ABSML Chapter 24: Sales

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After the public opinion improved, Chen Zhan found it much easier to go out—mainly because he no longer had to wear a mask to avoid getting beaten up.

Yin Ronglan had a habit of going for morning runs. After spending so much time with him on set, Chen Zhan inevitably picked up the same routine. He had a good night's sleep, so when the sky was just beginning to brighten, he jogged a few laps around the neighborhood.

On his way back, he ran into the old man from the apartment across the hall, who was carrying a bag full of plastic bottles.

Not seeing the old man's stubborn dog, Chen Zhan raised an eyebrow. “Sent it away?”

The old man nodded. “They’ll bring it back to me after it's been trained.”

There was no doubt that this troublesome task had fallen onto Yin Ronglan’s shoulders.

The new furniture Chen Zhan ordered was set to arrive today. Despite the old man's repeated refusals, he still sent over an overly soft little sofa.

After him, Xiao Tong became the next target of online ridicule. Chen Zhan didn’t have time to add fuel to the fire—he was busy preparing to launch his online store.

Running the store would at least require a customer service representative and someone for after-sales support. Some small businesses initially have the owner handling everything, but with Chen Zhan’s rising fame, it was impossible for him to manage it all alone once the products went live.

For now, the store was only selling protective charms, so hiring dedicated staff wasn’t cost-effective.

After some thought, Chen Zhan came up with an idea: “1,000 reputation points to hire you as customer service.”

A brief silence was followed by an almost furious response:

【System: …What kind of nonsense is this?】

Using the reputation points it gave him to exploit it in return?

Chen Zhan said calmly, “You have experience, you’re free most of the time, and isn’t a system basically just customer service?”

What’s the difference?

For the next five minutes, Chen Zhan heard more curse words than he had in his entire life.

Once it had vented enough, he casually brought up an old matter: “In 20XX, it is recorded that you took three unauthorized days off to visit family.”

【System: Damn it!】

Though he suspected it was cursing at him, Chen Zhan didn’t bother to argue. His goal was achieved.

By mid-November, a rain-and-snow mix blurred the line between autumn and winter. On that same day, the store officially opened for business.

The protective charm dolls, with their ugly-cute design, were unexpectedly popular. Combined with well-placed pre-launch advertising, thousands of orders flooded in within minutes. Online reviews were mixed:

“I heard it can prevent misfortune. Buying one—hope it helps me avoid the exam proctor.”

“You just exposed yourself.”

“Reported.”

“I advise against doing that. I won one at a fan meet and took it to a knowledge competition. I cheated and ended up ranking first in the entire school. Now I have to represent the school in the district competition.”

“Is the chosen one from above still alive?”

Chen Zhan shook his head after reading the comment. He calculated the revenue and transferred 10,000 yuan to Yin Ronglan, marking it as a share from selling the dolls, grateful for the recommendation of a reliable factory.

Since the system didn’t have a shipping function and Chen Zhan didn’t want to waste time on logistics, he paid a small additional fee to have the manufacturer handle deliveries directly.

With this new business venture successfully launched, he finally had a moment to breathe.

He kept up his morning runs, but they seemed completely ineffective. Pinching his slender wrist, Chen Zhan couldn’t help but frown.

—His appetite had increased, yet his weight remained unchanged.

Facing this harsh reality, he decided to adopt a cost-free form of exercise—joining the old man across the hall in scavenging for recyclables.

The door was ajar, with a cloth draped over the entrance as a makeshift curtain. Inside, soft music played in the background.

Chen Zhan stepped in and disapproved, “This isn’t safe.”

The old man waved him off, unconcerned. “There’s nothing valuable in here.”

“Thieves never leave empty-handed,” Chen Zhan reminded him.

He then proceeded to give a safety lecture.

The old man, worn down by his nagging, could only nod repeatedly.

His days were spent collecting trash, reading books, and drinking tea—leisurely and carefree.

Hearing Chen Zhan’s purpose for visiting, the old man beamed. “Scavenging isn’t real exercise. You’d be better off running a few more laps around the neighborhood.”

Chen Zhan chuckled. “Exercising alone is a bit boring.”

The old man had long figured out Chen Zhan’s lifestyle—meticulous in some ways, indifferent in others. Suddenly, something occurred to him. “Do you still have that note I gave you last time?”

Chen Zhan reacted instinctively. “What note?”

The old man narrowed his eyes. “The one with the lawyer’s contact information.”

Chen Zhan rubbed his nose lightly—his silence was answer enough.

“A will is no trivial matter,” the old man said solemnly. “You might not need it anytime soon, but who knows? Maybe one day, the building collapses, and you just happen to survive. At least you’d know how to claim my inheritance.”

“…”

What kind of bizarre analogy was that?

“A will?” A voice approached from outside.

Someone lifted the curtain and stepped inside.

Chen Zhan’s expression instantly grew complicated as he spoke slowly, “One benefit of keeping the door closed is preventing eavesdroppers.”

The old man nodded in agreement on this point.

The newcomer was none other than Yin Ronglan. He wore a simple pair of black casual trousers, yet his legs appeared long and straight. Frowning, he looked at the old man. “Are you feeling unwell?”

The old man sighed in exasperation. “Why are you here?”

Yin Ronglan didn’t answer. Knowing it was impossible to brush him off, the old man simply admitted, “Some of my health metrics aren’t ideal, but overall, I’m still in good shape.”

A silent reassurance.

Only after a long pause did Yin Ronglan finally say, “That’s good.”

Both Chen Zhan and the old man breathed a quiet sigh of relief. However, the next moment, Yin Ronglan sat down on the overly soft little sofa that Chen Zhan had gifted, his gaze unreadable. “What’s this about a will?”

Chen Zhan realized he had relaxed too soon.

Unconcerned with the underlying implications, the old man casually explained, “Just a precaution. I appointed an heir for my estate.”

A single sentence summed it up.

Yin Ronglan recalled the day Chen Zhan’s attitude toward him softened, and his gaze grew even more meaningful. “So that’s why.”

“I refused,” Chen Zhan responded with textbook-level innocence.

Yin Ronglan suddenly stood up. On the surface, he seemed to be adjusting the curtain that had been disturbed by the wind, but his gaze lingered on the embroidery hanging at the center of the door—the one depicting a weasel paying respects to a chicken.

Catching sight of Chen Zhan’s expression in his peripheral vision, for once, he could detect a trace of awkwardness.

Chen Zhan, aware of the scrutiny, subtly turned his face away, feigning interest in the drifting clouds outside the window.

Yin Ronglan turned back to the old man and, half-jokingly, said, “Shouldn’t you leave something for me as well?”

The old man chuckled and pointed at Chen Zhan. “That’s the person you should be asking.”

Chen Zhan cleared his throat and solemnly declared, “I’ve decided to part with the most valuable item here.”

Yin Ronglan raised an eyebrow, indicating he was listening.

Chen Zhan looked him in the eye and said calmly, “That’s right—the custody of the dog.”

After a brief silence, the old man burst into laughter, clapping his hands in amusement.

In stark contrast, Yin Ronglan sighed lightly. Chen Zhan was an expert at lightening the mood. If he had chosen a corporate career instead of entrepreneurship, he would have thrived in the HR department.

Sensing it was time to change the subject, Chen Zhan smiled and asked, “How’s that stubborn dog’s training going?”

The old man stopped laughing and sighed. “I felt an instant connection the first time I saw it. But it’s too fierce—it won’t even step inside the house.”

Yin Ronglan replied evenly, “There’s been some progress.”

The old man’s eyes lit up. “Can it shake hands?”

Yin Ronglan shook his head.

“Do a handstand?”

“No.”

The old man frowned. “Then what can it do?”

Yin Ronglan answered matter-of-factly, “Eat.”

The contrast between Chen Zhan’s dry humor and this deadpan response created a moment of awkward silence.

Thinking back to the embroidery he had once gifted the old man as a warning, a pang of guilt surfaced in Chen Zhan. He spoke up in an effort to show support. “That means the dog is beginning to trust you.”

Unlike Chen Zhan, the old man wasn’t one to spout blatant lies. Checking the time, he yawned and said, “I’m taking a nap. You two can see yourselves out.”

The two men exited, with Chen Zhan closing the door behind them. Leaning against the doorframe, he quipped, “Here to ask me to sew more dolls?”

His tone was full of playful mockery.

Yin Ronglan said, “I’m inviting you to dinner.”

Chen Zhan fell into deep thought, calculating the likelihood that, after discovering he had intercepted his supposed inheritance, this meal might turn into a trap.

"The handmade fee you called for earlier wasn't small," Yin Ronglan said warmly, as if he and the other person were on different wavelengths. "It's only right to treat you to a meal."

Chen Zhan replied, "This morning, I went out and saw that the beef noodle shop owner had something to attend to. It won’t be open until next Tuesday."

Yin Ronglan pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's go for something better."

With free food delivered to his doorstep, there was no reason to refuse. Sticking to his principle of saving whenever possible, Chen Zhan nodded. "But I still have some work to finish. It might take about twenty minutes."

"I’ll wait for you," Yin Ronglan said.

If he had known someone would be treating him to lunch, Chen Zhan probably wouldn’t have wasted his time earlier that morning.

He poured Yin Ronglan a cup of tea before sitting back down to seriously resume typing.

Since Confessions entered its paid phase, Chen Zhan's workload had doubled.

Yin Ronglan saw the word count at the bottom of the document, already over five thousand, and said slowly, "You don't have to rush."

Given his current popularity and growing readership, delaying the completion of the story a little longer might actually be beneficial.

"I need to keep up the pace." The sound of keyboard tapping filled the room as Chen Zhan explained, "Before the hype dies down. I still have two more books lined up after this."

Yin Ronglan was startled. "Two more?"

Chen Zhan switched input methods, briefly looking up to introduce them. "The Years When I Harassed the Queen of Film" and "Hitting a Stone with an Egg: How My Hatred for the Rich Led Me to Defame the Elite CEO."

He rubbed his fingertip lightly against his left hand, considering before continuing, "Each book will be around 350,000 words. Together, they'll form a million-word trilogy."

Just a moment ago, Yin Ronglan had been calm and smiling, but now his sudden silence came without warning.

Chen Zhan raised an eyebrow. "What's with that expression?"

Yin Ronglan lowered his gaze, his eyelashes trembling slightly, making his emotions unreadable. As if nothing had happened, his gentle smile returned. "I just think you have a great vision."

Chen Zhan moved his hand off the mouse and propped his chin on it. "Hopefully, I can find better material before finishing."

Without changing his expression, Yin Ronglan shifted his focus to the computer screen. "How much is left?"

Realizing he had been distracted, Chen Zhan smiled apologetically and refocused on his writing.

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