at Duan Xiubo. For a moment, he didn’t know which one to hate out of jealousy.

Luo Ding’s waist must feel good. Duan Xiubo must have accumulated eight lifetimes of virtue!

Ah! Duan Xiubo looks so manly. Luo Ding I will replace you and let him look at me with that kind of look!

After a while he raised his head quickly and stared at Hu Qi, who was getting closer and closer: “Who asked you to take this kind of shot?!”

“Ah?! Isn’t it good?! I think the composition is very interesting! Look at Luo Ding’s side he appears green and naive, while Duan Xiubo has the kind of purely adult male tension. Standing together it’s so harmonious, don’t you think so! Very! Pleasing! To! The! Eye!”

“Very sexual.” Ji Jiahe concisely summarized his post-review thoughts.

“…” Hu Qi frowned and stared at the photo, starting to think about it. After looking at it for a while, he suddenly shook his head: “Ah, it really seems a bit…!”

He didn’t mean it! He was one of the few straight men left in the photographer’s circle. In this composition, he was obviously going after aesthetics and Duan Xiubo did not take off his clothes! In the later period, he also deliberately screened out some works that were too alluring. How could it still be sexual?!!

Ji Jiahe patted the table and said happily, “Sexual is good! What you want is sexual! What magazines are not sexual now! You are just fine at this level, people who are not sexual won’t have those thoughts for those who are crooked this would be a good brain tonic. Good, good! Remember to continue to maintain this level, I am optimistic about you! “

Hu Qi was still contemplating. How did this picture turn out this way? Was it really a matter of his level …?

On the other end Ji Jiahe was also worried, oh this picture is good, that picture is good, oh this picture is also good, in the end which one to should I choose? If we choose them all I don’t think there are enough inner pages.

******

Luo Ding’s fans were a little excited these days.

Similar situations often occurred when Luo Ding’s official projects were too high. This time, the reason for everyone’s excitement originated from a public announcement on Fashion magazine’s official website.

“We will give a personal poster of the fashion figures in this issue. The photos are drawn randomly and enclosed in a sealed magazine. The price of the magazine is unchanged. This is a small benefit after our New Year issue. I hope many Fashion fans will like it.”

Then underneath, they … posted … two … Luo Ding photos.

These two photos, apart from ah ah ah ah ah ah, fans could say nothing else.

The shirtless young man had put one hand in his jeans pocket and the other hand brushed his slightly wet hair, as he looked down at his feet. His half-open eyes gave the illusion that he was a little sleepy, and his entire being revealed a lazy air. In the other photo, he was close to the camera and smiling happily. There was no change in his attire but the change in his expression gave people a sense of youth and vitality different from the previous picture.

“Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah !!!”

Early in the morning, Duan Xiubo found that the announcement had been made. The Luo Ding fan circle who had found this post had transferred the photos from the official magazine website to Weibo, immediately causing countless retweets.

“Ah ah ah ah dying dying dying my youthful son don’t look at me like this !!!”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my husband is so handsome !!!”

“Crying over muscles!!! How can his skin be so white !!!?”

“”Hehe if you compare yourself to him you will jump into the river.”

“”Lick Lick Lick, I changed four mobile phones this month. What’s wrong with all this leaking!”

“Paralyzed! “Fashion” have the ability to release all the photos. You have the ability to publish! Publish! Publish! Publish! Publish!!!! You have the ability to publish it all in the magazine !!!!”

“Begging to add money! Begging Luo Ding to pack all the photos and sell them to us, I’ll give one hundred yuan! Offering my money! My purse is here, please take it away!”

Duan Xiubo sat up from the bed with a serious look and enlarged the two photos.

It was this set! They actually chose this set!!!

Duan Xiubo blinked, and Luo Ding’s half-naked upper body instantly reminded him of all the details from the photo shoot. When viewed from close range, Luo Ding looked even better than the pictures … his skin was soft … no acne, It felt like …

Duan Xiubo ignored his increasingly spirited little tent. Anyway, he was the only one in the room right now. He reviewed all the Weibo comments on the front page one by one, bit his finger and clicked on the post to forward. He didn’t know what he should say, but he only sent a bunch of Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah’s.

He clicked on the post, and watched as the weibo Id with his English name appeared on his homepage. The number of ah ah ah ah ah was more than anyone above or below his post, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and contentedly got up to wash up.

Ji Jiahe had overridden the crowd’s opinion and decided to double the number of publications this time.

There was no shortage of fierce opposition at the meeting, all of which was refuted by him in a justified manner. Duan Xiubo’s appeal, Luo Ding’s appeal on the Internet, the results of this photo shoot which more exquisite than any other previous time, etc., etc., finally let the high-level officials ignore those who were against the proposition and resolutely implement Ji Jiahe’s proposal.

From the day after the decision was reached, the rest of the various factions at Fashion magazine’s agency all joined forces to prepare to watch Ji Jiahe’s embarrassment. Ji Jiahe’s normal behavior was too showy, and his work was too ruthless. Coupled with his messy private life, he was a nail in many people’s eyes. But his ability to work was so good that these forces that hated him couldn’t bring him down. This time, Ji Jiahe’s request for the number of publications to be increased caused many people see the dawn of victory.

In their opinion, Ji Jiahe was dazzled by his last victory and was lifting a stone to relentlessly smash his own feet.

What was it he said? Duan Xiubo’s appeal was good, but what about Luo Ding’s appeal? What was that? A small actor who had not even entered the mainstream field of vision and was popular on the Internet. Will netizens pull money out their pockets to buy magazines? For them enjoying free resources was pretty much the same. In Ji Jiahe’s imagination how easy was it to get them to pay? In the end, even if the end results of the photo shoot were exquisite, they can’t be moved to the cover. For example, how many of the main purchasers of the magazine pay for the beautiful cover or inner page? As long as the first scanned picture appears on the Internet, the piracy that follows will be endless. What the use of a good-looking picture?

The double print volume request was enough for Ji Jiahe to make an unprecedented fall. It would also let him know that not just anyone was capable of making decisions. Even though he did not have enough experience, he was pretending to be courageous. In the end, he can only be laughed at.

On the day the magazine went public, Ji Jiahe closed the blinds and wearily fell on the office sofa while waiting for the response from the market.

This time he had really been impulsive. He admitted that the cooperation between Luo Ding and Duan Xiubo felt very good to him … so good that it made him feel he could at least double the sales rate of the magazine. Because the rejection of his request for additional printing by his superiors last time caused heavy losses, this time they deliberately ignored some persuasive reasons and had agreed to his request. But after the blood had cooled down, Ji Jiahe became rational and had soon discovered some loopholes in his subjective reasoning.

He had somewhat taken Luo Ding’s appeal for granted. After carefully investigating Luo Ding’s fan base he had determined that these fans were older and had purchasing power. He had put forward this reason but in fact, no one knew whether these people who went after idols on the Internet will be as loyal when it comes to tangible benefits. It’s just like fans of those mainland singers who seemed to respond to album publicity, yet these albums sold poorly. Many people subconsciously did not have the concept of spending money on idols.

And the theme of this inner page rode the line between friendship and sexual feelings. Ji Jiahe was bold and had taken the risk but these pictures in the inner page subverted the usual style of the magazine. Maybe old customers of the magazine would not be able to accept it so quickly.

The telephone on the table rang, and Ji Jiahe was startled by the sound as it broke the silence. He then raised his hand, looked at his watch and sighed.

Let the storm be more intense!

Answering the call, he heard the hoarse voice of his assistant. He could feel the tension that filled the latter’s entire body because of his excitement through his voice over telephone line: “Boss !!! Out of stock!!! Out of stock!!! Everywhere is out of stock!!! Our phones are going crazy !!!!!!”

Ji Jiahe trembled and hung up the phone, and then received a second, third, fourth call…

“It’s time to print !!!”

“There are agencies in Japan that require a large number of mail orders !!!”

“Can the printing press speed up the progress? Start printing now! The first batch is definitely not enough for sale !!!”

After rubbing his hair hard, Ji Jiahe jumped around in the dark office, took off his jacket and screamed a few times silently. Then he restored his elitist demeanor and went out to show off.

In the company, a while ago, those obscure and lively eyes were now changing extremely quickly, one by one, rushing back and forth to urge printing, and congratulating him on another victory.

Ji Jiahe calmly nodded to those colleagues who came up, and his heart was so refreshed.

In the corners he didn’t know, there were a lot of great existences who were enjoying themselves alongside him.

That strange group of people … Their name was Luo Ding’s rice circle.

That is to say, his “bamboo basket” circle, “radish” circle, “loli” circle, “Luo anything” circle. At this moment, no matter what they were called these aunts had no more energy to do anything else but scream.

The entire Weibo had been reduced to a sea of ​​”ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”.

[1] The term used here translated to cream puff, which I believe is a derogatory term.  Decided to replace with a feminine style which is what I think the author was trying to convey. Translator’s privilege

[2] Nipples

[3] You are the flood beast dearest Luo Ding. lol

[4] Meaning he would have hit on Duan Xiubo

Translator’s Notes:

I had to post this while in a bit of a hurry. It takes a village. Please let me know in the comments if you find any typos and errors. Thanks

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