ABSML Chapter 30: Good Intentions

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After making a few serious bows, Chen Zhan squinted his eyes against the sunlight piercing straight in as they walked out. "Is it because you donated incense money that I keep feeling like the Buddha’s eyes are always looking in your direction?"

Yin Ronglan chuckled. "It’s just an illusion caused by the angle."

The mountain wasn’t as cold as expected. The temple’s location must have been carefully chosen to maximize sunlight.

Chen Zhan noticed many couples visiting together, some playfully piling snow on each other’s heads at the entrance. Just watching them made him shiver involuntarily.

The two of them walked toward a quieter wooden bridge. Stopping at a spot where the wind was weaker, Chen Zhan couldn’t resist spreading his arms in an exaggerated, dramatic gesture. Yin Ronglan heard a faint sigh from him, understanding that this time, the trending topic had done Chen Zhan more harm than good.

"The mountain looks different in all four seasons. We can come here more often in the future."

Chen Zhan nodded in agreement.

After wandering around for a while, by the time Yin Ronglan drove him back, the sky had already darkened.

The reporters hiding in the bushes seemed to have given up and were nowhere to be seen.

Hiking was especially exhausting. After washing up, Chen Zhan lay on his bed and quickly fell asleep.

While he was deep in slumber, some people's nightlife was just beginning.

Jiang Ying had been filming for a while and hadn’t spent time with Lin Chiang. This was supposed to be a night worth anticipating.

As they embraced tenderly, just before their lips met, Jiang Ying gently pushed Lin Chiang away. "Sorry, I can’t help but think about that article."

She had even had a nightmare during her nap—where a tiny version of Chen Zhan sweetly called her Mommy.

Hearing this, Lin Chiang seemed to recall something too and rubbed his temples.

Lying under the blanket, with only two fists' worth of space between them, Lin Chiang's gaze was empty. "Even though it’s just the two of us here, I feel like there's a third person."

Chen Zhan's face lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.

Jiang Ying was much calmer. She patted Lin Chiang on the shoulder through the blanket. "Don’t be scared. Go to sleep."

Lin Chiang quietly grabbed her hand. "Our child… must be a girl."

Jiang Ying couldn't help but laugh softly. "Okay."

Meanwhile, Chen Zhan—who had unknowingly become someone else's psychological shadow—slept soundly through the night.

The next morning, he was woken up by a phone call. His friend in charge of game development asked if he needed any updates, as they would be returning home for the holidays and wouldn’t have time to work on the game.

Chen Zhan thought for a moment. "I’ll send the text over tonight."

The voice on the other end changed—his friend’s younger brother had taken over the phone. "I watched that web drama you acted in. It was pretty good."

Chen Zhan was momentarily stunned, only then remembering that the web drama he had participated in was about to be released.

Neither of them were talkative people. After expressing his thoughts, the younger brother hung up. Chen Zhan opened the streaming app and found the drama ranked first on the charts.

It updated continuously from Monday to Thursday, and was now on its sixth episode.

Seeing himself on screen for the first time felt fresh. However, as he kept watching, his brows gradually furrowed. He picked up his phone again and called the drama’s director.

"Xiao Chen, Happy New Year!"

With a few days left until the Lunar New Year, the director’s cheerful New Year’s greetings showed he was in a good mood.

"I have a question," Chen Zhan hesitated before asking, "Why haven't I seen Yin Ronglan’s scenes?"

He had a lot of scenes with Yin Ronglan, and it didn’t make sense for them to be completely cut.

The director was silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond. The investor had claimed to be there just to make friends and had no intention of appearing in the final cut. Such a delicate matter wasn’t something he could share with outsiders, so he made up a different reason.

"Besides, his appearance and presence were too strong—he was overshadowing the male lead," the director reasoned smoothly. "That’s a big taboo in the industry."

Not wanting to say too much and risk slipping up, the director quickly changed the subject, chatted briefly, and ended the call.

The web drama had already aired, and there was no point dwelling on it now. Chen Zhan stared blankly ahead, lost in thought for a long time.

Yin Ronglan had probably known about this all along. In Chen Zhan’s view, no matter how indifferent someone appeared, being completely erased like that had to sting a little.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. When he opened it, he was met with a pale, cold face. Chen Zhan paused for a moment, said nothing, and turned back to close the curtains.

Lin Chiang: "There are no reporters downstairs."

Chen Zhan raised an eyebrow. "You’re sure?"

Lin Chiang’s tone was indifferent. "I had someone scout the area with a drone beforehand."

Chen Zhan looked at him with a complicated expression before reopening the curtains, allowing daylight to flood the room again. "If you’re here for a New Year visit, it’s still a bit early."

Lin Chiang: "Maybe we can visit in the future."

Anyone with ears could hear the sarcasm dripping from his words.

With a mocking glint in his eyes, Lin Chiang added, "After all, I even dream about you calling me ‘Dad.’"

The hand pouring hot water trembled slightly. Chen Zhan had only meant to make tea for himself, but hearing that, he poured an extra cup and handed it over as hospitality. "My apologies."

He hadn’t expected to cause someone such psychological distress.

"Confessions is almost finished," Chen Zhan took a sip of tea and smiled. "To be honest, the theme of the second season will be The Years When I Harassed the Queen of Film."

Just from the title, it was clear he wouldn’t be the protagonist this time.

Lin Chiang’s gaze flickered for a moment. Realizing his slight loss of composure, he shifted his eyes toward the window, feigning nonchalance.

Last year, he didn’t even know how many of his bank cards had been frozen. On top of that, he was repeatedly misunderstood and lectured by his parents, to the point where he even considered going up the mountain to pray for better luck.

However, he had never fully trusted Chen Zhan. Before long, he turned his face back and, meeting the other’s gaze, slowly spoke: “This wouldn’t just be a perfunctory excuse to brush me off, would it?”

Sitting properly with an air of composure, Chen Zhan replied, “New year, new beginnings. Mr. Lin, perhaps you could consider letting go of old grudges and working with me.”

The Lin family had a vast business empire, while Chen Zhan’s side ventures, no matter how many, were mere small-scale endeavors in comparison. Calling it a collaboration was generous—it was more akin to seeking a favor.

Lin Chiang furrowed his brows slightly. “Let’s hear it.”

Chen Zhan placed his cup on the table and leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on his knees. His posture and appearance made him seem utterly harmless.

Lin Chiang was not fooled by the facade and simply waited in silence.

Chen Zhan was not one to waste words. His explanation was concise and to the point. Contrary to Lin Chiang’s expectations, there was no outrageous demand or opportunistic extortion. His expression became somewhat unreadable. “That’s all?”

Chen Zhan nodded. “Given my current reputation, it’s a guaranteed win for you.”

After some thought, Lin Chiang gave his answer. “Alright.”

With the deal sealed, Chen Zhan glanced at the time. “Stay for a meal? Let’s celebrate our successful partnership.”

Both of them knew it was merely a polite gesture. Lin Chiang stood up, walked to the door, and turned his face slightly. “No need to see me off.”

Clearly, he had no intention of lingering any longer than necessary.

Ignoring his future business partner’s aloofness, Chen Zhan returned to his usual routine—cooking meals that were just barely edible, eating, and taking a nap to recharge.

When he woke up, only half an hour had passed.

Lying in bed, he made a video call. The call rang for a while without being answered, but not long after he hung up, the other party called back.

Judging by the background in the video, Yin Ronglan seemed to be in a break room, with an expensive-looking coffee machine behind him.

“A new job?”

Having briskly walked from his office to this spot, Yin Ronglan adjusted his breathing and spoke steadily, “Just meeting an old friend.”

Chen Zhan dismissed his initial suspicion. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Yin Ronglan had an unavoidable meeting coming up. After a brief consideration, he said, “It’ll have to wait until after five.”

Chen Zhan nodded. “Send me your location, and I’ll come find you.”

Yin Ronglan chuckled lightly and vaguely suggested, “There’s a restaurant nearby—Tianzhu Cuisine. I’ll treat you to dinner.”

Chen Zhan didn’t notice the subtle difference in wording. “See you at six?”

Yin Ronglan gave a slight nod.

Since the location was a bit far, and Chen Zhan was highly punctual, he left early and arrived fifteen minutes ahead of time. However, when he pushed open the door, a familiar figure immediately caught his eye.

Momentarily stunned, he walked over and sat down. “Why are you here so early?”

Yin Ronglan replied, “I managed to finish things ahead of schedule.”

Chen Zhan didn’t question it further. After ordering a drink, he hesitated slightly before saying, “I watched that drama.”

Yin Ronglan instantly understood his reason for bringing it up—he had come specifically to comfort him. Casually brushing the topic aside, he said, “As long as I get paid, whether I appear in it or not doesn’t really matter.”

When the waiter came to serve their food, Chen Zhan waited until they left before speaking again. “Starting the new year with something like this is unlucky.” After a pause, he continued, “So I prepared a gift—as a way to ward off bad luck.”

Yin Ronglan was amused by his choice of words.

Chen Zhan said, “I made a deal with Lin Chiang. He agreed to invest in a film, and I get to choose the lead actor.”

His eyes never wavered as he spoke, making his intentions clear.

Yin Ronglan seemed to have guessed what was coming. The slight smile on his lips gradually faded.

Chen Zhan stirred his juice lightly with the straw and said, “You’ll play the male lead.”

Even though he had suspected it, Yin Ronglan was still visibly taken aback. His throat moved slightly as if about to refuse. “I—”

Chen Zhan cut him off, his gaze solemn. “If you really consider me a friend, don’t refuse.”

For the rest of their time together, they interacted as usual. Yin Ronglan’s warm smile returned, lasting until their farewell.

With unfinished business to handle, Yin Ronglan went straight back to the office after putting Chen Zhan on a bus.

His subordinate had been waiting for him for a while. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, they approached him. “Haina is refusing to budge on those two percentage points. We—”

Yin Ronglan raised a hand to interrupt. “Xiao Zhao.”

His subordinate was momentarily stunned, then waited for their boss to come up with a decisive move to put Haina in their place. As he envisioned Haina ultimately conceding, he heard Yin Ronglan say:

“I might be making my idol debut soon.”

“……”

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