ABSML Chapter 46: A Fateful Encounter
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ANNOUNCEMENT
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Back at home, as soon as the lights came on, the bruises on his elbow stood out vividly.
Yin Ronglan frowned. “I watched the trending video—there was no footage of him attacking you.”
Chen Zhan’s eyebrow twitched. There’s a video?!
He sighed lightly. “When I twisted his arm back, I accidentally hit the pole.”
Back when they had returned from the horse ranch, Yin Ronglan had witnessed Chen Zhan’s fighting style firsthand. Though physically lean, he made up for it with sheer ruthlessness. At the time, it hadn’t seemed like a big deal—he had even admired it. But now, he suddenly saw the risks hidden within.
After washing his hands, Yin Ronglan opened the bottle of medicinal liquor and gestured toward the stool.
Chen Zhan clearly did nothing wrong, yet under the overly deep gaze, he obediently sat down.
"Stretch out your hand."
Chen Zhan rolled up his sleeve and extended his hand.
As the medicinal liquid spread, the smell was unpleasant, and the rubbing sensation was even more painful.
Chen Zhan suggested, "How about... I take it orally?"
He had heard that this medicine could be consumed in small amounts.
The rest of his words were blocked by a single casual glance from the other party.
After the medicine was applied, his arm felt slightly numb.
Yin Ronglan picked up a folder from the side, glanced at the clearly marked prices on it, and said indifferently, "Just a whim?"
Chen Zhan raised his hand, "I swear." Then he shrugged and said, "But these are all people who haven't been in trouble for too long. The news says that quite a few of them still have parents in this city."
Those with some filial piety might come back for one last look.
Considering that Chen Zhan could barely be counted as an 'injured party,' Yin Ronglan went to the kitchen to boil some water. While waiting for the water to boil, he sat across from Chen Zhan with a smile, slowly took out his phone, and scrolled through it.
Chen Zhan: "…Don't do this."
Yin Ronglan raised an eyebrow slightly. "A new topic has been added. Now there are three in total."
#New Generation of Money Power Holders
#A Gentleman Keeps His Weapons Hidden, Waiting for the Right Time#
#I Found 100,000 Yuan on the Road.
"Different styles of headlines," Yin Ronglan said indifferently. "Which one do you prefer?"
Chen Zhan had reason to believe he was still annoyed that he hadn't paid attention to his personal safety.
Unfortunately, this was just the beginning.
Next, a video with over hundreds of thousands of likes was played right in front of him. The video started with a serious-looking Chen Zhan: "Opportunities always favor those who are prepared."
It then cut to scenes of him bravely chasing down a suspect.
In the final ten seconds, his serious expression echoed the opening statement, as he expressed his hope that people would work diligently instead of relying on rewards to make money.
The person who posted the video even added a boss-like background music at the end.
Putting himself in the audience's shoes, even he would feel speechless.
Chen Zhan took the phone and scrolled through the comments:
"A new generation of show-offs has just been born."
"I specifically went online to check, couldn't remember anything, but while browsing the missing children's website, I found a photo that looks exactly like me when I was a kid."
"Ha, one second he's telling us to seize opportunities, the next he's teaching us to be down-to-earth. Reported!"
…
Modern netizens had a top-tier ability for sarcasm. After reading a few of the most popular comments, Chen Zhan fell into a long silence.
"If I had another chance…"
Yin Ronglan thought he had repented. "You would give up the 100,000 yuan?"
Chen Zhan, deeply reflecting, said, "I would absolutely not choose to accept interviews today."
Hearing this, Yin Ronglan couldn't help but shake his head. Seeing that it was already late, he prepared to leave, reminding him not to lift heavy objects before he left.
Feeling guilty for taking up so much of his time, Chen Zhan said, "I'll walk you out."
Yin Ronglan was momentarily surprised and waved his hand in refusal. "Forget it, it's cold outside."
"It's fine, I'll see you off from the window."
"…"
Technically, this counted as the first time Chen Zhan had seen him off. When Yin Ronglan reached the apartment entrance, he looked up and saw Chen Zhan standing by the window, expressionless, waving mechanically. This made him feel both amused and exasperated.
Late at night, Chen Zhan lay wide awake, staring into the quiet room.
After failing to fall asleep for the Nth time, he sat up cross-legged, motionless.
He reached for his phone, but after lighting up the screen, he didn’t know what to look at. Online comment sections were still fervently discussing how he had 'seized the opportunity,' while the novel section had been taken over by various long-form fan comments.
Under the harsh glow of the screen, Chen Zhan turned on a small night lamp, his gaze wandering up and down his contact list, only to realize that the only person he could message was Yin Ronglan.
Deleting the typed-out "Are you there?" he changed it to "Did you get home?" and sent it.
[Yin Ronglan replied quickly: [Can't sleep?]]
[Chen Zhan: [I’ve looked at too many wanted photos, and my mind feels unsettled.]]
One face after another flashed through his mind like a carousel.
[Yin Ronglan: […Listen to some soft music, it'll help you sleep.]]
Music wasn’t needed. After sending the message, Chen Zhan gradually settled down. Just as drowsiness was creeping in, he suddenly sat up in bed like a carp flip.
[Do you think my 100,000 yuan will be taxed?]
On the other side of the city, Yin Ronglan checked the time—it was 3 a.m.—and was amazed at the other's energy:
[Close your eyes, count sheep, stop thinking.]
At last, Chen Zhan finally quieted down.
That night, his sleep was restless. As soon as the clock passed six, he woke up.
Not feeling particularly sleepy, he got out of bed decisively. Originally planning to make a fried egg as a simple breakfast, he opened the fridge only to find two nearly expired bottles of milk.
With the prize money soon in hand, there was no need to be stingy. Chen Zhan decided to take a ride to a well-known restaurant in Jing'an District for a proper meal.
As one of the city's famous breakfast spots, once the food was served, he could confirm its reputation was well-deserved—thin-skinned, pink shrimp dumplings, fragrant cheese omelet, and a small bowl of lean meat porridge warming his entire body.
Picking up a shrimp dumpling with his chopsticks, Chen Zhan unconsciously applied a bit more pressure.
Halfway through the meal, he suddenly turned his head without warning and locked eyes with a man at the opposite table, making him frown slightly… That man had seemingly been watching him.
In fact, since Chen Zhan entered, Xiao Zhao had been stealing glances from time to time. This man was acknowledged by the CEO as a friend—he must have something extraordinary about him.
As their eyes met, Xiao Zhao hesitated about whether to greet him. His boss’s identity was already exposed, so as a behind-the-scenes worker, perhaps he didn’t need to stay hidden. His lips parted slightly as if to speak, but upon noticing the coldness in Chen Zhan’s gaze, he dismissed the idea.
His thoughts spun rapidly, but then he suddenly realized he was about to be late for work. He quickly wiped his mouth, got up, and prepared to leave.
Just as he stepped out, he noticed a man tailing him. Xiao Zhao wondered if he had encountered a pervert and quickened his pace.
"Quick, stop him!" As soon as he saw the man striding forward, the one chasing behind him seemed to have finally confirmed something.
A robbery in broad daylight?
Xiao Zhao was startled and took off running.
The people chasing him gradually increased from one to a group. Just as he was gasping for breath, unable to run any further, and preparing to call for help, he overheard one of them saying to his companion, "No mistake! I just saw Chen Zhan staring at him for over ten seconds."
Someone chimed in, "If he has nothing to hide, why would he run?"
"Hurry! Just a few more meters and we'll reach the police station."
Xiao Zhao was so furious his voice trembled. "What nonsense are you talking about? I—"
Unfortunately, no one was willing to listen to his explanation. All they could see was the gleaming bounty reward. In the struggle, Xiao Zhao was subdued and dragged into the police station.
Chen Zhan, who was having breakfast, was completely unaware of what had happened. He and the waiter serving the food were both stunned by the sudden commotion.
The waiter found his voice again. "Could this be a revenge attack? Should we call the police?"
Out of concern for human life, the restaurant owner ended up making the call.
Unexpectedly, even breakfast couldn't be eaten in peace. Chen Zhan lost his appetite, asked for the rest to be packed up, and took a ride back home.
It happened to be rush hour, so by the time he arrived, an hour had passed. After putting his things down, he chatted for a while with the elderly man living across the hall. Before long, he started feeling hungry again, so he took the shrimp dumplings he had packed and pan-fried them.
The golden dumplings emitted fragrant steam. Taking a bite, he found it scalding hot. Chen Zhan started scrolling through his phone, waiting for the food to cool down a bit before eating.
As soon as he opened the headlines, a trending video began auto-playing.
He clicked on it casually. The young man in the video had his back to the camera during the interview, but he looked somewhat familiar.
"I don’t know why they were chasing me," the young man said with a choked voice. "When I got to the police station, I desperately explained that I had no criminal record. While the officer was checking the system, I finally had time to call my boss and ask for leave."
Chen Zhan shook his head, feeling that trending topics these days were becoming increasingly dull.
Just as he was about to close the app, he heard the young man in the video say bitterly, "If I had another chance, I would never look at him again in a crowd!"
There was still more than a minute left in the video, but before he could finish watching, his phone vibrated non-stop on the table. The caller ID displayed the name Yin Ronglan.
Chen Zhan popped a dumpling into his mouth, swallowed, and answered the call. "Hello."
Yin Ronglan’s voice was as calm as ever, but upon closer attention, there was something different about it. "What are you doing?"
Though not as fresh as when they were just steamed, the shrimp dumplings were still delicious.
Chen Zhan picked up another one and said slowly, "Eating."
There was a brief silence on the other end before Yin Ronglan spoke again, this time with a hint of laughter in his voice. "I was worried that if I told you now, you wouldn’t be able to eat."
If they weren’t separated by distance, Chen Zhan would have confidently patted his chest and reassured him, "I have basic tolerance."
Yin Ronglan chuckled. "You might find it clearer if you check the trending searches."
Without hanging up, Chen Zhan opened Weibo.
The trending topic laid everything out clearly: A man was taken to the police station after being mistakenly identified as a fugitive, all because Chen Zhan looked at him for a few seconds.
Such a short sentence carried an enormous amount of information.
Glancing at the comments and then at the golden shrimp dumplings on his table, he suddenly lost his appetite.
[KunlunXian: I used to think the scariest superpower was making people pregnant by glaring at them. Now I realize there’s always someone stronger!]
[LinXiaole: I really feel for that poor guy.]
[SergeantD: Absolutely tragic! What kind of karma is this early in the morning?]
Chen Zhan also wanted to ask… What kind of karma was this?
Hearing no response for a long time, Yin Ronglan couldn’t help but chuckle. "Look on the bright side. At least this pushed yesterday’s trending topic down."
Because of the unexpected incident, Chen Zhan had little appetite for lunch. Yin Ronglan, as if he knew him all too well, drove to his apartment around noon.
"What do you want to eat? My treat."
Chen Zhan got in the car and rubbed his forehead. "Let’s just pick a place nearby."
Yin Ronglan took him to an old, well-known restaurant. While looking at the menu, Chen Zhan noticed some interesting new dishes.
Just as he was about to call the waiter, he noticed a girl at the next table doing the same. When she saw his face, her pupils contracted in shock. Remembering the news she had read that morning, she quickly lowered her head and silently chanted, "Don’t look at me, don’t look at me."
"…"
___
Author’s note: Chen Zhan: Whoever I look at gets arrested.
Public: Not messing with you, not messing with you.
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