ABSML Chapter 41: Judgment
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ANNOUNCEMENT
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The Weibo account had been newly registered after meeting Chen Zhan, and for Yin Ronglan, joining a stranger’s group chat was a novel experience. The group owner soon posted a series of strict rules—upon careful reading, anything that interfered with Chen Zhan’s writing updates was classified as a dark force.
Yin Ronglan’s single approval emoji was quickly drowned in a flood of likes from other group members.
"Mmm..."
A soft sound drew his attention away from his phone.
Chen Zhan’s eyelids fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes. He placed a hand on the back of his neck, tilting his head from side to side.
Sleeping while leaning against the bed’s headboard was hardly a proper posture. Adjusting his position slightly for comfort, he thought about opening a window for some fresh air.
Yin Ronglan stopped him, reaching out to feel his forehead. It wasn’t too warm. “Feeling better?”
Chen Zhan took a sip of water and gave a slight nod, his gaze drifting toward where his computer was placed.
Yin Ronglan frowned. “In your condition, you shouldn’t be working.”
Chen Zhan said wistfully, “I need to make up for my full attendance bonus—with triple the word count.”
Perhaps because he had already been lying in bed all afternoon, now that his fever had subsided, he felt oddly alert, completely free of drowsiness.
Seeing this, Yin Ronglan opened the laptop. “You dictate, I’ll type.”
Chen Zhan considered it. His wrist was indeed sore, so he didn’t refuse the offer. Clearing his throat with a light cough, he began speaking in a slightly hoarse voice:
..........
"Not long ago, a relationship expert called me proactively, expressing concern for my mental state.
I also felt like I had been in a daze recently, as if caught in some kind of vicious cycle.
The expert had studied psychology in the past and gently suggested that I learn to let go at the right time. He even advised me to visit a psychiatrist when I had the chance.
But I refused to accept it.
‘I’ve done so much. Why did she still choose to marry into wealth?’
The expert patiently tried to persuade me. ‘Try making a comparison—talent, family background, personality. Put yourself in her shoes.’
Standing by the roadside for a long time, I carefully followed his advice and analyzed everything in detail. Before long, I reached a conclusion—
Apart from my face, I have nothing else to offer."
This indirectly suggests that there is another attractive face comparable to Lin Chiang.
Since that’s the case, why not take the straightforward and bold approach of seduction?
Spending money to get a minor role in the production, a character whose first scene involves dying while rescuing the female lead from drowning.
The goddess looked at me coldly, only considering the shooting schedule and making no additional requests.
Before filming, I meticulously arranged even the tiniest details, down to the direction in which a single strand of hair would drip water.
It was springtime, and green plants flourished along the lake’s shore. I knew exactly how I would appear in the sunlight: my open collar revealing delicate collarbones, my porcelain-like face flushed faintly from the struggle, the sun casting its glow upon me like an angel fallen to earth...
..........
A light chuckle suddenly rang out in the room, breaking the moment. Chen Zhan turned his face slightly and saw the unmistakable amusement in Yin Ronglan’s eyes.
“Sorry.” Yin Ronglan quickly regained his usual expression.
If not for the lingering traces of laughter at the corners of his eyes, Chen Zhan would have almost thought he had imagined it. He gave a light glance before continuing, “From her angle, she can see the curve of my neck, the slight tremor of my Adam’s apple—balanced between youthfulness and maturity—exuding a fatal charm...”
Back in his startup days, Yin Ronglan had poured immense effort into crafting the perfect product introduction, yet nothing had been as challenging as what he now faced.
He tried his best to keep a straight face while typing. Just as he was about to ask about a certain phrasing, his peripheral vision caught the slight movement of Chen Zhan’s Adam’s apple as he spoke. For some reason, he felt a faint tension in his chest, recalling the line he had typed just moments ago.
Yin Ronglan’s typing speed was fast. Within an hour, the three-thousand-character piece was completed.
Chen Zhan didn’t need to worry about paragraph formatting—Yin Ronglan had taken care of everything.
“It’s better to post it later.”
Chen Zhan nodded, sharing the same thought. Delaying it a little longer would throw those trying to manipulate public opinion into disarray.
In fact, there was no need to wait until tomorrow—Chen Ru and her team were already in chaos.
A half-finished glass of champagne was violently smashed to the floor, shards of glass scattering around. Her fingers unconsciously ran through her hair, making her carefully curled locks look messy.
How could this happen?
Just before midnight, netizens were still joking around, but with a simple turn of the clock’s hand, the entire public sentiment shifted. According to the original plan, once her identity was exposed, people would compare her with Jiang Ying. Initially, she would be criticized harshly, but over time, some would sympathize with her and become her fans.
But now, no one was dragging Jiang Ying into the mess. Even the view counts bought from paid commenters were quickly drowned out.
Her phone vibrated incessantly. Seeing that it was her agent calling, a glimmer of hope reignited in Chen Ru’s eyes.
“At this point, we can only go all in.” The agent got straight to the point. “Find media outlets to widely report on your relationship with Chen Zhan—turn the fake into reality.”
When people hear and see something enough times, their subconscious will start to believe it’s true.
Chen Ru hesitated. “What if he denies it?”
“So what?” The agent snapped. “It’s the media spreading the news. When the time comes, just play the victim.”
Chen Ru let out a breath of relief. “Alright.”
·
“Achoo.”
Chen Zhan felt an itch in his eyes, his nose turning slightly red.
Yin Ronglan handed him a tissue. Chen Zhan tilted his head back, wearing an expression that clearly said, Some troublemaker is plotting against me.
After scrolling through his phone for a while, he didn’t see any new trending topics.
Thinking for a moment, he tried searching a few keywords. As expected, some people were trying to push a certain narrative, attempting to tie him into a romantic relationship.
Their eyes met, and Yin Ronglan spoke, “She’s just a small-time actress. Not worth your concern.”
The implication was that he could make the problem disappear.
Chen Zhan had always preferred handling things personally. He smiled and said, “Strike first.”
His most recent Weibo post was from last night, announcing a giveaway winner. The comment section had already flooded with thousands of inquiries demanding an update.
Chen Zhan picked a random comment and replied: Ran into a clout chaser.
A simple phrase, yet it carried layered meaning.
With his natural audience engagement and the post already on the trending list, its spread quickly outpaced the fake news pushed by Chen Ru’s hired media.
[Zhan-Chi Devoted Fan: I knew that woman was up to no good! My Zhan Zhan is only focused on his career!]
[Snowball: I swear, I’ll boycott any production that actress appears in!]
[Zheng Yang: Same! Also, update the story already!]
…
As dawn broke, Chen Zhan got up, washed up, and made porridge while frying two eggs.
Yin Ronglan went to the old man next door to borrow some pickled vegetables and steamed buns, and just like that, an unusually simple breakfast was ready.
Before eating, Chen Zhan noticed that the romance rumor was once again picking up traction, so he promptly posted an update. His readers, who cared more about the story than the author’s personal life, immediately shifted their focus to discussing the new chapter.
In that instant, his private affairs became irrelevant.
The rumor-mongering posts sank like a stone in water.
“So realistic.” Chen Zhan sighed softly.
Yin Ronglan responded, “That’s a good thing.”
After breakfast, he had to go back to feed his dog. He said goodbye before leaving but took a long look at the newly hung embroidery on Chen Zhan’s door before stepping out.
"Reunion of Joy."
It was a far better sign than last year’s “A weasel paying respects to a chicken.”
But he wondered—would it be replaced again next year?
Meanwhile, Chen Zhan was lazily washing the dishes when his phone suddenly buzzed.
A friend request notification appeared.
What surprised him more was that, twenty minutes earlier, Jiang Ying had messaged him:
[Don’t talk to strangers.]
Chen Zhan instantly understood.
The friend request was from Chen Ru. She was likely planning to send some ambiguous messages, then screenshot their chat at a key moment to mislead the public.
Jiang Ying had been in the industry long enough to know exactly what trick was coming just from seeing the trending topics.
After hesitating briefly and considering the principle of reciprocation, he sent a message: [Is Lin Chiang unreachable?]
Jiang Ying wouldn’t give a reminder for no reason—most likely, she wanted to see if he knew anything about Lin Chiang’s whereabouts.
[Jiang Ying: His phone is out of service, and his parents said he went on a last-minute business trip.]
A business trip on New Year’s Eve? That excuse was a bit far-fetched.
Chen Zhan pondered how many fireworks Lin Chiang had set off for him to still be “held up.” Clearly, the latter found it too embarrassing and had instructed his parents not to spread the news.
Without explicitly exposing anything, Chen Zhan replied: [I suggest looking into Article 30 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law.]
After sending the message, he tossed his phone onto the sofa, ignoring new friend requests in his contacts, and went back to washing dishes.
It had snowed lightly the night before, and the roads were congested. By the time Yin Ronglan got home, it was already late. His dog barked at him a few times.
After feeding the dog, he stood up and looked at the villa before him. It was nearly ten times the size of Chen Zhan’s house. Yet, with the trees bare and flowers withered in winter, the already quiet place now felt eerily desolate.
Not wanting to linger, he drove to the company. Originally, he had planned to let the on-duty employees leave early, but upon arrival, he found more people than expected.
Recently, Xiangxi’s advertising had been gaining traction rapidly. The sales department manager had to call in a few team members for an emergency meeting to devise a counter-strategy. As for his subordinate, Xiao Zhao, he was merely seeking refuge—word had it that he got drunk at dinner last night, complained about his mother-in-law mistreating him, and unintentionally sparked a family conflict.
“Good evening, President.” The employees, who had been dozing off, immediately perked up upon seeing their boss.
Yin Ronglan nodded and instructed, “It’s going to snow again tonight. If you don’t have urgent matters, head home early.”
Since it was close to noon, he went ahead and ordered lunch for everyone.
During the meal, the atmosphere was lively with conversations. Yin Ronglan, however, went up to the rooftop alone for a while, had some drinks, and only realized he couldn’t drive home when he was about to leave. A subordinate promptly volunteered to be his driver.
Naturally, riding with the boss meant making conversation. The subordinate brought up how many internet influencers had started writing about their love lives.
“Some of them are actually quite interesting.”
“Just copycats.” Yin Ronglan gazed out the window and said flatly, “None of them will surpass Confessions.”
Sensing the disinterest, the subordinate swiftly changed the topic. “We’ve already spoken to the media, and online discussions are largely aligned now.” Then, with a chuckle, he added, “It’s a pity, though—I heard a female model was quite fond of Chen Zhan, but now she doesn’t dare to ask for an introduction anymore.”
“A female model?”
“Cheng Wen. She’s new but quite popular.”
Yin Ronglan withdrew his gaze from the window. “She’s just debuted and already thinking about romance? She won’t amount to much.”
The subordinate was momentarily speechless.
Then, a realization struck—just recently, his boss had spent money to join a film crew just to work alongside Chen Zhan, even secretly helping him solve some problems. And now, he disapproved of anyone who showed interest in Chen Zhan…
Come to think of it, wasn’t this exactly what Chen Zhan did when he was madly chasing after Jiang Ying?!
Sneaking a glance at Yin Ronglan through the rearview mirror, the subordinate immediately formed a judgment—
Ha, a toxic stan.
Author’s Note:
Subordinate: You’re a toxic stan. So was he. What’s the difference?
Yin Ronglan: The difference is, I succeeded. He didn’t.
______
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