ABSML Chapter 22: Seeing the Essence Through the Phenomenon

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【tb123067: Two yuan per episode? You might as well be robbing us!】

That top comment quickly gained tens of thousands of likes.

Chen Zhan himself replied: "This is a voice that moved the audience to tears."

Attached was a picture of the internet shill’s tear-streaked face.

When a person takes self-deprecation to the extreme, it leaves no room for others to criticize them.

Within less than five minutes, public opinion began to shift:

【Rice Wine Glutinous Rice Balls: Fellow Daoists, my apologies! I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and just listened to an episode.】

【Dahekan: You’re not alone. Respect to the author! They actually managed to read an entire chapter with emotion.】

【tb12307: Damn, I lost control! Ended up buying six episodes without realizing it.】

It wasn’t just netizens who were listening.

"That wealthy young master—other than being rich, handsome, and having good genes—how does he surpass me in any way…? Love is so blind that she can’t even see me!"

The voice on the channel was articulate and brimming with emotion.

After listening to two episodes, Yin Ronglan shook his head with a smile.

Confessions had already entered its paid chapters. Although Chen Zhan had claimed he wasn’t making money from writing, there were plenty of loopholes in that statement—such as readers sending direct tips. If one insisted on arguing, it could even be categorized under "other income."

His company employees often told him that friendship required mutual effort. Yin Ronglan had even planned to send massive rewards to help Chen Zhan win the bet effortlessly.

Unfortunately, the other party didn’t need such an opportunity.

When his subordinate entered the office, the door was slightly ajar. He knocked twice.

"Come in."

As soon as he opened the door, he heard a completely different voice.

The subordinate was momentarily stunned… Isn’t this the audiobook of Confessions ?

Ever since his boss had chased the production crew down, the subordinate’s imagination had run wild. Now, seeing it firsthand, he realized—this high-and-mighty CEO was really trying to make a friend outside of business partnerships.

Terrifying.

Yin Ronglan glanced at the contract in his hands but didn’t address business matters right away. Instead, he asked, "How does South Pole Star’s audiobook platform distribute revenue?"

"One moment, please."

Less than two minutes later, the subordinate replied, "The website takes a 20% cut."

After a day of trending, Confessions had already topped the charts. The mobile app alone had over 90,000 downloads per episode, far surpassing the 75,000 yuan Chen Zhan had initially proposed.

Needless to say, the bet was now a complete victory for the other side.

Yin Ronglan sighed lightly. "His business acumen is top-tier."

Since he was the boss’s friend, the subordinate naturally seized the chance to heap praise. "Few people can expand beyond a single field. He leveraged his initial traffic to generate revenue across multiple platforms."

"He’s indeed impressive," Yin Ronglan agreed. "His adaptability even surpasses mine."

After a moment of silence, he added, "Compared to him, all I do is run a company, following the same business model day after day."

"…"

The subordinate tried his best to suppress the twitching of his eyelids… Yeah, with an annual revenue of hundreds of billions, you must be suffering so much.

Fortunately, Yin Ronglan had no intention of dwelling on the topic. He turned his attention back to the contract and got down to business.

—

The audiobook earnings had already surpassed the revenue from writing. Chen Zhan was slightly taken aback when he saw the numbers. Then it dawned on him—some people simply preferred listening over reading, and audiobooks perfectly catered to their needs.

"System, what’s my current redemption score?"

【System: 1080.】

After providing the answer, the system remained silent.

This was different from before.

Chen Zhan frowned. "Did they swap out the system?"

【System: ‘Swapping systems’ refers to replacing one system with another. The term was recorded in the 23rd year of the Tianyuan Era.】

The voice was devoid of its usual liveliness, reduced to a monotonous robotic tone.

"You’re acting weird," Chen Zhan frowned. "What’s going on?"

【System: Turning big problems into small ones and small ones into nothing.】

No matter how he probed, the responses were all nonsensical.

Gradually, Chen Zhan realized—The system slacked off while I wasn’t paying attention.

As he suspected, the system had quietly taken leave days ago to visit its hometown, thinking that since Chen Zhan rarely relied on it, he wouldn’t notice.

Just in case, it had activated an auto-response mode.

After a brief silence, Chen Zhan showed no anger. Instead, he simply made a note in his little notebook where he recorded creative material.

With plenty of time left in the day, he put on a hat and headed to the local market to buy a large amount of fabric and sewing materials.

Two hours later, draped in silk like a Persian merchant from a history book, he returned to his apartment building, arms full of fabric stacked high like a small mountain. As he approached the entrance, he spotted a familiar figure.

"Excuse me, could you move aside?"

Rather than stepping away, the person took some of the fabric from his arms.

Now that his view was unobstructed, Chen Zhan recognized the man. "Mr. Yin?"

Yin Ronglan replied, "No need for formalities—just call me by my name."

As they climbed the stairs, Chen Zhan searched for his keys. "When did you get here?"

"Not long ago."

Chen Zhan knew him well enough to interpret that—‘Not long ago’ meant at least ten minutes.

"It’s freezing outside. Why didn’t you wait in the apartment across the hall?"

"The old man went to the recycling station."

After setting everything down inside, Chen Zhan let out a relieved sigh. The ache in his arms immediately eased.

Yin Ronglan glanced at the vibrant pile of fabric with a complicated expression. "Are you using these for crafts?"

Chen Zhan crossed his arms and smiled. After a brief pause, he gestured invitingly.

Threads tangled together like a cat’s plaything. From under the bed, Chen Zhan pulled out a box of cotton stuffing, and the once-tidy room instantly turned chaotic. Yet, he moved methodically, handing a spool of thread to Yin Ronglan. "Thread the needle."

Surprisingly, Yin Ronglan did it swiftly. Noting his incredulous look, he explained, "I used to do it occasionally."

Chen Zhan suddenly recalled that the man before him had also endured tough times in the past.

As the sun set and warm light filled the room, Chen Zhan remained fully focused on his work.

Yin Ronglan found himself watching for a moment longer than necessary and murmured, "Seeing you like this reminds me of a saying."

Chen Zhan skillfully sewed the doll’s facial features and naturally recited, “A loving mother’s hand threads the needle, clothing her traveling son.”

“……”

After trimming the thread with scissors, Chen Zhan looked up at him. “Any normal person would instinctively think of this poem.”

The verse seemed to have a peculiar charm. Under the warm glow of the light, Yin Ronglan actually caught a glimpse of something maternal in Chen Zhan’s expression.

Chen Zhan paused his movements. “By the way, what were you going to say?”

“…I forgot.”

For the rest of the time, Chen Zhan seriously taught him how to sew.

Yin Ronglan was quick to understand. After grasping the basics, he remarked, “With over a hundred dolls, it’ll take at least half a month.”

Chen Zhan replied, “No worries. The sewing machine I ordered should arrive in the next two days.”

His tone was calm, making it hard to tell whether he was joking.

Their gazes met in silence. Yin Ronglan’s eyelid twitched slightly—he hadn’t expected that after years of success, he would now have to learn how to use a sewing machine.

Time passed quietly. As Chen Zhan continued sewing, he gradually felt his eyes grow sore. He set his work aside, leaned against the bed, and tilted his head back for a short nap. When he became aware again, it was because of a faint warmth on his face. Lazily lifting his eyelids, he realized that at some point, the sky had brightened. Sunlight streamed in, covering half his body.

Yin Ronglan was lying across from him, using the protective talisman as a temporary pillow.

By now, he was slowly waking up. Checking the time, he pressed his temples. Compared to sewing dolls, handling tedious contracts seemed much easier.

Feeling the pangs of an empty stomach, Chen Zhan decided to order takeout and asked if Yin Ronglan wanted anything.

Yin Ronglan shook his head, expressing his intent to leave. “I have something to do.”

Chen Zhan walked him to the door. “Come over whenever you have time.”

Yin Ronglan nodded.

Chen Zhan hailed a taxi for him. As Yin Ronglan got in, Chen Zhan waved and said, “The remaining fifty-five dolls and I will be waiting for you.”

Though the temperature had finally warmed up a bit, both the taxi driver and Yin Ronglan felt a sudden chill, the kind usually found in the early morning.

As the car drove off, Yin Ronglan received a message from Chen Zhan: A bet is a bet, but I’ll still pay you for the labor.

A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes. After making a call, his expression returned to its usual calm.

“Mr. Yin.” The voice on the other end was energetic.

Yin Ronglan said, “I might be a bit late getting to the office. Have Xiao Zhao come pick me up.”

Back home, a shower helped ease his fatigue. Changing into a suit, he sat on the couch, staring at the empty room as if gazing into a vast ocean vortex.

When his subordinate arrived, he rang the doorbell twice before Yin Ronglan snapped out of his thoughts.

“Good morning, Mr. Yin.” Young professionals always liked to show their most energetic side to their bosses.

Yin Ronglan composed himself and replied, “Good morning.”

In the car, his subordinate noticed that the boss looked a little tired and started a conversation. “Did you not get enough rest?”

Yin Ronglan replied, “I was with a friend last night and barely slept.”

His tone was noticeably more relaxed.

The subordinate had long figured out his boss’s method of making friends: Pretend to be poor → Evoke sympathy → Cast a wide net to maximize interactions → Reel them in.

Come to think of it, the process was quite similar to dating.

Shaking his head to dismiss the absurd thought, the subordinate carefully gauged Yin Ronglan’s mood and flattered, “It’s rare to find a truly kindred spirit.”

Yin Ronglan remained silent for a moment, looking out the window, then suddenly asked, “Do you think he feels the same way?”

The subordinate tensed up, forcing a smile. “Of course.”

But contrary to his expectations, Yin Ronglan didn’t show any sign of being pleased. The subordinate quietly exhaled, once again marveling at how difficult it was to read his boss.

Outside, the city bustled with activity. Yin Ronglan rested his hands together in front of him, analyzing Chen Zhan’s behavior rationally.

In Chen Zhan’s eyes, he was an unambitious, impoverished friend. Chen Zhan had also mentioned the concept of shared prosperity multiple times. Of all the things he could have used for their bet, he had specifically chosen manual labor.

Based on this logic, it seemed more like he wanted Yin Ronglan to develop a skill—so that even if he lost, Chen Zhan could support him through the labor fees.

Yin Ronglan narrowed his eyes slightly, arriving at a conclusion.

Oh. He’s trying to lift me out of poverty.

Author’s Note:

Chen Zhan: Our slogan is… Common Prosperity!

Yin Ronglan (glancing at his bank account with countless figures): … As long as you’re happy.

_____

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