ABSML Chapter 48: Common Topics

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ANNOUNCEMENT

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• Chapter 38-50
• Chapter 51-60
• Chapter 61-70
• Chapter 71-80

The intake of sugar allowed the brain to start thinking again.

   ["System, what should I do if I can't find a partner?"]

After a moment, the system's weak voice responded: "If you bloom, the breeze will come."

Chen Zhan scoffed. Compared to when he had first arrived in this world, he now had savings and a career. That should count as blooming.

   [System: Different species. You might be a titan arum, which only blooms once every few years. It's said that its stench can spread up to 800 meters.]

His hand almost slipped while tidying up the dishes. Chen Zhan sighed, his gaze regaining clarity... Forget it, it’s all about fate.

Lately, several gossip reporters had come knocking, seeking an interview, but Chen Zhan turned them all away. Eventually, he got tired of making excuses and simply pretended no one was home.

Because of this, the old man next door suddenly became popular. Many people visited him with gift boxes, asking about his knowledge of Chen Zhan.

Milk and eggs were piling up in the house. A few times, the old man even wondered whether his neighbor was really just a person or a reincarnation of a lucky cat.

Chen Zhan was not the type to sit still. With nothing to do at home, he opened his private messages to check if any influencers had reached out for collaboration. He was surprised to find that, starting two days ago, all the requests had come from men.

The cruelty and reality of the world were evident.

Meanwhile, Chen Ru had finally quieted down. One night, he even sent a long message, thousands of words long, expressing heartfelt remorse. At the end of it, he begged Chen Zhan to issue a statement clarifying that they had absolutely no relationship.

The more he had spent money to create a scandal before, the more desperately he tried to cut ties now.

To Chen Zhan, everything was settled.

For Yin Ronglan, however, some things were just beginning.

His subordinate, Xiao Zhao, felt it most clearly. Just as his boss was about to sign off on a contract review, he suddenly lifted his head with a scornful gaze.

"The closest person?"

"…Sir, what are you referring to?"

Yin Ronglan ordered, "Hire someone to investigate whether that kidnapper has any undiscovered criminal records."

Xiao Zhao had long since mastered the art of maintaining a neutral expression. He simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Yin Ronglan placed his pen down gently and walked to the window, mocking himself, "Perhaps I'm overthinking things."

Watching his boss's back, Xiao Zhao pursed his lips. Building an empire from scratch meant one had to remain constantly vigilant. Though sometimes it felt absurd, making true friends was not easy for someone like Yin Ronglan.

Momentarily stepping beyond his role, he added, "Actually, whether it’s marriage or friendship, having common topics is very important."

Yin Ronglan turned around and nodded. "Go on."

Xiao Zhao explained, "I had a really close friend in high school. We used to complain about everything together. But after we went to different universities, the distance made it harder to talk, and eventually, we had nothing to say to each other."

Yin Ronglan frowned. "That happens?"

Xiao Zhao elaborated, "People go through different experiences. If you can’t relate to each other’s lives, it becomes difficult to connect. Of course, not everyone drifts apart like that."

Always one to plan ahead, Yin Ronglan lowered his head, mulling over the phrase 'common topics.'

After the recent storm of events, Chen Zhan had become even more low-key.

Hearing a knock at the door, he instinctively assumed it was a reporter and didn't even bother checking the peephole.

It wasn't until Yin Ronglan called that Chen Zhan paused, setting his work aside to answer the door.

Snowflakes landed on his eyelashes, melting into tiny ice crystals, slightly blurring Yin Ronglan’s vision.

Leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, Chen Zhan smirked. "You're probably the only person besides reporters willing to approach me."

Yin Ronglan removed his coat.

Chen Zhan opened the closet for him. "Cold weather like this—wearing a padded jacket would be warmer." Then, scrutinizing his long legs, he added, "Are you wearing thermal pants?"

Yin Ronglan chuckled. "That strict?"

Chen Zhan shifted his laptop and brewed a pot of tea.

Waiting for the water to cool, he watched the tender green leaves unfurl and asked, "What brings you here?"

"I need a favor."

Surprised, Chen Zhan looked at him. "You actually have problems you can’t solve?" After a pause, he added, "No offense, just surprised."

Yin Ronglan took a sip of tea and smiled. "I understand."

Now genuinely curious, Chen Zhan leaned forward slightly.

Yin Ronglan said, "I want you to teach me how to write."

Chen Zhan stared at him for a few seconds, then reached out to check his forehead temperature.

"No fever," Yin Ronglan said calmly. "I really like your writing style."

Chen Zhan wondered if his heart hurt when he told such blatant lies.

But no matter how he looked at him, all he could see on that face was sincere willingness to learn.

Having no real reason to refuse, Chen Zhan eventually nodded. "We can start with… writing a journal?"

Yin Ronglan took out a thick stack of tickets from his pocket as payment. "Where do you want to go?"

Not giving him a chance to say "anywhere is fine."

Chen Zhan blinked a couple of times.

Yin Ronglan continued, "The remaining tickets will be distributed to company employees as benefits."

Chen Zhan randomly picked one out. It was for a forest park, dated for today.

Seeing that it was already approaching noon, he saved his draft, put on his coat, and prepared to leave.

At the entrance of the residential complex, his subordinate was waiting. Yin Ronglan handed him a ticket for personal use and instructed him to distribute the rest.

Seeing that Yin Ronglan wasn’t getting into the car, Xiao Zhao asked, "Sir, are you…?"

"Parking spots at the forest park are scarce," Yin Ronglan replied. "You take the car. We’ll take the bus."

Xiao Zhao watched them walk toward the bus stop. One was wearing a commanding trench coat, the other bundled up in thick layers.

At first glance, it looked like a towering pine tree and a round rice dumpling.

Chuckling softly at his own thoughts, Chen Zhan started the engine and prepared to leave.

Lately, he had been going out wearing a mask and a hat to avoid being recognized. One advantage of winter was that dressing like this wouldn’t attract much attention.

The forest park had a designated stop, and getting off required only crossing an intersection—very convenient.

Chen Zhan took everything seriously, even things he found absurd. “Scenery descriptions don’t need to be too detailed. Sometimes, just noting the weather is enough.”

Yin Ronglan appeared to be listening intently.

There weren’t many people in the park.

Since children and the elderly had free admission, one could sometimes see kids chasing and playing with each other, or elderly people sitting on benches, staring motionlessly at a certain spot.

It felt as if everything there could cleanse one's soul.

After walking for a while, Yin Ronglan said, “They recently built a small newsstand up ahead.”

The setting was quite suitable for reading. Chen Zhan nodded. “Let’s take a look.”

As they walked, he gave a casual writing lesson while admiring the scenery: “Besides yourself, an article must always have another subject. A monologue easily becomes dull. Also…”

He suddenly stopped speaking, his gaze fixed on the artificial lake not far away, and frowned.

A few children were playing there. The water wasn’t very deep for an adult, but in winter, it would be freezing. If someone fell in and cramped up, an accident wasn’t impossible.

Just as he was about to say something, one child accidentally pushed another in the midst of play. The latter lost his balance and fell into the lake.

The child who had pushed him was startled and instinctively leaned forward, trying to pull him up.

Chen Zhan shouted for him to step back and rushed forward.

Yin Ronglan, who ran slightly faster, jumped into the water first.

People being rescued often panic and struggle, which can lead to tragedy. Seeing the child in the lake flailing wildly, Chen Zhan immediately jumped in as well. With Yin Ronglan in front and himself behind, they supported the child and lifted him upward.

Chen Zhan climbed onto the shore first, then extended a hand to pull Yin Ronglan up.

The commotion attracted nearby passersby. One of them took off their coat to wrap around the child. Since the child was too scared to speak and couldn’t provide any information about their family, they had to call the police.

Not wanting to end up on trending searches for heroics again, and with their thick winter clothes soaked through, Chen Zhan and Yin Ronglan decided to leave after informing the security guard about what had happened.

The taxi driver was kind-hearted and didn’t mind that they were dripping wet.

Back at the house, both took turns showering in hot water. Chen Zhan then made a big bowl of ginger soup, which they each drank in one go.

With a long exhale, they exchanged glances and, in silent understanding, shook their heads with wry smiles.

Yin Ronglan was temporarily wearing Chen Zhan’s loungewear. Fortunately, the outfit was originally oversized, so it wasn’t too tight on him.

"Well, we have material for our journals now," Chen Zhan joked.

Yin Ronglan nodded in agreement.

Chen Zhan got up, pulled out paper and a pen from a drawer, and said, “Write it down. Let’s see how much you’ve learned.”

Feeling a bit like a student about to have their composition critiqued by a strict teacher, Yin Ronglan internally resisted but outwardly remained calm: “I don’t think I’ve mastered the essence yet.”

Chen Zhan chuckled. “The trick is moderate exaggeration, with a punchy ending.”

Looking into Yin Ronglan’s deep eyes, he continued, “This exaggeration should be emotional rather than fabricating what actually happened. Try recalling today’s details carefully.”

After a long moment of contemplation, Yin Ronglan finally began writing:

..........

On a bright winter’s day, I went on an outing with my best friend.

The forest park felt like another world, filled only with relaxed conversations and exchanged smiles.

While chatting happily, we suddenly saw a child fall into the water up ahead.

Without hesitation, we both jumped in.

Working together, we lifted the child onto the shore. Chen Zhan reached out his hand to pull me up.

That’s when I noticed something floating on the water—a small notebook, probably something that had slipped from the child’s pocket during the rescue.

Both the notebook and I had fallen into the water, but he chose to save me without hesitation.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but reflect—

Ah, just how much must he love me?!

..........

Placing the final punctuation mark, Yin Ronglan let out a soft sigh of relief… Exaggeration in moderation, an emotional climax, a strong closing—he had incorporated them all.

Chen Zhan was working on his own writing and paused his typing when he saw Yin Ronglan finish.

"Done?"

Yin Ronglan nodded and handed the paper over.

Chen Zhan, curious about the writing skills of this seemingly unassuming talent, started reading with anticipation.

After the first sentence, he narrowed his eyes, thinking the opening was quite strong.

Three lines in, his friendly smile gradually faded.

By the time he reached the final sentence, his expression was completely devoid of any trace of amusement.

"So?" Yin Ronglan asked sincerely.

Chen Zhan’s fingers tightened slightly around the paper, creating small creases. He lowered his head, making it difficult for others to read his expression.

_______

Author’s Note:

Yin Ronglan: I think I’ve mastered it.

Chen Zhan: Teach your student too well, and you’ll starve as a teacher.

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