Chapter 273 Heroes Cherish Heroes

The next day, Lin Yicheng came to the headquarters of Pizza Hut in Nanshan District, Shenzhen.

Brother Ma, who came from an "ordinary family", personally greeted us at the entrance of the headquarters.

Giving Lin Yicheng a lot of face.

"Director Lin, welcome to visit and inspect our Tencent." Brother Ma, with a shaved head and half-frame glasses, smiled shyly.

But when I say it out loud, I'm not so shy anymore.

He called him "Director Lin" instead of "General Manager Lin".

"Haha, saying 'a guest' is a bit too formal. I am just going home." Lin Yicheng said with a smile.

After hearing Lin Yicheng's meaningful words, Xiao Ma Ge smiled even more shyly.

He pushed up the legs of his glasses, nodded and agreed, "Yes, I used the wrong word. Come, Mr. Lin, let me introduce you."

As he spoke, Pony Ma began to introduce some of Tencent's middle and senior management standing behind him.

Lin Yicheng also shook hands and greeted these people one by one.

Among them, he paid special attention to two people.

Martin Lau and Xiaolong Zhang.

Now they can only stand slightly behind the crowd.

Stand like a minion.

He later became the powerful president of Tencent and the "Father of WeChat".

Then, Xiao Ma Ge took Lin Yicheng on a tour of Tencent and introduced the situation of some departments.

More than half an hour later, Xiao Ma Ge and Lin Yicheng were sitting in a small conference room.

Just the two of them.
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"Mr. Lin, I'm very curious, when did you start investing in Tencent?" Pony Ma asked the question he had always wanted to ask.

Although Xiao Ma Ge already knew about it when Zhang Zhidong transferred his shares to Lin Yicheng for the first time.

But he still didn't expect that Lin Yicheng would eventually get 5% of Tencent's shares.

Today, Lin Yicheng not only holds a seat on Tencent’s board of directors, but also has voting rights.

Moreover, he is one of the top shareholders.

Among individual shareholders, he ranks second only to Pony Ma himself, who holds a little more than 10% of the shares.

Even though Lin Yicheng had never commented on Tencent's development and operations, Pony Ma still felt a little uneasy.

Although Pony Ma has obtained the support of major shareholders including MIH and their voting rights.

But to be honest, Tencent’s internal structure is not monolithic.

Brother Xiao Ma, you can’t really have the final say.

He needs to compromise in many aspects.

This will create a balance and achieve relative control.

The voting rights in Lin Yicheng's hands are crucial to Xiao Ma Ge.

This voting right, to a certain extent, can influence or even control some of Tencent's decisions.

It would be fine if Lin Yicheng supported him.

Brother Xiao Ma was afraid that Lin Yicheng would go against him.

If those veterans who started the business with him become disobedient, Ma can eliminate dissidents and carry out crackdowns and purges.

But this method is useless to Lin Yicheng.

He is not in the same circle as her.

In terms of net worth, the two are about the same.

In terms of fame, Lin Yicheng is much more famous than him.

In terms of background, Lin Yicheng was not afraid of this child from an "ordinary family".

Therefore, Xiao Ma Ge strongly invited Lin Yicheng to visit the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

I just want to have a good chat with Lin Yicheng.
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"I bought Tencent's shares when it was first listed on the Hong Kong stock market," Lin Yicheng said with a smile.

In fact, he always had a regret in his heart, that he traveled through time too late.

If he had traveled through time ten or eight years earlier, he would have helped Xiao Ma Ge when he was in the most difficult time in 2001.

Unfortunately, he was only 17 years old at that time.

Even if Pony Ma is desperate, he will not accept investment from a minor.

What Pony Ma wants is a platform, a channel, and space for development, not just money.

"Were you so optimistic about Tencent at that time?" Xiao Ma Ge asked again.

"Of course, but what I value most is you as a person." Lin Yicheng paused and joked, "After all, those who can disguise themselves as girls and chat with users are all ruthless people. If a person is not ruthless, he will not be able to stand firm."

The idea that the Internet is the future actually appeared a long time ago.

Throughout the period around the millennium, young people who firmly believed in this idea took to the stage one after another.

Some of them will influence the development trajectory of China's Internet economy in the next twenty years and stand at the forefront of the trend and make decisions.

In the eyes of people at that time, this person could be Chen Tianqiao, Ding Sanshi, or Zhang Huli, but no one thought that this person would be Xiao Ma Ge.

"Hahaha." Xiao Ma Ge also laughed.

Back then, in order to attract users for the newly launched OICQ, he used different avatars, pretending to be different girls, chatting with people on various BBSs every day and tricking others into registering for OICQ.

Once the other party registered, he would immediately go over to chat with him and call him "brother" as soon as he opened his mouth.

Under the influence of Lin Yicheng's perfect chatting skills, the atmosphere between the two of them became somewhat harmonious.

Xiao Ma Ge is a master at chatting, so he naturally felt it.
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"Mr. Lin, in your opinion, what problems does Tencent currently have? Or, do you have any suggestions for Tencent's development?"

Although Lin Yicheng has made a great name for himself in just a few years, Xiao Ma Ge admires him very much.

But after all, different trades are like different worlds.

He really didn't think that Lin Yicheng could give any pertinent and valuable suggestions.

He asked this just to get a glimpse of Lin Yicheng's opinion of Tencent, or more precisely, his opinion of him personally.

Then, try your best to win Lin Yicheng's support.

Lin Yicheng smiled.

They are all thousand-year-old foxes, so they naturally know that Brother Xiao Ma is singing Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio to him.

He sensed the deeper meaning in Xiao Ma Ge's words.

Brother Ma is using this question to make him back down.

Just be an honest investor and wait for the returns.

Don't think that outsiders can guide insiders and dictate Tencent's decisions.

If he bought Tencent's stocks in the past, it was just to preserve and appreciate their value and to leave himself a way out.

But I don’t think so now.

MIH's shareholders are all professional venture capital companies that only care about returns.

But Lin Yicheng is different.

With Xinghe Film and Television successfully establishing itself in the circle, it became a powerful leader.

The 5% of Tencent shares he holds are very important.

It concerns many of his plans.

Of course, he couldn't entrust the voting rights and the right to speak to Brother Ma.

It’s impossible to be a mascot.
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"Then let me briefly talk about my own views. After all, I am an outsider, so please don't mind if I am wrong." Lin Yicheng spoke.

"I'm all ears." Brother Xiao Ma nodded.

"Tencent is undoubtedly one of the largest Internet companies in China in terms of user scale, product diversification and profitability."

Then, Lin Yicheng changed the subject.

"But in my opinion, Tencent has fallen into a state of endogenous growth. I have read the financial reports for the past two quarters, and the growth rate has obviously slowed down, both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year."

"The Internet is developing at a high speed nowadays, with countless new netizens appearing every day. Under this trend, Tencent's progress is too slow."

"You know, the Internet is changing with each passing day. If you are slow, you will be slow all the way. If you can't find a new profit model, then..."

Lin Yicheng did not say anything else, leaving it to Xiao Ma Ge to figure out for himself.

Xiao Ma pushed his glasses and said nothing.

As someone involved in the matter, he naturally knew all too well the concerns that Lin Yicheng mentioned.

But this is nothing.

Anyone who can read financial reports can see Tencent’s current situation.

Therefore, Xiao Ma Ge did not comment on Lin Yicheng's words.

Lin Yicheng naturally knew that these few words alone would not be enough to impress Brother Xiao Ma.

Tencent will become one of the Big Three and even compete with Ali for who is the leader in the industry.

Pony Ma and Jack Ma have taken turns to become the richest man in China.

Lin Yicheng knew all of this.

But Xiao Ma Ge didn't know this. At this moment, he didn't even dare to imagine that day would come.

Taking advantage of this information gap and combining it with some experience from his previous life, Lin Yicheng prepared to give Xiao Ma Ge some practical advice.

So that Brother Xiao Ma knows that he is not really an "outsider".

In this way, the voting rights in his hands will have more weight.
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"Tencent is now involved in portals, games, antivirus, search...all businesses that the Internet can touch." Lin Yicheng spoke again.

"So the question is, in terms of portals, can you compete with NetEase and Sohu? In terms of games, can you compete with NetEase and Shanda? In terms of antivirus, can you compete with Kingsoft and 360? In terms of search and advertising, can you compete with Baidu?"

"The SP business is also in its twilight years. As far as I know, there are many disagreements between Tencent and China Mobile."

"I'll be honest. Tencent wants to get involved in any profitable business, and it wants to copy any popular product. It's greedy but not refined, and it's too much and too messy."

"I want to ask, what is Tencent's core competitiveness?"

"I understand that you want Tencent to become an 'online lifestyle', where all the online needs of users can be met through Tencent's products."

“Is this business development model of doing everything right? Does Tencent have enough funds and manpower to sustain it?”

"Okay, even if Tencent is big and powerful, it can support it."

“But how does the outside world view Tencent?”

"Tencent just imitates blindly, and then uses its large user base to squeeze out and acquire the imitated companies."

"I heard that in the Internet industry, anyone who starts a business will be asked a question by investors: 'What will you do if Tencent copies what you have done?'"

"Boss Ma, do you also want to become the 'public enemy' of the industry like me?"

Lin Yicheng asked Xiao Ma Ge a soul-searching question.

Xiao Ma Ge was silent.

He took off his glasses, took out a glasses cloth from his pocket and wiped them gently.

Lin Yicheng smiled.

Why does he have a good impression of Xiao Ma Ge?

Putting aside other factors, looking at Tencent's history of success, to put it bluntly, it is a history of "plagiarism."

What a coincidence, since his debut, Lin Yicheng has been closely associated with "plagiarism".

Tencent caused dissatisfaction in the industry because of plagiarism, and also laid the groundwork for the subsequent "3Q War".

Of course, it’s not called “Nanshan Pizza Hut” for nothing.

When it comes to lawsuits in China, Tencent has never been defeated by anyone.

It can be regarded as a rival to the American Disney.

What a coincidence, Lin Yicheng is now in the same state with countless enemies, and he has never been defeated.

How, how lonely it is to be invincible.

Lin Yicheng’s attitude towards Xiao Ma Ge is “a hero appreciates another hero”.
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After a while, Xiao Ma Ge finished wiping it and put his glasses back on. His confident temperament was restored.

At present, Tencent’s situation is worrying, but this is just a hidden worry.

He has experienced storms and waves, and even more dangerous life-and-death situations, and Brother Ma has survived them.

These hidden worries really can't scare him.

"So, Mr. Lin, what do you think?" asked Xiao Ma Ge.

"It's not a brilliant opinion," Lin Yicheng waved his hand and then said, "It's just some suggestions. Mr. Ma, you might as well listen to them."

"Okay." Xiao Ma nodded.

"In fact, I think Tencent's core competitiveness will always be its hundreds of millions of users."

"Relying on these users, we can get diamonds, memberships, shows, or make various games."

"This core competitiveness cannot change. If it does, problems will arise."

“As for other industries, my advice is that there is really no need to do it yourself or acquire them.”

“It’s a thankless job.”

“You might as well think of Tencent as an investment institution.”

"Games, e-commerce, O2O, hardware, technology, media, etc., as long as Tencent is optimistic about it, we will invest in it."

"In this way, investors will have fewer concerns and will no longer be hostile to Tencent. Once they become Tencent's own people, they will be able to help and supplement Tencent's overall strategy."

"This framework is 'core business + strategic investment'."

What Lin Yicheng said is the future development direction of Tencent.

In his previous life, Liu Chih-Ping was in charge of strategic investment.

Since 2011, Tencent has started this model of "throwing money everywhere".

It has successively invested in companies in different fields such as Zhihu, Meituan, Douyu, Kuaishou, Qidian, Huya, Bilibili and Xiaohongshu.

These star products are also called "Tencent System". From then on, "Tencent System" became one of the three major systems in the Internet industry, along with "Ali System" and "Byte System".

Now, Lin Yicheng wants to promote this model in advance.
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On the one hand, the sooner you get out, the sooner you can eat meat and grab land.

Especially compared to Ahri.

It's important to act before they do.

Following a boss who "thinks he is a god", the humanity of Ahri's group has become increasingly weaker.

Whenever they invest in a company, they will parachute in management, and then have the professionals be guided by laymen, making the company a mess.

Of course, it is also possible that those people did it on purpose.

If I can't beat you, I'll join you first.

Then, fortresses are always breached from the inside.

In this way, potential competitors can be easily eliminated.

It's just a waste of money.

What does money mean to “God”?
Lin Yicheng didn't want to see this happen. It wasn't that he had any sympathy for the companies that were ruined by Ali.

The key is, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

As long as the "Tencent system" can take the lead, it can gain an advantage.

Not only can it destroy Ahri's strategy in advance, but it can also surround Ahri.

When the critical moment comes, Tencent will just have to make a call.

The "Tencent Group" wins again and the situation is changing.

By then, that old guy Jack Ma will definitely be in big trouble!

Since you want to be a "God", it is better to return to "heaven" and return to "the arms of the Lord".

Don't stay in this world and become a scourge.
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On the other hand, there is Lin Yicheng’s own selfishness.

The future will be the Internet era, and even more so the mobile era.

The blueprint and sectors of Galaxy Film and Television Company must not stop at traditional aspects such as film and television production, cinema chains, video websites, brokerage companies, and film and television bases.

We must adopt the "big entertainment strategy".

Games and music need to be developed, as they are a great supplement to the company's business.

Novel websites need to be acquired or invested in to serve as resource reserves.

Douban, Zhihu, etc. also need to make them their own people - the ratings and reviews of film and television works can greatly affect the box office of a movie.

Weibo also needs to have the right to speak - this is one of the most important public opinion platforms in the future entertainment industry and it cannot be handed over to others.

There is also a ticket purchasing website, which is even more necessary.

Not to mention live streaming, short videos and the like, this is the trend and you have to enter the market in advance.

Lin Yicheng wants to invest in all these projects.

If you have a big appetite, there’s a problem.

Insufficient funds.

All of these are money-burning projects.

If we rely on Xinghe Film and Television Company itself to provide blood transfusions, Lin Yicheng will do it. He will shoot all the plagiarized movies he can, and even make the camera smoke, but the money he earns is far from enough.

What's more, these are all Internet industries.

People may not be willing to allow Lin Yicheng, an outsider, to invest.

Then, bringing Tencent along is the best way.

Tencent has users, traffic, and platform.

These are what those companies need most.

At that time, Tencent will invest in a part of the shares, and Galaxy Film and Television Company will also invest in a part of the shares.

In this way, Lin Yicheng can hold shares in the target through the two companies.

What? The other party doesn't want to?
Haha, believe it or not, I asked Brother Xiao Ma to copy your homework?
It’s better to just become a member of the “Tencent system” or the “Galaxy system”.

In this way, it's good for you, me, and everyone.

Internally, we will pursue the "big entertainment strategy" and externally, we will build a "Pan-East Asian Entertainment Community."

This is the mentality that a time traveler should have.

This is the spirit that an industry leader should have.

As a parent, how can you not love such a child to death? ——
After hearing what Lin Yicheng said, Xiao Ma Ge first looked at him deeply.

Although Lin Yicheng talked about the general direction and plan, there was no specific plan or method.

But this is enough.

As an outsider, Xiao Ma Ge was surprised that he could have such insights.

No wonder he has made such a big name for himself, he is indeed capable and talented!

At the same time, Lin Yicheng's words also touched Xiao Ma Ge's heart.

He has thought about how to get Tencent out of its current situation more than once.

In the end, the conclusion I came to was really similar to Lin Yicheng's.

At this moment, Xiao Ma Ge realized what it meant that "great minds think alike."

However, this alone is not enough.

He wanted to try again to see what Lin Yicheng's vision was.

So, Xiao Ma Ge spoke.

"Boss Lin, in terms of core business, Tencent's biggest profit still comes from games, but you should understand Tencent's games and the current status of the industry, right?"

"Understood." Lin Yicheng nodded.

Nowadays, Internet cafes of all sizes are springing up all over the country.

Who are the main force going to Internet cafes?
It's a student!
What are the students' greatest needs?
It's a game!
Back then, Chen Tianqiao's Shanda acquired the agency rights for "Legend", and then this game became popular in Internet cafes of all sizes across the country.

This fire lasted for 20 years.

In the future, whether it is a web game or a mobile game, "Legend" will always appear.

Ding Sanshi of NetEase also saw the profitability of online games early on and launched "Westward Journey Online".

There is no need to elaborate on how popular "A Chinese Odyssey" is and how influential it is.

Zhu Jun's Jiucheng is the agent for World of Warcraft.

This game has become the most classic game in the minds of countless people born in the 1980s and 1990s, and an inseparable sentiment.

There is also Lianzhong Company, whose online chess and card game platform is even more eye-catching and occupies half of the online chess and card game market.

Compared with these giants, Tencent Games is not eye-catching enough.

Even if there are very popular "QQ Hall", "QQ Sonic", "QQ Speed" and "QQ Dance", it is not enough.

People who play these will be looked down upon by their friends.

In terms of fun, operation, game graphics, etc., let alone comparing with "World of Warcraft", it is far behind "Westward Journey Online" and the like.
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"So what should Tencent do in this situation? Someone in the company has proposed to carry out independent research and development. What do you think about this?" asked Pony Ma.

"In terms of game creativity and development capabilities, can our domestic game companies, or Tencent, compare with the Americans? Can they compare with the Koreans?" Lin Yicheng asked back.

"I can't compare." Brother Xiao Ma shook his head.

"In that case, let's take the old path first." Lin Yicheng said directly.

Xiao Ma Ge smiled.

Lin Yicheng's answer was exactly what he thought.

Since there is a shortcut, why not take it?
Anyone who doesn't leave is a fool!
What is Tencent’s old path?

抄。

Just survive first.

If even survival is a problem and you still want to focus on independent research and development, you are not a fool.

It's crazy!
"Two months ago, Tencent launched "Cross Fire" and "Dungeon & Fighter", but the results were not satisfactory," said Ma Ge with a sigh.

"Hmm?" Lin Yicheng was a little confused.

Both of these games are very popular.

Even though he didn't play games in his previous life, he had heard of this.

"Perhaps it's because the platform has been online for too short a time. Neither the number of users nor profitability are ideal," Pony Ma explained.

After hearing this, Lin Yicheng frowned slightly.

He didn't understand this situation.

He had no idea how Tencent solved this problem in its previous life.

However, this does not trouble him.

We can’t let Brother Ma look down on him, right?
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"I don't understand how the game is operated specifically. But I do have some experience in promotion." Lin Yicheng said with a smile.

"Mr. Lin, you are too modest." Xiao Ma also laughed.

Even though he is not from the entertainment industry, he has heard of Lin Yicheng's promotional methods.

So classic.

Xiao Ma Ge even had the thought of plagiarizing, no, it was the thought of imitating.

But the entertainment industry is different from the Internet after all.

Those methods may not necessarily be applicable.

"My method is very simple. In the early stage, I look for celebrities to endorse the product. I'll look for whoever is popular. For example, the artists in my company, you can choose from them." Lin Yicheng said.

For example, Hu Ge and Yao Di, as currently popular young actors and actresses, it would definitely be effective to let them endorse games.

At that time, let Hu Ge say to the camera, "If you are a brother, come to CrossFire and snipe me."

Or "If you're a brother, come and kill me in Dungeon Fighter."

Those fans, won’t they rush over here roaring?

Get close to your idol.

Even if you are not a fan, who doesn't want to abuse and kill a big star in the game?
"What else?" Xiao Ma asked again.

Finding celebrities to endorse products is a common practice and there is nothing new about it.

"When there are more players and influence increases, we can hold a competition. From the city to the province, from the province to the country, the final winner will not only receive a high prize, but also be able to compete on the same stage with the celebrity spokesperson."

After a pause, Lin Yicheng continued, "This process can be imitated from Super Girl, and the whole process can be broadcast live. You can imagine how popular it will be. What do you think?"

After hearing what Lin Yicheng said, Xiao Ma Ge's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Super Girl" is so popular!
Xiao Ma Ge himself has voted for his favorite contestants.

He also mobilized Tencent employees to vote for that contestant!

If "Cross Fire" and "Dungeon & Fighter" could be half as popular as "Super Girl", he would wake up laughing in his dreams.

However, Xiao Ma Ge thought of a problem.

"Super Girls is a talent show for singers, so it can be live streamed. But for games, I'm afraid there might be problems, right?"

At present, the society generally has a bad view on games.

A scourge, a monster, a spiritual opium.

Parents hate this even more.

In order to help children quit gaming addiction, I tried every possible way.

Creatures like "Yang Jiaoshou" came into being.

To be honest, Tencent’s image problem is a headache for Pony Ma, but now he has basically given up and given up.

After all, Tencent itself has no image to speak of.

"Copycat company", "game company"...

As Pony Ma has been around, Tencent Games has been burdened with an indelible infamy.

It appears in the eyes of competitors, industry professionals and the general public as an imitator, disruptor and profit-seeker.

Now that it has come to this, how much worse can it get?

As long as the company can make a profit, how much is its image worth?

What Xiao Ma Ge is worried about is the opinions from above.

Neither his colleagues nor the public can do anything to him.

But if the higher-ups are unhappy, that would be a big problem.
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"What's the problem? Who said this is a game? This is a competition! It's a contest! It's a sport!" Lin Yicheng retorted.

"Look at other countries, aren't they doing it in a similar way? Now that we have joined the WTO, of course we have to keep up with international standards."

“We can’t look at the development of things with old eyes!”

Xiao Ma Ge was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly realized and gave Lin Yicheng a thumbs up.

There is no need to explain too much, just keep it to the point.

With the banner of "competition, athletics, and sports".

There won't be any opinions from above.

After all, these are all good things!

What is a publicity maven?

That’s it!

Look how the concept has changed.

Brother Xiao Ma simply couldn't find any fault with it!

Lin Yicheng feels that it is really hard to generalize about games.

But no matter whether you look at it from the positive side or the negative side, you cannot deny its existence.

If Tencent doesn’t do it, will other companies do it too?

If no one plays games, then no one will play games?
of course not.

Just play it the way you should play it.

It can't be eliminated at all!
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"Tencent can definitely set this precedent, become a leader, and play a positive role," Lin Yicheng continued.

"By then, as a pioneer, both the government and the public will have a different view of Tencent."

After hearing this, Xiao Ma Ge laughed.

Of course he would be willing if it could improve the company's image.

It is beneficial to the company's development, market value and stock price.

"At that time, Galaxy Film and Tencent can work together to host these competitions. Tencent will be responsible for the competition planning. Galaxy Film will be responsible for the publicity."

"As for the live broadcast, I'll leave it to you." Xiao Ma Ge said.

He doesn't have any connections or relationships with the TV station.

In this regard, we can only rely on Lin Yicheng.

At this moment, Pony Ma truly realized the convenience and benefits that shareholder Lin Yicheng could bring to Tencent.

"No problem. It's hard to say about the first-tier TV stations, but the second-tier TV stations will definitely agree." Lin Yicheng nodded in agreement.

Those second-tier and third-tier TV stations are all having a hard time.

They would certainly welcome the introduction of a program that could increase ratings and expand influence.

"In addition, my Galaxy Video will also record and broadcast this process." Lin Yicheng mentioned again.

Limited by the current broadband situation, online live broadcasting is still immature and can only be recorded.

If game competitions can be recorded and broadcasted, it will be of great benefit both in attracting new users and increasing user stickiness.

"Let's work together to make this event a success and promote its reputation and influence. In the future, we can hold it once a year, or every two years, or we can change the game and take turns to hold it," said Lin Yicheng.

"Okay, let the people below discuss the specific details." Brother Xiao Ma nodded in agreement.

(End of this chapter)