Global Movie Emperor

"Lin Qin, there is a city marathon tomorrow morning. You have been looking a little bad lately. Can we do some exercise together?"

At seven o'clock on Friday night, my colleague typed the last text, saved it, kicked off his legs, and slid his work chair back to Lin Qin's desk. He discussed with Lin Qin about going out to play together tomorrow.

"Can he run a marathon? This playboy is not like you. You are single, and he is a single aristocrat. Some of his little sisters accompany him to fight until dawn. You don't even think about it, he is holding a fair and fragrant girl in his arms. Is it more comfortable to lie in bed? Or is it more comfortable for you to run a marathon under the sun and get tired and sweaty? "

Female colleague Xiaomei interjected, grinning, and her tone was a bit sinister. She pulled out the USB flash drive, carried her bag, and prepared to clock out.

"Hey! Xiaomei, don't you understand how difficult it is to be a person? I'm single and I'm proud!"

"Xiao Mei is right. I really can't go. If you don't dance on the weekend, you'll be trash on Monday. Do you understand? Why don't you have some fun with me? And I can bring you a beautiful girl home to warm your bed?"

Lin Qin stood up, carrying his briefcase, smiling like a ruffian, lightly hammered his colleague on the chest, and raised his eyebrows at him.

"Forget it, I don't like that kind of place, and you are already twenty-seven years old, and you are still a member of the Moonlight clan. You opened more than 30,000 yuan last month, and you still don't have a penny left. How can you do this?"

"Yes, yes, what you always say is true, but it doesn't fit in with my consumption concept. Money is a bastard. We can make more money if we don't have it. Besides, it's not like I haven't saved any money."

"Are you still saving money? How much have you saved?"

Lin Qin became very energetic as soon as the weekend came. He skipped to the door of the office, leaned against the door frame, shook the car keys, and thought for a moment.

"Not counting the money spent... one thousand and fifty~"

.......

He ran into the elevator, reached the underground parking lot, pressed the car key, and the modified Camaro's lights flashed, and then the roar of the engine came from the underground parking lot, and yellow lightning rushed out of the underground parking lot, heading towards Driving home.

When I got home, I immediately took off the suit that restricted my body. I went into the bathroom and took a shower. I sang a light song with my toothbrush in my mouth. I put on a beige shirt, a white T-shirt underneath, a pair of black overalls and a pair of He put on his skate shoes, styled his hair, looked at the handsome face in the mirror, and nodded with satisfaction.

"啷~pop!"

I clicked my tongue, clapped my hands, and the sensor light on the mirror automatically turned off. I opened the wall cabinet above the sink, took out a box of ten Durex, and tore off one. After thinking about it, I felt that it was not enough. He tore off two more and put them in his wallet. He took the car keys and went out again.

The atmosphere in the bar had begun to become lively. I parked the car, said hello to the reservation manager whom I knew well, went to his fixed booth every weekend, opened a bottle of drink, and looked for today's prey.

At eleven o'clock, the DJ officially came on stage, the bar was filled with deafening drumbeats, and men and women began to secrete hormones. Lin Qin walked onto the dance floor and struck up a conversation with the girl who was alone tonight. She seemed to be with a friend.

After looking at the three girls sitting on the platform not far away, Lin Qin put his arm around her shoulders without hesitation and took her back to his booth. Then the three girls were also seduced by him, and the four girls shouted When Lin Qin wanted to drink, he refused to refuse anyone who came. Under the influence of alcohol, he took a lot of oil from four girls, but was easily let go.

At around one o'clock in the middle of the night, he left the bar with the girl and went to a nearby hotel. The two looked like a loving couple, but in fact, they didn't even know each other's real names.

After swiping the room card, there was no power supply in the house. Lin Qin pulled her into the house and pressed the girl against the door in the darkness. The only sounds in the room were the two people's breaths smelling of alcohol.

"You...take a shower first?"

"Whoever comes first, let's come together! Let's go!"

He often comes to this hotel. He inserted the room card into the card slot, turned on the light, picked up the girl and rushed to the bathroom. The girl screamed, followed by a string of laughter like silver bells. It was not easy to enter the bathroom. After a while, mist began to evaporate from the glass, and along with the two men's heavy breathing, they could only see a woman's figure leaning over the glass...

.......

As the old saying goes, the best plan for the day begins in the morning, but when the two of them woke up, it was already past 11 o'clock in the morning. After waking up, they looked at each other, and the result was another burst of thunder and fire.

Afterwards, Lin Qin gasped and leaned on the bedside. The girl wiped the sweat from his forehead thoughtfully and snuggled into his arms. Seeing him smoking the cigarette afterward, she also took one and put it in his mouth. Before he could wait, After clicking on it, he was stunned for a moment and pointed at Lin Qin's nose.

"You have a nosebleed."

"Huh? Oh, right. Maybe I can't stand seeing you so beautiful. My blood pressure is a bit high. It's okay. I'll go to the bathroom and come back later...?"

"Hate......."

He pulled some bedside paper and stuffed it into his nostrils, put on his bathrobe and smiled at the girl. He walked leisurely towards the bathroom and turned on the light. The bathroom was quite interesting. He raised his eyebrows at the girl through the glass. He bent down and turned on the faucet, took some cold water and patted his forehead. The moment he pulled off the paper, blood seemed to pour out, and the sink was covered with blood spots.

Unexpectedly, he was bleeding so much. Lin Qin was stunned for a moment, then took another handful of water and wiped his nose, but the blood still did not stop falling, like a faucet that was not closed tightly, dripping quickly.

He was a little panicked. Anyone would be in a hurry in this situation. The cell phone in his bathrobe pocket rang. He took it out and took a look. It was his colleague who asked him to run a marathon yesterday. He didn't answer the phone and hung up and threw it in the phone. aside.

When I bent down again, I felt a sense of dizziness. It was not like a fragmented feeling, but it became difficult to breathe. The scenery in my eyes lost its color. Later, my vision began to shrink, as small as a needle nose. Finally, everything went dark. He breathed heavily and quickly, and then... fell to the ground.

The girl was playing with her mobile phone and chatting with her little sister last night about whether Lin Qin's kung fu was good. Occasionally she turned her head to look at the bathroom and saw him swaying and falling to the ground.

"ah!!!!"

.......

"Beep...beep...beep..."

Slowly opening his eyes, there was no ceiling, and the ceiling was completely white. Lin Qin turned his head and glanced at the surrounding environment. In an instant, he understood where he was. He was in a large ward, and people were lying on the beds next to them. There are family members around to take care of you.

There was an instrument measuring heartbeat and blood pressure at the head of the bed, and an infusion bag hung on the pole beside the bed. He didn't know what was in it, but his hand was cold and sore from the infusion, and the whole blood vessel felt tight and painful when he moved it.

What's even worse is that he was fixed sideways on the bed, and the pain in his back and spine was excruciating. If he moved even a little bit, it would feel like a needle pricking the joints in his joints.

The moment he woke up, Lin Qin was sweating from the pain. When he saw the nurse giving the old lady in the bed next to her acupuncture, he hurriedly asked as if he had seen a life-saving straw.

"Nurse, Miss Nurse! Could you please ask...what's going on with me?"

"We don't know yet. We need to wait for the test results to come out. We will stay in the hospital for observation for the next few days. We will do pathology work in two days and we will look at it then."

"Which hospital is this?"

"Army General Hospital."

He pulled out the needle and threw it into the trash can of the medicine cart. Without even looking at Lin Qin, he pushed the cart and turned around to leave, leaving Lin Qin lying on the bed uneasy and waiting.

He asked the family member in the next bed to help bring his clothes. He didn't lose his mobile phone, wallet, and other items, but some money was missing.

He didn't complain that the girl just left. After all, the two of them just met by chance, and they just spent a night together. Being able to send him to the hospital was already the most benevolent thing, and the money in the wallet probably also paid for the registration fee, hospitalization fee, and ambulance. The girl shouldn't have taken a penny from commuting expenses and other expenses. How could he find fault with a woman who was just a one-night stand?

He called his boss to ask for leave. The boss heard that he had a cold and readily approved the leave. After all, Lin Qin was his right-hand man and had a very close relationship with him. He didn't need to trouble Lin Qin.

This period was destined to be torturous. Lin Qin was able to walk the next day. Although his back was still in severe pain, he was at least able to move on his own and wander back and forth in the corridor wearing a hospital gown.

On the third day, when the test results came back, Lin Qin walked to the outpatient clinic anxiously and knocked on the door. When he heard that the doctor in charge of him allowed him in, he opened the door and walked in slowly, nodding politely to the doctor. .

The doctor looked to be about fifty years old. He glanced up at Lin Qin and asked him to sit on the stool. Then he focused his attention on the computer monitor, probably looking at Lin Qin's examination results.

"Where are your family members?"

"I...have no family."

"Then who was the girl who accompanied you on the day you were admitted to the hospital?"

Lin Qin remained silent, and the doctor was not surprised and did not continue to ask. People in certain professions have been experiencing all kinds of things that destroy their outlook on life. If they really mentioned it to others, they would know almost three days of information. There's so much to talk about in the night, and everything is exciting.

One was the staff of the entertainment venue, the second was the hotel front desk, and the third was the doctor, so the topic stopped here. The doctor took out a medical record from the folder and put it on the desk, and took a sip of tea in silence.

Lin Qin picked it up and looked at it. He recognized the words and English letters individually, but after arranging them in combination, his vision was really blurred. The medical record summary at the end was like a train whizzing by in his mind. ...

"Leukemia? No... How is this possible? I have never been in a hospital in Dalian since I was a child. Apart from colds, I have never even had chickenpox. This... this is impossible! It must be a misdiagnosis Got it!"

It seems that Lin Qin is about the same age as his own child, and is tall and talented. It is a pity to suffer from this disease. Therefore, the doctor was not displeased with Lin Qin's doubts. When the patient got the news, he was immediately It is normal to find it difficult to accept. It is not uncommon for people to be so angry that they hit others. Lin Qin's doubts are still reasonable.

"Theoretically, there is a possibility of misdiagnosis. After all, no hospital dares to say that the diagnosis results are 100% correct, but the possibility of misdiagnosis... is indeed small. The diagnosis results from bone marrow puncture and the auxiliary confirmation of blood routine , your spleen has indeed enlarged, and you can basically be diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. You have been suffering from the disease for some time and are about to enter the accelerated phase. You can go to other hospitals for a secondary examination, but you really need to take medicine now. The disease is under control.”

"Impossible! I'm going to get checked now. It must be a misdiagnosis. Just wait for me to sue your hospital!"

After leaving the hospital, Lin Qin took a taxi and headed to the 102 Hospital, which is famous for cancer. In the car, his shaking right leg could tell how much he was suffering, but he might have already believed it, because... ...He was carrying three boxes of imatinib mesylate.

He went to 102 Hospital, which is famous for treating cancer diseases, and did a comprehensive examination. He had already spent all his cash. As for medical insurance, he had to wait for a while to apply for it.

With the pain after the anesthesia wore off, Lin Qin took a taxi back home with the last few dozen dollars he had and opened the door. The room was dark. Only pain can make people remember the lesson. Lin Qin did the same at this moment. In this way, he regrets why he didn't save some money, so that now he can only rely on credit cards for medical examinations.

The examination results from 102 Hospital were obtained within seven working days, so he had to come to work as usual, but his original free and uninhibited energy was replaced by the fear of the disease, so that his work efficiency dropped significantly.

People in the office were very well-informed, and with Lin Qin's personality like going to bars, rumors spread that Lin Qin had AIDS or a disease like syphilis. Although he didn't mention it in front of Lin Qin, the look behind his back was, Lin Qin, who has always been very popular, found it difficult to accept the figure that was gradually moving away from him.

A side effect of taking imatinib is a significant loss of appetite. He has not had a good meal for several days. Chronic myelogenous leukemia can also cause inexplicable night sweats and weight loss. This made colleagues confirm that Lin Qin had that disease. sick.

Seven working days later, he took leave again and went to the hospital. The results were originally expected to be available after 2 p.m., but he waited anxiously in the hospital early in the morning, and then...the results given by the Army Hospital were correct.

"Pack your things and go to the hospital tomorrow."

Doctors in well-known clinics are always colder than doctors in cold clinics. Facing this forty-year-old doctor, Lin Qin was completely dumbfounded. He opened his mouth to say something, but opened and closed it silently. In the end, he just pinched the results of the examination. Tight and full of folds, he slowly stood up and left.

In the hospital, there are always people crying silently in the corner, and there are also people crying with joy at the door of the operating room. Scenes of melodramas of joy and sorrow are shown here every day. It is here that people cry for the first time and take their last breath here. Oxygen is like a reincarnation, white...recording everything here. In the end, the clouds are light and the wind is gentle, without sadness or joy.

"You don't have eyes? Can he even step on me?"

A young man was sitting on the floor in the corridor eating a box lunch. It seemed that someone in his family was seriously ill and was in a bad mood. Lin Qin was numb and stepped on the young man's seemingly expensive shoes.

The young man immediately threw the lunch box to the ground, stood up and grabbed Lin Qin's collar, pushing him against the wall and looking fiercely at Lin Qin's unfocused eyes.

People around them came over to dissuade them, but they did not take the initiative to pull them away. They just surrounded the two people and said, "Forget it," "It won't happen," "This is the hospital," but it didn't have much effect.

"Are you fucking blind? You can't see a big man like me? Do you believe I will slap you?"

"sorry."

"Your uncle, are you saying sorry now? What the hell have you done? I'm in a bad mood right now, why don't you come to the door yourself?"

"I'm dying."

"What.......?"

"I'm dying."

Lin Qin stared at the young man's eyes and said numbly. The young man was also stunned for a moment. Thinking about where this place is, it is normal to meet a person who is about to die. The original anger became a little bit in Lin Qin's desperate words. At a loss, he licked his tongue around his teeth, and then gently released his hand holding Lin Qin's collar.

"Next time you walk, be careful, you know? Not everyone is as good-tempered as me, so hurry up! Walk, walk, walk!"

He pushed Lin Qin, and Lin Qin nodded to him blankly, turned around and left silently. The people around him made room for Lin Qin to walk out. There were pity and indifference in his eyes, but all of them were the same as Lin Qin's. Qin has no relationship.

The young man put his hands in his pockets, turned around in a circle, raised the corner of his mouth to the left, revealing a gap, took a hard breath, and then shouted hesitantly.

"Hello!"

Lin Qin turned around and looked at him...

"There is no difficulty in life! Live well! Definitely! Damn it all! Live well! Come on, buddy!"

Licking his lips, Lin Qin wanted to say something, but it was stuck in his throat. In the end, he could only choke out a thank you as big as a mosquito, bowed lightly to the young man, and then turned around and left.

Wandering all the way to the parking lot, he tripped on the green belt and almost fell down. He opened the car door and just sat on it when a drop of blood fell on the back of his hand. He panicked and opened the drawer handle. He took out toilet paper and wiped the blood, but still wiped more and more, dripping on his body and car. Looking at the continuous loss of blood finally woke him up from numbness. Tears continued to flow, which looked particularly scary in the rearview mirror.

Finally, when he ran out of toilet paper and his hands were covered with blood, he realized that toilet paper could not block the blood at all. The only one who could really save him was the hospital that had just come out not far away.

He got out of the car and covered his nose with his palms. There was still blood dripping from the gaps. He didn't even close the car door and ran towards the hospital. The pedestrians passing by looked at him in horror and kept backing up. Finally, he arrived at the door of the hospital. , shouting hoarsely, with two words of deep despair.

"help me!!!"

.......

The next day, he packed his luggage and came to the company to resign and ask for the salary he had not received this month. Now he knows how to cherish money, because it saves lives.

Before the leader came, he sat in front of the computer in a daze. But soon after, the leader came to the office and saw Lin Qin staring at the computer in a daze. He frowned and walked over and patted Lin Qin on the shoulder.

"Lin Qin, what are you thinking about? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"I didn't get a good rest last night, I'm sorry, Brother Zhang."

"Hurry up and cheer up. After you finish checking Mr. Zhang's report in your hand, give it to me. Okay, it's a big list again. Do it well."

After the leader left, his single colleague Xiao Chen moved his office chair and sat next to Lin Qin. How else could he say that a high-paid man with a not-so-ugly appearance could not find a girlfriend? The key factor is low emotional intelligence.

"Did you go to the hospital yesterday?"

"Um."

"How are you? Are you okay?"

"fine."

"That's fine. I told you a long time ago that you don't look good. If you have nothing to do, date a few girls less. Be careful."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Seeing Lin Qin fussing, the office was silent. Occasionally, some colleagues looked at each other, glanced at Lin Qin teasingly, and then snickered with other colleagues.

No matter how popular Lin Qin is on the surface, he also earns the most in the entire office. Who wouldn't be jealous of anyone else? But he also became afraid of Lin Qin, fearing that he might also be infected.

All creatures will be hostile and wary of things that threaten them. As advanced beings, humans are of course more cautious, and humans also know that what threatens them is not only swords and guns, but also their fellow humans.

Lin Qin came here to resign, but after all, the leader treated him well. Even if he resigned, he couldn't just give up. After checking the report, he got up and walked towards the leader's office with the documents.

"Enter."

"Brother Zhang, the report has been checked and placed here for you."

"Lin Qin, I didn't ask you because there were so many people just now, how are the test results? Is it..."

An AIDS patient can bring panic to everyone. Even if he knew that he would not be infected by patting Lin Qin on the shoulder, he still went to the bathroom and washed his hands properly. Now that Lin Qin is here, he has to ask, If it is true, then even if Lin Qin has a good relationship with him, he can only say sorry.

"The purpose of my coming here is to resign. The work handover has been completed and placed on the USB flash drive on my desk."

"So you really..."

"No, I have leukemia."

Brother Zhang was quite happy when he heard the denial, but when Lin Qin revealed the real disease, his heart suddenly hit rock bottom again. He didn't know what to say, so he thought in silence for a while before nodding.

"Okay, but don't count it as resignation. Consider it as dismissal. I will give you a salary subsidy according to your length of service. I can only help you so far. After all, I am just an ordinary family. I still have your sister-in-law and your nephew to support. Don't Weird brother, I will contact the finance department later and urge you to put it in your salary card within three days. Although this disease is very serious... it is still possible to be cured. Don't despair and live well. "

Lin Qin suddenly wanted to cry, and his mood swings were getting bigger and bigger. Within two days, two people encouraged him and let him live. This was like a warm light for him who was extremely depressed. He didn't know What to say, he just resisted the urge to cry, bit his lip and bowed to the leader who took good care of him, and then left the leader's office, preparing to pack his things.

Just as soon as he entered the office, he smelled the smell of pasteurized water...

"Um... isn't it because of the flu recently? The air in our office is not well ventilated. Lin Qin, please don't mind."

A married female colleague smiled awkwardly and told lies that could be easily exposed, hoping that Lin Qin would not hold a grudge against her.

These people are already full of life. Even if she thinks that Lin Qin will not live long, she does not want to offend others. At least Lin Qin is still alive. If she really uses violence to retaliate and gets herself injured, it will not be worth it. .

After giving his female colleague an indifferent look, he walked back to his desk and packed up his things. Because the working environment was good, he really put a lot of things away and couldn't take them away in one trip.

After getting off the elevator and coming back up, I saw that the female colleague was still spraying disinfectant on the floor. Everyone was wearing masks or waiting in the corridor. Who could stand their attitude? This kind of look at being treated as an alien and looked down upon can really easily pierce through everyone's psychological defenses.

"Stop it! I'm not AIDS! I'm not! I'm leukemia! It's not contagious! It won't be passed on to you! Stop it! I'm not AIDS! I'm leukemia! I really am leukemia! This is my test The result! Look at it! It’s really leukemia! I’m going to die! But I can’t infect you! I really have leukemia! Look at it!”

Is there anything in the world that is more ironic, disgusting, and fucked up than for a person with a terminal illness to have to prove to others at the top of his lungs that he really has a terminal illness? At least Lin Qin can't think of it now.

He could only burst into tears and walked up to them with the test results. He shouted with a broken voice and showed the test results to everyone present. He really had leukemia and it was really not contagious!

But what did he get in exchange... It was just everyone's panicked avoidance, and the indifference and even disgusted looks in their eyes after they had escaped. Apart from these, it had no effect.

No.....can do some good, but it happens off-screen.

Lu Ze looked behind him. He could hear sobbing in his ears, and he could see the red and swollen eyes of people who were still looking at the screen without wiping away their tears.

...

Lin Qin was hospitalized, but did not stay for a few days because he could not afford the high hospitalization fees. A box of domestically produced imatinib cost NT$2,300, and 75% was reimbursed. The bed fee was nearly NT$90 a day, and the subsidy was Forty-two, chemotherapy uses domestic drugs, which costs more than 8,000 per time. It is expected that eight chemotherapy sessions, plus infusion and other drugs, will cost about 100,000, and the reimbursement is 35%.

He could only sell the car to a second-hand car dealer, but although the Camaro was famous, not many people would buy it, so even if he spent more than half a million to buy the car and modify it, the result would be The money he received was just over 300,000 yuan, plus selling some odds and ends, he raised a total of 350,000 yuan for medical treatment.

More than 300,000 yuan is a drop in the bucket for this disease. Now that he has no job, he must save what he can. He is not hoping that he can live longer, but that the disease can be cured.

But he asked about the cost of bone marrow transplantation and surgery, and the amount the doctor said made him despair. He had only worked for five years, and he had more than 300,000 yuan left, which was a lot. But this big hole, he really Can't fill it in.

He also thought about asking for help from the Red Cross, but there were too many leukemia patients, and the child was still at a high incidence of leukemia, so his application was quickly rejected.

Naturally, it is impossible to renew the lease of the house. He cannot afford to pay the rent of more than 10,000 yuan a month. The furniture he bought can only be moved to the second-hand market for sale. In the end, only a suitcase is left with a few clothes and a pair of clothes. shoes, and a laptop.

.......

"Hahaha......"

More than a month passed, and late autumn arrived. Lin Qin walked into the alley near the 102 Hospital with his suitcase. He had lost a lot of weight. He was wearing a mask and standing in a small hotel in the alley panting. He looked down. I glanced at the simple paper business card and carried my suitcase into the hotel.

This place is very shabby, so shabby that Lin Qin would not have come here originally. When he opened the door, there was a board on the wall that said patients with infectious diseases were not allowed to be admitted. An old man was sitting on a chair in the reception room, listening to a ditty. , heard the bell hanging on the door ringing, and turned to look at Lin Qin.

"For what?"

"Stay in the hotel."

"What disease?"

"leukemia."

"Give me a look at the case and fill in the identity registration yourself. I'll give you the book. How long will you stay? Pay monthly, three hundred a month."

"Stay here for a month. Fill it out and give me the medical records."

Lin Qin put the pen in the book and threw it on the desk in the reception room. The old man took off his reading glasses and returned Lin Qin's medical record to him. He took the three hundred yuan and raised it in the sun to look at it to confirm that it was genuine. After paying, he threw Lin Qin a bunch of keys marked 217.

Compared with the downstairs, the upstairs is even more old. The concrete floor is already pitted, the white paint on the wall has turned yellow, and a height of about 1.5 meters from the ground has been painted with cyan paint. The lighting facility is a The twenty-watt light bulb was as dark as a haunted house and had a musty smell.

Opening the room, it was better than expected. The windows faced the sun and the lighting was very good. There was no musty smell in the room as much as in the corridor. However, the area was not large, only three or four square meters. There was a picture table placed against the wall. There is a cabinet beside the bed, and a desk next to the door with a desk lamp from the 1990s on it. The clock on the wall no longer moves, and the only appliance is an about 18-inch clock. big ass tv.

Stuffing the suitcase under the table, he took out the medicine and water from his backpack. After drinking it, he plugged in his laptop and started working.

Now he is doing loose orders for online English translation, but because his health does not allow him to do high-intensity work, he can only choose some orders that are not so urgent. His income is about three to four thousand yuan, which is enough to buy medicine for a month. If you save the money for a few months, it will be enough for a physical examination.

The side effects of imatinib started to show up. An hour later, he started to feel dizzy. He turned off the computer and lay down in bed. He felt dizzy for a while, and finally fell into sleep.

She didn't know how long she had been sleeping. In a daze, Lin Qin felt that there was someone in the room. He hurriedly sat up and opened his eyes. He pulled out the light cord beside the bed. Under the dim light, Lin Qin saw a man quietly rummaging through his bag. He took out his wallet from it.

"Fuck you! Put it down!"

He was mentally prepared to dare to live in such a place. He took out the stick hidden under the pillow and hit the man on the back with the stick. It seemed that the man's body was also very weak and was directly beaten by Lin Qin. He fell to the ground, groaning as he lay on the ground.

He pulled off the man's hat. He was a bald man. He had obviously undergone chemotherapy. His back was turned to Lin Qin and he could not see his face clearly. Lin Qin had no mercy at all. He had seen too many patients these days, even he himself was a patient. Everyone is dying, who the hell is spoiling whom?

He touched the man's pocket and pulled out about five hundred yuan. He glanced at his empty wallet, counted the numbers, put it back in the wallet, and checked the bag again. Nothing else was missing before he turned his attention. Put it back on the man.

"Stealing my money, right? How did you get in!"

He grabbed the man's collar and slapped him hard. He held his head until he was beaten, but remained silent and allowed Lin Qin to continue beating him.

But then, Lin Qin couldn't do it any more. Under the light of the desk lamp, he discovered that the man whose nose he had punched was bleeding. Judging from his appearance, he was about twenty years old.

"roll!"

There were many people standing outside the door, including men, women and children. They all came out to watch the fun. Lin Qin kicked the boy, but the boy still didn't say a word. He seemed a little disappointed that Lin Qin just hit him twice and let him go. Unexpectedly, he pursed his lips, bowed to Lin Qin, and then turned around and entered the next room next to Lin Qin.

.......

Early the next morning, Lin Qin locked the door with a basin and went to the public restroom to wash up. He endured the pungent smell and brushed his teeth carefully. He got close to the mirror full of toothpaste spots and looked carefully at the corners of his eyes that had turned yellow. , spit out a mouthful of toothpaste foam, stirred the toothbrush quickly in the toothbrush, and then poured it away. When he turned his head, he found that the boy was standing behind him. He seemed to be startled by Lin Qin and took a step back.

Lin Qin glanced at him suspiciously, touched his trouser pocket, and saw that there was no money in it. Then he turned and left with a strange expression. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a man's scream.

"Ah!!! Old Mrs. Shen is dead!!!"

Upon hearing that someone had died, all the people who were waiting for death in the room walked out of the room and walked towards old Mrs. Shen's room wearing masks. A skinny man sat on the ground and watched in horror as the door opened and lay there. An old man lying motionless in bed.

She had a big mouth, her eyes were not closed, and her expression was very painful. She had no quilt on her body, and she was wearing a tattered shirt and underwear in a large letter shape. Everyone could feel the despair she experienced before she died, which made many Those who are soft-hearted can no longer bear to watch.

The owner of the hotel, the old man, was carrying a green shoulder military bag with a bright five-color star on it. He was carrying an incense burner and a basin in his hand and walked slowly up to the second floor.

"Those born in the Year of the Rooster and Horse, go back to the house! Don't look! Get out of the way, I'll go in."

He pulled the bench in front of the desk, placed the incense burner on it, took out the incense wrapped in plastic cloth from the bag, placed it on the bench, put the basin behind the incense burner, took out two sticks of Hades wax from the bag again, and lit it Place it on both sides of the incense burner, then light the incense with a candle and insert it into the incense burner.

Opening the window to make the air fresher, the old man took out a bunch of white paper money from his bag again, threw it into the sky, and then scattered it in every corner of the house. He took out the Walkman in his pocket, changed the tape, and pressed The button was placed on the desk, and a small mournful sound sounded.

"Xiao Guo, bring up the dishes from downstairs and put them on the table, as well as the paper money and shrouds in the cabinet in my house. The remaining people who are forty years old or younger and whose birthdays are before September should tie their filial piety belts. , wake up, burn less paper, and change people when you are tired. The tall guy who came yesterday was born in March when he was twenty-seven, right? You put a shroud on the old lady."

"I......."

"Don't talk nonsense. If you don't do it, don't you think there will be no one to help you put on your shroud when you die? They are all dying people. They don't let you get money, so just help. If you don't want to, I will refund the money." Here you go, you move out.”

Hearing this, what else could Lin Qin say? He waited silently until the man named Xiao Guo brought the filial piety belt, with a red string tied at the end, which meant that this was the filial piety belt for the grandchildren, and the tail for the sons. It is not tied with red rope.

Picking up the navy blue shroud, Lin Qin swallowed, glanced at the old man, and put it on the old lady fearfully. This was his first time doing this, and to be honest, he was quite scared.

After putting on the old lady's hat, she saw the old man holding a piece of yellow paper, reading the words on it loudly while squinting his eyes while wearing reading glasses.

"Shen Xiumei! A native of Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province! Passed away on September 17, 2016! She was seventy-three years old! She paid me 2,800 yuan for transportation during her lifetime! 200 yuan for food and drinks! Reply 500 yuan for relatives and friends! 200 yuan for marriage! A total of 3,700 yuan! It will be spent on Shen Xiumei! Don’t dare to hide it privately! When the deceased returns home, roadside ghosts are not allowed to interfere! Otherwise, the moral character will be broken and the family will be harmed. It has nothing to do with me, Wang Shucai! Let’s kiss and kowtow! Send Mrs. Shen off!”

After finishing reading, the old man threw the piece of paper into the brazier. The boy who was beaten by Lin Qin last night took Lin Qin's arm and dragged him over. A total of three women and four men knelt on the ground and knelt down. After three ringings, accompanied by mournful music, the oldest man lit the paper money and threw it into the brazier, watching the paper money quickly turn black and turn into a ball of ashes.

"You...have been doing this?"

Other people in their forties and above came over to bow or kowtow to Mrs. Shen. After everything was done, Lin Qin stood next to the boy who beat him last night and asked.

"Hmm... If you feel like you can't survive anymore, just give the old man money. He can bring you home or help you bury you. He won't keep it secretly, he will use it all on you."

Looking at this group of people and thinking about himself, Lin Qin suddenly felt very ridiculous. He died in a foreign country and had to arrange his own funeral. He had no relatives around him, so he pretended to be a fellow patient living in a hotel. His whole life ended like this. The taste...can't be explained, the way is unclear.

"Brother, if you have a fever, I won't be able to survive anymore. I have liver cancer and the pain is terrible."

The man who burned the paper handed the stick to Lin Qin. He was sweating and his face was very pale. Lin Qin did not refuse. He took the stick and knelt in front of the brazier and threw the pieces of paper money into the brazier.

The old lady's funeral in the hotel didn't last long. As soon as it got dark in the evening, an old Wuling Hongguang drove up to the door of the hotel. A black shroud was tied around the old lady and put in the back seat of the old lady who had removed the seat. Platoon, after taking the money from the old man, the man in his forties or fifties who pulled the body drove away.

"The old lady is very generous. The two hundred yuan will be given to relatives. You seven will divide it among the seven of you. You will all go back to have a rest. Come down for dinner at seven o'clock. The old lady thanks you. You can't come if you don't come."

The group of people nodded and went back to the room to rest for a while. Lin Qin's heart was heavy and he felt very confused. He felt... as if he was sick. The things he saw were different. No. The sun is shining brightly, but it has become cold and full of decay. Perhaps in the near future, he will also lie here and find someone to recognize him as his kin, and let these people who have no blood relationship with him pay filial piety to him.

At seven o'clock, Lin Qin went downstairs. There were two tables of food at the door. They cost 500 yuan for each table. If you cook it yourself, the food would be really good. Those born in the year of chicken and horse cannot eat this meal. Their seven "sons and grandchildren" Sitting at the same table as Old Man Wang, because Lin Qin was new here, he had to introduce himself to another person, which also allowed Lin Qin to get to know these patients.

"Er Mao, did you go to Lin Qin's room last night?"

Old Man Wang asked the child who was beaten by Lin Qin, which made him scratch his head in embarrassment, but he also nodded and admitted.

"Now that we know each other, don't do it. You can't steal from someone who is sick, let alone a family. You have just arrived. I won't talk about you anymore. Apologize to Lin Qin. He was beaten to death last night. You, you will die if you die, at most you will be taken away with Mrs. Shen, no one will care about you."

"Brother Lin, I'm sorry. I was wrong. Thank you for letting me go yesterday. I actually just wanted to get some cash, bank cards, and computers. I couldn't move them, but I took them. I was wrong, and I kowtow to you. "

The child stood up and pushed away the plastic stool, knelt in front of Lin Qin and kowtowed three times to Lin Qin. Lin Qin originally wanted to get up and stop him, but Old Man Wang held him back.

"Those who steal patients' money will be struck by lightning even if they die. You can bear it by kowtowing and apologizing to you, but you won't care about it anymore. This matter is over. Come on, those who can drink will raise a glass. It's not okay." After eating, go back and lie down.”

Lin Qin took a sip of beer and smiled from the bottom of his heart when he looked at this group of people who, although they were still strangers, could not help but feel friendly. Since his parents died, he no longer had a sense of belonging, so he So indulgent, just to find that sense of belonging, but after so many years of wandering, he still hasn't found it.

The funny and sad thing is that he has found it now, as if he has fallen into a pile of dead people. A bunch of people who are dying give him the feeling of home.

"I guess who of us will die first, dad! If I die earlier than you, you have to kowtow to me and call me dad! Do you dare?"

"Fuck! Who's afraid of whom! Whoever dies first is the father, right? I'm going to die here right now, okay, my dear son? Hahaha."

The people at the next table started joking. One was in his thirties and the other was in his forties. They made no distinction between old and young and made jerk jokes.

"I said...what did you want to do with the money yesterday?"

"Brother Lin, are you still not satisfied? Then I will give you three more blows..."

"Stop, stop, stop. I don't hold grudges. I'm not that kind of person. I just want to ask you what difficulties you have."

Er Mao glanced at Lin Qin with some trepidation, pursed his lips, and then spoke in a voice as loud as a mosquito.

"I want to... buy a wig and take a posthumous photo. My photo is too ugly. I want to look more handsome. The photo of me when I was fifteen... looks like a monkey."

"Hahahahaha, how old are you this year?"

"This year is eighteen..."

"Ah... Let's change the photo. Is five hundred enough? I've given it to you. It would be a pity for this young man not to look more handsome."

Lin Qin's eyes turned red as he smiled. He started preparing photos of himself at the age of eighteen. What kind of day was this! He is only eighteen! How much evil did we commit in our previous life to end up like this?

At the age of twenty-seven, he felt sorry for himself and hated God for letting him get leukemia, but what about this child? I had just grown up, and had never even seen the colorful world outside. I was waiting to die in a moldy place. I stole money and was beaten like this without saying a word, just so that I could look more handsome in my posthumous photos... Really Yes, Lin Qin wanted to kowtow to Ermao now. Maybe he could just take the more than 500 yuan last night if he was asked to take it.

He took out five hundred and stuffed it into his pocket. The kid was embarrassed to take it now and quickly took it out and gave it back to Lin Qin.

"Brother Lin, I can't ask for this money. I was really wrong. I couldn't hold it back last night. Now that I think about it, it doesn't matter anymore. If you die, you won't see anything anymore. Why do you need a photo?"

"Er Mao! Listen, hold it! He is handsome for a lifetime! This is your brother and I only care about my face! You should also learn from me, hold it!"

The originally lively atmosphere suddenly became quiet. This was the only person they had ever seen who was terminally ill and returned money to others. Lin Qin seemed to them...very special.

"Yes! Take the Ermao! He's handsome. It's a lifetime thing! Is the money enough? Your Brother Guo doesn't have much money either. I'll give you a hundred at most."

"Auntie, I'll get you a hundred, too. Dress up beautifully! Take it!"

"And me! Take it and buy some beautiful clothes! We are getting older, so it would be nice to wear a shroud. You, the young one, should wear it more fashionably!"

"me too......."

The scene was quite touching, at least no matter whether it was moved by others or moved by oneself, everyone cried. No one understood how desperate they were, but we have to go to the sun ourselves!

.......

"I really can't stand it anymore! No, do you have any toilet paper? Brother, give me two, damn... I feel so uncomfortable! I shouldn't have come to this premiere!"

"Who says it's not the case! The key point is that I'm still here to work. I can't even watch it if I don't want to. I've really done something wrong! I might as well tell the editor to go to the premiere of "Happy Events in the Flower Fields 2020" As for Li, this fuck makes me so uncomfortable."

Not to mention others, the film's creators all cried like their grandchildren. Wang Zhen burst into tears and lost any image. Even Zhuang Yu himself was wiping tears after watching it.

Lu Ze wiped his eyes with a tissue. He really didn't expect that the movie would be edited like this. The quarrel between the two directors on the set did not affect the quality of the work at all. Instead, the two combined their respective excellences. The work has the thought and soul that Zhuang Yu has always emphasized, and it is also full of Guo Mingde's crisp editing, without any sloppiness.

Everyone in this movie performed very well. Er Mao was only sixteen years old in his life, and the children who did not attend school because they were there are really very spiritual, much better than those children promoted in the news.

So, with everyone in the audience bursting into tears, the story continued...

.......

In the next few days, Er Mao and Lin Qin became much closer. The child often went to Lin Qin's room and played stand-alone games on his computer while Lin Qin was resting. Occasionally, Lin Qin would also take out some money. He wanted to save money to buy the child some delicious food to satisfy his craving, but overall, he was still saving money, trying to collect enough money for a bone marrow transplant, and waiting for a bone marrow that could match him.

"Brother Lin...do you think it looks good?"

That day, Er Mao knocked on the door. Lin Qin was stunned for a moment after opening it, and then laughed heartily. Er Mao had hair growing on his originally bald head, and the hairstyle was quite handsome. He reached out and touched it, and it looked like the real thing. He was carrying several bags with clothes in them. It looked like he was going on a big shopping trip.

"This wig is really nice. Where did you buy it? I am also undergoing chemotherapy. I will buy one when I lose my hair."

"It's just a short walk to the west from the bus stop on Erdao Street. It's one hundred and fifty yuan. That's great! By the way, Brother Lin, can you look at my clothes? A jacket costs RMB 80, and a vest costs RMB 30. The pants are 100 yuan, I really like these shoes, 80 yuan, and this...can you take a photo?"

A square frame wrapped in black cloth was handed to Lin Qin's hand. Lin Qin opened it and saw that there were obvious traces of pornographic photos. He was much more handsome than Er Mao in real life. This kid was really capable of making trouble, and he photoshopped his own photos. There is no one left in the picture.

But as long as you are happy...it doesn't matter if you have an afro in your photo, as long as you are happy.

"Look, you're having fun. Do you play games? If you don't want to play, I'll turn off the computer."

"Have a fight...have a fight..."

The boy smiled and sat in front of the computer. Lin Qin shook his head with a smile and opened the door to go to the toilet. Recently, he started to have blood in his stool, and his condition became more and more serious, but he still firmly believed that he could survive. The mentality is very optimistic.

After peeing, I had not yet put my pants up. I was suddenly stunned. Then I quickly put my pants back on and nodded to the person in front of me.

He had never seen this person before. He probably just came today. As for why Lin Qin was stunned, it was because this woman was very beautiful and had a good figure. Who could see such a beautiful woman in a place like this? Everyone will be stunned.

She glanced at Lin Qin, nodded in response, and then twisted the key hard, but couldn't open the door. She was a little distressed for a moment, and lifted her long hair on her forehead. Maybe there were too many bald heads around her. Lin Qin I started to pay attention to the hair of the people around me. This woman's hair was real.

"Let me help you."

By coincidence, she lived in Mrs. Shen's room. Lin Qin knew what happened to the door, so he pulled the door handle hard, turned the key, kicked the door, and the door opened.

"Thanks......"

"It's okay. We are all a family when we live here. My name is Lin Qin. I live in 217. If you need anything, call me."

Do you think Lin Qin is not horny now? Obviously not. Jiang Shan's nature is easy to change but hard to change. His hobby of sleeping with girls cannot be changed even if he is terminally ill.

In addition, he was too thin and out of shape, and his complexion was very unhealthy, but he was still handsome, and he was clean and tidy, and the girl couldn't dislike him.

She nodded and responded politely: "My name is Shen Mengxi. Nice to meet you."

"See you later, see you later."

The sun was good today, neither hot nor cold. Lin Qin planned to bask in the sun, so he went downstairs and sat at the door with Old Man Wang to play chess.

"Hey? Your Majesty, that woman who just moved in today...what's wrong with her?"

The old Wangtou held the chess pieces in his hand, took one out from the middle, put it on the top, made a snapping sound, flicked the ashes from the old man's cigarette, and gave Lin Qin a happy sound.

"Stomach cancer is still a mild disease at the moment, and it is also a painful disease. I said you are going to die, but you are still thinking about women? Once the disease is cured, what can you do in the future? Besides, she is married As a married woman, you can’t do this.”

"Oh, getting married? Where is her husband? It's so interesting. She has a husband and she can live here? Her husband doesn't even show up and lets her come here by herself? It's so funny. After becoming a frequent visitor to the hospital, what kind of people have you not seen? Meet? Such loss of seed is considered bad luck for her."

"You still see the truth of life after seeing a doctor? We understand this truth, but you can't do this when she is married. This is a matter of human conduct."

"Forget it, when I wasn't sick, I saw too many couples whose lives were not harmonious, with women going out to drink and have fun. In this day and age, to put it bluntly, the marriage contract between husband and wife cannot be restricted at all."

"Then you can't have undue thoughts about other people's wives..."

"Hey! My lord, please don't accuse me falsely. I have never slept with other people's wives. I am still afraid that other people's husbands will come to kill me. I am timid and cherish my life...Brother Zhou, what's the matter?"

After having a sense of belonging, he became a lot more cheerful and unruly again, as if he was not sick. When he was chatting with Old Wang, he saw that when Old Mrs. Shen died, she argued with Old Zhao. Lao Zhou, who is the father of whoever dies first, came over.

"Your Majesty, Brother Zhao... I can't do it anymore. He said he had to leave tonight, so he asked me to give you money to send him back to his hometown in Henan. Two thousand yuan for the bus fare, one hundred yuan for the bus fare." Money for groceries, two hundred as a thank you, two hundred for marriage... He asked me to tell you that he has no money, and he didn't treat you to a good meal even before he died, right? .....I'm sorry for you."

Lao Wangtou took Lao Zhou's money, blew out cigarette smoke, threw the cigarette butts on the ground, stamped them out, and threw the chess pieces on the chessboard.

"Then I'll prepare to go first."

Lin Qin also stood up in silence and helped fold the ingots. Another family member was leaving, so he folded more so he could spend them on the road.

Mrs. Shen passed away suddenly last time. She was still conscious yesterday, but when they brought her food early the next morning, she found that she was already cold.

This time, Lao Zhao had a premonition that he was going to die tonight, so everyone wanted to accompany him on his last journey.

"Old Zhao, you are a father this time. That's okay. You are twelve years older than me. You are a bit older anyway. I won't suffer any loss if I call you dad. You said... you are such a bastard. , it’s only been a few days.”

Lao Zhou and Lao Zhao were originally patients in the same ward. The two of them arrived at the Ping An Hotel together. Their relationship could be said to be very deep. How could they not feel sad when they saw him like this?

"Uh-huh......."

Lao Zhao couldn't say a word and could only lie sideways on the bed and hum. Everyone who could still get up waited at the door and watched, listening to the two joking, laughing with tears in their eyes, and echoed.

"Get dressed..."

At around eight o'clock in the evening, Lao Zhao, who could only hum at first, said this sentence clearly. Everyone had accepted this fact. Lao Zhou got up, took out the shroud from the cabinet, and quietly put it on for him.

Under the dim light, a man whose eyes can hardly open his eyes sits up and lets others put on his shroud. This scene is indeed a bit overwhelming, especially for newcomers.

Shen Mengxi naturally stood with Lin Qin, whom she still knew well. She didn't dare to look inside, and grabbed Lin Qin's clothes out of fear.

"Here, put on the filial belt."

"Huh? I...I don't know how. I've never tied this thing before."

"Come over here and I'll tie it for you."

She put on the white cloth ignorantly. Lin Qin looked inside again and saw that Old Zhao had already put on his shroud and was being supported on the bed. Then his half-open eyes began to close gradually...

"Those who were born in the year of Ox and Dog, turn over! Except for Lao Zhou, those under thirty years old come in."

Lin Qin pulled Shen Mengxi, who looked frightened, and Er Mao followed behind him. They were the only three people under the age of thirty. The moment the sad music started, the cry could be heard.

"You win! You are my father! My son kowtows to you! The road to the West! Have a good journey!"

"Zhao Fenghai! A native of Zhoukou, Henan Province! Passed away on September 29, 2016! He was forty-four years old! He paid me 2,000 yuan for transportation during his lifetime! 100 yuan for wine and food! I will give it to you Two hundred yuan for relatives and friends! Two hundred yuan for acknowledgment of relatives! A total of two thousand five hundred yuan! The money will be spent on Zhao Fenghai! Don’t dare to hide it privately! When the deceased returns home, wild ghosts on the roadside are not allowed to disturb him! Otherwise, his virtue will be broken and his family will be harmed. It has nothing to do with me, Wang Shucai! Let’s kiss and kowtow! Send Zhao Fenghai off!”

Lao Zhao set out on the road much earlier than Mrs. Shen. Half an hour later, the driver arrived. Everyone put Lao Zhao in the car. After struggling for so long and suffering so much, now he can go home. .

The beginning of a relationship must be caused by one party coveting the other's body. If two people have no desire for each other, there will be no beginning at all.

Lin Qin was like this. He had already noticed Shen Mengxi's fear, but because she was a gastric cancer patient, Lin Qin did not dare to pick up food for her and comfort her with words... There was something wrong with using words to comfort her in this kind of thing. .

But in the end she was so scared that she cried. After all, she was only twenty-five years old. Seeing Lao Zhao pass away today and thinking about her illness, how could she not be afraid?

It's normal for new people to be afraid. Lin Qin's behavior is unusual, but Shen Mengxi's behavior is normal because Lao Zhao is popular and because Shen Mengxi cried too sadly. Everyone had no intention of eating anymore and went back to their own homes. Room to rest.

Lying on the bed, he was scrolling through the leukemia patient group. Lin Qin had never met the people in this group in real life. Everyone’s greetings were different from those in ordinary groups. Ordinary people in the group would say "good morning", but this group When people chat in the morning, they all say...

"I'm alive."

There are already more than 500 people in the group, and there are hundreds of people who were once talkative but have become "diving monsters". Even the group leader has changed three times. The side effects of imatinib have come up again. I took a look. Ermao, who was still playing the game, told him to go back and rest quickly, and soon he fell asleep.

Later, Shen Mengxi became very close to Lin Qin and Er Mao, because the three of them were still under thirty years old, so they could still talk to each other, especially with Lin Qin. There was only a two-year age difference between the two, so there was basically no generation gap.

Often, the three of them would come to Lin Qin's house to play Landlords, or watch a gun version of a movie downloaded by using the hospital's WIFI. Lin Qin and her even had their chemotherapy schedules scheduled together. The two of them did chemotherapy together, were hospitalized together, and I lost my hair and vomited together. Having this companion made the difficult chemotherapy process much easier.

Looking at each other's bald heads, they would also laugh at each other. The two of them had no hair. In fact, the man was not too handsome and the woman was not too beautiful.

But when he was discharged from the hospital... another resident passed away. Lin Qin was very sorry not to see her for the last time.

until.......

"One four, I'm done."

"Er Mao, you don't care about him. He won't be able to get out if he puts a seven in the hand. I'm very good at this hand. I'll definitely be able to get out if you put a seven in the hand. Go... Ermao? What's wrong with you?" not comfortable?"

The relationship between Er Mao and Shen Mengxi is also very good. After all, women have soft hearts. They have maternal love for this eighteen-year-old boy. When he saw his face was particularly ugly, his heart suddenly stopped.

"I feel bad...I...vomit!"

Er Mao started to vomit as soon as he turned over. Lin Qin and Shen Mengxi quickly got up and panicked when they saw that he had vomited a large pool of blood on the ground.

"Go to the hospital! Hurry up!! Is there anyone who can fucking move!!! Ermao is sick!!"

A group of people quickly sent Er Mao to the hospital. This group of people who were bald due to chemotherapy naturally attracted a lot of attention. Also because everyone was in poor health, Lin Qin asked them to go back first, leaving only Er Mao behind. Shen Mengxi, who was unwilling to leave, was waiting with him before the operation.

On the way to the hospital, Shen Mengxi kept crying and couldn't wipe away the tears. Lin Qin sat on the chair, his face as sinking as water.

He had anticipated that this day would come, but it came much earlier than he imagined. How could Ermao, a child who ran away from home without dragging his parents down, have the money to treat his illness?

"Where are Mao Shengjun's family members?"

"Here! Doctor, how is he?"

"Who are you......."

"I'm his brother."

"Immediate family?"

Lin Qin was stunned, and his clenched hands dropped weakly, and he could only tell a lie that was not a lie: "He has no parents, and he grew up dependent on me."

"Advanced rectal cancer, conservative treatment is recommended. I do not recommend further surgery. Without the signature of immediate family members, your signature will have no legal effect."

The translation of this sentence is, don't do surgery, you may die on the operating table. Shen Mengxi and Lin Qin both understood, and their faces began to turn pale.

Lin Qin grinned and wanted to say something not to give up treating Er Mao, but in the end, he just nodded.

"I understand, thank you doctor."

"...."