Dear boy, it's been a long time

Chapter 8 I took the vase from me, so the flowers should be given by me

【1】

Unsurprisingly, the old wall with graffiti on Wen Juefei's profile became popular at Beijing University.The colorful and complicated abstract colors and ancient carving patterns are combined into one, and the small embellishments promote the integration of the entire wall with the surrounding scenery. Bai Jianxing's side face stick figure can be called the magic touch of this wall.The photography agency hired a model to take a group of photos with the wall as the background, coupled with the vigorous publicity of the school's official cooperation, successfully made the "side face wall" one of the must-see new attractions when coming to Beijing University.

As for who painted the paintings on the wall, or who painted them, no one got to the bottom of it, and they couldn't get to the bottom of it, and there were different opinions for a while.Zhu Yan saw the photos of the photography club in the management class the next day, and wanted to tell Wen Juefei to go and have a look after class, but when she looked up, she saw Wen Juefei's side face concentrating on the podium, and she could match the picture on the wall in her consciousness The paintings overlap perfectly.

Zhu Yan was stunned, and found that a sweet smile gradually appeared on Wen Juefei's face, and she couldn't help but follow her gaze. What he saw was Bai Jianxing, who was standing on the podium in a suit and leather shoes. He was calmly waiting for the bell to ring. Looking at the computer calmly, the slightly wrinkled handsome eyebrows showed a serious temperament of Zhou Zheng.

These two must be tricky!After thinking about it, she immediately began to question Wen Juefei: "Is there something you are hiding from me?"

Wen Juefei didn't even look at her, and said casually, "No."

"You better be honest!"

Wen Juefei noticed the seriousness in Zhu Yan's tone, so he turned his face away, and the two stared at each other silently for five seconds, and finally Wen Juefei surrendered: "Well, I admit it, I ate the can of fruit jelly you put in the drawer of the bedroom. It's over, I'm hungry and went to find you, but you're not here."

"Who asked you this!"

"So you're talking about the ink on the sweater from last year? Okay. Looks like I did it too."

Zhu Yan let out an angry and incomprehensible sound: "Huh?"

Wen Juefei frowned fiercely: "Then your computer was poisoned, although it was because of my misoperation, but I, a computer idiot, really can't control it..."

Zhu Yan was about to lose her mind, took a deep breath to stabilize her mind, determined not to give her a chance to play dumb, and chose to speak directly: "Did you know that the old wall of the North Campus was re-graffitied last night?"

"This is an area where graffiti is open, isn't it normal?" Wen Juefei's eyes flickered, knowing that she was not good at covering it up, so she hurriedly found another topic to divert Zhu Yan's attention, "By the way, can you help me?" Put the information of my old house on your agency? I plan to sell the house."

Zhu Yan's family is engaged in real estate, especially in the intermediary sector. Earlier, he helped several brothers and sisters who went out for internships to find satisfactory houses. The business scope can be said to be spread all over the country.The news that Wen Juefei was going to sell the old house was really hot enough to stun Zhu Yan in place for ten seconds before blurting out: "Why?"

Wen Juefei's tone was calm, as if it wasn't her house that was being sold: "Why else, I'm short of money."

"I'll lend you money if you're short of money! That's the only legacy your father left you. If you sell it and go back to your hometown, where will you live? What about winter and summer vacations?"

"I can't think about it so much, please help me. I'll send you the house information when I go back. You know the market better than me. You can help me decide how much to sell, but the sooner the money arrives, the better."

In such a hurry?The anxiety in Zhu Yan's heart is getting heavier and heavier. Wen Juefei has never paid attention to fame and wealth, and has always lived as much as he has, and has no thought of making money and managing money.Now suddenly so anxious to spend money, could it be...

"Could it be that something happened to Auntie?"

Wen Juefei was silent for a while, and had to tell the truth, saying: "It's nothing wrong, it's just a different medicine. It's imported, it's more expensive, but it's said to be effective. If it's really useful, you can If we can suppress the disease and make her overall health better, the doctor said that she can arrange an operation after a while."

Zhu Yan was in a hurry: "It's a lot of money for the operation! Where will I raise it then?"

Wen Juefei reached out to hold Zhu Yan's hand, squeezed her comfortingly and said, "It's not that I don't have any money now, I just want to raise more and be prepared. I don't want the kind of... …the sense of powerlessness that I could do nothing came back.”

That has always been the saddest memory in her memory. She didn't understand anything when she was young, so she could only stand outside the ICU ward, looking at her father who was entangled in various tubes through the thick glass, and watched helplessly. With his life come to an end.Although she could understand that her father's departure was not due to lack of money for medical treatment after she grew up, but the feeling of powerlessness remained in her heart, and the wound never healed.

Every time Wen Juefei mentioned her father, Zhu Yan would feel very distressed.Unlike her, Wen Juefei is a child who grew up hard. He is used to loneliness, excessive independence, fear of hope and even more fear of disappointment. He never relies on others for things he can accomplish by himself, so he always looks cold and alienated.But in fact, no matter how independent she is, she is still a girl in her twenties after all.

Not knowing how to comfort her, Zhu Yan had no choice but to squeeze Wen Juefei's hand back: "Don't worry, I will..."

"I will definitely help you." Before he could say it, the class bell suddenly interrupted the conversation between the two, and Bai Jianxing on the podium picked up the microphone and began to give a lecture.Zhu Yan came back to her senses suddenly, and realized that the topic she was going to ask had already been taken by Wen Juefei by thousands of miles.

She gave a smirk, with a look of seeing through everything, folded her arms and smiled at Wen Juefei in front of her: "The painting on the fence, although it is a bit abstract, is definitely drawn according to the lines of real people's faces. Everyone is guessing who it is... ...But I can tell it's you, Wen Juefei, at a glance."

Wen Juefei was speechless, so he had to admit: "Well, it is indeed me."

Zhu Yan, who guessed the correct answer, looked smug. The law student's meticulous logical thinking was running at high speed. She touched her chin and reasoned: "Yesterday was your birthday. Could it be that someone gave you a birthday present?"

Wen Juefei said dumbfoundingly: "It seems that you told him, right? You said to transform me into an exclusive celebrity wall..."

It was only then that Zhu Yan suddenly realized: "It's Bai Jianxing? Oh my god, when he asked me, I thought he was going to copy my birthday gift idea, and he just made excuses to prevaricate him. He really made a fool of you." Exclusive Wall of Fame? Isn’t this too omnipotent and romantic?”

Wen Juefei picked up the pen and pretended to be listening to the class: "Calm down, he is in class."

After hearing this, Zhu Yan also hurriedly sat upright, recalling that side face, and commented: "Then he is pretty good at painting. Fortunately, he has gone to study management, otherwise you guys who are engaged in architecture will have nothing to eat." Said As he spoke, the spirit of gossip, which had not extinguished its momentum, began to burn again. After holding it for less than a minute, he turned sideways and asked Wen Juefei, "Where have you two developed? Holding hands? Hugging? Bobo? Or already……"

Wen Juefei nudged her lightly with his elbow to stop her handleless mouth from running around the train: "What are you talking about, we...we are just friends."

"He hasn't confessed his love to you yet?" Zhu Yan bit the word "return" when she said this, and said with a sense of hatred for iron and steel, "Although it's a good way to catch big fish with a long line. Tricks, but it is impossible for him to show no sign up to now... Is it because you have shown that you don't like him?"

Wen Juefei blushed: "No, it's not... just, get along normally."

According to Wen Juefei's personality, there are usually boys who show affection for her, but if she has no interest in the other party, she will definitely try to reject and alienate him, and will never accept the slightest favor from the other party, making the other party feel that she still has a chance. Then spend more time and energy on her.Now it seems that she and Bai Jianxing can still "get along normally", which shows that Bai Jianxing is still very interesting.

"Then...does he know about Auntie?"

Wen Juefei raised her eyes to look at Bai Jianxing, her clear eyes were full of sweetness and melancholy, she said, "It's not enough to let him know."

Zhu Yan didn't know why, when she was about to continue asking, she suddenly met Wen Juefei's almond eyes, which were as bright as small animals.Wen Juefei said: "I'm sorry, I always have to trouble you to bear such a heavy matter with me."

Zhu Yan stretched out her hand and rubbed Wen Juefei's head fiercely: "What nonsense are you talking about, which one of us is with the other?"

The two girls then laughed together. Since they met in kindergarten when they were very young, they have been as good as a can of maltose, stuck together and inseparable.

【2】

Before get out of class ended, Wen Juefei received a message from Lu Zize, and asked her to meet in front of the Sun Yat-sen sculpture after class, saying that he had something to say.

Wen Juefei was slandering what age this is, what can't be said directly on WeChat?But Zhu Yan suddenly turned her head to look at her phone, and when she saw the words "Lu Zize" on the dialog box, her amber pupils obviously dimmed, and then she turned her head away and refused to speak again.

Wen Juefei was a little puzzled, and he couldn't ask directly, so he made a detour and talked about next week's national chess rematch: "By the way, isn't Lu Zize your mentor in the chess club? How are the preparations for the rematch going?"

The chess group is the ace game of the chess club, and Zhu Yan is the seed player of the chess group. She has been the key training object since she joined the club as a freshman.In addition, Zhu Yan's personality is pleasing, all the teachers and seniors have great intentions to support her as Lu Zize's successor.In fact, Zhu Yan didn’t learn to play chess for a very long time. It’s just that she loved to play chess with her grandfather when she was a child. When she grows up, she still remembers some skills. It’s probably because people with excellent logical thinking are very suitable for this kind of competition.

Wen Juefei was fine if he didn't mention this, but Zhu Yan became even more depressed when he mentioned it, and waved his hand and said, "Don't ask, if you ask, I'm his intelligence agency for picking up girls. He was inquisitive about it to pieces."

Wen Juefei asked in surprise, "He has someone he likes?"

Zhu Yan looked at Wen Juefei with a "no way" look on her face: "I reckon, everyone knows who he likes."

Wen Juefei thought for a while: "I don't know what it would be like for him to like someone..." Because he seems to be very gentle and kind to everyone.Always smiling, dazzling but not dazzling, warm but not hot.

Zhu Yanbai glanced at her: "If you don't need your eyes, you can donate them to those in need." Back then, when she was young and frivolous, she ignored all shameless things and went after Lu Zize, what a stupid thing she did It is almost possible to write a "Guide to Chasing Contemporary Female College Students", which is definitely more practical and readable than the poisonous chicken soup books on the current bestseller list.In the beginning, I didn’t need to go into details about squatting him in the library every day and secretly putting sugar and milk tea in his place. What had the greatest impact on her was the chess club’s announcement that new members could choose to become mentors and apprentices with their seniors. During that time, in order to stand out from the crowd of girls who were staring at Lu Zize, she spent all her time studying chess. In her own words: Why didn't Beijing University offer a chess major?Is there a law student like me in the world who has no dignity and devotes himself to playing chess every day?Is this plausible?
Wen Juefei's response to this is: If you directly become a chess player, maybe the probability of Lu Zize liking you will be higher.

To be honest, it's not that Zhu Yan hasn't seriously considered this method, but it's a pity that the level of plastic surgery in the world today is still a little behind, not enough to realize her dream.But fortunately, she became Lu Zize's mentor as she wished, and she was able to enjoy the privileges of watching exhibitions, eating hot pot, and watching movies with him later on. It seemed that she was gone forever on the road to victory.Later, the chess club began intensive training, and Zhu Yan, who was squeezed out by schoolwork and training every day, rarely had the energy to pay attention to Lu Zize every day, but one day received a dissatisfied private letter from him: "Are you Hate me?"

"No."

"Then why didn't you find me?"

"Maybe I've been too tired recently."

"Although I seem to be a bit lucky, I won't reply when other girls come to me. I'm really not a bad person. To be honest, it's just a little selfish. If you are late for the training camp and your name is recorded, I will secretly crossed out."

It's hard to describe that feeling, like standing under a tree and looking up at the starry sky finally waking up, and a shooting star fell to her from afar, it's sweet.It's a pity that in the vast expanse of the galaxy, he is eternally shining, but what belongs to her is always only the fleeting meteor that falls down at that moment.

"I remember the dinner in the middle of last semester. The two of you seem to have a very good relationship." Wen Juefei began to recall that at that time, all the seniors in the chess club, including Lu Zize, began to prepare for the internship, and they were all looking for a house. I was very distressed, but fortunately Zhu Yan's timely help saved me from being homeless, so I set up a game together, and several people invited Zhu Yan to have a big meal to express my gratitude, or to prepare for the upcoming Make preparations for the general meeting of the chess club.Zhu Yan drank a little too much that night, and originally planned to pretend to be drunk and ask Wen Juefei to pick her up, but when Wen Juefei arrived, she was blocking the drunk Lu Zize with a righteous face.Seeing Wen Juefei coming, he was afraid that she would also be drunk by those seniors who were already high, so he quickly found an excuse to send her back.

The dinner table was full of acquaintances, mixed men and women, Zhu Yan would not be in any danger, so Wen Juefei went back home.It's just that a strange phenomenon appeared after that night, that is, Lu Zize suddenly started to avoid Zhu Yan, and cared about Wen Juefei frequently.Is Wen Juefei the kind of person who needs courtship for no reason?Naturally, she always refused indifferently, until Lu Zize broke through the fact that Wen's mother was sick and hospitalized in the hospital.

Things in the world are like a circle, going round and round with many things, and in the end they can all be strung together.Wen Juefei was about to ask what happened after she left that night, but Zhu Yan turned away angrily, and cursed softly: "Lu Zize is a scumbag!"

All the questions were hoarse in his throat, and it seemed that the night was not pleasant.

【3】

"Therefore, the scientific management theory proposed by Taylor, the father of scientific management, is the representative of American classical management theory. It consists of six aspects including the implementation of the principle of exception in management, which is the focus of our study in this lesson." Bai Jianxing paused, and then said softly, "Then let's stop here today, let's dismiss the get out of class."

After hearing this, the students immediately started to pack up their things and prepare to leave. Wen Juefei remembered Lu Zize's promise and thought it would be enough to say hello to Bai Jianxing before leaving, but he suddenly remembered something and picked up the microphone and said: " Where is the class representative, come and find me."

The students who had something good to do immediately started to boo, but Bai Jianxing turned a deaf ear to it.After Wen Juefei packed his schoolbag and walked towards the podium, Zhu Yan followed behind because he had nothing to do and wanted to join in the fun. The popularity of "the most handsome assistant" has obviously dropped recently, and a group of small fans headed by Qin Wan have finally lost the motivation to pester Bai Jianxing, and his life can be regarded as a bit peaceful.Walking to his side, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a small bouquet of chrysanthemums in his hand. He didn't know where it came from, and how long it had been hidden by his hand. At this moment, he gave it to her with a faint smile, regardless of others' eyes superior.

Wen Juefei has never thought that sending flowers would be such a romantic thing like this moment.It seems to gather the brightness and beauty of the whole world into one bundle, then hold it in the palm of your hand, and walk a long way to get it in front of your loved one.She used to receive other people's flowers, and always felt that it was very futile. She only felt that the form was far greater than the intention, and there was no need to do so.But right now, she could clearly feel Bai Jianxing's sincerity, shining brightly.

There was joy and warmth beating in her heart, but it was not particularly obvious.After receiving the flowers, she asked, "Why did you send flowers all of a sudden?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to use that vase to arrange flowers last night? I took the vase from me, so I should send the flowers as well."

It's true that he cares about every word she says.Wen Juefei's originally shallow smile gradually spread, and Zhu Yan who was on the side wanted to pretend to be passing by but accidentally ate a sweet so sweet candy, she couldn't help covering her chest and weeping silently: "I'm going to ask Yue Lao to give me A marriage lock locked them tightly to me, I chewed the key and swallowed it with tears..."

Bai Jianxing originally wanted to ask Wen Juefei to have dinner, but Wen Juefei had an appointment, so he had to shirk and say next time.

As soon as she stepped out of the classroom door, she bumped into Qin Wan who was hiding by the door. When she saw Wen Juefei, her expression changed several times, and she finally ran away in a panic.Although it felt strange but didn't think much about it, Wen Juefei dragged Zhu Yan to the school square, and when she saw Lu Zize's figure from a distance, Zhu Yan threw Wen Juefei's hand away in a fit of anger.Wen Juefei couldn't catch up with her, so he had to go to Lu Zize first, and saw a very delicate black gift box in his hand.

"Sorry, it's a little late."

"It's okay, I'm the one who was late. I went to the township with my teacher to do volunteer activities some time ago, but I didn't have time to come back yesterday, and you didn't reply when I sent you a message, so I had to apologize in person."

Wen Juefei explained lightly: "I was too busy yesterday, and I didn't have time to look at my phone at all." I probably missed his news just like that.

Lu Zize smiled knowingly. The atmosphere was a little awkward. He raised his hand and handed the gift box to Wen Juefei: "This is your birthday present. I wish you a happy birthday and everything goes well."

The words of blessing were a bit clichéd. After Wen Juefei thanked him and took the gift box, the heavy hand feeling and uneasiness instantly filled the gap in his heart.Lu Zize still smiled and said, "Open it and have a look? I don't know which one you like, but it seems that many girls like this watch and bracelet set now. It took me a lot of effort to find someone to help me buy it." Come, I hope you..."

Wen Juefei opened it as he said, and saw that there was a custom-made gift box for a watch with a huge luxury brand logo printed inside. It was indeed the most popular style of light luxury online celebrity nowadays, and he lost the mood to continue looking at it for a moment.

"Maybe it's a bit disappointing to say that." She interrupted bluntly, her voice as cold as her expression, "It's too precious, I can't accept it. But I have received your blessing, thank you very much."

Lu Zize was stunned, he didn't expect her to be so ungrateful.Didn't you say that girls like this kind of gift the most?At present, there are three treasures for coaxing girls: lipstick, light luxury products and WeChat red envelopes. He still thinks that lipsticks are too frivolous and red envelopes are too vulgar, so he chose this watch set after digging his head.Why did everything fail when Wen Juefei came here?
But he still tried his best to maintain his demeanor, narrowed his eyes and smiled warmly: "If you send it out, there is no reason to take it back."

Wen Juefei covered the gift box and handed it to him intact, only repeating three words: "It's too expensive."

"It's not expensive. Compared with my friendship with you...and our friendship, what is it worth? Unless you just don't like it, and you don't like me."

Here it is again, this method that Lu Zize used to.Wen Juefei felt a headache and was thinking about what to say when Lu Zize suddenly reached out and took the gift box, opened it and took out the exquisite silver wristwatch lying inside, and said as he unwrapped it: "I just passed by my aunt's ward , I saw that the paint on Auntie's vacuum flask is a bit chipped, let's go to the supermarket to buy a new one for Auntie later."

When the topic mentioned Mother Wen, Wen Juefei's head froze.Thinking of her sleeping profile and the note when I went to see my mother yesterday, I felt mixed emotions.Her wrist was suddenly icy cold, she subconsciously dodged, but was held by Lu Zize.The temperature in his palm was very high, a little hot, and his tone seemed to be coaxing a child who refused to eat obediently.He said: "Try it first to see if it looks good. When you see Auntie later, tell me that you bought it yourself. Auntie is afraid that her medical expenses will drag you down and make you dare not even eat when you are full. You can't eat it." Let Auntie worry so much all the time?"

Wen Juefei frowned tightly, Lu Zize's words were like silver needles piercing into acupuncture points, instantly making her unable to resist.Then put it on first, protect it carefully, and return it to him after seeing your mother.She will definitely give it back to him.

Secretly making up his mind, Wen Juefei raised his hand to look at the silver watch and bracelet that just fit on his wrist. The sunlight crept through, and the luster of the metal flowed slowly.

She didn't like it very much, she sighed lightly, put away her ignorant emotions and thoughts, raised her head and smiled at Lu Zize without a smile, and said, "Thank you."

He didn't notice the watch on Lu Zize's left hand that was very similar to hers, and he didn't notice the mobile phone that was quickly raised and lowered towards them not far away.

Wen Juefei lowered his head and put the gift box into his schoolbag, then carefully stretched his sleeves to protect his watch, then set off with Lu Zize to the supermarket on campus.

What she didn't know was that on Beijing University's BBS, a post titled "Goddess of the Department of Architecture pedals two boats with one foot" was being topped with the highest real-time discussion.

The post was sent by an account named "Eating Grape Skins" in which it posted a photo of her and Lu Zize looking at each other under the statue just now, and wrote: "The so-called goddess of the Department of Architecture is really superb. Dr. Bai's flower, he went on a date with Lu Zize from the Xichen Chess Club, can he do whatever he wants because he is good-looking?"

In the discussion area below, "eating grape skins upside down" lists all public interactions between Wen Juefei, Bai Jianxing, and Lu Zize in detail. The top private chasing paparazzi in China are ashamed of themselves.From Wen Juefei frequently going in and out of the campus with Lu Zize, using the same mobile phone case, and accepting the expensive couple watch from Lu Zize, she began to finalize her relationship with Lu Zize, and then she became Bai Jianxing's class representative at the beginning of school, Bai Jianxing After taking her home to see grandma, the two of them played chess and had dinner together, and insisted that she was cheating... Coupled with the words that are quite instructive, it seems that they are determined to spread rumors to discredit Wen Juefei.At the end of the post, a conclusion was eloquently written: If Wen Juefei is a clean girl, I will fry eggs with my palms for you to eat!
As soon as the post came out, the city was full of wind and rain.People always tend to believe more curious and unusual news, not to mention that a beauty like Wen Juefei and two handsome men who are among the best in Beijing University, everyone has long been eager to see a good show, and can't wait for nothing to happen Find out something, this time finally got his wish.

Public opinion was fermented in just one hour. Bai Jianxing had just left the office of the School of Management and was about to go to the on-campus supermarket to buy a bottle of water when his mobile phone received a post forwarded by the same student as Professor Lin Yuan: Brother, this is a big deal It's a little big.

Bai Jianxing clicked on the post to browse. Among the rumors that were filled with fuel and jealousy, the most dazzling one was: "I am an insider of Qi Club. Although the mobile phone case of the same model is a peripheral derived from Qi Club, it is difficult to base it To explain the relationship between them, but I really felt that Wen Juefei and Lu Zize were very close a long time ago. It is said that Lu Zize has met Wen Juefei's mother, and Wen Juefei's mother is very satisfied with him. Seeing his mother's operation is very good for Wen Juefei. For someone like me, it should be an extraordinary recognition, right?"

The jealousy in his heart was completely overturned, he was too aware of the weight of the word "mother" in Wen Juefei's life, and it was her distant but only support many years ago.He recalled what Lu Zize said when he was in the Space Cafe before, "What Juefei is enduring now is far heavier than you imagined", and the emotions in his heart became even more entangled.

After contacting a hacker friend to help delete the post, he sent a message to Wen Juefei on WeChat without giving up.He didn't ask her if she saw the rumored post, didn't ask how she and her mother were doing, just said: "Did Lu Zize meet your mother?"

Wen Juefei, who was picking out thermos cups in front of the shelf, quickly replied: "Yes." He was very puzzled again, why did he know this?Just as he was about to type to inquire, Lu Zize at the side handed over a bright red style: "This brand has a good thermal insulation effect."

I can't ask clearly for a while, so let's go back and chat with him after I've been busy for a while.Wen Juefei sent Bai Jianxing "I'm busy".

The moment Bai Jianxing received the message, he clearly meant "I'll talk to you when I'm free", but when he looked up, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Wen Juefei and Lu Zize standing in front of the shelf together. It felt like, Something in my heart was severely crushed by one hand.

At this moment, Lu Zize was overtaking Wen Juefei's hand to help her grab a cup from a high shelf.Wen Juefei took it. He didn't know if it was because they were too close or he was too jealous. In his opinion, Wen Juefei's smile to Lu Zize at this time was always very sweet. Standing together, the two of them matched each other like a fairy. companion.

By the way, it seemed that he had never asked Wen Juefei whether she had a boyfriend.All along, he just guided her to understand him, but in the process, she never took the initiative to let him also understand the real her.He still doesn't know her family situation, how the relationship between her and her mother became later, and what happened to her after he went abroad... everything is like a transparent barrier, Let him think that he is very close to her, but in fact he has never entered her world.

And Lu Zize, who was standing beside her, knew all these things.That's why at that time, Lu Zize dared to tell him not to get close to Wen Juefei, because what Wen Juefei had to bear had already been borne by Lu Zize himself as a boyfriend.

In a trance, he felt that he had been indulging in some kind of illusion all the time, as if because he liked her so much, he always let himself have some illusions.In fact, thinking about it carefully, she has never admitted anything, and has always treated him well, even wanting to share the birthday dinner bill with him.He felt that he just naturally occupied the high ground of status. He happened to be the grandson of her mentor, the teacher of the public elective class, and the senior of the same school. The superposition of these identities made it difficult for her to reject him coldly and rudely.

But everything is nothing more than that.

(End of this chapter)