MTL - My O Got Pregnant After Dressing Like a Scum-Chapter 124
The winter in Haizhou is shorter than other seasons.
The wind in the late autumn has been blowing for a long time, and the real winter has not yet come.
It's like riding a roller coaster.
Although it is early winter in terms of solar terms.
The wind kept blowing against the windows, knocking the bare trees outside.
Liang Shi didn't care about the broken glass under the pin, she kept zooming in and zooming in on the picture.
—Boom.
The wind opened the window and blew Liang Shi's back cold.
Accurately speaking, her whole person is cold.
In the photo, Xu Qingzhu was blindfolded with black cloth, his hands were tied behind his back with thick hemp rope, and black tape was wrapped around his mouth. He was wearing the same clothes he wore when he went out in the morning , just stained with dirt.
She curled up in the corner, her head hanging loosely, as if in a coma.
The evil wind and cold rain made her feel even worse, and she panicked and panicked for a while, so she made a video call to Xu Qingzhu.
But the other party hung up quickly.
A three-second voice came from there, the voice was processed by a voice changer, "Want to save her?"
Liang Shi was about to call the police, and then another voice: "Then come to the address I gave you, if you call the police, then I will tear up the ticket now."
A short video follows.
Xu Qingzhu in the video still didn't respond, but a sharp knife pressed against her cheek, the silver back of the knife matched her complexion, making people tremble, for fear of seeing blood.
The other party sent the address, in the suburb of Haizhou.
But it's deserted now.
Liang Shi knew that this was what Xu Qingzhu told her. Xu Qingzhu said that if you want to buy a house for investment, you can wait for the house, there should be a lot of room for appreciation.
The voice is still being sent.
"She hasn't woken up yet. Do you think if I slowly torture her here for a while, will it induce her PTSD?"
"She seems to be afraid of being blindfolded, you know?"
"If you want her to live, just do as I say."
"In an hour, come to the address I sent, otherwise... what you see must be a corpse."
"May be naked. Haha."
Five voices in a row, the tone became more and more excessive, and Liang Shi clenched his fists.
The originally drowsy brain is now clear, but it is constantly swept away by anger, and I can't wait to beat this person to death along the network cable.
But after the huge anger, Liang Shi pressed the screen of his mobile phone and tried to negotiate with the other party as calmly as possible: "What do you want? Do you want money?"
"Or do you want to take revenge on me? Then you can come at me, and I can exchange with her."
"If you want to take revenge on me, it must be kidnapping me, torturing me, and killing me more happily. What would you do to kidnap a stranger?"
“How much do you want?”
The time interval between Liang Shi's speeches is not too short, she tried her best to keep her calm mind to think about it.
Also try not to let the other party discover the importance of Xu Qingzhu to him.
Although she tried her best, she did her best in a less controllable range.
The fingernails pressing the screen of the mobile phone were all white, and the face that was a little flushed because of the drowsiness is now as pale as paper, and it is shocking to see.
Liang Shi did not notice.
She kept guessing who the kidnapper was and what was the purpose of kidnapping Xu Qingzhu?
If the other party wants to tear up the vote, then just kill Xu Qingzhu, but now I contact myself through Xu Qingzhu's WeChat, indicating that there are other intentions?
I didn't say anything about money, I just called my name and let me go there. What is it for?
Revenge yourself?
The original owner offended so many people, so this possibility cannot be ruled out.
How did the other party know that Xu Qingzhu had PTSD?
In just a few minutes, Liang Shi's mind went through a storm.
She searched for possible characters in her mind, and finally came up with only one—Chen Liuying.
When Liang Shi wanted to send a voice confirmation, the other party's voice processed by the voice changer came again: "If you call the police now, I will let you receive Xu Qingzhu's posthumous photo."
Liang Shi didn't dare to take the risk, and she didn't have time to change her clothes, so she changed into a pair of comfortable flat shoes and hurried out.
It was pouring rain outside, which was very contrasting with the strong wind.
Even the violent wind and rain wrapped the branches on the road, Liang Shi glanced at the navigation, it was still forty-nine minutes to go there, which was the shortest distance, not counting the traffic jam.
After Liang Shi drove for a while, his mind was finally not cluttered, and he could free up a little space to think about this matter.
She didn't dare to use the phone number that the other party contacted her to call, but instead called Zhao Xuning with a phone number she had never used before.
Zhao Xuning was very slow to pick up, but he finally picked up.
Her voice was hoarse, impatient, and obviously getting up. Liang Shi didn't expect her to go to bed at this point, but she got through, and the only person she can trust now is Zhao Xuning.
"You better have something to do." Zhao Xuning said through gritted teeth.
The words were all bitten very clearly, "Zhao Xuning, listen to me."
"Beside the provincial highway 209 on Xijiong Road, in the former abandoned chemical factory not far from the highway, there was a kidnapping case. The kidnapped object was a woman, and the other party threatened to call the police if Just tear up the ticket, so the police can leave in 10 minutes, please turn off the alarm bell, and keep quiet around the area."
Liang Shi has maintained the greatest rationality and said to Zhao Xuning, "Once I hear the alarm inside, I hope the police will be dispatched immediately, and I will do my best to cooperate inside. The current kidnapping case is more like the nature of It is to seek revenge, not to make money, so I will try my best to hold back the kidnappers and buy time for the police to make arrangements."
She finished speaking in one breath, Zhao Xuning on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, and quickly responded: "Xu Qingzhu was kidnapped?"
Liang Shi's voice trembled: "Yes, I'm on my way to save her, and it may be to give her a head, so I think it is better to call the police."
It's not that her force value is not high enough, the most important thing is that Xu Qingzhu is in the opponent's hands.
And…
Liang Shi said coldly: "Also, the kidnapper is very likely to be a past star Chen Liuying. Now you can locate my mobile phone, and then you can grasp my location, but it needs to be fast. If possible, please ask the police to check Chen Liuying's itinerary, especially the records of her appearances near Minghui Jewelry. Of course, it is best not to expose the information of Xu Qingzhu's kidnapping, otherwise it will affect Minghui Jewelry. "
It was Xu Qingzhu's hard work, Liang Shi wanted to protect her.
After listening to Zhao Xuning, all the aura of getting up disappeared, and she simply said: "Be careful in everything."
Liang adapted to the sound.
Zhao Xuning said: "I will help you do these things well."
Liang Shi muffled: "Thank you."
There is a bit of sadness in the tone.
Because of trusting Zhao Xuning, Liang Shi chose to call her.
Zhao Xuning's network here is much stronger than hers, so it is more efficient for Zhao Xuning to do this than for herself.
After hanging up the phone, Liang Shi just turned a corner, and there was an empty road ahead, she stepped on the accelerator and galloped forward.
The wipers kept scraping the glass, the sky was getting late, the fine raindrops looked particularly desolate under the dim yellow street lights, and the car kept passing by other vehicles.
gradually disappear.
//
Boundless black, even the head is dull.
It smells of mud renovation, it must be raining.
In the boundless darkness, I seemed to hear the sound of rolling waves, and for a moment I thought I had come to the seaside.
Xu Qingzhu heard the rustling sound, but could not tell what was ringing.
Even though she wears enough, she still feels cold in this environment.
She took a breath and smelled the damp salty smell in the air, much like the smell of the sea, but not so strong.
Every time it rains heavily in Haizhou City, this smell will also appear in the air.
Xu Qingzhu used all his strength to barely open his eyes, but he didn't have any strength, just like a ball of soft cotton that would not respond to a punch.
Body and head are drowsy, it should be the effect of drugs.
She felt a dull pain in the back of her neck, especially the skin on the back of her neck, which seemed to be unconscious, just like she was given anesthesia before the operation.
But this anesthetic should not only relieve pain, but there are other things that make her unable to exert herself.
Also, her back was sore and felt cold and wet.
Even though she tried her best to open her eyes, it was still pitch black.
Her mouth was also stuck with tape, and she was very strong, her hands and feet were all tied up, if she wanted to move now, she could only rely on her **** to drive her body to jump, Or use your waist and abdominal strength to squat, stand up, and jump with your feet in parallel.
But it's difficult.
.
But fear kept coming up from the bottom of my heart.
She was afraid, frightened, wanted to escape from this environment, wanted to see the light, wanted to bask in the sun.
Memories from many years ago kept popping up in her mind, overlapping with the current scene, she squeezed her palm tightly, her nails were about to sink into her flesh, she hypnotized herself in the bottom of her heart: it doesn't matter , someone will come to save me, the kidnappers will not do anything to me.
To no avail.
The psychological defense that has been accepted for so many years is on the verge of collapsing, and reason and emotion are completely contradictory.
Xu Qingzhu didn't dare to move anymore, hoping not to be noticed.
But after a while, something cold fell on his face, like a folding knife.
The cold metal feeling made her shudder, and tears of stress flowed out in an instant.
Crystal tears slid down her cheeks, Xu Qingzhu didn't move, only a voice said: "Baby, are you awake?"
The voice was a little provocative and a little intimate.
It's too sweet and greasy when you call someone baby, it makes you want to vomit.
It's just that Xu Qingzhu didn't dare to move, the cold metal feeling kept evoking her memories, but she was trying her best to suppress it, for fear of her emotions breaking down.
To a certain extent, this sentence has certain credibility and feasibility.
After so many years of psychotherapy, Xu Qingzhu can suppress his emotions a little by means of self-hypnosis, but he cannot keep calm as usual.
The voice resounded in my ears again: "You are very proud recently."
Xu Qingzhu was unable to speak, so if she wanted to question, she could only whisper, after she tried not being able to speak, she didn't even have a whimper, and did not dare to talk to the kidnapper, afraid of getting up Head-on collision.
In such an environment, it seems that only sleeping can soothe her restless and frightened heart.
But no one can sleep when they find themselves in such a dangerous situation.
Several children huddled together to warm each other.
There will still be "thorns", there will be those who don't fit in, and there will be those who are bold and "coming out", but the final result is without exception - death.
It was a kidnapping case many years ago. People in twos and threes were sitting in the factory building, smoking and drinking, talking in a foreign dialect, and occasionally speaking Mandarin was not standard.
They are all enjoying a bright future, what kind of good life can they live after getting the ransom, how many houses and cars they can buy, and how many wives they can marry.
The younger children can't understand their words, but they can understand their meaning from the non-standard Mandarin.
They discuss those things recklessly in front of their children, and those nasty and dirty words come out of their mouths all day long.
At first, they were also thrown in the corner, and they were not given food, just a mouthful of cold water.
Cold water is also a bowl for several people to drink.
A little girl broke the bowl and was beaten badly because they scolded the little girl for trying to get away in this way.
But they forget that children of several years have no strength to untie the knots they tie.
Xu Qingzhu was afraid of the dark because the group of people were bored after eating and drinking enough, and played with their tied children like toys.
Her eyes were covered with black cloth strips, so dark that no light could penetrate.
Someone handed her a knife and asked her to stab with it.
In front of her was Liang Shi who was holding a foam board in his hand.
Liang Shi was always smiling, and he seemed out of place among those shivering children.
Even though she was standing there holding a foam board, facing a terrible threat to her life, her smile still did not stop.
One of the kidnappers was so frightened by her laughter that she stretched out and kicked her to stop her laughing.
Liang Shi pursed his lips, but after a while he smiled again, but not as sharp as before.
Even though she had tears in her eyes, she looked pitiful.
The kidnapper said: "This **** is not a fool, right?"
The other said: "It's a pity, it's pretty good."
Everyone assumes she is a fool, but she secretly told Xu Qingzhu: "Life is hard enough, so we must laugh more. As long as we laugh more, life will always be better ."
She would talk to Xu Qingzhu, comfort Xu Qingzhu in a low voice, coax Xu Qingzhu not to cry, and take out a white rabbit toffee from her pocket and hand it to Xu Qingzhu.
She was like a little angel, at that time Xu Qingzhu thought she was amazing.
But because they interacted too frequently, they were pulled out by those hateful kidnappers to "play games".
They like brutality and bloodshed. The moment Xu Qingzhu got the knife, Xu Qingzhu wanted to cry in fear. Tears were all over his pretty little face, and he shouted timidly, "Sister..."
Still smiled and said, "It's alright, don't be afraid."
As if the person holding the knife was her.
Xu Qingzhu was covered with a cloth, and someone restrained her shoulders and led her in the direction of Liang Shi.
The factory was quiet, damp, with the sound of rustling mice, the disgusting smell of tobacco and alcohol, the sound of painful laughter, and most importantly, the fear of the unknown .
The fear stemmed from the possibility that she might kill someone, that she might hurt someone close to her with that knife.
She shouted over and over with a trembling voice: "Sister...Sister..."
Those people laughed louder and louder, "As soon as the sisters are deeply in love, then you stab and see if you can stab your good sister."
Xu Qingzhu's tender white hands were firmly stuffed on the knife, she could feel the icy metal texture, and even the sharpness of the blade, and the sound when it swiped through the air could be heard clearly Clearly.
It seems to break the wind.
This is probably the pain of hearing too much.
Xu Qingzhu frowned and walked forward, his legs didn't seem to be his own, he only knew that he walked forward numbly, his arms were all curled back, afraid of stabbing people.
The pain and shame of being bullied hit in an instant, even after many years, she still can't forget it.
At that time, she was also covered with cloth strips and could not see anything. She could only move forward with good hearing. She was afraid of becoming a murderer and hurt Liang Shi.
Tears soaked the black cloth, revealing a faint light.
She didn't dare to cry loudly even when she was bullied, she could only bit her lip and sob in a low voice, because the children who cried here would be beaten.
The shabby abandoned old factory building is a purgatory on earth.
, but she was not afraid. She couldn't beat her with both hands and feet, so she used her teeth to bite, and when the bite hurt, she released her hand and slapped her.
The poor child was bullied there so that he could not resist.
To survive is a miracle.
After a commotion, the young Xu Qingzhu was covered with cloth again, her world was pitch black, she shouted with a trembling voice: "Sister..."
Liang adapts to answer: "I'm here, don't be afraid."
Liang Shi said: "Be bold, I'm fine."
…
That's where her PTSD started.
Traumatic stress disorder is scary and she has tried to control herself.
But if the disease can be controlled, it is not called a disease.
No patient will volunteer to be a patient.
Xu Qingzhu's tears fell on the back of Chen Liuying's hand, while the sharp knife also flowed through it, Chen Liuying wiped the back of her hand, then hooked her lips and smiled: "Baby, are you afraid? "
Xu Qingzhu still couldn't speak.
Looking like she thought it was boring to talk to herself, Chen Liuying stretched out her hand and tore off the tape on her mouth, but the knife landed on her lips and said in a very strange tone: "Be quiet, baby, If your voice is too loud...I'll be angry, then my knife may be slashed in your face, then it's not beautiful, I don't like it."
She asked hoarsely, "What do you want?"
This is the best sanity she can keep.
The other party smiled: "What I want... is very simple, that is... I want you to go and die!"
When she said the last two words, her tone changed, with unspeakable anger.
"Do we have any grudges?" Xu Qingzhu's voice trembled, but she pinched her palm tightly with her fingers, trying her best not to be afraid, and creating an opportunity for herself to have an equal dialogue with the kidnappers.
How can you not be afraid?
In this environment, all the frightening memories are brought up, and those that they thought they had forgotten are brought up again, only to find that every scene is so clear.
She was desperately suppressing… suppressing…
"You ruined me." Chen Liuying's voice became more and more bizarre, with madness, although she was laughing, she was using laughter to cover up her anger: "Baby, you ruined me, my life You destroyed it."
"Do you know how hard I work to get those? Do you know how hard I work to cross the class? You people who are born with everything don't understand, but you destroy them so easily Work hard." Chen Liuying's knife pressed even tighter on her face, cutting her skin inadvertently.
Xu Qingzhu felt a tingling sensation on his face, and subconsciously took a breath.
It's not in my hands, I still like you quite a bit."
Chen Liuying's words were all revealed on Xu Qingzhu's face.
Xu Qingzhu smelled a strong wine smell.
She only remembered that she answered a phone call in the office, saying that flowers were delivered downstairs, she thought Liang Shi bought it, and her heart flashed with excitement when she received the call.
From time to time, I can receive a little romance from Liang Shi.
Xu Qingzhu didn't think about it too much at the moment, she went downstairs without even wearing a coat, but she received a call saying it was on the other side, she followed the phone instructions, and she just turned the corner At the time, something was injected directly from the back of the neck, and then he lost consciousness.
She never thought that this person would be so bold, that he would do such a thing in such a prosperous area in a large crowd.
Xu Qingzhu didn't know where she took herself, but she probably didn't leave Haizhou City.
I don't know who the other party is, let alone what the other party wants.
She is now in a state of ignorance and faces threats to her life.
In essence, she and the kidnapper are not equal.
The only thing Xu Qingzhu can do is to drag... drag time.
See if anyone can find out that he is missing, and if anyone can come to save him.
"Is this how you like people?" Xu Qingzhu asked deftly: "Why don't I feel your likes?"
The other party was speechless.
After a while, Chen Liuying untied the black cloth strips on her eyes, and her eyes were able to see again.
Xu Qingzhu was only a little surprised when she saw that it was Chen Liuying.
Surprisingly, Chen Liuying was able to tie herself over by herself. It was unexpected that Chen Liuying would do such a maddening thing.
"You don't seem to be surprised." Chen Liuying said: "Don't I know that you show an expression?"
"What do you want to see me show?" Xu Qingzhu lowered his eyebrows: "Anyway, I have fallen into your hands now. What do you want to do? Want money or revenge, do you want to get revenge on me? , or do you want to kill me?"
The first words were a little trembling, which made people hear her fear, but the last three words were said fearlessly.
Compared to the former, she is very calm about the latter.
Chen Liuying put away the knife, the movement of the knife was slow, she snorted: "Baby, why would I be willing to kill you?"
Her fingers crossed Xu Qingzhu's jaw line, some long nails suddenly pinched on Xu Qingzhu's delicate face, she pinched Xu Qingzhu's chin hard, forcing her to raise her head to look at herself , "Xu Qingzhu, I want... let you see how the person you like is in pain."
Chen Liuying threw off her chin, almost dislocating Xu Qingzhu's chin.
At that time, Xu Qingzhu thought for a while, but fortunately this chin was real.
But when she heard the latter half of the sentence, her eyes changed, "Chen Liuying."
Xu Qingzhu called her name seriously, "I did that thing back then, if you want revenge, find me."
"I'm not." Chen Liuying sat casually on a high place and looked at her condescendingly, "I just like to torture people slowly, so that you can feel my pain that day."
The bad public relations tactics drove her from full of joy into the boundless abyss.
She wants these people to taste it.
As soon as the voice fell, Xu Qingzhu's phone lit up, and Chen Liuying picked up the phone and played the voice.
It was Liang Shi's breathless voice.
She said, "I'm here, where are you?"
Xu Qingzhu felt a heavy heart when he heard this.
Xu Qingzhu only hopes that Liang Shi's future life will be a red carpet of flowers and a road of prosperity.
All the painful memories can stay in her mind vividly and become an indelible imprint of her life.
She thought, Liang Shi, don't remember, don't remember.
- those embarrassing, dark, painful memories, let it disappear in your life.
—Don't forget it.
//
When Liang Shi pushed the door into the dilapidated factory building, the iron door squeaked dully.
She was soaked all over and her hair was hanging down wet.
She was wearing a black home dress, which was an unusual style, but it had its own charm on her body.
That pretty face is the best filter.
Now that the clothes are wet and sticking to her body, her face is pale, and she can see Xu Qingzhu in the factory with good eyesight.
She ran forward immediately, but was stopped by Chen Liuying in the middle of running: "Stop!"
Chen Liuying's knife fell on Xu Qingzhu's side neck.
—Boom.
The deafening thunder sounded in an instant, the sky seemed to be torn apart by light, and a faint light flashed, illuminating this dark factory.
Liang Shi's footsteps stopped, she immediately said: "I won't move!"
Chen Liuying stopped moving with satisfaction, she stared at Liang Shi and said quietly: "You did the public relations that day, right? Hide behind the Internet to be a villain, your wife and wife, It really does work together.”
Liang Shi: "…"
Her face was wet, but she couldn't care less, her eyes fixed on Chen Liuying's knife, for fear that she would stab it if she was unhappy, so she could only comfort her: "Yes, that day all I came up with all the ideas, because I know too much about the entertainment industry and how to manipulate online public opinion, so I forced Xu Qingzhu to accept my opinion. I know you want revenge, but you have to find the right person. You hurt Xu Qingzhu. What's the use? It's me who you should be looking for."
She spoke with conviction, as if Chen Liuying would be a fool if she didn't find her.
Afraid that Chen Liuying would not believe it, Liang Shi continued: "Otherwise, why would I act? I only go because I understand. What environment did I grow up in? It must be all intrigue, Your tricks are all pediatrics. Xu Qingzhu is a nerd who can only study, except that studying is an exam, what does she know, I teach it all. "
"Even when she called Bai Weiwei, I typed it by the side, and she read it according to the textbook." Liang Shi said, "You find me."
Chen Liuying was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "Bai Weiwei also said that the two of you had a plastic marriage, that you didn't like each other at all. I really laughed. It seems that you have a deep love for each other. Dude, that stupid woman Bai Weiwei, you can't tell what you like after being your best friend for so many years."
Chen Liuying said and approached Xu Qingzhu again, Xu Qingzhu dodged subconsciously.
Chen Liuying smiled: "That's easy."
She stood up, not as tall as Liang Shi, but because Liang Shi was wet all over and she was clean, the images of the two formed a sharp contrast, Liang Shi's aura looked like Not as strong as her.
Liang Shi's initiative to show weakness made Chen Liuying in a good mood, so she laughed when she took out another military knife from her pocket. ring.
At the moment when Liang Shi saw the knife, he suddenly remembered that the system had said that major events would not be changed, and that her arrival would not cause a huge butterfly effect.
All big things happen.
As expected, Chen Liuying's next sentence was: "Pick up that knife and gouge out your glands."
Liang Shi: "…"
After she came to this world, she let Chen Liuying offline in advance, so Chen Liuying's story line was advanced, originally because she admired Xu Qingzhu would goug out her glands, but now she hates herself, So he kidnapped Xu Qingzhu to force himself to gouge out his glands.
Liang Shi doesn't matter, she has lived without glands for more than 20 years, and even if she doesn't have glands, it won't affect herself.
She picked up the knife from the ground, "Did you let Xu Qingzhu go as long as I cut out the gland?"
Since it can’t be changed, let’s follow the development of the story line.
Chen Liuying smiled: "It depends on my mood."
Liang Shi secretly cursed a dog in his heart, but he also aimed the knife at the position of his glands.
Chen Liuying looked at her at ease, but Xu Qingzhu shouted: "No! Liang Shi!"
Liang Shi smiled at her, "Xu Qingzhu, don't be afraid."
She always likes to say these words: "don't be afraid" "I am here", as long as she is there, she can help resist all difficulties.
The familiar feeling hit again, Xu Qingzhu's tears seemed to be turned off, and she couldn't stop flowing, her voice choked, "Liang Shi...don't..."
Don't do this, please.
I owe you enough.
"Sister..." Xu Qingzhu choked and called to her, "Don't hurt yourself..."
But after a while, Liang Shi let go, she looked at Chen Liuying: "I can't let go."
Liang Shi showed weakness: "I'm cowardly, and I don't have any skills.
Liang Shi said: "You can tie me up, or I will struggle... Besides, can't you do things like revenge yourself? You gouged out my glands, it's better than there It's a lot better to watch me gouge out on my own."
Chen Liuying loosened up, "Really?"
You can't do it at all, and you will gouge out the wrong position, you can do it yourself."
Chen Liuying snorted coldly, "Who knows what tricks you are playing."
Liang Shi was aggrieved: "How come? You have practiced anyway. I usually take care of everything, how can I be better than you? It's not like you haven't heard Bai Weiwei tell me..."
Liang Shi kept showing weakness so that Chen Liuying lowered her guard.
Seeing that her attitude has changed, Liang Shi added a sharp dose, "You can decide the depth with your hands, but I just touch it lightly, you must be unhappy."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Liuying strode towards Liang Shi with bloodthirsty light flashing in her eyes.
Liang Shi threw the knife on the ground and stood there with his bare hands, his light brown pupils staring straight at Chen Liuying.
The body suppressed Chen Liuying with absolute strength.
…Go out the glands and dream.
If Liang Shi had gouged out his glands, his combat effectiveness would definitely be greatly reduced. How could Chen Liuying bully Xu Qingzhu?
Might as well give it a go.
She is highly concentrated, but Chen Liuying is not a vegetarian. After realizing the danger, she desperately broke free from Liang Shi's restraint, and Liang Shi's neck stinged from the shock just now In addition, she had some fever, and her movements were not as sensitive as usual.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Liuying's knife landed on her side neck.
Aiming for the position of the glands...