Chapter 52 Awakening and Reunion "Bai Xingzhi, you'd better give me an explanation..."
As dusk gradually crept into the valley, the wooden door in front of Bai Xingzhi creaked open.
His heart skipped a beat, and he strode inside.
His gaze fell on the woman who was still unconscious. She had been dressed in clean clothes, and the bloodstains on her face had been cleaned.
Under the dim light of the oil lamp, his face was so pale it was almost transparent. The light brown herbs applied to his face could not cover the dark red marks underneath. The red and white colors stung his eyes.
"The patient's condition is stable for now; whether he wakes up depends on tonight," the doctor said, stroking his beard.
It took Bai Xingzhi a while to find his voice. He clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Doctor. I will repay you handsomely in the future!"
The doctor frowned and said curtly, "No need for that. We mountain folk don't have these customs! This girl can't be moved yet. Just take good care of her tonight, and that will be your thanks!" With that, he picked up his medicine box and left.
Qing'er watched her father's figure disappear, then looked at the handsome man in front of her, and said with a bit of helplessness, "Young master, please don't mind him. That's just my father's personality. He has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Please don't take it to heart."
She introduced herself and Shuangxi Village with a natural and generous demeanor. The village was small, with only a few dozen households, who made a living by growing miscellaneous grains and mountain products. The doctor who had just treated her was her father, whom everyone in the village called Old Man Shi. This room was where he usually treated patients, and it was temporarily provided for them to stay in.
Bai Xingzhi pondered for a moment and said, "I thank Miss Qing'er for her help today!"
Qing'er didn't mind that he didn't want to talk about himself. She could tell that this man was not from an ordinary family, and the unconscious girl's identity was probably not simple either.
“Brother Bai, you don’t need to be so polite. My house is right next door,” she said, pointing to the wooden house next door. “If anything happens to this girl tonight, just knock on the door, and my father will come right away!” Qing’er said as she walked towards the door. “Later, I’ll brew the medicine and bring it over, and also bring you some food.” After saying that, she left the house and closed the door behind her.
Bai Xingzhi looked around the room. The room was divided into two parts, an outer room and an inner room. The outer room was the consultation room, where she was lying on a soft couch. The inner room was a small room with some cabinets against the wall, which contained medical books and medicinal herbs.
He sat down beside her, tucked the blanket around her a little, and said softly, "When you wake up, I'll take you to find him."
That evening, Bai Xingzhi fed her the medicine. She had a high fever that kept recurring throughout the night, and his breathing followed suit.
At first, the pain tormented her. She cried out "It hurts" in a hoarse voice over and over again. His throat was also blocked, and his heart felt like it was being pricked by fine needles. The soreness and pain spread uncontrollably.
She gradually calmed down in the middle of the night.
They stayed up all night until dawn.
A ray of morning sunlight streamed through the wooden window. Bai Xingzhi was about to raise his hand to feel her forehead when he saw her eyelashes flutter slightly as she opened her eyes and uttered a weak voice: "Water..."
Bai Xingzhi quickly fed her some water and said, "You're awake?"
The woman gradually regained consciousness. She struggled to open her eyes, but all she could see was darkness. She endured the pain and struggled to sit up, and Bai Xingzhi quickly stood by her side to protect her.
She reached out and groped around in the air for a moment, then frowned and asked, "Young master, could you please turn on the lights in this room? Where is this? Who are you?" She had just heard a man's voice.
This series of questions stunned Bai Xingzhi. Looking at her empty gaze and confused expression, his heart sank to the bottom.
Her eyes...
"I am Bai Xingzhi," he said tentatively. She couldn't see him, so perhaps she just didn't recognize his voice.
"Bai Xingzhi?" The woman was confused. Who was Bai Xingzhi? Did she know him? And who was she?
Without saying a word, he turned around and went out to call Old Man Shi over.
A moment later.
"Young lady, do you still remember who you are?" Old Man Shi asked.
The woman shook her head.
"Do you remember why you fell into this valley?"
The woman continued to shake her head blankly.
Old Man Shi sighed and said, "I've examined her eyes. It's probably caused by blood stasis. I'll prescribe some medicine and apply it for a few days. Her sight should be restored. As for the amnesia, it's hard to say." He frowned and said, "I've encountered this before. Some people recover in a few days, while others never remember anything for the rest of their lives."
Old Man Shi wrapped the medicine in a strip of cloth and applied it to her eyes, then left shortly after.
"Young Master Bai, do you know me? Can you tell me who I am?" She couldn't remember anything, and she couldn't see anything. Her life seemed to be a blank, which made her somewhat panicked.
Bai Xingzhi didn't know how to describe his feelings at this moment. She was still herself, and she still called him Young Master Bai, but she didn't remember him anymore.
He said earnestly, "Your name is Gu Xi, and you come from the capital. Do you remember your parents and elder brother?"
"My name is Gu Xi..." she murmured her name, something seemed to flash through her mind, but she couldn't quite grasp it. Did her parents and brother love her very much? Why did mentioning them make her so sad that she wanted to cry?
Gu Xi pursed her lips; she couldn't remember.
Bai Xingzhi pondered for a moment: "Then do you still remember Xiao Heng?"
Gu Xi murmured, "Xiao Heng... Xiao Heng..." Should she remember him? Why did her heart ache inexplicably when she heard that name?
She didn't like this feeling and shook her head vigorously. She didn't remember, and she didn't want to remember this person.
Seeing this, Bai Xingzhi continued, "In a couple of days, once you've recovered somewhat, I'll take you back to find them..."
"No!" Gu Xi suddenly interrupted him sharply, saying intermittently, "I don't want to go back... I can't go back... I can't go back..." She curled up into a ball, her whole body filled with fear.
A voice whispered in her ear: "Never go looking for them, or you will harm yourself and them."
She remembered nothing but that sentence.
Bai Xingzhi felt a pang of heartache seeing her panicked expression, but he still patiently said, "Going back will help you regain your memories."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xi burst into tears, choking out, "No! I can't go back..." She couldn't go back; she would harm them.
who are they?
Hearing her suppressed sobs, Bai Xingzhi's eyes were filled with tenderness. He raised his hand to wipe away her tears, but just as his fingertips were about to touch her cheek, he suddenly pulled them back.
He swallowed hard and said in a hoarse voice, "Alright, then I won't go back."
*
On the other side.
Xiao Heng and his group first found Zhu Yin near the exit of the secret passage. She had injured her leg and hadn't gone far. Later, they found Wei Ran in a hidden cave. He was seriously injured but not fatally.
Following the clues provided by Wei Ran, they quickly found the valley.
That day, Hesheng and Qing'er were picking fruit at the entrance of the manor as usual, which was the same place where Gu Xi had fallen that day.
Suddenly, a large number of people poured into the manor. The man in the lead looked extraordinary, yet he inspired fear in others. Behind him were dozens of men dressed as guards.
Qing'er was startled. Were these people here to see Gu Xi? She had learned her name in the past two days and often went to visit her, but she always heard her saying in a panic that she couldn't go back.
If they really came looking for her, were they there to save her or to harm her?
Upon seeing someone, Wei Lin quickly went over to ask, "Miss, have you seen this woman these past two days?" He then showed her a portrait.
Qing'er shook her head: "Never seen it before."
The woman in the portrait doesn't look much like Gu Xi. Even though her features are now obscured by her scars, she should be much more beautiful than the woman in the portrait.
Upon hearing this, Wei Lin looked at Xiao Heng.
After pondering for a moment, Xiao Che asked in a deep voice, "Have any other strange women come here?" Perhaps she had disguised her appearance in order to escape.
Qing'er shook her head again: "No, not either."
Xiao Heng's eyes darkened instantly. His expression tightened, and he coldly commanded, "Search!"
Qing'er and Hesheng exchanged a glance, then stood in front of them, blocking their way.
Qing'er frowned and asked, "Young Master, what are you doing?"
Xiao Heng didn't even lift his eyelids, and continued to order, "Ignore her, go in and search!"
"Yes!" Wei Lin began to lead his personal guards to search house to house.
Qing'er glared at him, but she wasn't worried that they would find Gu Xi. Early this morning, her father had taken her and Brother Bai to town to find a doctor to see if they could find a way to cure her amnesia.
She had initially wondered if this person was there to rescue Gu Xi, but now he didn't seem like a good person. Luckily, she hadn't told him.
After searching for a while, Wei Lin swallowed hard and cautiously reported, "Reporting to the lord, we haven't found her." In the past few days, they had massacred Black Stone Village, and both Chief Sun and the second-in-command had sent people to search for her. Even the government had been mobilized, but they still couldn't find the young mistress.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng clenched his fists tightly, his eyes turning bloodshot.
Gu Xi, where are you?
*
Not long after Xiao Heng and his group left, Gu Xi and the others returned.
Qing'er didn't tell them that someone had come looking for them. Gu Xi had been feeling unsettled since waking up, and she didn't want to frighten her after she had finally calmed down a bit.
Her father had told her that people with heart conditions should avoid extreme emotional fluctuations, and since she was seriously injured, he would talk to her about it when she was feeling better.
Inside the clinic, Gu Xi sat down on the soft couch.
"Father, what did the doctor in town say?" Qing'er asked.
Old Man Shi shook his head and sighed.
Qing'er was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.
Seemingly sensing everyone's low spirits, Gu Xi smiled and said, "It's alright. Although I don't remember anything from before, I know you all, and I can't wait to see you now." Old Man Shi had said that her eyes would be able to see again in a couple of days.
Actually, she didn't really want to remember those memories. She always felt that those memories were painful and unbearable, and she subconsciously resisted recalling them. Perhaps that's the reason for her amnesia.
Bai Xingzhi looked down at her. He had been with her these past few days. He was worried about leaving her alone here and didn't dare to send a message back to the villa rashly. He couldn't guarantee that the message would fall into Xiao Heng's hands or his personal guards' hands.
He thought he would discuss it with her after her eyes recovered, and perhaps he secretly hoped to spend more time with her.
He was lost in thought when He Sheng's voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Brother Bai," he had just stepped in when he paused for a moment, "Old Man Shi and Qing'er are here too?" A suspicious blush appeared on his dark face.
When Old Man Shi saw Hesheng, he left the clinic with a cold face, and Hesheng scratched his head helplessly.
Bai Xingzhi understood.
"Brother Hesheng, what brings you here?" Bai Xingzhi asked.
“Brother Bai, I see you always sleeping in that chair. Your spine can’t take it,” he said, carrying a few planks into the inner room. “We made a bed for you and put it here. At least you can lie down and rest at night.”
Gu Xi was taken aback upon hearing this: "Young Master Bai, you..."
From the moment she woke up, she knew he had been by her side. At first, she felt nervous and uneasy being alone in the room with him. He said he knew her, but she didn't; to her, he was a stranger. Later, seeing that he never acted inappropriately towards her, and noticing the faint scent of pine on him that made her feel strangely familiar and at ease, she gradually relaxed.
He told her that he was resting in the inner room, unaware that he had been sleeping in a chair all day. He felt both gratitude and guilt.
Bai Xingzhi noticed her emotions and comforted her, saying, "You don't need to worry about it. I'm a man, it's nothing."
"Hmm." Gu Xi replied with her head down, but she couldn't help wondering what her relationship with this Young Master Bai was. Was it really just an ordinary friend, as he said?
Before long, Hesheng cobbled together a bed, and Qing'er also helped to make one.
After Bai Xingzhi thanked the two men, they left.
After considering for a moment, he said, "Miss Gu, it would be more appropriate for you to sleep in the inner room and me to sleep in the outer room from now on." Although there is only a curtain separating the two rooms, it is still better than the current situation.
The villagers in these mountains don't seem to care much about the proper separation between men and women, or perhaps they assume the two have a close relationship and have never considered these matters.
"Okay," Gu Xi replied.
The next morning.
After Bai Xingzhi left, Gu Xi groped her way to sit down at the clinic table.
There was a mirror in front of her, which Qing'er had brought for her, saying that she could use it once her eyes were healed.
Qing'er has been doing her hair and makeup here for the past few days, but she can't keep bothering her, so she decided to try it herself today.
Unable to see, she fumbled around on the table, finally finding a comb, but her long hair kept falling down as soon as she gathered it up, and she couldn't find anything to hold it in place. She seemed to be quite bad at this kind of hairdressing, and for a moment she was flustered and at a loss, her brows furrowing slightly.
Bai Xingzhi brought over the food from next door and saw her sitting in front of the mirror, the sunlight falling on her hair, so soft it made one's heart flutter.
In that moment, he thought that if time could stand still at this moment, he would not feel any regret.
He walked over quietly, took out a silver hairpin from his pocket, handed it to her, and said softly, "Don't panic."
Gu Xi said thank you awkwardly.
Her cool fingertips pinched the warm hairpin, and she suddenly seemed less nervous. She carefully fixed the hairpin into her hair and let out a long sigh.
She'll have to practice more in the future.
Bai Xingzhi stared at the hairpin, suddenly feeling a little dazed. He had never imagined that one day this hairpin would be pinned to her hair.
Before escorting her back to the Gu Mansion that day, he went to a nearby teahouse where a spy from the Misty Rain Pavilion had left him a message. On the way to the carriage, he happened to pass a silver shop and saw the hairpin. He felt it suited her perfectly and couldn't help but stop. In the end, he inexplicably bought it.
However, the hairpin was never given away.
He carved her name on it, initially just to keep it as a memento, but he held it in his hand every day, and it eventually became his obsession.
"Young Master Bai, Young Master Bai..."
Gu Xi called out a few times before Bai Xingzhi came to his senses.
After the two had breakfast, Qing'er came looking for her, saying she wanted to take her to pick fruit.
Gu Xi was very happy; she was indeed feeling quite bored staying in this small house every day.
Qing'er helped Gu Xi out the door, while Bai Xingzhi offered support from the other side.
As soon as she stepped out of the clinic, Qing'er noticed the hairpin in her hair, which shone brightly in the sunlight, making her look very beautiful.
She couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's wrong with your head...?" Before she could finish speaking, she received a look from Bai Xingzhi, immediately understood, and stopped talking.
She was about to ask why there was an extra hairpin, since it wasn't there before.
When they arrived at the fruit-picking area, Gu Xi sat under a tree, munching on a fruit. The villagers around her would occasionally tease her, and she would smile with a smile on her lips.
Some of the bolder ones would even joke about her and Bai Xingzhi, which made her blush with embarrassment and look helplessly in his direction.
Bai Xingzhi gave them a look, and they fell silent, no longer daring to cause trouble.
He gazed at her tenderly, feeling an overwhelming longing for every moment of this stolen time.
Three days later.
Old Man Shi had just removed the cloth strips from Gu Xi's eyes.
"How is it? Can you see it?" Qing'er asked nervously from the side.
Everyone else in the room held their breath, waiting for Gu Xi to speak.
Although Bai Xingzhi's expression remained calm, his heart was in his throat.
Gu Xi's eyelashes trembled violently, the dazzling light stinging her eyes and causing them to swell and ache. She subconsciously clenched her sleeves.
As the blurry outlines gradually became clearer, she happily exclaimed, "I can see!"
She looked up and met Bai Xingzhi's gentle gaze.
She asked in a daze, "You are...Young Master Bai?" The man in front of her was very handsome, with an otherworldly air about him, and she felt that her eyebrows and eyes looked familiar.
Bai Xingzhi smiled and nodded.
Before Gu Xi could react, the others asked her to identify them as well, and she guessed them all correctly. During the days she was blind, she was exceptionally sensitive to sounds.
After everyone had made a fuss, they all went to do farm work, saying they would celebrate with her after they finished these two days.
Only Bai Xingzhi and Gu Xi remained in the room.
Gu Xi walked nervously to the desk, wanting to see what she looked like.
She sat in front of the bronze mirror, and when she saw it clearly, she couldn't help but catch her breath.
The woman in the mirror had dark eyebrows and eyes that seemed to hold autumn water; she should have been beautiful. However, several shallow scars ran across her cheeks, glaringly obvious and making her look ferocious and terrifying.
She gently touched the scars on her face, looked up at him and asked, "Is my face ugly?"
Bai Xingzhi met her gaze and said earnestly, "It's not bad-looking."
No matter what you look like, you are beautiful in my eyes.
Gu Xi lowered her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
Bai Xingzhi thought she was grieving, so he continued to comfort her, "Don't be sad. Old Man Shi said he can restore it to its original state, but it will take some time."
Gu Xi looked up and said with a smile, "Young Master Bai, I'm not sad. I'm just thinking about what I should use to cover myself in the future so as not to scare people."
Bai Xingzhi was taken aback upon hearing this, then chuckled softly.
How could he forget that she possessed unparalleled beauty, yet willingly disguised herself as ugly, so why would she care about such things?
Even though she lost her memory, her personality didn't change.
*
Two days later, in the evening, after Qing'er and the others finished their work, they said they would take her to the stream to catch and grill fish to celebrate her recovery.
Gu Xiyi became interested upon hearing this, feeling that she had never done this before and that it must be quite interesting.
When she got to the river, she tried to do what they did, rolling up her trousers and sleeves and splashing around in the water, but she couldn't catch a single fish and was immediately discouraged.
She mustered her courage, stared intently at the fish in front of her, and lunged forward. Water splashed onto her forehead with a "splash," wetting her hair. Even Bai Xingzhi beside her wasn't spared, his handsome face covered in water droplets.
Gu Xi was stunned for a moment. She looked at her empty palm, then at Bai Xingzhi, and then smiled mischievously. Then she blushed slightly with embarrassment. Anyone who didn't know better would think that she was deliberately teasing him.
He suddenly remembered how she teased him at the Jade Pavilion that day. She seemed calm, but she was actually quite playful. Perhaps it was her illness that prevented her from being herself.
Gu Xi took out a handkerchief, folded it into a small piece, and was about to hand it to Bai Xingzhi when she accidentally stepped on the moss. Her foot slipped, and she was thrown backward uncontrollably.
Bai Xingzhi kept a close eye on her, and with lightning speed, he reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her steadily into his arms.
Her face collided with his warm chest, the familiar scent of pine lingering around her nose, her heart suddenly raced, and she momentarily forgot to react.
When she heard the villagers teasing her, Gu Xi hurriedly pushed him away. She lowered her head, her face burning hot, and her ears were bright red.
Bai Xingzhi stared intently at her, and at that moment, he even had the thought of taking her away from him.
As night fell, a bonfire was lit by the stream, the firewood crackling and sparking, warming everyone's faces.
Gu Xi and Bai Xingzhi sat side by side around the campfire.
After that hug, Bai Xingzhi's gaze towards her became increasingly intense, but she deliberately avoided it, pretending not to see it.
She couldn't help but ask herself, did Young Master Bai like her? But did she like him?
She didn't know.
She just felt that there was a familiar aura about him, as if she had once been attached to him, but she also felt that she shouldn't feel this way.
Seeing Gu Xi staring intently at the campfire, Bai Xingzhi gently reminded her, "Your eyes are just healed, don't keep staring at the flames, or they'll hurt."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xi quickly lowered her head, blinked, and inadvertently caught a glimpse of the jade pendant at Bai Xingzhi's waist. It was a white jade pendant carved with orchid patterns, which shimmered under the campfire.
She recalled the day he couldn't find the jade pendant and came to ask her about it. It was rare to hear a hint of urgency in his voice, so she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Young Master Bai, is this jade pendant very important to you?"
“This jade pendant was left to me by my mother,” Bai Xingzhi replied.
Gu Xi, thinking about his personality, couldn't help but be curious about his parents and asked, "I've never heard you mention your family before. What kind of people are your parents?"
She always felt that he was too calm and detached from the people and things around him. Even though the villagers were so hospitable, his attitude was indifferent to the point of being cold. If it weren't for his good manners, she felt he wouldn't even want to say a word to them.
He seemed to treat her differently, but he didn't show it too obviously, so when he looked at her with such intense eyes tonight, she immediately sensed it.
It was as if something had been suppressed for a long time and suddenly erupted at a certain moment.
“My mother died when I was born. I never met her. I have no father.” He looked straight ahead and spoke in a flat tone, as if he were talking about someone else.
Gu Xi was taken aback by his words and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Young Master Bai, did I remind you of something unpleasant?"
How can a person not have a father? It seems that his father did not treat him well, or perhaps abandoned him when he was young.
His mother is gone, so he must be having a hard time.
"It's alright," Bai Xingzhi said with a faint smile, seemingly genuinely unconcerned.
Gu Xi lowered her head and remained silent.
They returned to the house at night.
Gu Xi was so tired that she went to bed early.
Bai Xingzhi sat down beside her, listening to her soft breathing.
He lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to hers, his desire surging uncontrollably. He wanted to take it a step further; he even wanted to possess her.
He knew that during her time of amnesia, if he wanted to be with her, she would accept him.
But he couldn't; he was afraid that if she woke up, she would blame him.
The next morning.
Gu Xi got up to do her hair, but couldn't find the hairpin anywhere.
She asked somewhat anxiously, "Young Master Bai, have you seen my hairpin?"
Bai Xingzhi lowered his eyes and said in a calm tone, "I didn't see it."
In the end, Gu Xi had no choice but to ask Qing'er for a wooden hairpin.
A few days later.
"Little sister Xi, I'm going to the market in town today to buy some medicine to treat the wound on your face. Would you like to come with me?" Qing'er asked. "Perhaps seeing the things outside will remind you of something?"
Gu Xi looked up and asked Bai Xingzhi.
"Do you want to go?" Bai Xingzhi asked.
Gu Xi thought for a moment and nodded, "I want to go and take a look."
She didn't want to recall that memory; she just wanted to see what lay beyond the valley.
"Okay." Bai Xingzhi lowered his eyes, concealing the expression in them.
*
At the market in Baishi Town.
It has been half a month since Gu Xi went missing.
Bai Xingzhi also disappeared. At first, Xiao Heng didn't care, thinking he would find them. But he never expected that they would never come back.
Lu Yong and Lu Xiao returned three days ago after finishing their business.
"My lord, we should return to the capital immediately. We cannot delay any longer. News has arrived from the capital that they have already taken action, and our whereabouts have been exposed. Staying any longer will be dangerous," Lu Yong advised.
Xiao Heng ignored him and focused his gaze on the women coming and going in the market.
Which one could it be?
They told him about what happened that day, and he knew she might... but he didn't want to believe it.
He couldn't believe she had left him like that; he wanted to see her alive or dead.
“My lord, so many days have passed, and I’m afraid the young mistress is likely in grave danger,” Lu Yong continued.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng paused, his gaze coldly fixed on him, as if he would cut off his head if he said another word.
Then he continued walking forward, his eyes scanning the crowd.
Lu Xiao pulled Lu Yong aside, grabbed his collar, and asked angrily, "Brother, did you do it? You better pray that the young mistress comes back safely!" After saying that, he shook him off and followed Xiao Heng.
At the same time, Gu Xi and the others also arrived in the town.
Qing'er and Hesheng went to buy medicinal herbs.
They didn't go together because her hairpin was missing, and she begged Bai Xingzhi to take her to buy one.
Gu Xi was standing in front of a jewelry stall, looking down at the dazzling array of hairpins, feeling delighted.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze fall on her and linger for a long time. She subconsciously looked up and met a pair of dark eyes.
A man was staring intently at her, and her heart suddenly started pounding. This feeling made her panic, and she instinctively hid behind Bai Xingzhi, clutching his sleeve tightly.
Xiao Heng stared in disbelief at the woman before him. The woman he had been searching for day and night, the woman he had worried about day and night to the point of heartbreak, was now looking at him warily, but hiding behind a man, tightly clutching his sleeve, her posture familiar and intimate.
No wonder she hid so thoroughly; it turns out she had already fallen into someone else's arms.
His heart suddenly felt as if it had been gripped tightly by something, a dull and painful sensation. He walked towards them step by step, and a coldness gradually crept into his eyes.
The scene before him was so glaring that he drew his sword and slashed at the sleeve. Gu Xi was so frightened that she quickly let go of his hand.
She looked at the man in front of her with a mixture of surprise and fear, then turned to ask worriedly, "Young Master Bai, how are you? Are you injured?"
Bai Xingzhi glanced down at her and said indifferently, "It's nothing."
Xiao Heng stared at them with bloodshot eyes, his voice seemingly rising from hell: "Bai Xingzhi, you'd better give me an explanation!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Do you guys like reading about the second male lead? [Laughing and crying while covering face]
This is the result of two days of coding, updated all at once [laughing and crying emoji]
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