ABSML Chapter 31: The Meeting

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His subordinate’s first reaction wasn’t that he had misheard but that his brain had momentarily short-circuited.

After a few seconds of blank staring, he blurted, “What?”

Yin Ronglan said calmly, “A web series is being produced. He stood up for me.”

The subordinate swallowed. “And then?”

Yin Ronglan replied, “He found an investor to make me the lead.”

If the one being promoted weren’t his own boss, the subordinate would have marveled at what an incredible display of friendship this was.

Taking a deep breath, he cautiously asked, “What’s your plan?”

Yin Ronglan looked at him, his gaze calm but intimidating.

The subordinate struggled to keep his expression neutral, wondering if he was actually being asked for advice.

Thankfully, Yin Ronglan didn’t make it too difficult. After considering the consequences of coming clean, he asked, “If you devoted yourself to helping a friend, only to find out they were secretly very wealthy, what would you do?”

The subordinate, instinctively giving a diplomatic answer, said, “First, I would try to understand my friend’s circumstances and see—”

Yin Ronglan’s voice turned slightly cold. “Tell me the truth.”

Abandoning the corporate response, the subordinate answered decisively: “Cut ties.”

The tense atmosphere made one feel an urge to flee. A subordinate hesitantly spoke, "It's not entirely hopeless; at least you’re not too busy lately."

With the approaching Spring Festival holiday, the year-end settlement had been completed in advance, and the company’s first quarter was typically slow.

During this period, even if the president went off to act, he would still have time.

Thinking of this, the subordinate sighed inwardly: everything seemed to be predestined.

Yin Ronglan remained silent, but as his thoughts settled, a plan gradually formed in his mind.

Before he could take any action, a message from Chen Zhan arrived, informing him that he had reached home safely and casually mentioning that he would be having dinner with investors next Friday.

Chen Zhan was not someone who would normally report his whereabouts, so the key piece of information was clearly in the latter part of the message.

Yin Ronglan dismissed the idea of having someone contact Lin Chiang, his gaze flickering slightly. "That saves me the trouble."

·

With everything arranged, Chen Zhan began outlining his second novel in advance.

Outside, people were busy preparing for the New Year. The original owner of his body no longer had any close friends or relatives, so he didn't have to worry about such things.

Just as inspiration was flowing, noises came from the hallway. Peering through the peephole, Chen Zhan saw an old man holding a large dog.

Chen Zhan opened the door. "Has it been trained?"

The old man, upon seeing him, chuckled. "It's much better behaved than before. I'm taking it back for a couple of days to see how it goes."

Recalling how Yin Ronglan had only ever mentioned that the dog’s training resulted in increased food consumption and speedier eating, Chen Zhan gave him a long look. "You're going to regret this."

With that, he shook his head and closed the door.

When immersed in work, time seemed to pass in an instant.

He had only drafted a few thousand words of his outline, but when he looked up again, the sky had darkened several shades.

Standing by the window, Chen Zhan gazed outside. The few streetlights that remained were dim, barely illuminating a narrow path. His eyes suddenly locked onto a particular spot before shifting away calmly, instead focusing on the muddy ground left by melting snow.

After standing there for about two minutes, he tossed his keys into his pocket and knocked on the door across the hall.

The old man grinned. "Here for dinner?"

Chen Zhan: "I'm going for a walk nearby. I can take the dog along."

At this, the old man’s face changed dramatically. "It could use some exercise." He sighed helplessly. "I've never seen a dog eat this much."

Chen Zhan took the leash from him and strolled downstairs at a leisurely pace.

The stubborn dog tried several times to drag him into a sprint, but each attempt ended in failure.

Unlike usual, Chen Zhan did not walk around the neighborhood but instead walked an entire bus stop’s distance.

Since winter days turned dark early, by the time he returned, it was already past ten at night. The old man, yawning, couldn't help but ask, "Why did it take so long?"

Chen Zhan simply smiled and said nothing.

For three consecutive days, Chen Zhan took the dog for morning and evening walks without fail. The latest chapters of Confession had been relatively mild, avoiding any hot search topics. This, for both him and the broader online audience, was an unusual kind of peace.

On the fourth morning, the old man finished breakfast early, expecting Chen Zhan to come pick up the dog. However, today, there was no sign of him.

Perplexed, he knocked on the door, but there was no response—Chen Zhan seemed to be out.

By noon, with still no sign of him, the old man grew concerned and called Yin Ronglan to inform him of the situation.

Frowning, Yin Ronglan dialed Chen Zhan’s number multiple times, only to receive no answer. Just as he was about to send someone to look for him, a thought struck him. He opened Weibo.

There was no need to search—Chen Zhan’s name was prominently displayed among the top trending topics.

The hashtag #ChenZhanIronBarsTears was climbing in views by the minute.

The video came from a passerby’s post. Though blurry, it was unmistakably Chen Zhan. The footage captured him stepping into a police station.

    [User SevenSeconds: What’s the scoop? What did he do this time?]

A fan shared Jiang Ying’s schedule, showing no apparent interaction between the two, making it unlikely that Chen Zhan’s arrest was related to her.

Speculation ran rampant. Since the midnight meeting between Chen Zhan, Jiang Ying, and Lin Chiang had yet to be fully explained, some busybodies claimed that Chen Zhan had long been involved in an improper relationship with Lin Chiang, repeatedly blackmailing him for financial support, which eventually forced Lin Chiang to report him for fraud.

After garnering tens of thousands of likes, the original poster deleted their tweet—a move many interpreted as confirmation of the claim.

Though Yin Ronglan didn’t know the full details, the online speculation was clearly illogical. Staring at the trending topic for a while, he suddenly chuckled and shook his head. No matter what the truth was, Chen Zhan was unlikely to be the one suffering.

As discussions raged, it wasn’t until evening that Chen Zhan finally responded:

"Encountered a stalker fan. Was followed daily. Reported to the police for personal safety reasons."

Attached were several photos. At first glance, they appeared to be casual selfies with the dog, but in the corners of each picture, a shadowy figure was visible. Though Chen Zhan had blurred out the person’s face, it was clear that the same individual appeared in different timeframes, making it undeniably unsettling.

    [User Maria’s Hair: Damn! You really do see everything if you live long enough.]

    [User Xuanjing: Say no to stalking! You can choose not to love someone, but don’t harm them… Sorry, I can’t help laughing.]

    [User zuk: This has an unexpected comedic effect. Can’t believe Chen Zhan is experiencing being stalked. @JiangYing, karma is real.]

Years ago, Chen Zhan had been a hardcore fan, engaging in stalking, secret photography, and even escalating to sending threatening letters—actions that ultimately landed him in jail. Who would have thought that he would one day become the target of a stalker himself?

Netizens quickly summarized the moral of the story: it’s best not to do bad things, because karma always comes back around.

Since he had been scared enough to go to the police, one could imagine how terrifying it was to be the victim of a stalker’s obsessive behavior.

Yet, while the public pitied him, assuming he must be traumatized, Chen Zhan himself had just returned home and was calmly watering his pothos plant.

   [System: Detecting a surge in host’s reputation redemption points.]

Chen Zhan had already accumulated quite a bit of redemption value in the past, but the fact that the system mentioned it on its own suggested that his recent gains were indeed substantial.

   [System: On the rewards of empathy.]

“This has nothing to do with that.” Against the green backdrop, Chen Zhan’s fingertips appeared particularly translucent as he played with the flower leaves. “Harming others and facing legal punishment are often not equivalent.”

Although the original body had been arrested several times, that did not mean all sins had been offset.

Now that he had experienced things firsthand, he had barely managed to lower some people's resentment toward him.

In some ways, encountering the obsessive fan this time wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

After finishing his chores, he found several missed calls on his phone, most of them from Yin Ronglan. While resting on the sofa, he called back.

The call was answered quickly, and Chen Zhan teased, “Playing on your phone?”

Yin Ronglan responded with a soft “Mm,” then added, “I was reading news about you.”

Chen Zhan coughed lightly and pondered before saying, “Don’t forget about the dinner tomorrow night.”

“Alright.” After a brief pause, Yin Ronglan added, “Don’t put your phone on silent.”

Chen Zhan chuckled. “I was rushing to the police station this morning and forgot to bring it.” After a moment, he added, “I’ll be more careful next time.”

There was a subtle sense of joy in his eyes. Being cared for like this was still a novel experience.

·

The next morning, in preparation for the dinner, Chen Zhan woke up early to update his audiobook channel.

With various matters to handle, half the day slipped by unnoticed.

The city never lacked places for high-end spending. That night, several investors were hosting the dinner, and the chosen hotel was exceptionally luxurious.

It was the first time Chen Zhan had witnessed Lin Chiang's cautious side. Even for a small film project, he didn’t simply wave his hand and approve funds outright. Instead, he brought in two or three partners, reducing individual profits but also sharing the risks.

When Chen Zhan arrived, he saw Yin Ronglan waiting at the hotel entrance.

“Why aren’t you going in?”

Yin Ronglan replied, “Waiting for you.”

Chen Zhan rarely saw him hesitate like this—it didn’t seem like his usual style.

Just as they stepped inside, Yin Ronglan suddenly asked, “Did you see a pharmacy on your way here?”

Since Chen Zhan had taken the bus, he had noticed the surroundings and nodded.

Yin Ronglan lowered his voice.

“Hangover medicine?” Chen Zhan was slightly surprised. “Is that really necessary?”

Yin Ronglan said seriously, “Just in case.”

Though he had some doubts, Chen Zhan still turned and walked out.

Only after watching him disappear around the corner did Yin Ronglan finally follow the waiter into the private dining room.

Due to the recent paparazzi incident, Lin Chiang had deliberately chosen a highly private venue. He was already seated inside, next to a middle-aged man who took the initiative to start a conversation, subtly offering compliments.

On the other side sat an older man whose tone was more neutral. He was wealthy and had mainly brought his son along to meet Lin Chiang as preparation for his future inheritance.

The young man, barely in his twenties, was impatient. Though there were still ten minutes until the scheduled time, he had already begun complaining. “They’re not here yet? Look at the time.”

Just as he spoke, the private room door opened.

The older man, usually calm and composed, was momentarily stunned. He instinctively turned to Lin Chiang. “Is President Yin also investing in this film?”

Lin Chiang frowned slightly, his gaze darkening.

Yin Ronglan stood still, waiting for them to process the situation.

Lin Chiang’s mind worked quickly. Remembering the previous nanny incident, his expression grew complicated. “The new drama lead that Chen Zhan recommended—don’t tell me it’s you?”

The atmosphere in the room immediately shifted.

Only then did Yin Ronglan pull out a chair and sit down calmly. “That’s correct.”

The young man dared not interrupt. He was well aware of Yin Ronglan’s identity and looked at his father in confusion.

The older man looked to Lin Chiang for confirmation. Lin Chiang let out a cold laugh. “Looks like someone got too deep into their ‘playing the commoner’ role and messed up.”

The weight of his words was immense.

The young man quickly pieced everything together and looked utterly astonished.

Yin Ronglan’s expression was unreadable. After a long pause, he spoke slowly. “Later, I’ll need everyone’s cooperation.”

The young man, driven by curiosity, asked, “What do you need us to do?”

“What else?” Lin Chiang took a sip of water, concealing the emotions in his eyes. Before Yin Ronglan could reply, he smirked. “Background extras.”

Author’s Note:

Lin Chiang: …What a grand ‘annual drama.’

Young man: Why don’t we create a group chat for all those in the know so everyone can maintain their character settings?

Three days later, the ‘Overbearing CEO Tragic Love Story’ group was officially established.

Lin Chiang: I am an emotionless toolman.

Young man: I’m the arrogant second-generation heir who needs to act condescending at the right moments to push the leads closer together.

Subordinate: I’m a brick—I’ll be placed wherever the boss needs me.

Old man across the street: Don’t ask. If you must ask, I’m the matchmaker.

______

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