Chapter 62
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Gu Yang, who had turned into a silly rabbit, was particularly fond of sleeping. After he finished refuting Fan Yuan in a daze, he crawled into Fan Yuan’s embrace and fell asleep again.
The silly rabbit grabbed onto Fan Yuan’s clothes, with its two soft rabbit ears – one sticking to his cheek and the other draped over Fan Yuan’s neck, warmly pressed against him. Occasionally, he felt itchy with the fur against his face and had to raise his hand to push it away, as if these two rabbit ears were not his own.
Fan Yuan didn’t mind, he propped his chin on top of Gu Yang’s head, rubbed his two soft rabbit ears, and finally leaned down to give them a gentle kiss.
“Silly rabbit.”
The silly rabbit slept soundly until noon when Fan Yuan woke him up. He laid in bed in a daze and the first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to stretch out his arms to hug Fan Yuan.
“Fan Yuan, hug me!”
Fan Yuan bent down and lifted Gu Yang, walking straight to the bathroom and placing him on the high washstand.
There was a big hole at the back of Gu Yang’s pants that he had cut himself when he was feeling unstable. He had basically cut it one size too big. Sitting on the cold washstand suddenly made him alert, with the chilly sensation piercing his brain, instantly waking him up.
“So cold!”
Fan Yuan was about to let go of Gu Yang, but Gu Yang held onto him tightly and wouldn’t let go.
“Fan Yuan, so cold!”
Fan Yuan straightened up halfway and turned to grab a towel and placed it on the sink. Gu Yang then obediently let go of his hand.
He slowly rubbed his eyes, with his slender legs hanging over the white sink. At a glance, it was hard to tell who was whiter.
Fan Yuan held Gu Yang’s wrist, preventing him from rubbing his eyes any further.
Gu Yang’s eyes were now like a rabbit’s, with bright red pupils contrasting against his reddened eye corners. His eyes still carried a drowsy look of confusion, making him appear soft and innocent.
“Don’t rub them anymore. Wash your face and wake up. It’s time for lunch.”
With his hand held by Fan Yuan, Gu Yang couldn’t rub his eyes any longer. He opened his mouth to speak, but first let out a small yawn.
“Have I been sleeping for so long? I’m still so sleepy.”
Fan Yuan took Gu Yang’s special towel with a cartoon sun on it, wet it with warm water, and gently wiped his face.
Gu Yang obediently lifted his head, with his face up and eyes closed, allowing Fan Yuan to wipe his face.
As their affection for each other gradually increased, Fan Yuan was willing to do more and more things for Gu Yang.
Their feelings towards each other were no longer just simple likes or possessiveness, but will be mixed with more complex, deeper, and harder-to-sever emotions in the future, such as trust, dependence, and love.
After wiping his face, Gu Yang immediately raised his arms and wanted Fan Yuan to hug him.
However, Fan Yuan refused to hug Gu Yang this time. He raised his hand and rubbed Gu Yang’s bunny ears before turning around and walking away.
“Walk on your own.”
Gu Yang shook his bunny ears and quietly muttered “hmph”, then agilely jumped off the sink and followed Fan Yuan closely.
Fan Yuan did not walk far, his pace was slow, as if deliberately waiting for Gu Yang.
Gu Yang pursed his lips and forcibly restrained the smile that had formed on his lips, and took the initiative to put his hand into Fan Yuan’s palm.
Fan Yuan instinctively grasped Gu Yang’s hand. After his five fingers enclosed Gu Yang’s hand, Fan Yuan finally realized what he had done, and glanced at Gu Yang, but did not let go of his hand.
The villa was not very large, but not small either. The corridor was long and the thick carpet made it almost impossible to hear footsteps.
Gu Yang’s left hand curled up in Fan Yuan’s palm, while his short bunny tail swayed joyfully behind him, and his face carried deliberate pride.
Initially walking at a normal pace, under Gu Yang’s deliberate delay, both of their steps slowed down. They had only walked three minutes but had not yet finished walking a single section of the corridor.
Gu Yang looked around as he walked, sometimes looking at Fan Yuan’s profile, sometimes at the windows along the corridor, then finally looking at the decorations hanging in the middle of each window, which included landscape paintings and some strange and unusual items.
Until they reached the corner of the stairs, Gu Yang still felt a little unsatisfied.
He stood on the edge of the stairs, unwilling to take another step down.
“If only the hallway was a little longer, I want to keep walking with you.”
The rabbit’s delicate and sensitive emotions had a huge impact on Gu Yang, but he had not yet realized it himself. Fan Yuan, on the other hand, had already noticed, but he didn’t say anything.
While Gu Yang sighed at the stairway, Fan Yuan took a step down ahead of him and stood two steps lower, tilting his head slightly so that he could meet Gu Yang’s eyes.
Their hands were still holding each other’s, and Gu Yang’s fingers fidgeted uneasily before lightly hooking onto Fan Yuan’s.
“You can take a walk anytime you want. However you want to walk and for however long, I’ll be with you,” Fan Yuan suddenly said.
Fan Yuan drew close to Gu Yang, lightly kissing the corner of his lips, and his voice came from very close by.
Gu Yang’s two soft and floppy rabbit ears trembled with excitement, standing up and then flopping down again in an instant. He leaned back and up, one hand still being held by Fan Yuan, while the other covered his mouth, with two red clouds floating up on his white cheeks.
“W-why did you suddenly kiss me!”
Fan Yuan’s sudden kiss disrupted Gu Yang’s sentimental thoughts, and he no longer cared about anything like “walking forever”. He obediently followed Fan Yuan downstairs and sat at the dining table, ready for lunch.
Looking at the mostly vegetable-based dishes on the table, Gu Yang was stunned.
He used to love meat and there was always more meat than vegetables on the dining table.
Now Gu Yang had become a silly rabbit who loved vegetables, so the vegetables on the dining table increased.
Fan Yuan’s concern was not just on the surface, but permeated Gu Yang’s life, always present.
Gu Yang’s heart warmed up again, and he picked up his chopsticks and took a big pile of greens and stuffed them into his mouth, his cheeks bulging and chewing very quickly, making him look even more like a rabbit.
Fan Yuan placed a bowl of soup next to Gu Yang and then started to eat with his chopsticks while silently observing Gu Yang.
On the dining table, there were not only vegetables but also pork ribs, which used to be Gu Yang’s favorite. However, this time, Gu Yang didn’t even spare a glance at the plate of delicious pork ribs, but focused only on eating vegetables.
“Gu Yang.”
Fan Yuan suddenly called out Gu Yang’s name, and Gu Yang, who had a mouthful of vegetables, looked at Fan Yuan while chewing.
“Hmm?”
“Don’t just eat vegetables. Pay attention to a balanced diet.”
Fan Yuan spoke and picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in Gu Yang’s bowl.
The clean white rice was instantly stained with a light golden sauce from the pork rib, no longer pure white.
Gu Yang frowned and used his chopsticks to push the pork rib to the side of the bowl. He then looked up at Fan Yuan’s expression carefully before continuing to eat vegetables happily.
However, he was a very picky eater. He only ate the parts of the rice that had not been touched by the oil, avoiding all the parts that were golden with oil and fat from the pork rib. In the end, there was only one lonely piece of pork rib left in his bowl, with white rice underneath.
Fan Yuan finished his meal and put down his chopsticks, then looked at the pork rib in Gu Yang’s bowl.
Gu Yang also finished eating and wiped his mouth. He was about to stand up from his seat, but Fan Yuan pressed him back down.
Fan Yuan walked behind Gu Yang, pressed his shoulder, bent down, picked up Gu Yang’s chopsticks, picked up the lonely piece of pork rib, and handed it to Gu Yang’s lips.
“Gu Yang, eat some meat.”
Just like in the past when Gu Yang didn’t like to eat vegetables and was forced to eat them by Fan Yuan, now the situation has reversed, and he was being forced to eat meat by Fan Yuan.
Gu Yang sniffed the meaty aroma of the pork ribs, turned his head, and muttered softly:
“How could a rabbit eat meat…”
Fan Yuan flicked Gu Yang’s rabbit ear with his finger:
“You’re not a real rabbit.”
Gu Yang had no choice but to open his mouth, his white teeth lightly biting the pork ribs. He immediately withdrew, leaving only a row of bite marks on the ribs without actually taking a bite.
He symbolically moved his mouth, trying to deceive Fan Yuan:
“I ate it!”
Fan Yuan didn’t urge Gu Yang to take another bite. He simply turned his chopsticks around and threw the pork ribs with Gu Yang’s bite marks into his own mouth.
The pork ribs were cooked until they were soft and boneless, and Fan Yuan spat out the bones. While Gu Yang thought he was planning to eat them himself, unexpectedly, Fan Yuan suddenly turned his head towards him, pressed his hand on the back of his neck to stop him from retreating, and his lips came over.
The pork ribs were full of rich meaty flavor and soup, not greasy, and Fan Yuan handed them over, blocking Gu Yang’s attempt to spit them out. Gu Yang had no choice but to chew them twice and swallow them.
After he swallowed, Fan Yuan stepped back and took out a tissue to wipe the grease off the corners of Gu Yang’s mouth.
“Good boy.”
Gu Yang’s eyes were red and he stared at Fan Yuan without blinking. His mouth was foolishly slightly open, and he didn’t even remember what the taste of the piece of pork rib he swallowed was, let alone disgust. Now his mind was filled with Fan Yuan feeding him with his mouth!
Fan Yuan finished wiping the corners of Gu Yang’s mouth, turned around, picked up the bowl on the table, and went to the kitchen to clean up.
Gu Yang still stood dumbfounded in his spot, only half realizing as he raised his hand to touch his own lips. He turned to look at the table, now already wiped clean by Fan Yuan, and quickly stood up, rushing into the kitchen with three steps. As he entered the kitchen, his steps slowed down.
He slowly walked over to Fan Yuan’s side, reached into the sink, and picked up a bowl to wash it alongside Fan Yuan under the faucet.
Because of Gu Yang’s arrival, the speed at which one person could wash the dishes had actually slowed down.
But Fan Yuan didn’t say anything. He simply slowed down his own pace and let Gu Yang dawdle beside him.
He raised his hand and adjusted the temperature of the water from the faucet to warm, before continuing to wash the dishes.
The dishwashing detergent had a lemon scent. Gu Yang squeezed some onto a plate and sniffed the scent of the lemon with his nose. He felt that this smell was just like his current mood: sour and sweet.
After washing several plates and bowls for a long time, Gu Yang didn’t wash the dishes carefully anymore. His hands would occasionally touch Fan Yuan’s hand, or he would lightly hook his little finger around Fan Yuan’s finger. Every time he touched him, he would purse his raised lips and his heart would beat erratically.
After finishing washing the dishes, Fan Yuan turned off the faucet and led Gu Yang to wash their hands.
He squeezed some mild hand soap into Fan Yuan’s palm, rubbed it a few times, and then carefully washed Gu Yang’s hands.
Gu Yang lowered his head, his neck curving into a beautiful arc. His two soft, droopy bunny ears fell to the sides of his eyes, partially obscuring the shyness in his eyes.
This was an even more thoughtful, shy, and clingy little rabbit.
Fan Yuan led Gu Yang upstairs, and the thought crossed his mind that Gu Yang was sticking to him very closely, unwilling to spend even a single second alone.
“He was brought to the study by Fan Yuan in a daze, and sat down to start the exam.
Gu Yang held his pen, but didn’t write a single word. He kept glancing at Fan Yuan from time to time, unable to hide his affection in his eyes. He thought he was hiding it well, but he couldn’t help but smile secretly.
Although Fan Yuan didn’t look at Gu Yang directly, he seemed to know all of Gu Yang’s movements. He wrote continuously, his voice calm:
“Gu Yang, have you ever thought about what university you will attend in the future?”
Gu Yang was stunned, looking at the empty exam paper in front of him, and whispered, “I want to attend the same university as you.”
Fan Yuan put down his pen, turned his chair, and looked at Gu Yang seriously:
“I will attend the best university in the country. Can you? Can you make it?”
As Fan Yuan looked at him, Gu Yang slowly lowered his head and avoided his gaze, feeling a bit guilty. He knew his current grades were definitely not good enough.
Fan Yuan reached out and held the handle of Gu Yang’s chair, pulling it closer to himself.
“The start of the school year marks the last semester of our high school life. We will not only face heavy academic workload, but also a series of mock exams. The time you have to catch up with me is not much.”
There was a moment of silence between the two.
Finally, Gu Yang nodded lightly and his rabbit ears also followed suit, bouncing up and down.
“I understand,” Gu Yang raised his head, his eyes turning red with determination. “I will definitely attend the same university as you. I will catch up to you!”
Finally, Fan Yuan’s lips curled up, and he leaned down to Gu Yang’s soft bunny ears, teasing them with his fingertips and whispered:
“You better keep your promise.”
Gu Yang nodded heavily, pushing Fan Yuan away with seriousness. He pulled his chair back to the table and picked up his pen to start working on the problems.
He had switched from liberal arts to science, and his progress had caught up with Fan Yuan’s in the last semester, but only to the extent of going from a rank of several hundred to a rank of several tens in their grade.
With such grades, it was impossible for him to get into the university that Fan Yuan wanted to attend.
Gripping his pen tightly, the fluffy ball of his rabbit tail behind him also tensed up. He began to read the questions carefully and slowly filled in the blank exam paper.
Now, he had a rabbit’s brain and his thinking was somewhat influenced. When he encountered a question he didn’t know, it was not like before when Fan Yuan explained it to him and he immediately understood. Often, Fan Yuan had to explain it a second time.
Every time Fan Yuan was interrupted by Gu Yang when he was working on the problems, he showed no signs of impatience. If Gu Yang didn’t understand, Fan Yuan would explain it a second time, and if he still didn’t understand, Fan Yuan would explain it a third time. As long as Gu Yang was willing to learn, Fan Yuan would always help him.
The chair’s surface was made of leather and it became stuffy after sitting for a long time. The back of Gu Yang’s pants had a hole that was a bit too big, and after a while, it began to feel uncomfortable.
Seeing Gu Yang fidgeting in his seat, Fan Yuan pulled the armrest of his chair over.
“What’s wrong?”
Gu Yang looked up at Fan Yuan with a face that seemed to be unable to express his troubles.
Fan Yuan looked down and asked him, “Is sitting uncomfortable?”
Gu Yang’s cheeks were red, and he nodded slightly.
Fan Yuan pulled Gu Yang’s arm and made him stand up, then turned him around with his back facing him, seeing the unevenly cut large hole on his pants.
Feeling Fan Yuan’s gaze, Gu Yang’s large rabbit tail twitched uncomfortably. Against the spacious and ragged hole, his tail looked small, indicating just how boldly he had cut the hole.
Fan Yuan was silent for a moment, took off the cardigan sweater he was wearing, folded it neatly, and placed it on the chair.
Gu Yang looked at the sweater on the chair and remembered the time when he turned into a mermaid.
“Why aren’t you sitting?” Fan Yuan reached out and pulled Gu Yang, who had just woken up from his thoughts, to sit down again. The fur on his bunny tail rubbed against the fur on the sweater, making him more comfortable.
Feeling comfortable, Gu Yang was able to solve the problems much faster.
However, he soon began to feel drowsy. Fan Yuan was very focused on his work and hadn’t seen Gu Yang come to ask any questions for a long time. When he turned his head to look, he saw Gu Yang sleeping on the table.
Gu Yang’s cheeks were buried in his arms, his head tilted towards Fan Yuan, it was clear that he had been watching Fan Yuan while he was sleeping. His soft bunny ears were attached to both sides of his face, and the white fluff was gently swaying with his breath.
Fan Yuan put down his pen, propped his chin with one hand, and gently stroked Gu Yang’s bunny ears with the other hand. The bunny ears were warm and felt great to the touch. They were soft and fluffy, and when he rubbed the tender insides of the ears with his fingertips, Gu Yang’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Obviously, he could feel it even in his sleep.
Fan Yuan didn’t let go of the bunny ears until the tips of them became warm from rubbing. Then he let go and picked up his pen to continue working on the problems.
Gu Yang slept on the table all afternoon, until dusk when he slowly woke up. He was covered in a dark coat, and the lights in the study were not turned on. Only the orange light from outside was scattered on the wide desk. Fan Yuan was not in the study.
“Fan Yuan?” Gu Yang rubbed his eyes and called Fan Yuan’s name, but there was no response. He stood up from his seat, but then sat back down, clutching his stomach.
There was a strange bloated feeling in his stomach, and his throat was nauseous for no reason. Gu Yang rubbed his stomach and pressed his temples before slowly standing up.
He walked unsteadily downstairs. The smell of food filled the air, but the familiar smell of his favorite dishes made him feel nauseous at the moment.
Gu Yang covered his mouth and nose as he slowly approached the kitchen, where he saw Fan Yuan busy at the counter.
Fan Yuan seemed to have eyes behind his head. As soon as Gu Yang entered the kitchen, Fan Yuan immediately turned around to look at him.
“Are you awake?”
Gu Yang nodded, his face turning slightly pale.
Fan Yuan put down the spatula, covered the pot with a lid, and wiped his hands before approaching Gu Yang. He reached out and touched Gu Yang’s forehead.
“What’s wrong?”
Gu Yang shook his head. The discomfort in his body made him feel inexplicably aggrieved. He leaned towards Fan Yuan and rested his forehead on Fan Yuan’s shoulder, gently rubbing it without saying a word.
It wasn’t until the food was served, when Gu Yang didn’t even eat his favorite vegetable and only poked the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks.
Fan Yuan picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it in Gu Yang’s bowl. Gu Yang looked at it, thinking that Fan Yuan had given it to him, he reluctantly picked it up with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. After chewing it for a moment, he immediately took a tissue and spit it out.
“No, I can’t eat it. I feel nauseous.”
Fan Yuan immediately came over and patted Gu Yang’s back, fed him a glass of water, and then went to the kitchen to cook some porridge. Gu Yang finally managed to eat a little bit.
Gu Yang’s sudden nausea caught Fan Yuan off guard. He was planning to call the family doctor but when Gu Yang heard that someone would be coming to their house, he became extremely uncomfortable and snatched Fan Yuan’s phone.
“No! No one is allowed to step into our home except for you and me!”
Gu Yang showed strong hostility towards outsiders and a possessive attitude towards his territory.
Fan Yuan narrowed his eyes and looked at Gu Yang.
“You’re sick and need to see a doctor.”
Gu Yang hid the phone behind his back and begged in a soft voice.
“I’m not sick. I just have a little trouble with my appetite. Fan Yuan, can we not call anyone else?”
Fan Yuan looked at Gu Yang with a slightly oppressive gaze, causing Gu Yang to slowly lower his head. He then handed the phone back to Fan Yuan.
“Don’t be angry. You can call if you want to…”
Fan Yuan took the phone but didn’t make the call. Instead, he pulled Gu Yang closer and sat on the couch, looking up at Gu Yang in front of him.
“I believe you, but if you’re still not feeling well tomorrow, we must call a doctor.”
Gu Yang’s clear eyes immediately filled with joy. He squatted in front of Fan Yuan, using his own ears and cheeks to rub against Fan Yuan’s palm, full of trust and dependence.
“Fan Yuan, you’re the best.”
Fan Yuan directly bent down and hugged Gu Yang, gently patting his back as he walked upstairs.
“I won’t force you to study tonight, rest early.”
Gu Yang rested his chin on Fan Yuan’s shoulder and nodded.
“Okay.”
They returned to the bedroom, and Fan Yuan bent down to put Gu Yang on the bed. But Gu Yang refused to let go and kept his hands around Fan Yuan’s neck. He laid on his back on the bed, with his soft ears spread out on both sides of his head.
He looked at Fan Yuan and suddenly said in a soft voice:
“Fan Yuan, kiss me.”
Fan Yuan went to pull Gu Yang’s hand.
“Don’t be silly.”
But Gu Yang didn’t let go. He slightly raised his neck and tried to reach Fan Yuan’s mouth, hanging onto Fan Yuan’s body.
Fan Yuan lowered his gaze and slowly looked at Gu Yang’s lips. His originally firm rejection softened and he bent down to give Gu Yang a fleeting kiss.
After the kiss, he quickly pulled Gu Yang’s hand away and walked into the bathroom.
“I’ll take a shower first, you lie down for a while.”
Gu Yang laid on the bed, touched his lips, and kicked his legs happily in the air a few times.
Fan Yuan didn’t come out of the bathroom for a long time, so Gu Yang stayed in the bedroom by himself. After a while, he felt inexplicably restless again. He got up and walked to the bathroom door, pressing his ear against it. He had more ears now and could hear more clearly. He could even hear the sound of water in the bathroom, as well as some strange noises beneath the sound of water.
After listening for a while, Gu Yang couldn’t figure out what it was, so he raised his hand and knocked on the door.
“Fan Yuan?”
The sound of water in the bathroom immediately stopped, and Fan Yuan seemed to have walked to the bathroom door. His voice came over, still cold, but a little different.
“What’s wrong?”
Gu Yang pressed his hands on the door, his fingertips hooked on the patterns on the glass.
“You’ve been washing for a long time…”
Fan Yuan paused before saying:
“Just wait for me for a while, you go to sleep first.”
Gu Yang agreed, but still felt annoyed in his heart. He stood at the bathroom door for a while and then turned and left the bedroom to go downstairs.
The refrigerator in the kitchen was well-stocked. Gu Yang opened the refrigerator door and subconsciously searched for what he wanted to eat. It wasn’t vegetables or carrots, but…
“It’s really here!”
Gu Yang was pleasantly surprised to find a bag of pitted plum meat from the refrigerator, and he immediately stuffed one into his mouth after opening the bag.
Although the plum meat was overly sour, at this moment, it was Gu Yang’s precious treasure. He hugged the bag in his arms and went upstairs.
When he returned to the bedroom, he found that Fan Yuan was still in the bathroom. Gu Yang frowned unhappily, stuffed several more pieces of plum meat into his mouth in succession, and looked around the room with a restless heart, feeling more and more annoyed.
He didn’t want to stay by himself.
This thought became more and more serious. Gu Yang knocked on the bathroom door again, but Fan Yuan didn’t respond to him this time, even after several knocks.
Gu Yang sat on the messy floor with a bowl of preserved plum, feeling insecure no matter how he sat. As he ate the plum, he plucked a tuft of hair from the tip of his ear without even realizing why he was doing it.
As he looked at the white tuft of hair in his hand, Gu Yang was stunned.
Plucking hair from his rabbit ears was completely an unconscious behavior for him, and he didn’t even know why he did it.
Looking around at the scattered clothes belonging to Fan Yuan, Gu Yang picked up a few of them and left the bedroom.
When Fan Yuan came out of the bathroom, he didn’t see Gu Yang in the bedroom.
There were several missing pieces of Fan Yuan’s clothes on the floor next to the bed, along with a tuft of white fluffy fur.
The sensitive nerves of the silly rabbit wouldn’t let him stay by himself for even a moment. Fan Yuan frowned and turned to go find Gu Yang.
At this moment, Gu Yang was huddled in the desk hole in the study, filling the small space with Fan Yuan’s clothes. There were even a few tufts of soft and white rabbit fur on the clothes.
As he was stuffing a piece of preserved plum into his mouth, the light in the study suddenly turned on, and the chair blocking the desk hole was pulled open.
Fan Yuan bent down and met Gu Yang’s teary eyes, along with his bulging cheeks.
Curled up inside, Gu Yang’s two soft ears were pressed against his cheeks, with the fur on them in disarray. There were several obvious bald spots where he had pulled the rabbit fur out himself.
Fan Yuan gently touched Gu Yang’s rabbit ears and asked him, “Does it hurt?”
Gu Yang’s eyes slowly became moist, and he no longer wanted the bowl of preserved plum in his arms. He got up and pounced on Fan Yuan, grabbing onto his clothes and complaining, “You took so long to shower…and you didn’t even respond to me knocking…it’s too much…”
Fan Yuan gently patted Gu Yang’s back and comforted him.
“It won’t happen again in the future.”
Gu Yang used his warm head to snuggle into Fan Yuan’s neck. Fan Yuan then lifted him out of the table hole and placed him on the desk.
Fan Yuan lowered his head and gently brushed his nose against the moist corner of Gu Yang’s eye before moving down to kiss his lips.
Gu Yang still had some sour plum in his mouth, and Fan Yuan tasted the sourness of the plum. With a slightly furrowed brow, he bit the plum and went deeper into the kiss.
The forgotten sour plum fell to the ground, with a few rolling away in different directions.
Gu Yang and Fan Yuan would never forget the sweetness and sourness of this day.
Author’s note: Gu Yang: Want some sour plum?
Fan Yuan: Yes.
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